Chapter 505: Just Let Me Hold It Once (12)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 505: Just Let Me Hold It Once (12)
Clatter.
Empty liquor bottles rolled across the table, surrounded by a mountain of cleaned plates. The remnants of sauce and scraps clinging to the dishes were a testament to the feast that had once covered them.
In other words…
A single person had devoured every last morsel.
“ Buuurp… ”
A handsome, white-haired man in his middle years let out a deeply satisfied belch, the stench of alcohol rolling off him in waves.
“…Hah.”
A woman who had been watching him finally spoke, her voice thick with disbelief. “Look at you. Are you really a Taoist?”
“Hmm…?”
Roused by her voice, the man—Namgung Hyung—groggily opened his eyes. His blurry vision cleared to reveal a beauty with deep black hair, her brow furrowed in a pronounced frown.
“Oh.”
Recognizing her, Namgung Hyung shot up from his seat. “Nunim?”
At the familiar term of address, the woman’s frown deepened. “Ugh! You reek!”
The nauseating mix of cheap liquor and digested food was overpowering. It seemed truly unbearable for her; she bit her lip hard.
Fwoooosh-!
A blast of wind, infused with her potent internal energy, erupted from her body, a deliberate effort to purge the foul stench that had saturated the inn.
Whoooosh-!
A fierce gust swept through the room. Only after the smell had somewhat dissipated did the woman allow her expression to soften.
“…Ah, you crazy bastard. Are you really a Taoist? You look worse every time I see you.”
“Ugh… I’m dying… This hangover… Nunim, some water, please…”
“Sober up if you want to live. Or should I draw my sword right here?”
“…Urgh.”
At the threat, Namgung Hyung closed his eyes as if resigned. Then…
Shiiik…
A faint heat haze shimmered above his shoulders as he circulated his internal energy to purge the alcohol from his system.
Watching the clearly visible vapor, the woman let out a hollow laugh. “Just how much did you drink for it to be like this?”
“What a waste of good alcohol… To think I have to burn it all away.”
“Don’t tell me you ate meat, too?” the woman asked, her eyes scanning the greasy plates. Her voice dripped with utter disgust. “The world has truly gone mad. A Taoist, eating meat?”
“How can a man live without meat? A little is fine.”
“Sure, a little is fine. But if your master found out, he’d probably rise from his grave.”
“Hmph, you think that old man doesn’t know? He’s just given up on me.”
“Well, aren’t you something? Real proud of that, I bet.”
The woman pressed her fingers to her brow at his shameless declaration.
After a long moment, the haze subsided and Namgung Hyung opened his eyes again. He squinted at the black-haired woman before him and gave a slight smile.
“It’s been about ten years, hasn’t it, Nunim?”
“…You crazy bastard. You haven’t changed a bit.”
At the words of the woman—the White Ripple Sword—Namgung Hyung grinned. “You’re the same as ever, too, Nunim. Especially your face. It hasn’t aged a day.”
Compared to their last meeting, the White Ripple Sword had maintained her timeless beauty. Noting this, Namgung Hyung slyly reached for a nearby liquor bottle.
The White Ripple Sword moved slightly.
And then.
Slice-!
Clang-!
The liquor bottle was sliced cleanly in half, its contents splashing to the floor.
“…”
Namgung Hyung smacked his lips in disappointment as he watched it fall.
“What? Go on, drink.”
“I was about to, but it looked less like alcohol and more like water from the River Styx.”
Giving up, he grabbed a cup of water instead and gulped it down. After quenching his thirst, he finally looked at the White Ripple Sword and asked, “What brings you here? We’re not exactly the type to run into each other by chance.”
“Oh, I was just passing through when I heard a crazy Taoist was causing a ruckus in an inn.”
“Wow, what kind of crazy bastard was it?”
“That’s what I’m saying, you crazy bastard…”
“Ah, was that me?”
Namgung Hyung finally realized she was talking about him and gave an awkward laugh. “But what kind of ruckus did I cause? All I did was drink a little…”
“What kind of ruckus?” The White Ripple Sword glanced behind her.
A waiter was nervously peeking in their direction. Seeing him, she let out a deep sigh. “Can’t you see this place is going out of business because of you?”
“Hm?”
At her words, Namgung Hyung scanned his surroundings and finally understood. Besides the two of them, the inn was completely empty. It had been packed when he arrived. So what happened?
“I heard you beat up and threw out everyone who tried to pick a fight with you.”
“Ah.”
Understanding dawned. Some group had bothered him while he was enjoying a freedom he hadn’t felt in over a decade. They must not have liked a Taoist drinking, so he had been a little rough.
It seemed that was the problem.
“…I don’t think I was that rough…”
“They say not a single person you threw out could walk on their own.”
“ Ahem …”
Namgung Hyung let out a dry cough. He supposed he might have hit them a little too hard.
Watching him, the White Ripple Sword cracked a smile. “Of all the people I know, you were always the one whose appearance was the most deceiving. That hasn’t changed.”
You’re one to talk. He wanted to say it, but held his tongue.
“…So, is that why you went out of your way to come here?”
“I was just passing through. The rumors sounded just like you, so I came to see your face. And I’m glad I did.” The White Ripple Sword’s eyes swept over the table. “All the Wudang Taoists I know are neat freaks.”
“That’s why Wudang is so boring. Those gentlemen who claim to cultivate the Dao are too busy polishing their own bodies to actually cultivate anything.”
“That’s not something a famous Taoist from Wudang should be saying.”
“Well, I’m an outcast, so it’s fine. Hahaha!”
Namgung Hyung laughed heartily, a piece of chive glaringly stuck between his teeth.
“You have food in your teeth.”
“I’m saving it for later.”
“…If you’re done eating, stop ruining this inn’s business and get up. That kid over there is going to die from anxiety.”
At her words, Namgung Hyung glanced toward the waiter. Meeting the sharp, cool eyes characteristic of the Namgung clan, the waiter flinched and trembled.
Seeing this, Namgung Hyung broke into a wide grin. “Well now, my apologies! I’ll be sure to pay you handsomely for the lost business before I leave.”
“Ah, ah… Th-thank you.”
Just as the waiter’s face lit up at the unexpectedly smooth resolution…
Namgung Hyung, rummaging through his clothes, suddenly froze.
The White Ripple Sword noticed and asked with a look of unease. “…What’s wrong?”
“Hm. Right. There was something I briefly forgot.”
“What is it?”
“What do you know, I forgot that I don’t have any money on me.”
“…What?”
“So, Nunim.” Namgung Hyung looked at her, winking one eye and acting cute. “Please lend me some money.”
At his cheerful request, the White Ripple Sword smiled brightly.
And brought her fist down squarely on the crown of his head.
Thwack-!
* * *
Shortly after the White Ripple Sword paid for a full day’s worth of the inn’s lost business…
She dragged the disheveled-looking fiend outside.
“…That hurt.”
Namgung Hyung rubbed the top of his head, which was throbbing so badly he thought a lump must have formed. Fortunately, there was none.
That’s even scarier.
The impact had been immense; he’d thought he would pass out. The fact there wasn’t even a lump meant she had delivered nothing but pure, concentrated force.
This Nunim is still sharp as ever.
Her looks may have been the same, but her skills had clearly improved.
While Namgung Hyung was paying his respects internally, the White Ripple Sword grimaced at her now-empty purse. “You… you crazy bastard, just how much did you eat?”
All the money she had gotten from shaking down her younger brother was gone. Of course, she’d spent a lot on her journey, but not enough to wipe her out in one go. It was all because that glutton in Taoist robes had eaten so damn much. After paying for the lost business and the broken furniture, there was nothing left.
“Ahh. That was a good meal.”
Namgung Hyung followed behind her, picking his teeth with a toothpick.
Watching him, the White Ripple Sword debated whether or not to hit him again.
“…Nunim.”
“What.”
“I can feel the fighting spirit in your eyes. How about you lower your hand?”
“…”
She’d been caught. He was a sharp one, at least.
“ Huuu… ”
“Don’t you worry. I’ll pay you back.”
“…With what?”
“…”
There was no answer. Even Namgung Hyung knew paying her back with money would be difficult. “…I’ll… think about that later…”
“You damn fool.”
“Isn’t it nice to see each other after so long? It’s been over ten years, you know.”
The way he changed the subject was incredibly annoying, but she let it go. “I was going to ask what you’ve been up to, but… there are so many rumors, I don’t think I need to.”
Rumors about Namgung Hyung, the Monster of Wudang, popped up whenever things got boring. There was no need to ask.
Rather…
“Isn’t that what I should be asking you, Nunim?”
It was a question for the White Ripple Sword, who had vanished for ten years.
As if she knew this was coming, she gave a bitter smile.
Perhaps seeing that subtle expression, Namgung Hyung turned his head slightly. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’m not particularly curious, anyway.”
He was somewhat sincere. Namgung Hyung was never one to meddle in others’ affairs.
“Let’s move on. So, what brings you all the way to Sichuan?”
“Oh, I’m just here to help my niece with her love life.”
“…What does that mean?”
Namgung Hyung frowned. He had no idea what that sudden, out-of-place comment meant, even though she meant it literally.
“Your niece… you mean the Sword Master’s daughter?”
The only daughter of the White Heavenly Sword, Moyong Tae… which meant.
You mean… her daughter.
An image of a figure from the North Sea, one who lived shrouded in cold, flashed through his mind. He didn’t know the details, but she was someone he had a connection to. To be precise, the connection was deeper with the Palace Lord than with the woman herself.
And even deeper than his own connection… was the one his disciple, Woo Hyuk, had.
Hm, it should be fine.
His disciple didn’t seem to care much, so he figured it wouldn’t matter. Besides, he was planning to head to the North Sea for that very reason.
The Sword Master’s daughter. The fact that the figures of his generation were now having children and settling down was a strange and novel thought to Namgung Hyung.
Perhaps that was why. “Ah. Speaking of which.” A story popped into his head.
“Hm?”
“I saw the son of the Lord of the Gu Clan.”
“…!”
At Namgung Hyung’s unexpected words, the White Ripple Sword’s eyes widened. The son of the Lord of the Gu Clan could only be Gu Yangcheon.
“You… you saw that child?”
“Hm? You know him too, Nunim?”
“…”
Of course, she knew him. How could she not, when she had traveled with him and even served as his guard for a while? On top of that, he was the young man her own niece was chasing after.
Unaware of this, Namgung Hyung began to talk excitedly, recalling Gu Yangcheon. “He was incredible. Like father, like son… It seems blood really can’t be denied.”
“…What did he do?”
“Well, things happened, and we had a duel.”
“What?”
At Namgung Hyung’s words, the White Ripple Sword’s eyes instantly turned cold.
They dueled?
…This Nunim looks like she could kill a man with her glare.
“Are you saying a washed-up old man like you beat up a kid?”
“Beat him up? I’m the one who got beaten!”
Namgung Hyung shouted, aggrieved, and the White Ripple Sword paused.
“…You got beaten?”
“Yeah, I’m telling you, I got my ass kicked and lost!”
It wasn’t something to declare so proudly, but she could tell he was serious.
…He lost? Him?
His reputation might have been garbage, but he was once a contender for the title of Sword King. And the White Ripple Sword, of all people, knew just how strong Namgung Hyung was. Gu Yangcheon might possess absurd talent, but he shouldn’t have been at a level to defeat the current Namgung Hyung.
“His fists were so fierce… I almost cried after getting hit, you know?”
“…”
Listening to his theatrics, the White Ripple Sword eventually just shook her head. She thought he was talking nonsense. Namgung Hyung wasn’t the type to care about winning or losing; his pride as a martial artist wasn’t strong. He was the kind of guy who would casually say he’d lost to a seven-year-old kid from the neighborhood. This time was probably no different.
Still, it seems to be true that he saw the boy.
It was true that he’d seen Gu Yangcheon. And it seemed he had also grasped the boy’s talent. Well, it was understandable. Even the White Ripple Sword had never seen such talent in her life.
Moreover.
He’s a child with many secrets.
Beyond his talent, he was a child who carried many things. His fierce, heated demeanor was one thing, but his eyes, somehow withered and dead, were another.
Just like… he resembled the man she used to follow. Though their personalities were quite different.
It seemed the White Ripple Sword wasn’t the only one who thought so. “He resembles his father a lot.” Namgung Hyung brought up the same point. “Well, I’m sure you know that better than I do, Nunim.”
“…”
At his subtle remark, the White Ripple Sword turned her head away slightly.
Talking with Namgung Hyung brought back memories of the follies of her youth. In those gently surfacing memories, he was always there. The man who was both hot and cold, and the women who were always around him.
Memories of what they had done together came flooding back. At the same time, an emotion brushed past her. Was it longing? No, more than longing, it was… Regret. It was full of regret. There were too many things left undone, too many words left unsaid.
Of course, even if she acknowledged this… I probably can’t go see him.
As long as she couldn’t sort out her tangled emotions, it felt like she would never be able to see him. She already had a record of going to Henan, seeing only Mi Hyoran, and leaving without seeing him. It was still too soon.
As the White Ripple Sword was thinking this and looked at Namgung Hyung…
“Huh?”
Namgung Hyung let out a strange sound. His eyes were wide, and he was rubbing them as if he’d seen wrong.
“What’s wrong?” the White Ripple Sword asked.
Namgung Hyung pointed straight ahead. “Isn’t that… the Lord of the Gu Clan?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Even for you, that’s a terrible joke…”
The White Ripple Sword looked in the direction he was pointing.
And immediately, her body froze like stone.
Someone was standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the two of them. A red martial robe with rich gold trim. Simply tied black hair. And burning red eyes.
Meeting a gaze she had both longed for and dreaded to see, the White Ripple Sword’s breath caught in her throat.
Looking at her, the man—Gu Cheolun—spoke with a placid expression.
“It’s been a long time.”
At the sound of his voice…
For the White Ripple Sword, time stopped.