Chapter 41
Chapter 41
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Tai Chi Sword Lord's Decision
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Wi Seongcheon turned to Paeng Yeonhwa with eyes wide in shock. Thanks to her acupoints being sealed, Paeng Yeonhwa couldn't move freely. Even so, she twisted her body wildly, letting out a beastly howl.
"The no-self enlightenment my ass...!"
Hwangbo Gwang twisted his face as if he'd expected as much. The Tai Chi Sword Lord, who had been staring at Paeng Yeonhwa, turned his gaze back to the "fang" in his hand and let out a sigh.
"Hoo."
The Tai Chi Sword Lord moved.
But none of the people watching him noticed *how* he moved.
Wi Seongcheon was no exception. The Tai Chi Sword Lord, who had been right in front of him, was suddenly standing before Paeng Yeonhwa, having passed him by.
Just a few steps. Nothing more than that. Yet the Tai Chi Sword Lord had crossed Wi Seongcheon's line of sight without giving anyone a chance to react.
"How pitiful."
He clicked his tongue and bent down. Paeng Yeonhwa glared with beastly eyes, baring her sharp fangs.
The Tai Chi Sword Lord brought the fang close to Paeng Yeonhwa with calm eyes. That alone quelled her seizure.
"What is that, exactly?"
Wi Seongcheon asked cautiously.
"Do you know who Hohwan is?"
"Yes... I do."
There was no way he wouldn't. Even at the isolated Sacred Spirit Mountain, where rumors traveled slowly, the news of Hohwan and the Paeng Clan's annihilation had reached even the remote mountain villages.
"This is Hohwan's fang."
"...Pardon?"
"It's infused with the Demonic Cult's sorcery as well. For this child, who shares Hohwan's blood and harbors hatred for him, there's no way she wouldn't react to it. That's why I called her pitiful."
The Tai Chi Sword Lord muttered as he reached out toward Paeng Yeonhwa. She gaped her mouth wide, lunging to bite the back of his hand.
"There's nothing more tragic than having one's hatred manipulated. Rage and hatred must be purely one's own. No one else—especially not the very object of that rage and hatred—should dare control them."
The Tai Chi Sword Lord straightened up.
Paeng Yeonhwa's head slumped forward, her eyes glazing over. As he tucked away the still-clutched fang of Hohwan into his robes, the Tai Chi Sword Lord turned to Hwangbo Gwang and Seok Ijin.
"Let this matter be buried."
"Yes."
"Ah, but Sword Lord!"
Seok Ijin bowed his head politely in response, but Hwangbo Gwang couldn't bring himself to do so. No matter how he thought about it, this wasn't something that could just be swept under the rug.
"This child didn't attack you of her own will."
"That's... true, but... Yeonhwa—that girl—is still dangerous."
"If she's dangerous, just muzzle her."
The Tai Chi Sword Lord murmured.
"She's a pitiful child. Expelling her from the academy would be too harsh. She's lost her home at such a young age. If she's cast out into the world after this incident, her rage and hatred will only grow fiercer."
Paeng Yeonhwa's body floated lightly into the air. The Tai Chi Sword Lord clasped his hands behind his back and fixed his gaze on Hwangbo Gwang.
"Hohwan. The object of this child's hatred is clear, but her fangs aren't sharp enough yet to reach him."
"..."
"The purpose of founding the Uicheon Academy was to cultivate successors to stand against the Demonic Cult. This child will undoubtedly grow into a mighty tree capable of facing the Demonic Cult before long. Wouldn't it be a shame to expel such a talent?"
"...Yes..."
"If I may."
Wi Seongcheon spoke up.
The Tai Chi Sword Lord turned his head to stare at Wi Seongcheon.
"You said you'd muzzle her. What does that mean...?"
"It's not literal, like shoving something in her mouth. She did try to bite me outright, but this child isn't truly a beast."
The Tai Chi Sword Lord chuckled.
"Still, incidents like today can't happen again. It does no good for those around her or herself. Fortunately, I plan to stay at the Uicheon Academy for a while."
"...N-No way."
Imagining what came next, Hwangbo Seongwoo swallowed hard.
"With nothing much to do during my stay, I'll use it as a pastime to teach this child some etiquette."
"Eek!"
Hwangbo Gwang's mouth fell open. Seok Ijin didn't say it outright, but his shocked expression was plain to see.
Even as a mere pastime, teaching etiquette meant the Ten Supremes' Tai Chi Sword Lord would personally instruct Paeng Yeonhwa.
* * *
Wi Seongcheon and Hwangbo Seongwoo, caught up in the incident, returned to the Uicheon Academy alongside the Tai Chi Sword Lord and Hwangbo Gwang. Seok Ijin did not join them.
Classes resumed tomorrow. Recalling all the other students early would require cumbersome explanations to each one, so Seok Ijin decided to stay one more day to conduct the lessons.
[How did it go?]
The Tai Chi Sword Lord led the way with Paeng Yeonhwa floating in the air beside him, his pace leisurely as if out for a stroll. Everyone else had to match his slow speed.
[Pardon?]
[Didn't you subdue that child? How?]
Wi Seongcheon hesitated at the Tai Chi Sword Lord's telepathic message, unsure how to respond. It was a simple matter. How had he subdued her? By beating her down.
[How did you beat her?]
No sooner had he answered than the Tai Chi Sword Lord followed up.
[With the Cheonhwa Sect's martial arts? Or have you secretly learned some other techniques?]
[Cheonhwa Sect's martial arts.]
[Hmm, hoo, I see. The Cheonhwa Sect's arts are quite impressive.]
Wi Seongcheon had braced for further prying, but that was the extent of the Tai Chi Sword Lord's reaction.
[Do you know of the Cheonhwa Sect's martial arts?]
[I saw them once long ago. False Good and Evil, Wi Jeonguk. Do you know that name?]
[He's my grandfather.]
[It must have been around fifty years ago. By a stroke of chance, I met him once.]
Like Wi Seongcheon's father, the Four Heroes' Wi Juseok, his grandfather Wi Jeonguk was a figure not well-known to the world.
A hundred years ago, Wi Seongcheon's great-grandfather, Heavenly Harmony Lord Wi Sinyeop, defected from the Black Death Society and registered the Cheonhwa Sect with the Orthodox Murim Alliance.
Both the righteous and unorthodox sects found the sudden defection baffling, and from then on, the Cheonhwa Sect's name in the world was always tainted with the derogatory label of "bat."
That marked the point when the Cheonhwa Sect, which had never prominently featured in murim history to begin with, faded even further into obscurity.
Wi Seongcheon knew almost nothing about his great-grandfather or grandfather from his father. By the time Wi Seongcheon was born, both were already gone from the world. When he had asked about them as a child, his father had replied:
'My grandfather chased empty fame in his later years and died fighting Demonic Cultists, and my clueless father followed him, saw him die, and went mad. He spent every day smearing shit on the walls, then suddenly left to avenge him and never came back.'
'Do you get the lesson here? Know your place in everything. And if you can't handle it, don't even think about revenge. Etch that into your mind. Even if nothing like that happens, suppose I get killed by some bastard... Before you go seeking revenge, put your hand on your chest and think first: Can I really avenge him? If it seems impossible, just give it up clean. I won't blame you for abandoning what can't be done.'
[Where did you meet my grandfather?]
[At the border between Qinghai and Shaanxi. The outskirts of the Demon Realm.]
The Tai Chi Sword Lord answered.
[It was a chance encounter. Do you know about the Demon Realm?]
[I only know it's swarming with demonic beasts and prowled by demonic humans.]
[That's all there is to it. A place utterly uninhabitable by humans. I still remember its horrors vividly.]
Though the Demon Realm was said to be uninhabitable by humans, that didn't mean no one lived there at all. It was the boundary between this world and the one beyond.
Demonic beasts that craved human flesh and blood constantly sought to breach it, and in the Demon Realm, barren armies and hunters built bases to slay them.
[They call me one of the Ten Supremes now, but back then, I wasn't the powerhouse I am today. Even now, it's much the same, but I was obsessed with the sword—shedding my robes, swinging it wildly while indulging in drink and meat. Still, I had to care about the world's gaze. I couldn't just cut down anyone recklessly.]
That was why the Tai Chi Sword Lord of fifty years ago headed to the Demon Realm. That harsh land always needed people. It still did.
If one wanted to make a name quickly, the Demon Realm was the place. It teemed with demonic beasts and humans ripe for slaughter.
Wi Seongcheon's great-grandfather and grandfather had gone there seeking fame as well—and died.
[Your grandfather was an extraordinary man. He frequented the death traps of the Demon Realm that even hunters avoided, and he returned alive each time. I thought myself quite detached, but I was just human after all. When I first met him and asked his name, and he said he was Wi Jeonguk of the Cheonhwa Sect...]
Cheonhwa Sect?
Those bats?
Why is trash like that here?
[His disheveled hair and filthy appearance were enough to make even the Beggar Clan beggars yield a step. But his piercing eyes burned with a madness fiercer than any demonic beast or human—and yet his speech was remarkably calm. His fighting style was anything but, though.]
[...Was my grandfather strong?]
[Very.]
The Tai Chi Sword Lord answered without hesitation.
[Didn't the Cheonhwa Sect Lord tell you?]
[No.]
[...Hmm. I see. Perhaps I spoke out of turn.]
A bitter note seeped into the telepathic message. That was the last of the Tai Chi Sword Lord's transmission.
* * *
Seo Il was waiting at the Uicheon Academy. He showed no great surprise at the sight of the Tai Chi Sword Lord returning with the others.
"Hwangbo Professor and Seongwoo, head to the medical ward first. I've already sent word, so they'll be prepared and waiting."
"I told them to bring a physician."
"We already handled the emergency treatment. Please don't blame them too much."
Seo Il gave a wry smile at Hwangbo Gwang's grumbling.
[...Shouldn't we report to the Academy Lord first before the medical ward?]
"I'll handle that."
With the Tai Chi Sword Lord's words, Hwangbo Gwang could say no more.
"You come too."
"Pardon?"
"Didn't you subdue her yourself? And..."
[The one who first spotted the Demonic Cult spy was you, after all.]
[That masked guy was a Demonic Cult spy?]
[You didn't even know that?]
He'd worn a mask and exuded such vicious energy that Wi Seongcheon had suspected as much. But he hadn't imagined it was truly a Demonic Cult infiltrator. The Tai Chi Sword Lord sent a telepathic message while stopping Seo Il from following.
[Shouldn't you report to Nam Myeong first—or rather, that witch?]
He referred to the Uicheon Academy Lord, Iron-Blood Emperor Nam Myeong, like a child. To Seo Il, though, it was even more uncomfortable that he called the Shadow Ministry Chief a "witch."
[...Yes.]
He couldn't very well ask him not to call her that. After watching Hwangbo Gwang and Hwangbo Seongwoo head to the medical ward and the Tai Chi Sword Lord enter the medical hall with Paeng Yeonhwa and Wi Seongcheon, Seo Il's presence vanished. He was heading to Baek Cheongha's residence deep in Uicheon Mountain.
The Tai Chi Sword Lord's steps were no longer slow. He strode unhesitatingly through corridors and up stairs to the academy lord's office on the top floor.
Passing servants and professors bowed in stunned surprise, but he acknowledged them perfunctorily and came to stand before the office door.
Then he flung it open.
"Nam Myeong."
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
Nam Myeong, seated in the office, immediately prostrated himself. The Tai Chi Sword Lord waved him off dismissively and strode inside.
Wi Seongcheon stood awkwardly by the door until the Tai Chi Sword Lord's gesture beckoned him in.
[...Where is Eccentric Hero?]
"That beggar said he'd stop by the local Beggar Clan branch first. I didn't see the need to go together, so I came alone."
"Did you come from Uicheon Mountain? Without stopping at the academy first..."
"I figured there'd be more to see there than here. And I was right."
The Tai Chi Sword Lord said as he sat down. Nam Myeong, rising, alternated glances between the still-unconscious Paeng Yeonhwa and Wi Seongcheon in confusion.
"...What happened?"