A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 45

45. Aftermath (2)

The terrible events in some regions of Yunnan surprisingly did not receive much attention from the world.

Few people were interested in rumors from Yunnan, a remote area still strongly perceived as the land of ethnic minorities. The phrase ‘the return of the Blood Demon’ itself led to a preconceived notion that it was just a baseless rumor.

The fact that such incidents were no longer occurring also significantly contributed to the rumors dying down.

What caught the attention of people regarding the events in Yunnan, especially the Jiangnan martial artists [martial artists from the Jiangnan region, south of the Yangtze River] spanning several provinces south of the Yangtze River, was something else entirely.

It was the rumor that there might have been a significant change in the leadership of the Blood Dragon Sect in Yunnan.

Especially in the Jiangnan martial world, where the Blood Dragon Sect had been secretly expanding its influence over the past few years, this rumor was bound to receive fervent attention.

The renowned aristocratic families and sects of Jiangnan immediately devoted all their efforts to confirm the truth. However, despite all their efforts, they could not find out what had happened.

The only certainty was that the upper echelons of the Blood Dragon Sect had cut off all contact with the outside world and remained silent.

Something had definitely happened, but the details could not be confirmed. In fact, very little was known about the Blood Dragon Sect from the beginning.

Only that they had seized control of all of Yunnan based on indigenous religions. Yunnan remained a region shrouded in a mysterious and incomprehensible veil.

The Jiangnan martial world paid close attention to the Blood Dragon Sect. However, the upper echelons of the Blood Dragon Sect remained silent for many days.

∴

Swish, swish.

A young nobleman wrapped in white silk was climbing the snowy mountains alone.

The young man, with a face as beautiful as a painting, moved as if taking a stroll, unconcerned about the cold wind and accumulated snow.

His youthful appearance, as if he had just shed his boyhood, seemed to further enhance his charm.

Whoosh.

As if a gust of wind had risen, a woman appeared before him.

Black, long hair fluttering in the wind, a white sword held preciously in her arms. It was Sword Concubine.

“He is dead.”

Looking straight into Sword Concubine’s eyes, the young nobleman, So Ryong, said in a calm voice.

“I confirmed the succession of blood a little while ago. Now, I am the new Jade Dragon.”

Rustle.

Sword Concubine quietly knelt on one knee and lowered her head. It was the same attitude she had taken towards the previous Jade Dragon.

The new, young Jade Dragon smiled.

“With this, the restriction that bound us is over. And the silence of the Blood Dragon Sect ends as well.”

While his soft and beautiful voice flowed out, Sword Concubine did not move.

“Rise.”

The young Jade Dragon extended his hand to Sword Concubine. A white and slender hand, like that of a woman, appeared.

“Let’s go together, Sword Concubine. I will make you the most precious woman in this world.”

Rustle.

Sword Concubine stood up. Her incredibly clear eyes blinked a few times, and she quietly opened her mouth.

“No.”

“What?”

The young Jade Dragon, not understanding her answer, unknowingly asked back. At that moment, Sword Concubine’s figure disappeared from before his eyes.

Whoosh.

‘Oh no!’

The young Jade Dragon hurriedly looked around. There was nowhere to hide in the snowy field spread out in all directions, but Sword Concubine’s figure could not be found anywhere.

“Come out, Sword Concubine! Do you dare to hide your figure in front of the new Jade Dragon?”

The young Jade Dragon shouted.

“I was promised freedom.”

Sword Concubine’s voice was heard. However, the young Jade Dragon could not find her figure.

Her voice, heard from all directions, was very small, but it was heard clearly as if she were speaking in his ear.

“Because he said so.”

The young Jade Dragon bit his lip.

‘Could it be.’

Even if he had inherited the power of blood, he could do nothing as he was now if he could not see her figure.

The fact that Sword Concubine knew the secret of this ability, which no one else knew and which he himself had only just learned, meant that there had already been a hint from the previous Jade Dragon.

It also meant that Sword Concubine had decided to leave this place, to leave him. Because with his current abilities, he could never make the hidden Sword Concubine appear.

“Please.”

The young Jade Dragon wore a pleading expression. It was a look that would have shaken the heart of any woman.

“Don’t leave me. Without you, I…”

“There is something I must do.”

Sword Concubine’s voice cut off the young Jade Dragon’s words.

“There is someone I want to meet.”

‘Someone she wants to meet?’

The young Jade Dragon was bewildered. As far as he knew, such a person did not exist for Sword Concubine.

No, in the first place, Sword Concubine was a person who showed absolute indifference to everything except the sword, let alone others.

“Who is it?”

The young Jade Dragon shouted.

“I will let you meet them. Even if it is the Emperor, I will make them kneel before me. So…!”

No one answered his voice. Only the blowing wind left a faint sound.

The young Jade Dragon could tell that Sword Concubine had already left this place.

Whirr.

“Sword Concubine…”

The pitiful expression disappeared, and the young Jade Dragon’s beautiful face twisted.

“For now… I will let you go.”

Gritting.

The young Jade Dragon said with a chilling look.

“But next time, you will be mine. Forever.”

His voice was buried in the wind and disappeared. However, his sharp eyes were shining eerily, as if to freeze the empty space where nothing was.

*

*

*

“The Blood Dragon Sect?”

“Yes.”

The young warrior bowed deeply and replied with utmost courtesy.

“The circumstances strongly suggest that there has been a major change in the leadership.”

“A major change in the leadership…”

Seolgeom, Dang Hwa-ryeon, a young woman receiving the warrior’s utmost courtesy with an indifferent expression, murmured softly with her red lips.

“What about the investigation into those rumors?”

“It is certain that a massacre occurred, but there are no direct witnesses or evidence. Moreover, as speculative rumors have been added, it has become almost a ghost story in Yunnan. However, it seems to be true that the main forces of the Blood Dragon Sect have suffered a major blow because of this.”

“A blow to the main forces of the Blood Dragon Sect… That’s bad news.”

Dang Hwa-ryeon frowned slightly. Her eyebrows, as beautiful as a painting, distorted. The warrior tilted his head.

“Yunnan is not far from Sichuan. If their power has weakened, it would be good for us…”

“No.”

Seolgeom, Dang Hwa-ryeon shook her head. And she looked down at the warrior with cold eyes and said.

“If this fact becomes known, the Jiangnan martial world will become complacent. Then the vigilance against our advance into Jiangnan will also be strengthened. We won’t be able to use the excuse of cooperating to stop the Blood Dragon Sect’s advance into Jiangnan. So, is that good news or bad news?”

The warrior’s face hardened.

“I apologize. My knowledge is short…”

“You are the working-level manager of the Tang Clan’s intelligence organization. Of course, I oversee everything, but there are quite a few things that you need to judge and handle on your own. If even such basic judgments are wrong, shouldn’t you show a more capable side if you know who put you in that position?”

The young warrior lowered his head deeply.

“I will keep that in mind.”

Dang Hwa-ryeon, who had been looking down at the warrior with a cold gaze, asked again.

“What about the matter I ordered you to investigate separately?”

“We could not find any details about the person using the giant black greatsword, nor could we find any traces of his companions.”

“Did you look into the people around my grandfather?”

“Yes. But even he had so many secrets in his movements…”

“I see, so it was.”

Dang Hwa-ryeon was lost in thought for a moment. She didn’t expect much anyway. And it’s not something that’s needed right now.

“Continue the investigation, but focus all your efforts on advancing into Jiangnan for now. The Gangbuk martial world [martial world north of the river] is currently saturated. The long-established families have established their bases, and these days the movements of the court are also unusual. If our Tang Clan is to gain strength, we have no choice but to advance into Jiangnan. Do you understand me well?”

“Yes.”

The warrior replied briefly. Seolgeom, Dang Hwa-ryeon, liked that better.

She hates acting exaggeratedly or making a fuss. Efficiency and practicality. This is what Seolgeom, Dang Hwa-ryeon, was pursuing.

“Good.”

Whirr.

Seolgeom, Dang Hwa-ryeon, turned her body and walked away, click, click.

‘Yes, it seems to be going well.’

Lightly fluttering her luxurious silk clothes, Seolgeom, Dang Hwa-ryeon, smiled faintly.

The image of a man holding a black greatsword and a man dressed as a scholar naturally came to her mind.

‘Just wait a little.’

Her red lips, faintly drawing an arc, shone under the light.

‘It won’t take long, never.’

Dang Hwa-ryeon, the Tang Clan’s youngest new chief strategist and a rising star in the martial world, a synonym for new masters, moved her steps.

Towards the Tang Clan’s highest decision-making body, the Grand Council Hall, which was already in her hands.

*

*

*

“That person?”

The old servant bowed his head and replied.

Yein, Nanhyang, a beauty dressed to the nines in gorgeous and luxurious silk clothes, leaned against the Swaeokjeong Pavilion [a type of traditional Korean pavilion] and let out a soft sigh.

“The Jade Dragon has passed away, today is a sad day.”

Her mournful voice seemed to plunge even the listener into sorrow.

Nanhyang, who had been tearing up for a while, asked the old servant.

“What about Muje?”

The servant shook his head.

“I do not know.”

If he doesn’t know, no one in the world can find out.

“I see.”

Nanhyang let out a small sigh.

“I wish he was just resting for a while, like before.”

The servant said nothing. Nanhyang, who had been looking at the sky for a while, spoke to the old servant again.

“Find out just one thing for me.”

Nanhyang said, gazing intently at the old servant.

“That scholar who was said to be his companion.”

“He was said to be a figure from the Outer Martial World.”

“Yes. But is that really the case?”

Nanhyang smiled slightly.

“The owner of Baekro [Seongeom Baekro, a sword] has changed, but no one knows the whereabouts of the current Seongeom Baekro? Even the Wudang doesn’t know. So, who is the one who became the new owner of Baekro? Who knows that?”

Her eyes flashed slightly.

“I was foolish. There’s no reason for him to lie, but there’s even less reason for him to tell me everything. He only told the truth, but that wasn’t the whole story.”

The old servant said nothing. Looking at him, Nanhyang smiled lightly.

“Please.”

After a moment of silence, the servant finally nodded.

“I understand.”

“Will you prepare my Seven-Stringed Zither?”

Nanhyang said.

“Because I want to play the zither for him today.”

Even the servant could not know who ‘he’ was referring to. The old servant bowed his head and stepped back.

Nanhyang raised her head and looked at the sky. The high sky of Xi’an, a historic ancient city, stretched out endlessly.

*

*

*

“Heo.”

The old Taoist with a long white beard let out a long sigh.

“Is Seorin still not allowing anyone?”

“That is correct.”

Another old Taoist replied in a low voice.

The sight of the two people sitting in a small pavilion open on all sides was enough to evoke the illusion that immortals were sitting face to face.

“She was the only one who guarded the last moments of the late Grand Master, but she doesn’t want to meet anyone, so how can we know the whereabouts of Seongeom Baekro?”

“She shows a very aggressive tendency towards anyone who tries to approach her, regardless of who they are. Moreover, she is guarding his Buljin [a personal item of great significance] as well.”

“Hongjinmanri?”

The old Taoist nodded. At that sight, the old Taoist sitting across from him closed his eyes tightly.

“The sect leader must have a lot of worries.”

“In terms of seniority, we cannot treat Seorin carelessly, which makes it even more so. Although she was not formally brought into Wudang, she is the last child he took in.”

“Heo.”

The old Taoist sighed once again. After being silent for a while, he said.

“Perhaps that child is the last homework that the late Grand Master left us.”

The old Taoist continued with a bitter expression.

“I think that our attitude towards that child may be revealing our shameful side. No, it certainly will be. So, we must never act rashly, nor should we judge hastily.”

“Then what should we do?”

“We must wait.”

The old Taoist said with a sigh.

“Tell the sect leader to prohibit all discussions about this matter and refrain from mentioning Seongeom or Buljin. Although they are objects that are like his symbols, they are not the Wudang’s Jangmunyeongbu [the headmaster’s seal or symbol of authority], so it is not an urgent matter.”

“But the meaning of his Seongeom and Buljin is by no means small. There are also voices saying that we must clarify the facts and hold those responsible.”

The Taoist lowered his voice.

“Moreover, considering his influence in the Outer Martial World…”

“Yes. It’s by no means small.”

The old Taoist nodded.

“But what can we do? Since it is something that he arranged, there must be a reason. We will just wait.”

“I understand.”

The Taoist sitting across from him quietly bowed his head.

“And one more thing.”

The old Taoist said.

“If there are any incense offering guests who wish to express their condolences to the late Grand Master, be especially careful and immediately inform me. Tell the sect leader to keep that in mind.”

The condolence period for the late Grand Master Hwanghak Jin-in has already passed long ago. The Taoist asked cautiously.

“Does that mean…”

“They will come.”

The old Taoist said, looking up at the sky.

“The Seongeom will surely return here. Seorin, that child, is probably waiting for it.”

The old Taoist’s gaze was directed towards the endlessly 펼쳐진 blue sky. The Taoist sitting across from him quietly gathered his hands and accepted his request.

*

*

*

Thud.

After turning off the lights, Son Bin lay down on the inn’s bed.

It was an old and dirty place, but it was still good enough to sleep in. But he couldn’t fall asleep.

‘Did Sa Sojeo [term of respect for a woman of similar standing] arrive safely?’

Lying on the bed, Son Bin thought of Sa Su-yeon. Her pale face came to mind, and the cold touch of that time was vivid on his lips.

Also, the way she showed him the Hyeoncheon Sword Technique and acted shy and sulky.

‘She’ll be fine.’

Son Bin tried to think so. But he couldn’t help but sigh without realizing it.

“Hoo.”

‘Another sigh.’

Even though he thought to himself that he had been sighing a lot lately, Son Bin sighed once again.

Rustle.

He tossed and turned, but he couldn’t fall asleep. When he came to his senses, he was already retracing the past he had experienced with Sa Ja-hyeok.

Not only the events in Okryong Snow Mountain, but also Sa Ja-hyeok’s Hyeoncheon Sword Technique that he saw for the first time, and even Nanhyang’s Seven-Stringed Zither.

∴

Had he fallen asleep without realizing it? Son Bin opened his eyes. The moon outside the window was bright.

Creak.

Son Bin habitually got up from his seat. He unconsciously put on his clothes, but suddenly realized that he didn’t need to do that anymore.

‘Ah.’

Son Bin stopped the hand that was fastening his clothes. Now, even if he waits, there is no one who will come.

There is no one who will rudely come in the middle of the night and tell him to go out. Now, no one will come.

‘I see.’

Now Sa Ja-hyeok is gone. His head is dizzy as if he has been hit, and a hollow wind blows in his chest.

Rustle.

Son Bin, who had been standing for a while, finished putting on his clothes.

He was going to read a book since he was already awake, but he didn’t realize that he didn’t have a book until after he washed his face.

He lost it along with his other luggage.

“Haa.”

Son Bin sighed. He doesn’t feel like lying down again like this.

But that doesn’t mean he has a book to read, and there’s nothing to do. Son Bin turned his head. Bright moonlight was pouring in through the window.

‘The moonlight is cool, my Pawol [a playful term of endearment] is crying.’

Suddenly, Sa Ja-hyeok’s voice seemed to be heard in his ear.

Son Bin reached out and grabbed the Seongeom Baekro wrapped in cloth. And he left the room without hesitation.

The clerk, who was guarding the inn’s restaurant alone, woke up from his nap and looked at him suspiciously, but Son Bin didn’t care.

The moon was so bright that he felt like he had to do something.

Step.

He found an empty space and stood under the moonlight with Baekro in his hand, but there was nothing for Son Bin, a scholar, to do.

But that may have just been an excuse. What Son Bin had to do was decided from the beginning.

Sreung.

Baekro made a low sound and revealed its appearance. The blade, containing the moonlight, shone blue.

‘You’re sad too.’

Son Bin suddenly thought so. The sight of the beautiful blade of Seongeom Baekro shining faintly seemed to be comforting him.

‘Yes.’

Son Bin, who had been carefully stroking the sword, raised his head and looked at the sky. The night sky was full of moonlight.

Son Bin raised his sword. And he slowly began to move forward. He didn’t hesitate, and he didn’t stop.

Rustle.

That night, Son Bin began to trace the trajectory of the Hyeoncheon Sword Technique for the first time.

Even Son Bin himself didn’t think it was even close, and he didn’t encompass the entire Hyeoncheon Sword Technique, but it was still okay.

The faint warmth of Seongeom Baekro was more than enough for Son Bin just to fill Sa Ja-hyeok’s absence.

It was one night that happened during the journey of Son Bin, a scholar returning to his hometown.