Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: The Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly
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"This... you're refusing?"
The people with eyes wide open in shock tilted their heads, unable to comprehend his intent.
It was the position of young clan lord of the Danri Clan, a prestigious sword family that had endured for hundreds of years.
No matter how one looked at it, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a wanderer like him.
Yet what could possibly be the reason for turning down such a chance?
Danri Hyang's decision, however, carried an unyielding resolve. Danri Mae, doubting her own ears just like the others, asked,
"Did you just say you're refusing the young clan lord position?"
A voice returned, clear and unequivocal.
"Yes."
"May I ask why?"
Danri Mae simply couldn't wrap her head around it.
He was the child who had once left the main family, yet he had returned—to help them through their hardships.
Didn't that mean he still harbored some lingering affection for the clan?
She had no intention of glossing over the past, when she had turned a blind eye to her child's suffering.
On the contrary, she had acknowledged her mistakes and planned to offer her full support for him to take the young clan lord seat.
But now, even that foundation had crumbled.
"After turning my back on the clan and wandering aimlessly for so long, I met the Leader by a stroke of heavenly fortune."
Danri Hyang glanced briefly at Hyeok Mulin before continuing to face Danri Mae.
"The Leader showed me the path I should follow and gave purpose to my once meaningless life."
Danri Hyang bowed deeply once more, politely refusing the offer yet again.
"I am deeply grateful for this undeserved proposal. But my sword has already found its sheath, and I am destined to leave the clan once more. Therefore, I cannot accept the young clan lord position."
One sword needs only one sheath.
Danri Hyang had long since decided where he truly belonged.
"Heh..."
Danri Mae swallowed a heavy sigh as she gazed at Danri Hyang, who had so firmly voiced his refusal.
Why hadn't she recognized this child's true worth back then?
If she could, she would travel back in time and give her past self a thorough beating.
If only she had kept her talentless, jealousy-ridden sons in check so they couldn't run rampant, and shown tolerance toward Danri Hyang instead. Would the Danri Clan's fate have been different?
Her regrets ran deep, but the past was the past.
There was nothing she could do to change it now.
Danri Mae's gaze soon shifted to Hyeok Mulin.
'What must he have taught for Hyang to show such steadfast loyalty?'
She hadn't managed to raise even one of her many sons properly.
Feeling a surge of respect toward Hyeok Mulin, she let out a deep sigh before turning back to Danri Hyang.
"Very well. I will respect your decision."
"I had no doubt that Dan Gyeong would thrive under a new young clan lord."
"What a shame."
The women of the Danri Clan and the local folk alike couldn't hide their shared disappointment.
It was proof of just how extraordinary Danri Hyang and the Falling Dragon Association's feats had been.
Without them, Dan Gyeong would likely have already fallen into the clutches of the Nine Minor Sects.
"Heh heh heh."
In the midst of this somewhat somber mood, one group alone smirked without restraint.
They were the young masters, who had secured their shot at the young clan lord position now that Danri Hyang had refused it.
Lowering their voices, they spat their mockery toward Danri Hyang among themselves.
"Refusing the young clan lord seat just to stay a lowly ronin. Couldn't be more grateful."
"At least he knows his place."
"Yeah, go wander the Central Plains like a vagrant for the rest of your life."
The young masters' snickering came to an abrupt halt only when Danri Mae shot them a glare, having overheard their whispers. They clamped their mouths shut and averted their eyes.
Witnessing this, Danri Mae couldn't suppress a sigh.
She had watched them for over two decades now, yet there was simply no hope for those fools.
Closing her eyes briefly in contemplation, Danri Mae soon steeled her resolve and slowly spoke.
"Hyang-ah, I understand your will perfectly. Given all my past failings, I have no right to hold you back."
"Thank you for your gracious understanding."
"Still, since you haven't left the clan just yet, could you grant me one final request?"
"A request, you say?"
Danri Mae nodded and cut straight to the matter.
"In half a month, the Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly will be held in Shanyang, located in southeastern Shaanxi. Do you know what that is?"
The Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly.
Every three years, it was the gathering where renowned swordsmen from Shaanxi Province's famed sword families, sword sects, and sword factions all convened in one place.
In its early days, elders from each sect and family had passionately debated swordsmanship day and night, clashing blades in fierce bouts.
Over time, however, it had evolved into a more relaxed affair where promising young talents mingled, chatted lightly, sparred for fun, and forged bonds.
"Yes, of course I know."
Gatherings limited to swordsmen from a single region were rare, so even Danri Hyang, residing in Shin Gang, was well aware of the Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly.
Danri Mae glanced sideways at the young masters before fixing her gaze on him once more.
"Could you accompany my sons to this Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly?"
"Father!"
"What are you saying?!"
"Are you planning to send that filthy ronin as the clan's representative alongside us?!"
The young masters shot to their feet, protesting vehemently.
In the next instant, a roar laced with fury erupted from Danri Mae's lips.
"Silence—!"
The young masters flinched.
As they froze at her shout, Danri Mae unleashed her rage.
"What has the main family ever gained from sending you lot to the Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly? You've only ever made us a laughingstock with your pathetic skills—are you planning to repeat that humiliation?!"
The modern Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly was largely run by the younger generation, save for a handful of escorts.
As such, the unremarkable Danri Clan had returned in shame from every single event.
Under Danri Mae's blazing glare, the young masters averted their eyes.
They had raised their voices to protect their own interests, yet they lacked even the guts to stand their ground against a mere show of aura.
Fuming at the mere sight of them, Danri Mae bellowed,
"Those with quick ears have surely heard of the recent clash between righteous factions in Dan Gyeong and its outcome. Our clan will be the talk of the Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly at least once—do you intend to flail about with that same worthless swordplay?!"
If they performed as poorly as always in a venue drawing everyone's attention, the disappointment and ridicule aimed at the Danri Clan would surely double.
Thus, Danri Mae yearned for them to showcase the clan's swordsmanship this time—at a place watched by Shaanxi's prestigious sword families and sects—to reclaim their tarnished honor.
She glared until the young masters clamped their jaws shut and slunk back into their seats, then turned to Danri Hyang.
"As I said before, I see this Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly as the perfect chance to restore our family's lost prestige. Will you join those worthless fools and attend?"
Danri Mae continued in a tender tone.
"I won't beg this on family ties alone. Attend the assembly, and whatever you desire, I shall reward you accordingly."
Just participate in the Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly, and anything would be granted.
It was a rather extravagant promise, but for her, it was the best option.
Having once cast Danri Hyang out, she couldn't very well demand his aid for free.
Thus, she was prepared to pay—be it in gold or martial secrets—to secure his help.
As Danri Mae awaited his response, Danri Hyang slowly spoke.
"Could you give me some time to think?"
"Of course. Take all the time you need."
Danri Hyang stalled for time by deferring his answer.
In truth, he wasn't the one who could make this decision.
He stole a glance at the true authority: Hyeok Mulin, who sat with eyes closed in contemplation.
'The Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly...'
Where else could one find a gathering solely of righteous swordsmen?
He had found the event intriguing ever since first hearing of it.
And there was one more factor.
If it drew every prestigious swordsman in Shaanxi...
'That person might be there.'
The one destined to later proclaim a revolutionary sword theory, forever altering the Central Plains' swordsmanship.
The Sword Scholar.
A man of transcendent martial talent, he had devoted his life not to practicing or wielding the sword, but to its pure study.
Having spent his previous life researching martial arts in solitude, Hyeok Mulin yearned to exchange sword theories with him.
Yet all that was known of the Sword Scholar was that he had resided near Shaanxi in his youth.
'Even if we attend, there's no guarantee of meeting him.'
Still, no venue offered a higher chance than the Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly, where Shaanxi's famed young swordsmen converged.
There was, however, one concern.
This was the very site where the bloody righteous-unorthodox clashes in Shaanxi—the Shaanxi Blood Saga—would erupt in earnest.
To be precise, the assembly was exclusively for Shaanxi's righteous swordsmen.
Unorthodox swordsmen were barred by default.
'But in the end, they infiltrated from within, and all hell broke loose.'
Numerous young Shaanxi swordsmen were slaughtered at the event, igniting the full rift between the Murim Alliance and the Four Black Alliances.
'Eh, what happens to them is none of my concern anyway.'
Should Hyeok Mulin attend unlike his previous life, even he couldn't predict how Shaanxi's situation would unfold.
That said, he had no intention of interfering or inserting himself.
Whether their relations soured or improved, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would simply tread the demonic path.
And one thing was absolutely certain.
Above all else, Hyeok Mulin desperately wanted that encounter with the Sword Scholar.
So what choice was there?
'I have to go.'
A faint smirk tugged at Hyeok Mulin's lips as he nodded to Danri Hyang.
Danri Hyang mirrored the subtle nod before addressing the patriarch.
"I've decided."
Danri Mae waited silently for his words.
With the Danri Clan's future honor hanging in the balance, tension gripped her.
"I accept your proposal, Patriarch. I will attend the Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly."
"Is that true? Thank you—truly, thank you!"
Her face lit up the moment he agreed.
The Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly with Danri Hyang in attendance.
Imagining the long-derided Danri Clan finally spreading its wings, she beamed broadly.
"But I have one request."
"Name it—anything."
Danri Mae was fully prepared to accommodate him in every way.
In response to her eagerness, Danri Hyang spoke calmly.
"Please permit the Leader to accompany us."
"The Leader...?"
Danri Mae turned to Hyeok Mulin, met his gaze for a moment, then replied.
"If the Leader joins us, we would be honored."
She nodded to Hyeok Mulin as she continued.
"I entrust the main family's escorts to you and the reconnaissance captain."
"Understood."
Hyeok Mulin accepted succinctly before adding,
"But as I mentioned earlier..."
"...?"
Puzzled by the unfinished thought, Danri Mae tilted her head. Hyeok Mulin finished.
"That promise to grant anything as recompense for attending the Shaanxi Sword Cloud Assembly."
A sly grin curved Hyeok Mulin's lips as his eyes gleamed sharply.
"I won't forget it."
A sudden chill ran down Danri Mae's spine at the sight, an inexplicable unease washing over her.
But she brushed it off, reassuring herself.
'Recompense? How grand could it be? Gold or spirit pills at most.'
Yet Danri Mae could never have known.
This decision would one day upend the Danri Clan's destiny entirely.