Chapter 108: Divine Art (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: Divine Art (2)
Namgung Hwa-shin was the last one.
Or so Jeong Yeon-shin thought.
Even after securing promises from the people he had met today to join the Sichuan expedition, he couldn't bring himself to set off without the White Qilin.
That was why he had immediately made his move. He had temporarily parted ways with the Flash Art lineage earlier and sent the Lazy Flame Dragon back.
The White Qilin, Namgung Hwa-shin.
He was a swordsman born with supreme senses. Possessing a massive reserve of internal energy, he was a genius easily worthy of being hailed as the strongest among the rising stars.
Even Jeong Yeon-shin didn't believe he could win ten out of ten fights against Namgung Hwa-shin just yet.
Though they hadn't properly sparred since Jeong Yeon-shin consumed the top-grade spirit medicine, he estimated he would lose at least two or three times. Perhaps even three or four. There were simply too many variables in a real fight.
Putting aside his pride, Jeong Yeon-shin intended to seek his help.
'The Sichuan martial world is treacherous.'
This wasn't a place where mere third-rate martial artists had gone missing; it was where the entire Demonlight Wing had vanished.
He had to assume it was a place where even the elites of the Nine Sects would tread with extreme caution. He was desperate for even a single additional Blue-Ranked Expert.
Jeong Yeon-shin, Namgung Hwa-shin, and the Lazy Flame Dragon.
Ten Blue-Ranked Experts of the Flash Art lineage, including the Red-Day Sword.
And about thirty White-Ranked Warriors.
It wasn't enough to serve as the main force of the Desolate Fortress, but it was a lineup that no one in Sichuan could easily look down upon.
'But is this really a good idea? Young Hero Namgung must be in despair.'
The boy hesitated right up until the moment he reached the gate.
Thud! Thud!
He grabbed the cool iron knocker and struck it against the wood.
This was the pavilion of the Heaven-Aligned Wing within the Desolate Fortress. Just like the Demonlight Wing's quarters, the presence of people inside was sparse.
He had heard it was because they, along with the Thread-Annihilation Unit and the Demonlight Wing, had been dispatched on a mission to Sichuan.
Creak—
Before even ten breaths had passed, the door opened. A young woman peeked her head out.
On the shoulder of her white robe, the character 'Hwang' was roughly embroidered. She was a White-Ranked Warrior of the Heaven-Aligned Wing.
"Flash Art?"
Her eyes widened slightly.
Her slightly upturned eyes were familiar to Jeong Yeon-shin. He remembered seeing her during his competition with Namgung Hwa-shin. The tone of her voice when she had looked straight at him back then had left an impression. She had been quite bold.
— Senior Namgung's path is a lonely one. I thought you might be a suitable companion for him, but now I am not so sure.
During the competition, she had openly evaluated Jeong Yeon-shin right in front of Namgung Hwa-shin.
Shin Bin-bin of the Heaven-Aligned Wing. He had heard she was the older sister of Shin So-bin, his junior in the Demonlight Wing. Naturally, she was a precious daughter of the Desolate Shin Clan.
"I came to see Young Hero Namgung," Jeong Yeon-shin spoke calmly.
At his words, Shin Bin-bin's brow furrowed.
"At this hour of the night...?"
"It is... a matter of utmost urgency."
Jeong Yeon-shin was the one in a hurry. Visiting late at night without prior notice was indeed rude. He was in no position to nitpick the tone of a lower-ranked White-Ranked Warrior.
'What is this?'
Shin Bin-bin, for her part, was deeply displeased. She had disliked the boy known as Flash Art, Jeong Yeon-shin, from the very beginning.
When he defeated her senior, the White Qilin, in the mission competition, she had let it go. Even if she hadn't liked it, it had been a fair duel.
But the rumors that followed had sown seeds of resentment in her heart.
'So he's that greedy for achievements, is he?'
While she was secretly rooting for the senior she admired, she had heard that Flash Art had monopolized all the achievements and fame from their mission. They said Namgung Hwa-shin hadn't been able to resolve even a single thread of his personal grievances.
All because Flash Art had cut down the direct descendants of the Namgung Clan and turned his back on him.
'He is truly insolent. It's not as if he was raised in a noble household.'
Just looking at how he showed up at this hour for his own business proved it. It would be midnight in just two hours.
Arrogant and disrespectful. Completely lawless.
He was a rude, greedy boy she detested even looking at. He merely masked his true nature behind his handsome appearance, outstanding skills, and youth.
Flash Art, Jeong Yeon-shin.
She could easily picture him: brimming with confidence in his martial prowess, readily accepting the consecutive victory duel, and using his silver tongue to manipulate the gentle-natured Namgung Hwa-shin.
Shin Bin-bin's eyes narrowed. Naturally, her words came out sharp.
"Brother Namgung has already retired to his chambers."
She referred to Namgung Hwa-shin as Gaga. It was the sight of a mere White-Ranked Warrior casually calling a Blue-Ranked Expert "brother."
It was a behavior that completely disregarded sect hierarchy, but Jeong Yeon-shin didn't care. He had no time to waste on trivial matters.
"The Demonlight Wing dispatched to Sichuan has gone missing. We have formed a rescue team. I am here to ask Young Hero Namgung to join us."
"The Demonlight Wing...?"
For a brief moment, a strange light flickered in Shin Bin-bin's eyes.
The news had only arrived this evening. It was only natural that she, who had been focusing solely on Namgung Hwa-shin within the Heaven-Aligned Wing's pavilion, was unaware of it.
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded quietly.
If they were to set off at dawn, he needed to secure Namgung Hwa-shin's participation and urgently obtain approval from the Chief Steward's Office.
"As I said, it is an urgent matter. Please announce my arrival."
However...
"Hmm..."
Shin Bin-bin pursed her small lips tightly. She showed no sign of budging from the doorway.
Soon, a trace of irritation crept into Jeong Yeon-shin's voice.
"What is this? What do you think you are doing?"
"Brother Namgung needs rest. He has exhausted his mental energy. He used to lose himself in martial arts, forgetting to eat and sleep, but since returning, he has been skipping even his morning training. All thanks to someone who lacks any sense of camaraderie and only hungers for achievements."
Her tone was biting. Shin Bin-bin glared at Jeong Yeon-shin with a cold, petulant expression. Her eyelashes fluttered with clear hostility. She wasn't treating him as a superior, let alone an equal.
Is she insane?
Jeong Yeon-shin thought to himself, repeating her words aloud.
"Achievements...?"
He had an inkling of what she meant. Shin Bin-bin seemed completely in the dark about the actual circumstances.
She didn't know that Namgung Hwa-shin had been raised to be the leader of the Namgung Clan's assassins. She had heard nothing of the mental restriction placed upon the White Qilin through sorcery.
If she had, she wouldn't be acting like this.
It was an issue born of the brainwashing that prevented him from harming the direct line of his own clan. Had Namgung Hwa-shin been whole, he would never have agreed to the consecutive victory duel in the first place.
'So he only shared his inner thoughts with me.'
The boy realized. Namgung Hwa-shin hadn't spoken of his secrets even to his comrades in the Heaven-Aligned Wing. Perhaps he had felt some sort of connection after clashing swords with Jeong Yeon-shin in the competition.
Because the White Qilin recognized him as a true martial artist, Jeong Yeon-shin had been made privy to his private circumstances.
In that case, he certainly couldn't tell Shin Bin-bin.
"You said Young Hero Namgung needs rest." Jeong Yeon-shin slowly parted his lips. "...But that is not for you to decide."
"What did you just say?" Shin Bin-bin glared up at him.
Jeong Yeon-shin decided to ignore her. She was far below his level.
Even if she was ignorant of his and Namgung Hwa-shin's circumstances, it was clear as day that an entire martial unit of the Divine Sword Corps was standing on the brink of annihilation. Shin Bin-bin's attitude was nothing but absurd, stubborn petulance. There was no reason to waste words on her.
'I'll just leap over her.'
The boy's gaze naturally drifted upward.
Whoosh!
Did she sense his intention? A surge of energy erupted.
Shin Bin-bin made her move. Before Jeong Yeon-shin could even leap, her right hand thrust forward.
It wasn't that she outmatched him in speed. It simply meant she had struck first. It was a blatant act of insubordination.
Swoosh!
A light breeze blew from the front. A fluttering white sleeve entered his vision.
Shin Bin-bin's grappling technique. Inside her smooth sleeve, the hilt of a precious sword gleamed. It was not a Desolate Fortress Sword, but a famous blade of the Shin Clan.
Flinging the gate wide open with her other hand, she closed the distance in a single stride. The refined energy characteristic of a prestigious clan washed over him.
A sky-blue spark of lightning flashed in Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes.
"Not a single step—"
The moment she opened her mouth, the boy's figure blurred like a falling leaf. A gust of wind followed his curved trajectory, scraping against the gate of the Heaven-Aligned Wing.
He closed the distance in an instant. Shin Bin-bin's grappling hand failed to graze even a single thread of Jeong Yeon-shin's robe.
Crash!
A choked gasp escaped her lips as the back of his hand struck the side of her head like a bolt of lightning.
Blown away by the gale that erupted sideways like an exploding cannonball, Shin Bin-bin was sent flying, tumbling miserably across the dirt.
"Ugh... Uuugh..."
"Greedy for achievements? You are right. I want achievements more than anyone else," Jeong Yeon-shin said, looking down at her coldly. "I do not care how you judge me. But I will not tolerate insubordination. You have wasted my precious time. Be grateful I did not execute you on the spot."
His voice came out harsh.
He could hardly lay bare Namgung Hwa-shin's family matters just to clear up a misunderstanding. He would accept her misconceptions. It didn't matter what names they called him.
'Just do not get in my way.'
As long as they didn't interfere with the faces of Ma Jin, Heonwon Chang, Cheong-myeong, and Baek Mi-ryeo that still lingered before his eyes, it was fine.
His mind was honed sharper than ever before. He harbored a sword in his heart. If anyone caused further harm to his comrades in the Demonlight Wing, he would cut them down, no matter who they were.
The Sichuan Tang Clan.
The Diancang Sect, the Qingcheng Sect, and the Emei Sect.
The Tenth Sect, the Pure Demon Alliance, and the Dragon Slaying Alliance.
These were the great sects of the Eight Families, the Nine Sects, and the Thirteen Heavens currently locked in a fierce struggle for dominance in Sichuan.
The Diancang Sect was originally based in Mount Diancang in Yunnan, but they were said to be traversing the Sichuan martial world to aid the Qingcheng and Emei Sects, who were being pushed back by three factions of the Thirteen Heavens.
It was a place of utter chaos.
'I must suspect everyone.'
The mobility of the Demonlight Wing's lightness skills was immense. If they had resolved to escape, they were not a force that a single elite group from a great sect could easily capture. He had to assume that at least two or more great sects had joined forces to corner the Demonlight Wing.
While keeping his mind flexible, Jeong Yeon-shin had to ensure his actions remained absolutely decisive.
Stepping over the threshold, he spoke to Shin Bin-bin, who lay sprawled on the ground, unable to compose herself.
"My comrades in the fortress are precious to me as well."
A conviction as sharp as a blade flowed through the boy's voice.
As he drew closer to creating his own inner cultivation method, the quality of his internal energy continued to rise. He had reached a realm where his intent manifested within his energy wave.
In this moment, as he solidified his mental image through Shin Bin-bin, his energy was refined even further. It meant his true feelings were carried upon the ripples of his true qi.
"...!"
She, too, was a White-Ranked Warrior who trained in the sense of qi. Hearing Jeong Yeon-shin's voice, her eyes trembled.
'Could there... be some kind of misunderstanding...?'
But the boy didn't give her a chance to speak further. Leaving Shin Bin-bin behind, he walked on to recruit the final piece of the expedition—the White Qilin, Namgung Hwa-shin.
*
"I will go," Namgung Hwa-shin said.
His face was gaunt, with dark circles under his eyes much like the Lazy Flame Dragon's.
The mysterious and handsome appearance that befitted his title of White Qilin was nowhere to be found. Despite his ready acceptance, a deep anguish clung to him. His gaze was clouded.
"Thank you."
"No need." He waved his hand at Jeong Yeon-shin, who had bowed his head. Namgung Hwa-shin continued. "I only... accepted because I thought swinging my sword to my heart's content might make me feel better. Though, of course, it is also what must be done."
"..."
"Furthermore, I apologize for Shin Bin-bin's rudeness. I was late in sensing your presence. Perhaps my sense of qi has grown dull."
Namgung Hwa-shin spoke nonchalantly.
At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin noticed that the White Qilin's temperament had changed. He didn't care that his cherished junior had been struck and knocked down. He no longer possessed the character of an infinitely upright scholar.
Rather, a faint trace of Jeong Yeon-shin's own battle-hardened demeanor could be felt in him. It meant he had stopped sweating the small stuff and had become decisive in all matters.
'Is he going to be alright?' The boy wondered.
Two Blue-Ranked Experts and a Nameless Disciple who would lead the rescue team. None of them were in good condition. At the very least, they were in no state to act like proper members of the Orthodox Factions.
Starting with himself, who had harbored a sword in his heart, Namgung Hwa-shin also seemed vastly changed. To say nothing of the Lazy Flame Dragon, who was always high on the effects of chewing poppy.
'...It will be fine.'
Leaving Namgung Hwa-shin's room, Jeong Yeon-shin came to a conclusion. There was no other choice.
Now, they had to run.
...And so, the solitary moon set along with its faint moonlight.
Soon, the day of departure dawned.