Chapter 162: The Thing I Wish To Show (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162: The Thing I Wish To Show (2)
Just as the battle between Gu Yangcheon and Moyong Hi-ah was set to begin, the current Alliance Leader, Jang Cheon, was deep in conversation with his son, Jang Seonyeon.
The teacup between them sat empty on the table, yet Jang Cheon continued to hold his own cup in a heavy silence. It was he who finally broke the quiet.
"Why did you do it?" His voice was low, carrying immense pressure.
At the question, Jang Seonyeon lifted his head. He had been staring at the floor.
"Son."
"...Yes."
"Did you forget the promise you made to your father?"
"I did not forget."
"Then why did you make that choice?"
Jang Seonyeon's mouth shut tight. It wasn't that he had nothing to say; rather, he had too much he dared not voice. Speaking his mind would only bring him harm.
"Did I not warn you? I told you of the dangers of that power."
Why do you think that way? The thought screamed in Jang Seonyeon's mind, a sentence he could never utter aloud, so he bit his tongue.
"I warned you it is a danger that consumes you slowly, until you are no longer yourself."
A knot tightened in Jang Seonyeon's stomach at his father's words. In response, a turbulent energy surged within him, as if angered by the warning. He hadn't used this power in some time, yet it clearly hadn't settled. His father, for all his status as Alliance Leader, had never been granted this power. He knew little of its true nature—he couldn't even feel it. He had only noticed its use from Jang Seonyeon's performance in the duel.
"I recall saying you were forbidden from using that power until you reached the age of twenty. Why did you use it?"
Jang Seonyeon thought of Namgung Bi-ah. Why had he done it? He asked himself the question, and only one answer surfaced.
I was afraid.
It was that simple. He had been terrified of the woman who seemed to shine ever brighter with each passing moment, and he had used that power as a crutch.
…What a nasty feeling.
The way she advanced relentlessly, without a hint of retreat… Her penetrating gaze that seemed to see right through him… Her confident, doubt-free steps… It all sickened him. Even the way Gu Yangcheon had looked at him while carrying Namgung Bi-away…
Why did he have to feel this way?
All I did was use the power granted to me. So why must I feel this aching embarrassment? This power was given to me so I could become the light. I was chosen. I was meant to shine brighter than anyone.
So why did that woman shine so brilliantly?
How childish of me.
The emotion boiling inside him was undeniably a guilty conscience. He didn't want to admit it, but reality was undeniable. Was it because these young prodigies were far more talented than he had ever anticipated?
Meteor themselves told me. They said the Heavenly Qi points to me as the star of this generation.
-Along with two bloods, the flow belongs to the star.
-Even time itself will be surpassed, so how could it not be the star?
He didn't understand the meaning of those words, but they had been spoken while pointing directly at him. That was the truth. It had to be. No matter what.
"I'm sorry, Father." Jang Seonyeon organized his thoughts, a quiet smile touching his lips. His father knew nothing. Or perhaps he knew but chose to pretend otherwise. It didn't matter. "I won't make any more mistakes to damage your name…" After all, his father would have no choice but to approve of him in the future.
"…"
Jang Cheon offered no response, a rare occurrence. He wondered if he had neglected his son, blinded by thinking him perfect. He had noticed a subtle change in Jang Seonyeon. What was different? Jang Cheon closed his eyes in thought. He decided he must visit the Chief Abbott again.
* * *
The Ice Palace of the North.
It was a realm forged in the world's northern extremes, born when ice crystals spilled from the Abyss to blanket the land in snow and usher in an everlasting winter. Those destined to rule the snowfields hailed from this place, practitioners of Ice Martial Arts that complemented their frigid environment.
When the previous Palace Lord, the renowned Righteous Snow King, descended to the Central Plains with his armies of frost, it was said that with a single gesture, he chased away summer and brought winter to the region. This was the place that produced such masters.
And Moyong Hi-ah carried the blood of the Ice Palace in her veins. Her mother was the wife of the Moyong Clan Lord, and also the fourth daughter of the Ice Palace's lord. Her father loved her mother deeply, so much so that he took no concubines. He declared to the clan elders that, as the lord of one of the Four Noble Clans, he would have no other engagements or consorts. He prioritized his love for his wife over the clan's political benefits, single-handedly bearing the responsibility for any problems that arose.
Until she grew into a woman, Moyong Hi-ah could not understand her father. How could love be more important? Was it worth such sacrifice? She couldn't comprehend it, rationally or emotionally. Look at the result: their love had caused the noble Moyong Clan to fall behind the other Great Clans. The very name 'Moyong' was losing its power. What had their love left the clan? A tarnished glory, now under the thumb of the Murim Alliance… Her father was left alone after her mother died, and…
It left me, who is leeching off the clan. Father and Mother probably never imagined the daughter they finally had would be cursed with such a disease.
No one could have predicted that the blood of the Ice Palace would yield such a result. Especially in this era, where doctors could cure most ailments…
I have one that can’t be cured. What kind of nonsense is this? How ridiculous. Not that there's any point in talking about it.
The world carried on as if nothing was wrong. Like others with her condition, Moyong Hi-ah developed sharp senses… but it was a poor trade for the suffering it brought. There were so many geniuses in the world better than her. The boy standing before her was a prime example.
Isn’t that a bit too much…?
Before her, an orb of flame burned passionately, as if it had gathered all the fire in the world. It was so intense it could be called a miniature sun. Seeing it, a hopeless expression crossed Moyong Hi-ah's face, yet a smile also appeared. At least she would see Gu Yangcheon's true power. The hopelessness came from the immediate realization that she was utterly outmatched.
Was this why he apologized? If so, it felt preposterous. How unfair for him to apologize for that.
Moyong Hi-ah drew her sword and channeled her Qi. Thoughts of surrender plagued her, but she couldn't afford to yield. Moyong Hi-ah could quit, but the Snow Phoenix could not. Ice Qi coalesced around her blade. She employed the Moyong Clan's signature art, the Righteous Arts, followed by the Righteous Sword.
However, unlike other clans whose Flame or Lightning Qi grew stronger with higher realms, the Moyong Clan had no inherent connection to Ice Qi. Far from it. This power belonged to Moyong Hi-ah alone. Her heterochromatic eyes and the way her Ice Qi intensified with her cultivation level were likely gifts—or curses—of her bloodline.
As she channeled her Qi, a deep cold instantly gripped her, forcing her to expend more energy to ward it off. This was no ordinary winter chill. It was a cold born from the Ice Qi growing inside her, a cold that no campfire or heavy clothing could alleviate. It was a cold that used her very life force to freeze her surroundings, carrying the scent of death… the cold Moyong Hi-ah hated most.
What a scary and exhausting cold.
Moyong Hi-ah stared at the small sun before her. Its intense heat made it hard to breathe, and she involuntarily furrowed her brow. Even as she released her Ice Qi, Gu Yangcheon's heat devoured it effortlessly. She wondered at the phenomenon, yet found it obvious. His Flame Qi was simply hotter than her Ice Qi was cold.
How can he wield such magnitude?
Moyong Hi-ah possessed sharp senses, allowing her to read expressions and, more usefully, gauge martial capabilities. While not a divine gift, it was a tool she used well. Looking at Gu Yangcheon, his capabilities were strange. His martial art didn't seem technically complex; upon scrutiny, it appeared rather simple. But it had one extremely demanding condition: it required a massive reservoir of Qi. Furthermore, the user needed a body trained to control such explosive flames.
She observed Gu Yangcheon's physique.
…It doesn’t seem that well-trained.
To her eyes, his body seemed weaker than those of other young prodigies. His muscles and frame suggested physical frailty. Where did such power come from? It felt insufficient to label it mere talent… but she had no other explanation.
The result of an unfair world. That was Moyong Hi-ah's bitter conclusion. Already acquainted with life's harshness, she could only smile wryly.
"Even while standing before those flames, I still feel cold." The thought crossed her mind, perhaps because the sun-like orb made the contrast so stark.
She settled into her stance. The fight had begun. As her Ice Qi-enhanced sword prepared to pierce the wall of heat…
"Huh…?" Moyong Hi-ah suddenly froze.
Gu Yangcheon's flames continued to burn fiercely, but she stood motionless, as if she had forgotten everything.
"Why… What's… happening?" Her usual composure shattered, her words coming out in an uncharacteristic stutter.
She had no choice.
Why… am I not cold anymore?
Her Ice Qi still flowed through her sword; her energy was stable despite her shock. By all rights, she should be feeling the familiar, life-sapping chill. But it was gone. Completely. The absence was so shocking her hand began to tremble. This had never happened before. Even the renowned Tang Clan had failed to cure her coldness, leaving a massive scar on her back in the attempt.
Why is this happening now?
"Whether it’s now or before…" A voice broke through her disarray.
"Always with so many thoughts. And those wide-open eyes when something goes wrong."
"...Pardon?" Moyong Hi-ah asked, confused by Gu Yangcheon's words. He merely made a sour face.
"Nothing, I wasn’t speaking to you, but someone who crossed my mind."
Her with that hearing of hers, I swear.
She hadn't actually heard him—she'd read his lips. Gu Yangcheon then glanced around and continued.
"I think I’ve shown enough."
"...Young Master Gu?"
"And I think I’ve waited long enough."
With his words, the flames began to move. The orb shifted with a simple gesture of his hand. Instead of changing shape, it flowed up his arm and began spinning around it. The sight was ominous, the compression of such immense firepower clearly dangerous.
Putting aside the shocking disappearance of her coldness, Moyong Hi-ah broke into a cold sweat. The situation felt unnervingly strange.
"You're not gonna forfeit, are you?" Gu Yangcheon asked, his tone lighter now, contrasting sharply with the heavy atmosphere he'd created.
"No… It's uh…"
"Right, I asked something strange. I knew you wouldn't."
Wondering what he was doing, Moyong Hi-ah felt a flicker of regret. She had been considering forfeiting while staring at the flames wreathing his arm. She quickly raised her sword and reaffirmed her stance, but before she could move, Gu Yangcheon acted first.
His flaming arm moved with deceptive lightness.
"It won't hurt."
Blaze.
The heat was so intense it seemed to distort the very space around her.
You said that won’t hurt…? Are you sure I wouldn’t at least lose a tooth if that hit my face?
"Probably." Gu Yangcheon spoke with a smile at the same moment…
…and colossal flames engulfed Moyong Hi-ah.
That was the last thing she saw before consciousness left her.
* * *
The fight ended with a single flame. I'd thought she might last until a second attack, but for some reason, Moyong Hi-ah fell in one.
I’ve felt this for a while—she always has too many thoughts. That's her flaw. I wondered what she was always thinking about so deeply. I never could understand the actions of smart people.
The spectators erupted when the judge announced my victory, but as usual, I felt little. Maybe I should’ve gone a little lighter. A slight regret was all that remained. Every time I used martial arts as a mere spectacle, it left me feeling empty. This was even truer in my past life, when I'd obsessed over growing my flames just to impress others. I knew better than anyone where that path led, which was why I wanted to avoid it in this life.
"What are you thinking? It's not like things ever went the way I wanted anyway." From the regression to my current life, none of this was planned. I simply had to get used to this state of impassivity.
However…
I looked up towards the high seats. I wondered who was there. I enhanced my senses to observe, not caring if I was caught this time. A few figures came into view. The Alliance Leader wasn't there. Nor was the Shaolin Chief Abbott. Had they left because the fight they wanted to see was over, or was there another reason? Whatever the case, I'd likely see them tomorrow.
Then I recalled what the Second Elder had said before I left for Hanam.
-If you’re going to cause trouble, make it a big one.
It had sounded stupid and reckless coming from a clan elder. That's what I thought then. But now, it seemed like sage advice from a man who possessed an abundance of wisdom.
"Indeed, I think I have to do that."
If the trouble I caused proved too big… well, I could always use the Second Elder as my excuse. After all, he told me to cause trouble, and I was just being an obedient disciple.
I left the arena only after confirming Moyong Hi-ah had been safely taken away. Despite appearances, I hadn't put much power into that attack; she probably wasn't badly hurt. But that aside, I needed to head to the medical quarters.
She was probably awake by now.