Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Ja-seong's Desire
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Even after chatting back and forth about the Barrier Protection Art and the Flame Lotus with Hwa-ryeon, my opinion of it hadn't changed.
“It's true that being impervious to swords and blades is pretty appealing, but compared to the internal energy it consumes, it just doesn't add up in too many ways.”
“Even after your internal energy increased with the Yellow Dragon Divine Pill?”
“I haven't fully absorbed it yet. It's impossible to use it while also releasing energy.”
After consuming the Yellow Dragon Divine Pill, I'd been absorbing the remaining medicinal energy in my body bit by bit through meditative breathing exercises.
But absorbing the leftover energy into my already saturated dantian took time.
I had no idea how long it would take to fully absorb it all.
Thinking back to the days when I was barely scraping by with just ten years' worth of internal energy, this was something to be grateful for, but using the Barrier Protection Art was still out of the question.
On top of that, the Barrier Protection Art had one very fatal flaw.
“I'm pretty sure the Barrier Protection Art won't be much use against sword qi.”
“What do you mean...? Oh, you're talking about that Shin Je-gon guy?”
At my words, Hwa-ryeon immediately thought of Shin Je-gon.
But as if she didn't quite trust my conclusion, a skeptical voice followed right away.
“Are you sure? We don't even know for certain if Shin Je-gon had the Barrier Protection Art activated back then, so you're not just assuming again, are you?”
“I don't make the same mistake twice...”
With my guilty conscience, it was hard to say it confidently.
And as my response trailed off, Hwa-ryeon's gaze sharpened even more.
I hurriedly defended myself.
“I'm telling you, this time it's certain. It's not because of that Shin Je-gon bastard—it's about the density of internal energy, or rather, the degree of compression.”
“...Compression?”
Hwa-ryeon tilted her head, her eyes still full of doubt.
No helping it. Seeing is believing. I'd have to show her directly.
“Here, look.”
I rolled up the left sleeve of my training robes, exposing my left arm.
Then, as described in the manual, I circulated my internal energy and activated the Triple Barrier Protection only on my left arm.
Of course, it was impossible to unfold all three layers just from reading the manual once.
The best I could manage was a single layer on my skin, but that was enough to test the Barrier Protection Art's performance.
I drew the sword I'd placed nearby and slashed my left arm in one stroke.
“Wh-what are you—!?”
Hwa-ryeon, startled by the sight, widened her eyes upon seeing my left arm—not even a red mark, let alone a cut.
“...Did you use the Triple Barrier Protection?”
“It's just one layer protecting my skin, so it should be called the Single Barrier Protection.”
“Blocking a sword with that little is even more impressive...”
Hwa-ryeon muttered in a voice that sounded slightly unnerved.
In front of her, I infused internal energy into the sword.
“Take a look.”
A haze began to rise from the blade.
“Sword qi is refined energy from the body compressed and wrapped around the sword. Compared to spreading energy widely over the skin like the Barrier Protection Art, it has a much higher density. So...”
I brought the sword qi toward my left arm, protected by the Barrier Protection.
Compared to moments ago when not even a red mark was left, my forearm was sliced open effortlessly.
Blood began to flow from the wound on my arm.
I looked up at Hwa-ryeon, showing direct proof that the Barrier Protection Art was powerless against sword qi.
“See, it ends up like this...”
“What are you doing!?”
Whoa, that startled me...!
I blinked in shock at Hwa-ryeon's loud voice, which I'd never heard before.
Reflected in my eyes was Hwa-ryeon's furiously angry expression, another first.
“Wh-why are you...?”
“Why am I what? You're the one who just hurt yourself—how can you ask that?”
“Self-harm? I was just showing evidence. It looks bad because there's some blood, but it's not a deep cut.”
“Let me see it.”
Hwa-ryeon grabbed my left arm and examined the wound.
Anyone would think my arm had been severed.
“I'm telling you, it's not that serious. Something like this will heal just fine with some saliva...”
“Be quiet when I tell you to.”
“...Yes.”
I shut my mouth at Hwa-ryeon's chilling tone.
I didn't know why, but I felt like I had to stay silent right now.
While I held my breath in inexplicable fear, Hwa-ryeon suddenly stood up.
“Haa... Stay right there.”
Leaving those words behind, she disappeared somewhere and soon returned carrying something.
It was clearly golden wound salve and bandages.
“This isn't a wound that needs golden salve...”
“Shut up.”
“...Yes.”
Hwa-ryeon sat obediently beside my silent self and carefully wiped the blood from my left arm before applying the salve to the wound.
Her fingers touching the wound felt strangely ticklish.
“Stay still.”
“I-it tickles...”
After meticulously applying the salve, Hwa-ryeon wrapped a bandage over it.
Her technique was oddly proficient.
“You're really good at this. Feels like you've done it a lot.”
“When I was little, there was this kid who was always coming back covered in scrapes. I got used to treating their wounds in secret.”
“A kid? Who?”
When she was little—did that mean back in Tyrant Heaven Fortress? Did she have a close friend?
“...All done.”
Ignoring my question, Hwa-ryeon tightly pressed her lips and neatly tied off the bandage.
Her odd silence made me realize my mistake.
Memories of Tyrant Heaven Fortress might be painful for her.
“Um...”
“Don't ever do this again, got it?”
Just as I tried to say something, Hwa-ryeon thrust her stern face close.
Her icy beauty suddenly right in front of my nose turned my mind blank.
On top of that, a unfamiliar heat rising to my face made it hard to meet her eyes.
“Y-yeah, got it.”
I involuntarily turned my head away from her and barely managed a reply.
Even though I'd turned away, her face kept flickering in my vision.
What's wrong with me. Get it together.
I shook my head and forced myself back to the main topic.
“S-so anyway. As you just saw, the Barrier Protection Art is powerless against sword qi. No matter how much energy you pour into it, if the energy density is different, it's useless.”
“...You're right. I've seen it broken by repeated strikes, but I didn't expect it to crumble so helplessly.”
After eyeing me discontentedly for a moment, Hwa-ryeon nodded with a sigh.
She stared at the Triple Barrier Protection manual and spoke.
“In the end, this Triple Barrier Protection is useless to you, Young Master Goon.”
“Huh? No, it's not.”
“...It's not?”
I nodded at her puzzled look.
“I was already thinking about something, but I couldn't get a feel for where to start. Thanks to this, I feel like I've got a lead. If I rack my brains for a few days, I think something usable will come out of it.”
“Like the Soaring Sky Unrestrained Sword Technique?”
“Huh?”
Hwa-ryeon's question came out of nowhere.
As I widened my eyes in surprise, she let out a small chuckle, as if my reaction amused her.
“Why are you so startled?”
“Well, you brought up the Soaring Sky Unrestrained Sword Technique so suddenly...”
“You were so excited on the way to Hebi, saying it was the Nangong clan's signature technique. You were crushed when Aunt Yeo flatly denied it existed, and I never dreamed you'd create it yourself.”
Come to think of it, we did talk about that on the way.
Hearing her words, I gave a wry smile.
“Are you going to pass it on to the Nangong clan?”
Her follow-up made me freeze mid-smile.
Like a rusty door, I creakily turned my stiff neck to look at Hwa-ryeon.
“...What?”
“The Soaring Sky Unrestrained Sword Technique—you're planning to pass it to the Nangong clan, right? That's what I figured.”
“N-no. I haven't said anything—how did you...? Did you learn mind-reading?”
Feeling chills creep up my spine, I asked, but Hwa-ryeon continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
“From the moment you named your new technique the Soaring Sky Unrestrained Sword Technique, I somehow knew. You're passing sword techniques to the Nangong clan to make it the one 'Young Master Goon dreamed of.'”
“......”
It felt like I'd been struck in the back of the head with a hammer.
Hwa-ryeon had pierced right through my innermost thoughts, as if she'd peeked inside my head.
*
‘Looks like I was right after all.'
Hwa-ryeon thought as she met the wide-mouthed gaze of Ja-seong staring at her.
After his spar with Nangong Hyeon ended, when she saw him call his newly created technique the Soaring Sky Unrestrained Sword Technique, she immediately understood his intent.
He'd probably make up some excuse to pass the Soaring Sky Unrestrained Sword Technique to the Nangong clan.
-The Soaring Sky Unrestrained Sword Technique and Imperial Sword Forms... if I could see them in person!
She recalled what Ja-seong had said on the way to Hebi.
The Soaring Sky Unrestrained Sword Technique and the Imperial Sword Forms.
To Hwa-ryeon, these were unheard-of techniques, yet Ja-seong spoke of them as if they were the Nangong clan's signature moves.
With a voice brimming with conviction, as if it were absolute truth.
Of course, the moment he learned the reality was different, he'd slumped in utter disappointment.
After arriving at the Nangong clan and going through various events, now with the clan survival tournament looming, he'd suddenly created a new technique.
Having watched Ja-seong for the long span of ten years, Hwa-ryeon could see his intentions clearly.
“Even in how you approached the Barrier Protection Art, I've long felt that the martial world you speak of is vastly different from the one I know. And I've vaguely sensed that you want to bridge that gap.”
Truth be told, it wasn't vague at all.
Ja-seong had never hidden his desire to change the current martial world.
‘A butterfly's wingbeat.'
The tiny flap of a butterfly's wings that would one day become a massive storm sweeping through the martial world.
This was Ja-seong's desire—to create an era where rivers-and-lakes heroes soared through the skies with lightness skills and clashed with sword qi.