Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 670

“Huck!”

Jiso-hyeon’s eyes snapped open, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her entire body was slick with sweat. It felt as if a massive boulder was crushing one side of her head. She was dizzy, yet strangely, a sense of clarity washed over her.

“Are you awake?”

“Master?”

“Yes.”

Jiso-hyeon pushed herself into a sitting position.

“What is this…?”

“You’ll feel a bit disoriented for now. But your body is mostly recovered.”

“Huh?”

“It’s been almost a full day since you collapsed.”

Jiso-hyeon was bewildered.

“A day?”

“You lost consciousness from the killing intent emitted by that lackey of the Saimgyo [a demonic cult].”

“Ah!”

Only then did Jiso-hyeon understand why she had blacked out.

And that realization was shocking.

‘To lose consciousness from mere killing intent!’

Jiso-hyeon felt a wave of shame wash over her.

Even if the opponent was a great master, how could she succumb to mere killing intent? She was a martial artist first and foremost, a musician second. Could there be any greater disgrace for a martial artist?

Seeing her disciple lower her head in shame, Ha Eun-gyo spoke calmly.

“It has always been this way.”

“Yes?”

“You have always prioritized martial arts over music. Contrary to my wishes.”

Jiso-hyeon was flustered.

“M, Master.”

“I’m not blaming you. Of course, you’ve grown differently than I had hoped, but that’s because everyone has their own path. It’s not as if you’d abandon music entirely, would you?”

Jiso-hyeon lowered her head.

“I’m sorry.”

Ha Eun-gyo smiled gently.

“There’s no need to apologize. However, even knowing your true nature, I still emphasized music over martial arts. I was being stubborn for no reason.”

“Master.”

“Music isn’t a rigid discipline like martial arts. True music can be found even in a child who has never touched an instrument. Anything in the world can become music. If you don’t let go, even without formal training, you will eventually grasp the essence of music.”

Jiso-hyeon felt a strange unease creeping in.

Her master was a kind person, but she always maintained a certain distance. She respected and loved her more than anyone, yet she never allowed anyone to cross a certain boundary.

But now, her master was showing more emotion than usual.

“Master, perhaps…”

“I have passed on everything to you except for one martial art. Even if you master only that, you will be more than qualified to be called a top-tier master in this harsh martial world.”

“…”

“I want to know. Even though I already know, I want to hear it from your own mouth, your true feelings.”

Ha Eun-gyo’s face turned serious.

“Do you desire to reach the pinnacle of the martial world through martial arts?”

The throbbing in her head seemed to lessen. Her vision, which had been blurry, also cleared.

Her master’s changed demeanor. She didn’t know what that change signified, but Jiso-hyeon knew that one day her master would ask her such a question.

She had pondered it often, and Jiso-hyeon decided she should be honest. It was her master, after all. If she couldn’t be honest in front of her master, to whom could she express her true feelings?

“Music is an inseparable part of me.”

“Is that so?”

“But martial arts have become my everything.”

“Yes, that’s how it is.”

Ha Eun-gyo understood why her disciple had come to feel this way.

When she was still naive about the world, her disciple had been more interested in music than martial arts. She had a natural talent for it, and what she had been forced to learn when she was kidnapped was also music.

But as time passed and she learned how cruel the world could be.

When she realized that if she hadn’t met her, she would have lived a miserable life.

Furthermore, when she learned what her master’s name meant in the martial world.

It was from that moment that Jiso-hyeon began to revere power.

To no longer be treated unfairly, to help those who, like her, had been forced into unhappy lives by others.

To not tarnish her master’s name, Jiso-hyeon’s focus shifted towards martial arts rather than music.

Ha Eun-gyo nodded.

“A teacher wants their student to succeed. But sometimes, they misunderstand. They mistakenly believe that the person they taught will always be a child, always someone to be protected.”

“…”

“Apart from music and martial arts, you already understand the world. You are still lacking, but you know yourself well, so how can I force you to live the life I want?”

“…Master.”

“I will pass it on to you.”

Ha Eun-gyo’s face became stern.

“I will pass on to you the true martial art of the Sound Demon [a legendary martial artist], which all martial artists in the world both envy and fear.”

Jiso-hyeon felt her heart pounding in her chest.

The martial arts she had learned so far were enough to make her a renowned master in the martial world. But even that was not everything, she said.

And now, she was about to pass on everything.

“However, I will not guide your posture or explain the meaning as I did when you first learned martial arts. There is no need for that, and it is a martial art that should not be taught that way.”

“Yes?”

“Memorize the incantations and the dharma [Buddhist teachings] and contemplate on your own. The last martial art I will pass on to you is a martial art of enlightenment. It is up to you to properly bloom it.”

A martial art of enlightenment. It meant a supreme martial art that could not be reached through explanations and teachings alone.

Ha Eun-gyo began to recite the incantations in a calm voice.

Jiso-hyeon, startled, straightened her posture and listened intently to her master’s words. She memorized the words over and over again.

Time passed.

Even after half a day, Ha Eun-gyo did not stop speaking. She repeated the incantations and dharma of the divine art ten or twenty times until they were perfectly memorized.

Fortunately, Jiso-hyeon was exceptionally intelligent. Her trained inner energy and her sensitive musical talent had made her lower and middle dantian [energy centers in the body] very solid, so her upper dantian had naturally grown much larger than when she was a child.

When she recited the incantations and dharma for the twenty-second time, Jiso-hyeon was able to memorize the complex characters without making a single mistake.

“You are indeed smart.”

Even if she had memorized them right away, she might have missed a few characters after a day. But Jiso-hyeon did not. Seeing her recite them without hesitation, it was clear that she had firmly engraved the many incantations and dharma in her mind in a short time.

Ha Eun-gyo smiled.

“You have always been kind and smart. I don’t know how happy I was to have a disciple like you.”

“Master…?”

Jiso-hyeon, who had been muttering the incantations and dharma in a daze, felt uneasy again.

Ha Eun-gyo rose from her seat.

“It may be a bit sudden. But I have things to do, and you have your own destiny.”

“…?!”

“The time has come to part.”

“M, Master!”

Jiso-hyeon jumped to her feet.

Ha Eun-gyo shook her head.

“Parting doesn’t mean a complete farewell. I have things to do. It’s just a temporary separation for that.”

“What for…?”

Ha Eun-gyo smiled.

There was no trace of gloomy emotion, only the smile of a great master who had finally begun to see herself clearly.

“I intend to correct the abandoned heavenly mandate [a divine mission].”

“…!”

“It will be difficult. Of course, it will be. But I will no longer turn a blind eye. I have been making things difficult for the people of the world while ignoring the sins I have committed, but not anymore. I will go to do what I can do as myself, what I must do.”

Tears streamed down Jiso-hyeon’s face.

She didn’t know what that meant, but she knew one thing. That this parting might be her last with her master.

Ha Eun-gyo wiped away the tears flowing down Jiso-hyeon’s cheek.

“Don’t cry. What is so sad and frightening that you cry like that? You already have everything from your predecessors within you.”

“Master.”

“Yes.”

Jiso-hyeon took a step back and bowed deeply.

“Please return safely.”

“Yes.”

“Until you return, I will make the things you have taught me bloom.”

Ha Eun-gyo laughed heartily.

“Your existence is already like a flower to me. If you are just happy and well, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Ha Eun-gyo, who was sitting facing Jiso-hyeon after she bowed, gently touched her neck.

“It will take a long time until we meet again. Until then, learn about the world by the side of Yeon Ho-jeong. Of course, if you want, you can be independent. However, if you want to reach the top of the world through martial arts, there will be no better teacher.”

“…Yes.”

“Rest a little more.”

Ha Eun-gyo’s finger touched Jiso-hyeon’s pressure point.

Swoosh.

Jiso-hyeon lost consciousness on the spot.

Even though she had lost consciousness, tears were still flowing from her eyes.

Ha Eun-gyo’s eyes also turned red as she looked at her disciple.

To her, Jiso-hyeon was like another child.

However, at first, she was closer to being a replacement for the child she had abandoned. To put it bluntly, it wasn’t a very pure and clean relationship.

But seeing her disciple, who loved and cared for her, and who had already become an adult at a young age, she gradually realized that Jiso-hyeon’s existence itself was a great gift that heaven had given her.

“Even if we cannot reunite in this life, we will be able to meet again in a world other than this one in the future. Until then, I hope you will see and hear many things and live happily.”

Ha Eun-gyo, having put Jiso-hyeon to sleep, went outside.

She saw Yeon Ho-jeong.

Ha Eun-gyo asked.

“What brings a busy person here?”

“…”

Yeon Ho-jeong was silent for a moment.

Ha Eun-gyo also looked at Yeon Ho-jeong without a word. Her relieved yet wistful smile remained unchanged.

After a while, Yeon Ho-jeong opened his mouth.

“Do you really have to do that?”

Ha Eun-gyo burst into laughter.

Her laughter was truly beautiful and clear. It had a dignity that calmed the mind just by listening to it.

“What do you think I’m going to do?”

“Are you planning to go to the Saimgyo?”

Ha Eun-gyo just smiled.

She thought. That young man is truly amazing.

Their first meeting was not so good. Even their relationship was only two days old.

But affection can create the depth of ten years in just one day. Ha Eun-gyo felt like she had met a friend of the century who understood her heart and values well.

“I’m sorry. I actually wanted to help you.”

Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.

“It is the work of the people of the world and also our work. You have something to do right now, so we didn’t intend to receive your help.”

“Yes. You would have.”

“However…”

“I know.”

“…”

“I know what you’re going to say.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes wavered.

Ha Eun-gyo spoke in a much more refreshing voice.

“I should have done this a long time ago. But I couldn’t. Even now, I’m trying to escape the sins I’ve committed. I guess I was also afraid of death.”

“…”

“I violated the heavenly order when I was young. Since then, my life has not been worth living.”

“…”

“I’m glad I met you. If it weren’t for you, I would still be lost in delusion. I’m grateful to you and also… sorry.”

Some might think it’s frustrating.

To go to the Saimgyo without knowing where their headquarters are, to leave without helping Yeon Ho-jeong, and even to part with her disciple without any preparation.

But that is looking at the world too rationally.

Ha Eun-gyo had finally found herself again. And she was trying to undo her mistakes in her own way. In front of that, no expression is as unreasonable as the word ‘rational’.

Knowing that, Yeon Ho-jeong could no longer stop Ha Eun-gyo.

Yeon Ho-jeong lowered his head.

“Please be careful.”

Ha Eun-gyo strode over and hugged Yeon Ho-jeong.

“Don’t worry about an old woman’s life and go forward without hesitation.”

“…”

“You can do it, you can. You have done it before, and you will do it in the future.”

Ha Eun-gyo, having released Yeon Ho-jeong, patted his shoulder.

“Whether in this life or the next, I hope we meet again.”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.

“I hope so too.”

The two faced each other with sincere smiles.