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Chapter 237: The Front Line

If there had been any changes in the Central Plains over the past year, there were a few key events worth noting.

First and foremost was the demise of the Black Night Palace.

While the exact details were not revealed, news spread like wildfire that the Martial Alliance and the Gu Clan had united to drive out the Black Night Palace, a major faction of the Demonic Faction.

Many rejoiced at the disappearance of the once-mighty Black Night Palace.

However, questions lingered.

Why did the Martial Alliance suddenly engage in battle with the Black Night Palace? And why was the Gu Clan involved in the fray?

Although the Black Night Palace had fallen, the fate of its leader, the Black Night Princess, and other martial artists remained shrouded in mystery.

The Alliance claimed it, and the Beggar Clan spread the news, leaving only belief among the people.

Regardless of the intricate details, the collapse of the Demonic Faction was certainly a good thing.

What transpired inside was of little concern to others.

The second notable event was the return of the Plum Blossom Sword Queen.

After years of being missing, the renowned heroine had reemerged, looking as stunning and formidable as ever.

Some questioned why she had chosen to remain hidden for so long, to which the Hwasan Sect merely stated, “It was her choice, and we respect it.”

The Sword Queen seemed to nod in agreement with this.

Besides, just like the previous Hwasan Sect attitude, they brushed off any peculiar comments as inconsequential.

The key point was that the Sword Queen had returned.

The third issue to contend with was what had transpired at the recently held Martial Arts Tournament.

What was the problem, you ask?

Many of the current Late-Stage Talents, led by the so-called Six Dragons of the Central Plains, had almost entirely skipped the competition.

In the Dragon Meeting, where dozens to hundreds of Late-Stage Talents were expected to gather, it was a tacit understanding that the finest dragons and phoenixes of the era would attend. Yet, attendance at the previous tournament was regrettably sparse.

Last year’s was even worse.

With claims of the most outstanding dragons and phoenixes in history proving accurate, perhaps it was due to each individual’s strong opinions.

The Sleeping Dragon refused to attend citing fatigue, the So Sword Peak sent a letter claiming to be too busy, and the Young Lady hinted at clan business preventing her from participating.

Even the Sword Dragon had sent word that he had entered closed training after achieving enlightenment midway through his training.

To add insult to injury, even the Two Dragons and Jin Ryong didn’t bother sending letters.

Thanks to this, the only notable dragons and phoenixes present at the Dragon Meeting were the Thunder Dragon and the Poison Phoenix.

The Holy One, who had profited greatly from the previous tournament, also attended, but most people scoffed at the idea of a festival devoid of jewels.

“Thanks to this, the upcoming Dragon Meeting is bound to be a flop.”

But seriously, what difference does two attendees make?

Though I had no right to comment since I had ignored the invitation as well, I never expected so few would show up.

“…I should have considered it when Moyong Hi-ah said she wouldn’t attend.”

The reason the Young Lady didn’t come was likely due to me, but…

…

I certainly didn’t expect the others not to come either.

Because of the Martial Alliance’s position, it seemed this year’s Dragon Meeting would be forced.

“Still, it seems I won’t be attending anyway.”

Forcing or not, when has the Gu Clan ever cared about such matters?

Swish.

As I opened the tent flap, a subtle scent unique to dawn wafted through the air.

The sun seemed to have just risen.

“Mmm….

In the midst of it all, I heard a sound that tickled my ears from the edge of the barracks.

Turning to see the source of the noise, I spotted—

“…What the heck, when did she sneak in again?”

Cowering in a corner was none other than Nangong Bi-ah.

I had fed her last night and sent her back to her own barracks, so why on earth was she back here?

‘…’

Even as I thought this, I was halfway resigned to the situation.

It wasn’t the first time she pulled such a stunt.

“…Could someone wake her up later?”

My only option was to grab a passing Hongwa and plead for her help to wake the little rascal.

“Oh my…!”

At my words, Hongwa peeked inside the barracks, her expression akin to searching for something hidden.

Well, with that face, it wasn’t really something I could answer.

“I did see Moyong Young Lady leave earlier… but I didn’t think Nangong Young Lady was here too…”

“What did you say?”

“Pardon?”

“Moyong… did she leave from here?”

“Yes…”

“Then why wasn’t I aware of this?”

Moyong Hi-ah left my barracks without me knowing?

When did she come in and when did she leave?

‘Are they really treating this place like a cat’s playground? Why do they just come and go as they please?’

Anyone would think there was no decent place to sleep around here.

‘Unbelievable.’

This area housed the finest barracks, no less!

While mine was larger, it was still just a standard barrack.

Being of the bloodline, I could sleep alone and did not serve as a night watchman.

Other than that, the state of the bedding and barrack condition was less than ideal.

However, it didn’t matter much since I could easily sleep on the floor.

‘Nangong Bi-ah might be excusable, but what about Moyong Hi-ah?’

It wasn’t the first time the nag had subtly taken over my sleeping space and pretended to be oblivious.

Even if I could grant her a hundred indulgences, I never expected Moyong Hi-ah to be sneaking in and out.

‘Doesn’t it feel suspicious at all?’ Considering how picky Moyong Hi-ah was, I couldn’t figure out her reasons for visiting such a barrack.

“Did I not give enough heat?”

That wasn’t the case.

I was giving her heat steadily every week.

In fact, unlike before, it seemed she was able to absorb some excess.

With her complexion visibly improving lately, she might even be nearing full recovery.

‘She really does look better nowadays.’

Compared to her previously pale skin, now she had this lively, white skin glowing with vitality.

‘These days, it feels like her body is heating up a bit too.’

With that extent, she might have fully recovered, right?

Or maybe not?

If she had fully recovered, why would she still be in need of heat?

Anyway.

I turned my back to Hongwa and moved to check on Moyong Hi-ah.

I intended to confirm why she had come over to my barracks.

As I walked, I spotted someone trudging towards me from afar.

It was Gu Jeolyub.

Noticing me as he approached, Gu Jeolyub jumped a bit and subtly tried to change direction.

What a little rascal.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“…!”

“Why are you trying to sneak away after making eye contact?”

At my words, Gu Jeolyub approached with a look of pure exasperation.

He seemed unbothered about hiding his displeasure anymore.

Guess he had changed a lot.

“…Your Highness, the First Prince.”

“Yes, and I’m also here to meet the Heat Blade Grandmaster. I hope you’ve been well.”

“Ugh…”

Gu Jeolyub swallowed hard at my teasing remark.

He used to be so excited when he first heard the honorary title.

“Where are you returning from?”

“Just coming back from the night watch shift.”

I guess he had just finished his night duty.

Hearing this, I nodded my head.

“Then you can join me for training.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re saying you have spare time, right?”

While I was also on my way to check on Moyong Hi-ah, I could always go later.

Gu Jeolyub’s expression turned panicked as he tried to stop me.

“Your Highness…?”

“Yeah?”

“I just said I was heading back after my night watch…”

“I heard. And I heard it well.”

“…But what did you just say…?”

“Since your night watch is over, it means you have plenty of time now.”

“Why is it like that?”

“After you go back, what are you going to do?”

“…Good point.”

Yes, if his night watch ended, he ought to sleep.

But my thoughts were somewhat different.

“Will you not sleep until you die?”

“Pardon?”

“You can sleep even after death!”

Gu Jeolyub looked exceptionally puzzled as if to say, “What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

But I had already made up my mind.

“Or would you prefer I let you sleep forever? That’s something I’m quite good at.”

As I smiled while saying this, I could almost see Gu Jeolyub’s expression being utterly crumpled.

Time had passed midday, and the light training session had casually reached its conclusion.

Boom!

A heavy sound echoed through the forest, and whoosh!

The birds that had been silent took off in a flurry, filling the air with their chirping.

The noise came from me dropping the rock I was holding onto the ground.

“Haah… haaah…”

Gu Jeolyub fell flat on the ground, panting heavily.

His martial robe was already soaked with sweat, and his hands and feet trembled, showing he had clearly struggled quite a bit.

Watching him, I carelessly tossed my rock onto the ground.

Bam!

The noise was several times louder than the one I had made.

And for good reason; the rock he was carrying was twice the size of mine.

Unlike the soaked Gu Jeolyub, I only had beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

With a near-dying Gu Jeolyub before me, I questioned him.

“Did you manage to endure today?”

“Haa… huff…”

He appeared as if he wanted to respond, but it didn’t seem like the situation permitted it.

I observed Gu Jeolyub’s body and nodded.

‘The vessel seems nearly prepared.’

Gu Jeolyub was on the verge of reaching the peak as a martial artist.

After all, it would be odd if he didn’t after being put through such rigorous training for a year.

‘At this rate, he might surpass the barrier before summer ends.’

To break through the martial artist’s ceiling, one must delve into the Lower Dantian, but more than that, having a body capable of withstanding the ordeal was essential.

Of course, if one possessed the power to regulate their energy to the extreme, they could surpass it without risking their body.

For instance, Nangong Bi-ah and Gu Huibi, even with their insufficient physical vessels, could still surpass the barrier based on their current talents.

‘That little rascal could do it if he truly tried.’

Gu Jeolyub was certainly at a level where he could be called a genius.

While it could be possible, for safety’s sake and to solidify his foundation later on, focusing on building his body first was vital.

‘Methods like mine wouldn’t be ideal for later on.’

Thus, as a kindly older brother, I kept rolling him over every time we trained.

But this little brat had no idea, always trying to dodge me whenever I showed up, which was quite exasperating.

“Now that I think about it, this is annoying… Should I increase the training time?”

“Eh…?”

“I’m just doing this because I want you to get better.”

Sure, Gu Jeolyub was older than me, but it seemed he didn’t care much about that.

He looked like he was silently concerned, fearing he might get hit if he provoked me.

In any case.

‘If I push it, he might genuinely collapse.’

If I insisted on training a bit longer here, Gu Jeolyub might truly lose his mind.

So I decided to let it slide for now.

“Unfortunately, that’s all for today.”

At my words, Gu Jeolyub let out a sigh of relief.

Was there such joy in a martial artist taking a break from training?

‘I used to find it insanely detestable, too.’

This wasn’t something I was in a position to comment on for Gu Jeolyub, oddly enough.

As I looked at the relieved Gu Jeolyub, I decided to sprinkle in a postscript.

“Oh, by the way, my older sister mentioned she plans to train with you later.”

“…Pardon? What’s that…?!”

“Just thought I’d mention it. I’m off first.”

“Your Highness!”

Gu Jeolyub urgently called out to me, but I didn’t have any intention of stopping.

The anxious expression on his face had to do with the fact that training with Gu Huibi would be far more stringent than any session I could give.

Gu Huibi truly pushed one to their limit until death would be preferable.

Gu Jeolyub knew this well too, which is why he called out to me as if pleading for help.

But alas, since it had already passed noon, I had things to attend to.

‘If I’d known I’d be doing this again later, I should’ve gone a bit easier on him.’

With such thoughts lingering at the back of my mind…

‘Well, he’ll manage somehow.’

Believing wholeheartedly in Gu Jeolyub, I cleared my thoughts as I departed.

Stay strong, Gu Jeolyub!

 

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