Chapter 500 - Just Let Me Hold It Once.
Was it called Gwijeong (晷正)?
It was an item obtained from the secret vault of Sinryonggwan in the past, and it was the name of the bandage that appeared to be a demonic artifact of Mount Hua. Something tied arbitrarily to my left arm that, for some reason, absolutely refused to come undone.
At first, I wondered what kind of demonic artifact this was. Except for its unique dark-red hue and the faint scent of plum blossoms, it was just a bandage that wouldn't come undone, after all.
But.
『It wasn't quite like that.』
Upon Sin Noya's awakening, I learned the bandage's True Name (眞名).
The identity of Gwijeong, which I had thought to be a mere useless bandage, was surprisingly....
『...You're telling me this is a sword?』
Gwijeong was said to be a beloved sword that Sin Noya used. He nagged me endlessly, asking if I had been using such an amazing object as a bandage to tie my arm. From my perspective, I was nothing but wronged.
『...Then you could have at least told me how to use it before leaving.』
He shoved it at me out of nowhere and disappeared. How was I supposed to figure out what this thing was? He came by later and scolded me for using it like that. From my standpoint, it was absurd.
『So, you're telling me this is a sword?』
When I asked how a bandage could be called a sword, I was told that the premise itself was wrong to begin with.
[This was never 'cloth' to begin with.]
Looking at Gwijeong's form, I had naturally assumed it was cloth. But according to Noya, it wasn't simply cloth.
Furthermore.
[If you think of it as a sword, that too is wrong.]
He told me not to even think of it as a sword. He called it his beloved sword, yet told me not to think of it as a sword. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Just as I was starting to get annoyed by all this incomprehensible talk.
Noya told me about the power of the demonic artifact called Gwijeong.
[If you think of it as a sword, it will become a sword. If you think of something else, it will become that. Gwijeong is that kind of child.]
It would transform into whatever form I desired.
That was what Noya said about Gwijeong.
Then how was I supposed to use it? I knew this was a demonic artifact with its own method of use. But how was I supposed to use it?
The method to use Gwijeong, which could become a sword or whatever form I desired.
The answer was simple.
[Just believe it.]
Simply believe. Believe that Gwijeong will become so. Ridiculously, those seemingly worthless words were everything.
When I actually thought that way, Gwijeong truly moved according to my will. It moved as if with a will of its own and grasped things. As Noya said, it was possible to use it in the form of a sword.
The only slight regret was that it couldn't take on two forms at once? While in sword form, it was impossible to extend the bandage to grasp something. That was the extent of the issue.
Even if that was impossible, I could be satisfied handling Gwijeong. And rightly so, for Gwijeong's power didn't end at merely changing its appearance.
Gwijeong's power was not such a thing. Sin Noya said that Gwijeong's true power was none other than....
『That it absolutely never breaks.』
It neither tears nor breaks. It does not crumble. Once hardened firmly, Gwijeong absolutely never breaks no matter what attack it receives. That was what Noya said was Gwijeong's true power.
『That's a ridiculous power.』
How absurd it had sounded when I first heard it. Even Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, the hardest substance in the Central Plains, is bound to break eventually. I wondered if "absolutely unbreakable" was even possible. But even if that weren't exactly the truth, Gwijeong's durability was truly formidable.
Look even now. You could see that after receiving a sword imbued with Goeseon's power, rather than being cut, it had blocked it firmly.
With the sword blocked and the momentary gap created when Goeseon was surprised.
I used that gap to unfurl Gwijeong and bind Goeseon's sword.
The distance closed in an instant.
I didn't miss this moment and released the Yeomok.
As a result.
Fwoooosh....
Traces of azure flames lingered between the ground shattered here and there.
I reached out my hand.
Fwoooosh-!
Then the heat floating in the air and the flames on the ground gathered toward me. As the heat returned to my body as if being sucked in, I could feel energy stacking up in my heart.
『I didn't use that much.』
Considering I had used the Yeomok twice and repeatedly poured out flames, it felt like I had much more internal energy left than expected. Was it because my body had changed and my energy had increased? No, rather than that, it was thanks to my power of control growing stronger.
『My ability to endure compression has increased.』
Compression and rotation. And release.
This was what I had realized while listening to Sin Noya and my father's advice. That was what I considered most important in handling internal energy and flames. I had been practicing maximizing power using even small amounts of internal energy.
Was it because compression and rotation themselves put a great deal of pressure on the body? There had been a limit to how much I could endure, and because of that I had constantly felt frustration, but....
『...As my body grew stronger, the limits increased.』
As my physical body grew stronger, the time I could endure also grew longer. Thanks to this, the power of my compression and rotation grew stronger.
『So this is the result?』
I looked straight ahead.
At the center of the devastated ground. A huge pit had been dug.
This was the aftermath of the Yeomok I had detonated.
It seemed I had grown stronger. I had used the Yeomok with the same amount of internal energy as in the past. Seeing that the aftermath was much greater proved it.
And from that center.
"Haha...."
Goeseon, kneeling on one knee, was letting out a laugh.
"I don't know what to say."
Goeseon was also checking the state of his surroundings, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.
I looked Goeseon over and nodded. Fortunately, his body seemed unharmed.
『The retraction midway went well too.』
I had detonated the Yeomok, but controlled it so that Goeseon wouldn't be harmed. It was only natural.
『If he had taken that head-on.... I'd be in a tough spot too.』
Whatever the intention, it would have been a problem if we fought with real killing intent. I knew that even now, Goeseon had swung his sword without any killing intent.
『He's that punk Uhyeok's teacher.』
He was the teacher of the Jamryong; as such, I didn't want to injure him. So I forcibly controlled it to explode only the surroundings and ensured no harm came to Goeseon.
Because of that, I took all the recoil myself. But there was no problem with my body. This too was an advantage.
"Haha. To think I'd lose."
Goeseon laughed awkwardly. Seeing that, I tilted my head and said,
"I know you went easy on me."
While the final blow might have been serious, until then, I knew Goeseon hadn't been fighting properly.
『If he had been serious, I would have lost.』
If Goeseon had gone all out from the start, there was no telling what would have happened. If I had gone all out too, I felt like I could have landed at least one good strike.
『Winning would have been difficult.』
Victory would have been too much to ask for, no matter what. Just now too, since I had only managed to deal with him using Gwijeong, it was a stretch to call it a victory.
『I have a conscience too.』
[What?]
『Be quiet.』
I cut Noya off in advance when he tried to interject. About this much, I too was being sincere.
『He didn't even use Noea.』
Goeseon had only used an ordinary iron sword. He hadn't used the demonic artifact Noea.
Of course.
『I don't know if Goeseon can use Noea or not.』
Since he used the Wudang sword instead of the Namgung family's martial arts, I wondered if he could use Noea, which maximizes lightning qi, but....
That was unknown.
『What would have happened if Goeseon had used Noea?』
If I had fought Goeseon in that state, would it have been on an entirely different level?
Just as I was feeling a bit of curiosity and regret.
[To think he's using Gwijeong....]
A voice was heard from somewhere in the pit.
It sounded like Namgung Myeong. It seemed he too knew about Gwijeong.
[Sin Cheol, have you truly gone mad? To hand over Gwijeong...!]
[Look at this punk? I'm giving away my own thing. Why are you the one throwing a fit?]
[Do you think it makes sense to hand over something that is like the symbol of Mount Hua to a child of another family?]
[Did you lose?]
[What...?]
[I don't know why you keep muttering like you're so great. Tsk, tsk. You can't even fight. That's why the Namgung family is in such a state.]
[You crazy bastard!]
He had told me my words were too harsh, but this old man was no pushover either.
"...Sigh."
I let out a sigh and moved my steps.
Just a few steps away?
Something was stuck in the ground, and I was heading toward it.
In front of me, a bluish rod was stuck in the ground—it looked like Noea. Probably at the last moment, it had fallen from his bosom while clashing with Goeseon. Since Namgung Myeong's voice was coming from there, I was probably right.
I approached slowly.
Ah, I wasn't thinking of stealing it just like that. I only intended to pick it up and return it. Goeseon had been pushed relatively far by the wind pressure, after all.
『I haven't even brought up the topic yet.』
Since I hadn't even spoken about Noea yet, my intention was to return it to Goeseon first, but....
"Uh. Wait!"
At my action, Goeseon shouted in surprise.
"Huh?"
But by the time I heard that voice, I had already reached out and grabbed Noea.
Tok.
As soon as I took hold, it pulled out easily.
『It feels like it fits well in my hand.』
As a grip, it felt like it fit my hand perfectly. If I were a swordsman, I probably would have searched for a sword with this kind of handle. As expected of one of the Five Great Famous Swords of the Central Plains, I suppose.
Just as I was holding Noea and trying to walk toward Goeseon.
[How dare he...! Where do you think you're grabbing!]
Suddenly Namgung Myeong shouted in fury.
"Old man! Stop!"
At that shout, Goeseon rose and tried to run this way.
What? Why are they like this?
The moment I watched with a questioning expression.
Flash-!
Suddenly light burst from Noea.
A brilliant and bright light that made me close my eyes involuntarily. Moreover, since it was a threatening flash, I should have panicked, but.
Thud.
Contrary to expectations, the flashing light disappeared shortly after. I thought something was going to happen. Was it just going to flash? It's not some torch....
As I was looking at Noea with somewhat dissatisfied eyes.
As if something strange had happened.
[...Huh?]
"...Huh?"
In a situation where nothing had happened, Goeseon and Namgung Myeong let out flustered voices.
I looked at Goeseon, who was staring at me with a blank expression, and asked.
"...Why are you doing that?"
Why on earth were they acting like that?
*********
At the same time. The Tang Clan Patriarch's chamber.
The Poison King was sitting at his desk, looking beyond the window.
Summer had come, and under the gradually heating air, he was feeling the change of seasons.
Clack.
At the quietly turning waterwheel sound, the Poison King slowly lifted his teacup.
Feeling the stillness of the night, he took a sip.
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing spread through the room. That was how quiet it was.
A time of tranquil and silent silence continued.
Within it, the Poison King's heart was conversely in far too noisy a state.
"Huu...."
A sigh escaped.
How could it not? The Poison King was on the verge of falling into a demonic state.
Days past.
The words Guyang Cheon had poured out.
Hearing that the Tang Clan's plan to birth a Heavenly Martial Body was still ongoing, the Poison King had been unable to believe it at first.
It was a karma of the past, an already severed shackle.
The greatest sin of the Tang Clan committed by the Poison Monarch. A matter the previous patriarch had quietly cleaned up, and which was becoming a forgotten fact, and yet....
『...What should I do?』
The meeting with Guyang Cheon, the words he had heard there.
Whether all of that was true was uncertain, and even if it were, the question of why Guyang Cheon knew such things grew ever larger.
Had the Tang Clan truly rotted?
Honestly speaking, the Poison King was not unaware that the Tang Clan was rotten.
He knew of the karma his ancestors had left behind. He also knew that there were countless things within it that could not be done under the banner of the righteous faction.
But he had turned a blind eye.
What could be restored and hidden had been handled by the previous generation and the current Poison King.
The remainder, he was living while deliberately turning a blind eye to it.
It couldn't be helped.
He wanted to uproot and erase all the rotten roots.
But if he erased all the roots, the pillar would shake.
The Tang Clan was massive.
From the time of the Blood Demon Great War until now, it was an old tree that had grown its size without faltering.
If such an old tree were to shake, it would be the Poison King's duty to endure until the roots grew again, but....
The Poison King knew.
That he did not yet possess the strength to do so.
Therefore he endured.
The reason he had forged a pact with the Moyong family and tried to expand his influence throughout the Central Plains through merchant groups, leaving Sacheon, was also for that reason.
From when Nakgeom began ruling as the Alliance Leader, the reason the Tang Clan had begun participating in various events and schedules was also for that reason.
The Poison King needed power.
But.
『It's too late.』
He had to realize that it was somewhat late now.
The rotten roots were gradually expanding their range. This had crept all the way to his feet without the Poison King knowing.
He wondered if Guyang Cheon's words might be false, but....
The Poison King was already convinced. That something had gone wrong.
This was something he could tell from the moment Guyang Cheon ingested the poison.
That poison had been fed to a guest he had invited.
Furthermore, that he couldn't find it even when he tried to investigate.
It wasn't that he didn't know who had done it.
The Poison King had already guessed, but the lack of evidence and the inability to easily touch them was the problem.
The culprit was among the elders.
This was an immutable law. To commit something within the Tang Clan without the Poison King's knowledge.
One had to be at least at the elder level.
If not, they could be among the direct line of the previous patriarch, but....
Among the previous patriarch's bloodline, only he himself had survived.
So, strictly speaking, the elders looked most certain. However, the problem was....
『It's not easy.』
Even knowing that, he couldn't touch them right away.
It was impossible to contain the influence they held.
Even if he sought out an elder's crimes and demanded their purge. If he lacked the ability to absorb the forces they held and the parts they had built up.
In the end, this could become a crisis for the clan.
In other words....
『It's my problem....』
It meant it was no different from a situation occurring due to the patriarch's own lack of strength.
To settle the matters committed by the previous generation, the patriarch's power had been divided.
The problem was that they had been using this as pillars to prop up the family.
He thought this was something every family would have as the times changed, but when a situation occurred, the pain was inevitable.
What was even more tragic....
『If, I had known about this in the past.』
If he had known about this in the past rather than now, would the Poison King have tried to dig into this part?
He couldn't be sure.
The reason he was taking this seriously even now was ultimately....
—It seemed the young lady of Tang was involved in this matter.
Because of the words Guyang Cheon had spat out.
Tang Soyeol. His precious daughter, his jewel, was involved in this matter.
How on earth? Where and how was she entangled that Guyang Cheon would say such a thing?
Whether those words were true or not was unknown.
If even a sliver of doubt remained, he had to check.
The past two days.
The Poison King had met with all the elders in the family.
Pretending to have ordinary conversations, he had narrowed down several people in his mind.
『First Elder. And Third Elder.』
The First Elder, who managed the Tang Clan's medicinal herbs and poisons, and the Third Elder, who distributed them or manufactured hidden weapons.
If they had used the Biyu Flower to feed poison, those two were the most likely.
Likely.
Yes, not certain, but likely.
Because there was no evidence.
『If.』
What would happen if he found evidence?
Could he handle it?
No, even that wouldn't be easy.
So he thought that even if the Poison King of the past had known, he would have overlooked it.
But. Now he could not overlook it.
Because his daughter was caught up in it.
Therefore the Poison King had to choose.
If he couldn't touch them due to political and power issues, what was the method?
If he couldn't expand the patriarch's influence in a short time. If the situation was urgent.
What method remained?
Then there was only one thing left.
Clatter.
"...!"
The teacup shook on its own. The moment the Poison King paused upon seeing this.
Fwoosh-!
"Kuh! Hup!"
Suddenly the Poison King's vision reversed and twisted.
His mouth, about to scream from unknown pain, was blocked.
Thud-!
His body hit the wall and was slowly lifted up.
Only then did the Poison King realize that his neck was caught by something.
Krrrk-!
"Kuk... uugh...."
Tremendous pressure.
The Poison King lowered his gaze through the gap of the qi pressure tightening his body.
There stood a man with red eyes looking at the Poison King through the pitch darkness.
"Dang Cheon-gi."
The voice dug into the Poison King's ear.
It was the sound of his name being called.
The heavy tone was soaked with thick anger.
His whole body was suppressed with his caught neck at the center.
He hadn't sensed anyone entering, and until reaching this state, he hadn't been able to react in the slightest.
"Kuugh...."
All he could do was barely let out a groan.
"Explain."
At the voice that seemed calm yet rough, the Poison King recalled again.
The only way to resolve this situation where no answer was in sight.
That was none other than martial force.
Political advantage. Incompetence at handling power.
In the end, before overwhelming martial power, they were meaningless.
The Central Plains, which begins with martial and ends with martial, was always so.
No matter how cleanly one acted or pretended nobility. The world of martial artists was such.
"If you cannot make me understand."
Therefore, the Poison King, Dang Cheon-gi...
"I will burn the name of the Tang Clan from the land of the Central Plains."
...had summoned the strongest person he knew.