Baek Yi-gang suddenly brought up a random topic.

“About running.”

His maid, Sohwa, opened her eyes wide and responded,

“Yes?”

“I’m a slow runner. I don’t know why, but no matter how much I practiced, I didn’t improve.”

“I know.”

“Don’t say you know. It’s slower than you think. Since elementary school… no, since I was young, I’ve never not been last in races with my friends. I even lost in running to guys who weighed more than twice as much as I did.”

“Um, Young Master, you didn’t have any friends.”

“You shouldn’t nitpick that.”

“Um… What?”

Yi-gang ignored Sohwa’s comment.

He coughed lightly and continued.

“So, I got teased a lot. The kids would maliciously mock me for being slow. They’d call me a turtle and keep running away, repeating the act.”

“So, you did have friends?”

“Hey now.”

Sohwa smiled slyly. Yi-gang, realizing she was joking, smiled back.

“… Anyway, I chased after those fleeing kids. They probably thought I couldn’t catch them.”

“Because you’re a slow runner.”

“Right. But I caught all of them. And I kicked them in the butt.”

“How?”

This was the true story of Yi-gang, not an embellishment.

The story of his previous life before being born as a frail child of the Baek Noble Clan — It was a past he was mentioning for the first time since his reincarnation.

“I never gave up.”

“…”

“No matter how fast those kids were, they’d eventually glance back as they ran. They knew I’d give up soon since I was slow at running.”

“I see…”

There was no strength in Sohwa’s voice.

“Of course, it was hard. I probably suffered more chasing them than they did running away. I felt as if my heart would burst from the exertion, and I could taste blood in my mouth.”

“Ah…”

“But I never gave up. You know what I mean?”

“…”

“I’m saying I will never give up this time either.”

“As expected… Young Master, you’re so mature…”

Yi-gang wiped the blood flowing from Sohwa’s mouth with his sleeve. However, his sleeve was already soaked in blood.

A dagger was embedded in the back of the maid trying to protect her master, and Yi-gang hid with her in this secluded storeroom.

“Those assassins will probably try to capture or kill me, but I won’t give up.”

“Alright…”

“I won’t let them capture me easily, and if I’m discovered, I’ll fight till the end.”

“Even though you’re weak…”

“And even if I’m caught, I’ll escape again. As you said, I’ll take my medicine regularly, heal my body, and live until I’m 100.”

“…”

“So…”

Sohwa could not reply anymore. She just blankly stared at the ceiling.

“…Rest in peace.”

Yi-gang gently brushed over her unfocused eyes. Her powerless eyelids slowly closed, never to open again.

Sohwa’s face turned pale without a hint of blood. One would never see her simple smile again.

Yi-gang tightly shut his mouth.

Ever since he was born as Baek Yi-gang, Sohwa had been like a real sister to him.

Though he was born as a child of a Murim clan, he was unable to learn martial arts, and exiled to live in a small manor on the outskirts of the city.

Sohwa never treated him differently from others.

However, there was no time to remain immersed in sorrow. He heard footsteps right above him.

Thump, thump, thump.

“They must be here!”

“Search a bit more, there must be a secret passage!”

The voices of the assassins were heard from above the side door.

When Yi-gang found the hidden door in the old warehouse floor, he felt as if he had found a lifeline.

He entered through that door, supporting the injured Sohwa, but she could not go any further and took her last breath there.

Yi-gang laid Sohwa’s body in a corner. Then, he took off his outerwear to cover her.

“I’ll definitely come back and hold your funeral.”

With his frail body, he could not carry Sohwa’s body. Blood oozed from his bitten lip.

An urgent noise echoed from above the side door.

“There’s blood here!”

If they found the bloodstains, that meant it would only be a matter of time before they discovered the side door and the secret passage.

Leaning on a lantern, Yi-gang began to run into the dark passage.

He couldn’t be caught easily. After all, he had promised Sohwa.

“Huff, huff.”

The passage was quite long, and soon he was out of breath. His stamina was so weak that he could not be said to be a member of the Baek clan.

It was absurd when he, a modern-day young Korean, was reincarnated as a child of a Murim clan.

Was it a relief that he was not reincarnated as a beggar of the Beggar’s Sect or a eunuch in the imperial palace? The Baek Clan was a fairly decent family, and even a member of the Seven Great Clans. He heard that the legendary martial artist, the Immortal Divine Sword, once revived their clan’s glory.

But there was another issue. Yi-gang was born with a condition where he could not gather internal energy and had a short lifespan due to a rare meridian disease.

The Great Yin Meridian Blockage meant he was destined to die before turning twenty. This was unforgivable for a child from a direct line of a martial arts clan.

Because of this, after growing up to a certain age, Yi-gang lived alone in a manor away from the main house.

He simply wanted to live peacefully until he died from the meridian disease. He never imagined he would face such a ridiculous death threat.

A dead end appeared.

“Damn it…”

The underground passage did not lead outside.

It was not like in typical martial arts novels where there would be a fortuitous encounter with a skull filled with various martial arts manuals or a miraculous elixir waiting for him.

There was just a gold thread that looked like it was about to snap, and similarly, a rusted sword was stuck in the ground. It was covered in layers of dust, and the blade was heavily corroded.

‘I can’t even cut anything with this sword.’

The sword was barely longer than Yi-gang’s arm, and it was in no state to harm anyone.

“But getting scratched by it would surely give you tetanus.”

Muttering to himself, Yi-gang tightly gripped the hilt of the sword. The sound of pursuers’ footsteps was getting closer.

Soon, men in black night clothes appeared.

“We found him.”

The one who seemed to be the leader stepped forward. He had particularly red eyes.

“To think the son of a prestigious clan would run away like a rat.”

It was the first time hearing such mockery after adopting the name Baek Yi-gang.

He could not just stand there after hearing such words. It was something his pride would not allow.

“You sure talk big for such a lowly being.”

“Hooh…”

He acted with dignity befitting his status and lineage.

“If you dare to point a wicked sword at the heir of the Baek Clan, reveal your identity. If you kneel and beg for forgiveness, I might consider sparing you.”

Yi-gang spoke calmly, but he was anxious inside.

‘Don’t remove the mask.’

However, after hesitating for a moment, the assassin boldly took off the mask he was wearing.

“Even if sickly, a tiger’s cub is still a tiger, huh? Very well, I shall reveal my name. I am Jeokpyo.”

It was a name he had never heard before. Yi-gang maintained his expression, ensuring his despair did not show.

Revealing one’s face and name meant they had no intention of letting Yi-gang live.

In other words, even if Yi-gang begged and pleaded, they would still kill him.

“…So you didn’t come just to kidnap me, you came for my life.”

“Contrary to the rumors, you’re quite astute. And brave.”

“I don’t take pleasure in being praised by an assassin like you.”

“I must present your head to my lord.”

“I might just cut off that idle tongue of yours.”

Yi-gang adopted a stance, holding his rusted sword.

It was the first form of Heaven’s Shadow Sword, the Baek Clan’s Poisonous Sword Technique.

Though the last three techniques of the Heaven’s Shadow Sword were lost, it was still a powerful sword technique. However, what he had learned was merely a superficial imitation of its form.

“You may be young, but you’re a man. I’ll give you an honorable end.”

The one who introduced himself as Jeokpyo waved off his subordinates and drew his own sword.

Wooong—

His sword vibrated. It indicated that he was an expert who could infuse his energy into his sword.

“I’ll give you the first move. Come at me.”

“Ha!”

Yi-gang chuckled. Did this assassin actually think he could mimic a warrior?

However, Yi-gang was not in a position to mock Jeokpyo. No matter which direction or method he used to swing his sword, the outcome would be the same.

In the end, with just one move, Yi-gang’s head would be severed.

His brain, which had become unusually sharp due to the Great Yin Meridian Blockage, warned him of this.

His body began to tremble in fear.

Death truly seemed imminent.

“Will you just stand there like that?”

“…”

It felt chilling around his neck, as if the spirits and wraiths were waiting for Yi-gang’s death.

For a moment, it seemed as if he could hear the whispers of ghosts.

「You shouldn’t grip the sword like that.」

“Wha—!”

Yi-gang was startled and felt like his heart dropped.

A translucent bald elderly figure floated right beside him.

「Heh, descendant. You’re feeble and your actions are panicked.」

“What, what is this?!”

It was undoubtedly a ghost.

Otherwise, how could a human be translucent, float in the air, and freely pass through walls?

“…What kind of trick is this?”

Jeokpyo spoke with a cold voice.

Yi-gang was equally baffled.

“What? Can’t you see it? That thing that just popped up, right there!”

「Descendant, speak respectfully to your Great Ancestor.」

The assassins looked equally perplexed.

To them, Yi-gang seemed to be pointing at thin air.

“Trying to act crazy all of a sudden? Utterly disappointing.”

Yi-gang realized that the assassins could not see the ghost.

「Hmm, haven’t you learned swordsmanship, descendant? Your stance is a mess.」

“…It’s meridian disease. Great Yin Meridian Blockage.”

「Your words are brief. Considering your age and inexperience, perhaps strictness is required.」

Seeing the ghost addressing Yi-gang as ‘descendant,’ it seemed that the ghost might be an ancient ancestor of the Baek clan.

If Yi-gang truly had not gone mad, then ghosts indeed existed.

And if so, an afterlife existed too.

‘After all that showing off. I’ll see you soon, Sohwa.’

Realizing this, he felt strangely at ease.

“Tsk, just die, kid.”

Jeokpyo retracted his offer to spare him and raised his sword.

Yi-gang too stood ready, positioning his sword.

He was certain of death, but he resolved to at least swing once before the end.

At that moment, his trembling hands stilled. It was the very moment Yi-gang truly confronted death.

The old ghost, who had been silent, spoke softly.

「It must be a match made in heaven to encounter a descendant in danger.」

His voice held a certain authority.

「Descendant, entrust your sword to me, Baek Sung-cheon, the Immortal Divine Sword.」

“…What?”

Yi-gang’s regained composure was shattered once more.

This was because the ghost claimed to be the legendary martial artist, Baek Sung-cheon, the Immortal Divine Sword.

「I shall borrow your physical form for a moment.」

In that moment, a chill enveloped Yi-gang’s neck, and the ghost vanished without a trace.

“Enough! No more nonsense!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Jeokpyo swung his sword.

Despite his rage, it was a sharp, swift strike. A brilliant swordplay that Yi-gang could hardly block.

Yet, Yi-gang’s right arm moved on its own, meeting the strike head-on.

Kaaaang-!

It was an unnatural movement.

A first-rate martial artist was striking his sword from above, but Yi-gang, who could not gather a single ounce of internal energy, struck back from below.

Such a counter-attack was only possible if he completely dominated his opponent.

“No mere assassin can lay a blade on the body of a Baek Clan martial artist.”

The words came from Yi-gang’s mouth, but it was certainly not his voice.

Deep and resonating, neither Jeokpyo nor the assassins dared to act recklessly.

“I will show you, as the price for your lives, the 7th form of Heaven’s Shadow Sword.”

Yi-gang’s body assumed a mysterious stance on its own.

‘Seventh form?’

To Yi-gang’s knowledge, only six forms of the Heaven’s Shadow Sword Technique remained, with the last three missing.

This implied a certain fact.

“Repent, evildoers.”

The spirit who was borrowing Yi-gang’s body—

It might truly be the Immortal Divine Sword.

From Yi-gang’s meridians, which should have been blocked, internal energy surged like sparks.