Chapter 138: The Turbulent Return Journey (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 138: The Turbulent Return Journey (3)
"Bwahahaha!"
The statement was utterly ridiculous.
Lazy Flame Dragon roared with laughter, slamming his fist on the roof of the carriage. He didn't seem to care in the least that his seniors from the Demonlight Wing were inside. He kicked his propped-up legs back and forth, making quite a scene.
He was quick to anger and even quicker to laugh.
A short-lived genius, he lived his life in a way completely opposite to Jeong Yeon-shin—by being brutally honest with his emotions. He had been a raging fire when he struck down Yu-hyeon at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, and now, he laughed without a care for his surroundings.
Everyone present knew the lifespan of the Solar Divine Pulse. No one stopped him.
Only Baek Mi-ryeo's irritated voice drifted from inside the carriage.
"You're too loud, Mumyeong."
"What's so funny?" Heonwon Chang asked, bewildered. The corners of his mouth drooped slightly, a clear sign of his displeasure.
A faint smile touched the boy's lips.
"He's right. Though your intentions were good, you made a slip of the tongue."
Without breaking his stride, Jeong Yeon-shin offered a cupped-fist salute.
Ma Yeon-jeok's condition wasn't public knowledge. If the Small Sword Empress had approached them unaware, then Jeong Yeon-shin's refusal would have been the real discourtesy.
Besides, he had just been warned to be careful of stray shockwaves of true qi. He had no desire to start an unnecessary fight.
It was then that Chwi So-ok's frozen expression thawed, her lips curving upward. A soft, airy chuckle escaped her, creating a strange impression. Her face was gentle, but her thoughts were impossible to read.
"So the Hegemon Hero's injuries truly are serious," she said with a smile. "Flash Art... Young Hero Jeong? Is that correct? I have been discourteous. Please, forgive me."
"..."
"Ah, I didn't mean to test you. I truly wished to pay my respects to the Hegemon Hero. To receive even a word of blessing from the one who slew the peerless Blood Flame Cult Leader—would that not be the greatest honor for a martial artist of the Jianghu?"
"Not testing us?"
"If it's impossible, then it can't be helped. ...I suppose I can find my own way to be useful as a fellow traveler of the Jianghu."
Her voice was soft, carried gently on the summer breeze.
Small Sword Empress Chwi So-ok clasped her hands in a cupped-fist salute directed at Jeong Yeon-shin, her long, flowing hair draping over her shoulders. She had taken the initiative to apologize.
The Small Sword Empress. She's a peculiar one.
Jeong Yeon-shin silently returned the salute. He had never encountered anyone like her.
Her demeanor held the very freedom the Azure Qilin, Namgung Se-jin, had once spoken of. She acted as she pleased, never walking on eggshells, yet she would politely apologize the moment she felt she had crossed a line.
He had heard she was the successor to the Diancang Sect, but she was nothing like the young masters of the great clans.
But freedom always comes with a price.
The Azure Qilin had been the same. He had been unable to simply step down from his position as young master. Looking back, Jeong Yeon-shin realized it was likely because Namgung Se-jin feared his family would stray from the proper path. It was clear from how he had helped Namgung Hwa-shin enter the priesthood and how coldly he had treated his tyrannical sister.
Because he was a great hero, he could not cast aside his power.
The boy slowly opened his mouth.
"And what role would that be?"
"Ah." Chwi So-ok's smile faded slightly. "Do you know anything about the current state of the Jianghu?"
"I don't," Jeong Yeon-shin replied succinctly. He had only traveled between Giju and the Tang Family Pagoda. After a series of battles, his mind had been entirely consumed by his maternal grandfather's internal injuries. He wanted to hear everything she knew, as he'd had no time to keep up with news from the Central Plains.
"I see." Chwi So-ok flashed a bright, carefree smile.
She looked somewhat dazed, but her attention seemed fixed on the three carriages rather than on Jeong Yeon-shin. It was clear she was desperate for an audience with the Hegemon Hero, Ma Yeon-jeok.
She spoke very slowly.
"Well... surely you've at least heard about the formation of the Martial World Alliance?"
"Yes, I know of it."
"The Jegal Clan of Hanzhong has been gathering support. Seven great clans and dozens of sects from the Righteous Path are forming an alliance. I believe invitations were also sent to the nine mountain sects, including our own Diancang Sect."
"And?"
"The unorthodox sects, including the Thirteen Heavens, are reacting very sensitively. To them, it must look like the establishment of a second Desolate Fortress. But as it happens... rumors are spreading that the life-and-death duel between the Desolate Fortress's Purple Rank expert and the Blood Flame Cult Leader ended in mutual destruction."
"..."
"It's a shocking event, but wouldn't it also be seen as an opportunity to whittle down the strength of a rival faction? Especially since rumors are circulating that there is another peerless Purple Rank expert who is bedridden..."
Her hazy eyes swept over the three carriages, one by one, as if trying to see through to the Elder Council Head's sickbed. When her gaze met Jeong Yeon-shin's, she offered a playful, beaming smile.
The Small Sword Empress was a peculiar woman. She was clearly cloaked in the righteous aura of the Nine Sects, yet despite appearing free-spirited, simple, and even a bit dazed, her words and her gaze struck at their most critical vulnerabilities.
Rustle.
In that instant, Jeong Yeon-shin sensed Heonwon Chang shifting his grip on his sword. Namgung Hwa-shin, too, only feigned composure; the powerful aura rising from him was impossible to hide. Even though they were old acquaintances as fellow Rising Stars, the White Qilin had not let his guard down.
"So you're saying people are targeting our convoy."
The boy made no effort to hide his wariness. Small Sword Empress Chwi So-ok nodded gently.
It was then that the man standing beside her, who clearly regarded her as his senior, took offense to Jeong Yeon-shin's attitude.
"I am Sa Do-ryeong, a disciple of Diancang."
A man in blue martial robes with a sword at his waist offered a brief salute.
Sa Do-ryeong, the Sun-Piercing Sword. He was famous as the swordsman who guarded the Small Sword Empress like a shadow, known for descending the mountain to perform righteous deeds and aid the common people. His fame stretched from Yunnan, where Mount Diancang was located, all the way to Sichuan. He had been by the Small Sword Empress's side every step of the way.
"Senior Sister. Shall we leave? I believe you've given them enough advice."
Sa Do-ryeong didn't bother to lower his voice. He recognized that they had been discourteous, but the boy's attitude toward his senior sister was another matter entirely.
Flash Art Jeong Yeon-shin?
The boy's appearance was unusual. He wore a black robe with sleeves of mismatched lengths, and his speech and demeanor were utterly unguarded. Though the fame of the Desolate Fortress's Flash Art was spreading through the Jianghu, Sa Do-ryeong felt he had no right to be so disrespectful to his senior sister, Chwi So-ok, who had mastered her swordsmanship and traveled the land performing righteous deeds for years.
Still, he couldn't openly challenge them. Even without a Purple Rank expert, their combat strength was formidable. Over a dozen Blue Rank experts were escorting the carriages—a force comparable to the entire 17th Unit of the Divine Sword Corps.
There were also rumors that the young expert from the Desolate Fortress had defeated top masters from the Tenth Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance one after another. It was hard to dismiss as mere hearsay, as countless onlookers had witnessed the battle on the main road of Giju.
They were vastly outmatched. Having committed the first offense, they also lacked justification. Sa Do-ryeong's only option was to vent his frustration by leaving.
"Hmm... shall we?" Small Sword Empress Chwi So-ok tilted her head, her ebony hair shifting to one side as if to prove her free-spirited nature.
Jeong Yeon-shin stared quietly at the Diancang swordsman.
"Leaving?" he muttered, blankly repeating Sa Do-ryeong's words.
Perhaps taking the boy's muttering as a question, Chwi So-ok's lips curved into a bright smile.
"It seems that would be the most comfortable path for us all."
"You pry into our affairs, and now you just turn back...?"
A sharp edge entered Jeong Yeon-shin's voice. Avoiding enemies wasn't always the best course of action. These people had already guessed Ma Yeon-jeok's condition. The matter was far too grave to let slide just because they were disciples of the Nine Sects.
Suddenly, the boy in the black robe muttered a single command.
"Seize them."
Fwoosh!
In an instant, a fireball plunged from the sky. A figure wreathed in massive flames shot forward, stopping right in front of Sa Do-ryeong's face.
The air warped and shimmered as Lazy Flame Dragon—his body engulfed in the Fervent Yang Qi of the Solar Divine Pulse—chewed on a roasted poppy and grinned.
"Should I keep them alive? The temporary unit commander's usual style is..."
"I said, seize them."
Clang!
Lazy Flame Dragon's fist slammed down on Sa Do-ryeong's half-drawn blade. A shockwave of intense heat erupted, shattering the sword into fragments.
At the same time, Lazy Flame Dragon grabbed Sa Do-ryeong by the scruff of the neck and whispered, "Where do you think you're going after digging into the critical affairs of a major faction? Let's flip the script—if the Diancang Sect Leader were in that carriage, would you have let us go so easily?"
"Ugh...!"
"Novices shouldn't grunt."
Smiling faintly, Lazy Flame Dragon injected his Fervent Yang Qi into a paralysis point on the man's neck. Instantly paralyzed, Sa Do-ryeong could only stare at him with wide eyes. Lazy Flame Dragon's smile widened.
"Lower your eyes, peasant."
It was the classic attitude of the Hwangbo Clan's young master.
On the other side, Namgung Hwa-shin had already moved. He had his Desolate Fortress sword pressed right under the chin of another woman from the Small Sword Empress's group—the Diancang Dance Sword, a junior sister from their sect.
The White Qilin's Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art was so profound that the Diancang Dance Sword hadn't even been able to parry the first strike.
Jeong Yeon-shin wasn't the only one who had grown stronger. Lazy Flame Dragon and Namgung Hwa-shin were advancing at a frightening pace as well. The destructive force of their strikes and the profundity of their sword paths made that obvious. To subdue a disciple of the Nine Sects in a single move meant they were exceptionally powerful even among the Blue Rank.
"Vicious," Heonwon Chang muttered, averting his gaze.
The temporary unit commander, Jeong Yeon-shin, was now facing the Small Sword Empress. It was a strange standoff. They weren't exactly enemies, yet he couldn't just let her go.
At that moment, the boy began to rotate the halo in his heart. He released the potent aura of the Law-Transcending Halo Qi, completely suppressing the energies that had flared up just moments before.
Shhhhh—
The waves of true qi spread out with immense density. He was exerting direct pressure on the Small Sword Empress, pinning her in place to prevent her from interfering with Lazy Flame Dragon or Namgung Hwa-shin.
"You..."
Small Sword Empress Chwi So-ok's gentle eyes slowly sharpened. Her attention, which had been fixed on the carriages carrying the Purple Rank experts, shifted entirely to the boy.
"You cannot leave," Jeong Yeon-shin said calmly.
Flutter!
He flicked back his right sleeve, which billowed like pitch-black smoke in the wake of his aura.
He thought of his uncle, who hadn't sent a single telepathic message, even as the confrontation escalated.
This journey home was the boy's testing ground—a trial by fire to see if he could ascend to the rank of unit commander in a single leap. A long journey watched and evaluated by the former Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, the Elder Council Head, and the Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
How would he lead his group as a unit commander? Could he fully display his own martial arts while bearing such a critical mission? Could he utilize his subordinates effectively and prove he possessed the capabilities befitting a Black Rank Unit Commander of the Desolate Fortress?
He said that once we return to the main fortress, a meeting of the unit commanders will be held.
He had heard that promotion to the Black Rank was another matter entirely.
The Black Rank of the Desolate Fortress even held the authority to depose corrupt officials through covert cooperation with the imperial court. He had been told there was much to prove. He had to show that he had the capacity to command a unit of elite experts.
The corners of the Small Sword Empress's mouth curled up slightly, a smile ill-suited to the situation.
"To think such a handsome young hero would pursue me so aggressively. You're making my maidenly heart flutter."
She joked in a soft voice, but Jeong Yeon-shin paid her no mind.
"You know this isn't something that can be smoothed over with a few pleasantries. You brought this on yourself."
"I admit my mistake. Hmm... but I would appreciate it if you didn't misinterpret my goodwill..."
"I accept your advice with gratitude."
Jeong Yeon-shin gave a polite nod. That was all. As the boy raised his head, white lightning flickered within his pitch-black eyes.
The Small Sword Empress's picture-perfect smile stiffened slightly.
"I will remain silent, on my honor as a senior," she said, tapping the hilt of her sword.
"Your status doesn't guarantee our trust. You're coming with us—all the way to the main fortress in Xiangyang."
The boy gripped the pure white hilt of the Divine Sword: Northern Light. The sensation in his palm felt entirely new as warmth flooded the once-cool metal.
"Will you resist?"
He asked, his hand resting on the divine sword, his black robe shifting around him. His quiet voice echoed in the suddenly silent street.
As the aura of his halo stirred the dust at his feet, he revealed the true presence of a Desolate Fortress unit commander.