Chapter 507 - Let Me Hold It Just Once.
Namgung Biah had a path.
The path she wished to walk as a sword, the goal she wished to reach. Looking at that distant track which she held firmly in her grasp, she had constantly walked that road.
It was very far.
A distant path where the destination could not be seen.
Seeing that thin and rough road, she could easily have been daunted. But Namgung Biah did not stop.
Perhaps because she had already seen the result.
—Come slowly.
She remembered the voice she had heard there, at the martial arts competition held in Hanam.
—If you hurry beyond your level, you will fall.
—Leisurely, so you do not fall.
Without wavering, without straying from the path.
—Then I shall give you a gift.
Namgung Biah could not forget that voice, as if it were engraved upon her mind.
Whose words had they been?
Only the blue martial uniform she had seen on the old man had made her recognize him as a person of the Namgung family.
She did not know his identity. She also did not know why he had gestured for her to come this way.
But Namgung Biah walked.
Slowly, as the old man had spoken, so as not to stray from the path even if it was slow.
Yet without hesitation.
Shhhk—!
The sword held in Namgung Biah’s hand sliced through the air.
Sword energy did not coil around it. A sword stroke without even the slightest internal qi mixed in.
She simply swung it.
Because she did not load internal qi, the sword was heavy, and she could not achieve the speed she desired, but it did not matter.
What was important was not deviating from the path she wished to walk.
She kept her eyes only on that.
Grrk.
The foot she stretched out to maintain her center met the ground.
Her fingertips were exceedingly light, yet to endure this, her lower body was incredibly heavy.
Thud—!
Sweat rolled down Namgung Biah’s snow-white skin.
It looked like nothing special, but the pressure her body felt to hold the stance was considerable.
Just like that, Second Sword.
Shhk—!
When she swung the sword, Namgung Biah’s gaze was not on the sword tip.
Rather, her eyes were closed.
Because she needed to know the changes occurring in her body as she swung this sword.
Since she was not using internal qi, she had to feel the difference coming from her muscles.
Foot planted, she twisted her waist as she was.
Her white hair fluttered. Using the recoil from the rotation, she slashed down with the sword.
Thus, Third Sword.
Shhhk—! A clear sound cut through the air.
At the same time.
Wooong—!
The sword cried out.
It was a sword cry.
Hearing it, Namgung Biah’s ears perked.
Now it began.
Even on the path Namgung Biah was seeing with her eyes closed, a reaction came. It appeared before her.
An illusion as if flowers were blooming on a barren path. A sensation as if leaves were sprouting on a withered old tree.
Leeway formed in the force she had been pouring into her movements.
As she swung the sword, a naturalness circulated.
This was as if—
As if she was gradually growing closer to the sword.
Woooong—! Wooong—!
Even though she did not use internal qi, the sword cried. Hearing that, Namgung Biah continued to swing the sword.
Fourth Sword, and Fifth Sword.
The great family’s sword path that she had learned for a long time in the Namgung family.
From afar it looked as if she were performing them exactly the same, but Namgung Biah was creating subtle differences.
Oong—! Wooong—!
Before anyone knew it, the sound emitted by the sword was growing louder than the sound of cutting through the air.
It meant the sword cry was amplifying.
The Namgung family’s sword path was based on internal qi.
That is to say, it was a sword path that could not be used without internal qi.
Why was that?
Namgung Biah had always been curious.
Why could the Namgung sword not be completed without internal qi?
Could that truly be called completion?
The energy representing the Namgung family was Thunder Qi.
The Overlord Sword Form expressed while swinging the sword.
The image that came to mind when thinking of the Namgung family was pouring out thunder mingled with ferocious momentum, but—
Namgung Biah had questioned even that.
‘Why?’
The great family that dreamed of being the foremost sword family.
How could they not think of a complete sword?
A sword that could not be used without internal qi was, in the end, an incomplete sword.
That could not be called completion.
Did the Namgung family truly not know this?
It was something she had always been curious about. Yet she had not expressed her doubts.
The first reason was that it was not an environment where she could voice such things.
The second reason was that Namgung Biah herself had not judged it to be meaningful.
Power entered the tips of her toes.
Tensed muscles to manifest the sword, and a lower body empowered to endure the movements.
The sword path bursting forth from countless interactions.
The sense of heterogeneity had to be removed.
The fishy, nauseating stench felt between the sword strokes.
To eliminate it, Namgung Biah was focusing her all on each and every movement.
And so, after swinging the sword exactly twenty times.
"Hah... hah...."
Namgung Biah’s movements stopped.
She could not help it. She was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.
Tak.
The sword fell from her hand to the floor.
At the same time, Namgung Biah touched the floor as well, sinking down to one knee.
Drip, drip. Sweat fell from her graceful chin.
She was trying to calm herself, but even that was not easy.
Setting aside not having used internal qi, it was because she had poured all her mind into focusing on the sword path.
Even while looking at her sweat soaking the floor, Namgung Biah was thinking something else.
‘...One more step.’
Should she try just one more step?
Should she advance a little further while maintaining her current senses?
Such a desire gnawed at her.
Because she could have gone further if she only set her mind to it.
Just a little more, toward that distant destination, just a little more.
Only by advancing like that, even just a little—
‘I can protect... that person.’
She could build the strength to protect him.
Recalling that, Namgung Biah raised her body and grasped the sword that had fallen to the floor, but—
"..."
Srrrt— tak—!
Without any other movement, the sword quietly slid back into its scabbard.
In the end, Namgung Biah did not advance one more step.
‘Slowly....’
The step she would take from here now was not whole.
She could do it, but the step would be unstable, and she would lose more than she gained.
She must not lose her center just because she wanted to reach the end.
Recalling that always, Namgung Biah bit her lip.
It was still far. She felt keenly how far that destination in the distance was.
Could she really reach it at this speed?
Such cowardly feelings brushed past, but she had to press them down firmly.
She had always been confident in enduring.
Was she not enduring many things even now?
Most of them were directed at Guyang Cheon, but she had to endure them.
Namgung Biah knew that if she did this and that to Guyang Cheon in the way she wanted, she would be hated by him.
She endured.
The sword was the same, so she had to endure.
She composed herself and slowly opened her eyes.
She needed to wash and change her martial uniform.
‘...Where should I go...?’
Today there was a place she had to go. She had heard from her father, the Sword King, that her great-grandfather, the Heavenly Venerable, was in Sacheon.
So Namgung Biah had asked that a separate letter be sent to the Heavenly Venerable.
She had planned to find the Heavenly Venerable believing this.
The problem was.
‘...Where... to?’
Where should she go to meet the Heavenly Venerable?
Should she start by looking slowly around the mountains?
If she did not know, she could just run around until she found him.
That was the way Namgung Biah had always thought of finding paths.
She would meet him someday.
Thinking so, as she was about to start by going to the back mountain.
"Well, well."
A voice was heard from behind.
The moment she heard the voice, Namgung Biah drew her sword and swung.
Shhhhk—!
Clang—!
"...!"
She had struck toward the direction of the sound, but—
Before her sword could even gain speed, its path was blocked.
Because the owner of the voice had blocked Namgung Biah’s sword with the handle.
Thanks to this, Namgung Biah could see.
The blue-white hair shaking from the impact.
It was the exact same color as her own hair.
"Was it because the monster over there was too big that I didn't notice? Hmm...."
Even against the sudden attack, the man had an unbothered expression.
Rather, he was examining the sword as if gauging how much strength Namgung Biah had.
Then, looking at Namgung Biah, the man smiled.
"Our niece was a formidable monster too, was she not?"
Only then could Namgung Biah grasp the man’s identity.
A person she had seen before.
Had he not been the teacher of the Sleeping Dragon she had met while following Guyang Cheon?
Moreover, a person with the same Namgung blood as herself.
"...Gwoeseon...."
The Wudang Eccentric Immortal, Namgung Hyeong.
He was expected to be her father’s younger brother.
Yet such a man—
"Our niece, perhaps."
He said, looking at Namgung Biah.
"Have you thought about trying to be the Family Head or something?"
"...?"
It was an utterly out-of-the-blue remark.
******************
"Mom, don't you need another mom?"
These were the words spat out by Baekryeongum, who appeared out of nowhere.
As I frowned at this bizarre utterance, Baekryeongum seemed to belatedly realize what she had blurted out; she quickly covered her mouth and ran away just like that.
What on earth was she trying to say?
It wasn't just a day or two that that lady had been strange, but today she looked particularly strange.
No, perhaps it was because I was seeing her after a long time—maybe she had always been this strange.
If not, it was an incomprehensible remark.
‘Asking if I need more moms?’
What the hell was she saying. It was crazy talk I'd never heard before.
‘I already have plenty, why would I need more?’
Could it be that if needed, she was offering to be one herself?
‘Baekryeongum as a mom?’
When I imagined it briefly, my body shivered creepily.
The moment my body trembled at that dizzying delusion.
"...Stay still. I cannot concentrate."
"Ah, I apologize."
Sinui, who was taking my pulse in front of me, spat out a word.
At those words, I tried hard to compose myself.
Right after Baekryeongum left.
Leaving Dang Deok in front, I went to Sinui.
I had tried to tend to him briefly because he had a fever, but coming to my senses thanks to the whirlwind Baekryeongum had kicked up, I realized once again that I didn't have much time.
There was much to do today, so I could not spend time on Dang Deok.
Thus, after infusing energy and giving the order for Dang Soyeol to guard him again, I headed to Sinui.
Because I had hinted that I would visit around this time, Sinui did not look very flustered either.
When Sinui’s thin hand touched my wrist.
I could feel a hazy energy penetrating my body.
It was Sinui’s energy.
In the past I couldn't feel this energy flowing, but perhaps because I had undergone the shedding, it felt vivid.
‘Interesting.’
Sinui was not a martial artist. However, he held nearly a handful of internal qi.
Hadn't he said a certain amount was needed to examine a martial artist?
‘He can examine everything with this much internal qi?’
It was truly a minuscule amount of internal qi, yet Sinui’s energy seemed soft yet firm; it did not disappear and did not seem tired even while examining my entire body.
The energy that circled from head to toe as if rotating soon returned to Sinui.
Only then did Sinui open his closed eyes and remove his hand from my body.
"...Huh."
The sigh let out right after.
"Your vessel... has truly been reconstructed."
Sinui grasped that the vessel which had been on the verge of breaking had properly formed.
"Your frame has become sturdier, and the density of your muscles is extraordinary. Though your body was not unimpressive to begin with, what on earth happened?"
"Is there nothing in particular to be cautious about?"
"None. A body this perfect is something I have seen for the first time in my life."
Oh....
I couldn't help but be surprised at those words.
As Sinui was called the greatest physician of the Central Plains, he must have examined countless martial artists.
To be told it was the most outstanding among them—how could I not be surprised?
‘Then that means I can wreck it a bit more, right?’
If it was a perfect body, didn't that mean it could endure harsher treatment than my previous one?
At this level, it seemed I could raise my training intensity much higher.
[You rascal, do you speak of yourself as if handling a tool? Have you forgotten that you are you?]
‘Wouldn't that actually be more convenient? It is not some other human's body.’
[No, th... fine. Do as you please.]
Right after the pulse diagnosis ended, I twisted my body this way and that. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any major problems.
Then, just when I thought everything was over.
"...However."
Sinui spoke words mixed with doubt.
"There were faintly some slightly strange parts."
"What do you mean?"
"Though it seemed perfect, there were somehow heterogeneous parts. Frame, muscles... It is not to the degree of concern. But there is a bothersome feeling."
"..."
I couldn't help but be surprised at Sinui’s words.
The heterogeneous parts he spoke of.
‘...Seems like aftereffects of the Body Transformation Technique?’
Couldn't they be the gaps created while forcibly twisting muscles and frame to change the body?
Since I was still using the Body Transformation Technique, Sinui seemed to have found that part.
In other words.
‘Does this mean even Sinui can only sense a slight sense of heterogeneity?’
It meant the body changed by the Body Transformation Technique was something even Sinui couldn't properly recognize.
But then.
‘How did Father know the moment he saw me?’
That was just a bit curious.
Recalling this, I put my hand into my bosom and took something out. It was something I had originally brought to give to Sinui.
White Horse Stone.
Seeing the sparkling stone placed on the table, Sinui’s eyes widened.
"It is the White Horse Stone you spoke of."
"...This is...."
Sinui reached his hand toward the White Horse Stone.
Seeing that, I immediately pulled the White Horse Stone back.
The White Horse Stone disappeared just before he touched it, and I could see Sinui’s brows furrowing.
"What do you think you're doing right now?"
He seemed to wonder if I were playing a joke.
It wasn't entirely wrong.
"I was originally just going to give it to you. But it seems I must attach one more condition."
"...What?"
Separate from my smiling words, Sinui’s expression soured even more.
Of course.
It was an item he had said he would meet the conditions for, and now I was adding one more.
But what could he do.
Right now, I held the dominant position, and Sinui was the subordinate.
Sinui knew this too, so though he showed displeasure, he couldn't say anything else.
‘That must mean this is just that important.’
I narrowed my eyes looking at the silent Sinui.
How important could it be that he wanted it so desperately?
He had said he would cut off Jegal Hyeok's neck. He had clearly said so.
‘I don't need to know that right now.’
It didn't particularly matter.
"There is the matter of you doing something with this rock."
The reason being.
"I want to see it directly from beside you."
Because I could just find out starting now.
"...!"
Sinui’s eyes widened hearing my words.
Sinui’s words that he would do something using the White Horse Stone.
My intention was to see that action directly.
And furthermore, this meaning was—
Surprisingly, it was also Elder Shin’s intention.