A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 144

144. Divine Descent

The sound of footsteps echoed on the steep, large stone steps. A faint light illuminated the cave, stretching endlessly upwards.

‘What happened?’

Sa Su-yeon pondered, retracing her memories as she walked. At first, she couldn’t recall anything. But as she quietly followed Son Bin, various scenes began to emerge vaguely.

Thud, thud.

‘I… won.’

How she had broken Oruhan’s sword was unclear. But she had defeated Oruhan and ordered her to erect the Twelve Steles of the Northern Sea.

‘And I…’

Her memories were fragmented. Except for a few intense moments, what happened in between remained hazy.

‘Myeong.’

She wielded Myeong, the sword given by the Ice Emperor. And she continued to win. She didn’t particularly remember who her opponents were.

However, she clearly remembered Sarune’s eyes as she looked at her.

Sarune’s warm but sad gaze. The moment she recalled that look, another pair of eyes surfaced in her memory.

‘Ah.’

Sa Su-yeon realized. She hadn’t just met Son Bin. He had already found her. Among countless meaningless people, he alone looked at her with meaning.

The remnants of that intense emotion she had felt then still lingered in her heart. Her desire to possess him, as reckless as a child.

‘What on earth was I thinking?’

Sa Su-yeon felt her face flush.

Why had she acted that way towards Son Bin, who had come all the way from that distant Cheongwon to this land of the Northern Sea? She was simply grateful and sorry, so much so that she was ashamed to even look at his face.

Thud, thud.

The sound of their footsteps echoed in the darkness. Son Bin was still walking ahead of her. His back seemed particularly large and broad.

‘And I…’

Sa Su-yeon calmly retraced her memories. She had defeated the people of the Zhuge and Gongsun families. It was the final martial contest, but even their faces and the details of the contest were vague.

All she remembered was Son Bin’s gaze upon her. Her emotions tingling at his attention. And the fleeting image of Bing-hu’s eyes, sparking like fire.

‘I came here.’

Sa Su-yeon recalled.

‘Yes, this place is.’

It was said to be the training chamber of the successive Ice Emperors. And here, she had obtained the Ice Soul, the ten-thousand-year-old ice crystal of the Northern Sea.

Only she could hear the voice of the Ice Soul. Only she could synchronize with the power of the Ice Soul. And while she was intoxicated in that endless sea of power, Son Bin had found her. And she had…

“Ah!”

Son Bin stopped and turned his head at the sound that escaped her without her realizing it.

“Are you alright?”

Sa Su-yeon quickly turned her head away.

“Y-yes, I’m fine. Let’s get out of here.”

Though she couldn’t see it, Sa Su-yeon knew that Son Bin was smiling.

“Understood. Please come up carefully.”

Son Bin started walking upwards again. And Sa Su-yeon’s face, following behind him, was completely red. The burning heat made her face feel like it would burst into flames.

‘What on earth did I…’

Her words and actions were too embarrassing to even recall. Sa Su-yeon hurriedly shook her head. She hadn’t been in her right mind back then. So all the words and actions she had directed at Son Bin were meaningless. They were nothing.

Sa Su-yeon repeated that to herself.

Shaking her head, Sa Su-yeon calmly took a breath to calm her racing heart. After repeating this several times, Sa Su-yeon was barely able to regain her composure.

Thud, thud.

‘But…’

Sa Su-yeon thought. She had definitely drawn her sword against Son Bin. But she didn’t remember what happened after that. It couldn’t be helped. She had lost her mind.

‘What happened after that?’

The last thing she clearly remembered was a scene filled with blue moonlight. But could there be moonlight underground? Son Bin had definitely said something, but it was as vague as if it were covered in a hazy fog.

‘And the Ice Soul.’

She had definitely synchronized with the ten-thousand-year-old ice crystal, the Ice Soul. That endless power was enough to intoxicate even Sa Su-yeon, who had mastered the Profound Heaven Ice Seal. She had clearly recognized that power pouring towards her.

‘But my inner energy hasn’t returned yet.’

Sa Su-yeon raised her hand. Only a faint amount of power remained in her slender, white hand.

Normally, she should already be filled with the energy of the ten-thousand-year-old ice crystal. She should be so full of energy that she couldn’t even control it. But her inner energy was still depleted.

Swish.

Sa Su-yeon raised her head and looked at Son Bin’s back. He probably knew. But if she asked him about it, it would be the same as saying that her embarrassing memories had returned.

‘Haa.’

Sa Su-yeon shook her head. She didn’t have the courage to say such a thing. Especially while looking at Son Bin’s face.

Calmly taking a breath, Sa Su-yeon once again calmed her pounding heart. Perhaps because she had no inner energy at all, climbing the endless stone steps was not easy.

‘If I were still synchronized with the Ice Soul, I would still be intoxicated by that power.’

Sa Su-yeon continued to think.

‘But now I’m free from the influence of the Ice Soul. How on earth?’

It might be a temporary phenomenon. When her inner energy returned, Sa Su-yeon might resonate with the ten-thousand-year-old ice crystal again. The problem was how this phenomenon had occurred.

‘Perhaps Young Master Son did something…’

He must have done something. There was no doubt about it. But what did he do, and how?

‘Could it be!’

Sa Su-yeon’s eyes widened at the thought that suddenly occurred to her. And without hesitating, she called out to Son Bin.

“Young Master Son!”

“We’ve arrived.”

Son Bin said. The stairs that seemed to go on forever had ended, and a huge stone door was visible. The outside was faintly lit, as if dawn was already breaking.

But that wasn’t important to Sa Su-yeon at all.

“No!”

Sa Su-yeon reached out towards Son Bin. Son Bin lightly took a step back.

“It’s dangerous, Young Lady Sa.”

Son Bin said.

“The power of the Ice Soul is looking for a place to burst out. If you touch me now, all my efforts for you will have been in vain.”

Sa Su-yeon bit her lip.

It was as she thought. Son Bin had synchronized with the Ice Soul in her place. Instead of her, he was going to withstand the Ice Soul’s violent rampage.

“But if that happens, you will…”

Sa Su-yeon couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. No one knew what would happen to Son Bin. But she knew for sure that it wouldn’t be good.

Son Bin’s actions now were like jumping into a torrent alone. He was now taking a dangerous step into the torrent of that huge and violent power, which would have already buried anyone else.

“It’s alright. No, I’m happy now.”

Son Bin smiled.

“Because this time, I was able to save you.”

Something hot welled up in Sa Su-yeon’s chest. Sa Su-yeon gritted her teeth. Son Bin smiled at her once more and stepped out of the stone door. The outside was all blue.

“That’s a relief.”

Thud.

Son Bin said as he stepped out of the stone door.

“I was able to make it in time.”

Sa Su-yeon didn’t understand what he meant. But the moment she stepped out of the stone door, Sa Su-yeon could see.

Boo-ooo, doo-doo-doo-doo.

Unpleasant, low-pitched horn sounds, and vibrations that shook the ground, and clouds of dust rising and obscuring the horizon.

‘T, this is…’

A countless number of cavalrymen were rushing in like a wave. The cavalrymen were charging towards this place from three directions.

‘Bing-hu!’

Sa Su-yeon immediately understood the situation. Or perhaps she was only now recalling what she had already expected.

Sa Su-yeon quickly looked for Son Bin. He was already approaching a place where several people were gathered.

Rustle.

Yeorin Dang-wol, still wearing her veil, turned her head first. And almost at the same time, the pretty boy shouted with a bright face.

“Wow! It’s Brother Bin!”

Nogun quickly grabbed the pretty boy’s collar as he tried to run towards Son Bin. And he said to Son Bin as if grumbling.

“You’re finally here? What on earth were you…”

Nogun’s eyes widened, and his expression immediately hardened.

“You…”

“Young Palace Lord!”

The Twelve Steles of the Northern Sea, who had discovered Sa Su-yeon, shouted in unison. And at the same time, they knelt on one knee and bowed their heads.

“Young Palace Lord.”

Oruhan also knelt. The Four Direction Generals and the escorting warriors of the Northern Sea all knelt and paid their respects to Young Palace Lord Sa Su-yeon.

‘The Twelve Steles of the Northern Sea, and the Four Direction Generals.’

The moment she saw them, Sa Su-yeon’s memories vividly returned.

“Please rise.”

Sa Su-yeon said. Those who had been kneeling and paying their respects rose.

“The situation is not good.”

At her words, a strange light flickered in Oruhan’s eyes. But Oruhan quickly erased that look and replied.

“Yes. We must leave this place immediately.”

In fact, it was already too late. The wave of cavalrymen was already close at hand. The sound of hooves pounding the ground and the sound of horns made it difficult to hear voices properly.

Oruhan gritted her teeth.

“The Twelve Steles of the Northern Sea and I will clear the way. Young Palace Lord, you should…”

“It’s alright.”

A clear voice suddenly rang out. Even Oruhan stopped speaking and turned her head at the voice that seemed to echo in her head. The young scholar was speaking to Nogun.

“I will stop them.”

The young scholar raised his head and looked at the approaching force of cavalrymen. And he walked forward.

Thud, thud.

Even Seomoksu Oruhan, the Twelve Steles of the Northern Sea, and the Four Direction Generals were all staring blankly at the sight.

“Bin-ah!”

Nogun shouted. The young scholar smiled quietly.

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

With those words, the young scholar slowly drew his sword. A sword so beautiful that it captivated the eye in an instant, the Egret shone in his hand.

Wooong.

The sword cried. The young scholar, holding the sword with both hands, raised his eyes. The wave of hooves rushing towards him was right in front of him, but he did not waver.

“It’s time to return to the great nature.”

He said quietly.

“Let’s go, Ice Soul.”

Giiiiing!

The Ice Soul began to shine deep underground. And at the same time, the Egret above ground emitted light.

Fwoosh.

Blue flames wrapped around the Egret’s blade and soared upwards. It soon left the tip of the Egret and began to rise into the sky, eventually becoming a huge blue flame.

Whoo-oosh.

The moment she saw that flame-like figure, Seomoksu Oruhan’s heart sank. It was the instinctive fear of a finite being towards something infinite.

“What are you doing!”

Nogun shouted. His voice pierced Oruhan’s ears.

“Take cover here!”

Oruhan wrapped her arms around Sa Su-yeon’s waist and flew next to Nogun. The Twelve Steles of the Northern Sea, as well as the Four Direction Generals and the escorting warriors, and the former elders, all moved immediately. No one questioned it.

Kwa-gwa-gwak!

A storm-like force began to envelop and swirl around them. Everyone’s clothes and hair fluttered wildly. Oruhan lowered her stance and raised her head. And she saw an unbelievable sight.

Kkiiiiiing!

The sword screamed. And the huge blue flame that wrapped around the sword was soaring towards the sky.

‘M, my goodness.’

It wasn’t just Oruhan’s feeling. Everyone who saw that sight at this moment was feeling the same emotion.

Whoo-oong.

‘Gasp.’

Oruhan realized for a moment that her inner energy was leaking out. Her inner energy was leaking out as if carried away by the wind.

Reflexively, Oruhan tried to raise her inner energy to resist the flow. But as if waiting for it, her inner energy flowed out even more fiercely.

“Don’t raise your inner energy!”

Nogun said.

“Lower your stance and bow your head. Don’t even breathe deeply. You’ll get sucked in completely if you’re not careful.”

As soon as she heard those words, Oruhan disrupted her inner energy. The momentum of the outflow immediately decreased.

The Twelve Steles, who understood Nogun’s words, immediately conveyed them to the people on their left and right. The bewildered ones lowered their bodies and held their breath as Nogun said.

‘W, what is this…’

It was a phenomenon she had never heard of before. But regardless of Oruhan’s questions, the blue flame surrounding the Egret was growing even larger.

Whoo-oooong.

Son Bin’s figure was hardly visible. The blue flame had swallowed even Son Bin and was soaring into the sky with storm-like momentum.

A giant pillar of fire soaring towards the sky. Oruhan suddenly thought of the dust devils of the Great Desert.

A giant judgment of nature that turns everything to nothing, which anyone can only lower their head and hope to pass by.

Oruhan’s whole body trembled. Son Bin’s faintly visible back looked like the descent of a celestial being.

Boo-ooo, doo-doo-doo-doo.

The army cried out eerily and rushed in. And at that moment, the pillar of blue fire soaring towards the sky fell towards them.

Whoo-oosh.

The blue flames swept through the army.

∴

The cavalry forces rushing in from three directions also saw Son Bin’s blue flames. But they could no longer stop. They shouldn’t stop either. The cavalry forces rushed straight towards Son Bin.

Whoo-oosh.

At first, nothing happened. The blue flames that seemed to burn everything simply passed by like the wind.

But the next moment, the horses lost their balance and fell forward.

“Cough.”

The Northern Sea’s strong horses, which had been kicking the ground, tumbled forward as if their legs had been broken at the same time. The riders were thrown down with their horses.

Whoo-oosh.

The blue flames once again swept through the army. The other horses that were running behind also lost their strength. The cries and screams of horses erupted from everywhere.

“W, what is this!”

The warriors who had fallen to the ground quickly picked up their swords. Some were in severe condition, but injuries from falling off their horses were never a threat to those who had lived with horses all their lives.

But they had to sit down again.

“Huh?”

Their knees buckled and they collapsed to the ground. They couldn’t put any strength in their legs.

It wasn’t just their legs. Their arms, which had been raising their swords, were also falling down awkwardly. As if they had suddenly become helpless old men, they had no strength in their whole bodies.

Whoo-oosh.

The blue flames swept through the army. And there was no one standing in the place where the flames had passed.

Whoo-oooong.

Like burning countless moths, the three thousand troops were being incapacitated in an instant in front of the blue flames.

∴

“W, what on earth is this…”

Oruhan, who had been lowering her stance, said. She couldn’t believe what was happening before her eyes.

“He’s pouring it out.”

Nogun said.

“Pouring it out? What?”

“Think of a large weir. A weir that holds a huge amount of water that could potentially submerge the world.”

Creating a weir by blocking the flowing water and building a dam was a common method of flood control in the South. It wasn’t familiar to Oruhan, but it wasn’t difficult to understand. She just had to think of the inland sea, the Northern Sea.

“But if the water overflows to the point where the weir can no longer handle it, what should you do?”

Nogun’s gaze was fixed on Son Bin’s back. Son Bin’s figure was engulfed in blue flames.

“There’s only one way. You have to pour out the water before the dam collapses. That’s what that guy is doing.”

‘Pouring it out?’

Oruhan hardly understood Nogun’s words. She didn’t know where that energy came from, or why such an action was necessary. But she clearly knew what the situation was now.

“So that figure is just…”

“Yes.”

Nogun quietly nodded his head. Every time Son Bin swung his sword, blue flames erupted in front of him.

“He’s pouring out his energy. Like a master emitting their aura. It’s just that the extent is enormous.”

Oruhan couldn’t hide her expression of astonishment.

Those with low levels of mastery would have their whole bodies stiffen just by facing the energy emitted by a master. Because they couldn’t handle that aura.

Essentially, the same phenomenon was happening before her eyes. It was just that the scale and extent had far exceeded human reason.

‘So the phenomenon of my inner energy leaking out was…’

It wasn’t being sucked out because of some sinister trick. It wasn’t that the blue flames were absorbing the energy.

Like being helplessly swept away by a huge torrent, their inner energy was being swept away and carried away in an instant.

But understanding and accepting were two completely different things.

“H, how can a person do such a thing…”

Oruhan couldn’t finish her sentence. This was not something allowed to a person.

Even if he was just pouring it out, how could a person handle such a vast amount of energy?

It was as reckless and foolish as trying to catch a falling giant waterfall with a small bowl.

“Because it’s that guy.”

Nogun said.

“Because he’s that kind of… guy.”

Nogun gritted his teeth. Blood was seeping from Nogun’s lips.

Whoo-oong.

The blue flames swept through Bing-hu’s army. The mournful cries of horses and the futile screams of people covered the sky.

Nogun, Seorin and Dang-wol, and Oruhan, the Twelve Steles of the Northern Sea, the Four Direction Generals, and the former elders, all. They were all lowering their heads and lowering their bodies, waiting for this storm to pass.

Only one person, Sa Su-yeon, couldn’t hide her anxious expression.

The power of the Ice Soul was not something that a person could handle. Rather, it would be fortunate if they weren’t consumed by that power. No matter how much Son Bin’s unique abilities were taken into account, it could never end safely.

‘Bin.’

Sa Su-yeon bit her lip. Blood flowed from her red lips.

*

*

*

Whoo-oong.

There was no one standing anymore. Now the blue flames were pouring out diagonally towards the sky. Every time a huge blue trajectory cut through the air, the sky and the ground seemed to vibrate faintly.

Whoo-oong.

The blue flames didn’t stop until dawn broke and the sky turned blue. But that bizarre event, which seemed like it would last forever, finally came to an end.

Whoo-oooong.

The last blue energy that Son Bin emitted had subsided considerably. Still, his sword looked the same, as if it were engulfed in blue flames.

Puh-ook.

Son Bin’s sword, the Egret, was stuck in the ground. Son Bin leaned on the sword and took a breath.

“Haa, haa.”

Son Bin’s breathing was rough. The blue flames had already disappeared. Looking down at the Egret, which was faintly vibrating in his hand, Son Bin gave a faint smile.

“Thank you. I believed… that you would endure…”

Woo-oong.

The sword trembled faintly. And Son Bin’s body slowly collapsed downwards.

“I believed…”

Thud.

Son Bin couldn’t finish his sentence. Not even dust rose from the place where he fell.

“Young Master Son!”

“Bin-ah!”

“Brother Bin!”

“Young Master!”

With the warm voices of these people faintly ringing in his ears, Son Bin quietly closed his eyes.