Chapter 213
Chapter 213
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 59
>Chapter Title: On the Ship (3)
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“That glimpse you caught of this old man earlier wasn’t mere coincidence, was it?”
‘!?’
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes sharpened at the voice coming from behind him.
‘Earlier?’
Mok Kyung-un recalled the moment before entering the village.
The old man who had vanished in the blink of an eye the instant he looked away.
‘...He was definitely staring at the river then too. And he noticed that I was watching him?’
Realizing this, Mok Kyung-un’s thoughts grew far more complex than before.
The old man behind him seemed like a monster whose strength he couldn’t even begin to fathom.
Then, a crisp voice rang in Mok Kyung-un’s ear.
-Child. You didn’t notice him at all?
‘...’
He hadn’t noticed.
Not with his eyes, nor with his qi sense.
-Grip!
Mok Kyung-un realized his hand had clenched tightly without him knowing.
Even when he’d met the leader of the Heaven-Earth Society—one of the Six Heavens, the pinnacle of the current martial world—he hadn’t felt this tense.
Of course, the leader had been weakened by a long illness, but this felt entirely different.
His mind raced through countless strategies, yet they all seemed utterly meaningless.
The gap in power was that overwhelming.
‘Just what is this old man?’
Cheongryeong was equally stunned.
Until now, Mok Kyung-un had never shown much tension no matter who he faced.
It was probably due to his iron will, fearless of death or pain.
But seeing this child so on edge was a first for her.
Just what was the identity of this old fellow?
As she puzzled over it, the old man spoke.
“I was just going to express my gratitude, but this is intriguing.”
“...What’s so intriguing?”
“I wondered how you spotted this old man, but your aura is extraordinary.”
“What do you mean...”
“In all my long years, I’ve never seen anyone your age carrying an aura like that of the dead or otherworldly beings.”
‘!!!!!’
At the old man’s words, Mok Kyung-un’s left eye twitched.
It was unprecedented.
A living person—not a lingering spirit—had precisely detected his deathly aura.
Even sensing the demonic aura within his body.
He was clearly a living being, not a spectral entity. How had he discerned his energy?
As Mok Kyung-un reeled in shock, the old man continued.
“Hmm. But that’s not all. Deathly aura, frigid yin energy, poisonous miasma... you carry every dangerous energy imaginable—even the otherworldly demonic aura.”
‘Huh?’
Mok Kyung-un was genuinely dumbfounded.
What on earth was this old man’s true nature?
He hadn’t even touched Mok Kyung-un’s body, yet he’d read nearly all of his energies.
However, he hadn’t mentioned the demonic qi that unified them all, suggesting he hadn’t detected that.
Still, sensing the deathly aura alone meant he’d grasped most of it.
Mok Kyung-un decided to ask outright.
“...Elder. Who exactly are you? And how did you board this ship?”
He doubted he’d get an answer, but as he spoke, he gathered qi into his soles.
Just in case.
It was then.
“Young man. I have no intention of harming you, so relax.”
-A hand reaches for his back!
-Papapapapak!
At Cheongryeong’s words, Mok Kyung-un reflexively unleashed the Clear Water Moon Step, attempting a high-speed retreat to widen the distance from the old man.
He spun around after instantly creating space.
But the old man, whom he’d expected to pursue or react, simply stood there with hands clasped behind his back.
‘!?’
Upon clearly seeing the old man’s face, a glint flashed in Mok Kyung-un’s eyes.
He carried a bamboo fishing pole, and Mok Kyung-un’s prior impression had been vague since he hadn’t seen his face clearly—but this was the complete opposite.
Rather than swarthy, the old man’s face was strikingly pale, and his white beard was neatly groomed.
He exuded the air of a scholar from his youth.
The only thing that didn’t fit was his piercing gaze.
The old man then spoke.
“I thought you were cool-headed, but you’ve got a spirited side too.”
“I don’t like being grabbed from behind.”
“Is that so? But with your level of cultivation, you must already know that no amount of struggling would matter against someone like me.”
“...”
Mok Kyung-un didn’t deny it.
The bamboo fishing pole in the old man’s clasped hands.
From some point, it had begun feeling like a razor-sharp sword.
The moment it moved and grazed him, his body would likely split in two.
That tension had all his nerves locked onto the old man.
The old man then looked at Mok Kyung-un’s face and spoke with intrigued eyes.
“I figured you’d be past thirty despite your youth, but this is unexpected.”
“Thank you for seeing me as mature, but I haven’t even hit twenty yet.”
“Not even twenty? Hahaha.”
The old man burst into hearty laughter.
Mok Kyung-un looked puzzled and asked.
“Why are you laughing?”
“What a fated coincidence. To encounter such talent once more on a ship like this.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Just an old memory surfacing.”
Mok Kyung-un showed no interest in the old man’s nostalgic tone.
He had only one concern.
Why had this mysterious old man boarded the ship and approached him?
The old man lightly shook his head and said.
“Relax. If I intended you harm, I would have done it long ago.”
“...My apologies. I’m the suspicious type.”
“Is that so? Honesty is a virtue.”
“Thank you for seeing it that way. But if you’re not here to harm me, Elder, then why did you board this ship?”
“Ah, right, right. You asked that. After passing a hundred years, the memory isn’t what it used to be.”
‘A hundred?’
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes narrowed at the old man’s words.
His beard and hair were pure white, but the wrinkles were fewer than expected.
Judging by appearance alone—and accounting for deep inner cultivation—he’d guessed somewhere between sixty and seventy.
Yet he claimed to be over a hundred?
As he marveled inwardly, the old man spoke.
“I didn’t mean to put you on guard. I just came to express my thanks.”
“Thanks...?”
“Indeed.”
Mok Kyung-un tilted his head.
He had no prior connection with the old man. What could he possibly be thanking him for?
Puzzled, he followed the old man’s gaze back toward the shore and village they’d left.
As Mok Kyung-un looked, the old man spoke.
“I hadn’t visited Little River Village in ages, and someone had dug up an old friend’s grave and shrine.”
“An old friend?”
“Yes. A truly steadfast man of deep loyalty.”
Mok Kyung-un couldn’t hide his inner surprise at the old man’s words.
Could this old man... have known the lingering spirit Ha Yoon?
-Hah!
Cheongryeong let out an exclamation of shock too.
And rightly so—Ha Yoon was a high-grade lingering spirit on par with a Qing Spirit.
To reach that level required harboring grudge for over a century.
Which meant the old man had truly lived past a hundred.
Then, Mok Kyung-un asked Cheongryeong curiously.
-If he’s over a hundred, you might know him, right?
Cheongryeong had reached Blue Spirit level after absorbing the Sea Corpse King’s demonic aura, but she’d actually lingered as a spirit for about a century.
This could mean the old man had roamed the martial world in her era.
But,
-I don’t know.
-You don’t?
-He’s not in my memories.
-You’re sure?
Someone who’d lived so long and possessed unfathomable strength must have been renowned in his youth.
Yet Cheongryeong claimed no recognition.
-Maybe his aged appearance threw you off?
-Aged? Hmm, perhaps. Then dig for his name, child. He might be someone I’ve heard of.
Appearances and voices change with time, especially after over a century.
Mok Kyung-un resolved to learn the old man’s name through conversation.
“...By any chance, is the person you mean Ha Yoon?”
“Yes, that’s the one. I was pondering whether to fish while deciding what to do about it when you smashed that manor. Thanks to you, my deceased friend’s grudge seems eased, if only a little. Fortunate indeed.”
“...”
Mok Kyung-un felt puzzled.
Something didn’t add up.
Did the old man see lingering spirits or not?
He could detect even deathly aura, so why not spirits? Yet his words suggested otherwise, leaving it ambiguous.
Without showing his doubts, Mok Kyung-un replied.
“That wasn’t intentional.”
“Intended or not, you did what I planned to do. That’s why I want to express my gratitude.”
From the old man’s words, it seemed Woo In-yeom and his clan were fated for punishment regardless.
At least, fortunately, this monstrous old man truly had no ill intent.
With that, Mok Kyung-un could relax and ask.
He politely clasped his hands and bowed.
“My apologies, but since fate brought us together, may this junior ask for your esteemed name, Elder?”
“My name?”
“Yes.”
The old man shook his head with a wry smile.
“It’s a name long forgotten. What use is it to you?”
“But...”
“Hahaha. Does fate require knowing a name to connect? It finds its form regardless.”
“...If you say so, I have no choice.”
The old man clearly had no intention of revealing his name or identity.
Pressing further against someone overwhelmingly stronger than himself would do no good, so Mok Kyung-un quickly gave up.
Just avoiding enmity with such a monster was cause for thanks.
The old man then said.
“To that end, as thanks and a token for this fateful meeting, I offer a small gift.”
“A gift?”
“You seem to practice the sword.”
The old man suddenly extended his hand toward Mok Kyung-un.
Then,
-Pak!
‘Huh?’
The sheath of the Demon Instant Sword at Mok Kyung-un’s waist flew off entirely with the blade inside.
It was swiftly drawn into the old man’s hand.
Puzzled by the intent, Mok Kyung-un watched as the old man spoke.
“I hope this suffices as recompense.”
-Sring!
No sooner had he spoken than the Demon Instant Sword slid from its sheath, baring its blade.
Mok Kyung-un cried out in alarm.
“Elder, that sword is...”
He meant to warn that the demonic sword was dangerous to handle carelessly.
But an astonishing sight unfolded.
The moment the old man gripped the hilt of the drawn Demon Instant Sword,
-Wuuuuung!
A powerful resonance emanated from it, the blade quivering violently—only to still moments later.
‘He subdued the sword?’
Mok Kyung-un was genuinely astounded.
Anyone who gripped the Demon Instant Sword would have their desires exposed by its demonic nature.
It had even resonated, unleashing its full demonic fury, yet its sword heart was swiftly suppressed.
As he marveled, the old man muttered.
“What a coincidence. The old hermit’s demonic sword...”
He had instantly recognized the sword’s nature.
No ordinary old man indeed.
“Elder, are you alright?”
He looked fine, but Mok Kyung-un asked politely.
The old man gazed at the sword with a faint smile.
“Young man, you stir up many forgotten memories for this old man.”
“...What do you mean?”
“No matter. Look at this.”
With that, the old man swiftly traced a dazzling trajectory with the Demon Instant Sword, as if performing a sword dance.
-Chak! Chachachachak!
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes couldn’t leave the blade.
The pure arc, like drawing the full moon in the night sky, was utterly shocking.
How could such a simple sword form be flawless?
-Chachachachak!
The technique was so exquisite and impeccable that he couldn’t look away.
Cheongryeong was equally stunned.
A master swordswoman in life, she recognized each stroke transcended mere form into peerless swordplay.
Yet the swordplay with the Demon Instant Sword felt strangely familiar.
‘Why does this swordplay feel so familiar?’
Mok Kyung-un felt it too.
At some point, every sword form the old man wielded felt deeply familiar.
Unmistakably new forms, yet nostalgic.
What could it mean?
As doubt filled him, Cheongryeong spoke in a shocked voice.
-...Impossible.
-What is it?
-Child...
-Yes?
-...Moonless Void Sword.
‘Moonless... Void Sword!?’
In that instant, Mok Kyung-un recalled the incantations on the paper Cheongryeong had hidden in the Blood River Valley archive.
She had shown him the hidden forms, saying,
[Consider yourself lucky. These are the sole remaining techniques of the Moonless Void Sword, one of the Five Great Sword Arts symbolizing ancient murim.]
As the incantations etched into his mind, the peerless swordsman he’d witnessed in that trance began overlapping with the old man.
End of Chapter 59 On the Ship (3)