Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Hold Her
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‘The mountain I must overcome…’
Sect Leader Han Seo-hui stared intently at Namgung Urin's face.
‘Yes. That pale face…’
How could I not have known?
No, I had forgotten.
Before the War of Orthodox and Demonic Factions, he was always on my mind. Because he was the mountain I, Han Seo-hui, had to surpass.
But after the war, the Namgung Family collapsed. He was no longer a mountain to overcome, but a pitiful existence one might toss a few coins to while passing by.
“…How…”
No.
It's not 'how'.
The Sect Leader shook her head vigorously.
She was confused.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and her heart was pounding like crazy.
The Iron Blood Lord said it, and so did Escort Seo, didn't they?
That this man must be secured. That he was the man who would brighten the future of the Iron Blood Sect.
Seo-hui's own heart felt no different.
No, it felt as though she had already given him her entire heart without realizing it.
But wasn't she, Han Seo-hui, the Sect Leader of the Iron Blood Sect?
“What are you doing here? For what purpose did you hide your identity and enter our Iron Blood Sect?!”
She tried to lash out with words like thorns, but it felt as if the barbs in the Sect Leader's tone failed to emerge.
The Sect Leader's words continued.
“And this ledger. From whom did you get it?!”
“I will be honest with you.”
“Of course you will! As the Young Lord, you have essentially trespassed into the Iron Blood Sect without permission.”
Though her voice was firm, she had no will to think of Namgung Urin as an intruder. Moreover, her eyes were trembling slightly.
“My purpose for coming to the Iron Blood Sect was the ginseng here. And in the process, I came across this ledger.”
“For this measly ginseng… to steal it…”
A 500-year-old ginseng was very precious. However, to Sect Leader Han Seo-hui right now, it was nothing but trivial. Not compared to how all the dreams she'd had for the past few days had turned to dust.
*Clang.*
The sword she had prepared as a gift for Namgung Urin was drawn from her hand, approaching him not as a gift, but as a threat.
The aura of the woman of Iron Blood holding the sword was fierce. In the place where her dreams had been, rage now resided.
Her fierce aura and anger screamed at Namgung Urin, demanding how he would take responsibility for this situation.
*Give it back.*
The heart she had given to Namgung Urin.
*I want it back.*
The dream that had swelled because of Namgung Urin.
The arm holding the sword trembled. The thought that she couldn't let the one who trampled her dreams and hopes go, and the heart filled with the face of the man before her that made it pound wildly, were at war.
But soon…
*Clatter.*
The sword fell from Sect Leader Han Seo-hui's hand to the floor.
For a brief, fleeting moment, with the heart of Iron Blood, she had considered eliminating the man who could one day become a great mountain blocking the Iron Blood Sect's path.
But now…
Sect Leader Han Seo-hui lacked the will to even think or feel such a thing.
Only regret.
The regret of not being able to have him.
Only the regret of what could not be was binding Sect Leader Han Seo-hui.
“Go. Take the ginseng you wanted and leave.”
Sect Leader Han Seo-hui turned her back and simply gazed at the trembling night sky. And she was sobbing.
Tears streamed down her face.
I don't know.
It was hard to believe she could become so shaken and weak over such a short period, but right now, she was in a state of weakness where she could do nothing.
“Next time… our next meeting will likely be as enemies. So please, take that ginseng and disappear.”
Sect Leader Han Seo-hui's shoulders trembled slightly.
Namgung Urin could tell.
‘Hold her.’
‘What? Why?’
‘That child is crying because of you.’
‘It's not because of me. She insisted on sparring, so I just obliged. And she's two years older than me, you know?’
‘Still, she is a woman. A man should not make a woman cry.’
‘But it's not my fault.’
‘Regardless of the reason, she is crying because of you. Go and hold her.’
His father's words, heard after a spar with *her* in his childhood, flashed through Namgung Urin's mind.
‘Moreover, this time, it *is* my fault.’
Namgung Urin approached Sect Leader Han Seo-hui from behind.
And from behind, he gently embraced her.
“…”
‘Ah…’
In that moment, her tears stopped. The slight trembling of the Sect Leader's shoulders was stilled by Namgung Urin's arms.
The Sect Leader couldn't even begin to think about how to react in this moment.
No, she couldn't.
Because of the warmth from Namgung Urin holding her, her entire body, from head to toe, felt like it was burning white-hot.
She had been trying to cast away the heart she'd given Namgung Urin into the night sky, engraving in her mind again and again that she would treat him as an enemy.
‘I can't break down like this.’
Still, the Sect Leader composed herself.
“What do you think you're do—”
Namgung Urin cut her off, speaking by her ear.
“Just listen. The ledger you saw earlier. It belongs to a man named Elder Myeong. That ginseng was also purchased by him. But it seems he killed the person who sold it and took the money back. So, please handle this matter first.”
Having finished speaking, Namgung Urin released his arms. The Sect Leader turned to face him, lifting her head to look at his face.
The Sect Leader, finding herself so close to Namgung Urin's face, struggled to speak, but she managed to force the words out.
“…Alright. But is what you said really true?”
If Namgung Urin's words were true, then as the Sect Leader of the Iron Blood Sect, there was no matter more urgent or grave.
“It is.”
“It's not just to get out of this situation, is it?”
“I don't have a talent for such things.”
“I understand.”
Sect Leader Han Seo-hui took only the ledger and headed for the door. As she did, Namgung Urin spoke to her.
“Then I'll…”
The Sect Leader's hand, about to open the door, paused.
“Stay right here and don't move. Until I return.”
“…”
She wanted to keep him from ever leaving the room.
Forever.
***
In the Sect Leader's office, Sect Leader Han Seo-hui, Escort Seo, and the Iron Blood Lord were present.
The Iron Blood Lord asked.
“Is something wrong?”
She looked pale. He already felt sorry for the Sect Leader because of what he'd heard from Namgung Yul, the Namgung Family Head, and seeing her unwell face made him even more concerned.
Sect Leader Han Seo-hui placed the box of ginseng and the ledger on the table and recounted what she had heard from Namgung Urin.
She fabricated a story, saying that Namgung Urin had accidentally overheard Elder Myeong's conversation and then retrieved the ginseng.
“What!”
“Is that really true?!”
“It is. I believe we must resolve this issue quickly. The evidence is solid. I think this is a golden opportunity to win over those on the opposing side. What do you think?”
The Iron Blood Lord replied.
“It is an unparalleled opportunity.”
Escort Seo also chimed in.
“It's as if the heavens themselves have bestowed a gift upon you, Sect Leader.”
‘That man…’
Whatever his intentions, Namgung Urin had provided Sect Leader Han Seo-hui, who had just begun to lead the Iron Blood Sect, with a great power that would allow her to lead without friction.
“Then, Iron Blood Lord and Escort Seo, please move immediately.”
“Understood.”
Escort Seo replied at once and prepared to move, but the Iron Blood Lord hesitated.
“Sect Leader. I have something to tell you.”
“Is it something that must be said right now?”
“It is. Later, my words may be of no help to you.”
“Then, please do.”
The Iron Blood Lord began to speak with a serious tone.
“A short while ago, I met with the Namgung Family Head.”
The Iron Blood Lord recounted his earlier meeting with the Namgung Family Head.
After hearing the Iron Blood Lord's entire story, Escort Seo, stunned by the absurd truth, cried out.
“Then… all of this was… Wow. Sect Leader, are you alright?”
Escort Seo and the Iron Blood Lord looked at the Sect Leader with great concern.
“Actually, I already knew. He told me himself.”
Escort Seo shouted again.
“How shameless!”
The Iron Blood Lord interjected.
“Still, thanks to him, we learned of this major issue. Let's look on the bright side. Escort Seo, don't get too worked up.”
“How can I not be worked up right now?!”
“Escort Seo, calm down. I have already decided to let the matter of the Young Master… no, the Young Lord of the Namgung Family, go. So do not speak of it again. Right now, the affairs of our Iron Blood Sect are more important.”
“…Understood.”
“Then, get moving.”
Escort Seo and the Iron Blood Lord left the Sect Leader's office.
Left alone in her office, Sect Leader Han Seo-hui muttered to herself.
“Dried up…”
It was the most memorable part of the story the Iron Blood Lord had told.
He's in pain.
Dried up.
“So…”
The Sect Leader tilted her head.
A dried-up person held me while I was crying…
What was that gesture?
She wanted to stop thinking about it, but Namgung Urin's face kept stirring up her thoughts, making it impossible to stay still.
The Sect Leader rose from her seat and headed to her personal quarters, where she wished to imprison Namgung Urin forever.
However, in the Sect Leader's quarters, only five roots of ginseng and a letter left by Namgung Urin awaited her.
***
Time flowed like water, and half a year passed.
As he had promised, Yeongchun created a truly potent elixir. The elixir, made from 500-year-old ginseng, granted a staggering 25 years' worth of internal energy.
The members of the Namgung Family's Azure Sky Sword Brigade couldn't control their suddenly increased power. So, Namgung Urin made a suggestion to his uncle, Namgung Yul.
To have them spar with real swords every day.
Namgung Yul no longer rejected his nephew's wishes. Although minor problems always followed, the results were undeniable.
For a while after the live-blade sparring began, there were some minor issues. The smell of blood lingered in the Namgung estate every day. Fortunately, there were no injuries so severe as a severed arm or requiring days of bed rest, so with Namgung Urin's insistence and his mother Yeonhwa's support, the sparring continued.
No.
The members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade wanted it more.
They became addicted to live-blade sparring, saying the feel of it was completely different.
Namgung Yul, the Family Head, raised a fuss, claiming they had gotten a taste for blood, not just the feel of the sword, but he eventually had to concede.
The improvement in the brigade members' skills was so visible that Namgung Yul had no reason to stop their crazed antics.
No, inwardly, he was cheering.
He believed the vows he made on that bleak day would soon be realized before his very eyes.
As for the Black Serpent Gang…
They were literally improving by leaps and bounds. And amidst that, they took the elixir.
An elixir that granted a whopping 25 years of internal energy.
The entire Black Serpent Gang got to consume an elixir they would never have even seen in their lifetimes.
Most of the Black Serpent Gang members nearly died several times after taking the elixir. Their bodies couldn't handle the sudden, excessive influx of internal energy, which far surpassed their capabilities.
It was a good thing five members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade and Namgung Urin were there.
In fact, the brigade members had tried to stop them.
Saying they could die.
The bastards from the Black Serpent Gang glared and said, "You guys get to eat it, so why can't we?! Why not! They say even a ghost who died after a good meal looks better!" and tossed it into their mouths.
And then they really did almost die.
And then, the Azure Sky Sword Brigade, all the martial artists of the Namgung Family, and even the Black Serpent Gang came to possess swords made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, which was incredibly difficult to acquire.
It was absurd.
Each of them swung their swords around as if they were the greatest under heaven.
Namgung Urin also forged his own Primordial Chaos Sword. It wasn't made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron. As its name suggests, it was a sword made of primordial chaos itself. He spent a full fortnight, without sleep, dedicated to creating this sword.
It was a sword that couldn't be described by words like 'famous' or 'treasured'. Because of that, Namgung Urin decided to carry another sword made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron as well.
And Namgung Urin became particularly engrossed in his training.
“You're working hard. Don't overdo it. Doing things you don't normally do is a good way to die early.”
It was the Namgung Family Head, Namgung Yul.
“What brings you here?”
For his uncle to come looking for his nephew, of all things.
“Haste can make you stumble.”
“I hate losing.”
Namgung Urin never wanted to experience losing to the Iron Blood Lord again.
“That is why this uncle of yours has come to find you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It's been a while since you took the elixir, so today, let's open your Governing and Conception Vessels.”
“…”