Chapter 34: Falcon Warrior Na Yuk-hyeong (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34: Falcon Warrior Na Yuk-hyeong (1)
As expected, Sama Yeong and Jo Seong-won were reliable enough to be trusted with the task.
Just in case, I had asked them to handle the men in black while I dealt with Gwak Gyeong, and they had finished the job in that short window. Then again, with Sama Yeong’s level of martial prowess, she probably could have handled it alone.
Gwak Gyeong shook his head slowly.
“You have excellent companions.”
“They are my junior brother and my friend.”
Jo Seong-won’s lips twitched at the word 'friend.' Is he happy that he isn't being introduced as a subordinate to outsiders?
However, Gwak Gyeong’s interest lay elsewhere.
“Junior brother? Then you are also...?”
Snap!
Sama Yeong took the cue and performed a fist-and-palm salute.
“Ma-yeong, the second disciple, offers her greetings to Great Hero Gwak.”
Gwak Gyeong could not hide his astonishment.
“I was worried because the Great Hero had vanished for so long, but to think he was raising such exceptional successors.”
Respect was evident in his voice. Seeing this, the Namcheon Sword Guest, Ho Jong-won, truly must have been a good man. It couldn't have been easy to live a life that commanded such widespread respect. It was impressive.
Clang!
I sheathed the Namcheon Iron Sword. Seeing this, Gwak Gyeong asked, “I didn't recognize it because the blade was rusted, but is that not the Namcheon Iron Sword?”
The Lesser Conversation Sword praised the Namcheon Iron Sword. Unlike ordinary swords, the Namcheon Iron Sword was forged with a blend of cold iron, making it impossible for average blacksmiths to handle. As a result, the rusted and damaged parts of the blade had yet to be restored. Despite that, Gwak Gyeong had managed to identify it.
“My master lent me this sword, though I am unworthy of it.”
I deliberately avoided saying he 'gave' it to me. Phrasing it that way would imply the Namcheon Sword Guest had retired. I felt a bit guilty, but I still needed the weight of his reputation.
“Hah. To see the Great Hero’s sword again... it brings back many memories.”
Gwak Gyeong’s face took on a nostalgic look. I found myself curious about the real face hidden beneath that human skin mask.
Suddenly, Gwak Gyeong snapped out of it and pointed toward the secret passage.
“This is no time for sentiment. If it weren't for Na Yuk-hyeong, I would love to share a drink with the successor of an old acquaintance, but alas. You have no time to delay. Hurry.”
Falcon Warrior Na Yuk-hyeong.
That man had certainly complicated things. I hadn't even managed to properly achieve my original purpose for coming here.
Then, Gwak Gyeong sent me a quiet message via Sound Transmission.
[Regarding the servant named A-Song, I will make arrangements so that if he is found, you can retrieve the information from any of our branches.]
Fortunately, Gwak Gyeong had not neglected the request.
[Ah. Come to think of it, didn't you say there were two requests?]
He hadn't forgotten the second one either. I signaled Sama Yeong and Jo Seong-won to head into the passage first, then pulled the jade token from my robes.
[Do you happen to recognize this jade token?]
Gwak Gyeong frowned as he looked at it. Was it new to him as well? He examined it closely before asking me.
[Where did you obtain this?]
[......I apologize. That is the one thing I cannot disclose.]
[Hmm.]
[Do you know something?]
[A soaring crane is engraved on the jade.]
[That is correct.]
I wondered if Gwak Gyeong knew of a martial family or clan that used a soaring crane as their crest. But then, something I hadn't noticed came out of Gwak Gyeong’s mouth.
[If you look closely at the jade token, don't the engravings scattered across it look like a full moon?]
At those words, I turned the jade token over. I had been so focused on the crest that I hadn't considered the round jade itself represented the moon. It looked like a piece of art. If that were the case, the place must be related to both a crane and the moon.
Gwak Gyeong, still frowning, finally spoke.
[You, being barely twenty, might not know of it.]
[Pardon?]
[The Flying Moon Hero Sect.]
The Flying Moon Hero Sect?
I had never heard of it. The name didn't even contain the word 'crane,' like the crest did.
[Are you aware of the Four Great Martial Sects that rule Peerless Fortress?]
How could I not be? Peerless Fortress was a place established solely by those who pursued martial arts, transcending the divide between Orthodox and Evil. I had heard that hundreds of sects, large and small, existed within it, each passing down their own martial arts. Among those many sects, four led Peerless Fortress.
Those were the Four Great Martial Sects. Their fame was known to almost everyone in the martial world.
The Sea King Fortress Sect, the Mucheonjeong Sect, the Seomgyeong Martial Sect, and the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect. Among them, the Mucheonjeong Sect and the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect had even produced members of the Central Plains Eight Great Masters.
[The Flying Moon Hero Sect was once a place that almost became one of the Five Great Martial Sects. It is a sect that is being forgotten by the younger generation now, though.]
It almost became one of the Five Great Martial Sects? That meant it once possessed power rivaling the four ruling sects of Peerless Fortress?
I was stunned. I had guessed it might be related to a prestigious martial family, but I never expected Peerless Fortress—one of the two major powers currently holding hegemony over the martial world—to be mentioned.
[If my guess is correct, the crest on that jade token appears to be related to the Flying Moon Hero Sect.]
[Then what about the crane on the jade?]
[If I remember correctly, the crane is related to the origins of the Flying Moon Hero Sect.]
[The origins?]
[I don't know the exact details myself. It seems this isn't a low-rank request, but a high-rank one.]
Even with a connection to the Namcheon Sword Guest, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Well, business was business.
[I will pay the price.]
[Understood. However, since this is a matter from a long time ago, we will need to investigate. We don't have time now, so I will arrange for the information to be available at another branch. Now, go!]
Since we had to hurry, I performed a quick salute and rushed into the passage.
It was said to be half a li long, and the tunnel certainly felt that way. As I moved, the Namcheon Iron Sword called out to me.
'What is it?'
'You have?'
Considering the Namcheon Sword Guest’s age and his period of activity, it made sense that the Namcheon Iron Sword would know. It seemed the sword hadn't associated the crest with the sect immediately.
'What do you know?'
'Ha Seong-un?'
My mother’s surname was Ha. If the Sect Leader of the Flying Moon Hero Sect was a Ha, could he be related to her?
Wait. The way he said they 'promised' a duel made it sound like they never actually fought.
'Why?'
The duel fell through because of the Great Orthodox-Evil War. Then what exactly happened in the meantime?
If there was a master great enough that even the Namcheon Sword Guest wanted to duel him, then Gwak Gyeong’s claim that they almost became one of the Five Great Martial Sects was perfectly plausible. Yet now, no one seemed to know of the Flying Moon Hero Sect in Peerless Fortress.
'......Whew.'
My mind grew complicated. I couldn't be certain yet that my mother was connected to Peerless Fortress. But if her jade token truly belonged to the Flying Moon Hero Sect, what on earth happened twenty years ago?
After running through the secret passage for a long while, I spotted two figures. It was Sama Yeong and Jo Seong-won.
“Deputy Unit Leader.”
“We were waiting for you.”
They had been waiting for me about halfway through the tunnel. As soon as I joined them, we ran through the passage at an even faster pace.
Before long, light appeared. The light was shining from above, and looking up, I saw something like a rope ladder.
“I think we can go up here.”
“I see...”
Before I could even finish my sentence, Sama Yeong fearlessly climbed the ladder first. Jo Seong-won was cautious about everything, but she was the complete opposite. Her voice drifted down from above.
“There’s no one here. You can come up. It’s a well.”
“A well?”
Just as she said, we climbed the rope ladder. When we reached the top, the exit was indeed a well. It was located in an abandoned building, seemingly left in ruins on purpose to hide the exit.
“It’s a relief we made it out safely. Let’s head toward Seokmun County.”
As we left the abandoned building, the village came into view. It was indeed the outskirts of the village, just as we were told it led northeast. It seemed we could just slip away. We hurried out of the village and headed toward Seokmun County.
However, a problem arose as we entered the forest.
[Deputy Unit Leader. I think there’s an ambush ahead.]
Sama Yeong was right. Beyond the hill, a group of about twenty people was blocking the forest path. Since none of them carried swords, I only noticed their presence once we were this close.
'Are they enemies?'
To only notice them at this distance meant they were skilled in concealment.
[What should we do?]
In response to her question, I signaled for a retreat. There was no reason to waste time fighting those in ambush. It was better to go around.
Just as we were about to turn back—
'!?'
A figure was standing behind us. Neither Sama Yeong nor I had sensed his presence at all.
The moment I saw the man with half-white hair and his hands behind his back, goosebumps broke out all over my body. Wearing an eye patch with a snake pattern, he exuded the same eerie energy I had felt on the second floor of the Black Pavilion.
I realized it even without them telling me. We had escaped through a secret passage; how was he already blocking our path?
Looking to my side, I saw Jo Seong-won trembling. Having come from the Beggar’s Sect, he must have recognized Na Yuk-hyeong instantly as well.
'This is insane.'
We had fled to avoid him, but I never expected him to pursue us like this. The opponent was a master of the Supreme Peak Realm, notorious throughout the martial world. He might even be in the same realm as my master, the Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon.
Then, Falcon Warrior Na Yuk-hyeong let out a roar.
“HALT!!!”
The shout was so loud it felt like my eardrums would burst. I wondered why he had shouted, but then the group of twenty people quickly appeared from over the hill. I had wondered who they were, but they must have been Na Yuk-hyeong’s subordinates.
We were truly trapped between a rock and a hard place.
'........'
After a moment’s hesitation, I called out to Na Yuk-hyeong in a polite voice.
“Junior So Woon-hwi offers his greetings to Elder Falcon Warrior.”
I had to try negotiating first. If, as the Namcheon Iron Sword said, Na Yuk-hyeong had a grudge against the Namcheon Sword Guest, I needed to find a way to resolve it.
Na Yuk-hyeong spoke.
“I have never had a junior like you.”
The internal power carried in his voice was extraordinary. He was undoubtedly a master equal to or greater than Jo Cheong-un, the First Sword of Hengshan. This was the worst-case scenario. There were quite a few experts among the group behind us as well.
It was doubtful whether the three of us combined could even stand a chance against Na Yuk-hyeong alone, making this situation incredibly dire.
“Senior. I believe there has been some misunderstanding.”
At my words, Na Yuk-hyeong gave a short, mocking laugh. Then he spoke.
“The fact that the Haomen Sect secretly let you out through a secret passage is proof enough that you are the successor of the Namcheon Sword Guest, is it not?”
How did he know about the secret passage? This was a situation even Gwak Gyeong, the branch leader of the Black Pavilion, hadn't anticipated.
Na Yuk-hyeong reached out his right hand.
Ssssss!
A dark red whip wrapped around his wrist uncoiled like a snake. It was the signature weapon that had earned him the name Falcon Warrior. There weren't many in the martial world who mastered the whip, and Na Yuk-hyeong was one of them.
“Where is that bastard Ho Jong-won?”
His only goal seemed to be the Namcheon Sword Guest. Of course, as the one who claimed to be his disciple, I was also a target. Intense killing intent radiated from his whip.
Shring!
Sama Yeong drew her sword. Jo Seong-won spoke in a worried voice.
“Lady Sama. That man is...”
“We have no choice. He’s not the type you can talk to anyway.”
She was right. Na Yuk-hyeong wasn't an enemy you could deceive with words. Even if we used every means and method available to clash with him, the probability of survival was mere pennies.
Shring!
I also drew the Namcheon Iron Sword. Then I spoke to Sama Yeong and Jo Seong-won.
“From now on, victory or defeat depends on how quickly you two can handle them.”
I pointed toward Na Yuk-hyeong’s subordinates.
“My Lord?”
“Deputy Unit Leader?”
They looked at me in shock, having realized the meaning of my words.
Then, Na Yuk-hyeong spoke in a voice full of disbelief.
“Khahahaha! Even if the three of you attacked at once, you’d barely block a few of my moves. And yet you’re going to face me alone? You’re not just brave; you’ve gone completely mad.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Na Yuk-hyeong’s hand moved. His whip curved as if it were alive and lashed out toward me. Its momentum was so great it felt like it could snap a giant tree in an instant.
“Hurry!”
I shouted to Sama Yeong and Jo Seong-won and lunged toward the incoming whip. This was no time to hide my skills. Opening my Middle Dantian, I instantly pushed my Life Bright Divine Art to its 5-star power.
Clang!
The whip and the Namcheon Iron Sword collided. In that instant, my palm stung, and I was pushed back about three steps.
Na Yuk-hyeong frowned.
“You blocked that?”
He seemed puzzled by the power of my Innate True Qi, which was entirely different from the internal energy of a Lower Dantian. However, his confusion didn't last long.
“As expected, you are indeed that bastard Ho Jong-won’s disciple. He was also someone whose energy sense couldn't be detected. Like master, like disciple.”
It seemed Na Yuk-hyeong had truly fought the Namcheon Sword Guest properly. He even knew that Innate True Qi did not manifest as a detectable energy sense. However, through this single clash, I could clearly see the gap between us.
He surpassed me in internal power. Fortunately, the difference wasn't an insurmountable chasm. Because I had established a 6-star foundation thanks to the Innate True Qi left by the Dagger-Killing King Han Ji-sang. However, the difference in martial prowess was unavoidable.
'......I have to put my life on the line.'
That was the only way I could defeat him.
Na Yuk-hyeong chuckled.
“Do you think you can face me just by using your head? As I am now, even if your master came here personally...!?”
Suddenly, Na Yuk-hyeong’s expression froze. It was because of the change occurring within me.
Shooooooo!
The blood throughout my body began to circulate rapidly, and it felt as if my entire body were about to catch fire.
Na Yuk-hyeong’s face hardened.
“What on earth is that?”
Steam was rising from my skin. This was a symptom of the True Blood Golden Body, which accelerated blood circulation.
I, who did not possess a special constitution like Hae Ak-cheon or the twins—how long could I possibly endure the True Blood Golden Body?