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EP.61 The Fall of the Plum Dragon (4)

Kuck.

I put a strong force into the soles of my feet pressing down on the grass.

From the soles, the power radiated through my ankles, calves, thighs, and waist.

I tightened my lower body step by step, ensuring it became the center.

Whether with a sword or fist, it was essential for the lower body to be the base.

Even archers needed it.

This is what it meant to be the foundation.

Once I was satisfied with the distribution of strength, I took a deep breath and unleashed my energy.

Whoosh-!

Flames surged up my body.

I immediately suppressed the wild flames eager to rampage.

Excess energy is as good as none.

The Technique of the Flame Wheel slowly twisted and rotated within me.

Accordingly, a ring of flames lifted around my body.

[Not yet.]

As Shin Noya spoke, I exhaled steam and increased the speed of my rotation.

Whoosh!

I felt the energy escaping at high speed.

At the same time, the heat of the ring intensified.

[Not yet.]

The second command.

The flames grew stronger, carefully regulated to avoid destroying my surroundings.

Such training would be beneficial for condensing and releasing flames in future battles.

As I spun at an accelerated pace, my inner strength tapped at a certain point.

The Lower Dantian.

‘…Is this it?’

I was surprised myself.

The rough technique, while powerful, faced many obstacles on its path.

Had I not absorbed the energy of a treasure, I wouldn’t have reached the Fourth Stage.

However, the thorns of the technique had begun to diminish, and I was poking at the Lower Dantian little by little.

[That won’t do.]

I nodded at Shin Noya’s words.

I had merely brushed against it.

I shouldn’t try to force it open.

Even Shin Noya seemed incredulous, letting out a chuckle.

[…What an eerie talent, to already touch the Lower Dantian.]

Talent? To Shin Noya, it might seem that way, but this was solely possible due to past experiences.

Whether a martial artist reached their peak depended on their ability to open their Lower Dantian and feel the sensations.

If one’s inner strength was insufficient, they wouldn’t open it, and even if they did so by sheer luck, their Dantian would shatter under the overwhelming energy.

The issue came when even being prepared didn’t guarantee enlightenment.

Even if one could open it anytime, being unprepared was a world of difference.

“Phew….”

The expanding ring had finally reached the level I had been at against Yeongpung last night.

The threshold of the Fourth Stage.

Now regulating the heat was becoming difficult, and my surroundings were beginning to feel the effects.

Just when I pondered how much more I had to do.

[…That’s enough.]

At Shin Noya’s signal, I quickly withdrew my energy.

Although I halted the technique, steam billowed from my body because of the remaining heat.

“How is it?”

[Right now, it’s at the limit.]

Hmm, so it’s about the same level as yesterday.

But what was I doing just now?

As Shin Noya extracted my energy, something inside me was bouncing around as if to confirm how far I could go in the daylight.

Upon checking, I could use enough energy to fill my arm, but that seemed to be the limit.

“…Huh.”

I mulled it over, but I couldn’t really see a method.

Would going to Hwasan provide an answer? I still had no certainty.

But there weren’t any other methods. Regardless, I had to go, that was the problem.

[You’re still worrying too much over nothing. Just go and see what happens.]

Shin Noya’s words were correct.

After all, worrying wouldn’t yield any answers.

Every time I went somewhere, an accident occurred, so needless worrying kept piling up.

I brushed off the dust from my clothes, considering if I should at least do some basic training on the side.

A presence suddenly caught my attention from the back.

When I checked, I was relieved to see a familiar face.

“Junior, how did you spend your night?”

Yeongpung greeted me with a refreshing smile.

[Oh…]

Shin Noya seemed surprised and let out a sound of admiration.

I wasn’t any different.

After being taken down like that yesterday, I honestly thought he might not recover…

But Yeongpung approached me looking completely at ease.

Had he overcome the evil spirit, or had he not even fallen to its grasp in the first place?

[How do I look?]

Shin Noya’s question made me frown.

Both he and I already knew the answer. Yeongpung had simply sorted his thoughts overnight.

He probably hadn’t resolved everything, but I could feel it from the much more composed energy and expression.

‘This is what it means to be a genius…’

I couldn’t find him likable.

Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Yeongpung slowly bowed his head to me.

“Thank you for your teachings…”

“Pardon?”

Yeongpung flashed an awkward smile at my question.

“I’m not sure why you did it, but I realize you were trying to teach me out of concern for my lack of learning.”

[Oh! Oh!]

I wished he’d remain quiet.

My frown deepened into an outright grimace.

“…Junior?”

Yeongpung, taken aback by my expression, called me again, but my mood didn’t improve.

Admittedly, he had meant well, but I didn’t expect him to show up like this one night later.

Especially not bowing to someone younger without hesitation.

I felt a genuine sense of gratitude, which made it even more uncomfortable.

Of course, there was no guarantee that just because he had sorted his thoughts and gained some insight, he could surpass the walls he would face in the future.

But he would surely be in a much better position than before.

That much I could be certain of.

My stomach hurt.

It hurt quite a bit.

Some were struggling desperately…even to the point of dying for it.

Finding enlightenment through a beating in a spar just one day later? How could I not be furious?

[Little brat.]

‘…Yes.’

[You’re really narrow-minded, so stop it.]

‘….’

Tsk.

I tried to hide my true feelings and said to Yeongpung.

“It wasn’t my intention, but I’m glad you gained something.”

Yeongpung smiled back at my words.

If Nangong Cheonjun gave off a dark and chilling vibe, Yeongpung radiated a refreshing aura.

Not only was he lacking in talent, but he was also good-looking…

… I didn’t like him either.

[…This is the end of the world.]

“…Originally, I harbored the shameful thought of being the most extraordinary talent, but seeing you, I realized there was another world out there.”

Yeongpung’s words weren’t entirely wrong.

While Gu Huibi was called the foremost in Late-Stage Talents, considering the age difference, I felt Yeongpung wouldn’t be left behind, so it was natural for him to fall into that mindset.

“Junior, you must have worked hard beyond what I can imagine.”

He seemed to have jumped to an odd conclusion, but I had no topic to discuss.

I certainly couldn’t say that this was all due to my regression…

So I decided to let him think whatever he wanted.

“I can’t just be a shameless person expressing gratitude… so if you ever need something in the future, I will do whatever you ask.”

“A request?”

He’d want to ask the paragon of Hwasan….

As Yeongpung spoke, a thought suddenly popped into my head.

I just happened to have a favor to ask, so this worked out perfectly.

“Ah, then Yeongpung, may I ask one thing?”

“Oh…? Of course, you can ask anything. I can’t tell you about the sect’s secrets, though…”

“No, it’s nothing so grand…”

What kind of sect secrets? What would I even use that for?

[That’s irrelevant? This guy…! As the sword of Hwasan, traditionally…]

“Junior, I want to know…”

“Sure!”

“…how many generations back is the Sect Leader?”

“…Pardon?”

[…Huh?]

“I was just curious about that…”

Shin Noya suddenly recalled asking how many generations back Hwasan’s Sect Leader was.

To be honest, I hadn’t had the chance to ask anyone and had almost forgotten about it, but now that I had a good opportunity…

“Excuse me…?”

Yeongpung seemed taken aback, as though he had malfunctioned.

He looked at me in disbelief.

“…Is that your request?”

“Yes, I’d like you to tell me.”

“…A.”

Yeongpung wore a dazed expression, almost as if he were in shock.

What was going on?

Is it really such an odd request?

‘Did I ask something strange?’

I looked at Yeongpung and found it strange, so I asked Shin Noya.

Shin Noya fell silent for a moment before spitting out a comment.

[It’s embarrassing, so don’t talk to him.]

…Why?

In the end, while Yeongpung wore a blank expression, he complied with my request.

He said the Sect Leader was from the 16th generation.

And he mentioned that he wouldn’t count this one as a request, so he wanted me to ask him again later.

I agreed, as it was a good thing for me.

After the spar with the Sword Dragon, what bothered me was how I was catching too many eyes of the Hwasan Sect students.

Before being the Sword Dragon of Hwasan, Yeongpung was decidedly a Plum Blossom Sword practitioner.

He had crushed a first-rate martial artist, which could be considered a major power of the Hwasan sect, as if it was child’s play.

And that was a boy who looked like he still had a long way to grow.

It was expected while causing a ruckus, but the attention was fiercer than imagined.

“Did Yeongpung get defeated on the ground? That little junior?”

“I can’t believe it even now. He just smashed them apart.”

“They said he broke an arm.”

“He probably broke both arms and legs.”

“With that said, Yeongpung was walking just fine earlier…”

“Who knows?”

“…You didn’t see it, did you?”

The rumors certainly seemed to be spreading strangely, but it would probably die down quickly. After all, it had only been a brief sparring session.

…Probably.

From what I heard, they would depart for Seomseo after having lunch.

It wasn’t a bad time since I could experiment with various things thanks to it.

In the distance, I could see preparations for the meal being made from the Gu Clan.

Given it was a long-distance trip, there wasn’t much of a grand meal to be had.

But from a perspective where I just needed to fill my stomach, anything was fine.

“…Huh?”

However, as I got closer, I felt a strange atmosphere.

Out of nowhere, Nangong Bi-ah was naturally integrated into the scene.

Next to her was Wi Seol-Ah, poking at her food.

While I allowed them to eat first, which was fine, the important thing was this.

Wi Seol-Ah was barely nibbling on her food.

‘…Is she sick?’

Could it be something serious?

Noticing something was off, Nangong Bi-ah’s eyes were slightly trembling as well.

But unable to put her feelings into words, she seemed to just be quietly eating her food.

As Nangong Bi-ah reached for a piece of food, Wi Seol-Ah suddenly snatched it away.

Oh… she isn’t sick then?

That was a relief, but the issue was that each time Nangong Bi-ah tried to eat something, Wi Seol-Ah kept taking it away.

After numerous repetitions, a question mark popped over Nangong Bi-ah’s head.

“…??”

She tilted her head, seemingly confused about what was happening.

Nangong Bi-ah stood still for a moment, contemplating, then nodded and picked up a piece of food.

This time, Wi Seol-Ah was slow.

Her expression showed shock that she couldn’t snatch the food in time.

However, Nangong Bi-ah brought the food closer to Wi Seol-Ah’s mouth.

“Do you want to eat…?”

No, it certainly didn’t look like she wanted to eat!

Nangong Bi-ah seemed completely unfazed by Wi Seol-Ah’s antics.

Instead, Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes welled with tears at Nangong Bi-ah’s actions.

“You’re such a fool, sister!”

With that exclamation, she bolted away.

But she didn’t go far, getting caught by Hongwa on the errand to do laundry.

…What was that?

It felt like I had just watched a terrible play.

As Wi Seol-Ah dashed off, Nangong Bi-ah turned her head towards me, seemingly seeking an explanation.

But how would I know…

“…Don’t look at me like that; I don’t know either.”

I wracked my brain, but nothing came to mind.

Oh, could it be… puberty?

[Ugh, this foolish brat.]

I heard Shin Noya’s voice but dismissed it, thinking he often said odd things.

Afterward, heading again toward Seomseo, Wi Seol-Ah sticking close to me became a bit bothersome.

But if I pushed her away, she might genuinely sulk, so I decided to keep my mouth shut that day.

 

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