A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 456

Young Okryong was furious. Beyond the jade screen, his bloodshot eyes glared, and a piercing murderous intent bore down on Son Bin. The fury and killing intent were genuine, prompting Sa Su-yeon and Dang Wol-ah, who were behind Son Bin, to immediately reach for their swords. No-gun frowned and was about to move when Son Bin quietly raised his hand.

Swish.

His gesture signaled the group to wait. No-gun looked displeased but complied with Son Bin’s wishes. Sa Su-yeon and Dang Wol-ah also refrained from drawing their swords, though their hands remained on the hilts.

“Originally, emotions are…”

Son Bin said in a calm voice. Despite the young Okryong’s anger and murderous intent, Son Bin’s expression remained unchanged.

“…irrational. They are like a dark maze, becoming more incomprehensible the more deeply one thinks about them. Sometimes, people are confused by emotions they themselves cannot understand.”

Saying that the children of the Seowon [a type of private academy in Korea] were like that would only insult the young Okryong further. But it wasn’t just the children; Son Bin himself felt the same way.

“However, there is always a trigger that evokes those emotions.”

Son Bin looked at the young Okryong and asked quietly,

“Why are you angry?”

The young Okryong did not answer, but he couldn’t ignore Son Bin’s next words.

“Is it because of Lady Geom-hee?”

Beyond the jade screen, the young Okryong’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Geom-hee was strong and beautiful. Although she had obeyed the previous Okryong’s orders, it was not because she lacked the power to resist. Therefore, to him, who had been So-ryong, Geom-hee was the only being worthy of standing alongside the previous Okryong. Moreover, the previous Okryong had once murmured, perhaps intentionally, ‘Geom-hee resembles her,’ which was enough to make So-ryong obsessed with Geom-hee.

“Huhu.”

The young Okryong chuckled softly, but his anger did not waver.

“She is irrelevant.”

That was the truth, and the trigger was, unexpectedly, Son Bin himself. After Son Bin overwhelmingly defeated Geom-hee at the Yewon Assembly [a gathering or competition], the young Okryong’s obsession with Geom-hee began to crack. She was no longer an absolute and unique being. After realizing that, the previous Okryong’s obsession with Geom-hee faded. She was still a significant opponent, but not the same as before.

“Then, it must be…”

Son Bin looked at the young Okryong with a somewhat melancholic gaze.

“…the previous Okryong?”

There was no answer. As if the seething anger had subsided in an instant, the young Okryong said nothing. But that was already an answer.

“…Perhaps.”

The young Okryong finally replied after a moment. He had inherited the seat of Okryong, but the shadow of the previous Okryong had not disappeared. No one spoke of it, but the young Okryong knew that everyone’s eyes were comparing him to the previous Okryong. Even the young Okryong himself did so. He realized that the previous Okryong was like a shackle around his neck, dragging him along. That was the previous Okryong. So perhaps he had been searching for something to obsess over, even if it was just a new shackle.

“Perhaps… it is.”

The young Okryong’s aura fluctuated wildly as he ground his teeth. He had a chance to overcome it, unintentionally given by Sa Su-yeon, but it was shaken to its core when the previous Okryong returned. The previous Okryong, who had even cheated death, was already a godlike being, and the young Okryong himself was merely the dregs he had left behind. Everything the young Okryong had clung to collapsed in that moment.

“…He is gone.”

Son Bin said to the silent young Okryong. There was a quiet sigh in Son Bin’s voice. Perhaps the young Okryong and he were similar, Son Bin thought. Of course, No-gun would never agree, but they were both unable to escape the shadows of absolute beings: Sa Ja-hyeok and the previous Okryong. However, those shadows affected Son Bin and the young Okryong in completely different ways.

“Whatever remains for us, we have no choice but to live with it now.”

That was also a statement to himself. Whether it was cherished memories or painful pasts, what remained was their own responsibility.

“He’s gone?”

But the young Okryong sneered.

“No, he hasn’t left.”

The young Okryong glared at Son Bin and said,

“Do you think you came here of your own volition? Not at all. You are merely acting according to his calculations. Your appearance before me, and the unspeakable things you dared to say…”

Grit.

The young Okryong gritted his teeth. The previous Okryong couldn’t have been unaware. He knew what kind of person Son Bin was, and how the young Okryong himself would react when faced with Son Bin.

“It’s all according to his will. Therefore, he is still here, right before my eyes.”

Whoosh.

The young Okryong’s aura swirled and surged. With it, the surrounding snow was swept up and scattered. As he faced the overwhelming hatred directed at him, Son Bin’s expression calmed down. The bitter look that had briefly appeared was gone.

“I see.”

Son Bin said calmly.

“Then you must be prepared to bear the consequences of that action.”

Son Bin’s hand slowly moved towards his sword, Baekro.

Clang.

The straight blade of Baekro was revealed. With a gaze as cold as the blade, Son Bin continued,

“You must be ready.”

Son Bin’s eyes, as he looked at the young Okryong, were icy. At that sight, No-gun groaned quietly.

“Hmm.”

No-gun subtly gestured to Sa Su-yeon and Dang Wol-ah. Understanding the meaning, Sa Su-yeon and Dang Wol-ah immediately retreated, and No-gun also moved away with them. Han-wol, the young Okryong’s subordinate, also retreated with a stiff expression. Everyone knew that a clash between Son Bin and the young Okryong was about to begin.

Swish.

Son Bin raised Baekro. Even in the face of the young Okryong’s violent aura, Son Bin remained calm.

“Don’t worry.”

Son Bin said, looking at the young Okryong,

“I won’t show any mercy.”

Those words, which sounded like a taunt, were the greatest courtesy to the young Okryong. That’s why the young Okryong laughed. For the first time in a long time, perhaps the first and last time in his life, he let out a genuine laugh. Clatter. Folding the blue jade screen, the young Okryong said,

“Good. Very good.”

The young Okryong’s exposed face was truly beautiful, as if painted. But soon, the jade screen in his hand began to make a sharp sound. Screech. The sound felt like a scream, and from the jade screen, a sharp, green aura like a blade appeared. No-gun, who was watching, frowned deeply.

‘What is that?’

It was a technique that even No-gun had never seen before, but it wasn’t that strange. The previous Okryong was a mysterious being, like a capricious dragon playing in the clouds.

‘That guy, more than I thought…’

But the fact that the young Okryong was manifesting it was a completely different matter. No-gun realized that he had to greatly revise his assessment of the young Okryong. Sa Su-yeon was also surprised. She never imagined that the young Okryong would achieve this level of accomplishment in such a short period. The young Okryong’s technique, and even the aura he was emitting now, had already far surpassed his previous level.

‘…But.’

Sa Su-yeon turned her gaze to Son Bin. Son Bin’s expression, as he faced the young Okryong’s aura, did not waver in the slightest. And Sa Su-yeon’s confidence in the outcome of this duel was the same. Screech. The sharp sound of the jade screen echoed. The extended green aura felt eerie just to look at. But on Son Bin’s Baekro, there was only a faint light. A faint smile appeared on Son Bin’s face, who knew that the young Okryong had unleashed the ‘Dragon Scale Wall’.

“That is…”

It was just then, as Son Bin was about to say something, that the young Okryong’s shout burst out, as if resisting Son Bin’s smile.

“Taha!”

The eerie aura of the jade screen bore down on Son Bin. But Son Bin instead took a step forward and swung Baekro down. Swoosh. It was an extremely simple sword stroke, merely cutting the sword from top to bottom. To Han-wol, it seemed that the young Okryong could easily avoid it, or even shatter it with the Dragon Scale Wall. But the young Okryong couldn’t do that. The young Okryong clearly understood the overwhelming despair that the simple sword stroke represented. He also knew that everything could end with this single clash.

‘Hmph.’

But at that moment, the young Okryong wore a sneer. He didn’t care about the outcome anyway. The fear that everything might end with a single sword strike was also meaningless to him. The moment the young Okryong’s jade screen and Baekro were about to collide.

Whoosh.

Son Bin saw it. A strange form, like a dragon, blooming from the young Okryong’s fingertips and coiling around his jade screen. That was no longer the Dragon Scale Wall. No, it couldn’t be the Dragon Scale Wall. It was the technique that had shattered Sa Ja-hyeok’s Wave-Splitting Shift, the Okryong Ascending to Heaven. Clash! An explosion erupted as Baekro and the jade screen collided. The accumulated snow instantly soared into the sky, and the atmosphere vibrated and shook violently. A storm-like aura raged in all directions. No-gun, Sa Su-yeon, and Dang Wol-ah, who were watching, had to cover their faces with their hands from the storm.

‘Tch.’

No-gun frowned but didn’t take his eyes off them. He had to see the result of the clash. A moment that would have been leisurely before was now filled with anxiety.

Whoosh.

The wind blew through the sacred domain, and the view cleared. Although snow was still swirling, No-gun could clearly see that the two were standing in different directions. Son Bin and the young Okryong had passed each other and stopped moving.

“Hehehe.”

Laughter flowed out. It was the young Okryong’s.

“…So, even Okryong Ascending to Heaven doesn’t work?”

Crack. The jade screen crumbled in his hand. It was the second jade screen since he had inherited the seat of Okryong. The first jade screen had been taken by the returned previous Okryong.

Thud.

As the jade screen shattered, the young Okryong’s body bent forward. He knelt on the ground as if collapsing. Thump. The wind blew, and the young Okryong’s hair scattered. His hat had been shattered by the impact of the clash. His clothes were also torn in many places. It was the result of a single clash.

Shuffle.

The sound of Son Bin turning around was heard. But the young Okryong didn’t look back. No, he didn’t even have the strength to look back. By unleashing Okryong Ascending to Heaven, he had no strength left to even lift a finger.

“Amazing.”

Son Bin said quietly. The sleeve of Son Bin’s hand, which was holding Baekro, was torn long. The hat that Son Bin always wore was also shattered, and his hair was scattered in the wind. But that was all; Son Bin had no injuries. Baekro, in his hand, emitted a faint light, revealing its unchanging beauty. The young Okryong’s Okryong Ascending to Heaven had done nothing.

“Perhaps you…”

Son Bin couldn’t continue. In terms of potential, the young Okryong might be more outstanding than the previous Okryong. But knowing that those words would be an insult to the young Okryong, Son Bin didn’t say them.

“…No, perhaps we could have met in a different situation.”

That was the truth. But Son Bin’s sincerity didn’t reach the young Okryong.

“Now, kill me.”

The kneeling young Okryong said. He didn’t raise his head and didn’t even try to make eye contact with Son Bin.

“I am your adversary and your hindrance. No matter what you do…”

Grit.

The young Okryong gritted his teeth.

“…I will always be on the opposite side of you.”

Son Bin looked down at him silently. A sword can be broken, but a person’s heart cannot. Only sincerity can move a person’s heart, but there are countless times in life when even that sincerity is not conveyed. Therefore, the young Okryong’s words that the world is irrational are correct.

“…There is one thing I can tell you.”

Son Bin said quietly.

“I defeated ‘him’.”

The young Okryong’s eyes lit up. He raised his head, but still didn’t look at Son Bin.

“He was great. He had no choice but to be. After all, he was someone who even usurped the divine authority of the Heavenly Demon. No, I don’t know if he can even be called a person.”

That was an open praise for the previous Okryong. It was a cruel thing to say, considering the young Okryong’s feelings, but Son Bin didn’t stop.

“But I defeated him. It wasn’t a surprise attack, nor did I exploit his weaknesses. Clearly, without any room for doubt, I defeated him.”

“So.”

The young Okryong’s sharp voice rang out. He raised his upper body from his kneeling position and turned his head. His eyes, as he looked at Son Bin, were shining.

“What do you want me to do about it?”

“You can be proud.”

Son Bin’s eyes were cold. The young Okryong could clearly see that there was no emotion in Son Bin’s gaze as he looked at him.

“That you, who have never been a martial artist, surprised me, even for a moment.”

Those words were absolutely correct. The young Okryong had never been a martial artist, nor had he ever wanted to be one. He had merely been dragged along by the previous Okryong, a shackle around his neck. Even though the previous Okryong had no interest in him.

Swish.

Baekro rose upwards. Son Bin said,

“And now.”

The young Okryong already knew those eyes. The extremely cold and transparent eyes, devoid of any emotion, that he had seen when he subdued Geom-hee at the Yewon in Hangzhou. The very eyes that had stolen the young Okryong’s heart in an instant were now directed at him.

“It’s time to pay the price for your actions.”

‘Ah.’

Those words were so obvious that it was almost laughable. It was time for everything to end. Perhaps the moment he had been waiting for so long had finally arrived. The young Okryong raised his eyes and looked at the blade of Baekro. The blade, raised high amidst the falling snow, was incomparably beautiful and alluring. He didn’t turn away from the cruel salvation that would soon sever his fate.

Whoosh.

The blade of Baekro fell. And the moment the Okryong’s eyes widened. Thud. An eerie sound echoed in the sacred domain.

(Author’s words)

Thank you for your concern and I’m sorry. It was just a simple body ache, but it was stronger than I thought. Everyone, please take care of your health.