Chapter 115
Chapter 115
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Fame
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Even though the decisive battle had concluded, the customary cheers of victory did not erupt. Everyone was exhausted and injured. Rather than joy at the win, the overwhelming relief of survival came first.
Yuk Jin-yang's feelings were no different. The sensation of being alive at this moment felt hazy, like an illusion. He wondered how he was even managing to stand on his own two feet.
'This is truly the limit.'
He belatedly examined his body's condition in detail.
There were few uninjured parts. The internal injuries, in particular, were far more severe than he had imagined. It was because of the formation unleashed by Gong Son-sul—a supreme technique that his current martial prowess and protective energy couldn't withstand.
Yuk Jin-yang staggered unconsciously, barely supporting himself by leaning on the Azure Forest sword plunged into the ground.
'I'll have to stay put and recuperate for a while.'
These were injuries that would require at least ten days of focused recovery. With that thought, he scanned the battlefield once more.
Not only the people, but the field itself was a wreck. The scars left by the clash of two supreme experts were starkly visible. Sword traces and energy waves had freely ravaged the earth, flipping the soil and carving deep gashes. It looked as if an earthquake had struck.
In the midst of such devastation, Gong Son-sul's corpse was crumbling like sand. Before long, without even a breath of wind, it scattered and flew off into the distance—like a wandering soul adrift in the ownerless nine heavens.
The grandfather watched the sight impassively until the form completely vanished, then finally turned his body.
His deep, pitch-black eyes, reminiscent of the underworld, now fixed directly on them. It was a gaze that even the masses found hard to meet.
Yuk Jin-yang was different. He read the concern emanating from his grandfather's eyes.
There were many questions he wanted to ask.
The single sword strike his grandfather had unleashed at the end came to mind. It was a strike of unparalleled swordsmanship. In both his past and present lives, he had never witnessed martial arts reaching such divine mastery.
At first, he thought it might be the Yuk Clan's hereditary technique, but he soon realized that couldn't be. If such a martial art could truly be passed down, the Yuk Clan would have long reigned eternally as the supreme clan under heaven.
Moreover, of all people, it was his grandfather who had executed it—a fact that still felt unbelievable. He barely managed to move his lips to utter a single word.
"How..."
"Let's catch up later. The timing isn't right now."
His words and demeanor were businesslike, but various emotions he couldn't hide seeped through. Among them were joy and satisfaction. He seemed deeply moved by his grandson's performance in many ways.
His grandfather placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Your internal injuries are severe. Rest for a bit."
Yuk Jin-yang nodded. With his mind easing, the tension drained away, muddying his thoughts. Not only his body, but his sharply honed spirit was also crying out its limits.
He felt a tidal wave of drowsiness crashing in. Without time to resist, his consciousness sank, and his eyes slowly closed. As his body crumpled, strong arms caught him.
"You didn't forget this old man's words to create a martial art suited to your body. It was quite an excellent protective technique. Bold and unorthodox in conception."
He seemed to hear such praise. Without time to savor it, he blacked out completely.
The Yuk Clan Leader carefully laid his fainted grandson on the cot in the command tent. Straightening his bent back, he turned his head.
Outside the tent, Prince Chu was watching over the grandfather and grandson. The clan leader finally greeted his old disciple.
"It's been a long time, Your Highness. I can't even remember how many years."
"It's been over ten years already. It was around the time you occasionally visited the palace to instruct me, when Father was still hale and hearty."
Recalling old memories, Prince Chu gave a faint smile.
"I never imagined Lord Yuk would come here in person. I'm still dumbfounded. What change of heart brought this on?"
"How could this old man spare any effort when it concerns Your Highness's safety?"
Prince Chu shook his head.
"That's not something one who's been retired from the front lines for over ten years should say. Father repeatedly urged you to serve, but you refused every time, didn't you?"
"For an old martial artist, the jianghu suits better than the complexities of court."
"You're saying something no subject under heaven would believe. I'd sooner believe Father has come back to life, lamenting the current state of affairs, and thrashing his worthless son and grandson with the Crimson Mist Divine Art."
Prince Chu tossed the jest coolly, then gazed at the Yuk Clan Leader anew.
The Yangtze Tyrant's seclusion wasn't a recent matter. Ever since completing the northern expedition, he had hidden from the jianghu's eyes, staying only at the main compound.
Because of his excessively domineering life, rumors circulated that he had declined too early for a master of his realm.
Prince Chu had inwardly agreed with the jianghu informants' words until now, but not anymore. Having witnessed the throne of the supreme under heaven with his own eyes, there could be no doubt.
The Yuk Clan Leader's enduring strength even tied into the recent political landscape.
The court considered the possibility of the alliances' rebellion but ultimately refrained from preemptive action for good reason.
They hadn't anticipated that the man who had brushed aside all劝阻 to retire from the front lines would stir up the winds of fortune again.
In hindsight, it had been an endlessly optimistic prediction.
'Unless Lord Yuk truly intended to wash his hands of it all... It's right to see his deep involvement in the recent conflicts between the ancient and new clans.'
Prince Chu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. If the Yuk Clan Leader stepped forward fully, the confrontation between Prince of Yan and the Emperor would be clear as day.
At that moment, the clan leader spoke up again.
"That said, once I got the urgent report, I couldn't just sit back and watch out of worry."
"You mean your grandson? Indeed."
Prince Chu preemptively guessed the clan leader's concern and nodded.
"He was truly excellent material. The Great Ming's jianghu will remain peaceful without further upheavals, thanks to him. It wouldn't do for such talent to fall in a backwater battle like this."
"You're speaking of Your Highness. I told you that to become a great general, not only strategy but personal martial prowess is essential."
Prince Chu cleared his throat in lieu of a reply and deftly changed the subject.
"Still, you seem to cherish your grandson greatly."
"He's the joy of my twilight years."
"You'll be even happier returning to Kaifeng."
Prince Chu gazed steadily at Yuk Jin-yang.
He was worried about the young benefactor's condition, but if it were truly dire, the peerless master before him wouldn't stand idly by. Thus, rather than meddling in unfamiliar medical matters, he voiced concerns from the far more familiar realm of political strategy.
"However, the aftermath of the Returning Sword Society Leader's death won't be light."
Though not without exaggeration, the Returning Sword Society was a faction once rumored to vie for a seat among the Black Forest Seven Evils. Even if not as renowned as the Ghost Lord, plenty knew the name.
No one in the world would have predicted that such a group's supreme expert and leader would yield his neck to a beardless young swordsman.
It was naturally a shock to the world. Even the old factions, insensitive to gossip, would now take note of the Yuk Clan's new star. He had surpassed the later generation, emerging as a singular force to dominate the jianghu after so long.
That was why Prince Chu couldn't help but worry about the future.
The jianghu was a tangled skein of grudges, righteousness, and fame. Even as an outsider, he knew from the many tales he'd heard and seen.
Soon, all sorts would come challenging the boy—whether to raise their own fame or to settle grudges against the Yuk Clan.
"It's not for nothing they say associating with the famous brings misfortune."
The fact that the supreme under heaven of the era backed him mattered little. If there was pretext and justification, martial artists would draw their swords anytime.
Unless the clan leader kept his grandson constantly at his side, warding off challengers, the jianghu would no longer be a cozy, gentle place for Yuk Jin-yang.
Yet the Yuk Clan Leader, who knew this better than anyone, showed an unexpected reaction.
"It's not enough."
"What do you mean? Not enough? To you, the Returning Sword Society Leader might look like a cute kitten, but he was a demonic figure who's made quite a name for himself lately."
The clan leader shook his head.
"Once Gong Son-sul's matter spreads, won't this old man draw attention too? I can't cast a shadow over my grandson's path."
It was a prophecy too prescient to dismiss as mere worry. Gong Son-sul himself was one thing, but the Yuk Clan Leader drawing his sword after so long was enough to shock the world, regardless of righteous or evil paths.
"So Your Highness must lend a hand as well."
"...Me?"
"Nothing spreads a good tale like the testimony of those involved. A later generation disciple rose selflessly for the greater good, protecting the imperial bloodline. That should suffice."
Prince Chu thought for a moment, then nodded. If he spoke so confidently, there must be good reason to trust it.
Yuk Jin-yang opened his eyes to the jolting sounds and the vibration shaking his head. His body lay on a makeshift bedding woven from straw.
Lifting his head to look around, he saw a ceiling too low to be a proper hall. It seemed he was aboard a wagon.
"You're awake."
It was his grandfather's voice. He sat right beside him, gazing steadily. His consciousness still swam in a fog, but he managed to prop himself up.
"Clan Leader."
"No need for formalities even here."
"...Grandfather."
Only then did a smile form at the corners of the Yuk Clan Leader's mouth.
"You have that look like you have a lot of questions."
Yuk Jin-yang nodded.
"First, where are we? And how many days was I out?"
"You slept for three days. We're currently heading to Kaifeng by land route."
"But there were boats..."
"They said the warships' keels are broken and unusable. And procuring enough vessels for all those people was impossible, so we had no choice but the land route."
Yuk Jin-yang shook his head. His mind was still foggy, clouding his judgment.
"What about the seniors?"
"They're in similar shape to you. They woke a day earlier but are still recuperating."
As the conversation topics ran dry, an awkward silence fell.
Clunk.
Just then, the sound of the wagon stopping rang out, accompanied by a murmur of unrest. The clan leader frowned.
"I'll go check."
"I'll come too."
Descending from the wagon, they saw soldiers drawn up in confrontation, weapons at the ready. Opposite them stood a group of martial artists holding their ground.
In stark contrast to this side, they exuded a freewheeling air. Their attire was a motley assortment.
Some wore heavy armor typical of the military, while others donned colorful martial robes embroidered ostentatiously with dragons and tigers. Their weapons varied wildly.
They looked less like disciples following sect protocols and more like a band of ronin.
"So it's the wolves of the Quadrant Heavenly Gate."
Yuk Jin-yang startled at his grandfather's murmur from the side.
Quadrant Heavenly Gate.
A faction of unorthodox martial artists based in the Shaanxi and Gansu Corridor region, claiming one of the Black Forest Seven Evils.