A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 208

208. The Fated Adversary

The ‘modest banquet’ prepared for Son Bin and his group was indeed small and quaint. However, the sincerity behind it was anything but small.

Chirping, chirping.

Colorful little birds chirped among the trees. A small waterfall cascaded between the large stones that decorated the garden, soon becoming a slender stream that flowed around the wide rock where the group sat.

A quaint stone garden that felt untouched by human hands despite being man-made. Son Bin and his group were seated on one side.

While tension subtly lingered on the faces of No Gun and Sa Soo-yeon, the five children gathered by the flowing water, splashing and playing with Seorin.

“This is a lovely place.”

Son Bin said with a relaxed expression.

“It feels like stepping into the shade of a small valley.”

That was Son Bin’s honest impression.

The young Okryong smiled. With the quaint garden behind him, he looked like a painting.

“I’m glad you like it.”

Clack.

The young Okryong closed his jade fan. He looked up at a bird singing on a branch.

“Actually, I’m not very familiar with places like this. As you know, I’ve been confined to the Snow Mountain for the past decade or so.”

He said with a calm expression. His profile looked quite young, reminding them that he was not the previous Okryong.

“It was a terrible place.”

“Is that so?”

Son Bin said to the young Okryong, who shook his head.

“But I still dream of that place.”

The young Okryong looked at Son Bin, a strange light in his eyes.

“Really? What kind of dream?”

“It’s nothing much.”

Clink.

Son Bin put down his teacup and continued.

“A blue sky, white peaks, and two people standing on the snowfield. Just… that’s all.”

That was all. But perhaps it was a scene Son Bin would never forget.

Son Bin’s eyes seemed to be gazing at something far away. After a moment of silence, the young Okryong suddenly spoke.

“What do you think?”

Son Bin raised his head.

“Do you think I caused that avalanche?”

Son Bin knew what ‘that avalanche’ the young Okryong was referring to.

The final collapse that swallowed Saja Hyuk and the previous Okryong.

At that time, Saja Hyuk had saved Son Bin and disappeared into the collapsing snow.

“Well…”

Son Bin picked up his teacup.

“To be honest, I don’t really know.”

Son Bin said, looking straight into the young Okryong’s eyes. The Okryong’s eyes were sparkling like a playful child.

“Hehe.”

Swish.

The young Okryong laughed, covering his mouth with his fan. But that was all; he neither confirmed nor denied it.

“If you don’t mind my asking…”

Son Bin asked again.

“How did you come to acquire Pawol?”

The young Okryong was silent for a moment, but not for long.

“The Snow Mountain avalanche swallows everything.”

After blinking a few times, the young Okryong began to speak.

“Once it sweeps through, no one in the world can escape it. And no one can find them.”

That was probably true. What Son Bin had seen was not so much an avalanche as a scene of the sky collapsing.

“But when spring comes and the weather warms up, the snow and ice that have been pushed down to the lowlands melt, and what they held within is revealed. Sometimes, things buried decades or even centuries ago appear. And very rarely…”

The young Okryong’s lips, hidden behind the jade fan, formed a faint smile.

“The bodies of those who died long ago are found in the massive ice, looking as vivid as if they were still alive.”

Sa Soo-yeon’s face turned pale as she listened. No Gun and Shin-ui’s expressions also stiffened.

However, Son Bin’s expression remained calm.

“So, you found Pawol?”

“That’s right.”

The young Okryong looked at Son Bin with a curious gaze.

“Don’t you think there might have been something else? For example, someone’s corpse.”

“If what you found was more than just Pawol, we wouldn’t be talking about Pawol alone right now.”

“Hehehe.”

The young Okryong chuckled and snapped his fan shut.

“That’s right. Unfortunately, all I found was a large black sword. Other than that, I couldn’t find even a piece of clothing.”

Son Bin asked again.

“May I ask you one more question?”

“As many as you like.”

The young Okryong smiled.

“It’s a pleasure talking with you, Son Gong-ja [Master Son]. I haven’t felt this way in a long time.”

Son Bin bowed his head slightly in gratitude and continued.

“You said that once someone is swept away by the Snow Mountain avalanche, no one can know their whereabouts. How did you confirm that the previous Okryong had passed away?”

“You don’t need to use honorifics for that person.”

The young Okryong gave a bitter smile.

“I know better than anyone how terrible he was. You don’t have to be polite in front of me.”

Son Bin shook his head.

“I may not know him well, but I don’t hate him. I have no intention of addressing him carelessly.”

When you think about it, he had caused Son Bin a lot of harm. He had threatened his life more than once.

But for some reason, Son Bin didn’t hate him. Perhaps it was because he had seen his sincere final moments.

As Son Bin spoke, he noticed the young Okryong’s eyes on him. They were gleaming with an eerie light.

“Hmm, is that so? You’re a very unique person, Son Gong-ja. Oh, right. You asked how I was sure he was dead, didn’t you?”

Son Bin nodded.

“Those who bear the name of Okryong have something called ‘Blood Power.’ It’s a special power passed down through bloodlines, and it only manifests when the previous Okryong dies.”

In other words, when the new Okryong manifests the ‘Blood Power,’ it signifies the death of the previous Okryong.

The reason he used the term ‘previous’ without hesitation was probably because the ‘Blood Power’ had manifested in him.

“Haa…”

A deep sigh escaped from No Gun’s lips.

“So… he’s gone too.”

No Gun muttered quietly, closing his eyes.

The death of Okryong, one of the Heavenly Outlaws, meant a great deal. It would mean even more to No Gun, who had lived in the same era.

“The reason I inherited the seat as the new Okryong is because of that. But… now that I think about it, it’s a bit strange.”

The young Okryong tilted his head.

“Why would Son Gong-ja, of all people, ask such a question?”

Son Bin was the one who had directly witnessed the two being swept away in that massive collapse. Yet, he still asked for evidence of Okryong’s death.

“Could it be…? Ahahaha!”

Suddenly, the young Okryong burst into laughter. While others looked bewildered, only Son Bin wore a bitter smile.

“Hahaha, ahahaha! This is really…”

The young Okryong, who had been laughing heartily, looked straight at Son Bin with shining eyes.

“You really think ‘he’ might still be alive, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

Son Bin replied without a moment’s hesitation.

“I always think that even if he came to me tonight and said, ‘Let’s go,’ it wouldn’t be strange at all.”

Behind Son Bin’s gentle smile was a deep longing.

The young Okryong stared intently at Son Bin’s face.

“I’d like to tell the elders of the main sect what you just said, Son Gong-ja.”

The young Okryong said, nodding his head.

“To those who extolled the power of gods and such, yet started talking about the ‘previous Okryong’ in less than three days.”

A moment of silence passed. Then, the young Okryong suddenly opened his mouth.

“Actually, I haven’t seen Pawol yet.”

The group’s attention immediately focused on the young Okryong. The young Okryong wore a faint smile.

“I’ve only received a report that such a thing was found. I’ve been away from the main sect recently.”

The young Okryong had been in Hangzhou, so it was easy to guess.

“Since Son Gong-ja has come, Pawol will soon arrive here as well. So, if you wait a little longer, you’ll be able to meet Pawol.”

The young Okryong said with a picturesque smile.

“Though it can’t compare to meeting its owner.”

Son Bin looked at the young Okryong and responded with a smile.

“Thank you for your kindness. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Everyone present could clearly tell that the voice held genuine sincerity.

*

*

*

Son Bin and his group left for the city of Gwiyang. They needed to find an inn to stay in until Pawol arrived.

The young Okryong had offered to prepare accommodations, but Son Bin declined, saying he didn’t want to impose.

After Son Bin and his group left, the young Okryong stood alone in the quaint garden, now empty.

His gaze was fixed on the small entrance where Son Bin had last disappeared, unmoving. He couldn’t take his eyes off the empty entrance.

“Shall we follow them?”

A low female voice said. A woman with narrow eyes, wearing a white headband and white martial arts uniform, appeared behind the young Okryong.

Holding a sword carefully in her arms, she glared at the place where Son Bin and his group had disappeared with her narrow eyes.

“Well? We’ve already been noticed. Would there be any point, Hanseol?”

Another man’s voice said. He was a young man who looked like a nobleman, with one hand behind his back and the other holding a white fan to cover his mouth.

He had a likable appearance, but he paled in comparison to the young Okryong. He also wore a white sword at his waist.

“Everyone glanced back at us as they left, even the children. Only the veiled lady and the old man didn’t react, but maybe they just weren’t interested?”

Hanseol, the woman with narrow eyes, bit her lip.

She knew that Son Bin and his group were aware of their presence.

The problem was that they didn’t show any wariness despite knowing that.

That meant they didn’t care about their existence.

“But it’s amazing.”

Clack.

The man, called Baekhwa Gong-ja [Young Master Baekhwa], closed his white fan.

“To think that the Divine Swordswoman, Sa Soo-yeon, has become even more beautiful than before. Her beauty has blossomed like a flower, radiating a noble light. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.”

The woman frowned and glared at the man.

“Baekhwa, is there nothing but women in your eyes?”

“How could that be? I just tend not to look at anything that isn’t captivatingly beautiful.”

“Yes, that seems to be the case.”

The conversation between the two was interrupted by the young Okryong’s low voice.

“I couldn’t take my eyes off him… not for a single moment.”

Baekhwa Gong-ja and Hanseol’s faces hardened.

Did the young Okryong have feelings for the Divine Swordswoman, Sa Soo-yeon?

But their guess was wrong.

“He was clearly in front of me, but even as I looked at him, I couldn’t be sure of his existence. If I didn’t listen to his voice, it felt like even the awareness that he was there would disappear.”

As he slowly recovered from the shock of the terrifying swordsmanship Son Bin had shown in the Yewon, the young Okryong began to think that he might be able to capture him.

If it was within his sight, nothing in the world could escape the ‘Blood Power.’

Like the merciless claws of a dragon, it would grasp, bind, and neutralize everything that existed under the sky.

However, the moment he saw Son Bin appear before him, the young Okryong realized that his thought had been a delusion.

Even though he was clearly in front of him, he couldn’t feel his presence at all. Like a phantom or an illusion, he was there but didn’t exist in that place.

“How should I put it? He was like…”

The young Okryong couldn’t continue.

He couldn’t take his eyes off him for a single moment. Even when he pretended to look elsewhere, he had to keep him in the corner of his eye.

Otherwise, he felt like he would forget that he was even there.

It was the same when he rode ahead on his horse. He couldn’t miss his voice, not even a single breath. If he relaxed his guard even a little, he felt like he would completely lose track of his existence.

He was an existence he couldn’t control, like a desperate fate.

“He’s in front of my eyes, but I can never reach him…”

If he wanted to, he felt like he wouldn’t even realize it if he drew his sword and cut his throat right in front of him.

No, even if he clearly saw it, he felt like he wouldn’t even recognize the fact.

Absolute powerlessness in the face of an incomprehensible existence. The fear it gave him instantly captivated the young Okryong.

And he realized that the one caught in the dragon’s claws was none other than himself.

So, the young Okryong couldn’t take his eyes off Son Bin. He couldn’t miss his words, gestures, tone, or even a single breath.

The Divine Swordswoman Sa Soo-yeon, of course, as well as Namak No Gun, Shin-ui, the Taoist-robed pretty boy, the veiled lady, and the five children, didn’t even enter the young Okryong’s sight.

“Hehehe.”

The young Okryong chuckled and quietly looked down at his hand. His hand, as slender and delicate as a woman’s, was still damp with sweat.

He had to be more desperate than ever to hide his fear. He was dragged along by his words without ever taking the lead in the conversation.

Despite the name of ‘Okryong,’ who reigned as a god in Yunnan.

“Is this what the ‘previous one’ was talking about?”

—You know nothing.

The voice of the previous Okryong echoed in the young Okryong’s ear.

Standing alone majestically on the Snow Mountain, he looked down at himself, who was called Soryong.

Even the young Soryong could tell that his cold gaze was directed at him but not seeing him.

—Do people call you Soryong? Are you proud of the blood they worship? But the power of blood is nothing but trash in front of ‘him.’

Swish.

The previous Okryong said, spreading his jade fan and covering his mouth. He no longer even looked at the young Soryong.

—If you knew what I had obtained, you would give up the whole world to have it. But you can’t. You’re not qualified now. Not qualified to face your fated adversary.

“That’s right. I’m not qualified yet.”

The young Okryong’s voice was trembling slightly.

It was impossible to know whether it was tension or thrill.

But Hanseol and Baekhwa Gong-ja clearly knew what it meant.

“But at least I’ve become certain of one thing. Who my fated adversary really is.”

The young Okryong’s eyes were shining with an eerily intense light.