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EP.37 Seeking Biwaegun (5)

Before Ma Cheol chased after Gu Yangcheong to Biwaegun, chaos engulfed the room.

With disheveled hair and a room in utter disarray, the one howling with bound-up arms wrapped in bandages was none other than Nangong Cheonjun, the Thunder Dragon of Nangong.

“Shit…. Shiiit!”

Every time Nangong Cheonjun yelled and threw a tantrum, something broke, sending nearby servants shuddering in fright.

As he regained his composure, an uncontrollable rage washed over him.

“Damn it… That bastard… He must’ve used some demonic technique.”

Anything else simply wouldn’t make sense.

What was that guy’s name again, Gu Cheon-Yub or Gu Jeolyub?

Only direct blood relatives can participate in the Tangbing Tournament.

If he couldn’t come, it didn’t mean he would send a subordinate. That was the unspoken rule among clans.

Speaking of the Gu clan, there’s the Ho-hyeob and the So Sword Peak.

I heard there’s a remaining son from Ho-hyeob, so it has to be him.

Crack.

Nangong Cheonjun clenched his teeth.

‘What kind of demonic technique did he use?’

Initially, he simply found him displeasing.

He didn’t like that his sister had been traveling with him for days.

He didn’t like that guy who was receiving attention from his sister, plain and simple.

A distinguished martial artist from Ho-hyeob, yet considered the best late-stage talent from So Sword Peak?

His strengths were unimpressive, and he didn’t possess enough cleverness to catch on.

Yet, he confidently wore a languid expression, gazing down as if he knew everything. That irked him.

So, he thought of just bothering him a bit.

To make him aware of his place.

Carelessness? Was it necessary to treat that guy seriously?

Yeah, that’s why he let his guard down.

But that was no reason for him to lose.

How could he end up like this? It was utterly unbearable.

Nangong Cheonjun was convinced.

“It’s definitely a demonic technique….”

What kind of technique? How? That didn’t matter.

If not, he could always retaliate correctly.

With his groin still aching, Nangong Cheonjun’s anger flared even more.

“Ma Cheol.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Ma Cheol quickly gathered his thoughts at Nangong Cheonjun’s call.

If he was being called like this, it meant one thing.

An order he’d given hundreds of times before, would this time be any different?

Nangong Cheonjun asked.

“What’s the method?”

A short question. Yet, it held much weight.

Ma Cheol hesitated to answer.

The situation wasn’t looking too good.

To his surprise, the guards of the Gu clan were exceptionally impressive.

Among them, a nameless young man stood out. He was probably one of the elite guards.

When compared to his master, the Thunder Dragon, he was on par, if not better.

It was puzzling why such a talented martial artist remained unnoticed.

Of course, the Gu clan was shrouded in secrecy in many aspects.

But compared to his own peak level, fighting a hundred times, he’d win twenty.

How could he bring Gu Gongja back or deal with him? In this short time frame, it was virtually impossible.

“Ma Cheol.”

Nangong Cheonjun pressed for Ma Cheol’s answer.

His master often acted mature, gentle, and caring but…

From Ma Cheol’s perspective, the truth was that Nangong Cheonjun exhibited more of a childish demeanor when he couldn’t get things his way.

Just like now.

Gurgle.

A strange pressure tightened around Ma Cheol’s chest.

It was due to the Golden Binding he had received upon entering the Nangong Clan.

In exchange for easily obtaining martial arts and elixirs, living under the name of Nangong required loyalty to his bloodline.

Even though he had easily reached peak martial artist status, he willingly embraced the role of a bloodline guard due to this binding.

Under the growing pressure, Ma Cheol swallowed hard and finally managed to spit out an answer.

“…I will search for him.”

At that trembling response, the suffocating pressure dissipated.

Nangong Cheonjun smiled at Ma Cheol’s answer.

Then he patted Ma Cheol’s shoulders lightly.

“I always believe in you, and I know you’ll bring good news this time too.”

“…Yes.”

Not a favorable situation.

He answered, but could he truly get it done?

Despite the feeling of unease, the opportunity came unexpectedly fast.

The target he was secretly observing had left the Tang Clan alone during the early morning hours.

Before becoming a guard, Ma Cheol was skilled in stealth techniques. Therefore, tracking was within his expertise.

After all, how much effort would it take to handle just a young master?

‘Why is he sneaking out at this hour alone?’

That was Ma Cheol’s foremost question.

Was it a trap?

If so, what kind of trap?

The only presence he felt was that of the Gu clan’s body.

So why was that boy gasping and running at this early hour?

Where on earth was he heading?

Ma Cheol decided to observe a little longer.

Because he was in a position to perform his assigned duty at any time, he wanted to solve the mystery.

After a while of walking and running, he arrived at the mid-slope of Geum-A Mountain, a little distance from the Tang Clan.

‘Is this where it ends?’

He climbed hard for no reason, only to find nothing.

‘At this point….’

It was a ripe situation for an abduction.

Instead of quietly resolving it, his master would want that.

Seizing the moment of being alone…

“Why are you here?!”

As Ma Cheol was about to act, he froze at the boy’s shout.

Next to the boy stood a girl he hadn’t noticed until now.

‘When did she get there…?’

He had been vigilantly observing throughout the way.

He hadn’t felt another presence beside the boy.

Was there another following him? If so, how could he not have realized it?

If it were just an ordinary girl, the likelihood of him being unaware was slim.

‘…What’s going on? Is there someone else?’

In what could easily have been a manageable situation, the girl, despite likely having excellent martial skills, was still a servant to Gu Gongja at best.

Even if that was the case, Ma Cheol still hesitated to move prematurely.

It felt peculiar.

Every sensation in his body screamed at him to hold back.

The two descended the mountain and entered a dining hall.

He overheard their casual conversation while they ate.

Gu Gongja was looking for a white maple tree.

In mid-summer, a white maple tree? What could that possibly mean?

Then suddenly, while eating, the girl turned her head.

Ma Cheol flinched at her gaze.

Was it an illusion? Just for a fleeting moment, her eyes clearly met his.

‘It’s an illusion.’

As with Gu Gongja, he scoured the girl’s physique. She was indeed just an ordinary person, with no inner strength.

It had just been a coincidence.

Shaking off the tingling sensation, he tried to convince himself.

During this time, the girl stated she saw the tree that Gu Gongja was looking for.

That prompted Gu Gongja to ask.

“Do you remember where that is?”

It seemed like they’d found something.

What Ma Cheol witnessed next was something he couldn’t believe.

In the nighttime, climbing the mountain, eventually finding a white maple tree, and stairs leading underground.

Countless bottles of Night Bright Wine lined the walls.

The mysterious Biwaegun.

And within, a gigantic serpent-like demon beast.

Ma Cheol couldn’t grasp this situation. Everything transpired far too quickly.

If this was an opportunity, then so be it.

Regardless of how Gu Gongja knew about this, it would ultimately turn out to be beneficial for him.

In the end, it would all circle back to his master, but he might benefit by loosening his Golden Binding a bit.

However…

What the hell was going on here?

“Gah…. Huh….”

Ma Cheol clutched his neatly severed shoulder, repeatedly applying pressure to the wound.

‘…Why won’t the bleeding stop?’

He injected a substantial amount of inner strength, but it wouldn’t clot.

It was like a dam that had burst, with blood pouring out uncontrollably.

When, how, and by what method did that little dagger inflict this wound?

Amidst everything, he couldn’t catch even a glimpse of how the girl wielded her sword.

This was dangerous. He needed to flee at once.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

As chilling as poison, her voice trembled through Ma Cheol’s ears.

Slowly, he lifted his head.

Before him, he couldn’t breathe properly at the sight of the figure.

“I gave you plenty of chances.”

The girl spoke.

With just those few words, one shoulder of Ma Cheol felt incredibly heavy.

The black hair she had when he first saw her was nowhere to be seen;

now, her hair shone as brightly as gold.

“What the… what is happening…?”

“Because you failed to grasp the situation, I even helped enhance your instincts.”

What on earth was she?

The magnitude of her presence was that of a being powerful enough to easily crush a peak-level martial artist.

How could he even describe this?

Ma Cheol couldn’t comprehend.

What he was sure of was that the energy radiating from the girl was unfathomable.

Then what should he call this?

“Why didn’t you run away sooner?”

In response to her words, Ma Cheol gasped.

“Who are you, noble person…?”

“A person you don’t know.”

“If I had known from the start that you were following me, why didn’t you leave me be?”

“I never left you be. I even tried to show you compassion.”

Only then did Ma Cheol realize the unexplained unease and instincts he’d felt while approaching her.

“Why someone like you…?”

Ma Cheol furrowed his lips.

The end of the enlightenment that a legendary martial artist experiences, known as the Rejuvenation Technique? Did he just encounter a being who had reached that state?

If so, why would she act as a servant to someone like that?

The girl said,

“I won’t entertain questions anymore… time isn’t on my side.”

For now, she wanted to pet him a little bit more.

She whispered that softly.

“The reason I showed mercy is that this was my first time killing.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

From the unrestrained strike, he could FEEL it.

If she had committed slaughter, she wouldn’t admit to having killed? That was impossible.

The girl disregarded his doubts and continued her thoughts.

“At least, I wanted this part to be left to your own choice. But it turned into something unintended. I’m sorry.”

A sudden apology; Ma Cheol thought it couldn’t possibly be directed at him.

How could he survive?

His mind spun with thoughts, but the girl’s strides quickened.

He’d long erased any idea of confrontation.

He needed to run.

While the girl mumbled to herself, Ma Cheol gathered all his inner strength at once.

He had pulled it to the extreme so hastily that it could have strained his very core, but that wasn’t on his mind.

He only wished to survive.

He just wanted to return and tell everything he had experienced.

Ma Cheol swiftly turned, activating his inner strength and pounding the ground. He intended to dash back to the Tang Clan.

However, something felt off.

His gaze that should have been fixed on the entrance was random, now directed toward the ground.

It was getting closer.

‘What’s happening…’

Ma Cheol was left questioning, but that was where it ended.

Thud, and with a flicker, the promising peak practitioner of Nangong lost his head on the floor of Biwaegun.

Unfazed, Wi Seol-Ah sheathed her sword and waved her hand, engulfing Ma Cheol’s physical body in flames.

In mere moments,

as if he had never been there, not even bones remaining, he vanished.

[…Now… please return it to me…!!]

At the piercing voice in his ears, Wi Seol-Ah chuckled softly.

“Sorry, but I don’t think I can be out for a long while, so wouldn’t you mind waiting a bit?”

[It’s my body….]

“Correct, it’s your body…. both now and in the future.”

Wi Seol-Ah approached the unconscious Gu Yangcheong and gently patted his head once more.

“…I’ll really return it now. This should be enough.”

It stung.

Every action now felt like this to Wi Seol-Ah. Nothing hurt more than regret coming too late.

Every old saying turned out to be true.

Wi Seol-Ah playfully pinched Gu Yangcheong’s cheek and smiled.

[..C’mon…]

Startled by the whining in her ears, she quickly withdrew her hand.

-Are we leaving?

A crumbling serpent behind asked.

“I need to sleep; it feels like it was too much.”

How long would it take until next time? It might take quite some time.

-…Do you know what kind of being you are?

At the serpent’s question, Wi Seol-Ah gently smiled.

“Just a little, I think.”

She knew a little about herself—just realized it too late.

-This will be a grueling journey.

“I know.”

-That’s good. …I wish you blessings on your future.

“…Thank you, you did well. Goodnight.”

Perhaps it was Wi Seol-Ah’s words, as the serpent’s massive body crumbled away into nothing.

Wi Seol-Ah watched and slowly lay beside Gu Yangcheong.

Gently poking at Gu Yangcheong’s furrowed brow, as if he were having nightmares, she closed her eyes too.

Some time later, Gu Yangcheong finally opened his eyes.

“…Where am I?”

The ceiling was unfamiliar.

 

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