Chapter 206: Demonlight Wing (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 206: Demonlight Wing (7)
Hahu Wi-jin's eyebrows shot up and froze in place. They looked like thick strokes painted with a heavy calligraphy brush.
Even after blurting out his answer, his mouth hung open, leaving him looking somewhat dazed.
His admission of ignorance had been simple and immediate. The words seemed to have slipped out of him unconsciously.
"Right... I never even thought of that."
Hahu Wi-jin spoke again.
His deep voice resonated in a very quiet murmur.
The direction of his voice, which had previously boomed down from above Jeong Yeon-shin's head, shifted. The words that flowed forward now sounded like a dazed mutter.
He no longer seemed like the man who had shattered the pavilions of the Alliance and barged in to confront the Clan Head.
The formidable spirit of an extraordinary master seemed to have completely scattered.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind whipped up from the giant figure clad in black robes. It surged outward alongside a wave of energy in a brief instant.
The ripples of the lakeside they were passing by distorted, catching the vibrant colors of the sunset.
As the waves pushed outward in layers, drawing small concentric circles, Hahu Wi-jin lightly stamped his foot.
Thud—
Dust kicked up beneath him as he made a short leap.
Whoosh!
He soared with astonishing elasticity. He truly moved like one of the Brightfolk. The texture of the True Qi surging from the Yongquan Point on the soles of his feet was almost palpable.
The current of internal energy that pushed away the dust was taut yet flexible. There was a distinct elasticity in his control over his power.
Beside him, Jeong Yeon-shin's pitch-black hair fluttered wildly in the sudden gale.
He picked it up instantly. I'm glad he's quick to understand.
A small stamp of his foot had effortlessly lifted his massive frame. It was entirely different from when he wielded his tyrannical fist techniques at the Alliance.
He was no longer maintaining his usual, incredibly heavy movements.
Regardless of his immense size, he moved like a true member of the Brightfolk.
The extremely wide sleeves of his black robes billowed downward, contrary to his rising body, before fluttering slightly upward in the wind.
A skill worthy of an extraordinary master who has achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak. Though he will still have to master it through practice.
Jeong Yeon-shin's gaze tracked him from top to bottom.
Upon landing, Hahu Wi-jin's mouth was slightly agape. His broad brow was furrowed.
The surprise and bewilderment on his face were impossible to hide. His straightforward and honest personality was on full display.
"How can such a secret exist...? You understand the human body better than I do. I never knew the muscles of the entire body and the twelve meridians could produce such an effect. This... can easily be considered the realm of a secret transmission. I have received your teaching. It is highly precious knowledge, and perfectly suited for me."
As the rambling Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit raised his foot once more...
"You don't have to go so far as to jump right now..." the newly appointed Commander of the Demonlight Wing said cautiously.
"Hmm?"
"Did you not speak of the dignity of a Main Fortress Unit Commander? That one must be mindful of the public gaze. Senior Hahu, your current movements lack a certain dignity and might make you look like some strange eccentric to the passing merchants and officials. It would be best to stop."
"……."
Jeong Yeon-shin took Hahu Wi-jin's silence as a positive sign. He had shared a good path for circulating Qi and added some practical advice.
This was a senior who cared deeply about the dignity of the Desolate Fortress's Black Ranks. Surely this would leave a good impression.
Hahu Wi-jin blinked his large eyes a few times. Then, he quickly changed the subject.
"My training was a daily penance. It was because my body was not like those of my clan. Moving only as our clan does yielded little benefit, yet I could not abandon my roots. I had to rack my brain as if I were trying to become the founder of my own sect."
His bitter voice hung heavily in the air. It carried the weight of the years of hardship he must have endured to reach the Black Rank of the Desolate Fortress.
"I regret the time I spent training without knowing what you just told me. It feels so futile, so utterly futile."
"I am glad it was of help," Jeong Yeon-shin replied with a straight posture.
Looking at him now, he found himself quite liking Hahu Wi-jin. They both had straightforward personalities, which made communication comfortable.
He was like the lakeside at their feet, which had once again become as smooth as a mirror. He would take whatever was said at face value, without any filter.
Thus, Yeon-shin calmly continued.
"It is understandable that you did not know. It is only natural."
His tone was strangely dry.
It was dry enough to instantly give away that it was a mere formality.
In truth, he did not understand at all.
He was just like any other boy his age. He could hardly hide his true feelings, and his attempt to mask them only served to provoke the other person's irritation.
Hahu Wi-jin's lips twitched slightly.
He felt a wave of mixed emotions.
He admired his junior, who possessed an unbelievably profound knowledge of the physical body. The rookie Commander of the Demonlight Wing was truly an astonishing grandmaster of human anatomy.
The favor felt like a profound debt of gratitude. However, the boy's habit of constantly speaking the blunt truth was a separate matter entirely.
His indifferently upright words and actions felt like a scratch against his heart.
Is the problem with me?
The realization of his own petty thoughts brought a wave of shame. Hahu Wi-jin thought to himself:
Did I even have the right to lecture him in the first place? Damn it.
"...Indeed, you have given me a great insight. It is no ordinary realization. Since you have opened a new path for my Body Protection Scripture, which will affect my martial arts as a whole, I would be called a coward if I did not repay you. I shall give you Dawn Tree Sword Kang Chang-mu. He is the Blue Rank expert who, as you mentioned before, belongs to your lineage."
The Blue Rank experts of the Desolate Fortress were already quite well-known.
Jeong Yeon-shin had also heard of the moniker "Dawn Tree Sword."
He was said to be a swordsman who wielded a fierce Illusion Sword. There was an interesting anecdote about him.
The story went that he had severed the head of the Southern Peak Monster with a sword that fragmented like afterimages in the dawn light.
He had tracked down and executed an Unorthodox master who had been living in luxury by secretly threatening the Branch Head of Wuchang, Huguang Province.
I heard he has now entered the Radiant Brilliance Sword Style and reached eighth-stage mastery.
He had heard this on his way from the Alliance to the Main Fortress.
The man was a formidable force. Even if he could not defeat the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword Cheong-myeong, he would at least be able to discuss swordsmanship with him on equal terms.
He had gained a Blue Rank expert with just a bit of trivial knowledge. This would have been incredibly difficult to achieve through a duel of raw martial strength.
Jeong Yeon-shin clasped his hands toward Hahu Wi-jin.
"Thank you for your decision, Senior."
"It is but a repayment of a debt, a repayment."
Hahu Wi-jin laughed sheepishly.
It was then.
Rustle.
Ak Su-rim, who had been standing with her hands behind her back, took a step forward and whipped around to face the two.
Her ebony hair, falling just to her earlobes, swayed lightly. A dark, sharp light gleamed in her eyes.
"Surely a single Blue Rank isn't enough to settle this? Don't you have two White Ranks of the Flash Art lineage on your side?"
"What?"
"The twelve meridians and the fine vessels of the human body are incredibly profound. A single sheet of paper depicting a Qi circulation path is enough to cause a bloodbath. That is why the term 'secret manual' carries such weight. There is a reason they are passed down as the secret heritages of sects."
"……."
"If our Flash Art hadn't told you, would a dullard like you ever have figured out how to use your body like that? Repay him properly. You shouldn't be stingy with your generosity. Unless you want to lose face in front of me," Ak Su-rim said with a smile.
She was talking about gifting three swords to the new Commander of the Demonlight Wing. One Blue Rank and two White Ranks.
This was a force capable of dominating a regional faction of the Jianghu that lacked great sects. If they were integrated into the Demonlight Wing, it would be a massive boost.
"...There is no falsehood in those words," Hahu Wi-jin replied in his archaic tone.
He did not object to Ak Su-rim's words. He accepted them as perfectly reasonable.
With a look of complete agreement on his face, he named the two who were currently under the Forest-Treading Unit.
Steel-Cutting Saber Guest Ho Un-cheol.
Deep Heroic Fist Gongya Mi-ryeong.
Jeong Yeon-shin was promised the transfer of the two White Rank warriors.
He also learned how the transfer from the Forest-Treading Unit to the Demonlight Wing would be carried out.
It required submitting a request to the Chief Steward's Office to proceed according to protocol.
"The big guy will handle that on his own. Flash Art, you just have your subordinates prepare a banquet. And think about how you're going to teach your martial lineage. That's a real headache. We had quite a few blockheads in our Divine Sword Squad who couldn't understand a word. You'd do well to remember that a Commander's greatest virtue is patience."
With Ak Su-rim's smiling advice serving as a final note, the dark red sky stretched out above them.
Beneath the fading twilight, they parted ways. They promised to meet again at the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall, the meeting place for the Unit Commanders.
Because the Desolate Fortress was so vast, the quarters of each martial unit were scattered far and wide.
As the shadows of the three stretched out in different directions, Jeong Yeon-shin finally made his way toward the pavilions of the Demonlight Wing.
Whom will I see first?
The faces of those who were both his seniors and his subordinates flashed through his mind.
A warmth filled his chest.
* * *
In front of the Demonlight Wing's Great Training Ground.
The silence of twilight shattered as an unexpected commotion erupted.
Various waves of energy and voices intertwined, creating a vitality that felt brighter than light itself.
"Commander! I have achieved seventh-stage mastery of the Infinite Flower of Time Fist! I can now seamlessly alternate between Advancing Thunder and Fist Flowers with Adaptability without Obstruction!"
"We've been waiting forever after hearing what Hwangbo the Scoundrel said!"
"Our Hero of the Desolate Fortress must have had a grueling journey, going straight to his quarters..."
"Brother Flash Art—no, Commander...!"
"Tell us your tales of heroism! We heard you turned the Orthodox Faction Alliance upside down!"
All sorts of seniors came out to greet him. Not only the Blue and White Ranks, but even the young nameless disciples ran out and clung to Jeong Yeon-shin's legs.
With faces full of joy, they welcomed their Commander.
Off to one side, Hwangbo the Scoundrel stood with his weight shifted onto one leg, casually chewing on a poppy stem.
He spoke to the nameless disciple standing beside him.
"Hey, when is the next promotion ceremony?"
"Even if I'm young, I am strictly your senior. I'll answer if you use honorifics. And swallow what you're chewing before you ask. That's basic manners."
"……."
"So cool..." a ten-year-old boy in nameless robes muttered, staring at the newly appointed Commander in black robes who was surrounded by the crowd.
The boy's attitude of not even glancing at the Lazy Flame Dragon was incredibly bold, but in the Demonlight Wing, such things were of little consequence.
It was then.
"Everyone, let go and go inside."
A woman clad in a blue robe stepped forward. She was a swordsman with strikingly cool eyes, carrying a sword that gleamed with an even colder texture.
The aura enveloping her entire body weighed heavily on the surrounding air.
She was a master known to possess both beauty and sword skills on par with the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword Cheong-myeong.
Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress Baek Mi-ryeo.
Senior Baek.
A look of delight blossomed on Jeong Yeon-shin's face.
The moment their eyes met, the sharp edges of Baek Mi-ryeo's gaze softened.
"The Commander's mission was long, so recovering from his journey comes first. Haven't you all heard about what happened at the Martial World Alliance multiple times already? Stop crowding him and disperse. It is only right to catch up tomorrow."
The Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress's characteristically flat voice rang out clearly.
It carried a deeply familiar tone.
Ah.
Jeong Yeon-shin finally realized he had returned home.
The announcement of the Compendium of Crushing the Righteous tomorrow, the rewards from the Chief Steward's Office, and the duels with the other Unit Commanders to fill the vacancies all drifted far from his mind in an instant.
A strange sensation washed over him.
It felt as though a soft warmth had turned into a cozy bed, gently wrapping around his mind.
Those who immediately agreed with Baek Mi-ryeo's words turned around. The elite martial unit, which had once stood on equal footing with the Plum Blossom Swordmasters, was quick to make decisions.
Dozens of them moved in unison. They nodded to one another, and some offered parting words of well-wishing.
"I look forward to your teachings tomorrow. To be honest, since the Commander hasn't really acted like a Commander yet, it's a bit awkward..."
"It's enough that you returned unhurt. Just organize the documents and hand down our missions. Tomorrow, of course."
"I want to hear the heroic tales! I'm curious about how the Hwasan Sword Excellence's Dark Fragrance Floating Flower was! And how you countered it, Commander!"
"Commander... please submit my promotion request. If possible, I'd like to go straight to the Blue Rank."
The Lazy Flame Dragon, cradling the back of his neck with interlocked fingers, also trudged away.
The pavilions of the Demonlight Wing regained their silence. Twilight had given way to the descent of darkness.
The crescent moon, curled up in the night sky, cast a hazy light.
The commotion raised by the experts of the Demonlight Wing vanished into the pitch-black silence.
Amidst it, the footsteps of Baek Mi-ryeo and Jeong Yeon-shin echoed in unison. Crunch, crunch—the sound of stepping on the earth that had become their home.
"Cheong-myeong is waiting," Baek Mi-ryeo said quietly.
She, Cheong-myeong, Heonwon Chang, and Jeong Yeon-shin made up the Demonlight First Team. Jeong Yeon-shin had shared the story of his life and constitution with them.
It was back when Ju Yeon-jeong of the Desolate Ma Clan had pressured him.
After he rose to the Black Rank, he had allowed them to speak comfortably as seniors and colleagues in private. They had earned that right.
"I'm glad you're safe. I was worried, hearing that you faced the Sword Excellence, Eon Hwa-ryeon, and the Sword Saint one after another."
Her voice melted into the moonlight.
Cheong-myeong was like a senior martial brother, and Baek Mi-ryeo was no different from a senior martial sister.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not reply for a moment. It was enough to simply feel her sincerity. He wanted to keep it that way.
The comfortable silence continued as they passed the Great Training Ground and the quarters, walking all the way to the office of the Commander of the Demonlight Wing.
It was plenty of time for them. Even if the laws of the Desolate Fortress did not recognize master-disciple relationships, the martial brotherhood of the Demonlight Wing certainly existed.
The two crossed the threshold of the quiet pavilion.
Step.
They walked straight into the office. Jeong Yeon-shin immediately caught a familiar scent.
The smell of iron and oil blended with the scent of aged ink. The familiar aroma drifted over the furniture, including the carved marble table.
It was the scent of cold metal. The wall where several of Ma Jin's sabers had originally hung was now filled with the precious swords of the Desolate Ma Clan.
There were more than ten of them on display.
"It's not because I'm arrogant that I didn't come out to greet you. I really need our Commander to understand this. Acting as the temporary Commander of the Demonlight Wing is no joke."
A handsome man wearing a blue headscarf was sitting in a relaxed posture, scanning through a pile of documents.
He had sharp features yet gave off a gentle impression. His formless waves of internal power were free-spirited, causing the ends of the headscarf at the back of his head to flutter constantly.
He possessed an air of mystery no matter when one looked at him.
"I have to review the missions to hand down to our comrades, reject the dispatch requests from other martial units, duel with the bastards who pick fights over those rejections, and even fudge the ledgers a bit to squeeze a budget out of the Chief Steward's Office."
"……."
"And this—this is a request to temporarily borrow Shin So-bin. But she can't go because she has to teach the nameless disciples. I have to write a rejection letter that makes them as least pissed off as possible. If they don't like it, their Unit Commander will just send a duel challenge here, so what can I do? The dispatch request isn't entirely unreasonable, so even the Chief Steward's Office can't do anything about it."
"...You have worked hard," Jeong Yeon-shin very cautiously commended his senior subordinate.
Only then did Cheong-myeong look up. His jasper-blue eyes crinkled slightly with a smile.
As expected of a noble clan member, he didn't seem particularly fatigued, but the words carried in his clear voice said otherwise.
"We're half-ruined. We get pushed around here and there. Our Desolate Fortress is so massive that it naturally has a survival-of-the-fittest mentality, and right now, the Demonlight Wing is the weakest. Of course, there are no lowlifes acting like blatant thugs, but we still have to walk on eggshells in many ways. We're shrinking back on our own."
Beside him, Baek Mi-ryeo nodded slightly in agreement.
This was the reality of the Demonlight Wing. It was the reason Jeong Yeon-shin had wanted to recruit more experts even before his return.
The 17th Unit under the Divine Sword Corps was essentially in a state of constant competition. Even promotions were no exception.
A great sect as massive as the Desolate Fortress was practically a world of its own.
The prestige of the martial unit one belonged to was directly tied to one's own prestige. The same went for the martial strength of the Commander they served as their superior.
The new Commander of the Demonlight Wing slowly spoke.
"Prepare the duel challenges. And the list of the Unit Commanders currently remaining in the Main Fortress."
"Hmm...?"
"I will be sending them to our Black Rank seniors."
Jeong Yeon-shin lightly caressed the hilt of the Divine Sword: Northern Light.