Chapter 274: Dream (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 274: Dream (3)
The dream did not end after a single night.
For several days, Seo-jun had the exact same dream.
A creature with a long, serpentine body. Bubbles rising in the wake of its movements. And a universe contained within each of them.
Seo-jun saw himself asleep inside a building, situated on a continent, resting on a planet within that very universe.
I open my eyes. I meet my own gaze. I look at myself.
Then, suddenly, I speak.
Awaken from this dream.
*
He was told to wake up, so he did.
Seo-jun bolted upright, his eyes landing on Geum Chun-bong, who was snoring away beside him.
"Mmmph..."
Smack, smack. She was smacking her lips, as if feasting on something delicious in her sleep.
An irresistible urge washed over him...
Seo-jun stealthily slipped a finger between Chun-bong’s slightly parted lips.
Her even, pearly white teeth immediately began to nibble on it.
"Nom..."
Perhaps realizing it wasn't something meant to be chewed, Chun-bong changed tactics. She began to suck on the finger instead.
Slurp...
She sucked so vigorously that the outline of his finger pressed visibly against her plump cheek.
"Pah...!"
Finally realizing it wasn't food, Geum Chun-bong spat out his finger and rolled over, turning her back to him.
Seo-jun nonchalantly wiped his saliva-covered finger on his pants.
He was wide awake now. He could probably force himself back to sleep if he tried, but he didn't really want to.
As he sat there blankly, faint light began to bleed through the window.
It was morning. Or perhaps still dawn?
He got up and left the room. The chilly dawn breeze seeped through his clothes.
Of course, he had achieved Cold and Heat Immunity long ago. The morning chill held no sway over a martial artist of the Transcendent Realm.
Seo-jun let out a massive yawn and was about to walk away... before pivoting right back into the room.
When he emerged again, Geum Chun-bong was piggybacked on his shoulders, still dead to the world.
"Ugh..."
Feeling the cold breeze, Chun-bong clung tighter to his back.
Bearing her weight, Seo-jun set out for a morning stroll.
Despite the early hour, the Namgung Clan estate was already bustling with diligent people.
A man walking briskly while adjusting his collar spotted Seo-jun and practically jumped out of his skin.
"Greetings to the Grand Master...!"
"Hey, take it easy."
"Good morning, sir!"
"Yeah, sure. Off to work?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Busy so early in the morning. Keep up the good work."
"It is the honor of three lifetimes!"
"I mean, it’s not that big of a deal..."
The man bowed stiffly and marched away with a beaming smile.
"Yawn... What’s all this...?"
Perhaps woken by the loud greeting, Chun-bong poked her head over Seo-jun’s shoulder.
Her soft cheek brushed against his. Seo-jun immediately proceeded to rub his face vigorously against her plump cheek.
"You’ve been kidnapped."
"What...?"
Lee Seo-jun, the self-proclaimed kidnapper of Geum Chun-bong, strolled leisurely toward the main gates of the Namgung Clan.
Clatter—!
The gates opened just then, signaling the arrival of guests. Through the slowly parting doors, a man and three children appeared.
"Oh?"
They were familiar faces.
"Did you bring the kids out for a field trip?"
As Seo-jun gave a casual wave, the man spotted him and immediately offered a crisp fist and palm salute.
"Young Master!"
It was Ja-cheong of the Heavenly Wind Unit.
When was that again?
Back when he first met Hwangbo Jun to hunt down Jang-geuk, the Chief of the Green Forest. After taking Jang-geuk as a subordinate, they had rescued the people kidnapped by the Black Lotus Union.
At the time, one martial artist from the Heavenly Wind Unit had stayed behind as an instructor, promising to teach the rescued children martial arts. That man was Ja-cheong.
"Mister! Long time no see!"
One of the children ran up and clung to Seo-jun’s pant leg.
Was her name Hee-rin? She was a child who had been particularly fond of Seo-jun. They had even played hand-clapping games together back then.
"Whoa, you’ve grown a lot."
"Uh-huh!"
Hee-rin giggled. Seo-jun looked past her to see the two other children offering a surprisingly disciplined fist and palm salute.
It was Seo-hyeol and So-mi.
The boy, Seo-hyeol, was the one who had tearfully begged him to save his kidnapped younger sister, So-mi.
Seo-jun gave a small smirk and waved at them before looking at Ja-cheong, who spoke up.
"Do you remember the Heaven-Chosen Talent Art?"
"Oh? Could it be?"
"Yes. It seems Hee-rin and Seo-hyeol have the talent for it."
"Two of them? I didn't think there were that many people in that village."
"Haha! They were talented children to begin with."
If he recalled correctly, the martial art he had left for them to learn was the Spirit Thunder Sword Technique. He remembered taking a random technique he’d picked up somewhere and modifying it slightly for their use.
"Well, I'll be."
To think things would turn out like this.
Seo-jun watched the retreating figures of Ja-cheong and the three children as they headed inside. Chun-bong, still resting on his back, watched them too.
"Are those the kids? The ones you mentioned before?"
"Yeah. Small world, huh?"
To think the boy who had been sobbing about his sister being kidnapped would end up entering the Namgung Clan.
"It’s not official yet."
Chun-bong, ever the realist, pointed out the facts. But in Seo-jun’s eyes, they seemed more than capable of carving out a place for themselves within the Namgung Clan.
As for their character, they had seemed decent enough back then.
"Yawn... You’re up early."
As he headed off to breakfast with Namgung Su-ah, who had just joined them with a small yawn of her own, Seo-jun thought to himself.
Karma, huh...
One never knew how a passing action might return to them later.
How would those children affect his life in the future?
That was something he couldn't know yet.
*
The Transcendent Realm was undoubtedly a magnificent stage.
Most martial artists in the Central Plains wouldn't even dare to dream of reaching it.
Those from small to mid-sized sects mostly dreamed of the Peak Realm, while those from larger sects aimed for the Super Peak Realm.
The Transcendent Realm was not a stage one could reach through talent alone, nor was it a place one arrived at simply because enough time had passed.
But did the path of martial arts end once one reached that vaunted Transcendent Realm?
Not a chance. Even those in the Profound Realm did not speak of the end of martial arts.
Thus, it was not strange at all for a gathering of Transcendent martial artists to lament the hardships of advancing their cultivation.
"The path of martial arts is endless. Is this not a cruel thing? The futility of realizing you are still in the exact same place, just when you thought you had finally taken a step forward..."
Surprisingly, those were the words of the Emperor.
He let out a heavy sigh, his usual playful smirk nowhere to be seen.
"Since we're on the subject, I'm starting to doubt if the Profound Realm actually exists."
Seo-jun replied flatly to the Emperor's remark.
"You saw the Alliance Leader. What are you talking about?"
Do married couples grow to resemble each other? He wasn't sure, but siblings certainly did.
Even if they weren't related by blood.
Seo-jun, fully in his blunt, logical mode, nagged the Emperor.
Naturally, the Emperor was dumbfounded.
"No, that’s not what I meant. I’m saying I can’t even see the wall! I’m just asking for a little empathy here."
"Too bad. I can see it."
"Hah..."
The Emperor tipped a bottle of booze into his mouth. Then, he tossed the empty bottle aside. The messy pile of bottles in the corner was already too high to count.
"Oh dear, are we out of luck?"
The Emperor clicked his tongue. He was sure he had prepared plenty, so where had all the alcohol gone?
The answer was right in front of him.
"Hahaha...! This is some good stuff!"
Peng Geuk-jin, the Head of the Hebei Peng Clan, twisted the neck off a new bottle and poured it straight down his throat.
A clean one-shot.
Watching him, Hwangbo Ryung grimaced.
"Even a beast wouldn't drink like that."
"Of course! No beast could ever keep up with Peng Geuk-jin!"
Pae Jin-gwang, who had tagged along with Seo-jun out of boredom, joined in.
"You know your stuff! But is there any more?"
"Here."
Seo-jun tossed a bottle. Catching it, Pae Jin-gwang raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? What’s this? Were you hiding this the whole time?"
"Hiding it? Why would I do that?"
Seo-jun casually gathered natural energy in his hand. The condensed energy rapidly took the shape of a liquor bottle.
As he tossed it over, the Emperor caught it easily, his brow furrowing.
"What in the... Is that a Space Box?"
"What’s a Space Box?"
"You could call it a treasure of the Imperial Family."
The Emperor smirked and lifted the hem of his robe.
Hundreds of weapons briefly revealed themselves within its folds.
"The secret behind the title 'Emperor of All Weapons,' you could say."
"Oh... that looks useful."
"You bet it is."
"Let me borrow it. I'll give it back in exactly two hundred years."
"Stop talking nonsense."
The Emperor chuckled and took a swig from the bottle. The rich aroma of the spirits lingered in his nose.
"Whew... But I’ve never heard of there being another Space Box besides this one. How did you do it?"
"It’s just a little trick."
Matter was not as grand or special as one might think.
If one lumped together elements like touch, scent, taste, strength, state, and appearance as "properties,"
Then if two substances shared the exact same properties, couldn't they be considered the same substance?
"So, using the same principle as creating Astral Qi, if you do it right, you can create something with the same properties as alcohol."
In short, it was basically Astral Qi that tasted like booze.
The Emperor’s face contorted at the explanation.
"You’ve truly lost it. Be honest. You’re not in the Transcendent Realm, are you? I knew it the moment you couldn't empathize with me."
"I am in the Transcendent Realm. I’ve just never really been blocked by a wall, so I can't relate."
"Haha!"
The Emperor threw his head back and laughed, raising both hands to the sky.
"O Heavens! What are we to do about this goddamn unfair world...?"
Then, he began to cackle as if he’d lost his mind.
"What? Are you drunk?"
"Drunk? A Transcendent master can control his intoxication... Wait, what is this?"
The Emperor’s expression stiffened. He smacked his lips, focusing intently on something, and a bead of transparent liquid formed at his fingertip.
It was the spirits.
"Oho, this is fascinating. You said it was Astral Qi in the form of alcohol? Maybe that’s why the intoxication hits so much harder."
"Is that so?"
"It certainly is. You’d probably master the poison arts if you ever picked them up."
"Martial arts ain't that big of a deal. I’d probably master anything I picked up."
"Haha!"
The Emperor flipped him the middle finger.
Seo-jun gave a short laugh and looked around.
He wondered why it had suddenly gone quiet, only to see Peng Geuk-jin, Pae Jin-gwang, and Hwangbo Ryung gathered together playing mahjong.
Perhaps because they had been chugging Seo-jun’s special brew, all three of their faces were beet red.
Watching them fiddle with the mahjong tiles with dead-serious expressions, Seo-jun let out a hollow laugh.
"Isn't mahjong supposed to be played with four people?"
"They'll figure it out."
"Oh, by the way."
Suddenly remembering something, Seo-jun raised his voice.
"Hey, Mr. Peng!"
"How dare you! Where are your manners...!"
"Lord Peng!"
"What is it!"
"Now that I think about it, didn't the Peng Clan have a technique called the Primordial Unity Thunderbolt Divine Art?"
"We certainly do!"
The "Thunderbolt" part didn't really matter, but...
Primordial Unity.
Seo-jun recalled his recent dreams. That creature with the long body. No matter how much he thought about it, that thing was connected to "Primordial Unity" in some way.
"Can you show it to me?"
At Seo-jun’s request, Peng Geuk-jin stood up with a bright smile.
"Whoa...!"
Clatter! The mahjong game they had been playing so intensely was instantly ruined.
"This guy! He did that on purpose because he thought he was going to lose...!"
Ignoring Pae Jin-gwang’s shouting, Peng Geuk-jin clenched his fists tight.
"Watch closely! This is the Hebei Peng Clan's Primordial Unity Thunderbolt Divine Art!"