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EP.44 So Sword Peak(劍鳳). (4)

“I heard you smashed the Thunder Dragon’s arm.”

That was the first thing my father said as soon as I stepped into the Head House.

No greeting after such a long time, nor any inquiry about how I had been—just straight to business.

‘…Of all things to ask.’

He’s always been like this, consistently blunt.

What should I say? Should I tell him the truth as it is?

“No, I didn’t smash it, just… kind of broke it slightly…”

After struggling for a bit, that’s all I managed to get out.

Wasn’t that kind of the same thing? But I felt like I had to say something.

Luckily, my father didn’t seem too concerned about my words.

“Why did you do that?”

This was the important part.

He must have already heard everything, but asking again meant he wanted to hear it directly from me.

I took a deep breath before slowly starting to speak.

“The Thunder Dragon challenged me to a spar, and since he mixed in some trickery, I retaliated accordingly.”

A simple explanation, but that was basically the whole story.

Sure, I had provoked him since he kept pushing my buttons, but it was his fault for crossing the line.

“The Thunder Dragon mixed in trickery?”

“Yes, he promised not to use his inner strength, but he infused his bet into the wooden sword. I sensed danger.”

“Witnesses?”

“There were plenty of people around.”

Tang Soyeol was probably the only one who truly understood what went down.

Tang Soyeol was also there but looked dazed afterward, so I doubted he could vouch for me.

My father nodded at my answer.

“That’s all I needed to know.”

He’s a straightforward guy, no doubt about it.

Even after hearing that I defeated the Thunder Dragon, his reaction was just this.

I had hardly seen my father waver before.

Not when his child turned into a demon, or when his bloodline dwindled, or even when he faced death himself.

As I stood quietly through the heavy atmosphere, my father abruptly said something unexpected.

“It seems you’ve achieved something.”

“…Excuse me?”

That was something he had told Gu Yeonseo at a mealtime long ago.

Ironically, now I was the one listening to it.

Even after suddenly rising to the third rank, my father didn’t seem to care one bit.

It was strikingly indifferent.

“Good.”

“…Thank you.”

I struggled to suppress the corners of my mouth from rising uncontrollably at such a trivial compliment.

What age am I to be this pleased by a simple praise?

‘Is it possible I’ve never heard these words before?’

Had I ever been praised? Probably not.

That’s why I was so easily swayed by such pointless sentiment.

After casually getting the details, my father fell silent.

Did he think I was lying?

He folded the letter he had been looking at and pulled out another document.

“If there was friction with the Nangong Clan, you must have run into your fiancée who happened to be there as well.”

“….”

Here it comes…

Ah… my fiancée.

Why does mentioning her give me the chills?

Swallowing the saliva that had suddenly built up and trying to conceal my trembling voice, I asked my father.

“May I inquire about how that came to be?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the engagement with the Nangong Clan. I’d like to know how it progressed.”

No matter how I thought about it, this felt like a completely out-of-the-blue situation.

Not to mention, the Nangong Clan of all places?

Forgetting my shock, my father casually replied.

“It was decided by the Council of Elders. It won’t be a bad thing for you.”

“…”

Oh really, you say…?

What kind of event occurred that led to this ludicrous engagement with Nangong Bi-ah?

As I racked my brain, my father’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Even if breaking off with the Peng family was inevitable, I’ve no doubt you won’t mess this up either.”

Did he realize I was unhappy about the engagement?

I could tell there was an unspoken implication in his words that this was a one-time deal.

At that point, I had nothing to counter with.

For now, I had to keep quiet.

Rustle.

The sound of a letter being unfolded and refolded echoed quietly in the Head House.

I stood silently waiting for the next words.

My father not telling me to go meant there was more to discuss.

Tap, tap.

He tapped the table with his ring finger.

A habit he picked up when he was deep in thought.

Seeing him like that made me furrow my brow.

A habit just like mine. A reflection of myself.

Every time this happened, I felt a little dizzy realizing I was indeed my father’s son.

“In a short while, summer will be upon us.”

My father’s words brought me back to reality.

What on earth does that even mean?

“Yes, summer is approaching.”

I had already felt the heat building up.

But why was he suddenly mentioning it?

Summer…?

“Soon, the Jehwa Contest will start at Hwasan.”

My heart sank at my father’s words.

The word Hwasan left me breathless.

It reminded me of the volcano that burned away in my previous life.

‘…Don’t think about it.’

I repeated deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

My father observed my demeanor and asked.

“Is something wrong?”

“…No. What do you mean by that?”

He did not answer my question and handed me the letter he was holding.

I cautiously accepted and unfolded it.

And upon seeing the written words, I couldn’t help but scowl.

I immediately questioned my father.

“…Why are you giving this to me?”

“Bring her back.”

“Why should I…?”

“Because I said so.”

What kind of nonsensical directive is this?

I couldn’t ease the frown on my face as I responded.

“Are you aware that I just came from Sichuan?”

“I’ll have you ready to depart a week from now.”

“Seems like I don’t have an option to refuse…”

Just having returned from Sichuan, my father wanted me to venture that far again?

Was he feeling alright, or was this some kind of joke?

‘Could there have been a change of heart?’

The Gu Clan never lets bloodlines wander carelessly.

Gu Huibi stood out due to her extraordinary talent, but I was different.

It’s not uncommon for a young scion of a clan to travel the world.

But seeing I was still young and hadn’t even become the Lesser Clan Leader yet, I couldn’t understand his reasoning for wanting to send me out so easily.

Moreover, sending me out would surely not sit well with the higher-ups.

I thought my father shared similar concerns, yet here he was, suggesting I go that far?

“Clan Leader, asking me to ride all the way to Hwasan is a bit much…”

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to go.”

“Really? Then I won’t go…”

“In that case, if you go, I’ll open the Biwaegun and give you the Taeseondan.”

“…Of course, I’d be the one going. Can I leave right away?”

The words just slipped out before I had a moment to think.

…Was that too greedy of me?

I felt a twinge of guilt at the slight grimace in my father’s eyes.

But with the Taeseondan on the line, I couldn’t afford to pass it up.

The Taeseondan, right under the Shaolin summoning group, was something that, if consumed and properly absorbed, could grant me twenty years’ worth of inner strength.

That remark implies he might actually open the Gu Clan’s Biwaegun for it.

Thanks to some fortunate incidents, my inner strength had grown significantly, but compared to before, it was still lacking.

In the end, while my physical body was important, my inner strength still needed urgent work.

“…So I can leave a week from now?”

A week felt a bit tight, given I had preparations to make.

“Do you need more time?”

“Could it be pushed to ten days instead?”

My father nodded as though conceding to my request.

Then he shifted his gaze back to the letter.

What could be so compelling to require that much reading?

‘Ten days…’

At least I had obtained permission.

This meant I’d have about ten days in Mount Shan; it hurt to think of leaving again so soon after just arriving, but the Taeseondan definitely justified it.

What was even stranger was that my father brought up the Taeseondan like this.

He never wasted words, so I knew he wasn’t lying, but was it truly significant enough to mention it?

Standing there, my father pointed toward the door.

“That’s all for now. You may rest.”

“Yes.”

I too was feeling restless and wanted to leave.

This meant I had to visit the Hao Gate in the next few days and also squeeze in some training, so I’d be moving quite a lot.

‘Hwasan.’

The brilliantly blooming plum blossoms lingered in my memory.

But so did the vision of everything engulfed in flames.

Still, how could I dare set foot on Hwasan?

‘Don’t think about it.’

I shouldn’t.

Once I start down that path, there’s no end in sight.

It’s a thing of the past now.

As always, I had to bottle it up and deal with it alone.

‘Just finish whatever task is at hand and come back.’

That task, that was the only thing to focus on.

As I closed the Head House door, I pondered the task assigned to me.

That was to retrieve the youngest from Hwasan.

When I returned to my residence, Elder Lee and Gu Huibi had already left.

After causing such a ruckus right after arriving, they were gone again.

Well, thankfully, I’d returned to a peaceful residence.

As I headed to my room to change my clothes, I spotted the Sword Sovereign holding a broom in the distance.

Seeing me, he cautiously offered a greeting.

…It had been a while, but his approach was always intimidating.

“Hee-ing…”

…Huh?

I heard a familiar crying sound, and when I turned my gaze behind the Sword Sovereign, I saw Wi Seol-Ah kneeling with both arms raised, serving a punishment.

Her appearance resembled the moment I instinctively bowed in front of Gu Huibi earlier.

“Why is she doing that again…?”

Tears were streaming down her face, and she looked utterly dejected.

Yet the Sword Sovereign paid her no mind and continued his work silently.

I wondered what was going on, but the answer struck me quickly.

Ah, she must have snuck along to Sichuan.

After a month of being silent, it seemed she got caught and was being punished the moment she returned.

“Young Master…”

Oh no, I tried to walk past, but then our eyes met.

Wi Seol-Ah looked at me with a pleading gaze, but there was nothing I could do.

‘…Running away from home was a bit excessive.’

It was impossible to save her now, and the one punishing her was the Sword Sovereign…?

Helping her was out of the question.

“…Well, you might catch a chill when night falls, so be sensible and come inside.”

That was what I told the Sword Sovereign. I felt like I needed to say something.

He just smiled warmly and replied, “Yes, thank you for your concern, Young Master.”

“…No problem.”

It’s summer; what’s there to be cold about?

Wi Seol-Ah looked shocked at my feeble excuse.

“Young Master…!”

“Hey! Who’s raising their voice while getting punished?!”

The Sword Sovereign’s bark made her whimper like a little puppy.

I felt bad.

But there was nothing I could do. She made this choice after all; she should bear the consequences…

I ultimately ignored her and stepped into my room.

Outside, Wi Seol-Ah continued to call out to me, but I pretended not to hear her as I covered my ears.

For now, I just wanted to lie down.

A day filled with engagements, Hwasan, and Gu Huibi has utterly drained me.

Night would soon come, and it wouldn’t hurt to fall asleep early.

As I laid my tired head down, I felt a presence outside.

“Young Master, it’s your servant Hongwa.”

“What’s the matter?”

“I came to ask about dinner plans.”

“….Ah, I’m not hungry, so I won’t be eating.”

The servant acknowledged me and left.

I considered grabbing a dumpling or two, but I really had no appetite.

Right now, all I wanted was to sleep.

I might wake up later and eat something during the night, or even practice under the moonlight.

With that thought, I sent the servant away and lay down, only to immediately regret it when someone burst into my room.

“Brother! You aren’t going to eat dinner!?”

It was Gu Huibi holding dumplings in her hand.

 

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