Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1163

Ji So-hyeon was dreaming.

‘This is…’

A situation too vivid to be called a dream.

A young man with a strange yet oddly familiar face asked calmly,

“Are you awake?”

His voice was a bit dry, but it also held concern for her.

“Who are you?”

“There’s water and rice balls behind you. You must be hungry, so eat.”

As the young man said, there were rice balls wrapped in bamboo leaves and a canteen.

“What’s going on?”

“……”

“You’ve sealed my inner energy, haven’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Why did you kidnap me? Who are you people?”

‘You people?’ Why did I say that? There’s only this young man in front of me.

The young man chuckled and said,

“If you’re including those bandits in ‘you people,’ then it’s our first time meeting.”

Bandits?

‘Ah!’

Only then did Ji So-hyeon remember. Before meeting this young man with the huge single-edged axe, she had fought a big battle with bandits.

Right after defeating them all, this young man appeared. He was carrying an axe that bandits would use, and the timing was suspicious, so she immediately attacked.

And she fell without even exchanging a single blow.

‘Then?’

Finally, Ji So-hyeon realized the young man’s identity.

‘Yeon Ho-Jeong!’

The great master of the Righteous Army, known by the alias ‘Byoksan Tiger’ [meaning ‘Wall Mountain Tiger’, a reference to his powerful and unyielding nature], and the best prodigy of the martial world, who had reached a realm she could only dream of, despite being of a similar age.

This person was Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘This memory, could it be…’

It was a memory of when she was kidnapped by Yeon Ho-Jeong. That memory was unfolding in her dream as it was.

Ji So-hyeon was flustered. Dreams and memories were closely related, but they were also completely different realms. Yet, she was having a dream exactly like her memory? And so vividly?

While she was flustered, the conversation continued, and finally, Yeon Ho-Jeong mentioned that name.

“Your master is the Sound Demon, Ha Eun-Gyo, right?”

“You don’t mean, you’re after my master, not me…?”

“I see.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong dusted off his hands and said in a slightly apologetic voice,

“Only I can release your inner energy seal. Maybe the Sound Demon could, but you certainly can’t do it on your own.”

“……”

“Eat your food.”

Ji So-hyeon said without realizing it,

“My master isn’t here.”

A different line from her memory came out. It was a line that began to break the dream based on her memory, strongly influenced by her own will as the dreamer.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s line also changed from that time.

“Why isn’t she here?”

“She left me.”

“Why did she leave?”

“She…”

Tears streamed down Ji So-hyeon’s face.

“She has someone more important than me.”

“Where in the world is there someone more important to a master than their disciple?”

“……”

“What a terrible person.”

Ji So-hyeon gritted her teeth.

She wanted to argue, but for some reason, she was speechless.

‘My master isn’t as bad as you think!’

She understood her master.

She had made the mistake of abandoning her own child, not just anyone. To heal that wound that would remain a lifelong regret, her master had finally made a decision that transcended life and death.

She had never given birth to a child, but she would have done the same. That’s what she thought.

But…

“Whoever it is, she abandoned her disciple and left, so you’re alone now.”

The Yeon Ho-Jeong in the dream grinned.

His face, which had been like a noble scholar, gradually twisted into that of a demon.

“Ha Eun-Gyo abandoned you. Right?”

“No!”

“Yes. You’re nothing. That’s why you were abandoned.”

“I, I…”

“There’s no reason to cry for someone who abandoned you. Now you can live only for yourself. At least Ha Eun-Gyo, that bitch, taught you how to play instruments well, right?”

“I…”

“If you want, I can introduce you to a nice courtesan house. Live there selling music and smiles. That should be enough of an apology for kidnapping you.”

Ji So-hyeon felt like the sky was falling.

‘Why did she do that?’

Her master had moved on for her destiny. That was all.

But why was she so sad and resentful?

She understood it in her head, but her heart couldn’t understand it at all.

She still had much to learn. Whether it was martial arts or music, if she lived in the world in an awkward state without reaching a certain level, she would most likely die on the streets.

Did her master not worry about her future at all? Was her own life really that important? Then why did she take me as a disciple in the first place?

If she was going to leave so easily, shouldn’t she have not given me any affection in the first place? At least, shouldn’t she have stayed with me until my heart was settled?

“Your master is a worthless human being.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s voice, which had completely turned into a demon, was filled with terrifying malice and resonance, as if it were coming from the deepest underground.

“She’s just a half-wit who couldn’t make a single proper decision. She’s been eating her age like that, but she’s only causing trouble for those around her.”

“No! No!”

“She took in a disciple she couldn’t take responsibility for, and then left without giving you time to calm your heart.”

“No!”

“That bitch is a failure as a master and as a parent. You know that too, right?”

The demon’s tongue, split like a snake’s, brushed past Ji So-hyeon’s cheek.

“You can hate her. It’s natural to hate her. She’s only that kind of person.”

“……”

“Now, let go of your lingering feelings.”

That’s when it happened.

Ji So-hyeon, who had been silently weeping, suddenly felt a strange vibration behind the demon’s back.

Slowly lifting her head, she saw her master there.

And there was herself.

‘Master!’

There was a demon right in front of her, but behind it was a celestial realm.

In that celestial realm, her master was smiling and playing the zither [a traditional Chinese stringed instrument], and she was next to her, smiling similarly while sewing.

When her master played the flute, she played with deer, and when her master held the drumsticks, she practiced martial arts.

Everything was there.

The bond between master and disciple, ordained by heaven, was dyed with beauty like a fantasy.

‘Ah!’

Only then did Ji So-hyeon realize. That celestial realm was the image of her master that she remembered, and her own true heart.

And the demon that appeared now, borrowing the image of Yeon Ho-Jeong in her memory, was…

‘It’s my resentment.’

The residue of resentment left in a corner of her heart.

Ji So-hyeon understood her master, but at the same time, she couldn’t completely let go of the resentment that she, as a young disciple, naturally had. As someone who had not fully lived her master’s life, she could never ‘perfectly’ understand her master.

The resentment that was bound to remain.

‘It’s just that.’

Resentment was natural, but it was nothing.

Ji So-hyeon no longer saw the demon. The celestial realm that filled her vision was her memory and her heart for her master.

Compared to such a beautiful memory, a mere resentment was something she could laugh off.

Ji So-hyeon slowly lowered her head.

The demon had shrunk to a tiny body smaller than a mouse, desperately shouting, ‘Look at me! Look at me!’

Ji So-hyeon stepped on the demon.

Whoosh!

At the same time, the world was filled with light.

Tears flowed from her eyes again. But those tears were not of sadness or resentment, but filled with joy.

‘The moment I first held my master’s hand, neither my master nor I could abandon each other.’

Her master’s existence was already in her heart.

Her master believed in her. She had left because she believed that she was capable enough to forge her own path. And even then, she had advised her that it would be good to learn about the world for a while by Yeon Ho-Jeong’s side.

If her master hadn’t been there, she might have lived as a beggar and died on the streets, or been sold to a courtesan house and become a plaything for men.

The person who had eliminated all the possibilities that made her shudder just thinking about them, and then showed her a new world.

That was her master.

She was in her master.

‘I have finally seen myself.’

Having shaken off the burden in her heart and found her true self, her spirit, which had overcome the inner demon, ascended to a higher realm.

It was enlightenment. By letting go of her resentment towards her master, she was able to step into a new world.

‘Master. I have finally been able to look back at myself cleanly.’

Ji So-hyeon closed her eyes.

‘I miss you.’

At that moment, she woke up from her dream.

“Cough! Cough!”

Ji So-hyeon, who regained consciousness with a fit of coughing, looked around.

‘A forest.’

It was a night forest. And in front of her, a bonfire was burning.

“You’re awake.”

Ji So-hyeon looked at the opposite side.

There, a strange man was sitting.

Even his clothes were strange. He was wrapped in a full-body garment that looked like a large cloak, and when he pulled up the hood attached to the neck, even his eyes were covered.

It was like seeing a black ghost. From the nose, mouth, and white beard on his chin that were revealed under the hood, he looked to be at least fifty years old.

“You slept longer than I thought. Aren’t you hungry?”

His voice was extremely indifferent.

Ji So-hyeon said calmly,

“I am hungry.”

Was it an unexpected answer? The man flinched.

But that was only for a moment.

“There’s a canteen and jerky next to you. Eat it.”

“Okay.”

Even in a kidnapping situation, she wasn’t flustered at all. Instead, she opened the canteen cap and drank water, and even tore into the jerky with gusto.

The man, who had been quietly watching Ji So-hyeon, spoke again.

“The inner energy seal I placed is special. You won’t be able to release it on your own, nor will any master who has reached the Extreme Realm.”

She didn’t know what the Extreme Realm was, but it sounded similar to the Supreme Realm.

Ji So-hyeon tore into the jerky without a word. She was listening to the man’s words, but she didn’t react much.

The man’s eyes, hidden under the hood, shone with a sharp glint.

“You’re bold. Have you had this experience before?”

“I have.”

Thinking about it, it was quite funny. Even though she had inherited the essence of the Sound Demon, who was respected by all, she had been kidnapped twice? It was definitely an experience that no one else would have.

“The first person who kidnapped me seemed a bit arrogant, but I could tell at a glance that he was a good person. But you’re different.”

“……”

“You smell bad.”

The man’s gaze intensified.

“I don’t know what you’re relying on to talk so carelessly.”

“I’m just not accepting the fact that I was kidnapped even after breaking through the Unmoving Realm. You understand.”

“……”

“Do you have more jerky?”

“It’s best not to have false hopes.”

The corners of the man’s mouth curled up.

The fangs that gleamed in the firelight looked very menacing.

“No one will be able to find you. You must come with me to meet the god.”

“You’re rambling on about things I didn’t ask, so I guess it’s your first time kidnapping someone too.”

“……!”

“I don’t have any questions for you. So you don’t have to tell me.”

“You…”

“You’re not hoping to see me trembling in fear, are you? Are you perhaps trying to provoke me now for that purpose?”

“……”

“Give me the jerky.”

The man, who had been glaring at Ji So-hyeon, threw two pieces of jerky.

“I’ll see how long your confidence lasts.”

“Next time, bring some that’s not so salty. Ugh, it’s so salty.”

The man, as if he didn’t want to associate with her, turned his head and leaned against a tree.

Ji So-hyeon chuckled and muttered,

“By the way, what’s your name? I’m not particularly curious, but we’ll probably be going a long way, so we should introduce ourselves. Oh, did you carry me all the way here? Your legs must be sore?”

“Shut up.”

“It’s the kidnapper’s sorrow. Since you gave me more jerky, give me the canteen too. It’s so salty that I feel like I need to drink a bucket of water.”

While chattering away, Ji So-hyeon’s fingernails were carving a small mark on the tree.

It was something she could never do with her inner energy sealed, but with the mystery of the Sound Demon’s Divine Art, she was subtly drawing in external energy and using it temporarily like inner energy.

The mark she left was the code used by the Zhongnan Sect’s informants, which Sun Woo had taught her.

“By the way, how long has it been since you kidnapped me? Three days? Four days? It’s not more than five days, is it? I’m so hungry, so I guess it’s roughly…”

“Sleep.”