Chapter 311: The Dragon's Diary (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 311: The Dragon's Diary (2)
The moon hung directly overhead, a clear sign that all students should be fast asleep in their dormitories.
Any student caught wandering outside at this hour would surely face punishment. Night watch assignments were in effect, and even the instructors made their rounds.
So what was this bastard doing here?
“Why are you here?” I asked, completely baffled.
No matter how I racked my brain, it made no sense. Why would the Sleeping Dragon be in this specific spot?
Moreover, I hadn’t been able to sense his presence at all.
Wi Seol-Ah was an exception due to her unique aura, and it was understandable that I couldn't detect the Qinghai Sword, given his superior cultivation. But if I couldn't even feel the Sleeping Dragon’s presence, it meant the mysterious energy shrouding this place was exceptionally effective at concealing people.
Putting that aside for now, I pressed him. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”
The Sleeping Dragon tilted his head at my question. He didn’t answer immediately, but his expression was telling.
“…You want to know why I’m here?”
“Woah, I was just about to ask that. Thanks for saving me the trouble.”
He smiled after he spoke—a disgustingly refreshing smile. Running into such a handsome bastard in the dead of night was a thoroughly unpleasant experience.
“I followed you,” he said. “I was curious where you were sneaking off to… What are you even doing here?” He glanced around as he finished.
My eyes widened. He followed me?
“Since when?”
“Hmm? Ever since I saw you through my window.”
He saw me through his window?
That’s impossible.
I’m not an idiot. I’d memorized all the routes over the past few days. I moved with absolute stealth, avoiding areas where any of the Young Prodigies might be, all while concealing my presence. Unless someone like the Qinghai Sword or the Sword Queen was nearby, there was no way I should have been detected.
“You actually managed to find me?”
“To be more accurate, I heard you rather than saw you.”
I didn’t understand. What did he mean, he heard me?
“To be even more precise, it wasn’t so much that I heard you… It was more that I noticed a spot where I couldn’t hear anything.”
“What are you talking about? Explain it clearly so I can understand.”
I couldn’t make sense of a single thing he was saying.
But more important than that…
It wasn’t his strange explanation or my inability to sense him that mattered most. It was the simple fact that the Sleeping Dragon had come to this place at all.
What do I do?
That wasn't the immediate concern. The crucial point was that the Sleeping Dragon shouldn’t have been able to detect the Formation here.
I should go back first.
Time was already short. Now that the Sleeping Dragon had seen this, I couldn’t afford to waste time chatting, nor could I just get rid of him.
…I guess I’ll have to try again another day.
I’d rushed things and failed. Retreat was my only option now.
Since I’ve learned I can’t handle the Formation alone,
I might have to bring Wi Seol-Ah along next time. I felt bad for the Sword Queen, but given how things had turned out, I’d have to ask her again. If that wasn’t possible, I’d need to find another method.
Having settled on a plan, I stood up immediately. I fixed my gaze on the Sleeping Dragon. “…I just came here for a walk.”
“That’s a terribly poor excuse.”
As expected, he didn’t believe me at all. To be fair, even I wouldn’t buy such a flimsy story.
The Sleeping Dragon chuckled and glanced around again. Was this my chance? Should I knock him out and make a run for it? It might work. I could quickly render him unconscious and toss him back into his room. Yes, that’s what I would do.
Just as I was about to move, the Sleeping Dragon spoke. “As I expected, it’s quiet here.”
I froze. “What?”
“I thought I might be mistaken, but it seems I wasn’t.”
It’s quiet because it’s the middle of the night. Had he lost his mind from exhaustion or something?
“The space around you is eerily quiet. It’s fascinating.”
“How strange of you. It’s not exactly a noisy time of day.” I’d even set up a sound barrier just in case, so it would be strange if there was any noise here.
The Sleeping Dragon smiled at my blunt response. He seemed to be in a remarkably good mood.
“I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt about your little walk here.”
“…I was being serious.”
“Sure.”
His pretense of believing me was annoying. What should I do? Maybe I should knock him out after all. Would he go down in one hit? I’d have to be careful not to use too much force.
That aside, why was this guy acting so friendly? I might have memories of him from my past life, but to him, I’m basically a stranger. Considering how long it took for us to become friends before, his current familiarity was strange. Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?
…I shouldn’t waste any more time like this.
First, I needed to go back and find the Sword Queen to explain what happened.
“Since I’ve seen everything here… I should go back.”
Just as I was about to drag the Sleeping Dragon away before the Qinghai Sword returned, he walked past me and spoke.
“Is this what you were struggling with?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m going to go back and—… Wait, what?”
He was fidgeting with something in the air as he spoke.
“…!”
I gasped when I saw the Sleeping Dragon’s hand. “You…!”
Just like last time with Wi Seol-Ah, the Sleeping Dragon was creating a ripple in the air out of nothing. And he was doing it almost effortlessly.
My eyes widened as I asked, “You can see it?”
“No,” he responded immediately.
Then what was I witnessing right now? As I began to wonder, he gave a different answer.
“However, I can hear it if I try.”
“…Hear it?”
“The sound of a flow. Even when all other sounds disappear, I can hear this one clearly. Unfortunate.”
His playful tone made my head spin.
-If I can hear it, I can cut it.
It reminded me of the time the Sleeping Dragon cut a Formation with his sword while saying those exact words. That’s what he had shown me before. Namgung Bi-ah was similar in that way, too.
Do they have something that I don’t?
I began to wonder. It felt wrong to simply label them as geniuses and leave it at that.
As I pondered, the Sleeping Dragon suddenly stopped, as if he had found something with his hand.
Poke.
He poked his hand into the flow. Surprisingly, when his hand entered it, it disappeared as if sinking into something.
“It might be a coincidence,” he said, “but since I’ve discovered one of your secrets, I’ll share one of mine.”
I couldn’t understand the situation at all, but the Sleeping Dragon maintained his smile.
As I stared at his face,
Kwak-!
I heard something begin to break in the air.
At the same time,
Craaack-!
Starting from the Sleeping Dragon’s hand, a clear crack spread outwards like a spiderweb.
The crack wasn’t large at first, but as it gradually expanded, it formed a distinct outline.
It resembled… a door?
It was shaped like a doorway, just large enough for one person to pass through.
Then,
Clang!
It shattered into pieces with a sharp sound. The fragments fell and disappeared, carried away by the wind. All that remained was a door leading to somewhere.
“…Uh…” I could only stare, dumbfounded.
The Sleeping Dragon shook off his hands and spoke. “So, it looks like we both have a secret to keep now, huh?”
His smile made me deeply uncomfortable.
“We can deepen our friendship.”
Hearing his words, I couldn’t help but show my disgust…
“…What is that expression?”
“I mean, you aren’t wrong, but that’s a bit gross.”
“…Gross?”
After a moment’s thought, the Sleeping Dragon clapped his hand as if he had realized something.
“Oh, sorry, but I already have a fiancée. I appreciate your feelings, but—”
“What are you saying, you crazy bastard?! What are you apologizing for?”
I’ve got a fiancée too, you bastard… Why was I being rejected by a guy I never even confessed to?
Wait, a fiancée?
In my irritation, I almost missed it. The Sleeping Dragon had a fiancée? He was engaged?
I have no memory of anything like that… I never heard about it in my past life. And more importantly, this guy is a Taoist. Are Taoists even allowed to marry? I’d heard some could, but wasn’t it impossible for someone from the Wudang Sect…?
As these thoughts filled my mind, the Sleeping Dragon spoke up. “Aren’t you going in?”
He gazed at the door hanging in the air. I was left speechless.
“…Why are you trying to go inside?”
“Because I opened it.”
“…”
I had no argument against that logic and kept my mouth shut. Technically, he was correct.
In the middle of the night, a woman stood still in a large field, contemplating the voice of the young man she had heard earlier.
-Would you like to make a deal with me?
She recalled the smile on his face and wondered what he meant.
-What deal?
-I didn’t know how you came to know about this place, but it seems we have the same goal.
He was her disciple’s older brother, and her savior. When the Sword Queen heard him, she had to conceal her shock. He spoke with utter confidence. What gave him such assurance when he didn’t even know what she wanted?
She wondered, but if he was correct… Then how does he know?
The Sword Queen couldn’t help but be curious. He claimed that people of the past had left a treasure hidden somewhere in the Academy. Not only that, but it was one of the heroes who halted the Blood Disaster—the Divine Sword of Mount Hua, Shincheol, whom the Sword Queen respected most, second only to the Celestial Plum Blossom.
I must find it.
The Sword Queen didn’t care about the treasure left by her ancestors. The Celestial Plum Blossom had taught her to let go of things that were already lost. She herself believed it was more efficient to train her sword or save people in danger than to waste time searching for something lost.
However…
-The Stone of Mount Hua.
-Find it.
-Only then, will you find out.
She had been told that the Stone of Mount Hua was hidden somewhere in the Heavenly Dragon Academy. She didn’t understand why such a precious treasure was hidden here instead of in Mount Hua’s treasure room, but she had to find it. Even if she didn’t know whether it was true or not.
If it’s for Cheonhee…
She would do anything for her dead friend. And yet, the one who told her their goals aligned was the son of that very friend. Was this all a coincidence?
Unlike her disciple, the Sword Queen hadn’t been able to look after him. He had been left alone in the clan and lived a rough life. Yet, despite it all, he had grown into a strong man, shining brighter than anyone.
What does he know?
She wanted to ask him what he knew. Though she sensed he was different from the other Young Prodigies, she refrained from asking because she felt he didn’t want her to. So she didn’t ask this time, either.
-It seems like you need my help.
The Sword Queen didn’t refuse him. She saw the certainty in him and believed she could trust him. It was a decision made solely on her belief.
-Yes.
-What can I gain from doing this?
-You must be looking for something here, so if I find what you want in the place I seek, I shall bring it to you.
Whether she could trust him, whether he was lying—she didn’t ask. She knew they had a relationship where they could trust each other.
-…What if we both want the same thing?
This was crucial. She wouldn’t be able to give it up.
After a moment’s thought, Gu Yangcheon answered immediately.
-That won’t happen, but if it does, I shall hand it over.
-…
Hearing his firm reply, the Sword Queen thought for a moment and nodded.
-What must I do?
The Sword Queen asked, and Gu Yangcheon explained. And so, it led to tonight.
A night with a gentle breeze. The Sword Queen waited for her target.
Not long after…
-Woong-!
Someone broke through the thick barrier she had set up and entered.
“Sword Queen.”
An old man’s voice, accompanied by the scent of the ocean, brought a refreshing sensation that swept past her. Sensing his presence, the Sword Queen greeted him with respect.
“I greet the Head of the Academy.”
“For you to call this old man in the middle of the night, it must be urgent.”
The Qinghai Sword. The very person she had been waiting for had come in response to her call.
“…I know it was disrespectful. I apologize again.”
“It’s fine. I had something to talk to you about anyway.”
Hearing this, the Sword Queen lifted her gaze and stared at him. She hadn’t expected that.
“You wanted to talk to me about something?”
“I thought about looking for you tomorrow, but I’m glad we met like this.”
Was it about the red Gate of Demons? If so, the Sword Queen felt somewhat relieved. According to Gu Yangcheon, the Formation was located near the Head’s building, so he had asked her to take the Qinghai Sword as far away as possible. To that end, she had set up a thick barrier and waited for him. She not only had to lure him out but also stall for time. Hearing that he already had business with her made things easier.
As the Sword Queen organized her thoughts, the Qinghai Sword spoke again.
“You must know yourself.”
He spoke before she could even ask.
“About what?”
Since the order didn’t matter, she responded.
“Nothing. Just that the son of that ‘Child’ has been attending the Academy.”
“…”
Hearing his words, the Sword Queen’s expression faltered, and she frowned.
“It’s the child of the person you so loved, so I don’t believe you are unaware.”
“Is that… a problem in any way?”
“Not at all. He is just a child, after all.”
A long time had passed. Fewer than ten people likely remembered her old friend, and even those would eventually disappear.
“Do you still think about that child to this day?”
“Of course.”
“I see.”
The Qinghai Sword made a lonely expression before asking another question.
“Then I’ll ask something else.”
“…Go ahead.”
“Do the children know about their mother’s identity?”
“…”
After the Qinghai Sword asked, the Sword Queen wore a puzzled expression, as if she didn’t understand. Seeing her reaction, the Qinghai Sword sighed and stroked his beard.
“Forget what I said. It seems even you don’t know about it…”
“…Head, what are you talking about?”
“Has my mouth become loose in my old age? It does make things easier, I suppose.”
“Head!”
The Sword Queen raised her voice, snapping the Qinghai Sword out of his thoughts. She knew it was disrespectful, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that. The Qinghai Sword didn’t comment on her tone.
“This is because they didn’t block my poor mouth, so they must be punished for it.”
“…Head, I don’t understand. What do you mean by her identity?”
“Before that, how about we talk about one other thing.”
Over the Sword Queen’s barrier,
Wooong-!
A barrier even larger than hers was erected. This was the work of the Qinghai Sword.
Momentarily surprised by his sudden action, the Sword Queen listened as the Qinghai Sword spoke again, his gaze fixed on her.
“Cheonhee.”
The name was uttered as softly as a flower petal drifting down from the heavens. Just as when she had first appeared before the Sword Queen,
“That child did not die.”
Once again, her words delivered a monumental shock to the Sword Queen.