Swordmaster, My Ass!(Under Revision)

Survived long enough to witness the old man teaching (4)

"You're telling me that Jang-gan gave you the sword without explaining why?"

"Yes."

Babo grabbed his chin and pondered for a moment. But eventually, he smirked.

'That's very like you, Jang-gan... Easing up his workload, eh? Fine, just this time, I'll go easy on him.'

"Well, Jin, take a rest and meet me by the waterfall in the morning. Don't forget the sword."

Jin nodded before heading to his room. Babo, leaning on his room's door watched as Jin entered his room, a smirk on his face. Reaching for his sleeve, he pulled out a brush. He entered his room. As he entered, his eyes wandered around the room before fixating his gaze on a shelf filled with books.

Closing the door behind him, he approached the shelf, and his hand hovered over the books. The dust in the room caught the light from a lone candle flickering on the table, creating a faint haze in the air. Babo’s hand hesitated for a moment before he reached out and pulled a specific book from the shelf.

Gracing the book in his hands, he softly tapped it against the shelf, the dust covering it dispersing into the air like a thin veil. He opened the book, revealing nothing, not a single letter or even a drop of ink on its pages.

He sat down at the small wooden desk, his expression thoughtful. Tapping the brush lightly against the rim of an ink pot, he watched as the excess ink dripped back into the pot, forming tiny ripples on its dark surface.

Carefully, Babo dipped the brush into the ink once more, this time allowing it to soak up just enough before lifting it out. With a slow, deliberate motion, he brought the brush to the first blank page of the book. His hand moved smoothly, drawing precise, flowing characters that seemed to glide effortlessly onto the paper.

The night passed quietly, and as the first light of dawn crept through the trees, Jin awoke to the sound of birds singing. The sword lay beside him, its blade catching the morning light. Remembering Babo’s instructions, Jin grabbed the sword and headed out to the waterfall.

'What does that geezer have in store for me again? Is he going to use this sword for his 'percussive massage'?'

'Please no.'

Jin reached the clearing by the waterfall, seeing Babo already there, standing with his back to Jin, staring at the cascading water.

"Morning," Jin called out as he stepped closer, holding the sword firmly in his hand. "You called?"

Babo turned to Jin before smiling and crossing his arms. He hopped off the rock he was standing on and slowly approached Jin.

"Yes. Since Jang-gan gave you the sword, we'll have to rush this."

"Rush what?"

"Training, of course. I suppose you had already inspected the blade," Babo said, glaring down the Blade in Jin's hand. "

Jin gave a small nod and unsheathed the sword, revealing a blunt blade.

"I did but... Isn't a sword supposed to be sharp and not like... this?"

Babo chuckled softly and extended his hand toward Jin.

"I'll teach you something neat. First, hand me the sword."

Jin hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the blunt blade. He wondered what Babo had in mind but trusted his teacher enough to comply. He handed the sword over to Babo, who took it with a knowing smile.

Babo examined the sword, running his fingers along the flat edge of the blade. Unknowingly, he walked to a nearby tree and glanced at Jin. "Watch carefully and don't blink for a moment."