Chapter 71
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Farewells Never Become Familiar
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“Uh…?”
I stared blankly at the glass that had slipped from my hand as my grip suddenly loosened. The glass had shattered into pieces on the floor.
With a crash, Bihwan set down his chopsticks and rushed over, pulling me back to keep me from stepping on the shards as he grumbled.
“Aren’t you sore from training? I told you to go easy yesterday.”
“No, I’m fine.”
I lightly clenched and unclenched my hand to prove it. Meanwhile, Bihwan ordered Bihun to fetch a broom and rag.
As I reached out absentmindedly to clear the larger pieces, Bihun, muttering to himself as he walked over, accidentally kicked it. My fingertip got properly sliced by the shard.
“Ow.”
Bihun froze at my irritated sigh and the drops of blood falling to the floor, then quickly dropped to his knees and bowed his head.
“Already on edge, and now bad luck from the morning.”
I grumbled as I pressed my finger tightly with my other hand to stop the bleeding.
Ever since I started holding a sword, blood was a daily sight, so a wound on my body didn’t faze me.
It was just seeing blood first thing in the morning that bothered me.
The Grand Sect Leader had shown improvement a few days ago and been moved back to his quarters from the infirmary.
But visits were still not allowed, so I couldn’t fully relax, and my mood had been at its peak irritability lately.
I hoped it was just my anxiety, but that hope shattered like the glass that morning.
During self-training, an Outer Disciple came running up and whispered something to Uijin, who was supervising us.
Uijin glanced at me with a bitter expression. The moment I intuited its meaning, my heart sank.
The day I never wanted to face had finally arrived.
I don’t know how—or with what mindset—I moved my feet, but following Uijin, we arrived at the Grand Sect Leader’s quarters.
The sword brother and sword uncle couldn’t enter the room and stood outside. I tried to stay between them, but a voice from inside called me, forcing me to open the door.
The eyes of the Elders, the remaining Grand Elders, and Do-eul Grand Martial Uncle—direct disciple of the Grand Sect Leader—turned to me.
I shuffled in beyond the door, and the Sect Leader beckoned me over, making space for me to sit right beside him—next to the Grand Sect Leader’s bed.
The Grand Sect Leader was saying something, but it mixed into a dizzying noise, leaving only a ringing in my ears. I just sat in my assigned spot, tears dripping down.
The ringing faded and sounds cleared up when a hoarse voice rasped my name.
“And don’t grieve too much, Biyeon.”
At those words, I lifted my bowed head to look at the Grand Sect Leader elder. I rubbed my eyes hard through the blurry tears, but a hand reached out as if to say not to.
“Facing farewell is part of growing up, too.”
It wasn’t his usual calm voice, but a slow one laced with labored breaths. Tears kept flowing, so I squeezed my eyes shut.
My knees, quiet for a while, began to ache again. The hand weakly gripping mine finally unleashed the choked sobs I’d held back.
“Hnngh… You never said growing pains hurt this much… Hic…”
I sobbed with hiccups, managing a reply in a clogged voice, and a wrinkled palm patted the back of my hand.
“Give me your sword.”
The sword by the Grand Sect Leader’s head passed through the Sect Leader’s and Grand Sect Leader’s hands into mine.
I stared for a long time at the rough, worn scabbard etched with years, then carefully asked.
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
“It’s yours now.”
Everyone’s gazes turned to me—to be precise, to the sword I held. Some Elders murmured, as if this wasn’t pre-arranged, but the Sect Leader’s warning cough silenced them quickly.
“The day you, barely old enough to walk, grabbed this sword from the office… I thought I’d pass it to you someday…”
The Grand Sect Leader let out a dry, cough-mingled laugh, as if finally handing it over.
“I’m truly sorry I won’t see your growth anymore…”
“I’ll grow strong. So I won’t shame Mount Hua.”
I swallowed the tears welling up again at his gentle smile to the end, forcing one back. My lips trembled, but I didn’t want my final goodbye to be just tears.
I knew it was what the Grand Sect Leader wanted.
He slowly looked around the room once, a faint smile on his lips, then gently closed his eyes.
“Everyone… take good care of Mount Hua.”
Those were his last words.
Once his passing was confirmed, a white cloth draped over the Grand Sect Leader’s face.
I stared blankly at that white cloth as wails erupted from all around. I gripped the sword tightly and bowed my head deeply. Jinyul’s hand rested comfortingly on my shoulder.
It was the end of a long childhood.
* * *
With the ancestral tablet placed in the shrine, the long funeral rites finally concluded.
The sword brothers and uncles had little connection to the Grand Elder, who was leagues above them, so I was the only one flailing in grief.
If Uihyeon, Uiseong, and the other martial siblings hadn’t looked after me the whole time, I’d have lost my mind and bashed my head somewhere.
The sword clutched tightly in my arms throughout the funeral didn’t enter its scabbard even a week after it ended.
“This is something.”
I muttered, nudging a neatly halved leaf with my toe. The ground was piled with leaves cut identically.
For a week, I’d swung at falling leaves, so this much progress was expected.
The fact that the person who’d been a huge part of my life after Uiseong and Uihyeon was gone brought a profound emptiness and sense of loss.
Staying cooped up in my room, wallowing in sorrow without doing anything, wouldn’t help at all. With that judgment, I left the Upper Palace and immersed myself in training at a suitable spot on Lotus Peak.
The training ground Jinyul recommended was quietly secluded, with a waterfall not too fierce, perfect for clearing my head of stray thoughts.
As for meals… no deliveries, so I made do with barley cakes. Lucky I’d gotten used to their taste beforehand. It was basically a preview of secluded training. Except now, all directions were wide open.
I swung at another fluttering leaf. It split precisely in half and fell.
As expected of a famed sword—the feel in my hand was incredible.
It was still a bit big and heavy for my size, but I’d grow into it naturally.
I smiled in satisfaction at my more refined sword forms compared to a week ago, but footsteps from behind made me tense.
They weren’t hiding their presence, so probably not an attack, but caution never hurt.
Soon, a familiar face emerged from the thick bushes, and I relaxed.
“What? How’d you find this place?”
“Elder Jinyul told me. You think I’d scour this massive Lotus Peak, searching desperately for you?”
Bireung replied with a straight face.
“I see. Then let me rephrase ‘how’ to ‘why.’”
“Martial Uncle Uihyeon asked when you’d return to the Upper Palace.”
“Why didn’t Master come himself?”
“I asked that too, and he said a peer might get a more honest answer from you than he would. Oh, and if you haven’t gathered your thoughts yet, stay as long as you need.”
Even if Uihyeon came himself, it wouldn’t be a burden. Still, being considered felt nice.
I picked up the scabbard from the rock, sheathed the sword, and turned to Bireung.
“Got it. I was about to head back anyway.”
Bireung glanced at the sword I held and let out a short sigh.
“Maybe it’s good you weren’t at the Upper Palace. The fuss they made over that sword…”
Leaving the Upper Palace had been a brilliant choice. I’d expected noise over this sword.
“Can’t blame them. It’s the Plum Blossom Sword forged from millennial cold iron—who wouldn’t go crazy? Handing it to a mere third-generation disciple must sting for the sect elders. Especially Elder Jinmyeong, your disciple.”
Snow amid Plum Blossoms Sword.
A treasured blade forged from millennial cold iron, the pinnacle of cold irons. I’d heard it belonged to the Grand Sect Leader, who was Mount Hua’s greatest sword of his generation.
Everyone assumed it would go to Elder Jinmyeong, the Grand Sect Leader’s disciple, but out of nowhere, I got it. And my lineage—from Uihyeon upward—didn’t even trace to the Grand Sect Leader.
Normally, I’d have yielded it quietly before any uproar, but for a millennial cold iron treasured sword, I couldn’t just hand it over.
It was the only memento from the Grand Sect Leader given to me, after all. Don’t I deserve at least one keepsake to remember my longtime guardian?
With the sturdiest backer—the Grand Sect Leader—gone, whether I could keep this sword safe was another question.
Walking side by side, Bireung slyly measured my height with her hand and let out a small laugh. A proud smile.
“You’ve grown a lot. Growing pains any better?”
I stretched with a yawn, gazing up at the sunset sky.
To say I’d overcome the grief of farewell in a mere week would be a lie. But I’d learned how to face it, so that was enough.
The still-throbbing ankle and knee pains felt familiar now as I brushed them off casually.
“Yeah, I can bear it now.”