Spring Breeze Over Qing Mountain
The warm spring breeze wrapped gently around everything in sight. It was the month of May.
More than a full year had already passed since I left the Black Wall Cavern.
When I thought about it, the time that had slipped by seemed to move with startling speed. Yet while it was actually flowing, it had felt agonizingly slow.
I walked toward Qing Mountain, breathing in the scent of flowers and gazing at the lush green leaves.
From early summer last year, through autumn and winter, and now back to spring once more.
Traveling the same path through all four seasons felt refreshingly new each time.
How did this great nature repeat the same cycle so faithfully? And how could one possibly accept this vast, boundless energy?
These were the thoughts that always came to me whenever I visited Qing Mountain.
The energy that overflowed throughout the world. The power that brought all living things back to life, scattered freshness in every direction, plunged one into deep contemplation, and then transformed everything into desolation once again.
Even if humans claimed to accept the energy of the earth and all things and put it to use, what they could grasp was only the tiniest fragment.
A mere sliver.
Would human progress truly have no end?
If one refused to accept limits, how far could they go?
Suddenly, I found myself wondering about the realms beyond what martial artists commonly called the Manifestation Realm. The Life and Death Realm, the Natural Realm, or even ascension to immortality.
Did such things truly exist? Saying they didn’t made no sense, yet discussing those kinds of realms felt somewhat absurd.
Could humans really bend this immense natural order to their will?
It was a good thing that I could entertain such philosophical musings even while moving. It helped shrink the distance quickly, and the time never grew dull.
That was how I arrived at Qing Mountain. My speed grew faster with each visit.
This time, the sun still hung a full handspan above the western peaks.
I suppose even I had made some progress. Though it felt less like an increase in realm and more like mastery of my light footwork.
With the weather having warmed, Namgung Hwi had boldly stripped off his upper garment and was swinging his sword.
I had no particular desire to stare at another man’s bare torso for long, but watching him practice was interesting enough that I observed his sword path closely.
The sword of the Namgung Family. A style that emphasized weight and heaviness, yet remained domineering.
Because of that, its momentum was quite impressive. The sword was solemn, and its aura carried real gravity.
What the kid still lacked was simply time. At that level, his talent was genuinely excellent. Just what you’d expect from a child of a prestigious clan.
Though I wondered—had he learned the Emperor Sword Form? I’d heard it was a secret transmission reserved only for the family head and the heir.
Had he received the manual while escaping? Or had he known it from the beginning?
It was impossible to tell. I could ask him later.
After swinging for a long while, he switched to a completely different sword style.
A soft sword. One that carried the supple flexibility of a willow branch.
It was the sword of the Qing Mountain Sect. I had watched it so many times now that I could probably recite every form from memory.
It was a softness different from the Cloud Flow Sword Technique I had taught Seolha.
If the Qing Mountain Sword Technique felt like a clear, distinct gentleness, the Cloud Flow Sword Technique was a softness that faded into the distance.
The difference between something unmistakably felt and something difficult to grasp clearly.
And the master of the Qing Mountain Sect sat on the veranda, watching Namgung Hwi’s practice.
What struck me as strange was that I had never once seen the woman actually swing a sword.
She only ever observed like this. Occasionally she would offer verbal guidance, nothing more.
There seemed to be a reason, but I still couldn’t figure it out. It probably had something to do with her own circumstances.
I wished I could get a closer look, but from this distance it was hard to tell.
Well, she must have her reasons. It wasn’t something I needed to concern myself with right now.
In any case, the two of them looked exactly the same as always today.
The young man pouring his all into martial training. The woman quietly watching over him.
Master and disciple. A scene I had grown familiar with over the past four seasons.
I was about to turn away, thinking it was another wasted trip, when Namgung Hwi finished his practice earlier than usual.
He walked over to his master. Still without his upper garment.
Based on what I had seen before, the master should have shown a subtly embarrassed reaction to his bare chest.
But not this time. The woman smiled. A smile full of affection, as if she couldn’t bear to miss a single moment of the sight.
Wait. Could it be?
Watching them, I unconsciously licked my lips.
This was getting interesting. Namgung Hwi approached his master and sat down beside her.
He naturally draped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against him.
The two of them stayed like that for a moment, facing the same direction as the spring breeze brushed past.
Then, quite naturally, they turned to look at each other and their lips met.
Yesss!!!
I cheered inside my head and clenched my fist tightly.
He finally crossed the line! Namgung Hwi had finally proven he wasn’t some kind of eunuch!
While I had been distracted with matters concerning the Demonic Cult, the gentle spring breeze had done its work!
This wasn’t some innocent little peck. The two of them were locked in a deep, passionate kiss.
And before long, Namgung Hwi’s hand was slyly slipping beneath the front of his master’s robe.
“Hwi… Hwi-ya. The sun hasn’t even set yet…”
“What does that matter? Even if it’s a little early, who cares?”
I didn’t know exactly what the spring breeze had done to him, but Namgung Hwi had grown remarkably bold.
His master still seemed embarrassed. She gently caught his hand and spoke shyly.
“Still… we shouldn’t do this outside.”
“Then shall we go inside?”
At Namgung Hwi’s sly grin, the master hesitated for a moment before slowly rising from her seat.
Namgung Hwi stood as well, wrapping his arm around her waist, and the two of them disappeared into the room together.
After that, I voluntarily dulled my hearing for the sake of their privacy.
There was no need to listen to the creaking sounds, the heavy breathing, or the moans.
Yet even after entering the room, the two of them continued well into the night.
Well, Namgung Hwi was a hot-blooded young man who had learned martial arts. He was twenty-three now, wasn’t he? It made sense.
In fact, it was impressive that he had held back for so long.
So I simply left the area. There was no reason to stay.
I would rest in a nearby town and return around noon tomorrow.
There was no longer any need to leave them here. It was time to have a proper talk.
The next day.
I dressed neatly and climbed Qing Mountain again at a leisurely pace.
I didn’t hide my presence. There was no need for that anymore.
After all, the only people living here were the two of them.
When I reached the place where they stayed, the master of the Qing Mountain Sect and Namgung Hwi were already outside, swords drawn.
Even though I had deliberately spread my aura in a non-threatening way, the two of them were still extremely wary.
I stopped in front of them and smiled as warmly as I could.
I was curious what kind of expression I must look like to them. Probably something like a grandfather gazing at his grandchildren.
“I’m pleased to finally reveal myself before you like this. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kang Jeong-un, master of the Silent Sword Forest. For the sake of smooth conversation, I will tell you in advance—I have taken in both Ha Jinhee and Namgung Yeonhwa.”
Namgung Hwi’s eyes widened.
A natural reaction. Hearing that I had taken in his younger sister and the woman who had once been her bodyguard, he could hardly respond any other way.
“You must have many questions, but let me speak first. I heard about you from Yeonhwa. Based on the countless stories you told her about the Qing Mountain legend, I searched this place and found you both. That was early last summer, so it has been nearly a year. The reason I am showing myself now is that I wish to hear your intentions. It also seems like it’s about time for the brother and sister to reunite.”
“You said you were the master of the Silent Sword Forest? I have never heard that name before.”
“You wouldn’t have. It is not a name known to the world. Though the same could be said of the Qing Mountain Sect, could it not?”
Their eyes were still filled with caution. Their expressions showed they found it difficult to fully trust my words.
I had expected as much.
A man who had witnessed his clan’s massacre with his own eyes and a woman from a mysterious one-to-one transmission sect living hidden in the mountains—neither would easily believe a stranger’s words.
So I showed them the most certain proof.
I simply released my full aura to demonstrate my strength.
The moment I released my energy, both of them gritted their teeth and raised their protective qi.
Though there wasn’t the slightest hint of malice in my power, they trembled as they endured it. I quickly withdrew my aura.
“You will suffer no loss by following me. If I had meant you harm, I would have done it long ago. I showed you that just now only to prove it. I have no intention of forcing you with power. If the method displeased you, I apologize.”
“Just what… is all this about?”
Namgung Hwi looked at me with a confused expression and muttered.
Yet his eyes were still alive with spirit.
The eyes of a man with people to protect. The gaze of someone prepared to fight.
Though his achievement was still lower than his master and lover, Namgung Hwi showed a rather admirable side.
“The Silent Sword Forest is in Chang’an. Jinhee and Yeonhwa are there. So I hope you will take a chance and follow me. No matter what I say in this situation, it seems you won’t easily accept it. But once you meet those children, I believe you will be able to take my words more seriously.”
Namgung Hwi continued to stare at me, but gave no answer.
From the looks of it, the two of them seemed to be exchanging sound transmissions.
They were probably discussing the current situation and the truth of my words.
Still, I wasn’t particularly worried.
The fact that I knew Jinhee’s real name—Seolha’s original name—would greatly reduce Namgung Hwi’s suspicion toward me.
If Seolha were being used by me in a bad way, she would never have told me her real name.
“You said Chang’an?”
“That’s right.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment while we prepare a few things.”
“There isn’t much to prepare. Just come as you are. Do as you wish.”
At my words, the two went inside, gathered a few simple belongings, and came back out.
It was a little strange, though.
No matter how I had brought up Seolha and Yeonhwa first, it was surprising that Namgung Hwi was taking the lead instead of the master of the Qing Mountain Sect.
It seemed becoming lovers had changed things significantly.
Even though he was her disciple, the initiative had clearly shifted to Namgung Hwi’s side.
That meant the relationship between the two was now more that of lovers than master and disciple.
In any case, I took the lead, and the two of them began to follow me.