Chapter 231 - Treasured Sword (4)

“Baek Seogun of the Martial Alliance.”

The woman spoke, her ash-gray hair falling to her nape like a lion’s mane. Her orange silk robe gleamed with extravagant luster. A sword and a travel bag lavishly patterned with orchids also caught the eye. Her outfit was as simple as her introduction.

It had taken some time for the Sky-Swimming Sword Demon to rout the Twin Demons of Radiant Sound and come face-to-face with wiji myohwa. Several days, in fact. That was because wiji myohwa had seized the opportunity to flee while the great demons of the evil and unorthodox paths clashed. Calling the enemy of one’s enemy a friend was a luxury she could not afford. Such were her circumstances.

Not only her own life but young Jung Hye’s was at stake. She could not readily seek help from the second-in-command of a great evil-path faction. Thus, seven days and nights had passed.

The Twin Demons of Radiant Sound were far from her only pursuers. The Lingering Spirits and Tyrant Sword Tribe were cooperating. They could hardly lack manpower. Hence the Heaven-and-Earth Net. Wiji myohwa had hidden Jung Hye in a mountain cave and drawn the enemies away, unleashing conspicuous bursts of qi to attract their attention. It was the best she could do. She had been pushed to her absolute limit, right up until Baek Seogun suddenly appeared and killed twenty-two people with a single move, controlling a sword with qi.

“You did well to evade them. Even I had trouble detecting your presence.”

“...”

The mist-shrouded Qinling Mountains spread out like an ink painting. The Martial Alliance and Zhongnan Sect were not far apart. Baek Seogun had recognized wiji myohwa immediately. With the keen mind that had mastered the noble race’s divine techniques, she recalled the likeness of Zhongnan’s successor-disciple. The Zhongnan Sect’s Sky Sword Dragon was well known among the rising generation, distinguished alike in martial skill, appearance, and status.

To the Sword Dragon, Baek Seogun was just as recognizable.

“... The Sky-Swimming Sword Demon.”

Wiji myohwa’s lips moved.

Even as she questioned her, she kept her hand on her sword hilt. She was the heir to a prestigious great sect that had suffered the calamity of annihilation. Her wariness had reached its peak. Even her normally level eyes had tilted upward slightly. Alone, she cut a bedraggled figure. Her once-neat clothes were stained with dust and blood. Internal injuries had left blood around her mouth as well. The bearing of the noble Zhongnan swordswoman had come to resemble the temperament of a rough battle maniac.

An unusual gleam crossed Baek Seogun’s eyes.

‘She was said to have ties to Lightning Genius.’

She studied wiji myohwa as she thought. Her beautiful features and sharply defined eyes were striking. More striking still were the waves of qi surrounding her body, sharp as though she had summoned a bitter wind and clothed herself in it.

‘She maintains Body-Sword Unification at all times... A finely honed sword.’

Wiji myohwa, the Sky Sword Dragon. Even the strange feather ornament binding her jet-black hair was exceptional. So was her waist. A white treasured sword hung from her jade-adorned belt. Though hardly typical of a Daoist disciple, it suited her strangely well.

“Didn’t you take a child of the Jeong Clan Estate with you?”

She asked without preamble. Baek Seogun was not one to weigh every little consideration. The response was immediate.

Invisible waves of qi flared up all around wiji myohwa. The colorless pulses of internal power spread with an exceedingly keen edge. Her robes, their blue dulled by dust, drew taut with power.

“For what reason would an esteemed master of the Martial Alliance...?”

The Sword Dragon spoke, raising internal energy worthy of her epithet. She looked ready to strike at any moment. The whites and blacks of her eyes were exceptionally distinct. It was resolve rather than recklessness. Even facing death, she would not reveal Jung Hye’s whereabouts.

The corners of Baek Seogun’s mouth rose.

“An impressive spirit. But you have not earned the right to hear my story. It is enough that you recognize my assistance. Have I not personally removed the leeches following you all this way? Tyrant Sword Tribe or Lingering Spirits alike. It was no easy task, even for me.”

The ties among the Thirteen skies were tangled. These great factions of the world’s evil and unorthodox paths followed no rules in their actions. They might join forces to attack the orthodox factions, or wage wars among themselves. Unlike orthodox Murim, they were not friendly toward one another. Yet the balance between orthodox and unorthodox remained intact. Thus, people often said that an alliance of the Thirteen skies would change the balance of power throughout the world. That was the prevailing opinion among those fond of discussing the martial world.

“... Even so, I cannot trust a warrior of the Martial Alliance.”

Wiji myohwa’s gaze was unwavering. She would protect Jung Hye. She would scrutinize even the slightest possibility with the care of someone testing a stone bridge before crossing. If she died in the process, then that could not be helped... Her spirit was beautiful. This was the face Lightning Genius had once called that of a true hero. As Baek Seogun gazed at her, her smile deepened.

“A faithful child. In spirit alone, you could stand among the greatest under heaven. No wonder Lightning Genius befriended you.”

“Lightning Genius...?”

Wiji myohwa’s eyes widened slightly. Baek Seogun continued calmly.

“I have heard the rumors often enough. I understand you have ties to the captain of the Radiant Demon Squad. So do I. Ties no less deep than yours. They began in the previous generation, and we forged a friendship through the sword.”

“What?”

“Have you ever shared a drink with him? You possess a mind worthy of being called the finest of Shaanxi’s rising generation. Even memories from years ago must be as clear to you as today’s events.”

Baek Seogun asked abruptly. Wiji myohwa could not answer at once. But the Sword Exalted with the short gray hair continued regardless.

“Wine or tea, it matters not. If you have learned the eye techniques of a prestigious orthodox sect, you must have noticed Lightning Genius’s habits. Each time he takes up a cup, he watches the person across from him. Even then, he does not grasp it readily. He brushes it with his fingertips, only raising it when the other person raises theirs. Every time. Every single time. As though watching others’ reactions has become second nature. Born to a wealthy household, he should have learned tea etiquette early.”

“...!”

“I wondered. Was it because he was wary of me, sitting before him, or because he grew up in a household where he had to behave that way? Had he done so only with me, it would have been the former. But judging by your face... that was not it.”

Her voice grew breathier, tinged with bitterness. Facing her, wiji myohwa had raised her eyebrows. Surprise and questions mingled in her expression.

“So it was as I thought.”

Baek Seogun murmured, her long lashes now lowered.

“Jeong Banak brings me shame. Endlessly. That madman seems to have treated his own child that way. Had I been there, things would have been different...”

The emotion in her soliloquy was deep and natural, steeped in shame and anger. It made her talking to herself seem entirely unforced. So did the slight twist of her lips. It was an expression wiji myohwa had never imagined seeing on Henan Province’s Sword Exalted.

Shaanxi and Henan shared a border. Wiji myohwa had long heard of the Sky-Swimming Sword Demon’s formidable reputation. Sword Exalted Baek Seogun was a supreme master with no need to feign emotion. Her claim to have shared a drink with Jung Yeonshin was no lie either. Wiji myohwa had enjoyed tea with Lightning Genius many times since his stay on Mount Zhongnan. She even remembered small habits the Sky-Swimming Sword Demon had not mentioned.

‘He is Junior Brother Jung’s younger half brother.’

Had he been unable to live at ease in his own family? He had seemed every bit a pampered young nobleman.

“... I will draw my sword. Please permit this junior to hold it an inch from you.”

She meant to guide her with the sword tip held close. Desperately in need of assistance, she had accepted the Sword Exalted’s goodwill. It was a bold condition: she would thrust the sword into her if anything went wrong.

‘Her protective force qi will be strong. At best, I could only wound her.’

So wiji myohwa thought. Her reactions, too, would far surpass her own. Still, there was no other choice. She had already left Jung Hye alone for nearly three days, and the Heaven-and-Earth Net of two of the Thirteen skies kept tightening. Just now, the piercing sound of a whistling arrow—an arrow constructed like a flute—had rung out in the distance. Wiji myohwa could hardly choose otherwise.

Baek Seogun raised her head, showing no particular anger. She merely nodded slowly.

“Just make haste.”

They spoke no more after that.

The two moved as though flying. With exquisite Mobility Arts, they headed down into an unnamed gorge in the Qinling Mountains. They did not hesitate to drop. A cave wedged between the vast walls of the gorge rushed toward them. Landing on the ground, the Sword Exalted and Sword Dragon stepped inside.

A sinister wind moaned like a wailing ghost. The oddly hollow breeze brushed past their collars, and the stone walls shrouded in faint darkness fell silent in an instant.

“Ah...”

Wiji myohwa groaned. The cave they had reached was empty. Faint sunlight entered through a narrow crack in the ceiling. The crushed vegetation where the child had crouched basked silently in the light. All around it lay the scattered fragments of a shattered sword.

* * *

Xi’an, Shaanxi. Even beside Mount Zhongnan, its clusters of buildings seemed to stretch endlessly. Its scale was unlike anywhere else in Shaanxi Province. People abounded. Merchants chatted as they packed away their stalls, inn servants hung lanterns above entrances in the dead of night, and wandering warriors searched for alleys where they could lie down comfortably... The city was vast.

Even in a year of famine, immense quantities of goods came and went in merchant caravans and escort-agency processions. A great city that had prospered long before the dynasty’s founding, it was home to people of every class, busily living their lives. Even after sunset, it teemed with vitality of every kind. So, too, did the attack of Gal Dojin, the Chivalrous Sword of Xi’an.

CRASH!

He seized a man by the back of the head and slammed him into a tabletop. The burst of martial force sent its aftereffects billowing outward like wind. Cracks spread in every direction from the man’s forehead, and the wooden table collapsed in pieces. The man sprawled facedown with it.

“This bastard has nothing on him. Get rid of him.”

Clad in an ornate satin robe, Gal Dojin muttered with cold, stern eyes.

Rows of orange lanterns hanging from the ceiling lit the inn. It was under the control of the Remnant-Revering Earth Sect, which had submitted to the Lingering Spirits of the Thirteen skies. Gal Dojin was the sect’s chief guardian. His epithet, Chivalrous Sword, was a name used only when those of the evil and unorthodox paths were congratulating one another.

“...”

The patrons lowered their voices and ate in silence. Poor harvests had been recurring for some time, and now even the great Zhongnan Sect’s protection was gone. In times like these, those who could buy food at an inn were hardly ordinary people. At the very least, they were capable of ignoring the commonplace fights.

A burly subordinate obeyed the order. The unconscious man was dragged outside.

A boy beside Gal Dojin smirked. A bright blue hero’s headband sat above eyes with strikingly distinct whites and blacks. It suited the talented young Underworld martial artist quite well. He was also Gal Dojin’s sworn younger brother. The boy spoke.

“Haven’t there been more people eating without paying?”

“Say it properly. There are more shameless parasites.”

Gal Dojin answered indifferently. The boy, So Yurang, the Young Hero of Xi’an, laughed.

“Why did you let him leave alive? The bastard tried to enjoy delicacies at the Finest Inn in Xi’an without a penny. You should at least have broken his limbs... Shall I go after him? May I kill him? I could polish my sword path while I’m at it.”

“I told them to kill him outside. So as not to spoil our distinguished guests’ appetites.”

“Why bother...?”

“Haven’t plenty of them pissed themselves from the pain? Cleaning costs money too. Time is money.”

“Ah, true. I wasn’t thinking, Brother. I’ve been so engrossed in Zhongnan’s martial arts lately.”

“Pay particular attention to your training. The sect leader is making allowances for you.”

“You’ll talk my ears off.”

“You lunatic. Eclipse of the Nine Suns, which you were granted, is the signature ultimate technique of Zhongnan’s Sword Dragon. If not for what happened, you could never have dreamed of even glimpsing that divine technique. Shouldn’t you forget your damned gambling and focus on improving your mastery?”

“Spare me the fancy words. Must you remind us you’re a scholar who retired to his hometown?”

“You little bastard!”

Unorthodox warriors spoke of the Sword Ancestor’s legacy, said to have been restored by the Desolate Fortress’s Lightning Genius and the Zhongnan Sword Immortal. Though Zhongnan’s lay branches were established throughout Shaanxi, no one objected. With the Zhongnan Sect’s annihilation, Xi’an’s landscape had changed drastically.

The underlings of the Tyrant Sword Tribe and Lingering Spirits had poured in. They had intruded on every source of profit, from merchant companies and escort agencies to shops along the official roads. Even officials, including the prefect and county magistrates, had been won over with wealth. In a famine, supplies of any kind were precious. Even benevolent, incorruptible officials had no choice but to yield. A new order had solidified in Xi’an. It had happened in an instant.

The people now absorbed in their meals in silence were proof enough. Martial artists sat here and there among the merchants and commoners, but no one raised their head. That remained true until the inn door abruptly opened again, letting in the winter wind.

WHOOO

Someone stepped inside, wrapped in clear air. Did the figure weigh more than their build suggested? The footfall was oddly loud.

THUD.

It was a boy who had grown reasonably tall. His long, lowered lashes cast shadows. His features were as distinct as a painting, his air uncannily calm. Then the door shut with a creak. The guest’s ankle-length black cloak streamed behind him. Beneath the outer garment tied at his neck, plain white sleeves briefly appeared, then vanished.

“Welcome!”

An inn servant wearing brown hemp despite the winter stepped forward. He had been watching the familiar banter between the Chivalrous Sword and the Young Hero of Xi’an from one side.

“No companions? It’s a dangerous world to travel alone.”

Grinning to himself, the servant asked in an insinuating tone. It sounded strange in the subdued atmosphere of the inn. All of it had become a familiar sight in Xi’an. It was almost a lawless land, where the Great Ming Code had lost its meaning.

“Three more will be coming. I heard we couldn’t sleep here, so I sent them to find lodgings.”

The unfamiliar guest answered readily. The servant nodded with a broad smile.

“The great heroes of the Remnant-Revering Earth Sect are staying here. Thanks to them, our inn is still renowned for the finest delicacies under heaven.”

“Are there seats?”

Watching from a distance, So Yurang’s eyebrow twitched. The Remnant-Revering Earth Sect was known locally as the proxy sect of the Lingering Spirits of the Thirteen skies. Its prestige was considerable. It was not something an unknown wanderer could simply ignore.

“First time out in the martial world, eh.”

So Yurang clenched his fist once, then opened it. Noticing his sworn younger brother’s flicker of anger, Gal Dojin chose not to comment. Having mastered the Sword Dragon’s Eclipse of the Nine Suns, So Yurang could contend for the title of strongest among his Shaanxi peers. Gal Dojin needed only watch the cloaked wanderer in silence.

‘He looks quite clean. Healthy complexion, no sign of being thin. He’s been eating well.’

Gal Dojin considered him. A rare sight. A young nobleman from a respectable family had ventured out with his identity concealed. Why, he could not tell. If the reason was trivial, his martial ability would amount to little. If it was important, he would hide his skills just as he hid his identity. Disciples sent on secret orders by great sects were adept at concealing their strength to the very end.

THUD.

By then, So Yurang was striding toward the guest. A martial artist of the evil and unorthodox paths with a territory of his own was closer to a beast than a human. Such people followed the law of the strong devouring the weak to the letter. They were unorthodox because they put the sword in their hand before the Great Ming Code, and evil because they used violence to vent their feelings. To someone who regarded the Four Books and Three Classics as common sense, they did not look human. So Yurang’s character was no different. It was exceedingly twisted.

He strode without hesitation toward the cloaked boy, who was drinking the water the servant had poured. He smiled brightly at the fellow who did not even acknowledge him. Someone who disregarded the dignity of Xi’an’s unorthodox factions was no guest, but an intruder. Curling his lips upward, So Yurang imitated his sworn elder brother’s words and manner.

“Your speech and conduct violate Xi’an’s rules. The moment you finish that water, you’ll have to receive a lesson from me. I’m thinking I might start by crushing that throat of yours...”

Just then, it began at the lips of the unwelcome guest, his cup raised.

SHHHH

The wooden cup began turning to powder. Fine dust caught the orange lantern light and dispersed like an illusion. It crumbled upward until it reached the fingertips holding it. It was as though those smoothly callused fingers had brought the sunset inside. The sight was so natural that it seemed alien. So Yurang stopped in his tracks.

“What.”

Jung Yeonshin, who had burst the water cup apart, spat out the single word.