Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: Bitter Farewell
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As the horses carrying Dan Mok-chan and Jong Gak vanished beyond the hill, Dan Mok-rin withdrew her greatly trembling hand with a bitter look on her face.
Regret was thickly etched across her features.
It had been a joyful reunion, but far too brief.
Yet there was no helping it.
She was no longer a daughter of the Dan Mok Clan; she was now a Daoist of the Mount Hua Sect.
Prolonging their meeting and conversation would not be good for either side.
'Still, I'm glad we at least got to see each other's faces and exchange greetings this time.'
Thinking back to when she had left the clan, she shook off a bit of her lingering regret.
She hadn't even been able to properly say goodbye to Jong Gak and Dan Mok-chan back then.
Especially with Jong Gak, who had cared for her since childhood—she had felt guilty even as she departed without a proper farewell.
But now they had exchanged greetings, so it was somewhat satisfying.
'And I heard that Uncle is doing fine, too.'
As Dan Mok-rin sorted through her thoughts one by one, her expression gradually brightened.
She had learned that Dan Mok Jin-gang, who had taken responsibility for the night escape on her behalf after she cut ties with the clan, had received only a light punishment. It eased her heart.
Originally, she had planned to flee alone at night.
But having lost her internal energy, she was easily caught by Dan Mok Jin-gang, who instead helped her escape.
Even knowing he would face the clan's resentment for it.
Dan Mok-rin had tried to dissuade him out of worry for the aftermath, but Dan Mok Jin-gang refused to back down, and in the end, the two successfully carried out the night escape.
'Thank goodness.'
As she was shaking off her regrets from that brief encounter...
Cheonhwi, beside her, stroked his chin, recalling the single sword strike Jong Gak had demonstrated moments ago.
'Hm, an interesting sword art.'
The creator of the Dan Cheon Bi Geom hadn't quite reached the Martial God Realm, but they had clearly glimpsed beyond it, even if just slightly.
Otherwise, they couldn't have manifested fragments of the Mind Sword to that degree.
'Well, now, this piques my interest a bit.'
The corner of his mouth slowly curved upward.
After his encounter with Paegun, the unrivaled expert of the Martial God Realm known as the Defeat General, his heart now stirred at the sight of another intriguing sword art.
Slightly excited, he lightly stepped forward.
As Cheonhwi hopped onto the carriage, Dan Mok-rin hurried after him with quick steps.
And just as Cheon Yigae was about to climb in last...
Grab.
Cheonhwi's hand blocked him.
"What is it?"
Cheon Yigae's brow furrowed.
"I told you last time."
"Last time?"
As he furrowed his brow deeper trying to understand Cheonhwi's meaning, his face suddenly twisted in realization.
"You want me to wash up again?"
"Of course. You weren't planning to board the carriage looking like that, were you?"
Cheonhwi scanned Cheon Yigae up and down.
He was draped in filthy sackcloth from who-knows-where, his appearance utterly ragged.
His disheveled hair was full of dandruff, and dark sweat stains marred his face everywhere.
It was truly bizarre.
It had only been half a month.
Yet Cheon Yigae's current state was identical to before they set out on the journey.
"Hm? Aren't those the clothes you bought last time? Don't tell me you rolled around in the dirt on purpose?"
"Ahem."
Cheonhwi's guess hit the mark, and Cheon Yigae let out a dry cough, turning his head away slightly.
"And the stench..."
Cheonhwi leaned in to sniff, only to recoil as a wave of foul odor hit him from Cheon Yigae. He pinched his nose and grimaced.
"Did you crawl out of a latrine or something?"
This time, Cheon Yigae bristled.
"You punk! I don't go that far!"
"Then what's with this smell?"
"The smell? It's my aroma! How is it? A perfect stench, isn't it?"
Cheon Yigae declared proudly, puffing out his chest.
For a beggar, a stench was better praise than any compliment in the world.
Flabbergasted by his brazen attitude, Cheonhwi slammed the carriage door shut in front of him.
"Anyway, you're not riding like that."
In the end, Cheon Yigae pouted.
"Fine, I get it! I'll wash up!"
About an hour later...
Clop-clop— Clop-clop—
Cheon Yigae, who had left the carriage, returned with Go Sam.
Go Sam, leading the now more spirited horses after feeding them fodder and water, glanced around before nodding.
"We'll depart again."
Was he naturally perceptive?
Or had he been tipped off that this would happen?
He had clearly sensed the clash and aftermath of the duel, yet he said nothing about it, acting as if nothing had occurred.
And Cheonhwi approved of that behavior.
It would only be troublesome if he got scared or tried to keep his distance.
Then Cheon Yigae boarded the carriage, drawing Cheonhwi's gaze.
His hair and beard were neatly groomed.
He wore clean blue robes, and the beggar from moments ago had vanished, replaced by what looked like an elderly scholar.
"Hm? You had spare clothes ready?"
"Hmph! I bought them just in case."
Cheon Yigae grumbled.
"Then you should've washed up before coming back. Would've saved the hassle."
At the teasing remark, veins bulged on Cheon Yigae's forehead from frustration, but Cheonhwi ignored it.
"Wash up before I say anything next time."
Even adding that nonchalantly made Cheon Yigae clutch his chest.
His chest felt stuffy, his insides churning—he wanted to retort, but knew it was pointless.
At that moment, Go Sam shouted loudly.
"We're departing!"
With a vigorous "Hyah!" the horses neighed, and the carriage lurched forward.
A short while later, amid the rhythmic shaking, Cheon Yigae calmed his irritation and looked at Cheonhwi.
"Oh, right! I heard you caused a scene at the Zhuge Clan?"
"What scene?"
"Pulling out your acupuncture needles or whatever. Everyone knows you tangled with the Sacheon Tang Clan."
"Ah, that? Yeah."
Cheonhwi, recalling the incident he'd completely forgotten amid his meeting with Paegun, dismissed it casually.
"That Tang guy I met last time picked a fight again, so I obliged."
Cheon Yigae stroked his beard and spoke as Cheonhwi said it matter-of-factly.
"So it was a clash with those guys after all."
His eyes glinted as he spoke.
"But are you sure you're okay? It's none other than the Sacheon Tang Clan. If they want revenge, they'll chase you to the ends of the Central Plains."
"They probably won't even think of it."
Cheonhwi's lips twisted as he replied.
The terror implanted in the Tang scion's mind wasn't something even an expert could easily shake off.
Let alone with that fool's skill level.
'He won't even dare.'
Cheon Yigae smirked at Cheonhwi, who showed not the slightest worry.
'Must've done something to him.'
If it were anyone else, he'd dismiss it as bravado, but with Cheonhwi, it was different.
That confidence meant he'd likely taken some measure.
Cheon Yigae shook his head.
"Still, don't be too reckless. The more you rampage, the more enemies you'll make."
It was earnest advice born of experience.
The martial world was one of grudges and debts.
Deep entanglements made anyone's life complicated, no matter who they were.
But Cheonhwi let it go in one ear and out the other.
'That's up to me.'
He was confident no one had faced more grudges in their past life than he had.
All the Nine Provinces Eight Emperors had burned with desire to kill him.
'In those cases, just crush them so thoroughly they can't even hold a grudge.'
As he recalled how he'd ended grudges in the past, Cheon Yigae asked.
"...How's Paegun doing?"
Cheonhwi snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Cheon Yigae.
He was meeting Cheonhwi's gaze with an unusually serious expression.
"You two know each other well?"
"Not enough to call it that. But I know him to some extent. I was in my prime when he was active in the martial world."
"He's doing well. Seems like he's gotten into gardening lately."
"What? Gardening? Paegun?"
Cheon Yigae's eyes widened round.
After a moment, he burst into loud laughter.
"Puhaha! The man who terrorized the martial world with ambitions to unify the Central Plains is gardening?"
Cheon Yigae wiped the tears from his eyes with his index finger, laughing too hard.
"What an ill-fitting hobby."
"Didn't seem that out of place to me."
Zhuge Go-cheon tending his garden hadn't looked awkward at all.
On the contrary, it seemed natural.
Like someone who'd been doing it for years.
Hearing Cheonhwi's response, Cheon Yigae fiddled with his goatee, lost in thought.
"Well... maybe. It's been over forty years since he secluded himself."
Cheonhwi looked at him with an "oho" expression upon hearing the mutter.
'Come to think of it, he'd know more about the Palmu Gods than anyone.'
He hadn't thought of it before, but being of the same generation and bearing the title Cheon Yigae, he undoubtedly knew best.
"Why did he seclude himself with that level of skill? He could've grown the current Zhuge Clan even more."
Cheon Yigae's eyebrows furrowed momentarily.
"I don't know either. No, not just me—no one does."
He didn't know?
Cheonhwi tilted his head.
It was puzzling.
What reason would a Martial God Realm expert have to suddenly seclude themselves? There had to be some internal or external incident.
But then Cheon Yigae's added explanation made Cheonhwi's eyes widen slightly.
"Who could've predicted that the Palmu Gods would all vanish on the same day?"
"The same day?"
"Hah, you wouldn't know..."
Cheon Yigae shook his head but paused midway.
"It's only natural you don't. It's been forty years, and bigger events overshadowed it back then."
"What was that?"
Interest flickered in Cheonhwi's eyes.
He'd only heard about the current state of the martial world, not the details from before.
He'd had no reason to ask until now, so Cheon Yigae's story was quite engaging.
"On the day they secluded themselves, the Bi Cheon Association was founded, ushering in the era of the Nine Provinces Three Great Evil Powers."
The brief explanation was immediately clear.
The disappearance of the peerless Palmu Gods was certainly a major event, but the Nine Provinces Three Great Evil Powers had dominated the martial world for forty years. Their impact was on another level.
"Sounds like it lines up perfectly."
Cheon Yigae's eyes darkened.
"I think so too. I don't know the details, but the Nine Provinces Three Great Evil Powers must be deeply connected to the Palmu Gods. One reason is that the Evil-Black Alliance Leader, one of the Three Great Evil Powers, is a Palmu God who hasn't shown his face since that day."
"That's quite the mess behind the scenes."
Cheonhwi wagged his finger as he listened to past information from Cheon Yigae.
Messy—very messy.
Then Cheon Yigae's eyes gleamed.
"But you dragged out Paegun, who's been in seclusion for forty years."
His gaze fixed on Cheonhwi, unyielding.
"What did you do?"
"I wondered why you were staring so sharply. Laying the groundwork to ask that?"
"...Guess it's hard to tell me."
"Not really..."
Cheonhwi shrugged.
"We just talked a bit."
"What about?"
Cheon Yigae said excitedly.
He was dying to know what had drawn out Paegun after forty years.
"Nothing much."
Unlike him, Cheonhwi spoke dismissively.
"Just introductions and chatting about each other's true nature."
A furrow formed between Cheon Yigae's brows.
"That's it?"
"And something about sparring at Mount Hua next time..."
Thud!
The carriage jolted violently.
Cheon Yigae and Dan Mok-rin shot to their feet without realizing it, staring at Cheonhwi with wildly shaking eyes as if an earthquake had struck.
"W-With Paegun?"
"S-Senior Brother. When did you arrange that?"
As the two stammered in shock...
"What's wrong?"
Go Sam, startled by the carriage rocking from their stomping, called in from the driver's seat.
"N-Nothing. Keep going."
Cheon Yigae hurriedly replied.
"A... Alright."
Go Sam was slightly flustered by the urgency but soon gripped the reins again.
Cheon Yigae sat back down, swallowing hard.
"Paegun accepted?"
"Said he'd come to Mount Hua once."
Then Dan Mok-rin spoke up.
"You don't mean he's coming to Mount Hua that day to watch... but to..."
"Yeah, a duel."
Dan Mok-rin flopped back into her seat.
Her mind went blank.
Meanwhile, watching her expression and actions, Cheon Yigae struggled to keep a straight face.
'Seeing her like that, it must be true.'
He shook his head slowly.
Then he looked at Cheonhwi.
'Just what level is his skill at?'
He knew it was the Heavenly Martial Realm.
The Jongnam Sword Saint had said so, and he'd felt it himself witnessing the martial arts.
But Paegun...
As he grimaced silently, a heavy silence descended upon the carriage.