Book 27 Chapter 9

The race is on for the

-Life and death eyes

Life and death.

It is the eye of legend, the eye that sees through life and death. They are said to be all-seeing and all-knowing, eyes that can only be attained by those who have witnessed millions, perhaps tens of millions, of lives and deaths that cannot be counted.

It is said that after crossing the threshold between life and death thousands and tens of thousands of times, emptying one's body and making one's mind into nothingness, one is freed from all notions and is able to see the true nature of things. An eye that can only be attained by those who have transcended birth and death.

"No, that can't be right.

She quickly denied her speculation. But even as she mentally denied it, she couldn't take her eyes off the unknown.

The nameless eyes were peculiar: deep and clear, they seemed to stare into an endless void. It was as if all phenomena could be deconstructed from the depths of its unfathomable pupils.

He who knows life and death knows no fear. They have seen countless deaths and have transcended the boundaries between life and death. To him, death was just a phenomenon.

"I'm not getting a quote.

That's what bothered her the most now that she was facing Nameless: she couldn't read his capabilities. The first thing Bi Ryuyeon had learned from her master was how to properly read an opponent's capabilities.

Aka, get a quote!

In the end, it's all about skill versus skill, and while it may be convenient to have a backstory, it doesn't help when you're in the thick of it, especially if it's one-on-one. The only thing that matters is the sweat he's shed and the experience he's accumulated.

So the first thing I did was to get an estimate and figure out who I was dealing with.

Of course, the point of giving an estimate in an invitation is not to give you the option of fleeing if the enemy is stronger than you. The idea is to use the most efficient and appropriate herbs to defeat your opponent at the lowest possible cost. But this nameless man didn't give me a quote, so I had no idea how to fight him, or how many powerful herbs to use.

I couldn't even tell if the author was strong or weak, but that didn't make me afraid. It was as if my mind had withheld its movements in the face of something I couldn't judge. No one had ever made him feel this way since his master.

"That alone is reason enough to be cautious.

She casually dropped her arms down. At first glance, it looks like she's given up the fight, but it's actually a stance that prepares her to give it her all. When you don't know, you can only give it your all. It was the safest way to go.

The namelessness was satisfying.

In fact, killing all the intruders here really didn't matter to him; it didn't matter to him whether they were alive or dead. No, life and death itself meant nothing to him. For even life and death were just part of the natural order of things to him. The only thing he had yet to transcend was memory.

So the only thing of interest to him here and now was his confrontation with Bi Ryuyeon, who had stolen the woman he was carrying from him, and that herbivorous…….

"What the hell was that first meal?

For some reason, the image of the lightning bolt that he had seen earlier kept replaying in his mind, getting on his nerves. A martial art that made him use his own two arms. A martial art so unique that it was hard to believe that there was a martial art like this in the Jiang Clan. He hadn't seen it in over a hundred years, and yet, why did he recognize it?

I wanted to know more, more, more.

To do so, I had to fight a little harder.

Who was it that said you need shock therapy to jog your memory? There was a guy who said that one day. I think it was a fourth-generation congressman, but I'm not sure if it was the first time.

So whenever he sees someone strong, he tries to fight them. It's not a bad idea to be shocked, he thought, but so far, it hadn't really worked, because he'd always won. But today, a human had shown up who was a little outside his predictions. And he took away what he was trying to protect…….

That piqued his interest, which rarely does.

"Be careful, Ryuyeon, you can't let your guard down, give it your all, give it your all!"

He was shaking and looked very nervous. It was the first time she had ever seen him like this.

Hyolong was overwhelmed with worry on Hyolong Street. He didn't have the heart to hide his fears. To come face-to-face like this with someone he never wanted to meet, someone he wanted to avoid at all costs, could only be described as extremely unlucky, because the person in front of him was the leader of the Sixth Battalion, the Immortal Immortal. He was an immortal monster who had been around since the beginning of the Ten Thousand Pavilions.

But what could I do, I had to meet him. I couldn't help it anymore. All I could think of was anonymous 'blindness' and 'forgetfulness'.

Before the fight, she couldn't help but ask one question.

"Why me?"

Why does he want to fight so badly? Life and death don't seem to mean much to him, let alone money and logic.

"They're not good enough, they're not good enough to compete with me."

Nameless watched as many students came and went. Some of them were quite remarkable, while others were unrecognizable. I've seen people called geniuses before.

"How many children do you think I've seen in all the years I've been sitting in this captain's chair?"

"Well, a lot of them, for starters."

"Yeah, there were a lot of guys who were proclaimed geniuses by their peers. There was usually one genius every four or five years. In some cases, there were geniuses every year or so, but very few of them ever made it into the great books. Many geniuses died at the end and became dull and faded away, erased from people's memories."

"That's too bad."

"Yeah, especially since none of the guys stood out to me."

It's a rabid statement, but there's nothing pretentious about the anonymous, casual tone.

"But you're different. You're not shining at your best yet, but you're still so noticeable."

"You sound like you know a lot about me, don't you?"

I took it in stride, but inside, I was a little miffed.

'I'm not shining yet……. Does he know I'm not at full strength?

It was a tough opponent to defend against.

"No way, I don't even know who I am, let alone you."

Bi Ryuyeon frowned. She didn't really want to have a conversation with this suspicious man, but she couldn't rush in without a quote. In a situation like this, it's best to take it in stride and explore the other person.

"What kind of prevarication is that?"

"Do you remember your parents' faces?"

"Of course I remember."

"Even where you were born and raised?"

"Sure. It was a town where everyone called me a genius."

"What about the person who taught you, do you remember?"

"I'd like to forget, but I'm afraid I remember, and no matter how hard I try to forget, I have to forget."

Bi Ryuyeon grumbled.

"Then you're in luck."

"You must have misspelled unhappy."

I didn't think I was that lucky to remember him so vividly, but then again, maybe none of this would have happened if I hadn't entered the 500,000 Niang competition because of him. It was a mistake to get caught in the middle of a stronghold.

"What do you think 'I' am?"

Mu Mu suddenly asked.

"Who am I, and why am I suddenly me?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked. What an odd question to ask before a fight.

"It's an important question: what makes a person know that they are who they are? It's not like there's a lot of evidence for it, because this is what 'I' am."

"Pete, don't you know that?"

"Yeah, I still don't know who I am. I've spent the last few decades trying to figure it out, but to no avail."

"Do you have amnesia or something, because you wouldn't know otherwise?"

"I don't understand," said Bi Ryuyeon with an attitude.

"How did you know? That's right, I have what's called 'amnesia,' and it's severe, so my memories of the past don't exist."

I'm just saying, it's amazing to hear that it's real.

"You really have amnesia?"

Mu Ming nodded. In fact, the story was so well known that there wasn't a person in the city who didn't know about it. It should be added that there were quite a few, nay, most, who suspected that the cause of his memory loss was not amnesia, but dementia. Some rumored that it was a side effect of eating a roasted beef that had died a long time ago, rolling around on the floor with foam in its mouth.

"I don't remember any of that. My parents' faces and names, the village I grew up in, the master who taught me martial arts, and even my own name."

So his name was Nameless. His name was 'nameless' because he had no name.

He had been using this name for a very long time, but after all that time, he was still nameless, nameless. He still hadn't found his name, and so he was wandering in search of it.

"I don't remember from when?"

"Hmm…… Well, I think it was about a hundred years ago."

"Ho-ho, you've got to be kidding me."

Bi Ryuyeon said with a thumbs up.

"I hope you're kidding."

But it was, sadly, no joke.

"Do you know what it's like to lose yourself?"

She shook her head.

"I don't know because I've never lost one since I got older."

The comment raised a few eyebrows, but no one protested out loud.

"It's like standing in a place where you have no…… foothold. Sure, you've had a hundred years to build up new memories, but……. A tree without roots isn't a tree after all. It can't bear fruit, because it's already forgotten what it's supposed to be."

"Just as a fruit without a seed is not a fruit?"

"That's just a lie."

The mysterious man replied with a snap.

"Anyway, so I've spent a hundred years trying to find out who I am. And I still haven't found it."

"I've been looking for a hundred years and I can't find it, it's that simple?"

"Simple?"

There's nothing more difficult for me, said the mute, and if it were so easy, there'd be no reason for him to shovel for a hundred years.

"Don't you know, that's what I've defined as me."

It's just common sense," said Bi Ryuyeon in a condescending tone.

"I am what I define myself to be?"

"Sure. Before I was somebody's son, somebody's father, somebody's brother, I decided to be somebody, and that's who I am."

You're thrown into this world without any purpose, and the only thing that can give meaning to your meaningless life is yourself.

"Isn't that what life is all about, starting with a blank slate? You make meaning as you go along."

"And if you can't be that person, why can't you be the person you want to be because of your abilities?"

"If that's the case, then that's the person you've been trying to be."

"I am who I say I am……."

After a moment's consideration, Mu Ming replied.

"You can only base your rules on your own experience, which means you're relying on your memory."

"I guess you could say that."

"As it turns out, I need to know who I am, what I am, before I can move forward, to define what I want to do, what I will be, and the proof is that something inside me is nagging me every day to find 'me', to make my imperfect self whole again."

When she saw Mu Myung shaking his head with a serious face, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"So you're back to the beginning, so how the hell are you going to figure out who you are?"

"Actually, there is one thing that remains to me after losing my memory. That is my martial arts. So far, I've been unable to determine which school my martial arts belong to, or whose they are, but they are my only clue, and that's why I want to fight someone strong."

"Are you saying that fighting brings back memories?"

"I don't know, I just feel like their strength can awaken something in me. But lately, I haven't had anyone inspire me like that, so I've been sleeping, and then today I found you, and I feel good with you, and I feel stimulated just looking at you like this."

"I have normal tastes, can you please refrain from crushing on me?"

"Hahahaha, you're a funny guy, don't worry. I'm perfectly normal, I'm just more into the girl I met a while back than you are."

Bi Ryuyeon's smile paused for a moment.

"I'm not going to let you get away with that one, give it up, you've already got an appointment, and by the way, you don't think I'm going to tell you that I powered up earlier, do you?"

It meant that if you dared to harbor useless thoughts, I would remove them with all my might.

"That's great. I didn't have power either."

With a snap, the nameless man held up his left arm. On it, he wore an oversized, off-white bracelet with the word "seal" embossed on it.

"No way……."

When she saw the bracelet, she was stunned.

I remembered seeing something like that. No wonder. Something like it had always been on his wrists and ankles since his early teens. His eyes hurriedly traveled to the nameless right arm and the ankles of both legs.

"……!"

was there. Unmistakable bracelets and anklets were worn on his right wrist and both ankles.

"These are my favorite bracelets and anklets, which I've worn for so long that they've become part of me. For some reason, they're called 'sealing circles,' and I haven't taken them off in decades because I've never felt the need, but I thought it might be a good idea for you to take one off."

"Dae, boss, are you really going to pull it off?"

Placek, his complexion pale, exclaimed in horror.

"Why, no?"

He narrows his eyes and says nothing.

"Come on, I thought the footnote said to never untie it without permission!"

It was the job of the 6th Battalion commander to stop them at all costs.

"As long as So-ok turns a blind eye, no one will know."

He wanted me to pretend I didn't see it again.

"Isn't the Fourth Colonel over there, too, watching with wide eyes?"

Thinking that he was at a disadvantage, he tried to attract Bulakgukchuk.

"I'm not looking?"

Bulakgukchuk hadn't heard a word, hadn't heard anything, and was focused on Na Yerin's treatment. It was clear she was deliberately turning a blind eye. He was pretending not to see, pretending not to hear. I don't know what kind of a personality this ill-tempered maniac has that would make him follow the orders of this damned captain so obediently.

"Now, you're going to look the other way, aren't you?"

Surrender, you've already lost, the nameless eye said.

"Ugh, but my duty as a unit leader is to……."

Try the last resort.

"Xiao Yi is my lieutenant in the Sixth Battalion, not yours, right?"

"Well, by the way……."

It was clear on her face that she was struggling. Then a thought occurred to him.

"What if I say no?"

And the voice laughed softly.

"I can't do that then. I'll just have to use my strength to knock him out and do what I want."

It was like saying, "Why ask for the obvious?

"As expected……."

Placek's shoulders slumped.

This guy was never one to listen to others……. He was a man who did his own thing, no matter what. Moreover, because of his fearsome career, the only person who could touch him was Machen Gakju, and even he didn't listen to him very well. It was always his habit to say he'd forgotten, but sometimes he couldn't help but suspect that he was pretending to forget things he hadn't forgotten.

"Go ahead, go ahead. You're going to do it anyway."

Zhang Ziyi sighed heavily and declared his surrender. Everything is easier when you give up.

When an ex-unit leader unwittingly gives you the title of unit leader,

"Hey, So Ok. You know what the first thing you have to learn when you're the leader of the Sixth Battalion is how to give up? Give up. It's easy. You don't have a hole in your stomach like I do."

I didn't mean to say

"Ugh, my stomach is……."

Zhang Ziyi groaned as he held his stomach. There seemed to be no doubt in his mind that he was the most unfortunate and pitiful of the Thousand and Thirty-Third's deputy commanders.

"Okay, I have permission and……."

The nameless man raised his left arm in glee. Then he exclaimed briefly

"Release Bong Shin-hwan!"

Click!

With a clang of metal, the bracelet came off the nameless left hand. And of course, it fell to the ground.

Koo-boom!

For a moment, I thought I heard an earthquake.

Those who looked at the spot where Bong Shin-hwan had fallen were speechless. There was a huge crack in the bluestone floor centered on the spot where Bong Shin-hwan had fallen.

"Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm."

He clenched and unclenched his left hand a couple of times. As always, he couldn't remember when he'd untied it, but he knew it had been a long time.

Mu Ming clenched his left fist and smiled at Bi Ryuyeon.

"So, let's get started, shall we?"

Thump!

At that moment, she felt her heart sink. Rather than being surprised, she was dumbfounded by the unfamiliar sensation.

"What is this sensation? Why am I feeling this sensation in front of this person?

It wasn't a sensation I'd never felt before. It was a familiar sensation, just as it had been when I saw the mysterious Bong Shin-hwan. But I hadn't expected to feel it in someone else.

'That can't be right…….'

Why do I feel the same way about this silver-haired man that I sometimes feel about my sensei? He doesn't seem to be overpowering me at all.

Of course, he wasn't one of those fools who judged a man's strength by his appearance; his appearance included momentum, and he could estimate the momentum a man was hiding. The basics of fighting are knowing yourself and knowing others, so you can win before you even fight.

Up until this point, he had prided himself on measuring things accurately, and his measurements had always given him accurate quotes. But then he met a customer who wouldn't let him measure, let alone quote.

He couldn't even quantify it. No, he couldn't set a limit.

That's right,

無量!

The fact disturbed him to no end. His normally calm mind was stirring slightly.

Ming Jingxiu's mind was disturbed.

There was something about that nameless man that stirred his heart, even in the presence of the Three Immortals.

"First up, I'm going!"

The unknown being launched its first attack against him.