Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 188

188. White Tiger Sword Art, Form Two

Tsk.

Un-hyun immediately went to Bingje’s bedside.

‘Bingseol!’

Bingseol and the twelve members of the Bukhae Sibibi [Twelve of Bukhae, an elite group] stood around the bed.

Their faces were contorted as they reached towards Bingje, their eyes closed.

Un-hyun could instinctively tell that he shouldn’t touch the Bukhae Sibibi right now.

Swish.

Un-hyun turned to look at the Little Palace Master.

Her face was covered in cold sweat as she held the pipa [a traditional Chinese stringed instrument, similar to a lute].

She was focused on the pipa, biting her lip, but the melody was extremely 불안하기 그지 없었다 [unstable and uneasy].

It was clear that it would soon fall apart.

Bing-hu was sitting next to the bed, but she, too, had a stiff expression and her mouth was tightly shut.

As if bracing herself for the impending catastrophe.

Un-hyun gritted his teeth.

He had to do something right away.

But how?

Clench.

Un-hyun’s action of gripping his sword tightly was almost unconscious.

But the reaction was fierce.

“No.”

Thud.

It was Bing-hu.

Bing-hu stood up and stood in front of Un-hyun.

As if to block Un-hyun.

Un-hyun was puzzled by her sudden action, but Bing-hu shook her head with a firm look in her eyes.

“I can’t allow that.”

Un-hyun was momentarily stunned.

But he quickly understood what she was thinking.

‘Ah.’

Bing-hu thought Un-hyun was trying to kill Bingje.

Because in this situation, that was the only way to save the Little Palace Master and the Bukhae Sibibi.

Un-hyun shook his head.

“Bing-hu, I…….”

He was about to say that wasn’t the case.

Not only would he not harm Bingje, but the Little Palace Master and the Bukhae Sibibi could also be in danger from the sudden shock.

It was at that moment.

An idea flashed through Un-hyun’s mind.

‘……Shock.’

Swish.

Un-hyun turned his head and looked at the bed with the fluttering curtains.

‘If there’s no shock…….’

After thinking for a moment, Un-hyun slowly drew his sword.

Clang.

Bing-hu’s face instantly hardened.

Shuffle.

Bing-hu took a step closer to Un-hyun.

Holding her hands together, she looked at Un-hyun with a determined look in her eyes.

“I swore. That I would never leave this person’s side as the Bing-hu of Bukhae. So.”

Bing-hu said with shining eyes.

“If you want to kill this person, kill me first…….”

“That will not happen.”

Un-hyun slowly took a breath, holding his sword in front of him.

And he said in a whisper.

“Because I came to protect.”

Whoong.

There were no more words.

Un-hyun grasped the sword of his mind that was already floating in front of him.

Rustle.

The Bukhae sword Myeong and Un-hyun’s sword overlapped.

And the truth revealed itself before his eyes.

Whooooosh.

‘This is.’

Before Un-hyun’s eyes, a cold aura was raging madly from Bingje’s bed.

And the Bukhae Sibibi, who should have suppressed that energy, were helplessly being tossed around.

Although the Little Palace Master’s pipa was preventing the Bukhae Sibibi from collapsing at once, with such an overwhelming difference, it was already meaningless.

‘Why is it like this…….’

Why didn’t the Little Palace Master anticipate this situation?

Un-hyun was puzzled, but he soon realized why.

Hung.

The small ice crystals hanging on the chests of the Bukhae Sibibi shone.

All twelve ice crystals at the same time.

‘Resonance!’

The twelve ice crystals had the same cold energy.

And the Bukhae Sibibi released the power of the ice crystals simultaneously, following the Little Palace Master’s pipa.

This brought about an unexpected resonance of the ice crystals, and as a result, the power of the ice crystals was explosively amplified.

‘Could it be…….’

If I destroy the ice crystals now, won’t this resonance stop?

However, Un-hyun soon gave up on that idea.

Whooooooong.

The cold energy amplified by the resonance of the twelve ice crystals was already forming its own entity.

The energy swirling above Bingje’s bed was forcibly taking away not only the cold energy of the ice crystals but also the internal energy of the Bukhae Sibibi.

Like a huge whirlpool swallowing all the small currents around it.

‘In the end…….’

There is only one way.

I have to disrupt this cold energy without any shock.

But is that possible?

Shuffle.

Un-hyun took a stance.

And he slowly poured his internal energy into the Bukhae sword, Myeong.

Woong.

A small, frail energy lingered on the sword.

Compared to the swirling cold energy in front of him, it was a faint energy like a firefly, but it was enough for Un-hyun.

‘What I have to do is.’

Whooooong.

Un-hyun reminded himself again as he looked at the storm of cold energy that seemed ready to burst at any moment.

‘Is to follow the flow.’

The cold energy amplified by the resonance of the ice crystals was raging like a beast.

But Un-hyun was not afraid.

The great flow he had seen was not comparable to this.

And that vast flow was still embracing Un-hyun and the world.

Rustle.

As if to answer that thought, a light breeze was felt on his cheek.

At that moment, Un-hyun’s eyes lit up.

‘Found it!’

There was no time to delay.

There was no room to check.

Un-hyun’s sword slowly began to move.

Hung.

Like water flowing, wind blowing, and time passing.

Slowly but never stopping, Un-hyun’s sword drew a single sword path.

It was the second form of the White Tiger Sword Art, the Gentle Sword.

***

Hung.

The first person to notice the change was the Little Palace Master.

She felt the raging energy of the ice crystals subside in an instant.

There was no sign, no shock, no interference.

But as if saying it was enough, the swirling cold energy suddenly subsided.

Tinkle.

There was no time to think about the reason or cause.

The Little Palace Master’s pipa quickly began to play a new melody.

The Bukhae Sibibi also realized that they should not miss this opportunity.

They immediately began to guide the energy of the ice crystals in the intended direction.

Woong.

The energy of the ice crystals obeyed the control of the Bukhae Sibibi as if nothing had happened.

No, it was revealing its existence even more purely and clearly than before.

Bingje’s treatment proceeded in an instant.

“Hoo.”

Un-hyun slowly lowered his sword.

Un-hyun was relieved only after confirming that the storm-like cold energy had subsided and that the Little Palace Master’s pipa had recovered a stable melody.

‘It’s done.’

Un-hyun’s attempt was successful.

He had calmed the raging cold energy without any shock.

‘I’m glad.’

It was a half-adventure.

But he thought that he might be able to find the center of the raging flow, like the eye of a storm.

And he thought that the second form of the White Tiger Sword Art, the Gentle Sword, would minimize the shock.

Fortunately, those two guesses were correct.

‘I’m really glad.’

It was a dangerous attempt, but the result was very good.

Un-hyun had succeeded in protecting the Bukhae Sibibi, the Little Palace Master, and Bingje.

Swish.

Un-hyun looked at the Bukhae sword, Myeong, in his hand with a satisfied smile.

Then, he tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

‘……But there wasn’t much resistance or repulsion?’

The energy in Un-hyun’s sword was a different, heterogeneous energy from the cold energy of the ice crystals.

Even though Un-hyun’s sword moved with the flow, there should have been minimal resistance.

However, the cold energy of the ice crystals accepted Un-hyun’s sword so naturally.

As if it had been waiting, or as if it had never been anything different from the beginning.

Un-hyun couldn’t help but be puzzled.

‘……I’m glad it worked out, but.’

It was then.

“H, how…….”

A low groan was heard from behind.

Un-hyun turned his head.

Bing-hu, who was always strong and composed, could not hide her surprise at this moment.

Bing-hu, unable to find the right words, turned her gaze to Un-hyun.

And she said in a slightly choked voice.

‘……So, this is what it was.’

Tears welled up in Bing-hu’s eyes as she spoke.

She looked at the Little Palace Master, the Bukhae Sibibi, and Bingje’s bed.

“I misunderstood. A ridiculous misunderstanding…….”

Un-hyun gave a bitter smile.

“It’s okay. In that situation…….”

Un-hyun was about to say that anyone would have misunderstood.

Rustle.

Bing-hu bowed her head and bent her waist towards Un-hyun.

Her luscious hair fell down her neck.

It was the second courtesy Bing-hu had given to Un-hyun.

“I apologize to you, Gongja [young master]. And…….”

Bing-hu said with her head bowed.

“Thank you.”

“No, well, you don’t have to go this far…….”

Un-hyun, flustered, tried to stop Bing-hu, but quickly shut his mouth.

The treatment was not over yet, so it was forbidden to make a fuss next to him.

In the meantime, Bing-hu finished her bow and slowly raised her body.

“I owe you another debt.”

Had Bing-hu ever owed Un-hyun a debt before?

Un-hyun was puzzled, but Bing-hu had already turned her body and was looking at Bingje’s bed.

Was it just his imagination that her expression felt somehow pathetic?

Suddenly, Un-hyun remembered that he was still holding his sword.

Un-hyun, who was about to put Myeong away, suddenly raised his sword and looked at it carefully.

‘Hmm.’

Looking at it again, Myeong was still a beautiful and wonderful sword.

Was it because Myeong was the sword of Bukhae that he didn’t feel any resistance at all a moment ago?

‘Maybe this sword also has some legend like Nagil?’

Maybe so.

The Little Palace Master wouldn’t have given him just any sword.

Un-hyun slowly sheathed his sword.

Clang.

Myeong disappeared, and now only the sound of the Little Palace Master’s pipa was echoing in the Daejeon [Great Hall].

It was a very stable and beautiful melody, unlike before.

Tinkle, tinkle.

The Little Palace Master playing the pipa, shining with silver ornaments, was beautiful.

He wanted to wipe the sweat from her beautiful face, but Un-hyun knew that he shouldn’t touch her now.

“Ahem.”

Un-hyun, who had been staring at the Little Palace Master, cleared his throat and quickly turned his head.

Only then did he realize that staring like this was rude.

Un-hyun stepped back.

And he glanced around the Daejeon.

In the flickering light, the Daejeon looked desolate.

He couldn’t understand why there was such a place in the basement of Binggung [Ice Palace].

Anyway, Un-hyun was just thinking that he was glad it worked out.

Thud.

A heavy reverberation echoed through the Daejeon.

Un-hyun’s face changed.

The low sound that echoed from the hallway was definitely an explosion.

“Don’t move from here.”

Un-hyun said that to Bing-hu, who had a surprised look on her face, and immediately flew out of the Daejeon.

Tap.

‘Dokgo Je!’

The person guarding the outside was Un-hyun’s sworn brother, Dokgo-rang.

Could something have happened to him?

Un-hyun’s expression, running down the hallway, was as stiff as could be.