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EP.16 If Necessary (1)

It had been three days since I returned to the Gu Clan after ending the Gathering of the Nine Dragons.

Three days had passed since I discovered that I could use the Heavenly Demon’s demonic power.

In the days that followed, I had been working on my Technique of the Flame Wheel during training, but I still felt no demon energy within me.

It was certainly a relief, but I couldn’t shake the nagging suspicion that perhaps the demon energy was simply lying dormant inside me, so I remained vigilant.

“Those damn scoundrels really know how to make life miserable, even after dying and coming back!”

The training grounds in my residence were heated from my efforts, filled with the heat radiating from my body.

Since I was merely at the second level, it wasn’t that threatening of a heat.

“…Is my body not ready to ascend to the third level yet?”

Even though my insight and mastery in handling inner strength should have long surpassed the current level, my inner strength was still insufficient, and my physical vessel was not fully formed.

So, the only answer remained repetitive training.

Thanks to that, my muscles were sore from days of diligent practice…

I opened the door to the training grounds, letting the fresh spring breeze wash over me, quickly cooling my overheated body.

“Hey! Isn’t there dust over there?”

“Hahaha…”

“…Hmm?”

What in the world was going on here?

A familiar figure caught my eye next to the Sword Sovereign, who was cleaning the yard. Towering over eight feet with broad shoulders, the old man had white hair that gave away his age, but his muscles looked like they were about to burst out of his clothes.

There was no need to confirm; that was Elder Lee.

“What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be sweeping more carefully around here? Look at this thick layer of dust!”

“Hahaha…”

…What is that insane old man doing?

Elder Lee was flailing his arms, directing the Sword Sovereign on how to clean.

I never thought I’d witness the Sword Sovereign getting scolded for not cleaning properly…

“Look at this! It’s clear you’ve never swept a floor in your life.”

Even pinpointing the nearly invisible dust that wouldn’t normally be noticed unless one had enhanced eyesight was quite irritating…

‘…This is really unpleasant to look at.’

The Sword Sovereign and Elder Lee were contemporaries in their prime.

It seemed unlikely they wouldn’t know each other.

But what in the world was this ridiculous scene?

“Elder Lee, what are you doing?”

“O! Yangcheon, you’re here.”

“…Why are you suddenly tormenting the Sword Sovereign?”

The Sword Sovereign had asked me to call him by name, but knowing who he really was, that was something I simply couldn’t do.

“This old man is saying the Sword Sovereign is not sweeping properly. Tsk, tsk, he shouldn’t be doing such a poor job when he’s getting paid for it.”

No matter how much I looked around, there wasn’t a speck of dust in sight…?

“It looks clean to me…”

“Hey! It’s because you’re being so careless that this place looks like a mess!”

What a ridiculous complaint!

For the record, the residence looked clean by anyone’s standards.

Not just the servants but even Wi Seol-Ah took great care in cleaning.

‘What is Elder Lee thinking? Is he really just messing with the Sword Sovereign?’

Nah, surely a clan elder wouldn’t be playing around like this.

‘…Is the Sword Sovereign alright?’

The Sword Sovereign, with his usual gentle smile, didn’t seem to care at all.

He just quietly continued his sweeping.

“Hahaha…”

Indeed, if someone were to be called the Sword Sovereign in the Central Plains, they would breeze through even this kind of trouble…

“Hahaha!”

‘Wait, no, he looks angry.’

Upon closer inspection, I noticed bulging veins on his forehead in the shape of a cross.

I figured it was best to depart quickly, but Elder Lee grabbed me.

“Are you coming back from training?”

“Yes, as you can see.”

“Hmm…”

“Is there something wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I just noticed your guard was waiting over there.”

Elder Lee pointed toward the entrance leading back to my residence.

“Muyeon?”

I had told him I was training, so why was he waiting and not looking for me?

I distinctly said that if there was something urgent, he should just come into the training grounds and get me.

“Thank you. I’ll head over now.”

“Are you leaving…?”

“Yes?”

As I started to walk toward where Muyeon was, I felt a strange, pitiful tone in Elder Lee’s voice as he detained me.

“Yangcheon, are you perhaps hungry? This old man has some delicious…”

“The Young Master finished his meal earlier.”

The one who interrupted Elder Lee was none other than the Sword Sovereign.

“W-What! How can you interrupt when a bloodline is talking!”

“Why are you acting like this, Elder Lee….”

Seeing him in such a panic, I called out to Elder Lee, only to suddenly feel a chilling sensation.

‘What’s this chill…?’

Perhaps because I had just finished training, my heightened senses caught onto something.

It was the back of the Sword Sovereign, diligently sweeping with his back turned.

‘…Hmm.’

While the Sword Sovereign wouldn’t likely think this, it felt like his back was telling me to hurry up and get lost.

…Then I should definitely get lost quickly.

“Elder Lee, I’ve got something urgent that needs my attention!”

“If that’s the case, I should also come along…”

“Anyway, take care!”

I didn’t listen to his reply. The longer I stayed, the more I felt something bad was brewing.

I avoided Elder Lee’s hand, which tried to grab me again, and made a swift escape.

After Yangcheon left, only Elder Lee and the Sword Sovereign were left in front of the training ground, surrounded by an eerie silence.

Elder Lee kept looking around, surveying his surroundings.

‘There’s too much shrubbery in front of the wall; should I jump over the roof of the residence…?’

…He was plotting an escape route.

It was a strange sight to see a legendary Sword Sovereign sweeping the floor with a broom at someone else’s residence, looking far too playful for his age.

So, he played a little too much. It was part of Elder Lee’s nature to act impulsively without thinking of the future.

Because of that, I felt an unfamiliar sense of danger after several years.

‘…That was too excessive.’

Though the Sword Sovereign, Wi Hyogun, was acting like a kind old man now, Elder Lee couldn’t help but feel chills at the sight from knowing his past actions and character.

‘If he were from the Demonic Faction, he’d be pulling out his sword first.’

To those in the Demonic Faction, the man who was regarded as a symbol of the Righteous Faction was a murderous fiend and bloodthirsty sword demon.

When it came to punishing evildoers, he never hesitated for a moment.

“Gu Ryoon.”

The Sword Sovereign called out Elder Lee’s name, sending a shiver down his spine. It was an old feeling he hadn’t sensed in quite some time.

“Cough, cough… Did the senior happen to get angry? I was just playing around. Thanks to me, Yangcheon won’t have unnecessary doubts…”

“That child is really something interesting.”

“…Hmm?”

“Yesterday was different from the day before, and today is yet another change.”

While Elder Lee was contemplating escape routes, the Sword Sovereign suddenly said something unexpected.

He was thinking about Gu Yangcheon.

‘Each day is different.’

The first impression the Sword Sovereign had of Gu Yangcheon was merely that of a boy from the Gu Clan.

Gu Yangcheon had previously provided significant insights that changed the way the Sword Sovereign perceived those from the Gu Clan based solely on rumors and appearances. That was all there was to it.

The reserve of demon energy within him was insignificant compared to his bloodline and was a long way behind his peers from other clans and sects.

Just the child of the Gu Clan, that was all.

That was how the Sword Sovereign saw Gu Yangcheon.

‘But how is it now?’

He thought about what he had just glimpsed of Gu Yangcheon.

Unlike the first time he saw him, the demon energy within him had not increased or gotten any hotter.

Yet it was stable.

Among the Righteous Faction’s methods, the one associated with the Peng Clan was said to be the most violent, and yet the Gu Clan’s techniques were even more ferocious.

It wasn’t easy to maintain such wild power in stability within one’s lower dantian.

This required both insight and was certainly the realm of time and talent.

Considering Gu Yangcheon’s age, the mention of time didn’t seem fitting.

That surely belonged to the realm of talent.

“While I don’t feel anything particularly special, the energy he possesses is far beyond what kids at that age should have.”

“I was also quite surprised when I saw him after a long time.”

“…Are you saying he wasn’t like this the last time you saw him?”

“Maybe about three months ago. He was running away after saying he couldn’t handle his training.”

That boy had suddenly changed after just a few months.

Even merely observing the intensity of his current training was incomparable to before.

According to the guards and staff, other than eating and sleeping, he spent the rest of his time training, with rigorous intensity.

And it was the Sword Sovereign himself who knew better than anyone that Gu Yangcheon was not simply faking it.

“What could have awakened that child so suddenly?”

Change over time is only natural for a person.

Changes that happen all of a sudden have their reasons.

That was an unchanging law.

What could have transformed Gu Yangcheon so swiftly? The Sword Sovereign felt unexpectedly curious about that.

“You’re overthinking again, senior.”

Elder Lee clicked his tongue as he watched the Sword Sovereign’s contemplative expression. He seemed to think that aging had made him worry too much.

“It’s better to let things unfold naturally; why complicate it?”

Elder Lee’s biggest concern had suddenly lessened.

‘What would happen if Elder Lee knew?’

I suddenly remembered the face of an elderly man who felt unpleasant.

He was someone who would blame Gu Yangcheon’s temperament and talent while opposing him becoming the clan leader.

And yet, he stealthily tried to introduce his own bloodline to the clan leader, which was infuriating.

“Senior, don’t overthink it; whatever it is, it’s for the best.”

The unruly evil spirit within the Sword Sovereign couldn’t simply be resolved by what Elder Lee said.

Especially when it came to matters of family, it was even more impossible.

“Thank you.”

Knowing Elder Lee’s words were for his sake, the Sword Sovereign expressed his gratitude.

“Cough… Well, I’ve seen your face, so that’s enough; I should take my leave now…”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Well, I’ve seen your face and Yangcheon’s as well, so I have some work to attend to…”

“Gu Ryoon, we haven’t finished discussing something important yet.”

“What do you mean…?”

Elder Lee froze at the chilling aura surrounding the Sword Sovereign.

In the Sword Sovereign’s gentle smile lurked an unpredictable energy.

“Weren’t you going to teach me about my broom technique? I’m still quite curious about that.”

At that moment, Elder Lee recalled the relentless teasing from earlier. He thought perhaps the talk would shift back to Gu Yangcheon. Alas, that was not the case.

‘This narrow-minded human…’

As soon as the Sword Sovereign took a step forward, Elder Lee leaped onto the roof from behind.

That was the escape route he had calculated earlier.

-Thud- Crash!

“Is someone doing construction? Why’s it so noisy?”

“I heard they’re renovating one of the clan’s buildings; perhaps that’s what it is.”

“Really? Guess they’re doing quite the noisy renovation; it’s echoing all the way here.”

I sensed something strangely familiar in the energy, but I dismissed it.

The matter at hand was not about construction.

As I approached the entrance, I found Muyeon anxiously fidgeting, clearly indicating that he had something important to discuss with me!

When I inquired, Muyeon handed me a letter.

The few lines contained exactly what I was hoping to hear.

[I’ll accept the request.]

I couldn’t help but grin upon reading the words.

There was no need to ponder what the request entailed.

The letter had been sent from the Hao Gate.

 

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