Tale of the Silver Dragon: Episode 15
KABOOOOOM!
“Huh?”
“Don’t tell me….”
The two women who had been diligently searching for Jihua stiffened at the sudden explosion roaring from outside.
“Did that kid cause trouble again?”
As Xie Yuelin made an uneasy expression, Yue Shilin spoke.
“Let’s go.”
And so the two ran toward the source of the explosion.
“You little—! Why, you—!”
“Ahahahahahaha!”
The first things they heard were the enraged roar of a middle-aged man shouting as if overcome with rage, and Jihua’s bright, cheerful voice.
And at the scene that greeted them next, the two were left speechless.
Countless arcs of saber qi had literally turned the compound into a disaster zone.
The compound’s garden was nearly half-destroyed by the terrifying saber qi, and amidst it all, Jihua was running around dodging the middle-aged man, who was releasing saber qi in every direction with a bright, innocent smile.
At this absurd spectacle, not only Xie Yuelin and Yue Shilin but also the Martial Alliance people who had rushed out at the sudden commotion—because their lodgings were right next door—were all left at a loss for words.
“Ahahahahaha!”
In that brutal scene, Jihua’s laughter sounded all too cheerful.
“You brat! If I don’t discipline you today, I am not Liu Zhong, the Left Hand of the Demonic Path, wielder of the Blood Dragon Saber!”
To Liu Zhong’s voice, seething with malice, Xie Yuelin asked Yue Shilin.
“Unni, what kind of situation is this?”
“I don’t know.”
The same thing was happening on the Martial Alliance’s side.
“What the hell….”
Xianyu Lan stared at Jihua with a blank expression and muttered.
“That young hero… he is truly incredible.”
Zhuge Huan also muttered with a blank expression.
“No, just what is that young hero’s true identity? Who is he, that he can avoid Elder Liu Zhong’s saber qi so effortlessly?”
At Qing Dengyun’s words, Xianyu Lan frowned and said.
“He’s a strange one.”
Then, after wreaking havoc for quite some time, the saber qi finally stopped.
“Huff! Huff! Y-you brat… Huff! Huff!”
Liu Zhong, who had been unleashing saber qi almost endlessly, had finally exhausted himself.
But he couldn’t attack with lethal force, either. Because Jihua was a guest of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Much as he loathed him, he couldn’t cross the line into a life-or-death fight!
“Elder Liu Zhong, I don’t know what happened, but please stop.”
Then Yue Shilin approached Liu Zhong and spoke, while Xie Yuelin approached Jihua.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh? Playing.”
“Kuh! That little bastard!”
As Liu Zhong roared in fury at Jihua’s words, Yue Shilin said.
“He’s just that kind of child, so don’t pay him any mind. Regardless, what kind of disgraceful behavior is this for an elder of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in front of so many people?”
“B-but, Serin! That insolent whelp—!”
“I’m bored.”
“Want to go sightseeing at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult instead?”
“Huh? Let’s do that.”
“Kuk!”
At Jihua’s behavior—completely ignoring him—Liu Zhong grabbed the back of his neck and was rendered speechless.
Watching Liu Zhong like that, Yue Shilin let out a deep sigh.
“Strange.”
Jihua, walking away with Liu Zhong behind him, suddenly spoke.
“What is?”
“I got stronger.”
“What?”
Xie Yuelin made a bewildered expression at Jihua’s words.
“Isn’t that strange?”
“It is strange….”
Xie Yuelin fell deep into thought at Jihua’s words.
‘This kid… Could it be he gets stronger every time he fights?’
A boy who grows stronger the more he fights… The very thought was nothing short of horrifying.
‘I’ve thought this since I first met him, but what on earth is his true identity?’
Yesterday, he had even demonstrated martial might surpassing her own father, through that so-called “older brother” of Jihua—another persona of his.
‘Just who are you?’
Xie Yuelin simply asked Jihua inwardly.
Chapter 4: The Boy Who Cannot Cry
“I don’t see Jihua anywhere….”
At a small village at the southern edge of Inyeong, a hunter replied to the words of the middle-aged woman who owned the local butcher shop.
“You’re right; I haven’t seen him for two days.”
“He’s not one to get beaten up wherever he goes, but still, I’m worried.”
As the middle-aged woman spoke with a worried expression…
“Kuaaack!”
They jumped in fright at the sudden scream from outside.
“What’s going on?”
“W-well?”
“Uwaaaaaaaaack!”
Even as they spoke, the screams from outside continued.
At that moment, figures wearing crimson robes and black masks entered the butcher shop.
“Wh-what?”
“Purge.”
The crimson-robed figure spoke, looking at the flustered two, and swung his sword.
“Aaaack!”
In an instant, the butcher shop became a sea of blood.
***
“What are you people?”
Xie Yuelin looked at the Martial Alliance delegation following them with an annoyed expression.
“What does it matter where we go?”
Then, a sharp voice was heard. And its owner was none other than Xianyu Lan.
“I’m asking why you’re following us! The way back is the opposite direction, the opposite direction!”
As Xianyu Lan lightly snorted, a vein bulged on Xie Yuelin’s forehead.
At that sight, not only the Martial Alliance warriors but also the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult warriors let out deep sighs and turned away from them. They had been doing this for a while now, so they were too tired to react anymore.
At that moment, Jihua was sitting on the carriage, blankly staring at the sky.
‘What’s this feeling?’
The feeling was very unpleasant. He didn’t know the reason, but ever since morning, he had felt uneasy, as if something terrible was going to happen.
Earlier, too, Xianyu Lan had picked a fight without understanding the situation and gotten beaten before backing off.
Now they were heading toward Jihua’s village.
In the end, several guard warriors who also served as monitors had attached themselves to Jihua, who insisted on returning to the village, and naturally, Xie Yuelin had butted in as well.
And the Martial Alliance, feeling curious about the existence known as Yin Jihua, had also set out after him.
Suddenly, a fishy, bloody scent reached Jihua’s nose as he blankly gazed at the sky.
Without realizing it, Jihua rose from his seat and ran toward the smell of blood. The others were all bewildered by his sudden action when Jihua abruptly stopped.
And Jihua, who had worn a blank expression for a moment, soon shouted with wide eyes.
“Ma Ye!”
Where Jihua had run stood a girl drenched in blood.
This place was near Jihua’s village. Which meant the girl before him was a village resident.
“Jihua… oppa?”
The girl blankly called out to Jihua at his voice, and at that call, Jihua frantically spoke.
“What happened? Why are you hurt like this?”
“In the village… bad people came… They hurt the villagers. I barely managed to escape… I just needed to find you… Because before, you saved us from the wolves, too… Because if it’s you, oppa, you can beat the bad people….”
The girl spoke blankly, then smiled bashfully.
“Oppa, the bad people… Punish them.”
“Yeah, I’ll punish them. Let’s treat your wounds first.”
“You definitely… have to punish them. Okay?”
“Ma Ye?”
Jihua called out to the girl named Ma Ye with a puzzled look, but the girl no longer answered him.
“Ma Ye, what’s wrong? Get up.”
Jihua called the girl once more, but the dead girl could not answer.
“That’s strange… Are you sleeping? Tired?”
“Jihua.”
“Huh?”
Then, Xie Yuelin spoke to Jihua, who kept calling the girl.
“Stop it….”
Xie Yuelin spoke in a weak voice, and at her words, Jihua frowned and opened his mouth.
“What? This kid is sleeping. I don’t care if she sleeps here, but Ma Ye will catch a cold. Lend me a carriage.”
“Stop it.”
Xie Yuelin grabbed Jihua’s shoulder as he stood up, holding the girl’s body in his arms.
“What are you talking about?”
Jihua looked at Xie Yuelin with an uncomprehending expression, then tilted his head.
“Why are you crying?”
Xie Yuelin was crying. Jihua looked at her in confusion and asked, and she answered.
“Stop it… That child, she’s dead.”
“….”
“A kid who was running around fine until recently, why would she be dead?”
“She was… stabbed by a blade.”
Xie Yuelin spoke to Jihua, who still hadn’t grasped the situation.
“Just from this?”
“….”
“A person dies from this?”
“….”
“Like when an animal dies… she can’t get up again?”
“Yes.”
“….”
At Xie Yuelin’s cold answer, Jihua made a blank expression again and looked at the girl cradled in his arms.
“But she’s still warm….”
“She’ll grow cold soon.”
“Then she’s dead.”
“….”
Jihua said flatly.
“I can’t understand this.”
A brief silence followed, and Jihua broke it.
“Why do people die so easily from a wound like this? Would you die too if you got a wound like this?”
“Yes. All people die if they receive such a severe wound.”
“Strange. It’s different from what I remember. I can’t remember exactly, but long, long ago… The people I lived with when I was young didn’t die from something like this.”
Jihua spoke, frowning with a displeased expression, then carefully laid the girl on the carriage a moment later.
“Let’s go to the village.”
His appearance, so similar to usual, unchanged as ever, made Xie Yuelin’s heart ache. Because this ignorant child did not even know how to grieve in this situation.
***
The group that arrived at the village lost their words. Corpses were strewn everywhere in the village, which had already become a sea of blood.
“Which sons of bitches!”
Xianyu Lan screamed in a rage-filled voice, then examined Jihua with a worried expression.
As far as she knew, Jihua lived in this village.
But contrary to Xianyu Lan’s worries, Jihua was the same as always. No, not quite the same. The expression on Jihua’s face was gradually disappearing.
Jihua approached a corpse with a blank face, crouched down, and spoke.
“Is the mister dead too?”
Xie Yuelin knew well who that corpse was. It was the owner of the only inn in this village.
Jihua tapped the corpse with his fingers, but the corpse did not respond.
“Heh… So he’s dead.”
In that instant, the group felt chills run down their entire bodies at Jihua’s words. Jihua, who had briefly worn a blank expression, sprang up from his spot and muttered.
“The ones who did this… I should kill them, right? Where could they be?”
Jihua smiled and looked all around him, and at that sight, Xie Yuelin hugged him.
“Let me go. I have to quickly find and kill the sons of bitches who murdered the villagers. Don’t suffocate me, move aside!”
As Jihua frowned and struggled to escape from her embrace, Xie Yuelin smiled bitterly and let him go.
Jihua looked around for a moment, and soon his eyes sparkled.
“Over there.”
With those words, Jihua’s figure vanished in an instant.
Xie Yuelin looked in the direction Jihua had gazed, then spoke to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult warriors.
“Let’s follow him.”
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult warriors began following Xie Yuelin, who was using qinggong.
“It may be related to the Blood Cult, so let’s follow as well.”
At Qing Dengyun’s words, the entire Martial Alliance delegation nodded and followed behind the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult warriors.