Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 65

65. A True Master

“Hoo.”

The Sword Saint, having withdrawn his aura, let out a soft breath.

Then, he slowly turned around.

“…Let’s go.”

Thud.

The Sword Saint began to walk. However, Chief Gwan, who had collapsed, couldn’t even think about getting up.

It wasn’t just Chief Gwan.

The warriors guarding him also wore pale, horrified expressions, unable to hide their shock.

‘They say the Sword Saint can kill a person with just his eyes…’

Chief Gwan felt a chilling sensation.

He had heard many stories, but never witnessed it himself.

Very few people had ever crossed swords with the Sword Saint.

Because of this, some said the rumors about the Sword Saint were exaggerated and inflated.

Chief Gwan had also harbored such thoughts in a corner of his mind.

However, the moment the Sword Saint’s aura erupted, Chief Gwan was literally unable to move.

“Huuuhuhuh.”

Chief Gwan trembled, making a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a sigh.

The Sword Saint was slowly moving.

Now, even his back seemed inhuman.

“I, I will escort you.”

Chief Gwan hurriedly said, jumping to his feet.

He no longer had any desire to flaunt the power of the Murim Alliance [a powerful martial arts organization].

Now, Chief Gwan’s biggest task was to guide the Sword Saint to the Waryong Pavilion without offending him.

Tap tap tap.

Chief Gwan hastened his steps towards the Sword Saint, who was already walking quite far ahead.

Thanks to this, the question of why the Sword Saint had unleashed such an aura, and who the target was, disappeared from his mind.

And Chief Gwan did not see the faint smile lingering around the Sword Saint’s lips as he walked ahead.

***

The participants of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering couldn’t hide their bewilderment.

Some of them had even suffered internal injuries, their faces looking unwell, and some didn’t even know what had happened.

It was like being caught in a sudden storm that disappeared as quickly as it came.

It was then.

“We will conclude here for today.”

Suddenly, the voice of Plum Blossom Sword Youngho Jun echoed.

The declaration confused the already bewildered younger generation even more.

Some people who hadn’t had their matches yet tried to say something, but Plum Blossom Sword Youngho Jun had already left his seat.

Tap.

Plum Blossom Sword Youngho Jun, who was always leisurely, even used light footwork to quickly leave the sparring arena.

Some people realized that the direction Youngho Jun disappeared towards was the same direction from which the tremendous aura had erupted, but most people were still in confusion.

Buzz buzz.

The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering participants whispered to each other, trying to deduce the situation in their own ways.

But there was no one among them who could properly explain what had just happened.

‘Just now, that was…’

Moyong Mi thought, looking in the direction where Plum Blossom Sword Youngho Jun had disappeared.

‘It was definitely someone’s aura.’

Although she couldn’t tell who it was, Moyong Mi had clearly seen it.

The moment the aura disappeared, she saw several people leaving their seats in the distance.

And the fact that Plum Blossom Sword Youngho Jun had disappeared in that direction meant that her guess was correct.

‘If someone could emit such an aura…’

Moyong Mi bit her lip slightly.

Even if it was hard to believe emotionally, if there was only one possible logical deduction, the answer was clear.

‘One of the Hwanwoo Five Greats [five of the most powerful martial artists].’

Moyong Mi had never met the Hwanwoo Five Greats in person.

She didn’t even know if the aura from just now belonged to one of the Hwanwoo Five Greats.

However, if there was anyone in the world who could do such a thing, it would be them.

‘If it’s one of the Hwanwoo Five Greats, then who appeared? And why did he unleash such an aura on us?’

Moyong Mi slowly looked over the younger generation of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

The sight of the younger generation looking at each other and whispering caught her eye.

If it was one of the Hwanwoo Five Greats, what reason would they have to harbor such hostility towards the younger generation?

‘Or was it directed at someone specific among us?’

Moyong Mi shook her head slightly.

No matter how prestigious the younger generation of famous families and sects were, how could they compare to the Hwanwoo Five Greats?

Just as there are no adults who seriously deal with children, it was impossible for the Hwanwoo Five Greats to show hostility towards the younger generation.

Plum Blossom Sword Youngho Jun was the closest person, but even he was no match for the Hwanwoo Five Greats.

“Hoo.”

Moyong Mi shook her head with a low sigh.

The truth was still beyond what she could confirm.

***

“Who, who was that?”

The Young Palace Lord of the Bukhae Ice Palace asked in a low voice with a stiff expression.

However, no one answered her question. It was because no one knew better than her.

“…I don’t know. But he is a truly frightening person.”

The stiffly frozen Binghon’s low reply followed.

He, who never hesitated to answer anything, couldn’t speak easily this time.

Even in his eyes, which always held a cold gaze, there was fear, and his voice was slightly trembling.

Swish.

The Young Palace Lord turned her head to look at the maid, Bingseol.

However, she was only looking at the place where the Sword Saint had disappeared, and as always, she said nothing.

The Young Palace Lord, biting her lip slightly and frowning, finally noticed that Woonhyun was standing there with a shocked expression.

“Scholar, are you alright?”

“Yes?”

Woonhyun seemed to come to his senses and turned his head to look at the Young Palace Lord.

The Young Palace Lord wore a gentle smile.

“You seem surprised. But it’s alright now.”

“Ah…, yes.”

The beautiful Young Palace Lord smiled, but Woonhyun’s answer was somewhat perfunctory.

Woonhyun turned his head again to look at the place where the Sword Saint had disappeared.

Watching him, the Young Palace Lord smiled inwardly.

‘Hmph.’

It was only natural that a scholar who only read books would be so surprised by something like what just happened that he couldn’t come to his senses.

Rather, it could be said that he dealt with it quite calmly.

The Young Palace Lord turned her gaze away from Woonhyun and looked in the direction where the Sword Saint had disappeared.

However, contrary to her expectations, the reason why Woonhyun couldn’t answer properly was because his interest was in something completely different.

It was the great confusion brought about by the sudden appearance of the Sword Saint.

‘Who is he?’

The tremendous thrill he felt when he met his gaze beyond the distance.

The tingling sensation on his skin just from being there.

And above all, the storm-like aura he emitted.

It was something Woonhyun had never experienced before.

Swish.

Woonhyun lowered his head and looked down at his hands.

His empty hands, damp with sweat, were still trembling slightly.

His Mind Sword had never appeared so intensely, to the point where he couldn’t control it himself.

But if he hadn’t done so, he would never have been able to withstand that tremendous aura.

‘This is…’

It wasn’t like this even when he saw Binghon. The same was true when he saw Plum Blossom Sword Youngho Jun, whom Woonhyun thought was quite skilled and probably one of the rising masters.

Not to mention the other participants of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

He had a feeling that some were quite skilled and that some seemed to have deeper achievements, but it was the first time that his whole body was so tense without end.

Squeeze.

Woonhyun clenched his empty hands again. And he hardened his face.

It was the first time he had experienced this. But he already knew the reason.

‘A true master…’

He was a master.

The master he had only heard about in stories, and the master Woonhyun had so desperately wanted to meet.

While Woonhyun was looking at the place where the Sword Saint had disappeared with a stiff face, the Young Palace Lord was also looking in the same direction.

However, her beautiful eyes were filled with complex emotions that were hard to describe.

The surroundings were still chaotic, and the participants couldn’t easily leave the sparring arena.

Thus, with each person lost in their own thoughts, the official schedule for the first day of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering came to an end.

***

The Waryong Pavilion was small and ordinary.

The contrast with the Murim Alliance’s large buildings was so dramatic that it even created the illusion of being suddenly dropped into a different place.

An old gate, a small garden, and a shabby roof that didn’t suit the Murim Alliance at all.

This place, with even a small vegetable garden in the back, was the Waryong Pavilion, the residence of the Shinseung Bulyoung Daesa [a high-ranking monk], the pinnacle and beginning of the Murim Alliance.

Swish.

The trees swayed in the passing wind, and teacups on the garden table emitted a warm glow.

The two people sitting facing the teacups were the owner of this Waryong Pavilion, Shinseung Bulyoung, and his guest, Sword Saint Lee Gyeomhak.

Compared to the Sword Saint, who had a solid physique, Shinseung Bulyoung looked like nothing more than an ordinary old monk.

Slurp.

Shinseung Bulyoung picked up a teacup and drank the tea with a sound.

On the other hand, Sword Saint Lee Gyeomhak had his eyes half-closed and said nothing.

Slurp, slurp.

Bulyoung made noises as he drank the tea, and occasionally he would chew and swallow the tea leaves.

How long had it been?

When Bulyoung’s teacup finally revealed its bottom, he glanced at the Sword Saint and opened his mouth.

“Doesn’t the tea suit your taste?”

Swish.

The Sword Saint opened his eyes. And he said in a heavy voice.

“How long are you going to stay here?”

“Hmm, the fragrance will all disappear if the tea gets cold…”

Bulyoung, his face full of wrinkles, said something absurd and reached out his wrinkled hand towards the Sword Saint’s teacup.

Clack.

The moment his fingertips were about to touch the Sword Saint’s teacup, the Sword Saint’s sturdy hand grabbed the teacup.

“A lot of time has passed. Is it still not enough?”

Bulyoung slyly withdrew his hand at the Sword Saint’s intense gaze.

“I was just going to see if it was cold. You’re being too harsh over a cup of tea.”

The Sword Saint frowned.

At first glance, it sounded like a simple grumble, but Shinseung Bulyoung’s words were always ambiguous and contained various meanings.

And it was always up to the listeners to grasp the true meaning in those words.

While the Sword Saint was frowning, Bulyoung pouted.

“Forget it. I can just brew another cup of tea.”

Bulyoung rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the teapot with one hand, and began to pour it into his teacup.

The sight of him holding his sleeves so they wouldn’t fall down was exactly like an old monk.

Pour.

As the teacup filled, Bulyoung carefully put down the teapot and grabbed the cup with both hands.

“Heo, good.”

Bulyoung closed his eyes tightly and drank the tea with a satisfied expression.

Slurp.

“So, where have you been wandering around again?”

Bulyoung, who was drinking tea, suddenly asked the Sword Saint.

“Cheonsan [a mountain range].”

The Sword Saint slowly raised his teacup and continued.

“I heard a rumor that a master had appeared, so I went to find him, but I couldn’t meet him. Looking at the celestial aura, it seemed that a master had indeed appeared, but even after wandering around Cheonsan for a while, there was no way to meet him.”

“Heulheul, celestial aura, my foot…”

Bulyoung said mockingly.

“Didn’t you just go after a rumor and waste your time? Don’t blame the sky for celestial aura or whatever.”

It was blatant sarcasm, but the Sword Saint didn’t care.

“But somehow, it keeps bothering me.”

The Sword Saint said with a serious expression, but Bulyoung pouted and sipped his tea again.

The Sword Saint stared silently at Bulyoung and suddenly said.

“What do you think about leaving this place?”