Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 69

069. Waryongheon (2)

Without a word, the group halted in unison. A subtle tremor flickered across everyone’s eyes.

It wasn’t because of the master of Waryongheon [Dragon Sleeping Hermitage], the venerable Buddhist monk, Bulyeong.

It was the man sitting leisurely across from the venerable monk.

He didn’t even bother to look around, as if he had nothing to do with anything. He was the very person who had single-handedly disrupted the Yongbong Tournament [Dragon and Phoenix Tournament] with his mere presence.

Rustle.

“I, the Vice Lord of the Bukhae Ice Palace [Northern Sea Ice Palace], greet the venerable Buddhist monk, Bulyeong of the Murim Alliance [Martial Arts Alliance].”

The Vice Lord of the Bukhae Ice Palace was the first to act.

With a graceful demeanor, she bowed respectfully to the venerable monk.

“Oh, my, a bright and clever child indeed…”

The venerable monk nodded, a pleased smile on his face at the Vice Lord’s greeting.

“They say the Ice Emperor’s seventh child is very intelligent and beautiful, with a promising future. Are you the seventh?”

“I am the seventh, but I currently hold the position of Third Palace Lord.”

The venerable monk burst into a hearty laugh at the Vice Lord’s answer.

“Hahaha, indeed. To have risen to the position of Third Palace Lord means you’re not just a pretty flower. I imagine you have quite the thorns as well.”

The venerable monk stared intently at the Vice Lord’s face.

“Well, if you resemble your mother, the ‘Greatest Intellect of Bukhae,’ it’s only to be expected. Don’t just stand there; come and sit down.”

The Vice Lord expressed her gratitude and slowly moved to sit in the seat offered by the venerable monk.

Binghon, Bingseol, and Unhyeon stood slightly behind the Vice Lord.

There wasn’t enough room at the table for them.

“So, is the Ice Palace still arguing over ‘Jeongnam Theory’ [Conquer the South Theory] and ‘Namrin Faction’ [Befriend the South Faction]?”

As soon as the Vice Lord sat down, the venerable monk asked abruptly.

It was a sensitive remark, directly mentioning the Ice Palace’s internal strife, but the Vice Lord replied with a gentle smile.

“Since the Ice Palace is adjacent to this place, interest is inevitable.”

‘Jeongnam Theory’ is the argument that the Bukhae Ice Palace should subjugate the Murim [martial arts world] of the South by force, while the ‘Namrin Faction’ advocates maintaining friendly relations and accepting the developed culture.

This controversy, which has been constantly raised since the Great Righteous-Demonic War [war between righteous and demonic sects], will never end as long as it is adjacent to this place, as the Vice Lord said.

“I am grateful for allowing me to be here.”

The Vice Lord brought up her gratitude.

It was meant to transition into the main topic, but the venerable monk waved his hand and joked.

“Oh dear, I haven’t even brought out the tea yet. Getting old is unavoidable, I suppose. You standing over there, come over here for a moment.”

“Yes?”

Unhyeon involuntarily questioned. Bulyeong’s wrinkled face contorted.

“Who else would I be talking to? Come over here, I say!”

Although he came to Waryongheon as part of the Bukhae Ice Palace group, Unhyeon had no connection to anyone here.

Therefore, he was simply listening quietly behind the Vice Lord, but he was naturally taken aback when the venerable monk suddenly spoke to him.

However, the venerable monk continued to gesture towards him, and with the eyes of the Bukhae Ice Palace group turning to him, Unhyeon had no choice but to shuffle closer.

“Um, why are you calling for me…?”

The person in front of him was none other than the venerable Buddhist monk, Bulyeong.

In effect, he was the leader of the Murim Alliance and one of the Hwanwoo Five Heavens [Five Greatest Warriors]. Although his shabby appearance was a bit disappointing, his eyes were anything but ordinary.

If that person next to the venerable monk, the one who had given him such a shock, hadn’t been sitting there, he would have been more than enough to attract Unhyeon’s attention.

That’s why Unhyeon’s actions couldn’t help but be cautious.

“If you go to the back, you’ll find tea utensils. Go and get them.”

“Yes?”

At Unhyeon’s involuntary response, the venerable monk’s brow furrowed.

“Why, do you dislike it?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Hmph, so you’re ignoring the words of a powerless old man. What is the world coming to? Truly, these are the end times, the end times. Hmph.”

Unhyeon quickly replied to the venerable monk, who was even mentioning the end times.

“No, I will do it.”

As someone who had learned manners, he couldn’t bear to be accused of ignoring an elder.

Unhyeon cautiously glanced at the venerable monk and bowed politely.

“You said tea utensils? Are they over there?”

“Yes. They should be around back.”

Unhyeon nodded and took a step, but the venerable monk naturally continued.

“Don’t forget to boil water when you come. Come to think of it, is the water all used up? No, is there a little left?”

In other words, he wanted him to fetch water as well.

Unhyeon looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, but the venerable monk was already looking towards the Vice Lord, feigning ignorance.

‘Hoo.’

Unhyeon sighed lightly and reluctantly moved his feet.

The venerable monk cast a mischievous smile at the Vice Lord, who was watching him.

“Why? Does it displease you to see your Jeongrang [admired young man] doing errands?”

Jeongrang refers to a man one admires.

The Vice Lord immediately averted her gaze from Unhyeon and replied firmly.

“No. That is not the case. I am only receiving temporary help from Scholar Unhyeon; there is no special connection.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

The venerable monk looked at the Vice Lord with a suspicious gaze.

However, the Vice Lord met the venerable monk’s gaze without a flicker of emotion.

“…Well, never mind.”

The venerable monk turned his head as if disappointed.

However, the Vice Lord did not let go of her suspicion towards the venerable monk.

He was none other than the venerable Buddhist monk, Bulyeong.

Was it really a coincidence that he singled out Unhyeon to run errands and leave this place?

After watching the venerable monk for a moment, the Vice Lord changed the subject.

“Excuse me, may I ask who this person is?”

“Don’t ask me; why don’t you ask him directly?”

It was a somewhat sarcastic tone, but the Vice Lord carried out the venerable monk’s suggestion as it was.

Rustle.

The Vice Lord rose from her seat and bowed politely.

“I am the Vice Lord of the Bukhae Ice Palace.”

The beautiful Vice Lord asked him, her eyes shining.

“May I know your esteemed name?”

The somewhat antiquated expression was probably due to her unfamiliarity with this place.

However, the fact that she stood up and paid her respects in the presence of the venerable monk meant that she regarded him as highly as, or even more highly than, the venerable monk.

It might have been a discourtesy to the venerable monk, but her judgment was not wrong.

“I am Lee Geomhak.”

The person who couldn’t hide their shock at the low, heavy voice was Binghon.

“Sword Saint Lee Geomhak!”

With Binghon’s voice, the atmosphere instantly sank.

Not only the Vice Lord but even the ever-expressionless maid Bingseol’s complexion changed.

Sword Saint Lee Geomhak.

No one is not surprised by that name.

However, the meaning of that name to the people of Bukhae was very special.

“It is an honor to meet you, Great One.”

The Vice Lord’s clear voice, like rolling jade beads, broke the silence.

The Vice Lord smiled as she bowed her head.

However, that smile was neither gentle nor warm.

A cold, sharp smile bloomed on the Vice Lord’s red lips, along with a taut tension.

“Hmm.”

The Sword Saint nodded slightly. And a strange light flashed in the Vice Lord’s eyes.

The fact that the Sword Saint had accepted the greeting meant that she had earned the right to speak with him.

The Vice Lord quietly sat down.

The cold smile that had been on her red lips had faded, but her beautiful eyes were shining even more.

“I have often heard of the Great One’s high name even in Bukhae.”

“Of course, you would know.”

The one who answered was the venerable monk. He continued in a good-natured voice.

“The wounds he inflicted on you haven’t healed yet, so how could you not know? Hehehe.”

Binghon’s face hardened.

What the venerable monk had just said was a past wound that everyone in the Bukhae Ice Palace knew about but no one spoke of.

When the endless bloodshed of the Righteous-Demonic War was brought to a close by the emergence of the Murim Alliance, people wanted a peace to heal their wounds.

However, laying a new foundation for the Murim Alliance system was not easy, and even after the Righteous-Demonic War ended, the bloodshed continued for some time, divided into the Murim Alliance and the Anti-Murim Alliance.

At that time, the arguments of the Jeongnam theorists were gaining traction in the Bukhae Ice Palace, seizing control of the core of Bukhae.

If things continued like this, the threat from Bukhae would soon become a reality, and the Murim, exhausted from the Righteous-Demonic War, had no strength to resist it.

The Murim Alliance had not yet acquired even the organizational power to use external threats for internal unity.

The person who stopped the Bukhae Ice Palace, which seemed that no one could stop, was none other than the Sword Saint Lee Geomhak.

At the request of the venerable monk, who was then called a strange monk, he visited the Bukhae Ice Palace alone and mercilessly brought the renowned masters of Bukhae to their knees.

No one was an exception in front of his coldly shining sword, Hanwol.

The Jeongnam theorists lost their power due to his overwhelming martial prowess, and the Ice Emperor of Bukhae, who felt that the pride of Bukhae had been wounded, mobilized all the power of the Bukhae Ice Palace to kill the Sword Saint Lee Geomhak.

For the Sword Saint Lee Geomhak, who had been fighting life-and-death duels one after another, it was an inevitable situation where he had to give up his life.

At that time, a woman appeared between the enraged Ice Emperor and the blood-soaked Sword Saint.

Like a miracle, she stopped the two men’s fight with just a few words, and the Ice Emperor, who had been trying to kill the Sword Saint, instead acknowledged the Sword Saint’s martial prowess by gifting him a sword.

The Sword Saint upheld the pride of Bukhae by accepting the Ice Emperor’s recognition, and with this, an uneasy peace was established between the Bukhae Ice Palace and the Murim Alliance.

The woman who mediated between the Ice Emperor and the Sword Saint gained the name ‘Greatest Intellect of Bukhae’ for this, and later became the fifth consort of the Ice Emperor of Bukhae.

And the mother of the Vice Lord sitting here was none other than her, known as the Greatest Intellect of Bukhae.

So, it was by no means an old story that could be dismissed for the venerable monk and the Sword Saint here, as well as for the Vice Lord.

However, the Vice Lord’s reaction was a little different.

“It is an old story.”

The Vice Lord said in a clear voice.

“Not many people remember that anymore.”

“But as long as the people who experienced it are alive, it is also a story that will never be forgotten.”

The venerable monk said so as if throwing it out and looked at the Sword Saint Lee Geomhak.

“That guy has come to his senses now, but he was quite hot-blooded in his youth, you know? Hehehe.”

The venerable monk’s words had many meanings depending on how one listened to them.

But the Vice Lord did not back down easily.

“That is right.”

The Vice Lord said with a light smile.

“As long as those who experienced that are alive, the Bukhae Ice Palace will never be able to move easily. But.”

Looking straight at the Sword Saint with her beautiful eyes, the Vice Lord said.

“The new generation wants new evidence.”

Whoosh.

A gust of wind swept past the three people.

Even the venerable monk, who was always joking, was silent at this moment.

The fact that Bukhae wanted new evidence meant that Bukhae had cultivated new power in the meantime.

And the ‘new generation’ that wanted evidence would include the Vice Lord as well.

“Does Bukhae have the power to do that?”

The venerable monk’s question was blatant and just as rude. But the Vice Lord did not get angry.

“You will soon find out.”

The Vice Lord replied in a calm voice.

The venerable monk frowned and looked at the Vice Lord, but the Vice Lord said nothing.

Her sparkling gaze was still directed at the Sword Saint.

How long had it been?

A long sigh escaped from the venerable monk’s mouth.

“Hoo. Evidence, evidence… What evidence is needed to show that peace is better than bloodshed? People’s foolishness is truly endless.”

The Vice Lord replied softly to the sigh.

“It is not foolishness, but simply different thoughts. Perhaps it is a matter of Bukhae’s destiny.”

As the venerable monk said, peace is much better than bloodshed.

But Bukhae’s destiny is not determined by such logic alone.

Like one’s dignity and pride, there are things that must be obtained even through bloodshed at times.

A question that no one can easily answer, but must answer.

It was to obtain the answer to this question that she, the Third Palace Lord favored by the Ice Emperor and the daughter of the Greatest Intellect of Bukhae, had come here.

It was clear that the future of Bukhae, and the future of Gangho Murim [martial arts world], as well, would be greatly changed by the ‘new evidence’ or ‘new answer’ that she would take with her.