Chapter 277: Winter Rain (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 277: Winter Rain (1)
The Dishonored Venerable, Bijuu.
He was one of the Heavenly Venerables, a figure known as an absolute power within the Central Plains. Despite having reached the Transcendence realm, he never let go of the memory of his one defeat.
Renowned as the pinnacle of close combat, many called him a monster—a martial artist who had clawed his way to the peak through sheer experience in life-and-death battles.
When I faced him in my past life, I felt the stark difference between us firsthand.
Be it the intensity of his gaze or the fluid precision of his movements, I understood then why he was called the ultimate master of close-quarters combat.
He truly was a monster.
This wasn’t the empty praise people often lavished on prodigies. The Dishonored Venerable was a martial artist who demonstrated the very limits of human potential.
Had the Demonic Sword arrived even a moment later back then, I would have surely died on the spot.
The injuries I sustained that day were so severe that not even the Heavenly Demon’s intervention could fully erase their mark.
And it was then that I grasped the full extent of his power—when even the Heavenly Demon, whom I had considered beyond human, looked upon the Dishonored Venerable and offered his praise.
With a single step, he could shift the earth. With one strike of his fist, he could shatter a mountain.
He never refused a challenge, nor did he fear defeat.
In his youth, when he was still known as a prodigy, the Dishonored Venerable had declared: Even if I am defeated, as long as I still draw breath, I will one day emerge victorious.
His words brimmed with confidence and arrogance. And the man born into the Bi Clan—once mockingly called the “Iron Dog of Defeat”—proved them true. He single-handedly defeated three of the Four Emperors and Eight Kings, reshaping the martial world’s hierarchy into the Four Emperors and Five Kings.
It was through these deeds that he earned his title: the Dishonored Venerable.
After reaching the summit, he spent the remainder of his days in the western regions. Then, some ten years ago, he vanished from the world one summer.
That was around the time he abandoned everything in exchange for a youthful body.
I steadied my emotions and observed the young man standing before me.
He had long, unkempt black hair and eyes so dark they seemed to swallow the light.
He’s different from the man I knew in my past life.
He looks much younger.
And yet—
Gulp—
Was it because I knew he was the Dishonored Venerable?
Or was it this prickling sensation crawling up my spine?
I couldn’t stop my nervous swallowing.
Bijuu…
This felt different from when I had met the Sword Emperor in this era.
The Sword Emperor had been a powerless old man. Whenever I tried to probe his depths, I sensed nothing—a clear sign of the immense gap between us. There were perhaps only ten people in all the Central Plains capable of concealing their presence so completely.
And one of those ten now stood before me.
But I wasn’t sure if that still held true.
I can’t see anything.
Was my current level simply too low to perceive the Dishonored Venerable’s strength?
Was the gap still that vast?
I didn’t think so.
More likely, the Dishonored Venerable was expertly concealing his Qi.
That meant he was either exceptionally skilled at suppressing and controlling his energy…
Or perhaps the price of his eternal youth had been a decline in his cultivation.
But judging by what I witnessed in my past life, I doubt that’s the case.
Even after rejuvenating his body, the Dishonored Venerable of that time remained a match for the other Heavenly Venerables.
If his body had weakened and his Qi scattered, how could he have recovered it all in just a few decades?
The thought was almost unimaginable.
That could only mean he had already begun working tirelessly to reclaim his former power.
To do that, he would need both immense talent and a series of miracles.
As I lost myself in these thoughts—
Step.
“…!”
The Dishonored Venerable—no, the young man now called Bi Eejin—took a step forward.
Step.
His pace was slow, but his gaze and footsteps were aimed directly at me.
What the hell?
I held my breath.
His sudden appearance alone had already put me on edge. Did he have some business with m—
—I will come visit you one day.
Oh.
I finally remembered the letter the Dishonored Venerable had sent me.
…He didn’t come all this way just to see me, did he?
Surely not. A figure as lofty as the Dishonored Venerable wouldn’t have the leisure for something so trivial.
Did the Dragon Warrior attend the Heavenly Dragon Academy in my past life?
I couldn’t recall.
I hadn’t paid the Dragon Warrior any mind until I learned he was the Dishonored Venerable. How would I remember?
Maybe he doesn’t know who I am?
For a moment, I clung to that hope.
He didn’t even know what I looked like. I could just pretend to be—
“Ah, Young Master Bi! Over here! This is Young Master Gu, the one I told you about!”
“…”
Thanks to Tang Soyeol’s cheerful shout beside me, my brilliant plan crumbled before it even began.
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Tang Soyeol continued brightly, even leaning in to whisper proudly:
“I bragged about you quite a bit, Young Master.”
“What… did you tell him?”
“I said you were amazing during the Dragons and Phoenixes Tournament, that you’re incredibly handsome… and super strong!”
“…”
What do I do now?
I’m screwed.
Maybe I could still run for it?
The moment I became aware of Bi Eejin’s presence, I had already started scanning for escape routes.
Tap.
But before I could act, Bi Eejin was already standing right in front of me.
It was too late.
Even if I channeled my Qi, escaping from this distance was impossible.
Maybe I should charge him head-on?
That might honestly be the better option.
“…”
His pupils were heavy.
Dark, empty eyes that gave away nothing of his thoughts.
My body tensed completely as I sharpened my senses to their limit, watching Bi Eejin intently.
I had to be ready to react instantly, no matter what happened.
Then—
Shift.
As if he had been waiting for the moment, Bi Eejin moved.
Bibi, the youngest of the Bi Clan’s three children, watched her second brother with a strange thought.
How interesting… for older brother to take an interest in someone.
Her brother, who usually seemed content to rest indoors or take solitary walks outside, was now showing clear interest in an outsider.
It wasn’t that he never showed interest in others—he did occasionally mention visiting a friend—but since Bibi had never witnessed it herself, she always assumed he was lying.
With his unpleasant personality, she didn’t believe he could have made any real friends.
Her second brother, three years her senior, was a strange person even to her.
While others in the clan fought tooth and nail for the position of Young Lord, her second brother had readily ceded the title to their eldest brother and showed no further interest.
Even though second brother is much stronger…
She had seen it herself a few years ago—her eldest brother beaten bloody by her second brother in the middle of the night. She didn’t know the reason, but she was sure her first brother must have provoked him.
After that day, her eldest brother had been unusually quiet.
What’s more, her second brother was one of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes, while her first brother had failed to earn a spot.
Bibi was proud of that.
It was she who had forced her second brother to participate in the tournament after he repeatedly refused. She wanted the world to acknowledge his strength. After he earned the title of Dragon Warrior, he briefly gained the world’s attention, but soon retreated back into seclusion within the clan.
Father is strange too.
The Lord of the Bi Clan, her father, was also an oddity.
The difference in his treatment of his sons was stark. He pushed her eldest brother relentlessly, yet seemed to pay her second brother no mind—almost as if he had given up on him.
No, perhaps he did care a little, since he sometimes sent letters asking how her second brother was doing. But she didn’t understand why he asked her instead of speaking to him directly.
In any case, her father never sought out her second brother. In fact, it was always her second brother who visited their father when necessary, and each time he did, Bibi noticed her father’s expression grow darker.
…Is he being scolded?
She even entertained the amusing thought that her brother might be the one scolding their father. But she quickly dismissed it as impossible.
This trip to Henan had a similar purpose to the tournament. Bibi wanted her second brother to leave the clan.
Using her own frail health as an excuse, she had devised all sorts of plans…
But strangely enough…
—Let’s go.
He had agreed to accompany her without a word of protest.
It made her suspicious. So suspicious that she had even tied him up with ropes on the journey here, just in case he tried to slip away.
How strange.
Bibi found it odd that her brother, who despised leaving the clan, had followed her to the Heavenly Dragon Academy without complaint. She had even prepared to starve herself for a week to persuade him.
It was also a miracle that we ran into Young Lady Tang along the way.
Bibi was equally fascinated by their chance encounter with the famous Poison Phoenix during their travels.
She turned her gaze to Tang Soyeol.
She’s so pretty…
She had hair of a lovely color, large round eyes, and even a charming mole beneath one eye. What’s more, her martial skill was clearly worthy of the title “Poison Phoenix.”
To Bibi, Tang Soyeol was a fascinating person. Traveling with someone she admired was a completely new experience.
There was just one thing that felt off.
I didn’t think her personality would be like this.
She had imagined the Poison Phoenix as the dignified daughter of a noble clan—quiet, cool, passionate yet reserved…
So why…
“Young Master, you see, I ran into a Demon on my way here, and…”
The way she was now chattering so familiarly with the unknown man beside her was completely unexpected.
Bibi wasn’t exactly disappointed, but she certainly wasn’t used to it.
Soon, Bibi shifted her attention from Tang Soyeol to the other person—the man Tang Soyeol had been talking about nonstop on their journey.
The True Dragon, Gu Yangcheon—the last martial artist to join the ranks of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes.
He looks scary.
That was her first impression.
His features were decent, but his eyes were sharp, and he wore a perpetual frown, as if something deeply unpleasant weighed on his mind. It made him difficult to approach.
Even my second brother isn’t that severe.
Bi Eejin, often called cold and expressionless, didn’t seem nearly as unapproachable.
From the way Tang Soyeol had described him, Bibi had expected Gu Yangcheon to be extraordinarily handsome…
…?
But now that she saw him, she was only confused.
He wasn’t ugly, but he wasn’t exceptionally handsome either.
And then…
…!
Bibi gasped softly as her eyes swept over the others nearby.
What in the world… How can a person look like that…?
Beside Gu Yangcheon sat a woman with bluish-white hair and a chilling aura.
Her gaze was fixed intently on Gu Yangcheon, yet she seemed acutely aware of her surroundings.
Drip—
She refilled Gu Yangcheon’s cup the moment it emptied, then glanced briefly at Tang Soyeol, who was still talking to him.
Her beauty was so striking she seemed like a figure from a painting.
The woman beside her was also incredibly beautiful, but her presence felt diff—
Wait, isn’t that the Snow Phoenix?
Bibi narrowed her eyes.
The woman wore a light blue outfit and had glossy black hair. Her figure was elegant, and her eyes held a light like the sky itself.
That attire unmistakably belonged to the Moyong Clan, and from what Bibi had heard, the Snow Phoenix was the only one with such distinctive traits.
…The Poison Phoenix and the Snow Phoenix… What is going on?
Why did the True Dragon have such women gathered around him?
Bibi’s mind grew increasingly muddled by the situation.
Here, in this nearly empty inn, were four of the Dragons and Phoenixes.
It was almost like a miniature Dragons and Phoenixes Tournament…
Just as Bibi felt her thoughts overheating from the sheer discomfort of it all—
Maybe this isn’t so bad?
She also found the situation strangely fascinating.
When would she ever get to experience something like this again?
I should stay positive.
Bibi nodded to herself.
She needed to observe how her brother handled the situation.
I wonder what he’s planning.
Bi Eejin walked forward slowly and came to a halt directly in front of the True Dragon.
Bibi felt a twinge of nervousness.
Whenever her brother did something like this, it usually ended with him “fixing” someone—either by breaking them down or building them up.
…You’re not going to hit him, are you?
She knew her brother was a bit of a madman, but surely even he wouldn’t punch another Drago—
…Then again, maybe he would.
Considering how he had beaten everyone indiscriminately during the tournament—Dragons or not—she thought it might actually be possible.
Then, she noticed Bi Eejin’s hand begin to move.
Damn, it’s over. It’s really happening.
It looked like he was going to slap him.
Bibi moved quickly, intending to pull her brother back—
“Broth…!”
But before she could reach him, Bi Eejin spoke.
His hand shot toward Gu Yangcheon—
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“Huh?”
—and offered a handshake.
Bibi froze mid-step.
“I am Bi Eejin of the Bi Clan.”
“What?”
That stone-like person was… greeting someone?
As if to prove her wrong, Bi Eejin continued, staring straight at Gu Yangcheon.
“You are Brother Gu, also known as the True Dragon?”
Bibi wasn’t the only one surprised. Gu Yangcheon was also staring back, utterly dumbfounded, as if he hadn’t expected this at all.
The silence lasted only a moment before Gu Yangcheon gave a slight nod in response.
“I see.”
Bi Eejin smiled upon receiving the acknowledgment.
Bibi broke into a cold sweat.
Whenever her brother smiled like that…
“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from my master.”
…chaos usually followed.
Strangely, Gu Yangcheon’s expression also shifted subtly upon hearing Bi Eejin’s words.
How to put it… He looks like someone just told him he’s doomed.
That was the feeling it gave.
It was just a simple greeting—was there any need for such a reaction?
But her confusion lasted only a moment.
Wait, brother has a master?
Bibi turned the words over in her mind.
She had never seen him learning from anyone else. Their father hadn’t assigned him a mentor, and Bi Eejin had grown stronger entirely on his own.
So then…
Master?
Bibi couldn’t begin to guess who he meant.
As the situation continued to unfold slowly around her—
Pitter-patter.
Patter.
Bibi turned her head toward the window at an unexpected sound.
“Rain?”
It was raining outside.
Not heavily, but it was unusual for rain to fall like this in winter. Snow would have been more fitting for the cold weather, but as if it didn’t care for such details, the rain fell regardless.