Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Why He Looks So Cool
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I had assumed that big brother knew swordsmanship well, since he was teaching it to the three escorts.
But I had never imagined him actually picking up a sword and fighting.
He didn't seem like the type who would fight at all, and I never thought he could kill someone.
Yet when I saw a man's head explode from his gesture, I was shocked.
Not by the sight of the man dying, but by the fact that big brother could kill someone.
Strangely, though, he didn't look scary or unfamiliar—he looked even cooler.
Above all, I was amazed by how he wielded the techniques, beyond anything I could have imagined.
'How does he use it like that? Wow! Big brother really is a genius.'
Even the same Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique felt different in his hands.
And seeing him use a martial art he had never taught me made me a bit jealous.
'Huh? He's never mentioned that one to me. Why didn't he teach it? He's only taught me a ton from the Ice Palace.'
The untaught technique looked better than anything from the Ice Palace.
'I'll have to ask him to teach me next time.'
Finally, a massively powerful-looking warrior charged at big brother, only for his head to explode as he collapsed.
Big brother, frowning as if something bothered him, looked more radiant than ever.
Soon, his gaze turned toward the carriage.
I carefully bowed my head in response.
I circulated my spiritual energy to check the ambient moisture around me.
No more human blood flows could be detected.
'No more attackers left.'
As the five escorts moved to search the surroundings, I stopped them.
"There are no more people in this forest."
The Imperial Escort Guard scowled at that.
As if wondering how I could be so sure in such a vast forest.
But the highest-ranking among the five soon nodded.
"Understood."
I said to him,
"Could you handle disposing of the bodies here in our stead? Over twenty corpses won't be easy to deal with."
"Leave it to us."
"I'm sorry to ask this of you."
"Not at all. It's our job."
"We'll be staying at an inn once we descend the mountain."
I informed them of our next destination, for those who might need to find us.
I then instructed Nangong Cheolwoong and the two others to head down the mountain.
I didn't want Yeoseol and the women lingering where the smell of blood hung heavy.
Once the scholar's group descended the mountain, one of the Imperial Escort Guards asked,
"Brother, is it really okay to just let them go? Shouldn't two of us follow?"
The eldest among the five shook his head.
"Didn't you see him fight earlier?"
"I was busy fighting myself... What are you getting at?"
"He wielded the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique without circulating any internal energy and still unleashed its full power. I can't fathom how that's possible. If he can do that, isn't it the Return to True Void realm?"
"So you're saying someone at that level could detect presences within a hundred zhang around him?"
He recalled how the scholar had stopped them from scouting the forest.
"Exactly. That's why he spoke with such certainty. And didn't you see the Blood Cult thugs' foreheads pierced by a single gesture of his?"
"Well, wouldn't a master who specializes in thrusting techniques manage that much?"
"Sure. But against Mokjin? Look at him."
He pointed to Mokjin's corpse sprawled on the ground.
"How many people could kill a transcendent expert with a thrusting technique?"
"Not even you, brother?"
He shook his head.
"Honestly, I have no confidence."
"Hmm."
The four men stroked their chins and nodded.
"I didn't believe the rumors that he turned the youngest young master from a scoundrel into a proper man, but with that level of skill, I suppose anything's possible."
"They're sending him to Hyeoncheon Gate this time too, to educate that utter wastrel."
"I bet he could fix him too."
"That'll be tough. I've heard he's even worse than our youngest young master."
"We'll see."
They stared silently at the two carriages descending the mountain.
Halfway down the mountain, we stopped the carriages.
The coachman had pulled over to give the horses a rest.
During the break, I took out a dantian from my pouch and rinsed it clean with water from my leather flask.
I hesitated to swallow the dantian.
No matter my Heavenly Martial Sacred Body's resilient mind, it still turned my stomach.
'I'll have to keep using dantians like this from now on. Guess I need to get used to it.'
I took a deep breath and swallowed the dantian.
Without it, I couldn't have repelled the ambush properly.
I had killed more than half of the dozen-plus Blood Cult warriors with dantians.
Without them, the fight would have dragged on, and against such skilled foes, I'd have taken plenty of wounds.
Who knows what variables that might have introduced.
I approached Cheongyo and Songran, who were staring blankly at the mountain.
"I'm sorry you had to see such a gruesome sight because of me."
Cheongyo and Songran shook their heads at my words.
"It's the Blood Cult, of all things. I'm just upset with myself for not being able to help Scholar Cheon fight those scum."
I appreciated Cheongyo's kind heart. Despite the shock, she was thinking of me first.
"Why don't you travel separately from us? If there's another attack, it might scare little Songran."
"Don't worry about us. And with these sturdy escorts, I'm not afraid at all."
She seemed reassured knowing there were covert guards protecting us beyond the three visible ones.
While the carriage rested, I watched the escorts loosen up again.
Nangong Cheolwoong and the two escorts definitely seemed to have broken through a wall in that fight.
Their technique execution and flow were markedly different now.
But as they practiced, I noticed them struggling midway through the forms.
I pointed it out and offered advice, but they didn't grasp it easily.
'Ah, if I check their blood flows, I can pinpoint the issue.'
They followed along well when I corrected their Great Harmony Sword Technique, but even detailed explanations of the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique left them confused. That's when it hit me to examine their blood flows.
"Indeed. That's the problem."
Sensing their blood flows, I understood their confusion.
"I see now—you three must have discussed and resolved each other's shortcomings together."
"Huh? How did you know?"
"Your internal energies move so similarly. Even with the same heart method, they shouldn't match this closely unless you've collaborated to iron out the issues."
"As expected, Master's eyes see through everything."
Nangong Pyo joked lightly.
"What's causing the issue with properly executing this form?"
Nangong Cheolwoong wanted to know his own problem.
"The Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique's manual doesn't mention it explicitly, but there's a hidden meaning: you must channel all your internal energy into the key meridians of the upper and lower body simultaneously. For example, the Great Harmony Sword Technique separates upper and lower body energy flows, but Vault of Heaven Unfettered requires simultaneous flow, which is why it's only taught to transcendent experts and above. Without sufficient internal energy, you can't even approach it."
"Ah, so it's not that they withheld it just because we're branch family."
"There might be branch members who've reached transcendent level, but they're rare, that's for sure."
The support for branch and direct lines was strictly divided, making it hard for branch members to surpass transcendent and reach pinnacle realms.
In any clan, if branch talents outstripped the direct line, suppressed resentment would inevitably spark rebellion.
Thus, clans maintained policies suppressing branch growth beyond a certain point.
Yet for a clan to thrive, actively promoting branch talents was essential.
The Sichuan Tang Clan had declined over time due to overly rigid distinctions between branch and direct lines.
Once the head of the Five Great Clans, they had ceded that seat to the Nangong Family over a century ago for that very reason.
I explained in detail how to balance and guide true energy through upper and lower body, and they executed the forms smoothly thereafter.
'These three will rise to important positions in the Nangong Family.'
They understood the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique on par with Nangong Mubaek.
"We'll all meet at the inn on this level in half a shichen for a meal. Be there on time."
"Got it."
I entered the inn, bathed in hot water, and returned to my room feeling refreshed.
"Big brother, are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."
Yeoseol looked at me with worried eyes.
She was probably concerned about my fight with over a dozen Blood Cult martial artists.
"Why? Worried?"
"Of course. I know even killing an animal causes huge psychological shock. Killing people must be even worse. And you're not some lifelong warrior who's swung a sword all his life."
"Girl, haven't you heard the rumors?"
"Oh, the Murim Alliance's secret weapon? Or the Lone Battle Expert?"
"If big brother really were that, there'd be no issue."
Yeoseol changed the subject.
"People keep asking me if the rumors are true."
"What did you tell them?"
Yeoseol gave me a mischievous look.
"I said as far as I know, you're the imperial secret scholar. Think about it—why would a genius who placed first in the provincial exams become a juren? It's because the palace recognized your knowledge and martial talent and raised you in secret."
A haewon was the top scholar in the provincial exams.
I chuckled in disbelief, then grew curious about their reactions.
"What did they say?"
"They asked if you were an imperial envoy to the Murim Alliance. So I said you must be the one coordinating between the palace and the alliance."
It was getting more absurd by the minute.
"They were impressed. 'No wonder he masters every martial art—must be from studying at the imperial academy,' they said."
"Who said that?"
"Nangong Mubaek."
"Good grief. But why did you spread that, Yeoseol?"
"Why? It's cool! Murim Alliance secret weapon, Lone Battle Expert, imperial secret scholar. You sound like the protagonist from a wuxia novel with some epic backstory."
"Next time people ask, just say you don't know."
"......"
Yeoseol didn't reply, so I shook my head.
I was more worried Yeoseol's mind had been scarred.
In a battlefield like that, the screams of the dying and stench of blood overwhelm ordinary people.
Yet Yeoseol, still a young girl, showed no signs of trauma.
Nor did she seem to be pretending.
Even after several checks, her blood flow remained perfectly stable.
'Must be the Ice Sacred Body.'
I inwardly sighed in relief.
Everyone gathered at the table.
"This meal might be our last together for a while."
After three more days, we'd reach Hyeoncheon Gate—no more group meals then.
"Once we arrive, things will get busy, and seeing each other won't be easy. But I'll make time to check on you all, so don't worry too much."
I said this to Cheongyo.
"Thank you."
I ordered dishes and circulated my three spiritual energies, scanning the inn's interior.
Searching for anyone with abnormal blood flow movements.
Potential attackers.
But most flows were normal.
Expanding my senses, I detected the five escorts' energies outside.
Feeling no real threats, I relaxed.
"The food's here."
Fish stew, roast duck, stir-fried vegetables, dumplings, thin noodles, pork stir-fry, and beef soup arrived at the table.
"Let's eat."
At my words, everyone picked up small spoon-like ladles in unison.
Aiming to start with the soup to wet their mouths.
That's when I sensed something off in the dishes.
'What is it? Feels like ink in water.'
A unique sensation emanated only from the soup, not the other foods.
One thought flashed through my mind.
"Wait! Don't eat!"
The group froze, ladles midway to their mouths, staring at me.
Yeoseol's spoon was already touching her lips.