Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Sword Flower 2
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Sword Flower Han So-yeon.
Rumors had long circulated that the Sword Empress had a disciple, but since she rarely appeared publicly, the girl existed mostly as a whisper.
However, as time passed and tales about her piled up, word quickly spread that she took after her master—a strikingly beautiful and gentle soul.
As more and more people began hoping she would finally show herself, she made her debut at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
And when she formally revealed herself, no one hesitated to bestow upon her the moniker Sword Flower.
"Heh heh, this year's young talents show such promising futures."
In the spot with the best view of the sparring arena,
the Murim Alliance Leader sat stroking his beard, gazing at the noisy arena in anticipation of the next match. Two empty chairs sat beside him.
His back, known as one of the heroes who stopped the Blood Cult's Blood Tribulation a decade ago, looked rather forlorn.
The Alliance Leader of that era had perished in the war against the Blood Cult, and ten years had now passed since he had hastily stepped into the vacant role.
Countless tournaments, including the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, had come and gone during that time, but rather than filling the empty seats beside him, their numbers had dwindled until only two remained.
Yet despite all that, his mood seemed quite cheerful today.
"Your disciple makes it all the way to the finals before you bother showing up. Isn't that a bit heartless?"
Finally, the owner of one of those empty seats had arrived.
"It means I didn't teach her so poorly that she'd drop out before the finals."
"Heh heh, Lady Yuwol, it's been ages, yet your temperament hasn't changed a bit. Still, after rejecting every invitation for ten years straight, how could I possibly complain when this is the result?"
"...I'm well past the age to be called 'Lady.'"
The young-looking woman displaying such brazen rudeness toward the Murim Alliance Leader was someone whose identity ensured no one would dare reproach her.
She was one of the heroes who, alongside him, had thwarted the Blood Tribulation ten years prior.
"Speaking of which, I expected you might come, but what about the other one?"
"We originally prepared seven empty seats ten years ago, but they've dwindled down to just two now."
"...Wasn't it eight originally?"
"That friend got struck off the official list..."
"...Ah."
They both recalled the same person at once.
A steadfast ally during the war, but after the Blood Tribulation had safely passed, the Divine Thief who stole away with weapons his comrades cherished and vanished.
"How devotedly must you have raised your disciple to forget even that one? I recall Lady Yuwol lost something to him too."
"...I wasn't all that attached to my sword anyway. It was the other one who flew into a rage."
"Haha, Lady Sowol was something else back then. Talking about capturing him and tearing him limb from limb... Hard to believe she was a Daoist."
"That's why she and I never got along."
"It's nice reuniting after so long—it brings back old memories. So, you were curious about the owner of that last empty seat? It's Lady Sowol's."
"Tch."
The Sword Empress clicked her tongue as a certain face came to mind.
"She's still going strong. Both Lady Yuwol and Lady Sowol look not a day older—in fact, even younger. Unlike me."
"..."
Ten years.
Unlike them, the Murim Alliance Leader and the others hadn't reached the rejuvenation of youth and had borne the full weight of those years.
No matter how profound one's martial arts, no one could defy time itself.
"...Shouldn't you focus more on your cultivation now?"
"Heh heh, everyone dumps the Alliance Leader position on me and then says that? You know how busy it is."
"..."
"I've been thinking of stepping down soon anyway. At my age, it feels like time to pass it to the younger generation."
"...May we meet again afterward."
"Heh heh, I'll send invitations next time too—bring your disciple."
Moments later, the finals began, and the two contenders stepped into the arena.
The Sword Dragon of the Namgung Family versus the Sword Flower of Mount Hua Sect.
With both the Namgung Family and Mount Hua renowned for their swordsmanship, the audience buzzed with anticipation for this matchup.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Is that even worth asking?"
"I figured you'd say that."
After exchanging greetings and the signal to begin echoed out,
the fragrance of plum blossoms wafted across the entire arena.
"Master! I won! I didn't tarnish your name..."
"Yes, yes. Good work."
The Sword Empress stroked her disciple's head.
"Ah! My hair's getting messed up! I'm a proper adult now—behaviors like this are..."
"Keep that loose tongue of yours in check first."
"Ah!"
Sword Flower hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.
"I heard you could have ended matches early throughout the tournament but dragged them out on purpose. Why?"
"Ah... It showed?"
"So-yeon, no one your age can match you, but this place is full of far greater masters. Did you think you could fool all their eyes?"
"Ah..."
Had she unleashed her full power, she could have ended not just the finals but every match in ten exchanges or fewer.
Her skill was simply unmatched for her age.
"Were you deceiving them?"
"N-no! I just... If the matches ended too quickly because of me, I worried it would harm my opponents' reputations. Even if I won, I wanted to give them a chance to show their skills to the world..."
"What if that only offends them instead? Didn't you consider that?"
"Th-that's..."
Sword Flower's face crumpled in distress.
Tears welled up in her clear eyes, on the verge of spilling.
-Poof
"No. It's fine. Your kind heart led you to that, so why would I blame you?"
The Sword Empress pulled her disciple—who resembled her so closely—into an embrace.
"Just take this as a lesson. Blind consideration isn't always a good thing. The world has more entanglements than you realize."
"Hic... I understand... Sob..."
"Don't cry. This is a joyous day, isn't it? The day you proved yourself the greatest among the Central Plains' young prodigies."
"But... If I hadn't started with that misguided kindness... My opponents wouldn't have been upset because of me... And instead of Sword Flower, I might have earned the name Phoenix..."
Flower and phoenix.
Both suited a woman, but the former focused on beauty, the latter on martial might.
-Pat pat
"Does it bother you that much?"
"Sob... I tarnished your name..."
"When I was your age, my moniker was Sword Flower too."
"...Pardon?"
The current Sword Flower looked up at her master in shock.
"Curious why I earned Sword Flower instead of Sword Phoenix?"
The Sword Flower of the past smiled at her disciple as she spoke.
"For the same reason as you."
"Hah... Hah..."
I'd had an unpleasant dream.
The heart demon had returned.
[Ah... Come to think of it, were you interested in her too, Master? Is that why you kept asking about that child? You should have said something sooner. If it was you, I might have been willing to share her once.]
"Hoo..."
I circulated my inner energy to clear my head.
Rather than fading with time, the heart demon felt like it was growing stronger.
'I can't understand you.'
Feeling lust toward that young girl was one thing,
but forcibly assaulting someone unwilling was a sin no human should commit.
Of course, something even worse lingered.
[No matter what woman he meets from now on, he'll never forget me.]
[I've left an indelible mark on his body. Whatever life he leads ahead, he'll see that scar and think of me.]
"Urk..."
It was a mad obsession beyond comprehension.
No matter how low her realm, she wasn't a child ignorant of how precious the dantian was to a martial artist—yet she'd destroyed it for such a reason.
An utterly incomprehensible act.
'...Please, just stay alive...'
Most martial artists became cripples if their dantian was shattered.
The mental shock of losing all cultivated arts and being unable to learn more, combined with the physical agony of the energy nexus in their body collapsing.
That's why destroying a martial artist's dantian was said to be a punishment worse than death.
In that state, survival wasn't truly living, and few could carry on such a life.
I couldn't give up, scouring endlessly like this, but deep down, I knew.
The odds of her still being alive after all this time were vanishingly slim.
"..."
Still, I couldn't let go.
Wasn't there someone right beside me now, living their own life despite a ruined dantian, through other means?
'...Come to think of it, we never properly introduced ourselves.'
Even with nicknames, I hadn't heard him reveal his name to anyone else.
If he had a reason to hide it, fine—but otherwise, for convenience in conversation, we ought to at least know each other's names.
-Knock knock
"Young master, are you inside?"
Speak of the devil—his voice came from outside.
"What is it?"
"I've come to brush your hair."
......Pardon?