Chapter 41
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Gathering Darkness
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The three Nangong Family escorts were far from lacking in talent.
When I had Nangong Cheolung demonstrate and explained the profound principles of the Dayeon Sword Technique, he understood right away.
Moreover, when I awakened their grasp of the Dayeon Sword Technique by centering it on the Seven Finger Virtues, the way they looked at me changed.
"Master."
Suddenly, an unexpected word slipped from the mouths of all three.
"Master is too much. Just call me Scholar—Scholar Cheon is fine."
The meaning of "master" held weight for scholars like me, but it was even more special for martial artists.
'If the rumors are true, Scholar Cheon can't reveal his true identity. Calling such a person "master" would only cause him trouble. He's someone who must hide his identity.'
The three exchanged glances and opinions before responding.
"Understood. But in our hearts, Scholar Cheon is our master."
I couldn't force them on that point, so I let out a sigh.
"That's fine, but don't go calling me master out loud anywhere."
"We'll be careful."
Since their desire to grow stronger burned fiercely, they absorbed my teachings quickly.
They were able to perfect the parts of the Dayeon Sword Technique that had stumped them after hearing my explanations.
"The Dayeon Sword Technique was this easy? How is that possible?"
"It's easy to learn because our master is so great."
Nangong Cheolung calmly addressed the two who were making a fuss.
Seeing their achievements improve, I sought permission from Cheongyo and Songran.
"We'll camp tonight in a spot with good terrain. Can you bear with the inconvenience?"
Cheongyo smiled brightly.
"Don't worry. Sleeping under the stars gives a performer like me plenty of inspiration."
I was grateful for Cheongyo and Songran's understanding. Fortunately, their two maids took good care of them, so I didn't worry much.
Moreover, Yeoseol got along well with Cheongyo and Songran, so I could leave her with them for a bit.
I sat the three down not far from the women and spoke.
"Seeing your achievements, I feel you need to train in higher martial arts."
"The greatest martial art we know is the Dayeon Sword Technique. Unfortunately, we know nothing beyond it. We have no choice but to hone the Dayeon Sword Technique."
Nangong Cheolung replied with a slightly dejected expression.
"From now on, I will teach you three the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique."
"Pardon?"
"What?!"
Nangong Hwajun jumped to his feet in shock from his seated position, while Nangong Pyo covered his mouth with his hand.
Nangong Cheolung's eyes widened like saucers.
"Um, Scholar, please don't misunderstand. Hear us out."
Nangong Hwajun glanced around cautiously, even though no one was nearby, before speaking carefully.
"The Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique is a martial art permitted only to the direct line of our family. Even collaterals learning it would cause problems."
"I already received the Family Head's permission."
"What in the...!"
Nangong Pyo shook his head as if he couldn't comprehend.
"Just who is Scholar Cheon for the Family Head to grant such permission? And how does Scholar Cheon even know the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique? You might not know, Scholar Cheon, but our family's rules are strict. There's no way they'd teach our family sword techniques—let alone supreme arts like the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique—to an outsider."
Their suspicion was natural.
Even collaterals bore the Nangong name, yet an outsider learning arts not even passed to them was beyond understanding.
'Even if I explain, they'll have lingering doubts and won't want to learn.'
The snag had come from an unexpected angle.
With no choice, I pulled a plaque from my bosom and handed it to Nangong Cheolung.
"This will make it clear."
Nangong Cheolung and the other two huddled together to peer at the plaque.
"This is...!"
"Why does Scholar Cheon have this?"
They flipped the Family Head's Escort Command Plaque over and over like hotcakes before staring at me.
"But... is this real?"
Having never seen the Family Head's Escort Command Plaque before, they couldn't tell if it was genuine.
They only half-believed it because of the Heavenly Dragon emblem carved on it, a symbol of the Nangong Family.
In truth, they lacked the eye to discern authenticity.
"Then, do you recognize this?"
I thrust forward the Vault of Heaven Sword that Nangong Hak had given me.
"Huh? Isn't this the Vault of Heaven Sword?"
It was a sword commonly carried by elders and the Family Head's direct line, so they recognized it at a glance.
The intricate carving of two Heavenly Dragons intertwining up the blade to form a round guard ending in dragon heads was unique to the Vault of Heaven Sword in the entire martial world.
They straightened their postures and bowed respectfully.
"We greet the Escort Commander."
"I'm just an outsider whom the Family Head appointed as Escort Commander."
"Ah. We've heard there are family Escorts and outsiders. To think Scholar Cheon was an Escort..."
"That explains how you know the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique."
I waited until their emotions settled before speaking.
"From now on, we will pass the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique to talented collaterals. You've awakened the Dayeon Sword Technique, so you can learn the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique."
The three shot to their feet and offered deep bows.
They moved in perfect unison, as if rehearsed.
"We'll call you Scholar, but in our hearts, you are our master. We humbly request your teachings."
I taught them the incantations of the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique and kindly explained their meanings.
Incantations without interpretations were extremely dangerous, but those with interpretations were not hard to understand.
An hour passed after explaining the incantations and forms.
"If you hit snags during practice, note them down and ask all at once during evening time."
"Understood, Scholar."
The three treated me with utmost respect, as if I were their true master.
Who was I to stop them when their hearts were set?
Watching them practice excitedly stirred my own enthusiasm, so I brought out my dantian.
For once, I felt like cultivating with it out.
The dantian floated lightly in the air from my mouth. It was still an astonishing sight no matter how many times I saw it.
I pointed a finger at a tree across the way.
Puk!
The dantian pierced straight through the tree trunk.
I was dumbfounded seeing it bore through a tree over a man's height thick.
'No hidden weapon could be more dangerous than this.'
And I let out an exclamation at the qi sense emanating from the dantian.
"Oh!"
I could sense what was happening on the other side of the tree.
Living beings caught in the qi sense.
An owl turning its head this way and that in search of prey.
Even a snake climbing the tree late at night to devour nestlings.
The qi sense from the dantian probed the surroundings.
Normally, masters with high internal energy could release qi from their dantian in all directions to sense their surroundings.
The higher the internal energy, the wider the detection range—and the externalized dantian performed even better.
It offered far superior sensitivity.
'How far can it go?'
I sent the dantian farther away to test its limit from me.
'Beyond thirty jang, nothing registers. Probably because the dantian has so little internal energy.'
With only six years' worth of internal energy now, it was natural. Impressive that it could stray thirty jang at all.
"Huh?"
As I maneuvered the dantian back to retrieve it, I caught a familiar qi sense.
Focusing the dantian on the hidden presence to check if it was hostile revealed a familiar energy.
'The mature aura of Vault of Heaven Unfettered means the Family Head secretly assigned five escorts.'
It made sense. With how much he cherished me and Yeoseol, the Family Head wouldn't take no action.
Aware of Nangong Hak's concerns, I decided to pretend ignorance.
'It's his way of showing care, after all.'
I recalled the dantian and sent it toward where Yeoseol was.
I could see them with my eyes, but I wanted to test how the qi sense detected them.
My dantian floated high in the air, invisible unless one looked straight up.
Cheongyo and Yeoseol sat around a small campfire, laughing merrily in conversation.
Even roughing it outdoors looked like a delightful campout, drawing a smile from me.
That was when it happened.
"Hm?"
Songran lifted her head and stared toward where my dantian was.
I shifted its position with a finger.
Songran's head precisely followed the dantian's movement.
'She's tracking my dantian. How? Songran's blind. Could she sense energies others can't because she can't see?'
I quickly shook my head.
Even the escorts Nangong Hak sent hadn't detected my dantian's energy.
For blind Songran to sense it was absurd.
That would require her internal energy surpassing the escorts'.
I lifted the dantian high and recalled it.
Songran still stared in the direction where it vanished.
'Need to watch her closely.'
Cheongyo and I had traveled together long without issue, but this moment put me on alert.
'If Songran has ill intentions, it's not just Cheongyo—Yeoseol's in danger too.'
Fortunately, I'd noticed before it became a problem.
After tailing for three days, the subordinate finally spoke.
"Elder."
"What?"
"When do we attack?"
"Tsk tsk. Can't you sense the hidden experts escorting them?"
"I know."
"Then why ask? Even if we all rushed them, we couldn't shake those five. The Family Head sent them with care—think they'd be pushovers? Regrettably, our forces can't even handle five escorts."
"We can't just watch forever."
"That's why we use the Blood Cult. Leave those five to the Blood Cult bastards."
"But the Blood Cult seems set to attack when entering Gangseo. They're massing forces at the passes Scholar Cheon will take."
"Exactly. The Blood Cult doesn't know about those five escorts yet. We tell them."
"But the Blood Cult only has about twenty men."
"That's why I'm writing this letter."
Yu Yeongrip handed the letter to her subordinate.
"Send this to Mokjin. Shoot it from afar with an arrow."
"What if they suspect the letter and don't act?"
"Mokjin's blinded by revenge. He'll verify before doubting. Once he confirms the five escorts, he'll bring more men."
"Why not tip off the Demonic Cult instead?"
"Foolish child. The Blood Cult's after revenge on Scholar Cheon. The Demonic Cult covets the Ice Sacred Body. Mess up, and the Ice Sacred Body falls into Demonic Cult hands."
Yu Yeongrip glared at her subordinate.
"The Ice Sacred Body matter stays between you and me. Get why I keep it from our men? If they know and get caught by Blood Cult or Demonic Cult, we're done."
"Understood, Elder."
"Good. Move fast. To catch a big fish, the net must be strong."
"Yes, Elder."
Yu Yeongrip eyed the distant firelight, her gaze curving slyly.
"Others might not see, but not my eyes. How many years have I lived off Ice Crystals? I'd know an Ice Sacred Body anywhere."
Those who cultivated after consuming Ice Crystals naturally resonated with Ice Sacred Bodies.
Jong Sobin kept Yeowon like an Ice Sacred Body at her side, but Yu Yeongrip sensed it wasn't.
So she quickly withdrew from the front lines of the Ice Sacred Body scramble to hunt the real one.
She scoured around Jong Sobin and discovered Scholar Cheon with Yeoseol.
'Little Palace Lord, clever move. Handing the Ice Sacred Body to an unrelated stranger—who'd guess? It did draw off Blood Cult and Demonic Cult, making things easier for me.'
Yu Yeongrip felt pleased, the night breeze refreshingly cool.
She spoke as if addressing Jong Sobin right there.
"But, Little Palace Lord, there's something you don't know. This isn't just any Ice Sacred Body. If you did, you'd never entrust it to another's hands. Seems the Palace Lord didn't tell you. Why?"
After killing the Palace Lord, Yu Yeongrip extracted memories from her mind.
Thus learning the true secret of the Ice Sacred Body.
It was a fact known only to her.
"That's why I must claim the Ice Sacred Body."
Yu Yeongrip's wrinkled lips spread into a broad grin.