Chapter 406: Do You Want to Play With Sis a Little (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 406: Do You Want to Play With Sis a Little (1)
After weathering the storm and having dinner, I entered Moyong Hi-ah’s carriage.
It was just the two of us inside. I placed my hand on her back—it had been some time since I last transferred my yang energy to ease her condition.
Ssss—
Had it really been that long?
“…Ah.”
I felt Moyong Hi-ah’s back tremble faintly.
She’d once told me the sensation was strange. Unfamiliar.
Once I had channeled enough warmth into her, I withdrew my hand.
As the treatment concluded, Moyong Hi-ah released a breath she seemed to have been holding.
“Hah…”
“A few more sessions should do it,” I said, hearing her exhale.
“…Yes.”
The cold qi entrenched within her had diminished significantly since I first felt it. At this rate, she would likely be fully cured within half a year.
Then…
Moyong Hi-ah would be able to train again.
It had already been two years since she last practiced seriously. For a martial artist, two years was an eternity.
All I ever saw her do nowadays were occasional basic exercises. Letting her training lapse further would be unwise—even if she herself didn’t seem to mind. Though she never showed much interest in martial arts to begin with, as a scion of a martial clan—and with the looming calamity ahead—I believed it necessary for her to resume.
I kept my eyes on her back and decided to change the subject.
“That aside… can you tell me about your aunt?”
“Oh.”
Moyong Hi-ah’s expression shifted slightly at the mention of the White Ripple Sword.
“Why is she here as my escort?”
I’d been utterly shocked to learn she had come as my guard. She claimed to have obtained approval, but that did little to clarify the situation.
When I pressed her, Moyong Hi-ah responded with a weary tone.
“I’m not sure myself… My aunt has always been… unusual. No—special. Because of that, not even my father could really control her actions.”
“…”
In short, the entire Moyong Clan had effectively given up on restraining the White Ripple Sword.
Honestly…
And “approval”? When I asked her who had authorized this, she mentioned Lady Mi.
Why was Lady Mi involved all of a sudden? I was already stunned that the White Ripple Sword and Lady Mi knew each other, but the idea that Lady Mi had signed off on this was even stranger.
I couldn’t help but sigh.
Escort, my ass…
I was long past needing a guard. What Fusion Realm martial artist travels with an escort? It might make sense for a clan leader or alliance head, but even Peak Realm experts seldom bothered. Yet here I was, Fusion Realm, accompanied by none other than the White Ripple Sword herself.
It made no sense—a master of the Moyong Clan acting as my escort, while her own niece, a blood relative, was right here.
Moyong Hi-ah seemed to notice my troubled expression and spoke carefully.
“I’m sorry.”
I smirked. “Why are you apologizing? This isn’t your fault.”
“Still…”
A rare look of guilt on her face struck me as almost cu—no, pitiful.
“…It’s a bit of a hassle, but it’s fine.”
Truthfully, it wasn’t fine at all, but I was coping as best I could. Whatever conversation had taken place between the White Ripple Sword and Lady Mi, I had to treat it as a positive—a renowned master was now my protector.
Not that I see it that way at all.
Still, I had to try. Because now wasn’t the time to dwell on this.
I had other matters to attend to. I couldn’t spend all my energy worrying about the White Ripple Sword.
I glanced out the carriage window. The moon’s position told me it was about time. Just as expected, a voice echoed in my ears.
-It’s time. Come.
“…”
I rose immediately. It was a telepathic message from the Dark King.
Moyong Hi-ah looked up at me, curious. “Master Gu?”
“It’s time for my training. I have to go.”
“Oh… Can’t you stay a bit longer?”
“Sorry. I must hurry.”
Leaving a disappointed Moyong Hi-ah behind, I moved quickly toward the same forest I’d visited the night before.
“…Tsk.”
The moment I stepped beneath the trees, the same eerie sensation from yesterday washed over me. My vision dimmed, my senses faded—all in an instant. The work of the Dark King’s power.
He was blocking my sight and numbing my perception. Was it a technique similar to a formation?
It feels a bit like the Red Heaven Art.
There were similarities to my Gu Clan’s secret art—both influenced the environment around the user. The difference was, the Red Heaven Art aided me, while the Dark King’s technique subdued his opponent.
“…Whew.”
I took a deep breath upon arriving. The whole way here, I’d contemplated turning back, but in the end, I resolved to face it.
I’ll do it out of sheer spite.
It infuriated me, but I had no choice. How could this brutal regimen be meaningful when it robbed me of rest? The deaths he subjected me to felt unbearably real—enough to shatter an ordinary person’s mind. I didn’t understand why the Dishonored Venerable would choose such a cruel method.
One might wonder why I obeyed without complaint.
Simply put, I have no alternative.
For now, I had to trust the Dishonored Venerable. If he saw potential in me, I would give it my all. Only then might I grasp a sliver of hope.
Steeling myself, I stood straight and settled into a proper stance. I sharpened my senses as much as possible, opened my eyes, and spoke into the darkness.
“I’m ready.”
There was no audible reply from the Dark King, but I knew—the second night of my training through death had begun.