A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 63

63. Namak Old Lord

Woong, woong.

Listening to the low cry of the heron, Sonbin looked at the old man.

“Are you the head escort?”

The old man with a head full of white hair asked in a rough voice.

“No, I am not.”

As Sonbin answered, the old man’s white eyebrows twitched.

“No? Then, are you perhaps from the Tang family?”

“No, I am not.”

Sonbin said.

“I am helping this escort.”

“Hmm.”

The old man stared at Sonbin with a nonchalant expression. He seemed displeased with Sonbin’s answer.

“First, let’s get rid of this trash and then talk.”

Whoosh.

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man stretched out both hands and lightly flicked his fingers.

From the old man’s slender fingertips, a sharp energy extended towards the Hengshan Five Fiends, now reduced to four.

Thwack.

“Cough!”

Although they had already drawn their weapons and were on guard, the men could not block the sharp energy.

Three men collapsed, spitting blood with low groans, and the gaunt old man hurriedly dodged, waving his hands wildly.

The two swords in his hands danced.

Clang!

“Well, not bad. For trash.”

The old man with a head full of white hair said. The gaunt old man, who barely managed to dodge, hurriedly shouted.

“Stop, Namak Old Lord! We have no intention of antagonizing you…….”

However, the white-bearded old man had no intention of listening to him.

Whoosh.

In an instant, the wind blew, and his figure disappeared. Then, he reappeared behind the gaunt old man.

It was only a moment before a streak of blue light split him along with the air.

“Cough.”

With a short groan, the gaunt old man collapsed. The five men known as the Hengshan Five Fiends had lost their lives in an instant.

“Tsk, I’ve stained the So Young Sword with unnecessary blood.”

The old man, called Namak Old Lord, said grumbling. However, it seemed unlikely that his sword, called So Young Sword, would be stained with blood.

The blade he was holding so casually was emitting a blue aura that anyone could clearly recognize.

Woo-oong.

“That, sword energy!”

Chief Jang muttered with a pale face. Not only Chief Jang but everyone’s eyes were fixed on the blue shimmering sword energy.

“Now, then.”

Whoosh.

As if it were an illusion, the blue light disappeared, and the sword returned to the back of Namak Old Lord.

“Shall we talk about the treasure now?”

With a bitter smile, Namak Old Lord looked straight at Sonbin again.

“I’m sorry, but that’s just a rumor.”

The voice belonged to Eun Chobin. She stepped forward and bowed politely with both hands together.

“I am grateful to the Old Lord for saving us from this predicament. I am Eun Chobin, the head of this escort. I belong to Soeun Escort Agency.”

Namak Old Lord chuckled.

“I didn’t exactly save you, so there’s no need for greetings. Depending on your answer, you might be the ones dying next time.”

A cold hostility flowed in his gaze. Eun Chobin felt a chill down her spine. He was the one who had killed the Hengshan Five Fiends in an instant without batting an eye.

“It is true that we are transporting the Tang family’s goods, but the treasure is just a false rumor. We are…….”

“Then how do you explain what’s in front of my eyes?”

Namak Old Lord said, interrupting Eun Chobin.

“Pardon?”

Eun Chobin asked back with a puzzled expression, and Namak Old Lord looked straight at Sonbin and said.

“Tell me. Why is that sword the Tang family’s treasure?”

His gaze towards Sonbin was as intense as a sting.

“You better answer carefully. I’m barely holding back from killing all of you right now.”

Woong.

The heron cried as if urging him on. It seemed to be telling him to draw it quickly.

But it seemed that only Sonbin could hear that sound, as no one else paid attention to it.

“I was entrusted with this sword by an old Taoist priest.”

“Who is he?”

“He didn’t tell me.”

Sonbin said. Hwanghak Jin-in [a Taoist immortal] only talked about other things when Sonbin asked for his name. All he revealed was the names Seorin and Baekro.

“What he did tell me was the name of this sword. But I have a rough idea of who he is.”

Later, through Okryong’s conversation, Sonbin learned that the old Taoist priest was called Hwanghak.

“Then how did that sword become the Tang family’s treasure?”

“It has never been the Tang family’s treasure.”

Sonbin replied.

“This sword was entrusted to me by him, and I am only helping this escort. The rumor that it is the Tang family’s treasure is a distortion of the contents of these goods.”

“Hmm.”

Namak Old Lord stroked his beard with one hand. However, his eyes were sharply watching Sonbin.

His gaze was full of keen energy, as if he could see through Sonbin’s inner thoughts. Sonbin was calmly accepting that energy.

“That makes sense.”

He said. With that, Namak Old Lord’s energy subsided.

Eun Chobin and everyone else breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. Except for Sonbin.

“And that’s just like him. But anyone involved in the Outer History would know the name of that sword. Just because you know the name of the sword doesn’t prove your words.”

Namak Old Lord’s eyes were shining even more intensely towards Sonbin.

“There is only one way to prove it. Show me that you are qualified to wield that sword.”

Whoosh.

A fierce energy poured out from Namak Old Lord.

“Kuh.”

“Ugh.”

Groans involuntarily escaped from the group. Even Chief Jang stepped back and bent over, let alone the other escorts or porters.

Eun Chobin was gritting her teeth and enduring, but her face was already pale.

However, Sonbin, who was facing the energy head-on, remained calm. The energy that Namak Old Lord was emitting was intense, but it was not the worst he had experienced.

Swish.

With a low sound, Namak Old Lord’s So Young Sword appeared. And soon, the blade began to bloom with a blue aura.

Woo-oong.

“Heok.”

Another groan escaped from someone’s mouth.

Tangible sword energy. The symbol of a master and a dream realm for martial artists. It was a natural reaction to see that sword energy unfolding before their eyes.

“If you can’t show your qualifications, not only you but everyone here, I guarantee you will die.”

Namak Old Lord said.

Sreung.

Sonbin slowly drew his sword. He could no longer endure Baekro’s urging, which had been crying out since earlier, so he thought it was rather fortunate.

“I don’t know if I have the qualifications.”

Woong.

Baekro cried in Sonbin’s hand.

“Since you ask me to show you, I will show you.”

Holding the sword straight with both hands, Sonbin said.

Woo-oong.

Sonbin’s sword, Baekro, began to emit a low sword cry. Loud enough for everyone there to hear clearly.

“S, Young Master Son…….”

Eun Chobin, who was watching, clenched her fists without realizing it.

“It will be alright.”

Chief Jang’s voice was heard from the side. When Eun Chobin turned, Chief Jang was also unable to take his eyes off Sonbin.

“But if it’s Namak Old Lord…….”

“Yes. He is an undisputed master. A master of the previous generation who has not appeared at all in recent years and is even known to have retired. If he is targeting our escort, then everything is over. But…….”

Chief Jang looked at Sonbin. He was standing there in the low flowing sword cry. Calm and serene as if he had come out for a walk.

“But if it’s Young Master Son…… I think he will somehow manage.”

“Somehow?”

“Yes. Somehow.”

That was something that the cautious Chief Jang would never say normally. But now he had no choice but to say it.

Looking at Sonbin, he felt that no matter how strong the opponent was, even if it was Namak Old Lord, a master of the previous generation, he would somehow manage. Without any basis or reason.

“Really?”

Eun Chobin said in an anxious voice. Chief Jang said that he would somehow manage, but Eun Chobin could not contain her fearful heart.

‘But what if Young Master Son gets hurt?’

Just thinking about it made her heart feel constricted. With a fearful and trembling heart, Eun Chobin looked at Sonbin.

“That young lady seems worried too.”

Chief Jang’s voice suddenly came to her ears. Eun Chobin turned her head. At the end of that gaze, the veiled girl was standing with a slender figure.

Although her face was not visible, it was clear that she was looking at Sonbin.

Woong.

“Hoo.”

Listening to Baekro’s sword cry, Namak Old Lord quietly chuckled.

“It’s still a beautiful sword.”

However, Sonbin was not listening. His senses were slowly sinking down along with his breath.

The flow full of heaven and earth embraced him, and for him, there was nothing under the sky except himself and a sword, Baekro.

“I’m going.”

Namak Old Lord said, shining his eyes. And by the time that short word was over, his So Young Sword was already rushing towards Sonbin, scattering a blue aura.

Whoosh.

The blade wrapped in a blue aura like death was shooting towards Sonbin, but Sonbin was not flustered at all. No, he was able to become even more calm.

The flow that Namak Old Lord’s sword showed was very large and powerful, so the choice had already been made.

Tak.

Sonbin took a step forward. And he drew Baekro straight down from top to bottom.

Whoosh.

‘Heok.’

Namak Old Lord, who was rushing towards Sonbin, swallowed a dry breath. The sword path that Baekro drew was incomparably clean.

A sword path that seemed to divide the whole world from left to right. And it was also a sword path that forced an absolute choice on the opponent.

‘Good heavens. That’s…….’

Namak Old Lord could clearly understand what that sword path meant. The choice that Baekro was forcing was not left or right. It was whether to die or to escape.

Whether to be cut in half by that sword path as it was, or to escape from that death.

Gritting.

In that short moment, Namak Old Lord gritted his teeth. He may not have actually gritted his teeth, but momentarily his pride as a martial artist surged, and he thought about being ready for a mutual destruction.

But he was not even confident that the mutual destruction would succeed. That was a more primal and fundamental problem than the problem of internal energy or sword energy.

The magical aura that that absolute sword path showed made everything that Namak Old Lord had built up futile.

Like the absolute emptiness that a human being feels standing alone in front of nature, like the despair of reaching out to the unreachable starlight.

Just once, he had felt it before, and it was the very feeling that he could never forget.

Swish.

Namak Old Lord chose. And before he could even dwell on his choice, Sonbin’s sword rose again from below.

It was like the feeling of falling endlessly into an abyss after the sky had collapsed. With this one sword, everything had come to an end.

Tak.

At the moment when Namak Old Lord was prepared for the end, Sonbin’s sword stopped as if by a lie.

Woong.

Baekro cried lowly as if grumbling. But Sonbin sheathed his sword.

Sreung.

Baekro disappeared. And Sonbin bowed to Namak Old Lord with his hands together.

“I could tell from the beginning that you had no hostility towards the Old Lord. Thank you for your help.”

That was true. From the moment Sonbin drew Baekro, for some reason, the hostility had disappeared from the Old Lord.

Perhaps that was why he was able to do his best, as his eyes were sparkling with pure curiosity.

“H, how…….”

Namak Old Lord said in a trembling voice. He had the expression of someone who had witnessed something that he could not possibly believe.

“How could you use the Sword Path of the Martial Emperor…….”

‘Martial Emperor.’

Sonbin knew who the Martial Emperor he was talking about was. Okryong had called Saja Hyuk that. The Martial Emperor of Hyeoncheon.

“He was my…… companion.”

Sonbin said in a deliberately calm tone.

“Companion…….”

Namak Old Lord repeated in a quiet voice. And after a while, he continued.

“Even in the Outer History, which is said to be the sky outside the sky, there is another sky, which is called the Four Stars of the Outer Sky.”

His voice was low and trembling faintly.

“The Fierce Tiger is cruel, the Yellow Crane is carefree, and the Jade Dragon frolics in the clouds. But the one who reigns over all of them is only the Martial Emperor of Hyeoncheon.”

Namak Old Lord said, looking straight at Sonbin.

“In my life, I have deeply acknowledged and respected only two people from the bottom of my heart. Hwanghak and the Martial Emperor. The moment you held that sword in your hand, I knew that you were already qualified. Because that sword can never be held by just anyone. But I never thought you would even unfold the Sword Path of the Martial Emperor.”

Namak Old Lord’s eyes were full of affection, as if he had met a blood relative.

“What is your name?”

“Sonbin.”

“Sonbin.”

Namak Old Lord said with a faint smile.

“I have met a person with the sword of the True Man and the Way of the Martial Emperor, so will there ever be a happier day in my life? You said you are helping this escort?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“If you are helping, I will help too.”

Namak Old Lord said.

“Although there is a Tang family’s daughter, since you don’t care, I will just let it go this time. Do you understand?”

His last words were directed at the veiled girl, Tang Wora. Tang Wora lightly bowed her head. Her veil fluttered slightly.

“No one will be able to touch you where Hengshan is visible.”

Namak Old Lord said in a light tone as if passing by. However, the weight of his declaration was by no means light.