Chapter 520: Just Let Me Hold It Once. (27)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 520: Just Let Me Hold It Once. (27)
Four teacups sat on the table.
I paid no attention to the tea, which had seemingly been brewed and brought in without my notice. My eyes were wide with shock, fixed straight ahead.
"Go where…?"
What had I just heard? Frozen in place, teacup still in hand, I stared at Namgung Bi-ah.
Where? Where had she said she was going?
"The North Sea? Did you just say the North Sea?"
"Yes."
I asked again, unable to believe it, but her answer remained the same. So, I changed my question.
"...Why there?"
"..."
"Do you even know what kind of place that is?"
If the North Sea she mentioned was the one I knew of…
…Isn't that part of the Outlands?
A region beyond the Central Plains where we now stood.
I’d heard they participated in the war during the Blood Calamity caused by the Blood Demon. But they had remained uninvolved when the Heavenly Demon descended and wrought his own disaster.
And if she meant that North Sea…
The place where the Ice Palace is.
It had to be the domain ruled by the Ice Palace of the North.
I’d heard it was a land of perpetual snow, gripped by a brutal, biting cold. The reason for that was probably…
…Was that also the work of a White-grade Monster?
According to the records, yes. It was hard to believe a single monster could transform such a vast territory, but…
Seeing as they can create rivers and shroud entire forests in fog, I guess it's possible.
Recalling the messes my ancestors had made, I couldn't dismiss the idea outright.
[A mess, you brat! Do you have any idea how much I suffered!]
One of the gentlemen responsible for such a mess snapped at me, but I ignored him.
Back to the matter at hand.
The Outlands forbade entry to outsiders. It was not a place even the Murim Alliance or the scions of noble families could visit easily. Especially the North Sea.
And it's a similar situation for the Ice Palace.
In the past, after the previous Lord of the Ice Palace battled the Sword Venerable and turned the entire Xi’an area into ruins, the North Sea was forbidden from setting foot in the Central Plains.
Which meant neither side could travel to the other through any normal means.
And she wants to go to the North Sea.
No matter how I looked at it, it was a random declaration. And coming from Namgung Bi-ah, it was stranger than strange.
So, I shifted my gaze from Namgung Bi-ah to the man beside her.
"What is this?"
"Ahem…"
At my words, unintentionally laced with emotion, someone let out a dry cough. It was the only man among the three who had entered my quarters before me.
"My, you could kill a man with that glare… Tone it down a bit, will you?"
The man, coughing awkwardly, bore a slight resemblance to Namgung Bi-ah. That was only natural, as he was a direct blood relative of the Namgung clan.
"I asked what this is about."
When I asked again, my brow furrowed, the man—the Monster of Wudang—slowly sipped his tea. This was the same man who had tossed Thunder Fang at me and vanished. How was I supposed to react to finding him casually sitting in my quarters a few days later?
Honestly, if it were just that, I wouldn't care.
Right, I wouldn't really care. It's not like I had anything for him to steal. It was a trivial matter I could overlook.
But the reason I was pissed off was something else entirely.
"Take her as a disciple? Who's taking whom?"
That was the problem—the first thing the Monster of Wudang had said when he saw me.
I spoke through gritted teeth, and the Monster frantically waved his hands.
"Young Master, please, calm down first…"
"Calm down?"
Calm down, my ass. I was barely holding myself back from exploding, and he wanted me to calm down? If I had my way, I would have flipped the table. But I bit my lip and held back.
Hoo.
A sigh escaped me. Was it my imagination, or was there a hint of heat in my breath? Hiding my grinding teeth, I looked at the Monster and spoke.
"...You are a man of the Wudang Sect, are you not?"
"That's right. I am a man of Wudang."
Despite all the rumors—that Wudang had disowned him, that he couldn't possibly be a true Taoist—the Monster of Wudang was undoubtedly a disciple of the current Wudang Sect Leader, the Sword of Wudang. If that was the case…
"Why would the Wudang Sect take her as a disciple?"
"Hmm…"
At my question, the Monster’s eyes darted around before settling on me.
"First, there seems to be a misunderstanding, so let me correct it. Wudang does not want this child."
"Then what is it?"
"It is not Wudang, but ‘I’ who wants her. This has nothing to do with the will of the Wudang Sect."
My brow furrowed even deeper. It was a cheap play on words. What difference did that make?
I shifted my gaze to Namgung Bi-ah. She offered no denial to the Monster’s words. Had this conversation already taken place beforehand?
Ha.
Why on earth would the Monster of Wudang want Namgung Bi-ah? I couldn't understand it. She was a blood relative, just like him, but there was a major problem.
She's already reached the Peak Realm with her own unique martial art.
Namgung Bi-ah had already reached the Peak Realm through the Namgung clan’s Qi Art. Becoming the Monster’s disciple would mean she would have to discard all her enlightenment and learn a new martial art from scratch.
…That's insane. It is.
It was the kind of thing only some old man obsessed with martial arts would do.
[Calling my master an insane man.]
That old man is an insane man.
The Dishonored Venerable was a perfect fit for the description ‘obsessed with martial arts,’ so I could let that slide. But Namgung Bi-ah making such a choice? I absolutely could not believe it.
"I know what you're worried about, but I have no intention of making her discard all her martial arts and learn anew."
The Monster seemed to have figured out my concerns.
"...What do you mean by that?"
He would take her as a disciple, but not make her discard her martial arts? His words made even less sense. Then what was the point?
Unless it's a case like mine.
A case where one could incorporate another Qi Art into their body without issue. Barring that, this situation was bizarre.
Don't tell me.
A thought struck me, and I stared at Namgung Bi-ah as if glaring. Surely, she wasn't thinking of taking another Qi Art into her body, was she?
That's not happening.
If so, I had to stop her, even by force. Just as I was about to ask…
It occurred to me that this might be how those people felt when they looked at me in the past.
...
I remembered how the Dishonored Venerable and my father had treated me with such anger, and a pea-sized pang of guilt pricked my conscience. I did my best to ignore it.
"It's not like I'm going to teach her some other Qi Art or anything like that."
I swallowed dryly. I hadn't said a word, so how did he keep knowing what I was thinking?
"Taking her as a disciple… I might have said something grand, but it's not that big of a deal. As you know, Young Master, I already have one disciple."
"...Yes."
I thought of that punk Woo Hyuk, probably sleeping soundly somewhere.
"It's hard enough teaching that one, so it won't be some grand master-disciple relationship."
"Then, what do you intend to teach her?"
"The sword. I don't know anything fancy. I just thought I'd teach my niece a thing or two about the sword."
"...The sword?"
Swordsmanship? What kind of swordsmanship was he talking ab—
"...!"
As I pondered, it hit me.
…This guy. The sword he's talking about, don't tell me.
I whirled around and looked at the drawer—where I had shoved Thunder Fang after it had been screaming so loudly. The Monster of Wudang had been carrying Thunder Fang until now. Inside Thunder Fang was something presumed to be Namgung Myung. Elder Shin had said it wasn't Namgung Myung, but his tone had left a lingering doubt.
If that was the case…
…Did Thunder Fang know that the Namgung clan's swordsmanship had fallen into ruin?
What if the Namgung Myung inside it knew this? And what if he had been trying to fix it through the Monster of Wudang?
The sword he's talking about now, could it be…
Was he planning to teach her the Namgung clan’s swordsmanship? Did that mean the Monster knew the forgotten sword of the Namgung clan?
As these thoughts swirled in my head…
"It seems the Young Master knows something as well. Is this a story from the one you carry within you?"
"..."
The Monster’s voice reached me. He must have guessed that, like him, I was carrying something inside my body. Realizing this, I asked again.
"...Does that mean my assumption is correct? That you intend to teach her the sword of the Namgung clan?"
"That is correct."
"Ha…"
I let out a hollow breath at his nod.
"How in the world do you know that?"
"Hm? Is it so strange that I know? I am a Namgung, after all."
"No, that's not the issue."
It was a swordsmanship that had vanished and degenerated. Even I wouldn't have been able to teach it to the Sword King without Elder Shin’s help. How did this man know it?
The answer was…
"What's the problem? I have a crazy man attached to me who's trying to teach it to me one way or another."
As he spoke, the Monster took something from his robes and showed it to me. It was Thunder Fang. I narrowed my eyes.
Did he take it from the drawer?
Without my permission? This was crossing a line. Just as I was about to say something…
The Monster smoothly continued.
"I apologize for taking this without permission. If it were up to me, I would have left it locked away. But this man just wouldn't shut up…"
Seeing him apologize so sincerely, I decided to let it go. I knew exactly what he meant by Namgung Myung being noisy.
"..."
"It's not like I wanted to learn this swordsmanship either. I learned it because I had to."
I could vaguely understand. I didn't know why the Monster, established in Wudang, would separately learn the sword according to Namgung Myung’s will, but…
Even so.
That wasn't the whole reason.
"Why do you have to go all the way to the North Sea to learn it?"
To go to the distant North Sea just to learn the Namgung clan’s sword. That part still hadn't been explained.
"I don't see why I have to explain that to you, Young Master."
"...What did you say?"
A surge of irritation shot through me.
However.
"It's for my own personal reasons, and my niece has already agreed to it. I don't believe this is a matter for you to interfere in any further, Young Master."
"..."
I had no way to refute him. He was right. The title of fiancé was both strong and weak. In reality, it was something that could be broken at any time, so I couldn't use it to press the issue.
I took a few steadying breaths and forced myself to bring up something else.
"If nothing else, it's not a place you can just go to as you please."
"There are ways. That lady over there will take care of it."
The Monster said with a smile. That lady…?
"...The White Ripple Sword?"
It was the White Ripple Sword, right next to him. She would help them get to the North Sea? Hearing this, the White Ripple Sword…
"No!"
Bang—! She slammed both fists on the table and shouted.
"What do you mean I'll take care of it! You crazy bastard!"
"Come on, you can do it for me, can't you?"
"What are you talking about! What power do I have to do that! Is this guy a lunatic…?"
"You have it. You definitely have it, my lady."
The Monster just smiled brightly, as if her anger didn't bother him.
"Wow… I'm going to lose my mind…"
The White Ripple Sword’s face turned red with indignation. But I could see something strange in her reaction.
Something.
There was something. Between the Monster’s confident assertion and her reaction, I could subtly tell. She was hiding something.
…Is there really a way?
A way to get to the North Sea. Did the White Ripple Sword really have it?
No, why the North Sea of all places?
My head started to ache. Why did it have to be some land I knew nothing about? What would they even do there? A girl who can't even find her way around, what could she possibly do in a cold, distant land?
I can't let her go. Absolutely not.
I couldn't let her go.
It's not like I can go with her, either.
I had too much to do here. I wasn't in a position to travel freely. And who knew how long it would take?
The North Sea is too far from here.
This wasn't like the distance between Shanxi and Sichuan. Just getting there and back would take ages. Knowing this, I was trying to think of any excuse to refuse when…
"...Let me go."
"..."
Namgung Bi-ah’s voice came through.
"You…"
"...I have to go… Let me go…"
Her eyes were resolute. It was the first time Namgung Bi-ah had been this firm.
"No. Do you have any idea what kind of place that is?"
"...I have to go…"
"Why?"
"Because… my uncle is going."
Namgung Bi-ah said, looking at the Monster. She called him uncle. Uncle my ass… Well, he was, but it pissed me off.
"...I… have to go… I'm going to go… and learn the sword."
I don't get it. I really don't get it. Why was Namgung Bi-ah so obsessed with the sword? What was so special about it?
An unidentifiable rage was about to boil over when…
"That's the only way. I can protect you."
"..."
At the words she added, I felt all that heat just die down.
"What did you just say…?"
"No matter how hard I try… I can't do it now… So I have to go."
"You, right now…"
"This is… what I have to do…"
I kept trying to speak, but my mouth wouldn't work. It was ridiculous. That was her reason for following him all the way to the North Sea to learn the sword? She was going to protect me.
I stared at her absurd words, but her eyes were still resolute. Her blue eyes, once so dark, were now clear. And those sparkling pupils were looking straight at me. I felt like I might avert my gaze without meaning to. I couldn't let that happen, so I forced myself to hold her gaze.
This is so frustrating. This whole situation. I was swamped with work, with no time to spare. It felt like someone was trying to snatch away my one pillar of support, and that made me angry.
"Young Master, for now, let's talk a bit more…"
"Just a moment… could you all please step outside?"
"Hm?"
"It won't take long. I just have some things to think about."
"Hmm… I understand."
It was a rude request, but the Monster nodded, respecting my wishes. He stood to leave.
"Monster of Wudang."
I stopped him. When he looked back…
"Could I borrow that for a moment?"
"What?"
The Monster’s eyes widened. I was asking to borrow Thunder Fang.
"I need it while I think."
I held out my hand. After a moment of surprise, the Monster handed Thunder Fang to me.
Shhk.
"...Haha."
The sword was passed to me without resistance. Seeing this, the Monster let out a hollow laugh. Once again, there was no rejection from the sword.
"I'll return it… shortly."
"If you like it, you can keep it. That would be better."
As if he truly had no lingering attachment, the Monster left. I asked the White Ripple Sword and Namgung Bi-ah to leave as well.
Once everyone was gone, the room fell silent.
Woooong.
After spreading a sound barrier, I looked at Thunder Fang and spoke.
"...Now, you can start talking."
My voice was thick with irritation I couldn't hide. I couldn't help it. It was impossible not to know.
"Just what is this ridiculous situation?"
Namgung Myung’s will was definitely a part of this.