A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 324

324. The Undying Hero (2)

Sun Bin and his group returned to Qingwon with the children.

As Qingwon came into view, the children craned their necks from the carriage, unable to take their eyes off it. And at the entrance of the village, they saw the faces they had missed more than anything.

“Dad!”

“Mom!”

Their families were waiting at the village entrance. As the carriage stopped, the children sprinted towards their families.

“Oh, my babies.”

The families embraced the children tightly. All their talk of not wanting to go home was forgotten as they burst into tears.

Even though nothing significant had happened, both adults and children hugged each other, quickly becoming a mess of tears and laughter.

“Yes, this is how it should be.”

Old Man No also watched the scene with tearful eyes, saying,

“This is the way it has to be.”

Watching them, Sun Bin wore a pleased smile. He also greeted his uncle and aunt, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Soon after, the children began to return home with their families. Holding their families’ hands, the children waved brightly at Sun Bin and his group.

Sun Bin couldn’t leave until all the children had departed. Hwa-sa even sniffled with tears.

“Let’s go, too.”

At Sa Soo-yeon’s words, Sun Bin nodded and slowly walked back to the Seowon [a type of private academy during the Joseon Dynasty].

Unexpectedly, the former Supreme Sword, Hyeonryeon-wi, was waiting at the Seowon.

“It’s been a while.”

At Sun Bin’s greeting, the former Supreme Sword, Hyeonryeon-wi, who had grown a long beard, silently nodded in response.

“What’s with the melancholy in an empty Seowon?”

Old Man No said, grumbling, and the former Supreme Sword replied briefly.

“Because it’s empty.”

“Huh? What does that mean…….”

The former Supreme Sword, Hyeonryeon-wi, stood up. As he stood, it was as if a pillar had been erected in the middle of the garden.

Hyeonryeon Se-hwa bowed respectfully.

“I’m back.”

She was Hyeonryeon Gong’s adopted daughter. Hyeonryeon-wi was the family elder and her great-uncle.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Though short, it was a sufficiently long answer for the former Supreme Sword, Hyeonryeon-wi.

Hyeonryeon Se-hwa smiled, and Hyeonryeon-wi turned his head towards Sun Bin and his group.

The former Supreme Sword Hyeonryeon-wi’s gaze paused briefly on Wi Ga-jin of the Azure Wave Sword, but that was it. He showed no interest in Princess Gyeong-hui, even though he must have known who she was.

Hyeonryeon-wi’s gaze, which had been moving, turned to Oruhan and the Bukhae Twelve.

“Ugh.”

Just by meeting his gaze, the Bukhae Twelve couldn’t hide their tense expressions. However, Hyeonryeon-wi’s interest was in Oruhan.

“Is that Seomoksu [a legendary figure known for his exceptional swordsmanship]?”

Seomoksu Oruhan wore a gentle smile but looked at Hyeonryeon-wi with sharp eyes.

“You’re the Supreme Sword.”

Even though he was already the former Supreme Sword, Seomoksu Oruhan still called Hyeonryeon-wi the Supreme Sword. The two stared at each other for a moment.

“……Interesting.”

A smile spread across Hyeonryeon-wi’s lips, and as he was about to say something more, the voice of Talhondo, who had entered behind him, was heard.

“Yo, I heard you had quite a hard time in Huangshan……. Are you alright?”

Talhondo asked with a nonchalant voice.

The silent Hyeonryeon-wi and Talhondo’s gazes collided head-on. Receiving Hyeonryeon-wi’s intense gaze, Talhondo chuckled.

“If you have something to say, don’t just glare; let’s have a fight. I’ve been feeling a bit stiff lately anyway, so this is perfect.”

The look in Talhondo’s eyes as he spoke was very provocative. However, the former Supreme Sword Hyeonryeon-wi didn’t back down either.

“Anytime.”

The force emanating from Hyeonryeon-wi’s eyes was terrifying. However, Talhondo was no less so.

Watching the two, Old Man No said quietly.

“Don’t do it in the Seowon. You’ll get in trouble.”

“Um, can I do it too?”

At Hwa-sa’s voice, Talhondo and Hyeonryeon-wi turned around at the same time.

“I don’t use Absorption Art anymore, so I’ll just do it in small doses. Is that okay?”

‘Just small doses’ was not true. Hwa-sa’s small doses, which applied the Sword Saint’s techniques, had become vastly different from before.

“Why you again?”

Old Man No asked, substituting for Talhondo and Hyeonryeon-wi’s questions.

“I have to work hard. I’ve been eating too much lately…….”

To challenge Dang Wol-ah again, she had to train hard. These days, when Dang Wol-ah was distracted by drawing, was her chance.

Old Man No sighed deeply.

“……Go far away to do it.”

As he spoke, Old Man No suddenly turned his head.

“Where are you going?”

That was said to Janggang Eoeong. Janggang Eoeong was already slinging his fishing rod over his shoulder and striding out of the Seowon.

“To the river.”

The answer, which perhaps didn’t need to be heard, returned. The former Supreme Sword Hyeonryeon-wi, watching Janggang Eoeong’s departing figure, turned his head to Old Man No.

“I’ll be going.”

“Okay. Ah, the work is done well, so don’t worry.”

Hyeonryeon-wi wore a faint smile. The moment he saw Sun Bin’s group return, he could tell that much.

After giving a light nod to Sun Bin and Hyeonryeon Se-hwa, Hyeonryeon-wi left the Seowon.

“That guy, he was waiting to confirm that.”

Old Man No muttered. If they were experts from the Outer Palace who knew about the Huangshan’s Heaven-Shaking Earth-Moving Scheme, they would naturally try to confirm the aftermath.

“If it’s about that, I sent a letter in advance through Miss Se-hwa?”

Sun Bin said with a puzzled expression.

Before leaving Hangzhou, Sun Bin briefly informed some of the experts from the Outer Palace of the results of the work.

Hyeonryeon Se-hwa wrote a letter to Hyeonryeon-wi, Dang Wol-ah to Dang Hwa-ryeon of the Dang Family, Seo-rin to the Wudang Sect, and Cheong-hye to Beopheo Sinni of the Emei Sect.

Sun Bin wrote letters directly to the Namgoong Family, the Moryong Family, and Hyeolbong.

So Hyeonryeon-wi was waiting at the Seowon even though he already knew the results.

“Still, he’d want to confirm, because it’s a matter of the safety of the entire Kangho martial world [Kangho refers to the martial arts world or Jianghu].”

Old Man No, who had been muttering, suddenly frowned.

“Wait, aren’t other guys coming to see too?”

“Um…….”

Cheong-hye of the Emei Sect continued speaking with a sorry expression.

“Even if it’s not, my master said she would definitely come to visit…….”

Old Man No couldn’t smooth out his distorted frown. If it was Beopheo Sinni’s personality, she would do that and still have more to do. Of course, it wouldn’t be right away because she had to take care of the Emei Sect’s affairs.

“Ugh, should I run away somewhere?”

Sa Soo-yeon hesitated and spoke to Old Man No, who was grumbling.

“Um…….”

“What is it? Are they coming from Bukhae too? After coming this much again?”

Sa Soo-yeon shook her head at Old Man No’s words.

“There’s no way that would happen.”

Perhaps that ‘no way’ could become a reality, but Sa Soo-yeon didn’t know yet.

“I was wondering if we should take this opportunity to visit Bukhae. My grandfather told me to come and play.”

“Really?”

Bukhae was tempting to Old Man No. First of all, he really liked the horses of Bukhae.

“It’s a bit far…….”

It would be nice to go with Old Madam Dang Un-yeong, but Hyeonryeon Se-hwa’s words stopped that thought.

“We just came back from a trip with the children; wouldn’t it be a bit much to go somewhere else again?”

Hyeonryeon Se-hwa’s point was accurate.

“Let’s go when it gets hotter and the Seowon is closed. I really want to go to Bukhae too.”

When the weather gets hotter, the Seowon closes. Of course, even then, the children gather and play.

“Bukhae? Is there a lot of delicious food there?”

Hwa-sa suddenly showed interest. Old Man No stroked his beard and tilted his head.

“Rather than delicious, it’s more like unique…….”

“It’s delicious!”

Old Man No’s words were cut off by Seo-rin’s shout. Hwa-sa was delighted.

“Really? Then let’s go together!”

“I’m not a fan of the cold…….”

Talhondo was about to say something, but Hwa-sa was already heading towards Dang Wol-ah.

“You’re going too, right?”

“I’m busy.”

“So you’re not going?”

Dang Wol-ah stared intently at Hwa-sa. However, Hwa-sa just looked back with a puzzled expression.

“……I’ll go.”

Even with Dang Wol-ah’s slightly annoyed answer, Hwa-sa was happy.

Old Man No sighed. Anyway, it seemed inevitable that guests would continue for the time being.

“I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

Old Man No said that with a hollow voice.

Old Madam Dang Un-yeong and those who were interested in the Seowon’s kitchen rushed over, and Sun Bin prepared tea for those who were waiting.

“Hoo-oo.”

Old Man No held up a teacup and wore a satisfied expression.

“Good. This is the taste of life.”

Sun Bin smiled. It was as if the expert of the Outer Palace, Old Man No, who no one other than the Four Heavenly Kings of the Outer World could stand against in the past, was talking like the grandfather next door.

“Why are you laughing?”

Old Man No frowned. Sun Bin smiled.

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

“Really?”

Old Man No shrugged and turned his head. The smell of food was already wafting from the kitchen, and the curious Bukhae Twelve were rummaging through every corner of the Seowon.

“It’s nothing new, but.”

Old Man No suddenly said to Sun Bin with a warm expression.

“Thank you.”

“Me too.”

Sun Bin said with a smile. Old Man No chuckled.

Swaaa.

The wind passed, shaking the branches of the trees in the garden. Amidst the rising tea fragrance, Old Man No was enjoying the season’s elegance.

“Um, but Elder.”

Sun Bin suddenly said to Old Man No, who was relaxing. Old Man No turned his head.

“What happened to the Blood Demon?”

That was truly an unexpected remark. Old Man No frowned.

“Blood Demon? You chased that guy away.”

The Blood Demon who had possessed the body of Guigyeon Sura was no more. Even the Demonic Sword Blood Fang had been broken in front of Sun Bin’s White Dew.

“Not that, I mean the disappeared Blood Demon.”

“Ah, you mean the former Blood Demon?”

The former Blood Demon, defeated by Hwanghak Jin-in, had captured a young child with outstanding talent and raised him like a tool, making arrangements for him to awaken as a Blood Demon within.

But one day, the Blood Demon disappeared, leaving even the Demonic Sword Blood Fang behind.

The child left alone came down to the world and met the Hyeolbong Geumsaryeon. That child was Guigyeon Sura Arang.

“Well? I don’t know either?”

That was the case then, but there was no way to know now.

Dang Wol-ah said that the lack of signs of a fight meant that he might have been subdued and taken away by someone, but who could overwhelm the Blood Demon, who was not easy even for Hwanghak Jin-in?

So, as a result, the former Blood Demon disappeared, leaving behind the young Guigyeon Sura, even handing over the Blood Fang Sword.

“I find it strange too, but you don’t have to worry about that guy anymore. He’s probably dead anyway.”

“Dead?”

When Sun Bin asked, Old Man No nodded.

“Yes. There’s only one Blood Demon in each generation. So the appearance of a new Blood Demon means that the former Blood Demon is dead.”

Clearly, the Blood Demon appeared through the body of Guigyeon Sura. So, according to Old Man No, the former Blood Demon was no more.

“And you broke the Blood Fang Sword too.”

Old Man No shrugged.

“Well, after all, the Demonic Sword is just like a tool to draw out the Blood Demon, so it might somehow squeeze out again.”

Losing the Demonic Sword Blood Fang was a huge blow to the Blood Demon, but the Blood Demon is essentially an existence belonging to the other side of the world. It won’t disappear so easily.

“Anyway, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s unnecessary worry.”

Old Man No answered definitively. Since no one knew more about the Blood Demon than Old Man No, his words would be correct.

“Is that so…….”

However, Sun Bin was somehow worried. If asked why, he wouldn’t have anything to say.

“More than that, shouldn’t we worry about our food now? Come to think of it, is there anything edible left in the Seowon?”

Sun Bin’s complexion turned pale.

It was already a long time since he had left the Seowon. More than the problem of whether there was anything left, he was worried that they might end up eating something spoiled.

Old Madam Dang Un-yeong and the women in the Seowon lacked common sense. They were all people who had lived in huge sects or in an unusual world.

The most sensible person was Hyeonryeon Se-hwa, but she wasn’t in the Seowon right now. She had left a little while ago to greet the Hoyeon Martial Clan and the Hyeonryeon Family.

“Well, I’ll go take a look for a moment.”

Sun Bin put down his teacup and quickly got up and headed to the kitchen. Watching his retreating figure, Old Man No clicked his tongue.

“It’s a bit much that the best cook among us is Bin…….”

Old Man No, shaking his head, looked at Shin-ui. Shin-ui was sitting silently, savoring the tea.

“Are there any edible things among the medicinal herbs?”

“It’s faster to buy them.”

At Shin-ui’s very sensible and obvious answer, Old Man No sighed and got up from his seat.

They had to go to the market quickly to eat.

*

*

*

The Yunnan Snow Mountain, which does not allow people to approach, was like a blade soaring towards the blue sky.

The impossibly high white peaks and the snowfields formed on the vast ice, the size of which could not be estimated, were the mystery of nature itself.

Thud.

A low roar echoed across the white snowfield. It was a sound that anyone would instinctively fear, but there was no one to hear it.

This was the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, revered by the indigenous people of Yunnan as a forbidden sanctuary.

Kureureung.

The heavy sound did not stop easily. The roar, which made the snow-covered snowfield tremble lowly, finally began to create cracks on the white snowfield.

Jjeojeojeok.

It was only a moment before the snowfield split with an eerie sound, and like a lie, one part slowly began to sink.

Kwareureureureu.

The snow and ice, unable to withstand their own weight, soon became a torrent of pure white, sweeping everything away.

After a while, after the tremendous torrent, as if the snow mountain was raging, passed and the scattering snow subsided, the cross-section of a huge ice newly revealed its appearance.

Kwaang.

Pieces of ice burst out from the cross-section with an explosion, and a person appeared in the place where the pieces had fallen off.

“Hoo.”

A pure white breath rises with a long breath.

White skin, red lips, and softly swaying long black hair.

The man with a beautiful appearance, as if drawn, smiled as he looked at the snow mountain landscape spread out far below his feet.

The sight was like a painting, so much so that even the torn white silk clothes looked attractive.

“I never thought I’d be so happy to see this damn scenery.”

He said in a sweet voice, as if whispering sweet nothings to a lover. He gazed intently at the scenery of the snow mountain before turning his head.

“See? I told you I could get out, right?”

Jeobeok.

A man appeared from behind him. A middle-aged man with a sturdy physique, in contrast to the nobleman just now.

A man with intense eyes that anyone would not forget. He slowly walked out of the deep ice cave and looked at the scenery of the snow mountain.

The traces of the huge torrent spread out far below his feet. The scars that the ice and snow that had fallen off a little while ago had left were spread out before his eyes.

“How much time has passed?”

Saja-hyeok, the man who frowned slightly, said.

“Well?”

Okryong, the man with a beautiful appearance as if drawn, shrugged.

“A hundred years? Or dozens of years? Or maybe only a few days have passed.”

“That’s not true.”

Saja-hyeok retorted in a blunt voice.

“Because the seasons are different.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Okryong looked at the scenery of the snow mountain with a smile so soft that anyone who knew him before could hardly believe it.

“I wish it had been two or three hundred years. Then no one who knows us would be left. Ah, maybe you’ll be left as a legend or something.”

Okryong looked at Saja-hyeok with an attractive smile.

“If he wrote a book about you.”

Saja-hyeok chuckled.

“Let’s go down.”

The bottom was far away, but that was no problem for these two.

“Okay. First, we have to go down this snow mountain. Once we go down this time, I never want to come up again for a while.”

Okryong shook his head and habitually tried to put his hand in his arms, but stopped.

“Ah, right. It’s gone now.”

The jade fan he cherished was no more. It had been broken by Saja-hyeok’s Breaking Moon Three Styles.

Okryong frowned at Saja-hyeok and said.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t even hear you say thank you? You would have been dead already if it weren’t for me.”

“You would have died too if it weren’t for me.”

Saja-hyeok retorted in a blunt voice, but Okryong snorted.

“No way. I already knew everything about the Blood Demon’s Great Art perfectly. No, I know it better than the Blood Demon. I brought you here because I had already finished preparing for it, so I don’t die.”

“You’re very confident for someone who was losing consciousness until I saved you.”

Okryong’s expression distorted at Saja-hyeok’s words.

“I’ll ask again, why did you save me? Weren’t you here to kill me?”

Okryong’s eyes stared straight at Saja-hyeok.

The first thing Okryong said to Saja-hyeok when he regained consciousness in the cracks of the huge ice was also that.

But Saja-hyeok did not answer until the end, even as he was dying from the poison of the Thousand Fragrance Pavilion.

“Thanks to you, I had to save you. Why? Weren’t you here to kill me?”

“Revenge.”

Saja-hyeok opened his mouth.

“It never meant anything to me from the beginning. I just wanted to prove it myself.”

Saja-hyeok said in a calm voice.

“That she existed in this world and what she meant to me.”

“Really.”

Okryong did not hide his mockery.

“You’ve become a trivial man. The shining Heavenly Demon of Hyeoncheon has truly disappeared.”

But there was no more sharpness in that mockery. Saja-hyeok also chuckled and turned his head.

“Let’s go. We have a lot to do.”

“Okay.”

Answering that way, Okryong turned his head and looked at the scenery spread out below his feet.

“Then first, I have to find the guy who succeeded my position, right? If he’s still doing nonsense with the power of blood or something…….”

Okryong said with a more beautiful, but cruel smile.

“I’ll kill him.”

Listening to his voice, Saja-hyeok looked at the scenery of the snow mountain spread out below his feet.

Hoo-oo-ook.

Even in the cold wind of the snow mountain that was blowing as if awakened, his eyes were shining intensely.