Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 90

The Strange Ferryman

Choryang’s face was etched with worry. He, usually so confident, looked strangely out of sorts, like a man who had struck a reef in the vast ocean.

“Hoo…”

A sigh, as dark as his mood, escaped his lips. He was currently in his private training room, a place off-limits to anyone in the Great Punishment Hall without express permission. He sat alone, cross-legged on a ten-foot-wide stone platform, a cushion beneath him, and an open book lay before him. Yet, his gaze was not on the text; he was staring at the blank, gray wall.

‘It’s too much for me to keep the Sword Emperor and the other Four Emperors in check. Although they are my master’s sworn brothers, their ambitions are too dangerous. They want to stain the Central Plains with blood and are trying to destroy the already stable Ming Dynasty. Is this truly the right thing to do? Don’t they know that history cannot be reversed by the will of a few people? Their thoughts clearly reveal that they yearn more for the power of an empire than for unifying the martial world. Should I let things unfold as they intend? Or should I persuade my master to keep them in check? I lack both the justification and the strength. If I start directly restraining them, they will surely join forces and strike me down first. That’s why this Blood Shadow Lightning Art was so desperately needed… Hah, but this is something that can’t be called a martial art at all…’

What did he mean? Choryang was asserting that this supreme technique, considered one of the greatest martial arts comparable to the Heavenly Demon’s, was not a martial art at all. The reason for this was intriguing.

‘Eight stars is the limit. Further training means becoming a demon, a creature that only craves blood and destruction. What good can I do if I become such a demon? In the end, this is no better than a useless piece of paper for me.’

He was frustrated. When he first received this from Heavenly Fragrance Jade Peak, he was as pleased as if he could fly. Even his current martial arts were so formidable that he lacked nothing, but while he was stronger than the weakest of the Five Emperors, the Poison Emperor, he was no match for the Sword Emperor or the Blood Emperor. Moreover, they were cunning individuals who always concealed some of their true power, so even Choryang could not gauge their true strength.

‘The Heavenly Emperor’s faction is immensely powerful. If they ally with the Blood Demon Heaven, they might be able to ravage the world. If such immense power is wielded by dangerous figures like the Five Emperors, the world will become hell. Even tyranny must have its form and order. The world is governed by justification.

The Central Plains is not so easily conquered by force alone, so their methods are wrong. Hoo… The Sword Emperor’s appearance in the Central Plains is a sign that they will now move directly. Soon, the remaining Four Emperors will also enter the Central Plains, and if even my master comes, I won’t be able to stop them. What should I truly do?’

His worries were all his own, making them even more lonely and desperate.

“Who is it?”

Choryang raised his head and looked towards the entrance. When he recognized the person entering, he relaxed his guard.

“What brings you here?”

The person who had entered replied to Choryang’s question.

“Senior Brother! I have something to ask.”

“Ask? What is it?”

The person who approached Choryang was none other than his junior brother, Blood Hand Heavenly Child. Ten shadows always stayed by Choryang’s side, never leaving him for a moment. The seven male and three female shadows were crouching in the darkness, always protecting their master against any possible assassins. Their martial arts were so advanced that they were widely known even within the Heavenly Emperor’s faction. Among those who approached Choryang, there were three people whom they did not guard against: Choryang’s master, the head of the Heavenly Emperor’s faction, his junior brother Blood Hand Heavenly Child, and his junior sister, Ice Flower. These three alone could approach without being stopped by the orders of their lord.

“Tell me the truth. Three years ago… what exactly happened?”

Blood Hand Heavenly Child was speaking respectfully to Choryang for the first time. Perhaps sensing this, Choryang was becoming overly agitated and losing his composure.

“…”

“Senior Brother, you know, don’t you? Tell me what happened back then. Senior Brother… please, I beg you, tell me the truth.”

Blood Hand Heavenly Child’s knees touched the ground. His eyes were filled with longing, and his gaze was so persistent that Choryang could not meet it. He turned his head away and said coldly,

“I don’t know anything. Go back now.”

“Senior Brother.”

Choryang flinched at Blood Hand Heavenly Child’s desperate call. There was a sob mixed in the voice calling out to him.

“Damn it… why? Why did it have to be her? You know, don’t you? You know… why won’t you tell me? Is it something I shouldn’t know?”

Choryang turned away. It was as if he was afraid to face him.

“Three years ago… when I returned to the faction after leaving under Master’s orders, my junior sister was nowhere to be found. I went straight to you, Senior Brother. When I asked where she was, you said you didn’t know. Her residence was destroyed and charred by fire. I searched the entire Heavenly Emperor’s faction for her, and I finally found her… but… Ice Flower… hahahaha, she was naked, covered in thorny vines, and locked in a cell. Hahahaha, I went to Master and asked why he had imprisoned Ice Flower, but Master said he didn’t know. She was already out of her mind. Damn it, I later found out that she had entered the prison voluntarily, and I was on the verge of going insane myself. And three years have already passed. Do you know? It’s been three years since Ice Flower lost her smile… the old her is already dead. What exactly happened? Isn’t it time I knew? Tell me. Tell me!”

Blood Hand Heavenly Child’s shouts were trapped within the walls of the training room, struggling to escape. Choryang closed his eyes. Even in his pretense of not hearing his junior brother’s voice, he could not help the shiver that ran through his entire body. A moment of silence fell between the two. Blood Hand Heavenly Child’s eyes, which were fixed on Choryang’s unyielding shoulders, were already bloodshot and on the verge of tears.

Then, Choryang’s low voice, extremely restrained, echoed in Blood Hand Heavenly Child’s ears.

“Listen… carefully. Sometimes… there are times when you have to pretend not to know, even if you do. It’s not only because there’s no benefit in knowing… but because it only adds to the pain. There’s nothing you can do. So, don’t try to know anymore.”

“Tell me. Tell me! I also have the right to know. I… Ice Flower…”

Blood Hand Heavenly Child’s fist clenched and then loosened, his shoulders slumping. What was he trying to say?

‘You were particularly fond of Ice Flower. That’s why I can’t tell you. If you knew, your actions would be predictable… I know your wandering started because of her, so I can’t tell you. Of course, you will find out someday, but I wish you would never know. It’s enough for me alone. This is a problem I have to solve.’

Blood Hand Heavenly Child lowered his head, then suddenly raised it again. His senior brother’s back, turned away from him, was too vast for him to overcome. He could not fully understand the loneliness, pain, and suffering he carried, but he knew the affection he held for him and Ice Flower. That was why…

He could not understand his senior brother’s attempt to bear it all alone, and he hated that sight. Why did it have to be that way? When they were young, his senior brother was more of a support to him than their master. He was a parent, a brother, and sometimes a friend. It was also from that day three years ago that he began to show this attitude. It was partly because he had nowhere else to turn his anger, but his resentment and disappointment towards his senior brother for not protecting Ice Flower were even greater. Not knowing where to look, he paused, and his eyes fell on the book spread open behind his senior brother. He reached out his hand. The book easily fell into his grasp.

“What is this?”

Those words from Blood Hand Heavenly Child were enough to make Choryang, who was still struggling to suppress the turmoil in his heart, turn around. He was surprised to find the martial arts manual he had been looking at in his junior brother’s hands. He jumped to his feet and immediately took a step towards Blood Hand Heavenly Child. As Blood Hand Heavenly Child quickly scanned the cover, his face showed clear signs of surprise.

“T-this is…”

Choryang’s face was contorted in a way that seemed almost tragic, and he was clearly flustered.

“Blood Shadow Lightning Art… you have this? How did it end up in your hands?”

He had also heard about the legends of the Blood Demon, so his surprise was genuine.

“Give it to me. It’s a demonic technique that shouldn’t be learned. So, hurry…”

“Ho, so you’ve been holed up in the training room to learn this. The reactions will be quite something if this gets out. I wonder how Master or the Five Emperors would react if they knew? Hehe, I’m curious why you were trying to learn this alone without telling anyone.”

Choryang had regained his composure. He stared at his junior brother, Blood Hand Heavenly Child, with burning eyes.

“As you said, I was learning it. But I realized that further training is meaningless. There’s nothing I can do if I become a demon.”

Blood Hand Heavenly Child’s lips, peeking out from between the bandages, twitched and twisted.

“Hmph, fine. Then I’ll take it. Since you don’t need it, I’ll have it. I assume you won’t object, right?”

“What? That’s not possible. How can I just watch you destroy yourself? Give it to me now. Even if you learn it…”

Blood Hand Heavenly Child cut off Choryang’s next words.

“If I learn this, I can take revenge on the one who made Ice Flower like that. I can be satisfied with that. Hehehe, it seems I’m not meant to die. Even if I become a demon after that, I won’t… have any regrets. Is that okay? If you don’t intend to learn it, I will. I will repay what I received. No matter who the opponent is…”