Chapter 230: Going To Battle (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 230: Going To Battle (6)
After traversing countless mountains, navigating treacherous terrain, and pushing through dense forests, they finally emerged from the vast wilderness.
Before them stretched the blue banks of a river.
Her new shoes were now worn and tattered, and the dust of the road had smudged her fair skin.
The Sword Venerable, holding her small, soft hand, glanced back as if to gauge her mood.
“…”
Despite the long journey that had hidden her features behind a mask of leaves and grime, the girl’s innate beauty still shone through.
Yet, no matter how many times he looked, her lovely lips remained sealed.
The girl had not spoken a word for two months.
It was a stark contrast to the talkative child she had once been.
Seeing this, the Sword Venerable felt helpless.
“…Are you tired? Would you like your grandfather to carry you?”
Shake.
She shook her head in response to his question.
She refused his offer.
She had loved being carried on his back since she was little, but one day, Wi Seol-Ah had begun to refuse. It had likely started after experiencing the back of a certain boy from the Gu Clan.
The Sword Venerable studied his granddaughter, but Wi Seol-Ah avoided his gaze, pretending not to notice.
“…Seol-“
“For heaven’s sake, will you stop already?”
The Immortal Healer, who had been struggling to keep up, interrupted him.
“She’s clearly indicating she doesn’t want to talk. Do you think pestering her will change her mind?”
“…”
“This is nothing new. Exercise some restraint.”
How many days had this been going on?
Wi Seol-Ah’s silence was one thing, but watching the Sword Venerable endlessly try to coax her was becoming tiresome.
…Though, he does seem to be holding back considerably, for someone of his temperament.
In his prime, as the Alliance Leader, the Sword Venerable had not been a man who grew weak in the face of his granddaughter. He was the great sky of the Orthodox Faction, a man who commanded the respect of countless martial artists. He was the Sword Venerable, Wi Hyogun.
His true personality was nothing like this.
Perhaps raising a child has changed him this much.
But that didn’t seem to be the whole story.
The Immortal Healer’s words seemed to have an effect. The Sword Venerable turned forward again, doing his best to ignore the slight trembling of his beard.
As the Immortal Healer watched Wi Seol-Ah still holding the Sword Venerable’s hand, he glanced down at the hand he himself was holding.
It was Zhuge Hyuk, who had left the Gu Clan with him.
Not only was Zhuge Hyuk still mute, but his features remained hidden behind a curtain of long hair; no one knew what his eyes looked like.
Even so, the Immortal Healer knew Zhuge Hyuk was deeply saddened.
The reason was likely the blood relatives of the Gu Clan. Especially the youngest daughter—the pretty girl from Mount Hua who had played with his grandson during their stay.
…I’m sorry.
The Immortal Healer knew he was in no position to judge the Sword Venerable.
After all, even though this was for his grandson’s sake, he had ignored the boy’s wishes for his own selfish reasons.
Is this really the right decision?
He kept asking himself the same question, but found no answer.
No, the old doctor already knew the answer. He was simply trying his best to look away from it.
“Alliance Leader.”
The Sword Venerable glanced back at the Immortal Healer upon hearing his call.
“There is something I wish to ask.”
“Speak.”
“Why there, of all places?”
“…”
What was the reason they had left the Gu Clan to head for Qinghai?
The Immortal Healer had chosen to follow the Sword Venerable, but he still did not understand the destination. He knew the Wudang Sect and Shaolin Temple were not options, especially among the Ten Sect Alliance, but why choose Qinghai?
His confusion had only grown when he learned their final destination.
The man who was avoiding Shaolin, the Wudang Sect, and the Murim Alliance due to distrust was now walking straight toward a place considered a central stronghold of the Murim Alliance.
“If you have a reason, I would appreciate knowing it.”
In the past, the Immortal Healer would not have cared or interfered. But now that they were traveling together, he felt he deserved a convincing explanation.
“…”
Upon hearing this, the Sword Venerable met his gaze for a moment. He hesitated, his lips parting as if to speak.
But then.
Pause.
Wi Seol-Ah suddenly stopped walking on the rough, pathless road, forcing the Sword Venerable to halt as well.
Sensing something amiss, the Immortal Healer quickly addressed the Sword Venerable.
“Allian-“
“Someone is coming.”
“…!”
The Sword Venerable’s response startled the Immortal Healer, who immediately pulled Zhuge Hyuk behind him.
…Who?
He felt no fear.
The Immortal Healer knew the man standing before him, so he had no reason to be afraid.
The Zenith of Swords.
Sword Venerable Wi Hyogun.
Among the countless martial artists in the world, he was the pinnacle of the sword.
The Immortal Healer was confident that this man could cleave the massive mountain ahead in two. He felt no fear.
…But who could it be?
The Immortal Healer, not being a martial artist, could not perceive what the Sword Venerable felt. The sensations of a martial artist were different from those of an ordinary person.
But…
Just now, that girl seemed to sense something too.
She was the reason the Sword Venerable was journeying to Qinghai; her life was his sole purpose for living.
To the Immortal Healer’s eyes, the girl who wore a human mask had definitely been looking in a specific direction even before the Sword Venerable stopped.
As if she could see someone approaching from afar.
I don’t understand.
He could not comprehend her, despite observing her for the past two months.
How could such a small body contain so much potential?
Could he, the Immortal Healer, ever hope to see through her intricate enigma?
And above all…
Could she attain the mysterious goal the Sword Venerable desired for her?
The Immortal Healer could not possibly know.
As the tense silence stretched on…
Dddddd.
The Immortal Healer heard the sound of many footsteps.
And then…
Martial artists.
Even with his meager Qi sense, he could feel their dense energy saturating the air.
This meant that every single person approaching was a martial artist.
Despite this, the Sword Venerable merely watched.
Only one thing changed: he released Wi Seol-Ah’s hand for a moment.
Dddddd-!
As the footsteps drew nearer, the Immortal Healer saw the approaching figures.
Who are they?
The people he saw in the distance were familiar to him.
To be precise, he recognized the uniforms they wore.
A white uniform with an indigo blue line.
He could not mistake it.
The uniform was identical to the one worn by the Alliance Leader, the Harmonic Sword, Jangcheon.
Which means…
He could guess their identity from that.
About fifteen martial artists approached with firm, rhythmic steps, stopping in perfect unison before the Sword Venerable. They moved with the synchronicity of a well-trained army.
Unexpectedly, the one at the forefront was a young boy.
With a handsome face, the boy greeted the Sword Venerable with respectful composure.
“It is an honor to meet the great Sword Venerable.”
He showed no hesitation; clearly, he was a scion of a noble clan, well-trained and educated.
The Sword Venerable faced the boy and spoke as if he knew who he was.
“It seems the Alliance Leader did not come.”
The boy offered the Sword Venerable a kind smile.
“Yes… My father is currently unable to leave Hanam, so I have come to greet you in his stead.”
“…Why come all this way? There is still a long journey ahead.”
“How could I dare to simply wait for your arrival? I came to offer you comfortable guidance.”
The Immortal Healer was impressed by the boy’s flawless and clear speech. He seemed far more mature than his years suggested.
But Wi Seol-Ah, standing beside the Sword Venerable, looked displeased. She rarely frowned or showed dissatisfaction, yet for some reason, she seemed uncomfortable.
As if confirming his thoughts, Wi Seol-Ah hid behind the Sword Venerable’s back.
The Sword Venerable then asked the boy his name.
“What is your name?”
The boy slowly lifted his head to meet the Sword Venerable’s eyes.
“I am Jang Seonyeon.”
His voice was as flawless as his appearance.
Fully aware of the stature of the man before him…
He boldly added one final remark.
“I am humbly called the Meteor Sword.”
* * *
“…The Taeryung Clan.”
I bit my lip lightly after reading the letter.
The message from the Second Elder stated that the Sword Venerable was headed for the Taeryung Clan.
The Taeryung Clan.
That was where that bastard was.
Jang Seonyeon, the one the world called the Meteor Sword.
“…”
I sighed inwardly at the thought of that place.
While this information revealed the destination of the Sword Venerable and Wi Seol-Ah, that wasn’t the source of my concern.
It’s the same.
In my past life, when Wi Seol-Ah had displayed her exceptional talent, she had been with the Taeryung Clan.
And now, the Sword Venerable was taking her there once again.
Despite all the chaos I had caused and the many ways I had altered the future, this particular detail remained unchanged.
Everything else shifted, but of course, this one thing stays the same.
It was frustrating.
All the events I had hoped would remain constant were ones whose full stories I didn’t know, and too much had already changed for me to manage.
Yet when it came to Wi Seol-Ah, it just had to be identical.
I bit my lip in frustration.
The Second Elder standing before me spoke in a puzzled tone.
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s as if you already knew.”
“That’s impossible.”
“…Hmm.”
The Second Elder looked at me suspiciously, but there was little he could do as long as I played dumb.
“It was expensive information, you know. I only shared it because you looked so upset.”
“…I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“Fair enough. Then, may I ask you something else?”
I wondered what he wanted to know.
“Do you know about Seol-Ah’s grandfather?”
“…!”
I gulped nervously at the Second Elder’s question. It sounded more like a statement.
“…What are you talking ab-“
“Your reaction says it all. You know who he is.”
“…”
There was no escaping now.
The Second Elder was asking me if I knew that the servant, Wi Hyogun, was truly the Sword Venerable. His tone was more certain than curious.
He had caught me by my reaction.
Damn.
“How did you know?”
“…Just a feeling.”
“A feeling, huh. Well, you may lack common sense, but you have a good intuition for strange things.”
It sounded like an insult disguised as a compliment.
“But you know that’s not a sufficient explanation.”
“…”
I couldn’t get away with that excuse. Just as I was scrambling for another…
“I won’t press further.”
“Huh…?”
“It’s easier for me to simply believe what you said.”
The Second Elder laughed loudly, then smacked my back with his large hand.
“Ugh… Agh!”
He didn’t use any Qi, but it still hurt terribly.
“This is just me showing affection to my grandson. Don’t exaggerate.”
“Exaggerate…? Is this exaggerating?”
Another hit like that might just kill me.
As I rubbed my sore back, the Second Elder continued.
“I don’t know what choices you’ll make after seeing this, but have a safe trip.”
“…Thank you.”
“Take good care of the girls from the other clans. They’re following you.”
“They can take care of themselves.”
They didn’t need my help.
Well, perhaps Moyong Hi-ah did, but Namgung Bi-ah certainly didn’t.
“…Tsk tsk, I can see what future awaits you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. It’s your responsibility, so just make sure you don’t regret it later.”
“Huh…?”
“You should go now. Everyone is waiting.”
He gave me a forceful push.
He was the one who had stopped me from leaving in the first place…!
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“There’s more…?”
“This is a message from the Lord.”
My eyes narrowed upon hearing the Second Elder.
A message from Father was a rare occurrence.
“Have a safe trip. He wanted me to tell you that.”
“…”
A short message.
But it was something I had never heard from Father before.
I gave the Second Elder a sour look, then boarded the carriage.
Namgung Bi-ah was already asleep, but she seemed to sense my presence, leaning her head toward me.
I thought about saying goodbye through the window, but the Second Elder was already gone.
What an impatient old man.
Once I confirmed he had left, I sighed and spoke to the coachman.
“…We can go n-…Why are you sitting there?”
I was about to tell him we could depart, but my attention was caught by Gu Jeolyub, seated on the horse.
I asked him, dumbfounded. He looked back at me with a strange expression.
“…Isn’t this my role?”
“Well, it was… Never mind, do as you please.”
I had originally assigned him the task as a punishment, but I decided it was fine and let him be.
For some reason, Gu Jeolyub seemed to enjoy the position.
“Giddyup!”
Neigh-!
The carriage began to move slowly.
The red horse breathed powerfully as it headed toward the battlefront.
Watching the scenery outside, I thought to myself.
…I’m already dreading the suffering I’ll face there.
I contemplated the hard work that awaited me.
The thought of Gu Huibi’s delighted face as she used me was enough to kill my appetite.
“This will… pass quickly if I endure it…”
I joked, but it was true.
Time would pass if I endured.
As it always had.
And just like that…
One year passed in the blink of an eye.