EP.22 Why Are You Here Again...? (2)
Why Are You Here Again...? (2)
"Go rest a bit. You'll die at this rate."
Those were the words Muyeon heard from the Daeju before first entering the guard unit.
Muyeon had swung his sword day and night wishing to forget his memories. Ironically, no matter how much he did so, the memories remained firmly in place.
Martial arts without heart (心) poured into them are nothing more than mere movements to a martial artist.
The sword Muyeon wielded was exactly that.
There was nothing contained within the sword.
He merely swung it. That was why, even after swinging it a hundred or a thousand times, Muyeon's martial prowess remained in the same place as his memories.
Excluding Gu Jeol-yeop, the prodigy born of Guseonmun and the Munju's grandson, Muyeon was undoubtedly a genius when looking at talent alone.
Many said that if his talent allowed, the youngest absolute peak martial artist in Guseonmun's history would be born.
Thinking about it now, it was all trivial talk.
Was he really that elated by the title of first-rate martial artist?
Muyeon still doesn't understand himself.
What did he harbor to come this far?
What remains for me?
The screams of the Sword Squad members begging for their lives still pierce his memory.
What did I draw my sword for? The Sword Squad's sword is one that protects.
I failed to protect.
Then what am I?
He couldn't know.
Living like a half-cripple like that, an order came down from the Daeju.
"I can't just let a martial artist of your caliber rest right now. This is the only place I can appropriately send you. Go and get some rest."
The place he was assigned to was none other than the Guard Unit. Though they said it was an honorable place protecting the Gu family's bloodline, Muyeon didn't see it that way.
"Report all actions of the Gu family's bloodline."
That was the order received immediately upon being assigned to the Guard Unit.
To whom and why? Is this really protecting them?
In Muyeon's view, it wasn't guarding but surveillance.
But he didn't voice his doubts. He wasn't certain he had the right to do so.
Then Muyeon's guard assignment was decided.
It was the third of the Gaju's four children, the Gaju's only son—Gu Yang-cheon.
The first impression wasn't very good. Like all of the Gu family's bloodline, he had notably sharp eyes and a protruding mouth that revealed his spitefulness.
He hadn't conversed with him many times, but beyond his immature temperament, he was simply insolent.
'Please take care of me, Young Master.'
'A guard?'
'Yes, my name is Muyeon.'
'Ah, I told them to get a woman. These guys really suck at their jobs.'
'...Excuse me?'
'Don't talk to me, it's annoying. Go sit in that corner and stay out of my sight.'
...How bad must it have been for the senior Sword Squad member who handled the handover to press yakgwa into his hand?
'What is this?'
'When he throws a tantrum, just let it in one ear and out the other, and give him one of these in his hand, then it'll be a bit better.'
He thanked that senior Sword Squad member at the time. Thanks to those words, he could endure it a little more comfortably.
He didn't know if the Daeju's intention was such, but thanks to the week spent with Gu Yang-cheon, Muyeon came to harbor thoughts of returning to the Sword Squad.
It might have been physically comfortable, but it was mentally difficult in a different sense.
Then one day.
Muyeon heard news that Elder I was looking for Gu Yang-cheon.
As expected, the moment Gu Yang-cheon heard the news, he fled to the marketplace.
Should he have stopped him? Muyeon's dilemma was brief. Muyeon feared Gu Yang-cheon's tantrums more than Elder I's roaring.
In the marketplace where he was dragged as if being dragged to a slaughterhouse, Muyeon quietly observed Gu Yang-cheon.
There, Gu Yang-cheon didn't really do anything.
He just quietly watched people.
'....'
Quiet and detached.
Sometimes those eyes of the boy were like that.
What could he be thinking? Even with his awful temperament, emotions occasionally popped out from Gu Yang-cheon.
Muyeon could understand. Because it was an emotion he himself had felt to the point of nausea.
That was definitely 'resignation.'
Gu Yang-cheon harbored eyes that had given up on everything. Being in a position half-certain to become the Gaju of a noble bloodline, what could the boy have given up?
Muyeon couldn't understand how that boy was covered in thorns.
To be precise, he didn't want to delve into it. Because he didn't have the capacity for that.
Then it was a fleeting moment.
The air surrounding Gu Yang-cheon had changed.
How should he put it. Muyeon unknowingly placed his hand on the sword hilt. Even during his time in the Sword Squad, Muyeon had often been told he had good instincts.
Muyeon hastily spread his qi and surveyed the surroundings, but couldn't sense anything like killing intent.
'What is it?'
What was this sticky, ghostly feeling? The chilling sensation on his back gave him goosebumps.
That cold sensation didn't last long.
"Wanna eat a sweet potato?"
A child who appeared to be Gu Yang-cheon's peer, though his face wasn't clearly visible, appeared carrying a basket full of sweet potatoes.
The energy that had been enveloping the surroundings instantly disappeared. Could that child be the culprit of this energy?
That couldn't be, but one never knows. Muyeon approached Gu Yang-cheon with the mindset of being ready to draw at any time.
"Young Master...?"
Surprisingly, Gu Yang-cheon was eating the sweet potato the child handed him. He was a picky eater who always flipped the dining table.... Anyway, the picky-eating Gu Yang-cheon was eating a sweet potato.
Looking at the child was more of a problem. The clothes he was wearing were worn out and in poor condition.
Gu Yang-cheon, who would throw a fit if he wore clothes even once and threw them away, could cause a scene at any moment when he saw that.
He had to send the child away quickly.
"How dare you..."
"Do you have yakgwa?"
"Excuse me?"
"I'm asking if you have yakgwa."
The plan failed. It was because Gu Yang-cheon cut off the words.
But asking for yakgwa out of nowhere? Muyeon couldn't bring himself to say 'You ate them all on the way here.'
Rummaging through his clothes, fortunately one yakgwa remained.
A guard carrying around yakgwa—was this why he learned martial arts...? It was a moment of slight disillusionment.
Gu Yang-cheon received the yakgwa Muyeon handed him.
He thought he was going to cleanse his palate after the sweet potato with the yakgwa.
"You wanna eat this?"
He handed it to the child in front of him.
'..What is this?'
He naturally thought he would eat the yakgwa and then hurl insults to humiliate the child.
The Gu Yang-cheon he had seen until now was that kind of person.
Something was different, but what was different?
He even apologized saying he wanted to give more but there wasn't any left. Muyeon found it hard to understand the current situation.
'I need to see where the sun rises from tomorrow.'
He felt like he needed to check whether it was west, east, or south.
Not long after, the child who was happy to receive the yakgwa disappeared along with an old man who appeared next.
The amazing thing was that shortly after, the girl and old man he met at the marketplace were working at Gu Yang-cheon's residence.
That day was definitely the turning point. That Gu Yang-cheon had changed.
Gu Yang-cheon started training. Training itself was surprising, but they said he was even doing physical training at quite a high intensity.
He had seen it with his own eyes several times.
His attitude toward the servants changed. It wasn't that he treated them well. He became completely indifferent.
Whether they worked hard or made mistakes, he paid no attention. The servants were happy, saying it was heaven compared to before.
Countless things had changed.
'Has he really changed...?'
Muyeon remembered the eyes Gu Yang-cheon occasionally harbored. Those eyes kept bothering him.
He looked like he was living while hiding something. Even thinking that a mere mid-ten-year-old child couldn't hide much of anything.
'Rather than having changed, could it be that he's revealing something?'
For what?
Muyeon couldn't know beyond that.
The day he went out to the marketplace again with Gu Yang-cheon. Gu Yang-cheon went as far as to find a Haomun quietly operating deep in an alley.
How could a child of a righteous sect associate with an unorthodox sect? Moreover, how did he know the location of this place?
It was full of things he couldn't understand.
Even the name of the Haomun Leader popped out of Gu Yang-cheon's mouth.
He himself was so surprised that he almost drew his sword too late.
The Haomun Leader's sword was faster than expected.
Gu Yang-cheon didn't even blink while facing the pouring sword blade.
How could that be?
Suddenly, the words the Daeju always brought up when drinking flashed through his mind.
'The Gu family is not as bright a place as you think. Whatever you see, don't go deep into it.'
Recalling this, Muyeon's thoughts became complicated.
After getting out of Haomun, Gu Yang-cheon bought a bunch of yakgwa as if nothing had happened.
Even with his own money... He still hadn't received that money back.
After returning to the family estate, Gu Yang-cheon requested that this matter be kept secret as it was a bloodline affair. Muyeon also answered he would do so.
But behind the scenes, he ultimately had to report.
Returning to the Guard Unit and writing the report, Muyeon couldn't understand his own hesitation.
He just needed to write it. That was his job. Why couldn't he write this?
Finding the answer, it was ultimately his instinct. His instinct was judging that it would be better not to write this.
Why on earth? What was the problem that made him like this? His thoughts remained complicated.
In the end, unable to find a clear direction, Muyeon only wrote that they went to Haomun and couldn't bring himself to write about the Haomun Leader.
It was a frustrating night. Not understanding oneself was this suffocating.
Suddenly, Muyeon wanted to swing his sword. So he went outside and grabbed his sword.
How many months had it been? The feeling of wanting to swing the sword was subtle, different from when he swung it to forget.
What am I?
Who is Gu Yang-cheon?
What is the Gu family?
Putting questions with no answers into the sword, the sword instead gave him an answer.
That day, Muyeon achieved a martial breakthrough for the first time in months.
He was so happy like a child that he even excitedly chattered to the old man who was sweeping Gu Yang-cheon's residence with a broom.
It felt like the foggy, stuffy feeling in his head had somewhat cleared.
"...I think I can go back now."
At this level, it seemed he could return to the Sword Squad. This too could be considered thanks to Gu Yang-cheon.
Muyeon was grateful to Gu Yang-cheon for not asking about the matters he harbored, even though he vaguely knew.
Therefore, he felt he also couldn't speak about or reveal the matters Gu Yang-cheon must be harboring.
Why he had worn the mask of a wastrel and was now casting it aside. What secret of the Gu family Gu Yang-cheon held—he decided not to dare think about it.
Just as he was about to submit a request to return to the Sword Squad.
"...Sichuan?"
They're telling him to go to Sichuan.
....Why me?
******************
"You mean the Tang Weapon Exhibition (唐兵展会)?"
A day had passed since Elder I spat out the unthinkable method of running away from home.
When he protested that running away wasn't even a valid option, Elder I made a regretful expression and said he'd find a way, then left.
What he brought back was attendance at the Tang Weapon Exhibition.
"An invitation comes every year, but there was no need to go."
The Tang Weapon Exhibition was one of the gatherings hosted by the Tang Sect, inviting each noble family.
True to the Iron Family's name, it was an exhibition showcasing the weapons crafted by the Tang Sect's artisans.
"Is that happening around now...?"
Once... In his past life, he had attended exactly once under the title of Young Patriarch.
He remembered the elegant weapons lined up in display.
"It'll be held in about half a month, so if you leave now, the timing will be just right."
Looking at the time, the distance made it tight. Could he even visit the Geumcheon Yeonga of Sichuan in that short gap?
"But how did you get permission?"
The reason for attending back then was practically because he became the Young Patriarch and needed to stamp the Tang Sect with his face.
It was amazing that they permitted a bloodline to be absent for nearly a month. That was not an easy feat for the Gu family.
Even back then, it was only possible because I had become the Young Patriarch.
Elder I laughs heartily.
"I just agreed to fulfill one request from the Gaju."
"You went that far?"
What request could he have fulfilled for things to resolve so easily?
Honestly, he thought they'd just stuff him on a trading caravan or some passing carriage.
Anything would be better than running away from home... Wait, was this even running away from home?
He got goosebumps at the momentary realization that he'd had a similar thought to Elder I.
'No matter how I am, I'm still better than that bear-like old man...'
Right! Absolutely.
"Since I promised, what can I do. And Yang-cheon."
"Yes."
"I don't know what reason you have for wanting to set foot in Sichuan, but you are undeniably a bloodline of the Gu family. Always keep that thought in your head and maintain proper conduct."
"...."
To put it simply, it meant don't cause trouble.
I made a half-hearted expression at Elder I's words. If someone else had said it, it would have been a truly impressive and prideful statement.
But since it was Elder I telling me not to cause trouble, it seemed truly unrealistic.
"What's with that expression? This old man feels like he might want to flick your forehead if you say something wrong."
"...It was so cool that I couldn't help myself."
Anyway, it was a good thing. Even if he arrived in Sichuan and failed to discover the secret records of Geumcheon Yeonga.
When that time came, he wanted to use other methods to at least prevent Gyecheonmun from obtaining them.
"Then when should we depart?"
"What do you mean when, we have to go now."
"I'm sorry...?"
What is this person saying right now?
He hadn't prepared anything, so how could he leave right away...
"I had the servants pack your luggage, so if we go now it should be fine."
Unnecessarily quick with preparations...
"Where did my opinion go?"
"Since you wanted to go, this old man prepared it quickly."
"Isn't 'quickly' too fast...?"
"How much time does going back and forth take, wouldn't it be better to go quickly?"
He had a point, but something about it was just...
He could see Muyeon coming from afar. Muyeon had a blank expression as if his soul had escaped.
Why is that guy acting like that again.
Without time to assess the situation, he was pushed and shoved by Elder I toward the carriage.
The personnel included Muyeon and a few guards, plus two servants. Wi Seol-a was not among them.
He was worried that as his personal attendant she might be here, but fortunately she wasn't.
'But should I just leave without saying anything? She might feel hurt.'
He would be away for nearly a month. Of course, leaving her behind would put his mind at ease, but it seemed there wouldn't be time to even say goodbye.
"Wait, can we really just go like this? At least I should say something to the Chief Steward..."
"What! This old man has taken care of everything. Now, depart!"
He was practically stuffed in, pushed firmly, and then the door closed right like that.
"What kind of departure is...!"
He couldn't finish his words. It was because the coachman started moving immediately.
The carriage truly left the family estate and began moving.
******************
After the carriage departed, Elder I lowered his arms that had been behind his back. Then he turned around and walked into Gu Yang-cheon's residence.
"Now let's talk, Senior."
Gu Yang-cheon's residence, which had been empty, now had the Sword Venerable seated there.
The Sword Venerable, who always wore a kind smile, only had coldness remaining in his eyes.
"About what?"
"About the reason the Gaju went out of his way to make such a request to me."
Elder I sat across from the Sword Venerable. The massive Elder I and the small Sword Venerable made a stark contrast.
One might think Elder I could easily crush him given the physique difference, but Elder I knew.
One shouldn't judge by appearance.
Within that small body dwelled the heavens. The Sword Venerable (儉尊), contrary to his title, had already reached a realm where a sword was unnecessary.
"The reason you're turning the Central Plains upside down searching for the Divine Physician. That is what I'm curious about."
The Sword Venerable faced Elder I without saying a word. Seeing this, Elder I sighed.
Because he guessed he wouldn't get an answer.
"Then let me ask something else."
Elder I, perhaps thirsty, took a sip of tea. After slowly swallowing the tea, he opened his mouth.
"Your granddaughter, that child—what exactly is she?"
The Sword Venerable's cold gaze turned toward Elder I.
"That child."
Elder I met the Sword Venerable's eyes.
"Is she even human?"
At Elder I's words, the Sword Venerable's qi swirled like a storm and filled the room.