Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 506

506. Another Reunion

Yunhyun and his group disembarked at the docks of Nanjing.

Though they had reached the end of their long journey and were planning to rest in Nanjing for a while, the expressions on the group’s faces were stiff.

This was because of the middle-aged scholar, Sa Ilcheon, standing right before their eyes.

“It’s been a while, Il-eun.”

Old Madam Neung Se-yeong said with a friendly expression.

Sa Ilcheon gave a bitter smile.

“Il-eun is not my title anymore. But it has been a while, Cheonilgeom [Thousand Mile Sword].”

He said with a faint smile.

It was truly an unfamiliar sight.

Old Madam Neung Se-yeong and the middle-aged Sa Ilcheon were addressing each other casually as if they were old friends.

However, no one dared to interject in their conversation.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I heard you passed on the title of Cheonilgeom to your disciple?”

“Yes. That troublemaker over there is my disciple.”

Neung Se-yeong glanced at Geum Hwa-yeong and said.

Sa Ilcheon nodded.

“I see. Like you, your disciple is also a beauty.”

Neung Se-yeong chuckled.

“Hoo-hoo-hoo. That’s nonsense, but it makes me feel good.”

“Nonsense? Disciples are bound to resemble their masters.”

Sa Ilcheon said calmly.

Then, he suddenly turned his head towards Gae-ong.

“I heard you healed Cheonilgeom, or rather, Lady Neung?”

Gae-ong frowned and didn’t answer.

Neung Se-yeong turned to look at Gae-ong and said.

“Yes. This man took care of me. Unlike a certain man who burdened me with the Blood Cult.”

Neung Se-yeong’s gaze towards Gae-ong was warm and gentle.

Gae-ong’s furrowed brow slightly relaxed.

Neung Se-yeong looked back at Sa Ilcheon.

“But you really haven’t changed a bit since then. Did you eat something good?”

Sa Ilcheon let out a soft laugh.

Sa Ilcheon, who had been gazing intently at Neung Se-yeong, continued.

“You’ve changed a lot. The Cheonilgeom who was so cold and sharp.”

“If you get older, shouldn’t you become a bit more mellow?”

Neung Se-yeong said with a smile.

“Raising a young disciple has changed my personality a bit too.”

Sa Ilcheon could tell that the person who had changed Neung Se-yeong was her disciple, Geum Hwa-yeong.

“Is that so? That’s good.”

At those words, Old Madam Neung Se-yeong smiled.

At that moment, Gae-ong suddenly spoke.

“What brings you here so suddenly?”

“I came to visit.”

Sa Ilcheon said with a nonchalant expression.

“I figured you guys would be coming here around this time.”

Gae-ong frowned.

But Sa Ilcheon’s words weren’t over yet.

“Ah, and there’s one more person besides me.”

Swish.

Sa Ilcheon turned his head.

The gazes of Yunhyun, Gae-ong, and the rest of the group all turned to where Sa Ilcheon was looking.

There was no one there.

But soon, the expressions of Yunhyun, Gae-ong, and Neung Se-yeong changed.

Thud.

Someone walked out from between the buildings.

Who in the world wouldn’t know his name?

He had a long white beard like an old scholar, but with a sturdy physique, rough aura, and intense eyes that couldn’t be hidden. He was none other than Sword Saint Yi Gyeom-hak.

“I met them while waiting for you guys.”

Sa Ilcheon said with a smile.

“It seems they were going to pass through here on their way to Hangzhou. Since you were coming here anyway, I suggested we wait together.”

No one was listening to his words.

The elders, family heads, and supreme masters couldn’t hide their surprised expressions.

“Elder!”

Yunhyun said with a delighted expression.

Thud.

Yi Gyeom-hak stopped walking.

He gave Yunhyun a faint smile.

“It’s been a while.”

Yi Gyeom-hak turned his head towards Gae-ong.

“And you too.”

Gae-ong’s eyebrows twitched.

“Me too? Am I just an extra?”

Yi Gyeom-hak chuckled.

“You’re still the same. I didn’t mean it that way. It was just a greeting.”

At his words, Gae-ong snorted.

But he didn’t say anything more.

Swish.

Yi Gyeom-hak turned his head towards the elders, family heads, and supreme masters.

At that moment, a violent aura suddenly poured out towards the group.

Whoosh.

“Keuk.”

A groan escaped from someone’s lips.

It was so sudden, and the aura that Yi Gyeom-hak emitted was extraordinary.

However, the family heads and supreme masters soon gathered their inner strength to resist Yi Gyeom-hak’s aura.

“Hoo-oh.”

Yi Gyeom-hak’s expression changed.

What flashed in his intense eyes was curiosity.

“Tsk.”

Gae-ong clicked his tongue.

Then, he lightly waved his hand.

Whoosh.

Yi Gyeom-hak’s aura disappeared as if washed away.

Gae-ong said to Yi Gyeom-hak.

“How many times have I told you to fix that habit? You have to think about others too.”

At those words, Yi Gyeom-hak looked around.

The complexions of Tae-eul Jin-in and Cheongsong Jin-in were pale blue.

Unlike the family heads and supreme masters, they couldn’t withstand Yi Gyeom-hak’s aura.

The expression of Cheonsu Shinni wasn’t good either.

“I-I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”

Yi Gyeom-hak apologized to them.

The elders and Cheonsu Shinni desperately controlled their surging inner energy while chanting Buddhist verses.

“I-It’s alright.”

Cheonsu Shinni said.

But her expression still showed surprise.

She was even ashamed that she had once thought she could be compared to the Sword Saint.

It wasn’t just Cheonsu Shinni; the expressions of the other family heads and supreme masters weren’t good either.

“You’ve all changed a lot in the meantime.”

Yi Gyeom-hak said, looking back at the family heads and supreme masters.

“If you’re all okay with it, wouldn’t you like to spar with me?”

At those words, the group’s eyes shook greatly.

It was the same as Sword Saint Yi Gyeom-hak acknowledging their level.

“Of course!”

Cheolgeom Namgung-byeok said in a loud voice.

“Anytime is fine.”

His eyes were already burning fiercely.

The other family heads were the same.

Gunjageom Jegal-myeong bowed politely and said.

“Anytime is good, Great Hero.”

Bigeom Gongson-wol and Gwanilgeom Moryong Dancheon also bowed their heads.

“Ah, me too!”

Geum Hwa-yeong quickly raised her hand, not wanting to be left out.

Yi Gyeom-hak smiled.

“Very good. It feels like it was worth coming back after so long.”

At those words, Gae-ong frowned.

“After so long? You…”

Gae-ong couldn’t continue his words.

It seemed like Yi Gyeom-hak had left just recently, but when he thought about it, so much had happened in the meantime.

They had found Il-eun, thwarted the Taepyeong Alliance’s attack on Gangnam, and cooperated with the Gongdong Sect to subjugate the Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult.

The changes in the family heads and supreme masters had also occurred after Sword Saint Yi Gyeom-hak had left.

Gae-ong stopped the words he was about to say and asked calmly.

“How was your trip?”

“It was nothing much.”

Sword Saint Yi Gyeom-hak said.

“I was more surprised to meet Il-eun again here.”

Yi Gyeom-hak looked at Sa Ilcheon with an interested gaze.

“Judging by the looks of it, it’s not a disguise, so how did you do it?”

Sa Ilcheon gave a bitter smile.

The group’s gazes were fixed on Il-eun.

In fact, everyone had been curious about it since earlier.

How could Il-eun, who was called one of the Hwanwoo Five Heavens [Five of the most powerful martial artists in the world] along with Sword Saint Yi Gyeom-hak and Gae-ong, be so young?

Sa Ilcheon opened his mouth.

“By calming my mind and letting time flow slowly, I became like this.”

Yi Gyeom-hak and Gae-ong both gave bitter smiles.

It was clear that he was just saying anything.

But the elders and family heads were pondering over those words.

“Let’s talk about the rest later.”

Sa Ilcheon said to Yunhyun.

“Where are you planning to go now?”

“I’m planning to go to Cheonhajeillo [The Best Under Heaven Brothel] for now. Ah, you’ve probably already been there.”

“No, not yet.”

“Yes?”

Yunhyun looked at Sa Ilcheon with a puzzled expression.

Sa Ilcheon was acquainted with Ye-in Wolhyang, the owner of Cheonhajeillo.

In the first place, the reason he found out about Il-eun’s identity was thanks to the clues Sa Ilcheon had left through Wolhyang, so why hadn’t he been there yet?

“I haven’t been here for a few days either. Besides, I met this friend too.”

Sa Ilcheon said with a seemingly nonchalant expression.

But Yunhyun somehow felt that he seemed embarrassed.

“I see. We were planning to stay here for a while anyway, so let’s go together.”

At Yunhyun’s words, Sa Ilcheon nodded.

“Let’s do that.”

Clatter. Clatter.

As soon as Sa Ilcheon’s words ended, large carriages approached the docks.

They were carriages sent by Cheonhajeillo after receiving Yeongho-jun’s call.

Of course, Wolhyang didn’t know that Sa Ilcheon was coming.

“Hmm, a brothel.”

Yi Gyeom-hak stroked his beard and said.

“Now that I think about it, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to a brothel.”

“Has someone like you ever been to a brothel?”

Gae-ong said to Yi Gyeom-hak as if scolding him.

Sword Saint Yi Gyeom-hak was even called a madman obsessed with swords.

It was only natural for Gae-ong to ask that since he had said he had been to a brothel.

Yi Gyeom-hak nodded.

“Of course. There were many eccentrics among the masters, so there were those who stayed holed up in brothels all day long. I went to find them myself, but they weren’t as skilled as I had hoped.”

Gae-ong let out a dumbfounded laugh as if he was speechless.

He thought it was a big deal that Yi Gyeom-hak had gone to a brothel, but in the end, he had gone there to find sparring partners.

“Then you can look forward to it.”

Yeongho-jun said with a bright smile.

“I guarantee that Cheonhajeillo is truly the best.”

He was already grinning from ear to ear.

“Now, let’s go quickly.”

Yeongho-jun said as if urging them and walked ahead towards the carriage.

Yunhyun smiled and said to the group.

“Let’s go too.”

The group, who were still unable to escape from the shock, finally nodded.

With the quietly flowing Janggang River [Yangtze River] under the blue sky behind them, Yunhyun walked towards the carriage with the group.

***

The group, who arrived at Cheonhajeillo, received a warm welcome as always.

Nuju Wolhyang, who was greeting the group with an elegant appearance, couldn’t hide her shock when she saw Sa Ilcheon.

Sa Ilcheon smiled gently, saying it had been a while, but Wolhyang, with a surprised expression, ended up shedding tears.

At that time, Sa Ilcheon’s flustered expression was something even Yunhyun, who knew him well, was seeing for the first time.

Wolhyang’s tears were only for a moment; she soon regained her composure as the Nuju [Head Courtesan] of Cheonhajeillo.

With a soft smile as always, Wolhyang treated the group, and by the end of the meal, she even brought out the seven-stringed zither [a traditional Chinese instrument] and played it herself.

Her slender voice harmonized with the sound of the seven-stringed zither, creating a somewhat mournful feeling.

Even Sword Saint Yi Gyeom-hak commented, ‘The strongest melody that moves people’s hearts is still the voice.’

Wolhyang was even happier when Sa Ilcheon said, ‘Your melody is better than before.’

Receiving Wolhyang’s utmost hospitality, the group stayed in Nanjing for three days.

Three days later, with Wolhyang’s farewell, the group headed to Hangzhou.

The faces of the family heads and supreme masters in the carriage were full of anticipation and excitement.

How could they not be, since they would be able to spar with Sword Saint Yi Gyeom-hak?

Moreover, the fact that Sword Saint Yi Gyeom-hak, who was the object of their admiration and a huge wall, wanted to spar meant that they had been recognized as qualified to cross swords with him.

Clatter, clatter.

The carriage raced towards the Changryong Alliance headquarters in Hangzhou.

How long had the carriage been running on the main road?

Gae-ong, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

“So.”

Gae-ong asked Sa Ilcheon.

“What’s the reason for suddenly coming like this?”

Sa Ilcheon smiled.

“I came to see you guys. As I said before.”

“And you happened to meet Yi Gyeom-hak?”

At Gae-ong’s words, Sa Ilcheon shrugged his shoulders.

Gae-ong, who let out a soft laugh, looked straight at Sa Ilcheon.