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EP.23 Why Are You Here Again…?

Why are you here again…?

The atmosphere in Gu Yangcheong’s residence trembles with the stakes of the Sword Sovereign. Elder Lee immediately unleashes his bets, encapsulating the place.

It’s rough and fierce. To think that the stakes of a Sword Master, who isn’t even holding a sword, could be so sharp.

‘They say the dragon grows larger as it ages, and that couldn’t be more accurate…’

A drop of sweat trickled down Elder Lee’s chin.

This was the extent of the emotional turmoil emanating from the Sword Sovereign.

Three great masters in the world.

The Sword Sovereign was clearly proving that his name wasn’t just a facade.

“You’re crossing the line, Gu Ryoon.”

“You know better than anyone what my words imply, Senior.”

A master’s sight is vast. If an Elder Lee-level master were to utilize all their stakes, they could oversee half of the Gu Clan from their vantage point.

While they might not be able to perceive the movements of someone like the clan leader or the Sword Sovereign, the actions of others would be discernible.

A person’s presence is more palpable to a martial artist.

Thus, Elder Lee realized.

“You must have already known, so why feign ignorance?”

He couldn’t help but think of Wi Seol-Ah.

A young girl with breathtaking beauty that defied logic, but under Elder Lee’s gaze, she was something else.

Nothing at all.

Wi Seol-Ah displayed no presence that a person should possess.

Awe, or perhaps fear.

These two contradictory words come to mind upon seeing Wi Seol-Ah.

She lacked everything a human should naturally have, yet her emptiness was filled with something otherworldly.

Light or darkness? At Elder Lee’s level, he couldn’t discern it.

But could the Sword Sovereign not also see it?

“What is that child’s true identity, Senior?”

“My granddaughter is human, Gu Ryoon!”

The Sword Sovereign slammed his hand on the table.

With a loud crash, the table shattered, and in that instant, the Sword Sovereign’s energy exploded.

As a result, Elder Lee, who had encircled the place to protect it, felt a significant shock.

Yet he did not show it.

Swallowing the boiling blood, Elder Lee continued.

“Do you truly believe that finding the physician will allow you to fill her with something else?”

The physician, revered as a deity by some, could truly perform such a feat?

The presence was so subtle, it could be overlooked if one turned their back, just like when he faced the King of Demons, who was once the master of the Night Assassins.

Yet strangely, Wi Seol-Ah’s insides were filled with something else.

It differed fundamentally from the innate energy or the filled lower dantian any human would possess.

Elder Lee sensed an incomprehensible infinity within Wi Seol-Ah.

‘What on earth could that be…?’

Ignorance in humans breeds fear. Elder Lee felt a clear fear from Wi Seol-Ah.

What could possibly be contained within that tiny child? He was curious but didn’t want to know.

His instincts told him it was something not to be opened.

“Is that why you’re now living in hiding? Out of fear of being seen by others?”

How would other martial artists perceive Wi Seol-Ah? If they viewed her similar to Elder Lee’s perspective?

In the Central Plains, very few martial artists could even grasp what Wi Seol-Ah was.

But there were some, and if they saw her secrets like Elder Lee did?

What judgments would they make about the unknown they saw in that small child?

Of course, judging by the Sword Sovereign’s expression, it seemed there was more to it than just that reason, but Elder Lee felt he could no longer ask.

A tingling sensation rang out from behind.

It felt as if dozens of invisible sword tips were aiming at Elder Lee.

The Sword Sovereign held nothing in his hands.

But without a doubt, all those swords belonged to him.

Could this be the Heart Sword, the highest level a Sword Master could achieve?

Elder Lee, who was not a Sword Master, couldn’t know.

“If I ask more, it seems I will have to chop you down without hesitation.”

“Gu Ryoon, the very reason you are alive now is due to that. So don’t feel resentful.”

“I have no idea what you’re thinking, nor do I understand why you keep that child close. I am not even curious.”

Elder Lee had no interest in what others thought. His life was already filled with the path he needed to walk.

That was Elder Lee’s philosophy.

“If you were the Senior I knew before, you wouldn’t have worried.”

In Elder Lee’s eyes, the Sword Sovereign looked precarious.

He felt that the sword, which he thought would never dull, had become worn down by an evil spirit.

A pillar of the Righteous Faction, the sky of the Righteous Faction, the Sword Sovereign was someone deserving of that title.

There was a time when Elder Lee held reverence for the sky contained within that frail body.

But what about now?

The once lofty sky seemed to be cracking little by little. Watching the Sword Sovereign, Elder Lee spoke.

“If you say that child is human, I will take it as such. If you think to shelter her, do so. My desires are not of great importance, but…”

Elder Lee rose from beside the shattered table.

He had to head straight to the Nangong Clan to fulfill the clan leader’s request.

“Regret not the path you’ve chosen, for there is nothing more pathetic. You know this best.”

Not long after Elder Lee left the residence, the Sword Sovereign’s energy dissipated.

The sharpness that had been poised withdrew, and the Sword Sovereign wiped the sweat from his brow.

‘That child, could she truly be human?’

Elder Lee’s question echoed in his mind. Was she truly human? He believed with certainty that his granddaughter was indeed human.

The Demonic Gate.

Where the Sword Sovereign had brought Wi Seol-Ah. He had wiped the memories of that time away.

From the very moment he met the girl. The instant she spoke sweetly, and they walked across the fields hand in hand.

Every second of that time told the Sword Sovereign that Wi Seol-Ah was human.

Even if the destiny of that child was to be at the center of the blood calamity that is bound to reach the world.

If he could sever that fate, then that would be enough. He had honed his sword for just that, the Sword Sovereign vowed to his blade.

No matter what Wi Seol-Ah was, no matter what blood calamity entailed.

For his granddaughter, the Sword Sovereign could burn away his meager life without a second thought.

He then carefully gathered the shattered pieces of the table he had broken.

“I’m sorry…”

Even after all the years that had passed since her birth, he still felt not in control of his emotions, realizing his own lack of cultivation.

What if Wi Seol-Ah were not human?

If she lacked something as a person, he could fill it.

If necessary, he would even give up his life.

The Sword Sovereign was prepared for that.

A few moments later.

The Sword Sovereign belatedly realized that Wi Seol-Ah had disappeared from the clan.

How long had it been since they boarded the carriage? My rear end was starting to feel sore.

Looking outside, the sun had already set. It was nearly time to rest, as we would soon be on a forest path.

Shortly after, the carriage came to a stop, and preparations for camping began. There was a valley nearby that was ideal for setting up camp.

Is it just from sitting so much? My whole body felt stiff.

Muyeon had a blank look on his face, suddenly stating he would train and disappeared with his sword.

He said he’d come back before the night watch, so I figured he would manage.

The attendants began preparing the meal, while I stood in a nearby field.

How much longer until Sichuan?

Surely it had to be at least a few days. As always, this damned massive piece of land takes forever to traverse.

This was no vain attempt by the Martial Alliance to tame demon beasts capable of flying through the skies.

Ultimately, they failed just like with the green-horned hounds.

In the end, the Martial Alliance determined that taming demon beasts was an impossible task.

‘…But the Heavenly Demon was different.’

It’s amusing to think that what the Martial Alliance struggled to do for years, the Heavenly Demon achieved.

The Heavenly Demon could tame demon beasts.

Simply breathing was enough to make the demon beasts bow their heads.

Even a gigantic demon beast that seemed capable of swallowing the entire pavilion would behave as meek as a lamb before the Heavenly Demon.

On the day of erasing the Hwasan Sect from the Central Plains in his previous life, the Heavenly Demon appeared riding a massive demon beast.

Could a being that could tame even demon beasts really be human?

“I wonder if such a being could truly be human.”

Just thinking about it made me break out in a cold sweat.

I needed to stop thinking about it. For now, I should focus on the tasks before me.

To clear my mind, I wrapped my energy around my body. Despite my repeated training, my internal energy remained far too low to make significant progress in such a short time.

It would take a while before my two-star Gu Yeonhwa Wheel would reach three stars.

While the physical aspect was one thing, the most imminent concern was the amount of internal energy I possessed.

This was something I felt even during my duel with Gu Jeolyub.

With my paltry internal energy, I couldn’t do what was necessary.

This was directly tied to life and death in real combat.

I stepped forward, extending my fist.

Bang!

The sound of air bursting followed the quick punch I had thrown.

Feeling the internal energy drain from my lower dantian with just that one action.

I gritted my teeth and continued onto the next movement.

From arm to leg, and back from leg to arm. My inflexible body made it difficult to flow smoothly into the desired movements.

Yet, my energy still had to flow dynamically through all of this.

In the end, martial arts reside within the senses remembered by the body.

The realms of martial artists do not easily grant themselves to the unprepared.

It was telling me to keep training without hesitation.

Repeating the same motions, I already felt a sharp sting in my lower abdomen.

It meant my internal energy was depleted.

“Hah…”

Breathing out as if expelling the remnants, I released the last of my energy.

Although I had trained for only a short time, I was already drenched in sweat. My inadequate internal energy continued to hinder me.

Thoughts of the Demon Absorption Technique crossed my mind countless times.

It was the fastest and most convenient method.

If my body truly did not accumulate evil energy, then there was no better heart technique to build internal energy.

But.

“Having barely made it out, I don’t want to crawl back into that damned place.”

Regardless of whether the evil energy accumulated or not, in the end, it was the Heavenly Demon’s martial art.

With just a couple of demon stones absorbed, I couldn’t even confirm if I was accumulating evil energy or not.

Moreover, I had no desire to be linked to that place.

‘Not yet… not yet.’

This was a curse. If reincarnation was a blessing, then the curse had come along with it.

It was crucial to understand and verify thoroughly.

How much time had passed since I began training? Perhaps about an hour?

As I stopped my brief training, the Gu Yeonhwa Wheel, which I had been revolving, also ceased, and the night wind felt particularly cold.

Normally, I wouldn’t feel the cold due to the nature of my internal techniques, but I presumed it was due to being soaked in sweat.

I returned to the campsite to change my clothes and headed towards the valley.

I felt lazy, wanting to just eat and lie down, but I still wanted to maintain the facade of being a child of a great house, so I had to put up a pretense.

Just as I was about to dip my feet into the valley.

—Kyaaah!

A piercing scream made me whip my head around.

It came from the direction of the carriage containing the supplies.

I instantly dashed towards the carriage, wondering what had happened.

What is it? Have bandits launched an attack? I had heard they hardly existed since the emergence of the Demonic Gate.

As I approached the carriage, I saw the attendants peering nervously towards it.

“What’s going on?”

Muyeon and the other guards had also gathered after hearing the scream.

“W-well… we saw something moving inside!”

The attendant replied in a trembling voice.

“Inside the carriage?”

Did a wild beast sneak in, attracted by the smell of food? If it was one that could at least be eaten, that would be nice.

Quickly, a guard brought a lantern and shined it into the carriage.

As something moved within, it didn’t seem like a small beast at all, prompting the guard to draw his sword.

Eventually, what was revealed was—

“Hmm… huh…?”

It was none other than Wi Seol-Ah, holding a carrot in her mouth.

I stood there momentarily, unable to speak.

…Why are you here again?

‘…Ah, life.’

A throbbing headache descended upon me as I faced what looked like a monumental disaster.

 

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