Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Weight of a Name
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Inside the main hall of the White Serpent Guild, two factions sat facing each other.
The executives of the Black Ghost Guild, dressed in drab black robes and martial attire.
The executives of the White Serpent Guild, clad in brilliant white robes and martial attire.
These two groups, which would normally never mix, now faced one another under Gwiyeong's command.
Seated on opposite sides, they were subtly engaged in a war of nerves, while Gwiyeong watched them from the master's chair.
With Gwiyeong watching them intently, no one dared to speak, but their gazes alone dripped with deep hostility.
It was only natural, as the Black Ghost Guild and the White Serpent Guild had long been rivals competing over the same territory.
It was Gwiyeong's role as their new leader to mediate and quell this conflict.
"Had enough of glaring at each other? If so, focus."
At Gwiyeong's chiding remark and wry smile, the Black Ghost Guild executives immediately lowered their heads and fixed their attention on her as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this, the White Serpent Guild executives, though a bit slower, did the same.
"Then let's begin the meeting. I'll get straight to the point."
Gwiyeong looked at the White Serpent Guild executives and asked.
"We will prepare for the Black Dragon Society's attack. Before that, does anyone know why their Leader sent an executive of the Branch Leader's rank?"
At her question, a man who appeared quite old among the executives spoke up cautiously.
"I have heard a little about that."
"You were the White Serpent Guild's general manager, weren't you? Go on, speak."
"The White Serpent Guild's Leader—no, the former leader, was promised to be taught a new martial art if he passed the Society Leader's test. The test was to inflict great damage on the Black Ghost Guild."
"Why us, specifically?"
"The other three guild leaders received similar tests. The main trial is to crush a nearby unorthodox guild of similar influence and build a reputation."
"Is that all?"
"The Black Dragon Society's Leader taking an interest in you, Lady Gwiyeong, is likely another reason a Branch Leader-level figure was dispatched."
"Hmm, I see."
This wasn't good.
She pondered for a moment before asking.
"How long do you think it will take for the Black Dragon Society's Leader to get here?"
"Since the Branch Leader who was supposed to deliver the news is dead, he'll probably find out a little late. However, how the Society Leader will react when he hears the information is..."
"Enough. He'll likely come storming in, ready to kill me. I did kill one of his only three disciples and a Branch Leader-level executive, after all."
"..."
The faces of the White Serpent Guild executives darkened.
The Black Ghost Guild executives, too, had looks of anxiety.
He was one of the highest-ranking executives of the Heretic Alliance, a member of the Four Lords of the Black Heaven.
He was a master whose combat prowess was second only to the Alliance Leader within the Unorthodox Faction.
No matter how powerful Gwiyeong was, defeating such a figure seemed impossible.
After a moment of contemplation, Gwiyeong rose from her chair and walked toward the main entrance of the hall, speaking as she went.
"For now, if the Society Leader shows up at the White Serpent Guild, don't do anything foolish. Just inform me. I'll be at the Black Ghost Guild's headquarters."
"Yes. We will do so."
Even though she had captured the hearts of the White Serpent Guild's members with her speech today, she couldn't expect them to stand against the Black Dragon Society.
A fight is only possible between equals. Who would stand with open arms to block a coming disaster?
The White Serpent Guild was a force she could only properly absorb after everything was settled.
With that, Gwiyeong left a few executives to manage the White Serpent Guild and returned to her own base with her subordinates.
As she led her people across the town, the villagers parted ways, their eyes filled with fear.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
Gwiyeong walked on, taking in the gazes of the townspeople.
Their eyes held nothing but fear and awe for her.
A short while later, she arrived at the Black Ghost Guild's main building and spoke to the general manager.
"I will be in my office. Do not disturb me unless it's urgent."
"Yes, understood."
*Clack.*
Closing the door behind her, she sank into a chair and let out a deep sigh.
"Hoo..."
That heavy sigh revealed the immense weight of the burden Gwiyeong carried.
Watching Gwiyeong rest with her eyes closed, Gale Blade spoke.
[You won't be able to handle this alone.]
"..."
She didn't refute his words, for they were true.
[Why do you insist on heading down a dead end?]
"What are you talking about?"
[Why not just abandon everything and run? You could at least save your own life.]
"That's absolutely not an option."
Gwiyeong answered immediately and firmly.
[Why not?]
"...I can't lose everything I've built like this."
[Is it that precious? More so than your life?]
Hearing Gale Blade's question, she turned her head to watch the setting sun outside the window.
After a moment, she asked in a voice that seemed to have lost some of its strength.
"You... were you really from the Righteous Path?"
[You don't believe it?]
She let out a small laugh and replied.
"Of course not. Every member of the Orthodox Factions I've ever seen at least pretended to be polite and proper on the surface. Well, except for the fools who truly know nothing but justice."
[I used to be like that on the surface, a long time ago.]
"Hmph, don't lie. I've never seen or heard of a righteous warrior who teases a woman as crudely as you do."
[Did you expect me to maintain my etiquette and decorum even while trapped in a weapon, reduced to a mere tool?]
"Heh, that sounds like an excuse."
She replied with a faint smile.
Gale Blade gazed at Gwiyeong intently and asked.
[It seems you remember someone in particular.]
As Gale Blade asked in a slightly more serious tone than usual, Gwiyeong mulled over her memories before slowly answering.
"Not really, no."
[That's a lie.]
"What makes you think so?"
[When you lie, your voice loses its strength.]
"How long have we known each other for you to have figured that out already?"
[To be honest, I just said what I felt. Seeing your reaction, I guess it really was a lie.]
"..."
Gwiyeong looked at Gale Blade with a slightly flustered expression, then spoke.
"There was someone, when I was young."
She reminisced about the past as she watched the setting sun.
"A fool who spoke of justice in a town overrun by heretics."
[Who was it?]
She remained silent for a moment before slowly opening her mouth.
"My father."
[Your father? But you're...]
Gale Blade started to say something but stopped himself, deciding to listen.
As if she had anticipated his reaction, Gwiyeong let out a wry laugh and replied.
"Are you surprised? That the father of a villainess like me was from the Righteous Path."
[...I'm listening.]
"It's a common story. A warrior from a Daoist sect, wandering the martial world, falls in love with a woman and decides to leave the mountain."
[It happens quite often.]
"I heard my father was a warrior from the Qingcheng Sect. A place with strict Daoist rules. It seems he couldn't remain at the main temple."
Among the Nine Great Sects, the Qingcheng Sect was known to be particularly strict, along with the Wudang Sect.
It was a place dedicated solely to the pursuit of the Dao, where relationships with the opposite sex were taboo.
"So my father settled in a small, quiet village with my mother, who was carrying me. To provide for my mother and me, he gave up the path of a warrior and became a farmer."
[He learned martial arts only to become a farmer?]
"Because any job that requires martial arts is dangerous."
[That's true.]
With a family, risking one's life in fights is a dangerous prospect.
Besides, the village wasn't large enough to establish a martial arts school under the Qingcheng Sect's name.
As such, most people there were engaged in their own livelihoods rather than learning martial arts.
Furthermore, what right did a disciple, who was essentially kicked out for breaking the rules, have to use the Qingcheng Sect's name?
"Anyway, I remember life being quite decent back then. My mother and father were both good people. But it wasn't long before a group of heretics entered the village. Naturally, they started tormenting the villagers, committing all sorts of evil deeds."
"My father went to confront the heretics himself, for the sake of the villagers and our family."
Gwiyeong fell silent for a moment, clenching her fists.
[So what happened?]
After a brief pause, she answered in a voice devoid of emotion.
"He died. Decapitated."
[...]
"His head was hung in the village square. My mother and I were about to be captured by the heretics. I only managed to escape thanks to my mother's help."
Gwiyeong turned her head to look at Gale Blade and spoke slowly.
"Do you know what I realized after that experience?"
Her eyes were filled with a twisted obsession.
"Justice without power is incompetence. My father was incompetent."
[But still, he stepped forward to protect you and your family, didn't he?]
"He did. But that doesn't change the fact that he drove my mother to her death. No. Perhaps my father became weak because he met my mother. If he had remained alone, he would have continued to learn martial arts and become strong."
[...They were the ones who brought you into this world.]
"I know. Still, I learned one thing from them."
Her eyes trembled as she replied to Gale Blade.
"Never keep anyone by your side who could become a burden. Isn't that why I became this strong on my own? I am different. I will become a perfect being, alone, with no one by my side. So that no one will ever dare to look down on me."
Gale Blade listened to her words in silence.
"My father gave me the name Gwiyeong."
[Your name was Ghost Shadow?]
"No, 'Gwiyeong' (Ghost Shadow) is the name I chose. My original name was also pronounced 'Gwiyeong,' but it meant 'Noble Flower.' Funny, isn't it? A noble flower in this harsh world. I don't want to be in such a weak position, coveted by everyone. Only a being that everyone fears, one they don't even dare to meet the gaze of, can survive."
Gwiyeong's breathing grew ragged.
The shadow within her that she had wanted to hide had revealed itself.
She swallowed once, then turned her head away and said.
"...I've said something unnecessary. I must be tired, spouting such nonsense."
Gale Blade did not miss this opportunity.
He spoke slowly to Gwiyeong in a very serious tone.
[That's a dark story.]
"I don't really think so. It's not the kind of tale you can go around complaining about. It's just... just a story that could happen anywhere, isn't it?"
[There are many who don't experience such things.]
Seeing Gale Blade's unexpected reaction, Gwiyeong glanced at him.
As their eyes met, Gale Blade replied in a much softer tone than usual.
[You asked me. Why I'm not like a righteous warrior.]
"...I did."
[Since I've heard your story, I'll tell you a bit of mine. The story of how I came to be trapped in a weapon.]