The Blue-Robed Saint

That utterly unfilial boy.

Namgung Hyeonwu stepped into Hyeoncheongak.

Two years had passed since the master of this place had left the family. And still, she came three or four times a day, unable to forget her son.

"Wife."

"……It's all right. I only stopped by because a thought came to me."

Sun Yuhwa had accepted her son's death. A martial artist lived with death always at his side; she had told herself that often enough. Yet every time she entered Hyeoncheongak, the tears came and would not stop.

"It would be better now to let him go with a peaceful heart, so that he may reach a good place."

"Yes. Our boy saved so many people—he must have gone somewhere good."

"Indeed. That boy is…… no doubt living quite comfortably somewhere fine, without a thought for us at all."

Namgung Hyeonwu drew close and put an arm around her shoulders. She took his hand.

"He came to me in a dream last night."

"……."

"He said he was doing well, that I needn't worry, and he held me before he left. If only I hadn't woken then."

"Wife……."

Tears had gathered at the corners of Namgung Hyeonwu's eyes as well.

Kick, kick.

Uncheon lay naked as he was, swinging his feet left and right. He told day from night by the sunlight that fell through the hole in the ceiling. Each morning, when the light returned, he scratched another line into the wall. One side of the wall was covered in countless strokes.

Time moves well enough. I've spent two years in here. Still alive and not starved—I suppose I can call that luck.

Fortunately, food and sleep had not been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠problems. In the pond swam fish so clear they seemed made of light, and toads appeared now and then from the cracks in the opposite cave wall.

Ssssssss—

Then a sound scraped at his ear. Uncheon's eyes snapped open.

It's here.

Half a year earlier, from the hole opposite the toads', an azure-scaled serpent had appeared. The blue snake was sharp. Whenever he tried to approach with the Silent Shadow Spirit footwork, it sensed him and vanished into the wall. For half a year he had watched for a chance and failed every time, and a stubborn streak had taken root in him.

I can catch it now.

In the months between, Uncheon had studied how the serpent always knew where he was. He made no sound and hid his form, yet again and again it pinpointed him exactly. At last he found its secret.

It was the scent.

The blue snake's sense of smell was exquisite. It reacted to the faint odor stirred by even his slightest movement. Which meant that the subtle art of Silent Shadow Spirit had to leave no scent either.

For half a year he had turned over every way to erase the smell of his body. And a month ago, he had finally added the subtle principle of scent to Silent Shadow Spirit. Strictly speaking, he did not erase his own odor. He took in the smells of his surroundings through his form and made himself one with them.

Uncheon remained lying still and poured every sense into the serpent. The blue snake, too, tested the air for him. This time, no matter which way it cast its nose, it found no presence that carried a strange smell.

Ssssssss—

The serpent slid farther in until it reached the edge of the pond. Fully revealed, it was about two spans long, its back gleaming a deep blue.

Just a little more…….

Thaat!

In that instant the body that had been sprawled on the floor exploded toward the blue snake.

Ssssssss—

Panic-stricken, the serpent twisted and raced for the cave wall.

"Hahaha! You won't get away today."

Uncheon cut it off a step ahead and blocked the wall.

Sssssssssss—

In the same breath the snake shot up at his face, jaws wide, and sprayed venom mist straight at him.

Whoa—this little—

The world swam for a moment.

Urgh.

The mist was thick with a toxin that numbed every nerve. But the dizziness passed, and Uncheon did not lose consciousness. Two years of eating the cave's toads had built a resistance he did not even know he possessed; he simply thought the serpent's poison was weak.

"You—nothing special after all!"

His hands moved, unfolding the family's only binding technique. What had made two years of confinement bearable was the training of new martial arts—forms he had memorized in the family but never properly mastered. The swift subduing art of the Azure Sky Prison Hands, and the palm technique called Cheonroe Samjang, the Heavenly Thunder Triple Palm.

Anyone of the direct line could learn the Heavenly Thunder Triple Palm. A single exchange, however, demanded fierce inner force, so most began with the Great Extension Palm or Heavenly Wind Palm Strength instead. Uncheon was glad he had taken up the Triple Palm for one reason alone. After being struck by the black-hatted Mun Gu's Crimson Qi Flame, he had wanted at least one solid palm art of his own—and he meant to settle that score with palms when the day came.

Whoosh!

Uncheon snared the serpent's head with the Azure Sky Prison Hands.

Thrash thrash thrash—

The blue snake fought like a mad thing, trying to wrench free of his grip. It could not break the strength that held it.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He tightened his hand and pressed down on its head.

Krrrk!

A rough, choking sound scraped out of it.

"……."

Uncheon met the serpent's blue eyes. Come to think of it, the creature had never done him any real harm.

"You…… count yourself lucky today."

All that effort to catch it had been nothing but stubborn pride. He had never particularly wanted to eat it. He set the blue snake on the floor.

Whirr-lick.

The moment its body was free, it vanished into the cave wall as if fleeing for its life. Uncheon watched it go with a rueful smile.

"Now how am I supposed to pass the time?"

The serpent that had given him something interesting to chase was gone. He lay down on the floor again. Overhead, sunlight still poured through the ceiling into the cave below.

Another half-month passed. His daily routine did not change—except for one thing.

Ssss—

Exactly once a day, the blue snake appeared, laid a toad from its mouth on the ground, and disappeared again.

"Haha. Is this its way of saying thanks for sparing it? Well—I'm grateful either way."

Today's toad was a plump one. Uncheon rose to fetch it—

Thud.

Something snapped beneath the floor.

What was that?

A vibration he could not ignore climbed from below.

Don't tell me…… an earthquake?

If the ground shook, the cause was either an explosion or a quake.

Slosh.

The pond's surface heaved and began to spill over its banks.

"Damn it—it really is an earthquake!"

Uncheon snatched up the clothes he had left in a corner and threw them on. He had no desire to be found dead and naked. Clack. For the first time in nearly two years he was dressed, and he buckled on his sword belt.

KRRRROOOM!!

A heavier shock hit. He staggered; he caught his balance before he fell.

Rumble rumble rumble—

Then, just as when the coal mine had collapsed, rock and earth poured from walls and ceiling. KRRRROOOOM!! Massive detonations rolled up from underground one after another. Pond water shot to the ceiling and sprayed in every direction. Cracks split the walls and roof, and the stone began to give way.

That—!

Uncheon's gaze shot to the ceiling. The space that no human body could have passed through was opening under the quake, the gap widening.

That's wide enough to fit through. Before it collapses completely—!

His form launched from the floor and soared toward the ceiling.

Got—it!

His fingers just barely caught the edge. Bracing both hands, he wedged his body into the opened crack and clung there.

Huuuh…….

If the gap had not widened, he would never have made it up.

I have to keep moving.

He looked up. He could not tell how high the shaft rose, but it was the only way out.

Die either way—I might as well try.

Whooosh—

Dirt rained from above. Uncheon held his breath, punched through the falling earth, and flung himself higher. Thud thud thud—it barely counted as footwork. Hands and feet together, he gripped and kicked the walls and climbed without stopping.

Rumble rumble—

One side of the wall collapsed below him.

Just a little more…… hold on!!

The quake that struck the whole of Dangsan brought the village buildings down. Earthquakes were common there, but never on this scale. Even the old folk who had lived in Dangsan all their lives said they had never felt a great quake like this. The villagers had fled outdoors and could only stand staring at the houses that had fallen.

"This is……."

And then Uncheon, coated in dust, came down into the village. To the people he looked like one more survivor who had crawled out of a collapsed building.

"That was one hell of a quake……."

Tap, tap.

He turned to the middle-aged man who had lightly patted his shoulder.

"You all right?"

"Ah…… yes. Were many people hurt?"

"Luckily the fore-shocks ran long, so everyone got outside. Only the buildings took the worst of it."

"Thank heaven for that."

Uncheon walked on, looking at the ruined houses.

Rumble.

Ahead, villagers were hurrying somewhere. He asked one of them.

"What's happening?"

"There's someone under a collapsed building over there…… we've got to get them out before the whole thing comes down!"

Uncheon ran with them.

A murmur of voices. The building still held by a few pillars looked ready to fall at any moment. From inside came human cries.

"Please…… save us……."

"Help…… someone……."

The voices were desperate, yet no one went in. No one was willing to stake a life on a roof that might drop any second.

Whoosh!

Uncheon, however, went straight for the building.

"There—that young man……."

Woom—

Once inside he found the trapped people and heaved the fallen debris up with his body.

"Get out, quickly."

"Ah—yes!"

The moment a path opened, those inside scrambled free.

That should do it.

Uncheon followed the last man out.

Crack. KRRRROOOM—

The supporting pillars gave way, and the building collapsed completely the instant he cleared it.

"Haa…… thank goodness."

Those who had escaped and the villagers who had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠watched crowded around him.

"Thank you—truly, thank you!"

"You saved our lives……!"

Surrounded, Uncheon received their gratitude.

Rumors spread through ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Central Plains.

In the past two years, two great calamities had struck Dangsan. First the collapse of the coal mine, then the Great Dangsan Earthquake. And each time, a man willing to give his life for others had appeared. Two years earlier it had been the Namgung Saint, Blue Stream Sword Fragrance Namgung Uncheon. This time, a figure called the Blue-Robed Saint had come forward and pulled people from a building about to fall.

Thud thud thud!

Namgung Hyeonwu frowned as a man burst into his office in a rush.

"Has the sky fallen? Or has the earth opened under your feet?"

"Elder Brother. How did you know?"

Namgung Seonwoo looked at him as if astonished.

"What is it I'm supposed to know? You're making a spectacle of yourself."

"No—strange rumors are coming out of Dangsan."

"……."

Namgung Hyeonwu stopped what he was doing and looked at his brother. Even for a younger sibling, talk of Dangsan was not something one raised lightly in his presence.

"A few days ago a great earthquake struck Dangsan."

"……."

"They say nearly every village collapsed."

"I hope not too many were hurt…… this is serious."

"Yes. As it happens, some villagers were trapped in a building that was coming down. Everyone was too afraid to go in—until someone appeared and pulled them out of the collapsing house."

"A man who would risk his life for strangers is no ordinary person."

Even as he spoke, Hyeonwu thought of his son Uncheon.

"Afterward he led the recovery work and helped the villagers. So the people of Dangsan have begun calling him the Blue-Robed Saint."

Again his son rose in his mind. Had Uncheon not been called the Namgung Saint as well? But Seonwoo was not finished.

"Elder Brother—they say the Blue-Robed Saint looked barely past twenty."

Hyeonwu's hand twitched. Blue robes, and the age of a youth just come of age. The thought crossed his mind, but the world was full of coincidences.

"Elder Brother, doesn't that seem strange to you?"

"……Enough. Do you think the world holds only one man who wears blue?"

"Come now…… wouldn't it be better to look into it once?"

"……."

Namgung Hyeonwu did not want to raise false hope only to be disappointed again. He had only just begun to let go of Uncheon; there was no need to put her through that pain a second time.

Rustle.

Namgung Seonwoo rose from his seat.

"I already expected Elder Brother would not take this up himself. I will look into it."

"I won't stop you from what you choose to do—but keep it from your sister-in-law."

"Understood."

Seonwoo went out again. Alone, Namgung Hyeonwu sat for a long while and did nothing at all.

On the road to Mount Hwangshan, Uncheon grew steadily more uneasy. When he had left the villagers of Dangsan and come straight down into Anhui, the worry had not yet set in. The moment he entered Hwangshan, though, the thought that his father would thrash him kept rising unbidden.

I might not even be allowed back into the murim…… Should I have sent word first?

The mountain was already flushing with red light.

"Still—it's good to see Hwangshan again."

As he moved toward the Namgung Family Residence, Uncheon fully suppressed his presence. He did not want the household to know he was climbing the mountain. He had done nothing worthy of celebration and had no wish to throw the family into an uproar.

I've arrived.

At last the family's name plaque rose before his eyes. The guards at the main gate started in shock at the figure that had appeared from nowhere.

"Wh-who goes there?"

"Hello. It's been a while. I'm Uncheon."

Whoosh!

At the sound of his voice a powerfully built man rushed out from inside the gate. Sa Inho, captain of the guard, stared at Uncheon as if he had seen a ghost.

"Y-you…… is it truly…… Young Master Uncheon?"

"Captain Sa, you seem to have grown even broader since I last saw you."

"Ah…… ah…… this……."

Sa Inho stepped close and touched him. It was no illusion.

"You were alive……!"

"Yes. Happily, it seems I was not fated to die a lonely death. It's good to see you after so long."

"Allow me…… to escort you."

"I think I should see my mother first."

"Ah—understood. Then I will go ahead to the Law Enforcement Hall."

"……."

"Is something wrong?"

"Well…… Father must be very angry, I suppose?"

"Given his temperament…… I would imagine so."

"Haha…… Then I'll go in first."

Creak.

Uncheon opened the door and stepped inside. A middle-aged woman sat quietly, gazing out.

"Mother."

"……."

Sun Yuhwa thought she had heard a phantom. Then the familiar voice came again.

"Mother. It's Uncheon."

Whip!

She turned her head at once—and there in the doorway stood Uncheon, smiling brightly.

"Our…… our Uncheon……?"

"Yes. It's me. I'm sorry I couldn't send word all this time."

Sun Yuhwa rose and ran to him. When she held him, it was truly her son Uncheon.

"It really is you……."

"I'm sorry I came so late."

Tears ran ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down her face. She clung to him as if he might vanish the moment she let go.

"Mother—I think Father has come. He's outside."

Just as Uncheon said, Namgung Hyeonwu already stood beyond the door.