Chapter 126: A Girl Who Is Crazy About Poisonous Plants (1)
Upon hearing the news that we would be having a meal with the Sword Master, Tang Soyeol’s reaction grew quite strange.
Her eyes wobbled from side to side, and she coughed repeatedly.
It seemed she couldn’t keep herself still, fidgeting restlessly.
While I pondered why she was behaving like that, it wasn’t too surprising considering what the Sword Master meant to female martial artists in the modern world.
If we excluded the Heavenly Sword Empress of the Unorthodox Faction, she was probably the martial artist who had reached the highest level among all sword-wielding women.
Her achievements were remarkable, especially for someone who had lived a relatively short life compared to other masters.
Even without wielding a sword, the Sword Master was a figure deserving of respect.
In fact, even Namgung Bi-ah, who seemed indifferent to the world like me, appeared particularly excited when discussing the Sword Master during our travels back to the Gu Clan.
“I heard that the Sword Master has been missing for several years…”
“She’s just been traveling, as far as I’ve heard.”
Although I’d heard she had recovered a lot, it was difficult to explain why the Sword Master had hidden herself from the world over the years.
Thus, I needed to skirt around the details.
“Then, what brings her to the Gu Clan?”
As we spoke about the Sword Master, Tang Soyeol, who had been nervous earlier, perked up and started asking questions with sparkling eyes.
It seemed she was quite interested in the Sword Master, and even looked up to her.
Tang Soyeol had likely come along to accompany Gu Ryunghwa and perhaps said she had business with the Gu Clan.
Of course, I couldn’t casually mention this part to Tang Soyeol.
“I think it would be best to ask her directly when you meet her later. This isn’t my story, so I need to be careful.”
“Oh…”
Tang Soyeol whispered clumsily to herself after hearing that. It seemed she was wondering, “Can I handle this even though I’m shy?” or something similar.
‘Shy…? Tang Soyeol?’
I didn’t really get that vibe from her, but if that’s how she felt, then who was I to disagree?
I set aside fidgety Tang Soyeol and gazed at Namgung Bi-ah, who was trying to tuck herself into the corner of the room like a frightened mouse.
She really didn’t seem too well. I thought I should check on her and approached, but she flinched again, this time slapping my hand away.
“Are you really okay?”
“…I’m fine…”
She grasped her long hair to cover her face.
It looked like she was aware of how red her face had turned.
Just as I was about to call an Immortal Healer, I sensed a presence near the door. With a creak, the door swung open.
“Brother, I thought you were here…”
The one who appeared was Gu Ryunghwa, the first I had seen since arriving at the Gu Clan.
Gu Ryunghwa frowned as she surveyed the unusual scene before her.
Tang Soyeol couldn’t keep still, excitement buzzing in her every move.
And Namgung Bi-ah secluded herself, hiding her face like a turtle in its shell.
Certainly, this wasn’t a normal sight for Gu Ryunghwa. As she glanced around, her gaze landed on me.
“…What’s going on?”
“Good question… What is going on?”
I wanted to ask that myself. What’s happening here?
It seemed too late to bother clarifying this perplexing situation, so I let out a sigh and asked Gu Ryunghwa lazily, “You mentioned we’re eating together today?”
“Right! Didn’t you know, brother? You said we should eat together someday.”
“I didn’t expect that it was today.”
“Oh, did I forget to mention that? Shouldn’t matter much.”
As Gu Ryunghwa said, it didn’t matter too much either way. Meals could be shared, but I had to remind her that more guests were expected to join.
“I think more guests will show up; is that alright?”
“More guests? Is it Sister Bi-ah?”
I pointed out Tang Soyeol, who was looking a bit lost, wondering who had just arrived.
“This is my little sister, and this is Tang Soyeol.”
“Tang…? The Tang Clan from Sichuan?”
“Oh, hello! I am Tang Soyeol.”
Upon realizing who she was, Tang Soyeol instantly stood up and bowed to Gu Ryunghwa.
Then, Gu Ryunghwa hurriedly returned the gesture, showcasing proper respect.
“I am Gu Ryunghwa…”
My sister seemed confused about why someone from the Tang Clan was present, but I had no easy way to explain.
– She came here because she likes me.
I was savvy enough not to say that out loud.
The girls exchanged looks, and their expressions clearly revealed their thoughts.
Gu Ryunghwa thought, “She looks surprisingly innocent for someone who uses poison.”
Whereas Tang Soyeol felt, “She appears so kind for someone from the Gu Clan.”
Indeed, the Tang Clan was notorious for employing the most vicious martial arts that melted and rotted flesh, yet their members were often perceived as innocent and unassuming. Gu Ryunghwa, for her part, appeared soft despite her Gu Clan heritage.
They had something eerily similar about them. I almost burst into laughter recalling when Wi Seol-Ah said Gu Ryunghwa looked like a squirrel.
Back then, my laughter prompted a swift kick from Gu Ryunghwa. I stifled a chuckle and asked, “Where is your master?”
“Why are you smiling, Brother?”
“I’m not smiling…”
“You definitely look like it.”
“I told you I’m not! Keep your feet still!”
“Tch.”
She surely had sharp instincts. Wonder who she took after?
Well, definitely not you.
‘…’
“Master said she would be late because she had business and told me to go ahead.”
Looks like the Sword Master would be late after all. Gu Ryunghwa then turned her attention to Namgung Bi-ah, peeking from behind.
“Why is she acting like that?”
“I have no idea. Maybe you should ask her yourself if you’re curious.”
I suggested Gu Ryunghwa reach out to her, seeing as Namgung Bi-ah seemed averse to my advances.
Upon hearing this, Gu Ryunghwa tried to approach, yet Tang Soyeol cut in.
“She said she’s a bit tired today. She’ll be fine soon!”
“Oh, okay…”
“Also, um… Are you perhaps the student of the Sword Master?”
Tang Soyeol cautiously probed Gu Ryunghwa, who showed a moment of hesitation before softly nodding in affirmation.
In the past, she would have concealed it for the Sword Master’s sake, but now she mirrored confidence in acknowledging it.
It was likely due to Gu Ryunghwa unlocking her potential, along with the Sword Master increasingly recovering her health.
Tang Soyeol then took Gu Ryunghwa’s hand. For an instant, Gu Ryunghwa appeared surprised by Tang Soyeol’s action, yet she didn’t withdraw her hand.
“W-What are you doing?”
“Tang Soyeol…”
“Yes…?”
While Gu Ryunghwa seemed to signal me for help with her eyes, Tang Soyeol blurted out, “Is there any poison that the Sword Master might like?”
“Pardon?”
Gu Ryunghwa appeared bewildered at Tang Soyeol’s words as Namgung Bi-ah stretched her head out, as if trying to clarify what she had just heard.
I couldn’t help but facepalm.
Could there even be a bigger mess than this?
By the time Gu Ryunghwa arrived at our place, the Sword Master was climbing the mountain behind the Gu Clan.
The night had gotten quite late, and despite the rough mountain path, it wasn’t particularly hard for the Sword Master, who had regained about half of her strength.
Wooo…
Upon passing a certain point, she heard a ringing sound near her ear. The Sword Master didn’t panic.
It was the sensation of passing through an energy barrier.
She’d only climbed halfway up the mountain, yet already encountered this barrier.
The Sword Master couldn’t ascertain how much Qi she’d expended or how much more was needed.
When she reached a flat area of the mountain, she saw someone standing with their hands clasped behind their back.
Upon noticing, the Sword Master spoke, “I didn’t expect to see you here so early.”
“I don’t like making people wait.”
“That’s true; you’ve always arrived before us.”
The figure standing beneath the moonlight was none other than the Sword Emperor.
The Sword Master walked slowly towards the old man.
“It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yes… Have you been well?”
After several months of adventure together, it was the Sword Emperor guiding the horse, with the Sword Master accompanying him.
There was no way the Sword Master wouldn’t notice the Sword Emperor.
Although she didn’t quite understand why he was leading a wagon for the Gu Clan, she continued to observe him silently.
“Sir Alliance Leader.”
Upon hearing that, the Sword Emperor smiled wryly.
“Just like the Immortal Healer, it seems that everyone likes calling me that, even though I’m nothing more than a useless old man now.”
“If you prefer, I can refer to you as elder.”
“No need; addressing me differently won’t change anything.”
“How have you fared during that time?”
How long had it been? The last time they met was when the Sword Master had returned from her traumatic ordeal in the Abyss. That time was at least a few years ago.
Ten years, in fact.
Longer than it felt.
The Sword Emperor had stepped down from his leadership and vanished from public view, and Gu Cheolun, previously the commander of the Dragon Army, became the lord of his clan when the assembly disbanded.
During that time, the Sword Master ventured into the Abyss. She wanted to discover new things and acquire knowledge.
Ultimately, she gleaned more than she should have.
“What do you think?” The Sword Emperor inquired, while the Sword Master held her silence.
She merely continued to gaze at him.
Time had eluded him. The person who once felt untouchable had aged, depleted by the relentless passage of time, transforming into a frail old man.
The wrinkles on his face and the dark shadows spoke of the tribulations he had weathered.
But the Sword Master found it hard to relate.
“Time has passed, and I have also aged.”
The woman who once yearned for world peace was now in her middle years.
“I’ve witnessed and learned many things, yet I still cannot comprehend your actions, Alliance Leader.”
“The Immortal Healer has expressed similar sentiment.”
“Why did you do it?”
That question was what the Sword Master wished to ask most.
Why did he commit such acts?
“Many who followed you loyally lost their lives.”
That was the reason the Immortal Healer harbored hatred toward the Sword Emperor, and likewise the reason the Sword Master resented him.
The utter annihilation of the Dragon Army.
The Sword Master still remembered the destruction of the Dragon Army when they ventured into the Abyss under the Alliance Leader’s directive.
She remembered resenting herself for not being able to follow them, and felt immense sorrow watching the youngest of the army take his own life even after surviving that fate.
“It wasn’t merely a sacrifice.”
Sacrifices must exist. Nothing can be achieved without some form of sacrifice.
That was why discussions were essential, and loyalty was held in high regard.
Everyone in the Dragon Army adhered to that principle.
They were prepared to die for their comrades rather than live selfishly.
In their pursuit of a common goal, they unhesitatingly sacrificed their lives.
The Sword Master herself was certain that if she had met her end in the Abyss, she would have had no regrets.
Even upon hearing that the survivors turned to taking their own lives, she didn’t blame the Sword Emperor.
She felt the same when she learned about the army’s obliteration.
At no point did she resent the Alliance Leader.
She sought to believe that these were necessary sacrifices. They gave their lives for a peaceful world, and their deaths were thus worthy.
She tried rationalizing it that way… until she learned the truth.
“Please, answer me.”
As she spoke these words, the Sword Master drew her blade.
The Sword Emperor made no move as he observed her actions.
“We must know for what reason we had to die. Was it truly…” A crimson light began to swirl around her blade. “To ensure your child’s safety?”
The Sword Emperor’s eyes slightly trembled in response to her query.
As the blade’s aura intensified, the surroundings began to glimmer with light.
“…I’m sorry.”
With the Sword Emperor’s helpless apology, the Sword Master’s blade surged forth.
– Clang!
With a resounding crashing echo disrupting the surroundings, a mighty gust surged in all directions, stirring up thick clouds of dust.
The once-placid ground was now upheaved and barren, while remnants of her blade scattered sharp trails in the area.
Trees and rocks were split cleanly in two.
Where the Sword Master’s strike had passed, all dirt had been cleared, leaving the Sword Emperor standing unwavering.
He remained as he was, unscathed, without even a scratch to be seen.
Upon witnessing that, the Sword Master spoke softly.
“…You remain unchanged.”
She couldn’t suppress a bitter smile at this sight. To her, the broken remnants of her body were due to the poisonous Qi that had once invaded her, and although she hadn’t completely regained her strength, she was more powerful than when she last confronted the Sword Emperor.
After all, she had swung her sword tirelessly since that day.
However, revenge wasn’t her motivation.
She had vowed to herself that she could not wield her sword for such a purpose.
Even so, she still felt a vast gap between herself and the Sword Emperor.
“Do you desire my death?”
“If you say yes, what do you intend to do?”
“If that’s your desire, then I’ll carry it out. I no longer believe in the worth of my life.”
“…!”
“Yet, I… I can’t die just yet.”
The Sword Emperor held nothing in his hands.
He merely gazed at the Sword Master, yet she felt no flicker of hope that she could overcome him.
It wasn’t merely pressure manifesting through Qi.
It was an overwhelming sense of authority emanating from an extraordinary level of martial prowess.
Should she rejoice for finally recognizing the disparity, or despair at the infinite wall that loomed before her?
The Sword Master struggled to reconcile either response.
“That’s a contradiction you present.”
“I apologize…”
“Is it concerning that child?”
“…”
“I’ve seen that child too. A very beautiful girl, indeed.”
Wi Seol-Ah, wasn’t that her name? She was the granddaughter of the Sword Emperor.
She was undeniably beautiful. When witnessing her gentle interactions with those around her, the Sword Master couldn’t help but feel her heart lift with an involuntary smile.
Nevertheless, as her strength gradually returned, the Sword Master recognized the tremendous presence that lay within the girl.
While others might feel nothingness emanating from her, the Sword Master felt the total opposite.
That girl’s presence was so immense that it rendered any recognition impossible.
It was that way in the case of Wi Seol-Ah.
The Sword Emperor did not respond to the Sword Master’s query.
“What do you dream of?”
“…Just.”
“Is it for that child to attain happiness? Is that your aspiration?”
A sharp edge sharpened in the Sword Master’s tone.
“Had you the ability to wish for such, you ought not have acted in such a manner.”
She recalled the youngest member of their army, who wept in the Sword Master’s arms as he took his own life. A brave young soul in his early twenties, dedicated to protecting others, who succumbed to his own fears.
“I’m unaware of what you and the captain witnessed, nor why you are living like this, but all that’s left for you is to run away.”
When the Sword Master gazed upon the colossal tree entrenched in the Abyss, she too had faced despair and welcomed death, yet she refused to surrender.
Even if they experienced more than she had, the Sword Master couldn’t fathom.
“No matter how much I wished to die by your hand, Alliance Leader.”
“HOW DARE YOU?!”
“That was my mindset years ago. Yet, no record of your existence remained, no matter how hard I sought.”
The Sword Master couldn’t decipher why the Sword Emperor decided to publicly show himself now. More specifically, she didn’t care to know anymore.
“But I’ve found a reason to live now.”
Her beloved student continued to blossom. Having accepted death, the Sword Master now wished to cling to life, cherishing this second chance.
“I don’t grasp what keeps you alive now. There shall be no forgiveness within me.”
One thing was clear: the Sword Master would never forgive the Sword Emperor, even years from now.
She’d not be the very person whom he should seek forgiveness from.
“At the very least, I had wished you wouldn’t appear like this… but alas, that appears to be too much to ask.”
If he’d remained as the supreme martial artist who ruled over everyone, the Sword Master likely could have at least found some emotional solace.
She might have angrily berated him and even lashed out in resentment despite knowing she’d be defeated.
“Do you recognize what the last words of Taeryong were?”
Taeryong, the name of the youngest who had perished in the Sword Master’s arms.
“He expressed his fear. Of surviving, of enduring.”
– Sister… I am so very scared…
The Sword Master tightly clenched her eyes and fists. She fought against the ache in her hands and the urge to swing her sword once more but fought back her emotions and contained herself.
“Immediately after I’ve concluded everything, I’ll take my own life to atone with them.”
“I won’t be coming to see you after today.”
Likewise for Gu Cheolun, the Sword Emperor seemed burdened by numerous things left unsaid, but the Sword Master had reached her limit.
Regardless of rationale, events that had transpired couldn’t be erased, nor could they provide justification.
There were things far too precious for the Sword Master to live for revenge; she had to safeguard them.
Thus, she resolved to endure.
From the Sword Emperor’s demise to her own.
These were only questions she had sought answers for, and she had achieved that aim.
“The Immortal Healer was also investigating the child, wasn’t she?”
The Sword Emperor remained silent yet again, his silence serving as an adequate reply.
What had bestowed him this existence?
The Sword Master knew he hadn’t always been this way.
He was a person who raised his sword in pursuit of world peace, desiring it more than anyone else, and he was a man of steel who held loyalty above all else.
“I don’t know what transpired that reduced you so, Alliance Leader, but please, do not lose your dignity.”
With that, the Sword Master re-sheathed her sword.
At that instant, she thought: had she been stronger than the Sword Emperor, would she have been able to spare him the blade?
…I truly don’t know.
Her uncertainty hinted at her own incompleteness as a human.
She had needed somewhere to vent her resentment. With someone to blame now, she poured out all emotions that had accumulated inside of her.
“I’ll be taking my leave now. Thank you for coming out.”
The Sword Master turned away and retraced her steps down the mountain.
Her pace quickened, knowing her student awaited her.
Left alone, the Sword Emperor had only the moonlight for company.
He concealed his trembling hand, dropping to one knee. In that moment, the energy barrier surrounding the mountain vanished.
“…I’m sorry… I’m truly sorry…”
He hid his face within his weathered hands. At this point, he had no tears left to shed.
He only awaited the moment when he could terminate this futile existence.
When the Sword Master arrived, she followed the attendant to the gathering place where everyone had gathered.
She concealed the emotions she had carefully collected, straightening her expression. Her student was quick-witted, savvy enough to notice her emotional state if she failed to keep it in check.
Taking a steady breath, she opened the door, and someone came rushing to her.
“Hello…!”
Initially, she thought it was Gu Ryunghwa, but upon noticing the girl’s dark green hair, she realized it wasn’t.
Attempting to identify the girl’s background by her clothing and features, she soon recognized her.
The girl, Tang Soyeol, shyly extended something towards the Sword Master.
“It’s a potion made from elegance flowers…! I-It’s really wonderful for your skin! Please accept it!”
Elegance flowers…?
Aren’t those poisonous?
As the Sword Master stared at Tang Soyeol with shock, she simply smiled bashfully.
Pffbt—!
Watching all this unfold, Gu Yangcheon spat out the tea he had been sipping.
He never expected her to truly be offering poison.
“…Brother.”
“…Oh.”
And then, the unfortunate soul sitting opposite Gu Yangcheon, Gu Ryunghwa, became the unintentional recipient of the tea spray.
“Sorry!”
Gu Yangcheon hastily apologized, yet Gu Ryunghwa’s face had morphed into a terrifying glare.
Only then did Gu Yangcheon nod knowingly.
Observing that expression confirmed that Gu Ryunghwa certainly bore the blood of the Gu Clan.
She looks terrifying!
“You idiot!” Gu Ryunghwa, now resembling a demon, howled.
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