Departing Once More (1)
"Not coming today?"
It had already been nearly two weeks since I last saw Namgung Seha. She had gone to the Five Great Clans meeting. Young as she was, and with her seat far from the clan head's, she would likely be treated as little more than a decorative screen. Still, she had followed along, saying it would be good to show her face and pick up whatever scraps of information she could. Nothing major was supposed to happen until six years later, so it felt like overkill, but I hadn't stopped her, not wanting to interfere too much.
"I want to see her face before I go."
The first week had passed without much trouble. Swinging my sword all day and occasionally playing with Namgung Hye when she visited had been entertaining enough. But now her absence was starting to feel hollow. There should always be a little lark chattering beside me whenever I grew bored, yet the silence felt awkward. This must be what emptiness feels like—something you only notice after someone has been there and then gone.
With more than half a year already passed, I would have to leave for the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering at Mount Song in Henan in two days. If I departed then, I would arrive with time to spare. Though the distance was short, I would be gone for at least a month, meaning nearly two months without seeing her.
"Whose face do you want to see? Mine?"
"Not yours. Your sister's."
I see your face every day, after all.
Before I knew it, Namgung Hye had settled beside me, staring intently at my fingertips. Wondering if something was there, I followed her gaze and found the bundle of oil pastries I had bought for Namgung Seha. I had thought only Namgung Seha liked sweets, but lately I had noticed Namgung Hye was no less fond of them. Since it seemed I would not see her sister today either, I took one out and held it to Namgung Hye's lips.
— Ahng.
She took a bite and chewed, her small cheeks puffing out like a squirrel with acorns stuffed in both sides. It was adorable. I patted her head and asked, "Did your sister say when she would be back?"
"Nope. Nothing!"
What a shame. I fed her another pastry and put some distance between us. Sitting still like this felt like a waste of time. I had trained with the sword yesterday, so today I sat cross-legged and began circulating my inner energy. As my heart grew hot, the heat in my dantian intertwined with it. Vitality surged through my body as though oil had been applied to a rusty iron gate. Perhaps because I had pushed my body to its limits yesterday, the flow of qi felt smoother than it had in nearly a month. Not a single trace of stagnation. I could likely gain several days' worth of inner energy today.
I sank my senses deep and focused entirely on the changes within my body. The world around me grew quiet. In that stillness, only I existed, and a considerable amount of time passed. While the heat throughout my body was still burning hot, I felt as though someone was calling out to me.
"...Woon..."
It sounded like someone was calling my name. I loosened my senses slightly. Gradually, things around me began to register—the patterns on the wooden porch, the pine tree growing in front of it, the roof tiles above. And three presences.
"...Three?"
Shouldn't there only be Namgung Hye? I snapped my eyes open and turned my head. As my senses returned, voices reached my ears.
"Namgung Hye, Namgung Seha, Lady Yu Hwa."
The two girls sat on either side of me, munching on pastries while watching me. Behind me, Yu Hwa the guard stared down with a sharp gaze.
"Haha... Did you have a good trip?"
"...Would you care to explain why you are sitting in the young lady's room instead of your own perfectly fine house, Sword Demon Jin Sowoon?"
Yu Hwa grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and hauled me up. There was nothing I could do but be dragged away helplessly.
...
I received quite the scolding. When I mentioned I had come to see if Seha had returned before leaving for the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, Namgung Hye tattled with obvious intent. It must have been my imagination that it felt like something Namgung Seha had put her up to. Even though I was young, I was lectured at length about entering a woman's room and spreading out a mat when the owner was absent. Exhausted, I trudged out.
"You should have kept Hye's mouth shut properly."
"...Couldn't you have stopped her?"
Namgung Seha appeared beside me at some point, chiding me. Her tone carried a hint of sulkiness. Why did I wait to hear this kind of voice only to be scolded like this? Namgung Seha handed me the empty bundle and smiled brightly.
"Ah, right. It was delicious."
"...Yeah. You're welcome."
While I was seriously weighing whether the joy of giving Namgung Seha a knuckle to the head outweighed the misfortune of being dragged off by Lady Yu Hwa for another scolding, my eyes caught on Namgung Seha's appearance. She had not grown noticeably taller, nor was she visibly injured. But when I looked again, I could clearly tell—her hair had turned completely white. Her eyes, too, shone with a clear blue light. Just like the day she died in the previous life.
"Your hair..."
"Ah. You finally noticed?"
Namgung Seha gently ran her fingers through her long hair. Then she smiled with her characteristic pride.
"Yes. I have reached the Peak Realm now."
"I personally think black hair suits you better, but this feels more familiar."
Reaching the Peak Realm must have been a significant milestone for her. Unlike me or others, she could not hide her realm. It was the natural manifestation of the Namgung Clan's inner arts. Her hair turned snow-white and her eyes turned blue. By now, everyone in the clan must have noticed her achievement.
"Haha... So now you can officially use 'that' sword art?"
'That' sword art referred to the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art. Namgung Seha had already mastered the first form, Thunderclap Over the World, through the third form, Sevenfold Falling Lightning, almost perfectly, but in this life she had not yet received formal transmission, so she could not show it to others.
"That's right. Now others will be able to see my sword art in full."
"But honestly, I don't really need to show my sword art to anyone."
She glanced at me and asked, "When will you depart?"
"In two days, to be safe."
My luggage was already packed, and I had informed my mother in advance. I had also spoken to Namgung Hyeok before the Five Great Clans meeting. There were no issues.
"Are you confident?"
She was asking if I was confident of victory at the gathering.
"If I lose, I can just beat the Poison Dragon again and stubbornly insist, right?"
Winning against the Poison Dragon yet still being treated as an Imugi made no sense. Of course, it was nonsense, and since I had long left behind a world where strength was everything, it was merely a joke I would never actually carry out.
"As long as you do not break any bones on the way, you will win."
"You are already stronger than I was during my Lightning Sword Phoenix days."
Well, then the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering victory was already in the bag. Originally, the Spear Annihilation Phoenix would have filled the vacant seat among the Four Dragons and Four Phoenixes. Since the Spear Annihilation Phoenix had shown little activity even after ascending to Phoenix, I would surely win.
"When you return, you will no longer be an Imugi."
"A dragon, then."
As she said that, Namgung Seha clapped her hands together as if remembering something.
"I spoke to the Poison Dragon again this time. I told him to call you out once since you are participating in the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering."
"He said he would be the first to call me anyway."
The image of him saying that with that cheerful, almost thoughtless smile made me feel increasingly tired. I suddenly wondered how much progress the Poison Dragon had made. Well, since he said he would call me soon, I would find out.
"I am not coming tomorrow. I will be at home with Mother and departing at dawn."
"Understood. Please go in."
Namgung Seha waved as she saw me off. I was about to leave at her words when a thought occurred to me.
"Seha."
"Yes?"
"To get closer, would it be better to approach the Huashan Sect or the Zhongnan Sect?"
It was not merely about making casual acquaintances. It was a question about which sect to befriend first in Shaanxi to prevent future incidents.
Namgung Seha thought for a moment before answering. "Just make casual acquaintances with both. Even as a Dragon or Phoenix, it is difficult to be treated on equal footing with the elders of the Nine Great Sects."
"Even so, befriending the younger generation will not stop what is coming in Shaanxi. If you want to stop it, you have to catch it at the source."
"Just make enough connections to ask for a clean cleanup afterward."
I nodded quietly at her words.
"In a month, I will show you a completely different version of myself."
Having seen that face—annoying yet not entirely unpleasant—I headed home early to prepare for the journey to Henan. My steps felt light. I did not know why. Perhaps it was the childlike anticipation of seeing the world after a year, the beginner's excitement of a new beginning, or the resolve that this was finally a start worthy of regression. Once I returned as a dragon, I would be busy. Even if I maintained this daily life, it would not be the same as before. I would need to borrow the Namgung Clan's influence and work to build connections with other renowned figures of the murim. To prevent the coming heavenly disasters.
"...Phew. Suddenly thinking about this makes me anxious."
It feels like something is about to happen.
I pressed my forehead to calm the unease. I had not caused any major changes to the world. There would be no problems. Pushing such thoughts aside, I quickened my steps toward home. The journey and beginning ahead would be long and unknown—for me, and for everyone else.