Chapter 1

Strange Forces and Turbulent Spirits in the Martial World, Chapter 1

It was a strange world.

“Confucius never spoke of strange forces and turbulent spirits. That means they are not even worth mentioning. Then what exactly are strange forces and turbulent spirits?”

The schoolmaster’s brush moved in a single, sweeping stroke, staining the xuan paper black.

“Gwae means the anomalous—things that are bizarre and uncanny.”

A stone Buddha that weeps blood from its eyes.

A temple one spent the night in, only to find it a ruin by morning.

Schools of fish falling from a clear sky.

The anomalous refers to things that cannot be explained by logic—the strange and the eerie.

“Ryeok means martial strength—humans who possess power beyond belief.”

A high monk who sees a thousand li away with divine ability.

A Taoist who reads the future in the stars of the sky.

A swordsman who crosses a cliff in a single step and cuts steel.

Martial strength means humans who possess superhuman power.

“Nan means disorder—things that would only occur in a chaotic age.”

Yokai appear and devour people.

Shooting stars fill the sky, grain withers, and plague spreads.

Corpses move, and solar and lunar eclipses occur without end.

Disorder means beings or phenomena that throw the world into confusion.

“Shin means spirits—things that are divine and numinous.”

The souls of one’s dead parents appear and show the way.

Beasts that speak human language use miraculous abilities.

There are medicinal herbs that grant immortality when eaten.

Spirits mean things that are sacred and mysterious.

“These things are called strange forces and turbulent spirits. None of them truly exist, and all of them bring great harm to the world. Therefore, one must neither believe in strange forces and turbulent spirits nor treat them as a joke.”

“Schoolmaster! Do strange forces and turbulent spirits really not exist?”

“In my entire life I have seen many who claimed such things existed, but all of them were either mistaken or swindlers trying to steal others’ wealth.”

The schoolmaster declared this firmly in response to the children’s questions.

“From the very beginning, strange forces and turbulent spirits are illusions born of human fear. Clinging to illusions helps one not at all in life. If one wishes to cast off fear, the correct path is to study and master Confucianism, thereby rectifying body and mind. Especially you, Shin—you are clever, so if you study diligently you will be able to rise in the world and make a name for yourself.”

Having finished his admonition, the schoolmaster continued the lesson.

But I could not focus on the class. Quietly, I thought.

‘Strange forces and turbulent spirits...’

The conditions the schoolmaster had described.

It seemed as though I myself was included among them.

‘Is a reincarnator also one of the strange forces and turbulent spirits?’

* * *

In my previous life I was an orphan with no one.

Though I grew up in an orphanage, I lived a life I could swear with hand on heart had never once done anything shameful.

“How many times is this now? You fought with delinquent students last month too. And this time you hit a complete stranger? What? He was trying to drive drunk? He wouldn’t listen to words so you used your fists? Mr. Lee Shin, if you want to catch criminals that badly, just become a police officer! A police officer!”

The problem was that I had lived a life with far too little shame.

In any case, that was how it happened: my body moved first toward the truck about to hit a child. I saved the child, but in the end I died.

‘To think reincarnation was actually real.’

And so I was born again in medieval China, and fourteen years had already passed.

Because the memories of my previous life had returned slowly from a young age, there was no confusion of identity.

Not being able to enjoy the benefits of modern civilization was regrettable, but there were greater advantages as well.

“Son! Try this on! It’s early winter now, it’s cold, isn’t it? It’s made of wool, so it’ll keep you warm.”

“It’s fine. You know I’m sturdy.”

“Aigoo, what if you catch a cold like that.”

I had gained a family that had not existed in my previous life.

Because my mother had passed away when I was still an infant, my father gave me love enough for both of them.

“But Father, where are you going?”

“I had a good dream last night, so I’m going to roll some dice.”

“I told you to stop gambling, and you’re going again?”

If only he didn’t love gambling, he would be perfect.

“Father, you know I’m stronger than I look, right? I can carry a person on an A-frame and still climb a mountain. If you don’t want to ride an A-frame in the near future, quit gambling while I’m asking nicely.”

“I-I’ll just win enough money to buy one majigi of field and then quit! For real!”

Blood ties really are something remarkable.

In my previous life I would have punched him to make him quit, but here I was.

“Shin oppa! Mom says to come eat!”

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

Thinking about it, the Yul family next door, who lived as close as neighbors and cousins, were probably family too.

The Yul family fed me every day, and my father worked in their fields.

“Aigoo, it’s a good thing Shin takes after his mother. What do you think, Yul? Is Shin oppa handsome? Want to marry Shin oppa later?”

“Yeah! But Shin oppa isn’t handsome, he’s pretty!”

“What marriage! Shin should marry into our house!”

After finishing the meal like that, I once again wandered the village looking for houses that needed an extra pair of hands.

“Shin’s here? Mind splitting some firewood? I’ll pay you well.”

“I’ll finish it right away.”

I raised the heavy axe high above my head.

Without hesitation I brought it down in one stroke, and the firewood split cleanly in half.

In an instant I had processed a hundred pieces of firewood, and Grandpa Kim, the innkeeper, once again voiced his admiration.

“I see it every time, but it’s truly amazing. How can you be so strong when you look like a girl? They say a natural strongman is special from childhood, and that saying is true after all.”

“It’s because I train hard every day.”

“You think that strength and stamina come from training? With you, you could enter government service and rise all the way to grand general! I heard from the schoolmaster that you’re smart too? A grand general needs to be smart as well, so it’s perfect!”

After receiving my wages and returning home, Yul came running and grabbed my hand.

“Oppa! Let’s go to the empty lot! I want to play ghost games with the kids!”

“You want to get hit with the schoolmaster’s switch again? He said last time that we shouldn’t believe in strange forces and turbulent spirits.”

“Hiiing, I don’t want that! Then let’s play martial artist games!”

Perhaps the schoolmaster’s switch was frightening to the other children as well, because the empty lot was packed with kids swinging sticks.

“Uahaha! I am the great hero Gwang Muhae of the One Thousand Swords! Take my One Thousand White Horse Sword!”

“Is that all? I, Baek Sayi of the One Second Eight Extremes, couldn’t even trim your nails!”

“Me too! Me too! Uh, um, I am the Blue Light Immortal Fairy So Yul! Behold my fan dance!”

I joined in among the happily playing children.

“I am the Invincible Lee Shin. My sword art is the Heaven and Earth Taiji Sword, and just by joining the sect you get Sword Aura as a basic.”

“Sword Aura? What’s Sword Aura?”

“It’s a realm one step above the Sword Qi Grandmaster. The sword qi condenses even more strongly and burns red, and it can cut anything.”

The children’s complaints rang out.

Since I had already expected it, I only laughed.

“There’s no such thing!”

“Uncle Wang said the Sword Qi Grandmaster is a legendary realm!”

“That’s right! Being stronger than a legend is cheating!”

“Let’s go ask Uncle Wang!”

Seok, whose initiative was first-rate, had already brought Uncle Wang over.

“You rascals, what are you curious about this time?”

“Uncle! Is there a realm higher than the Sword Qi Grandmaster?”

“Hoho, there’s no way such a thing exists. Even the Sword Qi Grandmaster only appears in legends as fiction. Then today I should tell you stories of experts who actually existed.”

Uncle Wang began telling stories of martial artists.

The stories that had been disappointing at first were no longer all that bad.

“The sword of the invincible great hero Paeng Daesuk, who pacified Shanxi, was the sharpest under heaven. It is said that with a single stroke he cut down a hundred-year-old tree thick enough for a man to embrace.”

“Wow!”

“The true strength of Jin Cheon-u of the Jade Water Radiant Sword, known as his lifelong rival, was not the sword despite his alias, but his movement techniques. He crossed a river seven zhang wide in a single sprint, so he could truly be called a master of movement techniques.”

If this world had been like the martial arts novels I used to read so often, I would have lost sleep from worry.

“Hyeon Ung of the Twin Maces that Shake the Heavens fought and defeated five tigers with two iron maces. He was so fierce that afterward the tigers would flee at the mere sight of him.”

“I want to become a martial artist too! Uncle! What do I have to do to become a martial artist?”

“First you need perseverance. To become a martial artist you have to form a dantian, and that takes at least three years.”

“It takes that long?”

Would I end up like the specialty of the Demonic Cult, kidnapped as a child and raised into a slaughter weapon?

Would martial artists who had transcended humanity fight each other and wipe out the entire village with a stray technique?

Would a passing cultivator use all the people of our village as materials for pills?

“If you separately learn a peerless heart method, two years, and if you have the extreme talent to become the number one under heaven, you can form it in one year. The saying that you have to learn martial arts young to become an expert comes from this.”

It was a true relief that this was the old-school or orthodox martial arts worldview.

I was inwardly sighing in relief when Yul poked me in the side.

“Oppa, are you going to become a martial artist too?”

“Why?”

“You train every day. I saw everything! Swishing with the wooden sword! Running! And climbing trees!”

This kid doesn’t know anything.

Of course, there had been a time when I too had aimed to become a martial artist.

A head that remembered everything was five-star intelligence, and physical ability worthy of being called a strongman was proof of outstanding tendons and bones.

There was a high possibility of being a special constitution like the Heavenly Martial Physique or the Five Elements Physique, so if I became a martial artist I could even aim for the number one under heaven, but I gave it up.

“I’m not going to. I’ll explain it so even Yul can understand. If I became a martial artist and there was a bad person...”

“Shin hyung! The thugs from the neighboring village are here again!”

“Waaah! They have knives too!”

“What!? Those bastards came again!?”

I quickly grabbed the wooden sword and chased after the children.

“This time I’ll break one arm and one leg each!”

* * *

“You did all this? Haa, I knew you were extraordinary, but this is impressive. The grand generals who left their names in history were all strong from childhood—were they like you?”

The thugs from the neighboring village, each with one arm and one leg broken, groaned on the ground.

It had not been particularly difficult. Their movements were as clear as if slowed down dozens of times, I was faster, and my strength was simply greater.

“Shin, you are clever and your strength is extraordinary, but your personality is fiery and your actions are unchecked. If you enter government service you will surely suffer great harm because of that temperament, so you must learn how to govern your mind.”

I agreed with both the village chief’s admiration and the schoolmaster’s concern.

Even if I were born again, my personality from my previous life would not change, so I had given up on both becoming a martial artist and becoming an official.

‘No matter which path I choose, only a ruinous future appears.’

If I became an official and learned there was a corrupt superior, I would just beat him.

If I became a martial artist and my master or senior brothers did something shady, I would charge in regardless of righteousness or exterminating the clan.

Even if my talent was as outstanding as expected and I became the number one under heaven, in this world where the ceiling was extremely low, I could not overcome the power of numbers and organization.

In the end I would live a life being pursued by the nation or designated as a public enemy of the martial world.

“Son! Are you all right!? You fought with the thugs!? I heard they had blades too!?”

“They were just all bark and no bite. I’m not hurt anywhere.”

“Aigoo! How could you just jump into something like that! You should have called the adults!”

But even so, I would still learn martial arts.

Even if the worldview was at the level of orthodox martial arts, martial artists were still superhuman.

Even in modern society there were many situations where lacking physical strength was a problem—how much more so in this era?

“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful next time.”

“Last time a wild boar appeared and you ran out first, didn’t you? The time before that the thugs came and you went alone? And the time before that a suspicious outsider appeared and you were the first to go!”

“You can take my saying I’ll be careful the same way you take Father’s ‘I’ll quit gambling.’”

“Uheoh! Why do you only take after me in things like this!”

That was why I was diligently saving seed money by helping the villagers, so I could separately purchase a martial arts manual.

When I asked a peddler, he said even common, simple third-rate manuals could be obtained for about two hundred nyang in iron coins.

“Still, you did a good thing, so I’ll understand. Even though you have strength, you don’t use it like a thug and instead help others—how could a parent stop that?”

With my talent, even that level of martial arts would be enough to protect myself and my family.

After that, I could just live an ordinary life in this village like I was doing now.

“Shin oppa! Let’s go play!”

Just because I reincarnated into a martial arts world didn’t mean I had to aim for the number one under heaven and stand above everyone else, right?

This ordinary life was good too.

“Hehe! I’m a tiger ghost! If you don’t give me rice cakes I’ll eat you!”

“Then I’m a dragon yokai that eats even tiger ghosts!”

Ordinary days continued like that, and today was the same as yesterday.

A normal day of helping with village chores and taking Yul to the empty lot to play with the other children.

“A dragon yokai can make wind and rain too! Take this! Howling Wind and Calling Rain!”

“Yeah, I just have to hide in a cave!”

I knew the children of my previous life had also liked ghost stories, spirits, and mysteries.

Thinking that children’s tastes were the same whether modern or here, I watched them play.

“What are you, Shin oppa?”

“I’m a standing stone yokai that just stands still. A yokai that stands like this and stays still.”

“Tch! Where is there a yokai like that!”

“Right here.”

Then when someone started a creepy story, everyone joined in.

If you whistle at night a snake comes out, if you leave food the underworld will mix it all for you, if you wander late at night the tiger ghost will take you—childish, obvious, and immature stories followed one after another.

“Did you know? There are lots of ghosts that wander around here and there. Among them there’s even a ghost that eats children from rural villages.”

“Really!?”

Among them were some fairly proper ghost stories.

“Yeah, it appears in the middle of the night, imitates a family member’s voice, and asks you to open the door. There’s a spell in the voice so you open the door without realizing it.”

“S-scary!”

“If you get caught, you’re dragged to its hideout, buried in the ground with only your face out, and slowly have your life force sucked out.”

But the face of the child who told that story was unfamiliar.

“The scariest part is that it casts a spell on the entire village so no one knows the kidnapped child was taken, making everyone completely forget.”

“Then even Dad and Mom won’t remember me?”

“When the ghost leaves the spell is released, so you’ll find out then, right? Probably it takes children every night, buries them, and once it’s eaten them all it leaves. That one likes villages with lots of children...”

I knew all the neighborhood kids, so had this one come to play from the next village?

If the face was unfamiliar then it was a first meeting, but looking at how it immediately drew attention, it was quite sociable.

“Our village is exactly that kind of village, isn’t it?”

“...Hieek.”

“...Kkuk!”

It could make a living as a storyteller when it grew up.

With the scary story added to the lengthening dusk, the frightened children left the empty lot one by one.

“I’m going home! Mom told me to come back quickly!”

“It’s not because I’m scared!”

“I’m scared! Let’s go together!”

The children scattered, but the child who had created this situation was nowhere to be seen, as if it had left secretly.

“Oppa! Let’s go together!”

“Are you scared too?”

“No! I just want to go with oppa!”

I took the hand Yul offered and walked together.

Yul, who had been sneaking glances at me, grinned widely.

“Hehe! Oppa! You got scolded by the schoolmaster yesterday, right?”

“A little? It’s always like that.”

“When Yul gets scolded by Mom, eating something sweet makes her feel better!”

Yul opened the other hand that had been in her pocket the whole way.

A small, red candy had melted from the child’s body heat and stuck stickily to her palm.

“Hehe! Eat this!”

“Where did you get it?”

“Mom hid it, but I secretly took it out!”

I chuckled and accepted the candy.

After splitting it in half, I put one piece in Yul’s mouth and the rest in mine.

“It’s delicious.”

“Mashitda!”

As I slowly rolled the candy in my mouth, we were already in front of the house.

I bit into the remaining candy and opened my mouth.

“Tomorrow I’ll buy you some. Let’s eat something tasty at the market.”

“Really!? Wow! It’s a day we don’t even go to the village school and we get to eat something tasty!? Twice as good!”

Since I had promised to help with the inn work early tomorrow morning, we separately set a place and time.

“But is the candy okay? Won’t you get caught by your mom?”

“It’s fine. Yul won’t get caught! I’ve never been caught once.”

At that moment, Auntie Yul’s voice rang out loudly.

“So Yul! Mom told you not to secretly take the candy! Where are you!?”

“Waaah!”

Unable to hide the laughter that escaped at the sight, I slowly returned home.

‘She’s been eating quite a lot lately since she’s in a growth spurt. I’ll have to break into the emergency funds.’

* * *

‘...Why isn’t she coming?’

The next day, the sun had reached high noon and Yul still had not appeared at the promised place.

Thinking something might have happened, I headed to the Yul house.

Both Auntie and Uncle were there, but Yul herself was not.

“Auntie, where’s Yul?”

“Yul? Who is that?”

“Your and Uncle’s daughter.”

Uncle and Auntie looked at me as if I were strange.

“Our house has no children?”