Chapter 23: Why Are You Here Again…? (3)

Why are you showing up here again…? (3)

The Sword Sovereign’s internal energy shook Gu Yangcheon’s residence. Elder Lee immediately spread his internal energy, enveloping the dwelling.

Rough and fierce. To think that the internal energy of a swordsman not wielding a sword could be this sharp.

‘They say dragons grow larger as they age, and that saying fits perfectly…’

A drop of sweat trickled down Elder Lee’s jaw.

The internal energy that had slightly leaked out, piercing through the Sword Sovereign’s shaken emotions, was already this much.

The Three Great Masters Under Heaven.

The Sword Sovereign was clearly proving that the name was not mere empty fame.

“You’re crossing the line, Guryun.”

“You know better than anyone what my words mean, Senior.”

A master’s field of vision is vast. If an expert of Elder Lee’s caliber were to use all their internal energy, they could survey half of Gu Yangcheon’s territory.

While they couldn’t perceive the every move of masters like the Family Head or the Sword Sovereign, they could discern the actions of others.

A person’s presence is perceived more clearly by martial artists.

That’s why Elder Lee could tell.

“You must have known already, so why are you pretending not to?”

Elder Lee thought of Wi Seora.

She was a young girl with impossibly beautiful features, but that wasn’t how Elder Lee saw her.

There was nothing. Wi Seora didn’t feel like she possessed any presence that a person should have.

Awe, or perhaps fear.

These two contradictory words came to mind when looking at Wi Seora.

She originally had nothing that a human should possess. Yet, Wi Seora’s insides, which were completely empty, were filled with something else.

Was it light or darkness? Elder Lee’s level wasn’t high enough to see even that.

But if it were the Sword Sovereign, couldn’t the Sword Sovereign see it too?

“That child, what is her identity, Senior.”

“My granddaughter is human, Guryun!”

The Sword Sovereign slammed his hand down hard on the table.

The table cracked and collapsed, and in that moment, the Sword Sovereign’s internal energy exploded.

As a result, Elder Lee’s body, which had been enveloped in internal energy to protect the residence, received a major impact.

However, he didn’t show it.

Elder Lee swallowed the churning blood in his throat with a gulp and continued speaking.

“Do you think that if you find the Divine Doctor, you can fill that child with something else?”

The Divine Doctor is an old man who is daringly called a physician blessed by the gods, but could he really do such a thing?

Her presence was so shallow, one wouldn’t notice if they approached from behind. Even when facing the Shadow King, who was once the master of the Night-Long Assassin Squad and called the King of Assassins, his presence wasn’t this shallow.

But the strange thing was that Wi Seora’s insides were filled with something else.

It was different in essence from the Innate True Qi that any human would possess, or the internal energy filling their dantian.

Elder Lee felt an unfathomable boundlessness within Wi Seora’s body.

‘What on earth could that be…’

Ignorance is fear for humans. Elder Lee definitely felt fear towards Wi Seora.

What could possibly be inside that small child? He was curious, but he didn’t want to know.

His instinct told him so. That it was something that shouldn’t be opened.

“Is the reason you’re living in hiding now because of that? For fear of others seeing?”

How would other martial artists see Wi Seora if they looked at her? What if they saw her similarly to Elder Lee?

In the first place, there wouldn’t be many martial artists in the Central Plains capable of seeing such things in Wi Seora.

However, since they aren’t non-existent, what if they saw Wi Seora’s secret like Elder Lee?

How would they judge the unknowable thing manifesting in the small child?

Of course, judging by the Sword Sovereign’s expression, it didn’t seem like that was the sole reason, but he felt he couldn’t ask any further.

A tingling sensation resonated behind his back.

It felt as if dozens of invisible sword tips floating around were glaring at Elder Lee.

The Sword Sovereign held nothing in his hands.

But clearly, all these swords belonged to the Sword Sovereign.

Could this be the Mind Sword, the highest realm a swordsman can reach?

Elder Lee, not being a swordsman, couldn’t know.

“If I ask any more, it feels like you’ll slice this junior up without hesitation.”

“Guryun, the reason you’re still alive now is also thanks to that, so don’t feel resentful.”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, Senior, or why you’re keeping that child. I’m not curious either.”

I don’t pay attention to what others think. It’s a life where just seeing the path I must walk is overwhelming enough.

That was Elder Lee’s way of thinking.

“If it were the Senior of the past, you wouldn’t have even worried.”

In Elder Lee’s eyes, the Sword Sovereign seemed vulnerable.

He could feel that the Sword Sovereign, the sword he thought would never rust, had been dulled by an inner demon.

The pillar of the Orthodox Faction, the sky of the Orthodox Faction; the Sword Sovereign was called that, and was worthy of such titles.

Elder Lee had once harbored reverence for the sky contained within that frail body.

But what about now?

He could see cracks slowly forming in that lofty sky. Looking at the Sword Sovereign like that, Elder Lee said,

“If you say that child is human, I will accept it. If you intend to keep her, then do so. My opinion isn’t important anyway, but…”

Elder Lee rose, leaving the broken table behind.

Elder Lee had to head straight for the Namgung Family to fulfill the Family Head’s request.

“Don’t regret the path you’ve chosen, Senior. There will be nothing more pathetic than that. Though you know this best.”

Not long after Elder Lee exited the residence, the Sword Sovereign’s internal energy vanished.

The Sword Sovereign retracted the sharply poised internal energy and then ran his hand down his face.

‘That child, is she really human?’

Elder Lee’s words lingered in his ears. Was she human? His granddaughter was definitely human.

The Demonic Realm.

The place the Sword Sovereign brought Wi Seora from. The Sword Sovereign had erased the memories from that time.

From the moment he first met the child. The moment she held him close, the moments they walked hand-in-hand through the fields.

All those moments were telling the Sword Sovereign that Wi Seora was human.

Even if, whatever she possessed, that child was destined to be at the center of the Blood Calamity that would descend upon the world.

It would be enough if he simply cut down such a fate. The sword he had honed and sharpened was for that very purpose, the Sword Sovereign swore to his sword.

Whatever Wi Seora was. Whatever the Blood Calamity was.

For the sake of his granddaughter, the Sword Sovereign could burn away any insignificant remaining life without hesitation.

Then, the Sword Sovereign carefully gathered the pieces of the table he had broken, one by one.

“I’m sorry…”

Despite having lived for so long since birth, still being unable to control even a single emotion, the Sword Sovereign felt his cultivation was lacking.

So what if Wi Seora isn’t human?

The parts lacking as a human can simply be filled.

If necessary, he would even give up his own life.

The Sword Sovereign was prepared to do just that.

A few hours later.

The Sword Sovereign belatedly realized that Wi Seora had disappeared from the family compound.

---

How long had it been since we got in the carriage? My butt was starting to feel stiff.

Looking outside, the sun had already set. Soon we’d be on a forest path, so it was time to rest.

The carriage soon stopped, and preparations for camping began. There was a stream nearby, making it a good spot for camping.

Maybe it was because I’d been sitting so much? My whole body felt stiff.

Muyeon, looking inexplicably haggard, suddenly declared he was going to train and disappeared somewhere with his sword.

He said he’d be back before his watch duty, so he’d manage.

The attendants started preparing the meal, and I stood in a nearby field.

How much further was it to Sichuan?

It would take at least a few more days. As always, this damnably large landmass takes ages just to travel across.

It wasn’t for nothing that the Martial Alliance had tried to tame monsters capable of gliding through the sky in the past.

Of course, like the Nokgakgyeon, it ultimately failed.

Ultimately, the Martial Alliance judged that taming monsters was an impossible task.

‘…Though the Heavenly Demon was different, of course.’

Ironically, the Heavenly Demon could do what the Martial Alliance couldn’t, despite years of research.

The Heavenly Demon tamed monsters.

Monsters submitted just by him breathing.

Even giant monsters that looked like they could swallow a mansion’s pavilion whole were like docile sheep to the Heavenly Demon.

Even on the day I wiped out the Mount Hua Sect from the Central Plains in my past life, the Heavenly Demon appeared riding a giant monster in the sky.

Is it even possible to tame monsters?

“Could someone who can do such things truly be human?”

Just thinking about it made me break out in a cold sweat.

I had to stop thinking about it quickly. For now, I needed to focus on the tasks ahead.

I circulated internal energy through my body to clear my mind of distracting thoughts. Although I had trained diligently in my own way, my internal energy reserves were too small to show significant improvement in such a short time.

It seemed like it would take a long time for my Guyeomhwaryugong, still stuck at level 2, to reach level 3.

It was the same for the physical aspect, but putting that aside, the most urgent issue was the amount of internal energy.

This was a matter directly related to life and death in actual combat.

Stepping forward with my left foot, I thrust my fist forward.

Pang! The sound of bursting air came from the rapidly thrust fist.

Just doing this once gave me the sensation of my internal energy rapidly draining from my dantian.

Bearing it, I followed with the next move.

From arm to leg, then leg to arm. My inflexible body prevented the movements from connecting smoothly as desired.

Even amidst that, the internal energy had to move fluidly.

Ultimately, martial arts are a realm of sensations the body remembers.

A martial artist’s level is not easily granted to the unprepared.

It meant: shut up and repeat the training.

After repeating several movements the same way, my lower abdomen already tingled and pulsed.

It meant my internal energy had run out.

“Hoo…”

I expelled the last of my internal energy with my breath, as if spitting out the remaining dregs.

Although I had trained briefly, my whole body was already drenched in sweat. My insufficient internal energy continued to hold me back.

Thoughts of the Madoheupcheongong kept crossing my mind.

It was the fastest and easiest method.

If demonic energy truly didn’t accumulate in the body, there was virtually no better mind technique for accumulating internal energy.

But.

“I barely escaped, and I don’t want to crawl back into that fucking path.”

Even if demonic energy didn’t accumulate, it was still the Heavenly Demon’s martial art in the end.

I couldn’t even properly confirm whether demonic energy had accumulated from absorbing just one or two Demonic Stones, let alone… besides, I had a strong desire not to be associated with that place myself.

‘Not yet… Not yet.’

This was a curse. If regression was a blessing, then a curse had come along with it.

At the very least, it was important to properly investigate and confirm.

How long had it been since I trained? Maybe about an hour?

I soon stopped the brief training, and when I stopped circulating the Guyeomhwaryugong, the night wind felt particularly cold.

Due to the nature of the mind technique, I shouldn’t feel the cold this much; it must be because I’m soaked in sweat.

I returned to the campsite, asked for clothes to change into, and headed towards the stream.

I felt too lazy and just wanted to eat and lie down, but I still wanted to maintain my title as a young master from a prestigious family, so I had to put on a bit of a show.

The moment I was listlessly about to dip my feet into the stream.

-Kkya-ak! My head snapped around at the ear-splitting scream.

It came from the direction of the luggage cart carrying food supplies.

Wondering what happened, I quickly ran towards the cart.

What was it? Did bandits attack? I heard bandits had almost disappeared since the appearance of the Demonic Gate Cult.

As I approached the cart, an attendant was lurking near it, looking terrified.

“What’s wrong?”

Muyeon, not to mention the other guards, had already gathered upon hearing the scream.

“I… I saw something moving inside.”

The attendant replied in a slightly trembling voice.

“Inside the luggage cart?”

Did a wild animal sneak in after smelling the food? Preferably, I hoped it was something edible.

A guard quickly brought a lantern and shone it into the cart.

Then, something moved inside the cart.

Appearing with a rustling sound (‘buseureok’), it felt like it wasn’t a small animal, so the guard drew his sword.

What was finally illuminated was.

“Mmm… Huh…?”

It was none other than Wi Seora, holding a carrot in her mouth.

Seeing that, I couldn’t open my mouth for a while.

…Why are you showing up here again?

‘…Ah, life.’

Faced with a situation that seemed seriously fucked up, a headache surged for the first time in a long time.