Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Ancient Matters
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The Life-Seizing Ghost Sword had been extremely angry.
He gnashed his teeth at the fact that mere pups dared to tarnish the Sword Clan's name, yet he could do nothing about it.
Then came his anger toward the Eldest Young Master.
If he had wielded power befitting his exalted position, he could have easily reclaimed the Sword Clan Bronze Token right there on the spot and chopped those insults to the clan into pieces.
But in the end, when he opened his mouth toward Yeon So-hyeon, what emerged was neither resentment nor rage.
“……My apologies.”
In truth, he too had done nothing to protect his own skin.
He had simply avoided responsibility, steering clear of matters too great to bear.
“What is there to apologize for? You fulfilled your duty.”
Even the first words of encouragement he had ever heard from Yeon So-hyeon offered no solace.
“You should head back now. They might lump you in with me, the one who handed the Sword Clan Bronze Token to Geumju.”
“But I am Your Young Master's escort……!”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled at him.
“There is no need to sacrifice yourself for someone who refuses to offer you a sword.”
“That’s……
He opened his mouth several times to protest, only to close it again.
“……My apologies.”
Yeon So-hyeon handed him a pre-written order.
“Here, take this.”
Stamped with the Family Head Seal, the document was meant for him.
It proved that he had carried out a temporary escort duty under Yeon So-hyeon’s command and was now ordered to return.
His footsteps halted several times as he turned to leave with the order in hand, but in the end, he could not bring himself to turn back.
‘Damn it……’. Even after reaching that realm, he had felt much helplessness, but never had his mood been as foul as it was today.
‘Damn it.’
His long shadow cast by the setting sun looked utterly forlorn.
* * *
“Hmm.”
Se-ah’s patience was beginning to wear thin as she waited for Yeon So-hyeon to finish taking Jeong-a’s pulse.
Famous physicians whom she had summoned had come and gone, all assuring her that Jeong-a was merely exhausted.
She was simply sleeping deeply, they said.
But unlike the common perception, Se-ah knew that Yeon So-hyeon’s medical skills were more than enough to form their own school.
Thus, she could not hide her anxiety.
“The An Family’s defenses are flawless. And as you commanded, we have more than doubled the usual guard.”
Even as her subordinate reported, she merely waved him off irritably, chewing on her pipe.
Pacing outside, and after some more time passed, her patience finally ran out.
“Young Master, this girl begs to enter.”
Without waiting for permission, she flung open the door and stepped inside.
The scene within the room was almost identical to how it had been just before she left.
Her one and only younger sister remained unconscious, while the Eldest Young Master held her wrist, still taking her pulse.
After a moment’s hesitation, she asked Yeon So-hyeon.
“……Is Jeong-a all right?”
Yeon So-hyeon, who had been sitting with eyes closed, turned to look at her.
“All right? Didn’t you hear she’s just sleeping?”
Yeon So-hyeon’s tone was absurdly nonchalant.
“That……!”
Her hand clenched reflexively around the pipe, but she barely held back.
“……Ahem. Then why is the pulse-taking taking so long, sir?”
Ignoring her question, Yeon So-hyeon extended his hand.
“You’ve brought the information on the Black Bone Sect, I assume?”
This time, she nearly snapped the pipe in two.
But repeating the character for “endure” in her mind, she held up a bundle of documents toward Yeon So-hyeon.
“Why not tell me first what’s wrong with my sister?”
“That’s everything, right?”
“……Everything.”
Her jaw clenched tighter toward the end, muffling her pronunciation.
Yeon So-hyeon stroked his beardless chin and furrowed his brow.
“Hmm. Actually, upon taking her pulse, it turns out Jeong-a is suffering from a grave illness.”
He clicked his tongue.
“But given your attitude……”
In one swift motion, Se-ah tossed the bundle of documents at him.
“W-what illness is it?!”
Yeon So-hyeon gave no reply, simply unfolding the documents and beginning to read.
His speed was so blistering that one might think he was merely skimming.
“Hmm.”
At last, having gone through all the papers, Yeon So-hyeon nodded.
Se-ah suppressed the trembling overtaking her body and asked him once more.
“So, what illness is Jeong-a suffering from?”
Yeon So-hyeon looked at her as if wondering what nonsense she was spouting.
“Didn’t I say she’s sleeping from exhaustion?”
Her pipe finally snapped in her grip.
“……You said it was a grave illness.”
Yeon So-hyeon furrowed his brow.
“Overwork is a serious illness. Even a young person can lose their life to it before they know it.”
“……”
Relief washed over her on one hand, while on the other, she struggled to contain her surging anger—a rare experience.
“So you’re saying Jeong-a has no major issues.”
“That’s right.”
Clutching her forehead, Se-ah asked.
“……Why did you ask for information on the Black Bone Sect?”
Having dropped all formal speech, Se-ah received no reaction from Yeon So-hyeon, as always.
“From the way you’ve gathered intel and the flow of it, it seems the Black Bone Sect is plotting something quite dangerous.”
“……”
Her head already hot with fury, Se-ah naturally missed the chance to deny it.
A beat too late, any denial now would hold no meaning.
With a small sigh, she spoke.
“What does that have to do with you, Young Master……?”
Yeon So-hyeon looked at her and said.
“Stop it.”
Se-ah’s eyebrows shot up.
“I am no subordinate who must obey your commands.”
Yeon So-hyeon leaned deeply back in his chair.
“That Sword Clan Bronze Token was genuine. Geumju’s connections are real. You, in the same line of work, know better than anyone the power of the Sword Clan’s intelligence division, don’t you?”
Of course.
At the very least, in this land of Luoyang, the Sword Clan’s information network was unmatched.
And precisely because of that, Se-ah could only grow angrier.
“You……!”
Yeon So-hyeon shot to his feet, cutting off Se-ah’s erupting shout.
“Let the patient rest. Let’s go outside.”
Without waiting for a response, Yeon So-hyeon left the room.
* * *
By now, darkness had fallen over the sky.
The cloudy night sky hid even the moon, and the winter wind howled as it scraped over the roof tiles.
Yeon So-hyeon stood gazing up at that sky, hands clasped behind his back.
Se-ah shouted at his retreating back.
“In Luoyang—no, in all the world—which merchant house is the greatest? The Sword Clan. Which martial clan is the finest under heaven? The Sword Clan.”
Her voice grew louder.
“And naturally, the Sword Clan reigns supreme in Luoyang’s information trade as well!”
In this moment, she cast off her mask as a neutral information broker.
“Didn’t the mighty Sword Clan hand a Sword Clan Bronze Token even to a black path group like the Black Bone Sect?!”
Her one remaining eye blazed like fire.
“While all the people of Luoyang groaned in suffering and died of starvation! What was the Sword Clan doing?!”
Yeon So-hyeon’s back offered no answer.
“While ruthless scum like the Black Bone Sect, devoid of any sense of justice, sucked the people’s blood in Luoyang, and countless such groups proliferated……!”
“The main house simply stood by with hands behind its back.”
Yeon So-hyeon cut her off.
“No, in truth, the main house has been using them.”
Se-ah’s fury intensified at Yeon So-hyeon’s attitude, as if he already knew everything.
“Then what have you been doing all this time?!”
She flung the broken pipe still clutched in her hand to the ground.
“Frankly, I felt that what Geumju said to you was crude in phrasing, but not wrong at all!”
For a moment, Se-ah felt her words had gone too far.
“I know you showed remarkable talent in the past! But what have you accomplished with that talent until now?”
She could not stop.
“Aren’t you just playing at immortality, using Father’s seclusion order as an excuse even now?!”
Yeon So-hyeon’s expression remained impassive.
That composure grated on Se-ah terribly.
“Of course, there must be a reason. A reason you hole up despite the curses and finger-pointing!”
His attitude, as if shouldering every burden alone.
“But in the end, you’ve done nothing proper!”
She cried out in a frenzy.
“So don’t you dare tell me what to do, when I’m the one risking my life to try something!”
Her shrill voice echoed through the courtyard but was soon swallowed by the north wind.
“……”
Calming her ragged breaths, Se-ah turned away from him.
His steady gaze remained utterly unshaken despite her tirade.
In that instant, she felt shame instead.
‘Don’t touch Geumju anymore.’
That was Yeon So-hyeon’s advice to her.
She knew it was sound advice.
With Geumju holding the Sword Clan Bronze Token, neutralizing the Black Bone Sect on her own had become impossible.
She knew she needed to focus all efforts on erasing every trace left by Crescent Moon Pavilion.
She had simply needed an outlet for her anger.
The powerless Eldest Young Master of the great Luoyang Sword Clan had been the perfect target to vent upon, to relieve her frustration.
Moreover, knowing his vast tolerance, she might have even subtly counted on him overlooking her rudeness.
Her face burned hot.
“S-sorry, no. My apologies, Young Master.”
Fidgeting with her clasped hands, she carefully apologized.
Her demeanor was so unlike the iron-blooded woman who had built Crescent Moon Pavilion from Luoyang’s gutters with her own strength that it was hard to believe.
Yeon So-hyeon let out a small chuckle at her endearing behavior.
And at that laugh, Se-ah could not lift her face.
“There were once two sisters who were very close.”
At the sudden old tale, Se-ah raised her head to look at Yeon So-hyeon.
“The elder brimmed with a sense of justice. She could not forgive the culprits ruining her neighborhood.”
Se-ah instinctively knew this was a story about her and Jeong-a.
“The elder gathered comrades who shared her ideals and staked everything in the fight, but ultimately failed. And they were all killed.”
Was this an ill omen?
Se-ah could not grasp Yeon So-hyeon’s intent.
It was only natural.
“The extraordinarily talented younger sister learned of her elder’s death and went mad. She attacked those who had driven her sister to ruin. She inflicted accumulating damage, but the enemies were too strong. In the end, the younger sister too became a criminal and was slain. Hunted down.”
It was a tale of the past.
And simultaneously, a tale of the future.
Yeon So-hyeon was recounting the picture completed by fitting together the empty pieces.
“They could not even leave their names or their noble cause intact. In fabricated tales, they became mere rebels and public enemies of the martial world. The people reviled the sisters and cursed them.”
Finishing the story, Yeon So-hyeon looked up at the sky.
“……This fool fails to understand what Your Young Master means.”
Se-ah ventured cautiously.
“It is the story of how the good perish all too vainly.”
Yeon So-hyeon’s tone was exceedingly grave.
“And how the wicked triumph all too naturally.”
Crunch—.
From Yeon So-hyeon came the chilling sound of teeth grinding fiercely.