Chapter 5: Recognition
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 5: Recognition
"You crazy bastard!"
"Kill him!"
They were the dead man's companions.
They lunged forward, their faces contorted with rage, but the boy didn't move, his sword still buried in the corpse.
He merely glared at the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect.
Whether I die now or later, it makes no difference.
Today was the day he had discovered the shocking truth of his terminal illness.
A pillar of his sanity had shattered, never to return.
"Stop."
A deep voice echoed as if from the depths of a cavern.
The voice of the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect matched his imposing presence. The charging men froze in their tracks.
"Your spirit..."
The Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect stared at the boy.
He gazed intently with eyes like abysses, but Jeong Yeon-shin met his stare, thrusting his chest out as if daring the man to cut him down.
"...is greater than that of everyone in this manor combined."
The martial artists of the Hegemon Sword Sect visibly faltered.
Everyone knew that praise from this man was a rare thing indeed.
"We just need to kill him to keep him quiet! Even the Desolate Fortress can't demand a culprit if he's just a puddle of blood on the ground!"
His meaning was clear: kill the witness to silence him.
The speaker was a companion of the red-haired woman who had just died. He had the same roughly cropped crimson hair and matching red martial robes. He was clearly a martial artist from the Blood Flame Cult who had accompanied the Hegemon Sword Sect.
I just hope they don't know we have no real contact with them.
In that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin truly understood the terror of the Thirteen Heavens.
Their sudden raid had been executed with every variable calculated. Such was the ruthless efficiency of the sects that dominated the world.
They even knew that a child from a trivial place like the Jeong Family Manor had ties to the Desolate Fortress.
"Chief Steward!" Jeong Yeon-shin shouted.
In the distance, a man sprawled across the threshold flinched.
He had been playing dead.
"Y-Yes, Young Master."
The Chief Steward scrambled to his feet, his answer trembling. Jeong Yeon-shin spoke again.
"You said you were finalizing an information network that spans all of Xinye. These people slaughtered their way in with barely fifteen men and didn't even bother setting up a perimeter. Don't tell me the Jeong Family Manor's reach is so pathetic it can't even get a message to Xiangyang."
"No, it is not. Xiangyang... Xiangyang is just a stone's throw away."
Xiangyang, located at the northern tip of Huguang Province, was a border city adjacent to Nanyang, where Xinye County was located.
No matter how vast the Central Plains were, the distance was short. It was a distance a martial artist messenger could cover with ease if they ran with all their might.
Though I have no idea if they actually sent anyone to the Desolate Fortress for help.
It was impossible to know if the family had even considered his maternal relatives in their crisis plans.
However, no matter how formidable the Hegemon Sword Sect was, they couldn't possibly be privy to the internal affairs of a minor clan like the Jeongs beyond basic blood relations.
"If you cannot kill me," Jeong Yeon-shin tightened his grip on his sword, "don't you dare lift another finger."
The sword slid out from the dead man's back. A spray of blood arced through the air, draping the manor in silence.
A boy of fifteen had completely seized control of the scene, silencing the leader of a colossal sect and his men.
The Blood Flame Cultist shrieked in fury.
"We've already earned his grudge! He'll obviously run his mouth, so why shouldn't we kill him?!"
Though he shouted at Jeong Yeon-shin, his words were a clear plea to the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect.
This was the crucial moment. The atmosphere had shifted, as if the roles of the strong and the weak had suddenly reversed.
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke cuttingly.
"You foolish bastard. Even if the Desolate Fortress is the greatest power in the martial world, would they directly attack the Thirteen Heavens? All to avenge a grudge voiced by the maternal grandson of a former commander? Does that make any sense to you?"
If he were the grandson of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress himself, perhaps they would. The Lord of the Desolate Fortress, whom the Emperor recognized as an equal, was the guardian of the massive World Tree and keeper of its fruits, which were said to grant eternal youth.
But Jeong Yeon-shin was not of the Lord's bloodline.
Had he been, the members of the Jeong Family Manor would never have dared treat him with such superstitious contempt, no matter the circumstances of his birth.
"The maternal grandson of the former Commander of the Divine Sword Corps at the Desolate Fortress?" muttered the Cliff-Severing Sword of the Zhongnan Sect, who was checking on Yeo Il-shin's condition.
A boy whose maternal grandfather was the retired leader of the Desolate Fortress's military.
The consequences of killing him were far more unpredictable than any trouble he could cause by living. The Thirteen Heavens were colossal entities that reigned supreme across the world, but harming the grandson of a Desolate Fortress elder was another matter entirely.
It was as troublesome as taking a Grand Scholar of the Hanlin Academy hostage in the Imperial Capital.
"An imperial sect established by the Brightfolk of the Imperial Family to prevent rebellion in the martial world. Troublesome indeed," the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect mused.
"However, my decision to let you live is not for such reasons."
"Lord!"
Splat!
The head of the shouting Blood Flame Cultist exploded.
An invisible sword qi had erupted before anyone could even register the attack.
"Blood Flame Cult. I told you to stop," the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect said to the corpse.
The remaining red-haired martial artist trembled, but the Lord's dark, bottomless eyes turned back to Jeong Yeon-shin.
"I like you. Your talent and your spirit. As a man of the rivers and lakes, you have what it takes to reach the very pinnacle. Had you no ties to the Desolate Fortress, I would have taken you as my disciple."
Gasp!
"For the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect to..."
Gasps of shock erupted from all sides.
Not only his own subordinates but even the experts from the Zhongnan Sect couldn't hide their astonishment.
Unconcerned, the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect continued.
"I will accept your challenge to a duel anytime. Come and seek your vengeance."
"..."
Jeong Yeon-shin sheathed his sword. Turning his back, he walked toward the surviving members of his household, who were still breathing, however faintly.
Watching the boy with a strange expression, the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect shifted his gaze to the martial artists of the Zhongnan Sect.
"This land. I will no longer permit any other sect to establish themselves here. I will give you one day."
Looking at Yeo Il-shin, whose face was contorted in pain, he said, "Leave."
* * *
"Young Master."
"Chief Steward."
There was no time for a reunion with the approaching Chief Steward.
Gathering the corpses would also have to wait.
Though there were ordinary doctors, there was no divine doctor on the level of Hua Tuo here. The only thing they could do for those with fatal wounds was to lay them down comfortably to die.
He saw his eldest brother, Jeong Nam-san, and his sister-in-law. They were already corpses.
Carefully pushing them aside, he stomped hard on the floorboards where the couple had been lying.
Clack.
A secret panel opened, revealing an underground chamber. It was a hidden room where the brothers used to sneak off to and giggle together when they were young.
Sure enough, a five-year-old girl lay curled up inside with her eyes closed.
Her acupoints had been sealed. Someone had infused true qi into their hand and pressed the sleep acupoint on the back of her neck, forcing her into a deep slumber.
"Hye-ah."
Jeong Yeon-shin picked up his niece and stepped out of the room.
A young man who had been talking to the Chief Steward turned his head.
It was the second son of the Jeong family, Jeong Jung-san, who had been slated to become a lay disciple of the Zhongnan Sect.
He averted his gaze the moment their eyes met. It was clear he had been hiding somewhere.
Without a word, Jeong Yeon-shin approached and thrust Hye-ah into his arms.
"Raise her in Zhongnan. No matter what it takes."
"W-What about you?"
"I'll be too busy looking after myself," Jeong Yeon-shin said resolutely.
"Raise her in Zhongnan? There's no way that's possible..."
Unlike before, he couldn't even meet Yeon-shin's eyes, stammering helplessly. He must have hidden nearby and witnessed the entire fight.
Pathetic bastard. Only then did Jeong Yeon-shin feel something strange on his cheek. He wiped away the bloodstains with the back of his hand.
"Do you know less about the Nine Sects than I do? Children raised as disciples from the age of five or six become the core of a sect. Beg them if you have to. Hye-ah's innate talent is better than yours, so they'll accept her."
"I... I see."
Biting his lip, Jeong Jung-san looked down at his niece.
Jeong Yeon-shin stared at him for a moment. Fortunately, his brother seemed to feel a sense of responsibility rather than humiliation.
Just then, the experts of the Zhongnan Sect approached.
As always, Yeo Il-shin was at the forefront, with the Cliff-Severing Sword and a martial artist named Pacifying Fist following half a step behind her.
Despite their pale faces and the bloodstains indicating internal injuries, they had stayed to help. They were undoubtedly martial artists of the Righteous Path.
"Young Hero."
Her form of address had changed. Just yesterday, she had called him the Family Head's son.
Yeo Il-shin's expression was complex.
Beyond her own self-reproach, her gaze held a sense of awe, as if she were looking at a genius of unimaginable talent.
"Are you heading to the Desolate Fortress?"
"I must. I have nowhere else to go to grow stronger."
"The path to strength does not lie only in Xiangyang."
"...?"
"How about climbing Mount Zhongnan with us? I offer you a formal invitation."
Gasp!
Only the Chief Steward and Jeong Jung-san gasped in surprise.
The Cliff-Severing Sword and Pacifying Fist stood behind her without a change in expression, as if such an invitation was only natural. Their faces were filled with a sheer desire for a rare genius.
It meant he was an extraordinary young swordsman, exceptional enough for a Great Elder of their sect to personally extend an invitation.
"For a Great Elder of one of the world's Nine Sects to... I am truly overwhelmed."
Contrary to his words, Jeong Yeon-shin's expression was calm. He had already decided his destination.
Sensing his resolve, Yeo Il-shin added, perhaps with a hint of urgency, "I intend to recommend you as a disciple of the Sect Leader. With your talent, Young Hero, it is entirely possible."
"...!"
This time, no one could hide their shock.
Becoming a direct disciple of the Zhongnan Sect Leader meant learning peerless divine arts and gaining the immense backing of one of the Nine Sects.
Furthermore, the current Zhongnan Sect Leader was always counted among the ten greatest swordsmen in the world. His powerful sword arts, displayed during his frequent righteous deeds, had been witnessed by the public on numerous occasions.
The people of Shaanxi praise him as one of the five greatest masters of the Central Plains! the Chief Steward screamed inwardly.
He had to go. No matter how vast and powerful the Desolate Fortress was, Jeong Yeon-shin was merely the grandson of a retired martial artist. While the ceiling of his potential might be unknown, the floor of being the Sect Leader's direct disciple in Zhongnan was undeniably higher.
It was the typical mindset of the Jeong Family Manor, which valued being the head of a snake over the tail of a dragon.
Young Master! Please!
His silent plea did not reach Jeong Yeon-shin.
The boy clasped his hands in a martial salute.
"I will keep your generous offer close to my heart, Senior."
It was a polite refusal.
Resignation washed over Yeo Il-shin's elegant face. She accepted it swiftly, as if she had already anticipated this.
"You have confidence, Young Hero. Confidence that you can rise to the top in the Desolate Fortress."
"..."
"I coveted your potential. The Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect must have felt the same."
"I am sorry."
"There is no need. Just know that the gates of Zhongnan are always open to you."
Jeong Yeon-shin stared at Yeo Il-shin for a moment before speaking.
"I understand you are of advanced age even among the Brightfolk, Great Elder. By any chance, do you know how one might obtain the fruit of the World Tree?"
"The fruit of the World Tree! Then, Young Hero, you are indeed...!"
A look of realization dawned on Yeo Il-shin's face, which quickly turned to one of pity.
"I have not yet lived half of my allotted lifespan. I have no authority over the World Tree. Only the Lord of the Desolate Fortress can bestow its fruit upon another."
"Then I must go to the Desolate Fortress after all."
"It will not be easy. It is a sacred object, even among us Brightfolk."
"I have no other choice. I know of no other way. I will just have to become the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps and achieve great merit."
"I shall root for you from afar."
Yeo Il-shin returned the salute. Her upright and noble character would remain in Jeong Yeon-shin's memory for a long time.
"Farewell."
The exchange was a final goodbye.
Mount Zhongnan in Xi'an, Shaanxi, and Xiangyang lay in completely opposite directions. She wished to depart at once, even if alone, to deliver the news to her sect. This was because the lightness skills of the Cliff-Severing Sword and Pacifying Fist, who had accompanied her, were no match for her own.
Jeong Jung-san decided to leave the following day with the other two.
For now, he had to keep a deathbed vigil.
The Family Head was still alive, on the verge of drawing his last breath.
"It's me, your third son."
Kneeling, he supported the back of his father's neck. Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes trembled slightly.
The sword wound carved into his father's abdomen was undeniably fatal.
If you were going to die like this, you should have treated me better.
"Why... why are you so strong? How could you..."
His lips trembled, completely drained of strength.
Jeong Yeon-shin knew time was running out. It was an almost prophetic sensation. The Family Head, Jeong Dae-myung, would die after only a few more words.
"The art I created and mastered is called the Jeong Family Dynamic Art."
Rather than pouring out resentment and grief, he boasted of his own achievement.
How his father took it was up to him.
Long weary of his family, Jeong Yeon-shin left it to his father's heart to decide whether this was a final gift or an act of supreme disrespect.
"The Jeong Family Dynamic Art... I see."
The Family Head's trembling mouth opened.
"A divine art created by a Jeong. This foolish, ignorant... Jeong Dae-myung's son, the son I sired, the third son of this pathetic Family Head, has created a divine art."
"..."
The boy listened in silence as his father spoke his final words.
"You... possess... the qualities of a Grandmaster..."