Chapter 162: The Thing I Want to Show You. (2)

The Thing I Want to Show You. (2)

Around the time Gu Yangcheon and Moyong Hi-ah’s martial arts exhibition match was about to begin.

The current Murim Alliance Leader, Jang Cheon, was facing his son.

The teacup, once full of warm tea, had long since been emptied.

Jang Cheon merely held the empty teacup, feeling a sense of emptiness.

Silence continued, but.

It was Jang Cheon who broke it.

“Why did you do that?”

The low question carried weight.

At the question, Jang Seonyeon lifted his bowed head.

“My son.”

“…Yes.”

“Have you forgotten the promise you made with your father?”

“I have not forgotten.”

“Then, why did you make such a choice?”

“….”

Jang Seonyeon closed his mouth.

It wasn’t because he had nothing to say.

He closed it because he didn’t want to say it.

There were countless words he could have uttered, but he knew they would eventually circle back and pierce him.

“Didn’t your father tell you? That power is dangerous.”

Why do you think so?

Unable to utter this one sentence, Jang Seonyeon had to maintain the same silence.

“I told you that power is dangerous, to the point where you might be consumed by it and lost.”

At Jang Cheon’s words, a stirring was felt in Jang Seonyeon’s dantian.

It seemed to be raging violently, as if angered by his father’s words.

As it was a power drawn out after a long time, it seemed it hadn’t properly settled back to sleep.

Father doesn’t know much about this power.

Although he holds the title of Alliance Leader, he is someone who hasn’t received the baptism, so of course he wouldn’t know.

He probably can’t even feel it.

He only noticed it because of what was shown during the martial arts exhibition match.

“You wouldn’t have forgotten that I permitted it on the condition you wouldn’t use it until you passed the age of majority. Why did you do it?”

At Jang Cheon’s words, Jang Seonyeon thought of Namgung Bi-ah.

To the question of why he did it, Jang Seonyeon threw countless questions at himself inwardly, but.

Only one answer came to mind.

‘I was scared.’

I was simply scared.

It means I drew it out because I feared that woman who was shining brighter and brighter, wanting to escape somehow.

‘…What a dirty feeling.’

The woman’s movements, which showed no retreat.

The woman’s gaze, looking past him at something.

Even her confident steps, devoid of doubt.

All of it just felt disgusting.

Even Gu Yangcheon’s gaze, as he held the woman and looked at him.

Why do I have to feel this way?

I just used the power I was given.

Why do I have to feel so ashamed and have this throbbing feeling?

This power was obtained with the intention of becoming light.

This was being chosen.

Therefore, I was granted the right to shine brighter than anyone else.

But then, how could that woman shine so brightly all on her own?

‘What childish feelings.’

What was rising was clearly a sense of inadequacy.

It was a reality I didn’t want to admit but couldn’t avoid.

Was it because I was flustered that the younger generation disciples of the orthodox sects, whom I judged to be unremarkable, were far superior than expected?

They, Yusung, had definitely told me.

That the star of this era, indicated by the heavenly signs, was me.

-The two kinds of blood, and the flow, are yours.

-Even time will pass you by, so how could you not become a star?

These were words I couldn’t understand at the time, but.

They called me a star.

It must be true.

It had to be.

Absolutely.

“I apologize, Father.”

Jang Seonyeon smiled quietly, trying hard to organize his thoughts.

Father knows nothing.

Or perhaps he knows but is deliberately ignoring it.

It doesn’t matter.

“I will not bring shame to Father’s reputation. I will not make mistakes going forward…”

After all, Father will understand me eventually.

“…”

Jang Cheon, unusually, did not respond to Jang Seonyeon’s words at all.

Was it because he knew he had a capable son and didn’t pay too much attention?

Jang Seonyeon’s subtly changed atmosphere caught his eye.

Has something changed?

Jang Cheon closed his eyes and thought.

He needed to meet the Abbot again.

---

Bukhae Binggung (North Sea Ice Palace).

The master of the North Sea, which is filled with snow and ice year-round due to the influence of ice crystals emerging from the demonic realm to the north. It is the place where most of those who reign as kings on the throne of snow belong.

They practice ice techniques along with their cold environment.

Around the time Bing Uigun, the former Palace Lord, Seol-ui Wangha (Snowy Yi King), appeared in the Central Plains as a representative figure.

It is also a place that produces powerful experts, to the extent that there is a legend that summer retreated and winter arrived with just a wave of his hand.

And Moyong Hi-ah had the blood of the Bing Palace mixed within her.

Her mother was the wife of the Moyong family head and the fourth daughter of the Bing Palace Lord.

Father loved Mother very much.

That’s probably why he didn’t take any concubines and only looked at Mother.

As the head of one of the Four Great Families, declaring not only the engagement with the North Sea but also that he would not take concubines meant he was making enemies with the elders.

It meant his affection was more important than the family’s safety.

As if that was the truth, he bore all the consequences that followed himself.

Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t understand her father until she grew older and her appearance changed from a girl to a woman.

How could love be more important?

Is it something that important, worth protecting even while losing so much?

It’s something incomprehensible, both rationally and emotionally.

Look, their love caused the prestigious Moyong family to fall behind the other Four Great Families.

It caused Moyong to gradually lose the power of its name.

If you ask what their love left behind.

It left behind shattered glory, captured and shaken within the Murim Alliance.

It left behind a father who remained alone after Mother’s death.

And didn’t it leave behind me, who has to live by draining the family’s resources?

Father and Mother wouldn’t have known, that their newborn daughter would suffer from a severed meridian.

They wouldn’t have known the blood of the Bing Palace would lead to such a result.

Let alone in an era where even the incurable disease of the past, Gu-eum Jeolmaek (Nine Yin Severed Meridian), can be treated.

A disease that cannot be treated?

What kind of ridiculous thing is this?

‘It’s truly a funny story.’

And a pointless one at that.

Thanks to it, I barely manage to live.

But the world went on as if nothing happened.

Like others with severed meridian conditions, Moyong Hi-ah gained exceptional talent in martial arts and sensory aspects, but.

It was a trivial level compared to what could be called equivalent exchange.

The geniuses scattered around were even more so.

Just looking at the boy in front of me was like that.

‘That’s a bit too much…’

Like all the flames in the world were condensed, a single sphere burning hotly.

An intense appearance that wouldn’t feel awkward being called a small sun.

Moyong Hi-ah wore a look of emptiness while slightly smiling as she saw it.

It was a smile born from seeing Gu Yangcheon’s true worth, feeling like her lingering curiosity had been somewhat resolved.

Just looking at it, she could tell the difference in level, which brought out her expression of emptiness.

‘Could this be what the apple meant?’

The vague understanding made it even more absurd.

If it was an apple like that, isn’t it too cheap?

Moyong Hi-ah drew her sword and raised her internal energy.

The desire to give up kept rising, but she couldn’t.

Moyong Hi-ah could afford to, but Snow Phoenix couldn’t.

Cold energy gathered at the tip of her sword.

The Moyong family’s hereditary martial art is primarily the internal energy technique, Uiryeong Biseon Gong (Righteous Dragon Ascending Skill).

And they use the Uiryeong Biseon Sword (Righteous Dragon Ascending Sword) as its leading technique.

However, unlike the martial arts of other families where the internal energy or fire energy grows stronger as the level of the core technique increases,

The Moyong family had no connection to cold energy.

Rather, it was closer to something else.

Thus, cold energy was a characteristic unique to Moyong Hi-ah.

Not to mention her differently colored eyes.

As her level increased, the cold energy infused into her martial arts would also be an influence from the Bing Palace bloodline.

As she raised her internal energy to use her martial arts, a chill was felt instantly.

To counter it, she had to wrap her body in internal energy again.

This is different from the cold felt during winter.

It’s because her body cannot withstand the growing cold energy within her.

Cold energy that cannot be resolved even when placed right before a hot flame or wearing layers of thick clothing.

It was the cold that threatened her life, freezing the surroundings, filled with the scent of death.

It was the cold Moyong Hi-ah hated the most.

‘It’s tiresome, frightening, and chilling.’

Moyong Hi-ah looked at the small sun before her eyes.

Her throat felt dry from the suffocating heat, and her expression naturally contorted.

Even though her body was wrapped in internal energy, and cold energy was being emitted around her.

The heat emitted by Gu Yangcheon effortlessly consumed Moyong Hi-ah’s cold energy.

While she wondered how that could be possible, it was a natural principle.

It was simply because Gu Yangcheon’s heat was hotter than her cold energy.

‘How can he use it in this way?’

Moyong Hi-ah has excellent senses.

This greatly helps in reading people’s expressions and emotions, but.

The main benefit is in understanding the martial arts the opponent uses.

Even if it’s not a god-given level of sense like the Cheonmu Jiche (Heavenly Martial Body) recorded in history.

It meant she could understand it to some extent.

Judging by that, Gu Yangcheon’s martial arts were difficult to describe.

It doesn’t mean the martial arts were difficult.

Judging by the method, it was actually a simple martial art.

However, the prerequisites seemed quite demanding.

First, vast internal energy is required to use it.

Also, a strengthened body capable of grasping and handling raging flames was needed.

Moyong Hi-ah examined Gu Yangcheon’s body.

‘…It doesn’t seem like such a well-trained body.’

In Moyong Hi-ah’s view, Gu Yangcheon’s body was frail compared to other younger generation disciples.

Not only his muscles, but his small build also contributed to that appearance.

Then where does that control come from?

It was vague to simply call it talent.

Yet, there was no way to explain it otherwise.

The result of an absurd world.

That’s how it appeared to Moyong Hi-ah.

Moyong Hi-ah, being someone who already knew such facts, could only smile without regret.

“Even in front of such flames. I am still cold.”

Suddenly, perhaps because I was facing the sun.

Such a thought flashed through my mind.

She took her stance.

The exhibition match had begun.

The moment the sword imbued with cold energy, following Moyong Hi-ah’s movement, was about to plunge into the heat.

“Huh…?”

Moyong Hi-ah stopped abruptly.

Gu Yangcheon’s flames were still burning brightly, but Moyong Hi-ah, forgetting even that, stood still as if turned to stone.

“Why… What… What is it?”

An awkward tone, unlike the usual haughty Moyong Hi-ah, burst out.

Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t help it.

‘Why… Why am I suddenly not cold?’

The cold energy lingering at the tip of Moyong Hi-ah’s sword was still there.

Even if she was flustered, her internal energy hadn’t scattered.

The cold should still be felt, but for some reason, the felt cold had vanished without a trace.

Her fingertips trembled from how flustered she was.

Such a thing had never happened in her life.

Even the Tang Gate couldn’t take away Moyong Hi-ah’s cold.

Rather, it only left a large scar on her back.

Why is this happening suddenly?

“Then as now.”

A voice reached the ears of the flustered Moyong Hi-ah.

“You always think too much. Why do your eyes get so wide when something goes wrong?”

“…What did you say?”

Moyong Hi-ah asked what he meant by Gu Yangcheon’s words, but Gu Yangcheon quickly put on a displeased expression.

“It’s nothing. I wasn’t talking to Miss Moyong. Someone just came to mind.”

You have sharp ears, anyway.

Although the voice wasn’t heard, Gu Yangcheon’s lip movements clearly seemed to say that.

Gu Yangcheon glanced around and continued speaking.

“I think I’ve shown enough.”

“…Young Master Gu?”

“I’ve waited long enough, it seems.”

Following Gu Yangcheon’s words, the flames moved.

The flames forming a sphere changed shape with a gesture.

Rather than changing shape, they began to wrap around Gu Yangcheon’s arm.

It looked dangerous just by looking at it.

It probably was dangerous in reality, not just in appearance.

Compressing such massive flames onto one arm, it certainly wouldn’t be weak.

Leaving behind the shocking event of not feeling the cold.

Moyong Hi-ah had to break out in a cold sweat.

It felt like things were proceeding strangely.

Gu Yangcheon asked.

“You’re not going to forfeit, are you?”

Unlike the heavy atmosphere felt at first, it was an endlessly light question.

“No… That’s…”

“Right, I asked something strange. I thought you wouldn’t.”

While wondering what this was during the exhibition match, Moyong Hi-ah had to feel a slight regret.

I was just considering forfeiting while looking at the flames wrapped around that arm.

Moyong Hi-ah hastily gripped her sword and took a stance, but.

Before she could take a step, Gu Yangcheon moved first.

The arm wrapped in flames moved lightly.

“It won’t hurt.”

Hwaruk.

The blazing heat was so intense that the space itself seemed to distort.

That won’t hurt…?

If I don’t get hit, isn’t that like losing a tooth?

“Probably.”

Along with Gu Yangcheon’s words spoken with a smile.

A massive flame engulfed Moyong Hi-ah’s vision.

That was.

The last thing Moyong Hi-ah saw before losing consciousness.

---

The exhibition match ended with a single burst of flame.

I thought she would last at least two or three more exchanges, but for some reason, Moyong Hi-ah collapsed in a single blow.

‘I’ve felt it since before, she always overthinks. That’s her weakness.’

What on earth was she thinking so hard about?

For me, the actions of intelligent humans are always incomprehensible.

As soon as the referee declared victory, loud cheers erupted from the surroundings as if they had been waiting.

Still, I felt nothing special.

‘Should I have gone a bit easier?’

Only a small regret remained.

After using martial arts meant for others to see, I’m filled with this inexplicable emptiness.

It was even more so in my previous life.

There were times I was engrossed in amplifying flames to show something more.

Because I know too well where those flames were used and what they should have been used for.

I didn’t want to do that in this life.

“What are you thinking about? Nothing has ever gone according to plan.”

Not to mention the regression, but my life up until now.

There wasn’t a single thing I wished for that came true.

Now, I had to become detached from all thoughts and feelings.

However.

I raised my gaze and looked up high.

Who could be there?

I heightened my senses to check.

As if it didn’t matter if I was discovered this time.

Thus, several people immediately came into view.

The Alliance Leader was not there.

The Abbot of Shaolin was also not present.

Was it because the exhibition match they wanted to see had ended, or was it for another reason?

Whatever the case, I’ll probably see them tomorrow.

With things reaching this point, I suddenly remembered what Elder Yi had said before I came to Henan.

-If you’re going to cause trouble, make sure you do it properly.

It was such an ignorant thing to say for an elder of a family.

I thought so even when I heard it back then.

Looking back now, I think it might have been Elder Yi’s foresight.

“It seems I have to.”

If I think I hit too hard.

I can just blame Elder Yi.

Elder Yi told me to cause trouble, and I’m just a good boy following orders.

I only moved after confirming that Moyong Hi-ah safely left the exhibition stage.

Considering her visible level, I didn’t strike too strongly, so she probably wasn’t badly injured.

More than that, I needed to go to the medical wing.

She probably would have woken up by now.