A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 455

455. Sacred Ground

Sunbin and his group departed from the Tang Clan, heading towards Yunnan, the location of the Blood Dragon Clan. Madam Tang Wun-yeong, still occupied with matters concerning the Tang Clan, decided to meet them later at the Seowon [a type of private academy during the Joseon Dynasty]. Concerned that those remaining at the Seowon might worry, she penned a separate letter explaining the recent events. Chief Military Advisor Tang Hwa-ryeon provided the group with horses and a carriage. While quite good, it seemed rather ordinary for the Tang Clan, a fact that pleased Noh Gun.

Clatter, clatter.

Noh Gun drove the carriage, a satisfied expression on his face. Sunbin, seated beside him and observing the passing scenery, casually remarked,

“You seem quite relaxed.”

“I am, actually.”

Noh Gun replied from his position driving. Sunbin assumed it was because they had safely reunited with Madam Tang Wun-yeong, but Noh Gun shrugged and elaborated,

“Well, it’s probably because the immediate danger to our people has passed…”

Looking back, the group had been incredibly busy since their return from Tianzhu [ancient Indian name]. They had rushed to save Hyeonryeon Se-hwa, passed through the Namgung Clan, and traveled all the way to Yewon. After that, they visited the Black Snake Union and the Moryong Clan, before dashing madly to the Tang Clan. Of course, Sunbin had often hitched a ride on Geomhee’s back, but that wasn’t exactly a leisurely experience either. Still, thanks to all that, he had been able to protect his precious people. Sunbin was more than satisfied with just that. He didn’t desire anything else.

“Still, we can’t let our guard down,” Noh Gun cautioned, his expression turning serious.

“The Flying Sword Gongson Geuk is still nowhere to be seen. Besides, there’s that granddaughter of his who supposedly became a demon, and who knows what’s happened to that young Jade Dragon we’re going to see now?”

Sunbin nodded, his own expression mirroring Noh Gun’s seriousness. Noh Gun’s concerns were valid.

“And there’s Pil-ong of the Jegal Clan too. It’s not uncommon for the Five Great Clans to fight as if they’re going to kill each other, only to join hands as if nothing happened… Tsk.”

The animosity between the Five Great Clans was deeply ingrained. They had spilled much blood over the years, and even now, the elders of the clans regarded the others as mortal enemies. However, despite this deep-seated hatred, they wouldn’t hesitate to form alliances if necessary. That was the way of the Jianghu [the martial arts world] martial world. Sunbin nodded and added,

“Among the outer sect masters who joined hands with the Flying Sword, only Pil-ong and Jade Dragon… haven’t made a move.”

It still felt strange for Sunbin to refer to the young Jade Dragon as ‘Jade Dragon.’ This was likely because the intense impression left by the previous Jade Dragon remained vivid in his mind, along with the image of ‘him’ that he could never forget.

“There must be a reason for their inaction. I don’t know what that Flying Sword is thinking, but we don’t need to worry about it too much,” Noh Gun said, his words not born of underestimation of the Flying Sword Gongson Geuk.

“Because you’re going to sweep them all away anyway, Bin.”

Sunbin chuckled at the joke, delivered with a perfectly straight face. However, Sunbin was the only one laughing. Sasu-yeon and Tang Wol-ah, who were seated inside the carriage, nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Well, I’m not that…”

Sunbin began to protest, but Noh Gun suddenly looked up and exclaimed, “The scenery is nice!”

At his words, Sunbin also looked up. Clatter, clatter. The scenery flowing past the leisurely swaying carriage spoke of the changing season. The ordinary yet beautiful sight made Sunbin forget what he had been about to say. Unfortunately, the leisurely journey of Sunbin and his group was not to last. On their way to enter Yunnan, they encountered a man with very unique attire.

“What’s that?” Noh Gun frowned. The man was dressed in snow-white clothes and stood in the middle of the road, a large white flag erected beside him. The long white flag bore no writing or patterns, yet Sunbin clearly understood its meaning.

“Please stop for a moment.”

When he had traveled to see the previous Jade Dragon with Saja-hyeok, something very similar had occurred. Sasu-yeon’s expression, remembering that time, also hardened slightly. Thud. The carriage came to a halt, and Sunbin first carefully examined the surroundings of the man in white. In the past, there had been an attempt to harm him by sprinkling his blood with a small sword. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any hidden weapons or tools for self-harm this time. The man in white politely bowed to Sunbin.

“Are you Young Master Sunbin?” His voice was calm. Sunbin, stepping out of the carriage, returned the greeting and asked,

“Yes, I am. Did Jade Dragon send you?”

The man smiled gently. “Yes. Jade Dragon said he would be waiting in Seolsan [Snow Mountain]. He thought you would be taking a long detour if you went to the capital of Yunnan as you are, so I was waiting here.”

There were multiple Seolsan in Yunnan, but it was clear which ‘Seolsan’ the man was referring to. Sunbin didn’t bother asking how the man knew the route of his group without prior contact, knowing he wouldn’t receive a straight answer. The young Jade Dragon had been like that before, and so had the previous Jade Dragon. Instead, Sunbin asked something else.

“Thank you. May I ask what you will do afterward?”

“Me?” The man looked puzzled, but he answered Sunbin’s question. “I’m going back to the Blood Dragon Clan. My work is done.”

“I see. Thank you for letting me know,” Sunbin said, bowing his head.

The man smiled and politely returned the greeting. “You’re welcome. I’m glad to have completed my assigned task.”

After finishing the conversation, Sunbin re-entered the carriage. Noh Gun was staring at him, curious as to why Sunbin had asked such a question. Sunbin offered an awkward smile. “It’s nothing. I was just… wondering.”

“Is that so?” Noh Gun shrugged and started the carriage again. Clatter, clatter. The carriage slowly moved away from the man. Sunbin glanced back, but the man was still standing there, watching the carriage depart. Sunbin sighed, and his eyes met Sasu-yeon’s, who had also been looking back at the man before averting her gaze. He wasn’t the only one who felt uneasy. While Sunbin and Sasu-yeon exchanged bitter smiles, the carriage turned onto a side road. It was the road leading to the sacred ground of the Blood Dragon Clan and ‘Jade Dragon Seolsan,’ where the young Jade Dragon awaited.

***

The young Jade Dragon was seated on the ‘Jade Dragon’s Seat.’ The grand hall where he sat, located deep within Seolsan, was an ancient building and a sacred place that people in Yunnan were careful even to mention. The interior of the grand hall was decorated as lavishly as an emperor’s palace, befitting the residence of the sacred Jade Dragon. However, the expression of the young Jade Dragon sitting on the Jade Dragon’s Seat was far from bright. Flap. The blue jade fan moved slightly, partially obscuring the young Jade Dragon’s beautiful face. He looked as if he had stepped out of a painting, but his eyes were dull and sunken.

“Jade Dragon.”

A man’s voice echoed through the large grand hall. The young Jade Dragon, seated on the high jade throne, turned his head. A sharp-looking man wearing the Blood Dragon Clan’s uniform stood below the jade throne. With snow dusting his head and shoulders, it was Han-wol, the young Jade Dragon’s subordinate. Han-wol politely bowed to the Jade Dragon and announced, “He has arrived.”

The young Jade Dragon’s eyes flashed with sudden interest. “Finally,” he said, his red lips parting slightly, his voice like the chime of jade beads. “He has come.”

Swish. The young Jade Dragon slowly rose. Without even glancing at Han-wol, he commanded, “Let’s go.”

Despite the order, Han-wol hesitated for a moment. “What about the escort…?”

The large grand hall was empty. In fact, there wasn’t a single person to be seen anywhere around the hall, or even in the surrounding area. The young Jade Dragon had ordered everyone to descend Seolsan, including key figures of the Blood Dragon Clan, serving maids, and guards. Thus, the only occupants of the grand building were the young Jade Dragon and Han-wol himself.

“Escort?” The young Jade Dragon chuckled. “Why would I need such a thing? He came to find me.”

Thud. The young Jade Dragon, who had begun to move, suddenly stopped and turned his head. He stood silently for a moment, gazing at the Jade Dragon’s Seat towering high in front of the grand hall, from which he had just descended. How desperately he had yearned to sit in that seat! He had believed that the resentment he had nurtured while gritting his teeth, the wishes he had hidden deep within his heart, and the loneliness he had endured alone in the world would finally be rewarded on the day he ascended to that seat. But the Jade Dragon’s Seat had brought him nothing. The existence that had been the source of his endless pain had disappeared from Seolsan as he pleased, and the woman he had longed for, onto whom he had projected his unfulfilled affection, had left him. Nothing remained for him, only the ‘Jade Dragon’s Seat,’ a trash-like chair adorned with gaudy gold paint.

Swish.

The young Jade Dragon turned his head and strode out of the grand hall.

Thud, thud.

Han-wol watched the back of the young Jade Dragon walking without hesitation and sighed softly. But it was only for a moment, and Han-wol soon followed his young lord. His eyes, fixed on the young Jade Dragon, were filled with unwavering determination.

***

Whoosh. As the wind blew, the accumulated snow swirled. Noh Gun frowned and grumbled, “Tsk. Don’t they clear the snow around here?”

Noh Gun had reason to complain. Sunbin and his group were standing in front of a large grand hall, and the wide open space was thickly covered with snow. Han-wol, who had guided the group from the foot of Seolsan, had disappeared inside the grand hall.

“They built the building plausibly enough, but they don’t maintain it properly, do they?”

The large grand hall before Sunbin and his group was clearly an ancient structure. Although somewhat rough in style, the high-rising roof and aged appearance possessed a certain mysterious charm. However, the open space in front of the hall was blanketed in snow, and the roof of the building was also heavily laden with snow.

“It’s not that they didn’t manage it,” Tang Wol-ah said quietly. “Looking at the stone pavement beneath the snow and the condition of the building, it’s clear that they were managing it properly until recently.”

If a place is left unattended, it quickly shows signs of neglect, especially in a snowy mountain like this. Even a moment of carelessness can lead to a rapid accumulation of ice.

“Is that so?” Noh Gun frowned at the swirling snow. “But why is it like this now? They don’t even invite us inside. Are they deliberately trying to make us suffer?”

Sunbin offered an awkward smile. “Surely not…”

His words were cut short by the appearance of the young Jade Dragon from within the grand hall.

Shuffle, shuffle.

The young Jade Dragon, covering his mouth with a jade fan, lightly stepped through the snow and approached the front of the grand hall. Behind him, Han-wol faithfully followed.

Shuffle.

He stopped a short distance from Sunbin and his group. Unlike Sunbin and his companions, who wore thick coats for the mountain climb, the young Jade Dragon was dressed in light clothing.

“It’s been a while,” the young Jade Dragon said without lowering his jade fan. He had used polite honorifics when addressing Sunbin last time. The change in his tone clearly held significance, but Sunbin replied with a relaxed expression.

“It has been a while.”

Han-wol’s expression immediately darkened at Sunbin’s casual greeting. He was annoyed by Sunbin’s attitude towards the Jade Dragon in this sacred place, but he didn’t dare to voice his displeasure. He was well aware of Sunbin’s capabilities, and with Noh Gun and Tang Wol-ah present, along with Sasu-yeon’s sharp gaze already warning him, he kept his thoughts to himself.

“What happened to them?”

Sunbin couldn’t feign ignorance as to whom the young Jade Dragon was referring to. Sunbin smiled. “You must be curious about ‘him,’ not ‘them,’ right?”

The young Jade Dragon chuckled at Sunbin’s words. The person who had once been like a living god to his younger self, the person whose blood he had been so proud to inherit. But he hadn’t known then. He hadn’t understood why the maids who cared for him were always afraid of that person, why they never spoke of the benevolence of that living god, or rather, why they couldn’t.

“That’s right. Where is he?”

There was no trace of respect for the previous Jade Dragon in the young Jade Dragon’s words, but Sunbin didn’t comment on it.

“He left.”

The eyebrows of the young Jade Dragon, who resembled a painted sculpture, twitched. “Left?”

“Yes. He left with Mu-je to a very distant place.”

The young Jade Dragon could tell that Sunbin wasn’t speaking of death, because Sunbin’s expression was so relaxed and even held a hint of warm longing.

“Ha.”

But the young Jade Dragon smiled mockingly, and that mockery soon turned into anger. Whooooosh. A chilling aura swept around, causing the accumulated snow to rise and snowflakes to scatter.

“That bastard,” the young Jade Dragon spat out, gritting his teeth. His subordinate Han-wol was startled, and even Noh Gun frowned, but the young Jade Dragon paid them no mind.

“Did he finally leave? That’s just like him. Just once…” The young Jade Dragon bit his lip. “I wanted to see that distorted face of his, even just once.”

His anger was genuine. Sunbin observed the young Jade Dragon with a calm gaze.

Swish.

The young Jade Dragon raised his eyes. As if the anger from a moment ago had been a lie, he now wore a faint sneer. “So, did you come all the way here just to tell me that?”

“He left a message as he left.”

The young Jade Dragon’s shoulders trembled slightly. “…To me? He did?”

“No.”

Sunbin had no choice but to tell the truth. This was a matter between the previous Jade Dragon and the young Jade Dragon, not himself.

“He left these words for Lady Geomhee. Lady Geomhee told me, and I judged that I should convey them to you.”

“Oh ho,” the young Jade Dragon sneered again. “So you came to bestow grace upon me, huh? I’m so grateful that I don’t know what to do.”

It was clearly mockery, but Sunbin didn’t become angry.

“You could say that,” Sunbin replied calmly. “But this is originally yours, so you could think of it as just returning it to the owner.”

The young Jade Dragon glared at Sunbin. After the previous Jade Dragon, who had been considered a living god, disappeared from Seolsan and even Geomhee had left him, it was perhaps a natural consequence that the young Jade Dragon’s interest had turned to the outer sect. And the young Jade Dragon had discovered Sunbin. He had also witnessed Sunbin, whom he had initially regarded as a mere spectator, subdue Geomhee with unbelievable power. Surprisingly, Sunbin had become ‘the one who walks the path of Mu-je’ [a legendary figure], the one who had brought the previous Jade Dragon to his end.

“Originally mine… What is it?” the young Jade Dragon asked in a deceptively light voice. After discovering Sunbin in Yewon, the young Jade Dragon had become immediately obsessed with him. It was perhaps like an inner longing that had lost its way finding its only escape. But his obsession never truly began. Sasu-yeon, the daughter of Mu-je and a woman who possessed a sharp intuition, realized the young Jade Dragon’s hidden intentions. Perhaps it was a woman’s unique sense. In that moment, Sasu-yeon simply awakened the power of her blood and inflicted a miserable frustration on the young Jade Dragon, chasing him away. It was a humiliating experience, but perhaps it was also an opportunity. At the very least, it gave the young Jade Dragon a clear goal, a standard that he had to surpass the old Jade Dragon.

“It is…” Sunbin hesitated for a moment, but then quietly spoke, “It’s about your mother.”

Thud.

The young Jade Dragon’s eyes widened. His entire body, like a living sculpture, trembled. He spoke in a trembling voice. “…You.”

The opportunity that Mu-je’s daughter Sasu-yeon had unintentionally provided was shattered when the previous Jade Dragon returned alive. He couldn’t bear the humiliation of being miserably chased by the previous Jade Dragon and having to rely on Sunbin to survive. But what frustrated the young Jade Dragon the most was that the returned previous Jade Dragon never looked back at him, not even once. The gaze of the previous Jade Dragon directed at the young Jade Dragon was utterly dry and cold, just like the way he had looked at himself when he was Soyong for the first time.

“How dare you…” Pfft. Blood burst from his red lips, but the young Jade Dragon didn’t care. The returned previous Jade Dragon was interested in nothing. The only person he looked at besides Mu-je was Sunbin.

The moment he saw the previous Jade Dragon’s gaze, the young Jade Dragon had to relive the terrible pain he had experienced as a child, but in a different form.

“To put that in your mouth!” Whooooosh. The young Jade Dragon’s anger echoed through the sacred ground. A storm-like aura swept around, and white snow fluttered. It was a scream. The young Jade Dragon’s eyes, bloodshot as if they would burst, glared at Sunbin with a torrent of resentment. The pent-up anger of one who had been deprived of what should have been his was now unleashed upon Sunbin, who had dared to step into a sacred place that should never have been entered.

(Author’s words)

Noh Gun: Even if you help, you’re still screwed. There are so many people in the world with painful hearts.

Sunbin: Wisdom is needed even for kindness.