Plum Dragon Falls (3)
I did not welcome it.
Not the sound of the falling rain, nor the moonlight that did not know its place.
Nor the breeze brushing past my hair.
Nothing was welcome.
A woman asked amid my thoughts.
[…Are you crying?]
[Don’t be ridiculous. Anyone can see it’s rainwater.]
The man answered roughly, but the woman’s hand touched his cheek.
He would have slapped it away under normal circumstances, but this time, the man endured it.
[You’re… not crying.]
[You’re asking for too much.]
He had experienced too much to cry.
There was nothing left now that could bring him to tears.
[…That’s a shame.]
There was no emotion in the woman’s voice.
Even after coming this close to death, she was still the same.
Perhaps observing and dealing out countless deaths had rendered even this meaningless to her.
One of the woman’s arms had been torn off, and there was a huge hole in her chest.
The fact that she still barely clung to life despite wounds that should have killed her instantly was likely because she was a martial artist who had reached the supreme realm.
But even that would not last much longer.
[Why did you do it?]
The man asked the woman because he could not understand.
At the final moment, the torrent of sword paths had been aimed at him.
Though the woman could have lived, she had taken his place.
The man could not understand.
The man did not want to understand.
He should have been the one lying on this ground.
That was what he had decided from the moment the war began.
The woman had interfered with that.
That made him angry.
Yes, he was angry. That was what the man himself thought.
The woman slowly stroked the man’s cheek.
The steadily accumulating sound of rain disgusted him.
[Don’t cry.]
The man tried to knock her hand away at her words.
He even gripped her wrist in an almost comical manner, but in the end, he could not do it.
[…Don’t cry.]
The woman continued repeating the same words to him. Her eyes were already closed—what could she possibly see that made her keep muttering such nonsense?
Was it pity?
Meaningless comradeship?
He could not know anything.
[…I told you I’m not crying.]
[Don’t… cry.]
The woman’s pale blue-white hair grew duller as it became soaked by the rain.
The moonlight that had shone upon them until he was sick of it had, regrettably, chosen this moment to hide itself.
[…Is the moon out?]
The woman asked.
At her words, the man looked up at the sky.
The sky, covered in dark clouds, did nothing but rain.
The woman liked the moon.
She often sat alone on a rock and watched it.
The man, damnably, remembered each and every one of those occasions.
[…Yes. It’s shining brightly.]
There was no way the moon could be seen while rain fell through the dark clouds.
Both the woman and the man knew that.
It was merely a meaningless play.
[…Are you beside me?]
The woman asked.
The man let out a dry laugh.
[You’re asking that while grotesquely touching my cheek.]
At the man’s words, the corner of the woman’s lips seemed to twitch slightly.
Had she smiled? The man thought he must have seen it wrong.
[…You’re both here. That’s a relief.]
What was a relief?
The man could not ask again.
The woman’s breath had ceased with those words.
Only then did the man slowly lower her hand.
He did not think he could bury her properly or take her body with him.
The woman would not have wanted that, either, and there was not even a situation in which he could do so.
[I found him….]
At the voice heard from behind, the man slowly rose.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of martial artists stood behind him, facing him.
They all wore white-and-blue garments marked with the character 盟—Alliance—at the bottom.
Among the countless martial artists, the man at the very front, possessing a sculpted appearance, pointed the tip of his sword at him.
[Fortunately, it seems you weren’t able to flee very far.]
The resolve to uphold justice and righteousness shone clearly from his face.
The man had to forcibly suppress the chills that sight sent through him.
[…Meteor Sword.]
Meteor Sword Jang Seong-yeon, the man known as the future of the next generation of the orthodox sects.
The man quietly uttered his name.
At the man’s call, Meteor Sword’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
The woman standing beside him shouted.
[How dare you! Do not speak the Alliance Lord’s name with a Demon’s filthy mouth!]
He said nothing in response to the shout. The rain pouring down fiercely felt especially heavy.
[…I keep forgetting.]
He wiped his face with his hand, feeling exhausted.
Yes, he kept forgetting.
Why he was standing here.
What his role was. He kept forgetting.
[…The Heavenly Demon will die before long. Surrender peacefully!]
A hollow laugh escaped him at Meteor Sword’s words.
He had tried to hold it back, but he simply could not.
[The Lord of the Cult? By whose hand?]
[The Three Venerables are currently fighting the Heavenly Demon….]
[Oh, the Three Venerables? So you left those old men to deal with him and all came rushing here to catch a mere foot soldier like me.]
His laughter kept slipping out in little bursts, and the corners of his mouth kept trying to rise.
Meteor Sword’s face grew increasingly distorted.
Seeing that, the man barely managed to stop his choked laughter.
[Right. I have to do it… I have to hurry. If I don’t do it properly, they’ll raise hell again.]
The instant the man took a step,
flames erupted from the tip of his foot and spread throughout the forest in an instant.
Amid the martial artists taking up battle stances, the man watched only Meteor Sword.
Looking at Meteor Sword, who met his gaze with a return to his expressionless face, the man spoke.
[You disgusting bastard.]
He saw the corner of Meteor Sword’s lips twitch slightly at his words, but soon the flames obscured him, making his expression impossible to discern.
The flames continued expanding until they swallowed the entire forest, burning an area nearly ten li wide in less than an hour.
The report later submitted to the Murim Alliance stated that the Demon had escaped, and that Meteor Sword was the only survivor.
******************
“Duel.”
I swallowed a hollow breath at Namgung Bi-a’s words.
Sometimes, memories surfaced regardless of my will, bringing only repulsive recollections with them.
Why? Why had I suddenly remembered this? Why now, of all times?
Unable to meet Namgung Bi-a’s resolute gaze, I turned my head slightly away.
It was because I felt I might become overly sensitive recalling that time.
“…Can’t you see that I just finished a duel?”
I had just finished dueling Yeongpung.
Namgung Bi-a must have seen it, too.
What kind of situation was this, coming straight over to ask for a duel?
At my question, Namgung Bi-a’s lips protruded slightly.
She was making such a strange expression….
It was a rare sight.
In my previous life, I could never even have imagined Namgung Bi-a making such an expression.
Each time this happened, I felt little by little that she was different from the Sword Demon Empress, yet some strange emotion stirred in a corner of my heart.
[You’re spouting nonsense in your head at every opportunity. It’s distracting, so stay still.]
‘Are your words getting harsher?’
[Hmph.]
Perhaps she had wanted to duel, but now that her successor really was my disciple, she did not approve?
No, surely she could not be that narrow-minded….
[…You rotten brat.]
‘…I guess she was.’
Was it because she was a person of Mount Hua?
Even after all this time, she still harbored such feelings.
[That is a separate matter. The children of the present must be properly cared for by the current Sect Leader.]
‘Then what is it you don’t like?’
[…Seeing her get beaten while even drawing her plum blossoms has set my insides ablaze. It wasn’t like that in my day…!]
‘…What are you even talking about?’
[The youngsters these days, honestly…. Ah…. That’s not how you swing the Plum Blossom Sword Technique….]
Since she was spouting ridiculous nonsense, I decided to ignore her.
Looking at Namgung Bi-a, I spoke.
“Are you still sulking over that?”
Was she being unreasonable because she was sulking that I had refused to duel her but had dueled Yeongpung?
Perhaps I had hit the mark, because Namgung Bi-a’s pupils trembled slightly.
“…I’m not sulking.”
Her voice trembled a little, too.
“You look sulky.”
“I’m… not.”
“Are you really not?”
Then why did she keep avoiding my gaze? Had she always been someone whose emotions showed so plainly on her face?
Was it because Namgung Bi-a was still young, or had she always been like this?
I could not tell.
As Namgung Bi-a continued avoiding my gaze, something suddenly occurred to me.
“Miss Namgung.”
“…Yes?”
“Do you like the moon?”
Namgung Bi-a tilted her head at my question.
It was an abrupt thing to ask, so her reaction was understandable.
Perhaps she had thought about it for a moment; her eyes rolled this way and that before she answered.
“Not really…?”
I let out a hollow laugh at her reply.
“So you didn’t like the moon.”
I thought she had said she liked it.
Or had she not? Had she ever actually said it aloud?
“…?”
Looking at Namgung Bi-a’s puzzled expression, I spoke.
“The duel…. Let’s do it next time.”
“…!”
Namgung Bi-a’s eyes widened.
Was suggesting we do it next time really that surprising?
“…We’re going to duel?”
“If you promise not to speak informally.”
“Promise?”
“No… forget it. Do as you please.”
Honestly, I had half given up by now.
I had a feeling this really would never be fixed, even if she died.
For the moment, I had used up too much qi, and my body would soon grow tired.
Though I had tried to regulate it, it was a martial art difficult to use for long, and my body would soon be overloaded.
I would probably have to lie down and suffer for a while.
[I hope you get sleep paralysis.]
‘Are you going to keep saying things unbecoming of your age? You’re a ghost, and you’re talking about sleep paralysis….’
[Unbecoming of my age…!? You insolent brat…!]
Perhaps because he had been noisy since earlier, a headache kept surging through me.
As I held my throbbing head, Namgung Bi-a approached slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s just that my head is a little….”
Namgung Bi-a’s hand suddenly touched my cheek.
Perhaps because of that, the thoughts that had just surfaced overlapped with the present.
“Your temperature….”
[Don’t cry.]
An unpleasant feeling surged up from within, and without thinking, I slapped Namgung Bi-a’s hand away.
“…?”
Namgung Bi-a alternated her gaze between her rejected hand and me.
I had acted far too harshly without meaning to.
I gave a single cough and apologized to Namgung Bi-a.
“I’m sorry. You startled me.”
[You really don’t know how to accept something even when it’s handed to you.]
Namgung Bi-a nodded slightly.
It seemed to be a sign that she was all right.
“Then… next time.”
After saying that, Namgung Bi-a turned around and walked away.
Was it my imagination, or did her footsteps look unusually cheerful?
As I watched her, Old Man Shin asked:
[You’ve been trying so hard not to do it. What are you thinking?]
‘When have I ever tried not to?’
[Even at the moment you told that woman you would do it, and even now, you find it uncomfortable. Yet you talk….]
‘She seemed to want to do it so badly, so I just said it.’
[…Fine. If you do end up going through with it, control yourself this time.]
‘Control what?’
[I mean, whether it’s that beastly martial art or anything else, be careful if you’re going to use qi.]
I did not quite understand what Old Man Shin meant. He did not sound as though he was joking.
[You drew out your qi recklessly, and it ran wild. I had a hard time putting it back to sleep.]
‘…What?’
[What on earth did you eat to have something so grotesque inside you…. Does this old man really have to suffer for it?]
‘You’re already dead. What do you mean?’
At my answer, Old Man Shin let out some sort of shrill cry.
This was not something that could be solved by covering my ears, which made it even more bothersome.
Though he had spoken in a joking manner, the matter itself was troubling.
It would run wild if I used too much qi….
Old Man Shin’s words made me uncomfortable.
Just when I had finally become able to move, another problem was erupting from within?
‘What on earth is it?’
Had it entered by riding along with the energy of the ghostly object?
Or had something been inside my body from the beginning? I had no idea.
I was also considering the possibility that Old Man Shin was lying, but in the end, I could not be certain of that, either.
‘If I hurry to Mount Hua, will I find out anything?’
In truth, I did not think I would learn anything just by going to Mount Hua, but for now, I had no other options.
‘Do I have to look into this later, too?’
There was nothing I could do about it while in the mountains.
I left Yeongpung’s affairs to the Mount Hua Sect and returned to the campsite.
Upon arriving, I suddenly felt something was off. After pondering what was different, I realized that Wi Seol-ah had not run out to greet me.
“…What? Where did she actually go?”
It was not as though she had to come meet me, but she always appeared at a trot, so not seeing her left me slightly uneasy.
Wondering where she had gone, I stopped a passing servant and asked.
“Seol-ah was with Elder Wi earlier.”
Only then could I relax at the servant’s words.
There was nothing to worry about if she was with the Sword Venerable.
…Would I be traveling with Namgung Bi-a starting tomorrow?
[…Must be nice. So full and plump….]
Old Man Shin’s words slipped out while I was wondering what to do.
‘…Old Man Shin, you’re not actually a Daoist, are you?’
[You little brat…. You’ve gone so far as to spout nonsense at the ancestor of the Dao.]
No. No matter how I looked at it, this man should never have been Mount Hua’s Sect Leader….
Much less the Plum Blossom Sword.
It was an insult to the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect living in this present life.
[…You do realize I can hear you, don’t you?]
‘Yes, I’m saying it knowing that. Don’t worry.’
[Hahahaha, what a rotten brat.]
By the time the duel was over, the night had grown much deeper than before.
If I stayed up any later, tomorrow would be difficult, so I needed to lie down quickly.
Yeongpung concerned me a little, as I felt I might have gone too far.
[Too far…? You burned the plum blossoms right before his eyes and that’s merely too far…?]
…I decided he would overcome it on his own.
If this much was enough to break him, he would never have been able to cross the wall in the first place.
I had worked my body, so I wanted to wash off the slight sweat before sleeping, but I was just as bothered by the thought of it, so I decided to sleep as I was.
[…You’re really going to sleep like that? You filthy bastard.]
As always, I ignored Old Man Shin’s words.
******************
Wi Seol-ah was having a chat with the Sword Venerable for the first time in a while.
Though calling it a chat meant nothing more than the Sword Venerable embellishing his old martial travel records and recounting them like legends.
Wi Seol-ah simply listened with amusement.
When her eyes were half-closed and she was about to fall asleep, Wi Seol-ah asked the Sword Venerable:
“Grandfather.”
“Yes?”
“What is a fiancé?”
“…What?”
At Wi Seol-ah’s question, the Sword Venerable made a strange expression.
He felt both self-reproach and bewilderment at having raised her so freely that he had failed to teach her even this much basic knowledge.
He had no idea why his granddaughter had suddenly asked such a question, but she occasionally asked strange things, such as whether eagles or hawks tasted better. Since she was so curious by nature, he assumed this was another question of that sort.
Thinking it was the same this time, the Sword Venerable answered Wi Seol-ah.
“…A fiancé is…”
“Yes…!”
As she listened to the Sword Venerable’s explanation, Wi Seol-ah’s expression gradually darkened.
Unaware of this, the Sword Venerable continued explaining in a gentle voice.
And so, the next day.
Wi Seol-ah did not speak to Namgung Bi-a.