Chapter 176: Pieces (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 176: Pieces (2)
What in the world is he talking about?
I couldn’t make sense of it.
What did he mean by the Blood Demon dreaming of resurrection?
So… is the Blood Demon alive or not?
I had no idea who or what the Blood Demon was, nor his level of martial prowess. But as far as I knew, it was impossible for anyone, no matter how powerful, to live for hundreds of years. Reversing one's age was possible, but even that had its limits. Besides, the fact that so many masters chose to retain their elderly forms suggested that reclaiming youth came with more drawbacks than benefits. After all, looking younger didn't necessarily grant you more time to live.
And more than anything else,
I knew nothing about the Blood Demon. That was the biggest problem.
I had never even heard of the Blood Demon in my past life. Judging by his use of the word 'resurrection,' it implied the Blood Demon wasn't currently alive. I'd been forced to learn about the Blood Disaster from generations past due to its notoriety, but I'd never once heard any rumors about the Blood Demon returning in the future.
So, even if it is dreaming of resurrection, does that mean it's an event far off in the future?
Something I don't need to worry about?
[…Resurrection…] Elder Shin’s voice trembled with shock. [How…? You said its breath stopped. How can it even think about resurrecting?]
It was a contradiction. The Light of Might, Cheolyoung, had stated the Blood Demon stopped breathing after their final battle, yet now he claimed it was dreaming of a return.
[Shincheol.] Cheolyoung spoke again.
[The Blood Demon was not something that could be killed.]
[What…?]
[You may not remember, having lost your memories…]
[Cheolyoung, must you continue speaking in riddles?] My dantian suddenly twitched. It felt like something massive was shifting inside me. This was the manifestation of Elder Shin's presence. Just sensing the power that moved with his emotions made me truly aware of his immense strength.
…I’d really prefer it if you went easier on my body.
Thanks to him, I felt like I was on the verge of death just trying to withstand it. I was glad Elder Shin had returned, but this was hard to endure.
Ignoring Elder Shin’s frustration, Cheolyoung continued. [My answer to you remains unchanged, Shincheol.]
[Cheolyoung!]
[There is much I wish to say, but I cannot.]
[…]
Grrr.
A low growl, like that of a dragon, rumbled within my dantian. I assumed it meant he was about to explode. As I tried to calm the turbulent energy with my Qi, I realized that Elder Shin had been the one controlling the Taoist Qi and other energies within me all this time.
…I suppose I should be a little thankful for that.
I’d initially thought it was just rent for living in my body, but I hadn't understood how difficult it was. He deserved my gratitude.
[You can't tell me anything? Are you being serious right now!] The white fish's movements slowed. Its whiskers drooped, and its scales seemed to lose some of their luster. None of the elegance it had when I first saw it remained.
[Shincheol.]
[…Speak.]
[This was the decision we made.]
[We? Did you just say we?]
[Yes. We.]
From Cheolyoung's words, I gathered that 'we' referred to the Five Masters—the heroes who had protected the world by stopping the Blood Demon.
[It was something you agreed to as well.]
Elder Shin was stunned into silence for a moment. [I agreed to it?]
[You did. You were even more adamant about it than the others.]
After a brief pause, Elder Shin spoke, his voice faint. [I… I don’t remember any of it.]
[I know. Which is precisely why I cannot speak of it.] Cheolyoung’s tone was laden with lament. [Hah. The heavens have abandoned us, Shincheol. And you are the proof of that.]
His voice sounded far too apathetic to belong to the legendary Light of Might.
Is he really the Light of Might?
I even began to doubt his identity. He looked like a fish, and the only thing supporting his claim was how Elder Shin addressed him. It seemed Elder Shin also found something strange about him.
[You were never the type to say such things.]
[The sands of time shift our perspectives.]
[And they changed even you? The one they called the Unyielding Rock of Shaolin?]
[Centuries have passed since then.] Cheolyoung’s voice sounded utterly exhausted. [I was left here alone, enduring all these years. Do you know why?]
The white fish began to swim again, tracing a slow circle.
[It was because of hope.]
I sensed a deep eagerness in him.
Hope, huh.
I wondered what that hope could be. Someone like me couldn't possibly understand. Yet, Elder Shin seemed to grasp something. Despite the rage I could feel boiling within my body, he waited for Cheolyoung to continue.
[You were like an ember that could be extinguished by the slightest breeze, yet also a hope that could burn eternally, rekindling again and again. You were the hope for all of us.]
Elder Shin responded with an expression of sheer absurdity. [Me? Not Il-Cheon?]
[You said the exact same thing at the end. That it should be Il-Cheon, not you.]
It seemed Elder Shin had no memory of that, either. Those lost memories… What was contained within them that left Cheolyoung and Elder Shin in their current states? The Il-Cheon they mentioned was someone even I knew of, despite my general disinterest in history.
The Iron Fist, Yeon Il-Cheon. The Zenith of his generation, and the one responsible for the power I had received in Sichuan. A martial artist so great his name still resonated across the land after all this time.
[So, I failed?]
[…]
Cheolyoung didn't answer. No, it felt like he couldn't.
Unable to bear the silence, Elder Shin asked a different question. [The reason you and I ended up like this… Are you saying it was our own doing?]
[…]
[Haa… You can't even tell me why we were left in this state…]
[Shincheol.]
[Please, Cheolyoung… Tell me the reason I was left behind on this earth.]
Elder Shin's desperation was palpable, but Cheolyoung's reaction remained unchanged. He simply continued swimming around the lake. In response, Elder Shin let out a heavy sigh.
Is he prohibited from speaking?
It must be some kind of prohibition, maintained regardless of his current form as a fish or a spirit possessing one. That is, if Cheolyoung wasn't lying. I pondered how such a prohibition could even be enforced, but having witnessed so many illogical things, I'd started to believe anything was possible.
As Elder Shin wrestled with his thoughts, Cheolyoung, still swimming, posed a question. [It seems it's my turn to ask. How did you end up with that boy?]
I flinched at the question directed at me.
[The energy within the child… It unmistakably carries your signature.]
[Yes, it is mine.]
I was the one surprised by that admission. I had thought the Taoist Qi inside me was the energy of Mount Hua, but was it specifically Elder Shin's?
[He doesn't appear to be a child of Mount Hua. Why are you residing within him?]
Elder Shin fell silent. There was too much to explain. How could he possibly recount everything? Setting aside the fact that Elder Shin was originally sealed within a treasure of Mount Hua, he'd have to explain that the treasure was lost because the current Sect Leader lost a drinking bet. In the end, Elder Shin seemed unwilling to share such an embarrassing story with his old friend.
[…It simply turned out this way.]
Cheolyoung didn't press further. Instead, he turned his attention to me.
[Child.]
“Huh?… Yes.” I was startled by the sudden address.
[I apologize. I mistook you for that old fool based solely on your martial realm.]
The apology felt rather belated, but I nodded anyway. “…It’s fine. It was an understandable mistake.” I had spoken informally to him before, but now I needed to show respect.
[I appreciate you saying so. But child, you seem unusually accustomed to this situation.]
He meant everything being frozen, a fish talking, and that fish being the great Shaolin hero, the Light of Might.
[Child, are you Shincheol’s disciple?]
I found it difficult to answer. It felt wrong to say no outright. I had undoubtedly learned many things from Elder Shin that I could never have obtained otherwise. Yet, it also felt insufficient to claim the title of his disciple based on that alone.
[Stop talking nonsense, Cheolyoung.]
So, Elder Shin answered for me.
[I don’t take disciples. That is a promise I made.]
[Your dogshit stubbornness remained intact even after death, I see.]
[Dogshit?! Do you think you're any different?]
[All who bear the name of Shaolin are my children.]
[You say that as if I've turned my back on Mount Hua!]
Why were these two old men suddenly arguing? One moment they were discussing weighty matters, and the next they were bickering like children.
[Anyway.]
[What do you mean, 'anyway,' you baldhead!]
[…It seems this child’s talent has reached the very limits of the heavens. Hmm… He shows no signs of having undergone age-reversal, yet for one so young to have broken through that wall… This is just like…]
Cheolyoung trailed off, leaving his sentence hanging. Just as my curiosity was piqued.
[Were you going to say he’s just like Il-Cheon?] Elder Shin finished for him.
Cheolyoung let out a bitter laugh. [You just had to fill in the blanks when I was trying to pretend I hadn't said anything.]
[It's obvious. The only one who could be compared to him is that bastard.]
Was the Iron Fist truly that talented? I wasn't claiming to be great myself; my situation was a special case. For someone to reach my level at this age without undergoing regression like I did seemed impossible.
Unless it's someone like the Dragon Warrior.
He was a special case, too, albeit different from mine.
As my thoughts wandered…
-You don’t need to think too hard about it. He is obviously mistaken.
I suddenly heard Elder Shin’s voice, but it sounded slightly different, as if it were…
-That old bastard can’t hear us right now.
Confused, I listened as Elder Shin explained.
You know how to do something like this…?
-It’s not that difficult.
It certainly sounded difficult to me.
But what did you mean, he's mistaken?
-Well, how could he not be? The situation is completely different from how it appears.*
What?
My eyes widened at his words. “What did you just say?” I couldn't help but ask aloud. It made no sense. It was something I couldn't believe.
But Elder Shin’s response was the same.
-That bastard Il-Cheon… like you, he had traveled through time.