Book 28 Chapter 4

Raging Dragon

-Broken twin swords

Voila!

The two swords that struck the boulder shattered instantly with a loud crack.

The broken blade grazed his cheek, splattering blood, but the young man with the green braids didn't move from his spot.

"Hmph!"

As if it hadn't been struck once or twice, countless sword marks were carved into the massive boulder like a spider's web.

The marks of a relentless blow. There was no regularity to the strokes, as if they had been made in a haphazard manner. There was only an explosion of emotion.

It was just the marks of a man who swung his sword whenever he felt like it, whenever his anger flared up, whenever he could, without any sort of discipline.

It wasn't swordsmanship, it was just simple venting.

He glanced down at his hands, which held two broken swords. He was Hyo-Ryong, a young man with a green band crossed over his head.

His shoulders heave. Is it because he's out of breath, or because…….

Hyolong's eyes blurred as he stared at the broken sword.

The death of a much-admired older brother. And the subsequent…… death of my father.

Once again, he could do nothing. This time he couldn't even watch his death. How long must he allow himself and his family to be torn apart by fate?

"Until when?

Why did he have to suffer this unjust death?

"Why!

It can't be this way. Not to avenge my brother, not to avenge my father.

He was powerless now. He needed a new power. Something that could take him beyond his current self.

Now he realized he couldn't fight with two swords, so he broke them. For he could no longer be his fake self.

He must tie the knot in this matter more surely than anyone else. And if the Spiritual Master Na Bai Tian really did assassinate his own father, even if by force, then…….

"I will never forgive him, no matter how much he may be a fierce lord of the Pure Land, or the father of my friend's lover."

Hyo-ryong's muttering to himself was answered by a voice.

"Really?"

Hyorong flinched once, then slowly turned around. Not far away stood an old man who resembled a silent but enormous mountain. It was the old man commonly referred to as Old Man Hyeokjung, none other than Martial Spirit Galjung Hyuk.

"Grandpa……."

Hyo-Ryong tried to say something, but his throat closed up.

The old man raised his deep, wise eyes and looked into his grandson's two eyes. His eyes were now burning with hatred and anger, more fierce than ever.

"Are you sad?"

With eyes blazing with anger, the old man asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes."

Then the old man said.

"I'm sad too."

His voice sounded so calm. But each word crushed Hyo-Ryong's heart. The old man added one more word.

"But there are no tears."

It was a seemingly nonchalant statement, but it was deeply personal.

"Nobu can't cry anymore, even if he wanted to."

He has sacrificed too much. He had seen too many deaths. Just when he thought he had nothing left to lose, he lost his favorite grandson, the one he'd always envisioned as his heir. And now he's lost his son, the eldest son of his family.

But was the old tree so old that all of its moisture had dried up? There were no tears in the old man's eyes. Even if he wanted to cry, no tears could come out now. Shinma would not show tears for nothing.

But that didn't mean he wasn't angry; his tears had dried, but his anger was still there. A giant's anger was silent, but heavier than anything else.

"Take it."

Ouch.

The old man held out something wrapped in wrapping paper in front of Hyolong. Hyo-Ryong politely accepted it.

For a moment, the weight of the downward thrust nearly knocked him off his feet.

"What is this, Grandpa?"

Hyo-Ryong's voice was filled with wonder as he asked the question.

"Unfold it."

Hyo-ryong carefully unwrapped the package and examined its contents.

"……!"

Hyorong's eyes widened.

"This, this……."

My heart pounded in my chest.

Inside were two swords. One was inscribed with the word "heaven" and the other with the word "weight".

"Take it. The name of this sword is the Twin Swords of the Middle Heaven, and they will be your two arms in the future."

"……!"

When he heard the name of the two-headed beast, Hyorong was stunned.

"If you're a 'medium',……."

This was the Tao with the same sound as the name of his father, Galjongcheon. But before that……. Hyo-ryong knew that this pair of tao had a different origin.

The old man nodded.

"Yes, this is the pair my grandfather wore when he was a young man."

Hyo-ryong spoke up in a panicked voice. He was so shaken that his voice was barely audible.

"Hey, how dare I……."

He was about to refuse, saying that he dared not accept it, when old Hyolong interrupted him and asked, "How can I accept the twin swords of the Martial Gods as his grandson?" He said, "How can I accept them?

"Why hast thou broken thy twin swords?"

"Because you can't rely on twin swords anymore."

There was no hesitation in Hyorong's answer, and the old man nodded.

"You broke it because you knew that, didn't you? It's a shorthand for daughters who can't handle a heavy sword. It doesn't have the power of a true twelve blades."

It was a twin sword technique that was almost unknown in the world, and while it had kept him alive for years, it was no longer enough to get him through.

"It was originally meant to go to your brother. But as you know, your brother is no longer in this world. You have no choice but to take over."

And then the giant's words fell.

"Long Ya, get the heavenly sword!"

-Heavenly sword!

Hyorong's body trembled with the meaning and weight of those words.

The thirteenth food outside of the twelve, the absolute and infinite food called the One Thousand and Twelve. It was a symbol of a certain kind of enlightenment.

"The fight from here on out will be unlike any you've ever fought before. And if you don't get it, you may die."

The old man knew his son's skills better than anyone else. If he hadn't been so talented, he wouldn't have passed on the mantle of the Black Heavenly Mage just because he was his son. It was only because he felt that he was capable and a worthy vessel that he passed the mantle to his eldest son, Gal Zhongtian. That way, he could rule the land with peace of mind. He was grateful to his son for taking one of the burdens off his shoulders.

But even his son was killed.

The invisible hand knew who it was. Even if it didn't know how much Bai Xiaochun had played with that hand.

"Aniha!

Only then did the old man realize that they had grown stronger than he had ever imagined, crouching in the darkness. But it was a late realization. He had underestimated their power because they were invisible.

"This old man doesn't have long to hold you and teach you."

It was a hint that it was going to be a short but bumpy ride.

"I'm up for it."

Being taught by a legend in person was not the same as just teaching. A day with my grandfather was worth a decade with others.

"Your brother was a genius. But it's time for you to step out of your brother's shadow. I will never see you as beneath your brother. Show this old man how far you've come, and how far you can go."

"Grandpa……."

With reddened eyes, Hyo-Ryong looked at the old man, desperately holding back the tears that threatened to fall.

"I have lost too many people from the last war to now. Comrades, and women, and the only friend I ever recognized. I have no more tears left to shed for Nobu, even though I have lost my son."

His tear ducts were already dry.

"So…… you cry instead of Nobu, who can't cry."

With that, the dike collapsed. Hyolong bowed his head and wept.

"Yes, there is no need to hold back. There are some who want to spill and cannot. Pour it out, all of you. But do not forget. Your sorrow now, your anger now. It will be the fire and hammer that will temper you."

The tears he had been holding back burst from his eyes. The old man hugged his grandson with one hand. Hyo-ryong sobbed and sobbed in his grandfather's arms, almost for the first time.

"Do not forgive, never. You will be strong. You shall be."

His grandfather, who seemed so far away, seemed so close today. They had lost their blood together.

But…… Hyo-ryong was only confused.

Now, who do you find yourself pointing the knife at? Who do you hold guilty first?

Hyuk-jung patted his grandson on the shoulder, then quietly turned and left.

As he turned around, the old man's face was stiff and rigid. It was like looking at a huge boulder that had been chilled to the bone. There was someone watching him from afar, hiding in the shadows, and she was Ye Qing.

What emotions are swirling through that giant's mind right now?

Ye Qing didn't even dare to guess.

"Grandpa……."

But the words were only in Ye Qing's mouth, and she didn't dare to approach the old man. She didn't even have a clue what to say.

And it was scary.

Ye Qing, a woman of her time who had nothing to fear in the world, who could not unleash her qi in front of her, but now she was unable to approach the heavy silence that enveloped her entire body.

Honestly, it was scary and intimidating.

If Hyuk-jung had lamented out loud or burst into tears unable to control his grief, he would not have been so frightened.

But the current silent Hyuk-jung was so terrifying that even getting close to him made my heart tremble.

The giant's anger was silent, but heavy.

I could feel my breath catch in my throat whenever I was near it.

I felt like I was being crushed and suffocated by its silent rage.

But she wasn't in a position to offer words of comfort right now. She doubted he would even listen. For now, all she could do was keep her mouth shut and wait for the next piece of news, but she couldn't wait.

"I have to do something.

In her position, she could not seek the old man's help. Unless the chances of her husband killing her son were zero, she was lucky that he didn't go off in a rage and beat Nabechuan to death.

Self-help is the best help. I couldn't have asked for more.

'Is that all there is…….'

Even if it was a one-in-a-hundred, one-in-a-thousand chance, I had to take a chance on it for now.

"I'm not letting him die like this, not ever!

She finally decided on one thing.

First things first.

We couldn't just sit back and wait for news.

It was not in her options to wait for years for Nie Yue to return to her side, hoping that Nie Bai Tian would break through the siege safely, scatter his pursuers, and return to her side.

Currently, she was the closest thing to the Black Sky Blind. Therefore, she had to do something about it.

"But through whom?

Part of her wanted to run to save him herself, but she couldn't just leave him to his fate in her absence.

If she didn't have a husband, she had to be the center of gravity.

The dogma of blindness needed to be properly countered. As long as Bai Chen is alive, she is not yet a scarecrow.

You know what they say about being ten ways underwater, but one way under a man?

If there were any signs of disturbance, any hint of an illegal seizure of power, she must step in. She must take his place where he left off. To make sure nothing happened when he returned. That he would be as comfortable upon his return as he was upon his departure. That was her job as hostess.

She needed people who could leave right now, and she needed people who held some promise.

"Who do I send?

That's when the image of a man popped into her head.

"If it's him……."

A young man who seems to be on the verge of a breakdown, but can't quite figure out what's underneath it all. He rescues Na Yerin, something he thought would be impossible. And just as he promised, he defends what he thought was important.

With his own hands.

In her eyes, it was nothing short of a miracle.

Even the most intelligent woman could not have guessed that she would be able to rescue her daughter Na Yerin in such a short time.

"That's the kind of person I need right now.

Someone who would exceed her expectations and imagination. Now she prayed that the young man she was about to meet was just such a person.

Seriously.

Hiss.

She had drawn several spiral patterns on the floor. The spirals were coming from four directions, forming a swirling circle and converging on a center.

He would then scribble something underneath and erase it, then erase everything, and then start over with three dots from the top and write down the words Heaven, People, and Earth.

It was a different order than the heavenly, earthly, and human.

Then, after thinking about it for a while, I wrote the word "big" on the top Heaven and "small" on the bottom Earth.

I then drew a circle to enclose the heavenly and the great, and then a circle to enclose the earthly and the small. Then he drew a straight line from the center of the top circle to the center of the bottom circle. Sometimes he smiled, sometimes he giggled. It was as if he was having fun.

"Why are you laughing now?"

The question came out of nowhere from behind me. Judging by the voice, it was a woman. It was Ye Qing.

"Because it's fun."

Without turning her head, she whistled a lullaby. It was an obvious answer, if you ask me.

"What was so funny?"

From her perspective, what she was doing right now didn't look like much fun.

"I was just trying to figure it out, you know, boredom."

Bi Ryuyeon, still not taking her eyes off the painting on the ground, said in a nonchalant tone.

"What were you contemplating?"

"About how to make the world go round."

"Spin what?"

Ye Qing thought he had misheard, but it turns out he hadn't.

"The world."

After two repeats, her hearing was found to be normal.

"Because I got a little something last time."

Bi Ryuyeon smirked.

"Is that funny?"

"Yeah, that's how fun it is, it's like playing brain teasers, the only difference is that it's nature that's giving you a problem."

"…So, did you find the answer?"

"A little bit."

"What an uncertain answer. So, what must I do to make the world go round?"

Ye Qing's question didn't have much enthusiasm, because she didn't really care about it. If you don't have any doubts in yourself, any answer is just a bland one.

"It was simple: I needed to be the center of the world."

None of this sounded simple.

"And what can I do for you?"

"I have a problem I want you to solve."

"Oh, well, you've come to the right place then, problem solving is my hobby and specialty, so what's the problem?"

Her counter-question was more of a confirmation than a question about what she didn't know.

"It is as you suspect. I would like to lend your power to the rescue of the Martial Lord himself. Bring me my husband."

Ye Qing's normally confident and high spirited voice was now filled with desperation. No matter how strong she was, it was extremely difficult for her to remain calm in this situation.

"Sure, whatever."

Without hesitation, she replied.

"Hmm, I'd love to get going right now, but this is a tricky problem, so I'll need to do some preparation. Oh, and I'll need a guide, but I'm not a navigator, and your geography isn't the brightest."

"…and?"

To Ye Qing's question with a nod, Bi Ryuyeon shrugged her shoulders.

"And what?"

"Is that all, is there anything else you want?"

"No, I'm not, I'm just asking for a lot of things."

Again, without hesitation, the answer is yes.

"…Say it."

"What?"

"You ask again, knowing, about your affair, about the rewards of solving a problem. He's my husband, a master of the arts. Do you mean to tell me that you would not ask for such a favor?"

Then she laughed.

"You can't ask to be paid for something you can't put a value on, didn't you know that?"

This time, it was Bi Ryuyeon who spoke up. You're the one who knows everything and pretends not to.

"……."

Was it a stunt, or did he hit the nail on the head? Ye Qing didn't say anything.

"I'm saving Yerin's father, not anyone else's, and I can't ask for anything in return, can I? And if I do make a demand, and that demand is rejected, am I…… to turn down this job?"

It was just as ridiculous as it sounds.

"I don't move for free, but the fact that he's Yerin's father is reason enough to pay for it all. Does that answer your question?"

Thinking that Bi Ryuyeon would use this as an excuse to ask for something, Ye Qing was forced to admit that he was wrong.

"That's it. I'm sorry."

Ye Qing apologized. It was an apology for her rash judgment of him. It was an admission that she had misjudged him, that she had taken him too lightly, that she had underestimated him.

"That's okay, and sometimes a challenge is worth solving just for the sake of solving it."

"I'll be praying that you can solve that conundrum."

"Well, I'm going to go get ready."

It's like he's going on a vacation when he's supposed to be going into the dead zone. Ye Qing was beginning to wonder if he was being bold or ignorant.

"Wait."

Ye Qing catches up with Bi Ryuyeon as she walks away.

"……?"

Bi Ryuyeon looked back. Ye Qing's face didn't show any expression. This was a mother-daughter resemblance. Although it was Bi Ryuyeon's personal opinion that her mother was more expressive, she couldn't help but dislike Ye Qing even more because of her resemblance to Na Yerin.

"If you successfully rescue Yerin's father this time, I will consider formally consenting to their relationship."

In the first place, this was something that should have been done by the Pure Sky Academy, and in the strictest sense of the word, Bi Ryuyeon and the emissaries of the Heavenly Martial Academy were not obligated to do it. This was a job for the 'grown-ups', especially if they had just crossed the line between life and death.

She couldn't just ask him to do it, such a shameless act would be against Ye Qing's wishes. So she said.

-If you can save him, I will recognize your relationship.

Of course, Bai Xiaochun would jump up and down, forgetting that he had even been saved, but that didn't matter.

He had to be alive before he could run.

"Oh, that's a really unexpected injury(副賞), I guess I'll have to try harder then. I'll do my best anyway. I can't make Yerin sad, can I? Right?"

It was no exaggeration to say that his feelings for Na Yerin were his greatest weakness, and in front of that weakness he could only be weak. However, he felt that having such a weakness was not a bad thing, and that it made him more complete.

His view was that it was cowardice to call something so precious a weakness.

"Okay, so we'll have to round up some people. I wonder how many people are going to follow us."

This was going to be different, and even he couldn't guess the size of the rescue party; he had decided to leave it entirely to his own devices.

"Oh, by the way, you can't bring Yerin with you on this. Remember that."

Ye Qing said like a nail.

"I'd say, 'Sure…' but I think that's for Yerin to decide for herself."

After all, she had suffered unspeakable hardships in this kidnapping, and she deserved a little rest. However, if she chose to go, he had no intention of forcing her to break her will out of his own concern or consideration, for he believed that his job in that case would not be to lock her away in a safe place, but to stand by her side, protect her, and help her fulfill her purpose.

"No, this is a decision I have to make as a parent and hostess of the martial arts. It's too dangerous, and if he finds out he's wearing it, it could affect 'him' and cause him to do something wrong."

The 'he' was, of course, none other than Na Baiqian, the father who loved his daughter to death. As soon as Bi Ryuyeon heard that, she nodded.

"Well, I guess so, then."

Normally, he would do anything for his daughter. But when he realized that his daughter had come to his rescue in such a critical situation, even if the rescue team was in danger, there was no telling what he would do or how things would turn out.

"When would you be able to leave?"

There was an air of urgency in Ye Qing's question.

"Maybe tomorrow, I've got some work to do today."

"I'm not saying tomorrow, but I'm going to trust that it's because I need to be properly prepared."

Right now was a word that could only be used for "today".

"Of course, because I have to decide who I'm going to go with, and that requires some organization."