Book 13 Chapter 9

Distance and skill correlation

- Sechi

"Hey there, funny young man! "

A funny young man? Probably referring to Bi Ryuyeon.

The nominated(?) Bi Ryuyeon looked at the old man.

"How good do you think you are?"

"Hmmm."

Ryu-yeon set her jaw and pondered, as if she were suddenly faced with a difficult conundrum.

"Well, relatively speaking, I'd say it's three inches (about 9 centimeters) at this point."

By "current state," I mean wearing the Muklong Ring. Of course, Sword Qi couldn't know that.

The delegates were dumbfounded, not knowing what to make of it. I'm asking about the level of martial arts?

But Sword Qi was surprised. It would be more accurate to say that he was horrified.

"Three chi? Hehe, what a rabid young man."

It was more mockery than admiration, or just plain enjoyment.

"I'm all about honesty, and I don't lie about silly things like this. If you don't believe me, you can test it, but I don't think it's worth the hassle."

There's no need to be intimidated when you're not spreading falsehoods," she said, her voice dripping with confidence.

"Well, young man, you deserve a lot of credit for that, and I'll forgive you for that."

The old man himself was surprised at his own compassion, perhaps even dumbfounded by the trio of Mu Mu, Guang Wu, and Xie Jianfang.

"You lack… faith."

An emotional Turo said.

In fact, the term "three chi" refers to the unity of the sword and the fate of the sword.

間合!

Here, interval refers to a temporal concept and sum refers to a spatial concept. Simply put, it's the distance between you and the other person in space and time.

In other words, Bi Ryuyeon was saying that he was confident that he could get within three inches of the Sword of Fate's sword strike range and still receive his sword. In other words, he was saying that he could stand in front of his opponent's nose and not die, and he was declaring that the sword of the Sword Qi Destiny would not be able to harm him under any circumstances.

"People should be held accountable for their words, do you really think that's possible?"

Inwardly, the old man was hoping that if he admitted his mistake this time and begged for forgiveness, he would be forgiven.

"Sure."

But the answer was the same.

"You've got some pretty interesting young men these days, so why don't you prove it? How far you've come."

Something like a forged sword light glowed sharply in the depths of the swordsman's eyes.

Only a few people understood their conversation. Yong Tianming was one of those few.

'No way, you think that's possible? Even if he didn't have a right hand, judging by his status earlier, he'd be hard pressed to get inside the first chapter. But it's a life-or-death proposition. Safety cannot be guaranteed. But what about Sechi? Such an absurd all-purpose……!'

Yonghui Mo also thought.

'It's reckless. To come so close to the Sword Qi Fate's blade is simple suicide! It's not worth it. It has a safe distance of one zhang and an effective range of five zhang! If you risk your life, you may be able to reach four zhang…….'

The young man looked at Bi Ryuyeon with new eyes. His eyes, shining with anticipation, were crying out.

"Show me you can take responsibility for those words.

It was the same with the saber tooth.

"I hope you're a young man who can take responsibility for his words."

Yue Yun Ming said.

"People lack trust, so they always want proof, even though it's important to be more trusting."

Ryu-yeon lamented the current powerhouse's lack of faith and trust, but Seung-un Myung didn't budge.

"Anyone can make fun of the mouth, but not everyone can move the body. Nobu doesn't need someone who can do what anyone can do. But he does need someone who can do what no one else can do, that's all."

"I see."

Convinced by Gum Qi's words, Bi Ryuyeon began to look around. Her eyes searching for something. What could it be……. His eyes clearly said so, and that's when a creature caught his eye. Its body was as red as an autumn mountain covered in leaves, its four strong wings flapped so fast that it was almost invisible, and its two large eyes watched everywhere. It was a dragonfly [harugakun].

"Here's a good one."

Bi Ryuyeon said, pointing to a dragonfly flying across the front of her chest.

"What are you going to show me, Ryuyeon?

Jang Hong's piercing gaze turned to Bi Ryuyeon, hoping that this would give him a glimpse of the secrets within.

"How dare you!

The Maharishi's fierce gaze flashed at Bi Ryuyeon. If he were to be humiliated here today, nothing would please her more than that. Her eyes filled with anticipation.

In addition, Yidou, Ice Sword, Poisonous Spirit, Zhu Jiaxuan, and many others had their eyes focused on Bi Ryuyeon.

'류연…….'

And then…, finally, the milky way gaze in Na Yerin's eyes swept toward Bi Ryuyeon.

He was not so shallow in his studies as to allow his mind to be shaken by the cascade of attention, hatred, and murder concentrated on his one body. Nervousness, embarrassment, or the feeling of being overwhelmed, the more agitated you are, the more remote your chances of success in your work become. Such miscellaneous emotions, as they accumulate, limit and reduce the infinite possibilities of the human body, so sometimes it is necessary to put an iron plate on the mind with the willpower of steel.

She didn't need to expend any extra willpower to maintain this mental stillness; why would she need any extra strength for something as simple as breathing!

Bi Ryuyeon watched the dragonfly with a serene gaze. As it flapped its wings up and down, left and right, it came closer and closer, slower and slower. Even the turtle's steps seemed to be much faster than this.

Once up, once down, and once up again.

Every single movement of the dragonfly's wings was clearly visible. I was able to detect every single detail of the dragonfly's movements, including which joints and muscles were engaged for each flap.

Bi Ryuyeon's eyes, hidden behind his long bangs, glowed golden for a moment, and then his right hand, which had been hanging lightly, moved slowly, like the movement of a person submerged in the vast depths of the ocean. It was a dull move that made the onlookers feel frustrated.

Very slowly, his hand grazed the underside of the dragonfly, and a flash of white light flashed from his fingertips before disappearing like a mirage.

And…, nothing happened.

"Destination?"

"I heard it was somewhere around here. You've walked as far as you can walk, you've climbed as far as you can climb, so why don't you show yourself soon?"

"Where the hell is this place called Hongmaegok? Why is it so complicated for something that's not even in the East Coast, where tax savings are hidden? You're so cheeky. It's so unkind to not have a signboard! Unkind!"

Yeomdo wielded the blade of unrelenting criticism for the inaction and unkindness of the Volcano Covenant's entire governing system. The forest was growing deeper and deeper, with trees that grew to block out the sunlight. Their discontent was compounded by the uncomfortable and sometimes irritating paths of the beasts. The jagged, overgrown grass and tangled tree roots made for unsteady footing, and it was hardly worth the effort. It seemed as if a wrong turn could lead to a mass exodus of strays.

"Hey, is it possible to get there before the first snowfall? "

He glanced up at the autumn sun, which hadn't cooled yet, and answered her question.

"If his explanation is not incorrect."

'What on earth could they have seen to send us away? '

From the looks of it, Bingum didn't know why either. It was obvious from the way he'd been looking at that skinny face earlier, lost in thought. He felt a strange sense of relief; neither of them knew. If he hadn't noticed, and Binggum had, it would have been embarrassing……. It was embarrassing to think about.

We've been together for quite a while, but he's still a mystery to me. What could he be? He still hadn't found the answer to that question. To have two mysterious humans by his side……. It was definitely not a pleasant feeling.

Grumbling inwardly as he led the way up the mountain, the old man looked at Bi Ryuyeon's back with a strange gaze. Bi Ryuyeon was saying something to Na Yerin. Even after sharply gathering his senses, he still couldn't sense anything special about her.

'Rebuttal?

No way……. It was a tough act to follow at my age. But…….

Certainly, that was a big move. It was memorable.

'I don't think anyone's ever really looked into that…….'

It was probably a sword and sorcery fate.

"Huh?"

What the heck did it show? Literally nothing happened. No, only one thing had happened. The dragonfly that had fluttered past Bi Ryuyeon's hand had slowly flown away and landed on the outstretched palm of the swordsman. It might have been a great thing, if you wanted to call it a great thing, but that was all it was.

The blackened gaze of Yue Yun stared dryly at the dragonfly that had silently landed in his palm.

"Was it all talk?

Just when I thought that anyone could do it, I realized that it was all just talk!

"Suck!"

At that moment, the swordsman's eyes widened to tears.

'…….'

A long silence followed. Those assimilated by the silence did not dare to speak. And after a while!

Sword Qi's tightly closed mouth slowly opened.

"Go!"

"What?"

When asked about the Yeomdo, Sword Qi once again spoke slowly and repeatedly to make sure his words stuck.

"…Go! You…pass."

Sword Qi Yun Ming stared at the dragonfly, which was sitting with its wings folded in the palm of his hand, as rigid as a stone statue.

"I can't believe this!

I tried my best to convince myself, but it was hard.

"How is it that he has already achieved at such a young age what it took me a lifetime (60 years) to reach?

For some time, the dragonfly had been motionless, as if the time around it was frozen. It was as if the time around it was frozen.

'Is he a monster? Or is he…….'

Bam!

The dragonfly, frozen in time on Gumchi's palm, had changed. It had split cleanly in two, from between its brows to the tip of its tail. The cleavage was smooth, like that of a mirror.

They kept walking through the forest. The mountains were dressed for autumn, colorful and brilliant. But there was one thing missing.

He hadn't yet had the good fortune to see the plum blossoms in full bloom, the pride of the volcano, not the season. Lee seemed to regret it.

"But rumor has it that somewhere in the volcano there is a mysterious valley where plum blossoms bloom all year round? The beauty of its view is indescribable, and its mysterious fragrance is so fragrant as to paralyze one's mind, and it is said that the spirit of the plum blossom lives there!"

Lee Jin-sul's comment made Cho Cheon-woo laugh.

"Hahaha! I've only heard of it in rumors and legends, but I've never actually seen the place. I suppose everyone in the Middle Kingdom of Oak has a mysterious legend or two that stirs the imagination of someone like that."

At that moment, Yun Junho felt a shiver run down his spine, as if a thunderbolt had passed through his body. Goosebumps were rising all over his body.

"Come on, no way……."

A sweet scent that tickles the tip of your nose. To others, it might be a pleasure, but to Junho Yoon, it was as frightening as poison.

'But it wouldn't be seasonal yet…….'

The golden autumn sun hadn't cooled yet. It was too early to burst into bloom.

It was called Hongmegok. Apparently, that's what Sword Qi called the name of the place they were supposed to reach.

Hongmegok (紅梅谷)…….

Then he suddenly remembered the old story that Master T'ai Chi had told him. A mysterious place where plum blossoms bloom all year round, and its name was also Hongmae-gok.

I was thinking it was just a piece of the story…….

Junho Yoon smelled the scent of a plum blossom that hadn't yet burst into bloom.