Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 702

The smoke rising from Jongnam Mountain lingered, even after a full day had passed. The smoke carried a mix of sorrow and relief, despair and exhaustion. It took half a day just to gather the bodies of the fallen disciples. Many swordsmen collapsed from the release of tension after the battle, and some succumbed to their severe injuries. Those with the strength hurried down to the village to fetch skilled physicians. Martial artists who practiced internal energy generally possessed basic medical skills, but they were no match for true experts. Fortunately, the damage within the Jongnam main sect was minimal. However, as with any sect, its true wealth lay in its people. They had lost many disciples, including three elders. It was one of the most significant losses in Jongnam’s history. In addition, several Plum Blossom Swordsmen and Plum Blossom Spearmen from Mount Hua had also perished. Although the elders of Mount Hua survived, it was still a considerable loss. The entire Shaanxi martial world was on high alert. If a force like the Blood Wolf Corps were to attack again, Jongnam might truly be annihilated. However, the immediate damage was too great to dwell on an uncertain future. For three days, the Jongnam disciples worked tirelessly to restore the sect. But their spirits remained broken. Even after three, four, and five days, the shadow cast over Jongnam did not fade. Seven days had passed since the end of the battle. * * * “Hmm.” Pae-Yul, having arrived at Yeon Ho-Jeong’s residence, looked at Muk Bi, who was sitting on the steps in front of the door. Muk Bi, who had been inspecting the Crimson Lotus Palace [a type of bow], rose from her seat. “You’ve arrived.” Pae-Yul raised his hand. “How is he?” “Not yet.” “Not yet… He’s been sleeping for a long time.” “He doesn’t just sleep. He wakes up three times a day. He eats and then goes back to sleep.” “He’s having it easy.” Pae-Yul patted his back and sat next to Muk Bi. Muk Bi looked at Pae-Yul with surprise. Although they knew each other, the two did not have any particular friendship. Yet, he sat down next to her as if it were natural, which felt awkward. Muk Bi, who had been quietly looking down at Pae-Yul, sat back down. Pae-Yul took out a pipe from his pocket. He put in a small amount of powder, struck a flint, and lit it. He took a deep drag and exhaled, the white smoke scattering into the air. “Did you always smoke?” “I did. I haven’t been smoking lately because of various things.” “I heard it’s not good for your health.” “That’s right.” There was no other answer. Pae-Yul silently puffed on his pipe. Muk Bi, while stroking the bow of the Crimson Lotus Palace, asked, “It’s amazing that he’s still alive.” “Hmm? You mean me?” “No, I mean Young Master Yeon.” Pae-Yul chuckled. “That guy won’t die even if you try to kill him. In a way, he’s a pain in the neck.” “I saw him fighting the enemy commander. And even though the war wasn’t over, he came back, dragging his body, which was on the verge of collapse.” “…” “He’s probably been like that all along.” “He has.” “Even if his martial arts improve and his realm deepens, there is a limit to a person’s mental strength.” “That’s true.” “Will Young Master Yeon be able to continue living without giving up, like he does now?” Pae-Yul shrugged. “Why worry about that now? Rather, you should know better than I do.” “I don’t know anymore.” “Is that so?” Muk Bi looked up at the sky. Jongnam Mountain was shrouded in sorrow, but the sky was clear. “It’s been quite a while since I last saw him. It was an unusually long time. But the Young Master Yeon I met again was a completely different person.” “He’s like a monster.” “He’s much stronger, and I saw a much deeper sense of responsibility. But…” “…” “He also seems somewhat precarious.” “Hoo.” Pae-Yul, having exhaled the smoke, wiped the pipe’s mouthpiece with his sleeve and handed it to Muk Bi. “Would you like to try it?” Muk Bi shook her head. “It’s okay.” “It won’t ruin your health if you do it once or twice. Especially if you have the internal energy of a millennium.” “…” “Here.” Muk Bi, who had been staring at Pae-Yul, took the pipe. Muk Bi, who had been fiddling with the pipe for a few moments, carefully inhaled the smoke. “Cough!” It was inevitable that she would cough. “Cough, cough! It’s so strong! Ugh!” “See?” Pae-Yul, having taken the pipe back from Muk Bi, wiped the mouthpiece with his sleeve again. “Why do you bother smoking this stuff?” “If you smoke this often, your lung function will weaken. It doesn’t really relieve your worries either. Sometimes you feel good when you get a momentary daze, but even that becomes familiar after a few puffs. Sometimes it even makes your head heavy.” “I can imagine.” “It’s a harmful thing that only ruins your body and has no benefits. Alcohol is better. If you drink it in moderation, it can even be good for your health. Well, once you start drinking, it’s hard to stay moderate.” Pae-Yul’s eyes, as he quietly looked down at the pipe, were as deep and clear as a lake. “I used to want that.” “Yes?” “I mean, life-or-death battles.” “…” “I don’t know why, but I loved fighting so much. But when I think about it, this thing called fighting is no different from smoking. It only wears down your life, and it doesn’t help with anything.” “…” “Once I got into it, there was no such thing as moderation. There weren’t many opportunities to fight, and as an elder of the prestigious Mount Emei [a famous martial arts sect], I couldn’t just draw my sword recklessly. I couldn’t tarnish the sect’s name just for my own pleasure.” “…I see.” “The more that happened, the more I wanted a life-or-death battle.” Snap! The pipe, unable to withstand Pae-Yul’s grip, broke in half. “I didn’t think about the reason. A competitive spirit? Pleasure? Those can’t be the reasons. If those were the real reasons, I would have thrown away the sect’s reputation and gone to find a skilled master to swing my sword at.” “…” “I should have thought about the reason. Why did I want to fight so much?” “Did you find the answer?” “No.” “…” “But I realized one thing in this battle.” “What is it?” “Battles fought only to win are boring.” Muk Bi’s face showed a hint of doubt. Pae-Yul pointed his thumb behind him. It was Yeon Ho-Jeong’s room. “There probably isn’t anyone in the current martial world who has fought as much as that crazy guy. But he has never enjoyed fighting itself. He is happy about the improvement of his martial arts and his practical skills are excellent, but he is not obsessed with fighting itself.” “…” “He was happy and thrilled in the sword fights with his opponents, but in the end, he was always fighting to protect something.” Muk Bi’s eyes deepened. Pae-Yul looked up at the sky. “Have you ever seen the swordsmen coming and going?” “From Jongnam?” “Yes.” “Yes, I have.” “Did they look alive?” Muk Bi, who had been silently looking at Pae-Yul, shook her head. “They looked dead.” “Yes. They look alive, but they look dead.” Pae-Yul closed his eyes. “That’s the result of this battle. It turns living people into dead beings. That’s what war is like.” Muk Bi’s eyes wavered. Pae-Yul, who opened his eyes again, looked somewhat empty. “I couldn’t bear to think that those faces were the disciples of our sect.” “…” “Whether there is a purpose or not, fighting wears down life and exhausts the mind. I have finally realized that the fighting I wanted, the battlefield I was obsessed with, was ultimately hell.” “…” Muk Bi felt like she could understand Pae-Yul. Pae-Yul shook his head. “Yeon Ho-Jeong is a truly amazing guy.” “Yes?” “You said that he has changed a lot, but in my eyes, he hasn’t changed since the first time I met him.” “…!” “He is different from me, who was born and raised in this world and only wanted to fight without trying to help anyone. He has been struggling from the beginning to now to protect his people and his land.” “…” “He knew it at such a young age. How much war can exhaust people. He knew long ago that the damage his people would suffer was indescribably painful.” “…” “That’s why he always lives so fiercely. It doesn’t matter how others see him. He doesn’t have time to be swayed by the opinions of those around him. It is more important than anything else that his people do not suffer.” In that moment, Muk Bi felt her heart become solemn. Yeon Ho-Jeong had said that he had returned from living in the past and the future. She had decided to believe those words, but in reality, it was not something that could be believed just by saying so. It was an area that could not be understood by human common sense in the first place. However, after hearing Pae-Yul’s words, she thought of the past and future era that Yeon Ho-Jeong had confessed. An era when the entire Central Plains was engulfed in war. An era when people lived lives that were not human. An era of beasts where even friends could not be trusted, and families would stab each other in the back to survive. ‘Was it real?’ Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face came to mind. His face, which always seemed confident, yet lived each moment fiercely. ‘Is that why you are living so hard, to prevent such an era from returning?’ Pae-Yul, who had been silently looking at the air, shook off his buttocks and stood up. “I’ve been talking too much for no reason. I guess I’m getting old. It’s embarrassing.” “No, it’s not.” Pae-Yul looked down at Muk Bi. “Support him well.” “Yes?” “He has become more fierce, stronger, and more responsible. But he won’t break. His driving force to live is still the same.” “…” “But as you said, there is a limit to a person’s mental strength. At times like that, the people around him need to be a haven.” Muk Bi smiled. “What about you, senior?” Pae-Yul snorted. “You want me to comfort that guy? Don’t make me laugh. Just thinking about it gives me chills. We’re not that kind of relationship in the first place.” “Is that so?” “I gained a great realization thanks to him. It’s a debt that’s hard to repay. But that’s that, and this is this. If he shows any signs of weakness in front of me, I might just smash his head.” “That sounds interesting.” Pae-Yul chuckled and turned his body. “Tell him when he wakes up. Let’s all have a drink together.” “I will.” Pae-Yul disappeared. Muk Bi sighed quietly. ‘The reason for fighting.’ She had never thought about it seriously. At least not as much as Pae-Yul had. She had come into the world thanks to Yeon Ho-Jeong, and she had met people who were like family thanks to Yeon Ho-Jeong. Was that why? She had only done her best in any fight, and she hadn’t looked beyond that. Because such a reason was not important to her. However, the words that Pae-Yul had left behind were resonating with her more than ever. ‘Black Demon Fortress.’ Muk Bi recalled the words Yeon Ho-Jeong had said in the past. ‘Black Demon Emperor… Five Great Generals… Divine Bow…’ The past and future that she did not know, that only Yeon Ho-Jeong knew. ‘Was I so different back then?’ Did I clearly find the reason for my life back then? Or was I living swept away by vague and ambiguous friendships, just like now? Muk Bi sighed quietly. “I still have a long way to go.” It was then. “Deputy Chief Muk!” There was a person running quickly towards this place. It was Ga Deuk-Sang. “You’ve arrived?” “How is Commander Yeon? Is he still recovering?” “Yes. What’s the matter?” Ga Deuk-Sang sighed. “The Jongnam Sect Leader has arrived.”