Book 14 Chapter 1

The Lost One

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Deep in the night!

It's an hour when it's natural for anyone to be asleep.

Those awake would only be the sentries guarding the city walls against invaders, the "gentlemen of the rafters" (thieves) eyeing valuable treasures in other people's homes, and the lowly assassins who are seriously contemplating how to take the target's life easily, simply, and without a trace. Perhaps…

In the deep night, as time layers upon itself, the pitch-black darkness grows ever deeper. The silence, too, adds more weight. The only sound is the rustling of leaves being stepped on, echoing in the ears. That alone proved his existence at this moment, in the heart of this night.

The man walked amidst clouds that played with the moon, dyed in ink-like darkness. Even in the pitch-black gloom, his silver-blue martial uniform faintly glowed, and his hair, as if snow had fallen and ice had formed, was a cool blue. Beneath it were two eyes, like cold, shining stars. He was a sight that even a ghost would easily believe.

The place the man was now treading was a treacherous path that could hardly be called a road. The mountain terrain was as rough as if it had been carved with a knife. Make just one wrong step, no more, no less, and he would be meeting Yama, the King of Hell, before the night was over. It was clear that even a wild animal would have to put in considerable effort to walk this path.

"Col…"

His lips, frozen as if by cold frost, slowly parted, and a low murmur escaped.

"…mean!"

A voice intertwined with self-deprecation, dissatisfaction, and mockery. The man with the cool blue hair felt his face heat up spontaneously. He felt unbearably pathetic.

"This is truly a damn situation! Why do I have to do this? And at such a late hour, in such a ridiculous place!"

Perhaps it was the moonlight, but the man's hair emitted a faint, cold blue light in the darkness. At the same time, murderous intent flickered in his two ice-crystal-like eyes. The chilling moonlight seemed to make his face even colder and more indifferent.

He was a revered sword master of the martial world, one of the "Five Great Swordsmen Under Heaven," and a respected senior instructor of the Heavenly Dance Academy. He held these honorable statuses simultaneously, a renowned figure in the martial world, but regrettably, he was also the sworn enemy of the ill-tempered "foe" named Flame Blade and the disciple of a young brat named Bi Ryu Yeon, whose origins were unknown. The many titles and statuses he held were as contradictory as oil and water, but the more tragic fact was that they were all true. The owner of this peculiar status was none other than Ice Sword.

Ice Sword walked, using the faint crescent moon as his lamp, searching the late-night mountain path. Torches were impossible to use as they would reveal his position. This place was a crucial point for the entire martial world, so guards were stationed everywhere to watch the surroundings.

Although it was the heart of darkness where ordinary people couldn't see an inch ahead, his eyesight, honed with his sword, could pierce the thick curtain of darkness with only the faint lamp hanging in the sky. Of course, he had to endure some inconvenience…

Flame Blade went with the "Master," and he was left behind. But it was too soon to be happy. Instead, he had been given a task.

"Hoo…"

A sigh escaped him, unbidden. His situation felt as pathetic as a kite with a broken string.

"To think that one of the Five Great Swordsmen Under Heaven is reduced to searching this treacherous mountain like this at such a late hour…"

He lamented and sighed, but he didn't forget to be vigilant with every step. This was Heavenly Dance Peak. This peak, formerly called Falling Goose Peak, was famous for its treacherous terrain and steep cliffs, so dangers lurked everywhere. A moment of carelessness could be fatal.

He looked up again at the moon, which cast a faint light through the shadows of strangely twisted branches. It was small, faint, and weak.

"On a night like this, relying only on such a shoddy lamp, can I really find it?"

It was truly like finding a needle in a haystack, or looking for a bald head at Shaolin Temple. The probability was extremely low.

"In case anything happens, please find it!"

What was that person's intention? That person's mind was an unpredictable chaos, and he couldn't guess it at all.

"Ah! That matter, yes!"

Ice Sword recalled a conversation he had a little while ago with a person. That person was one of the "Law Enforcers," commonly called "Lawful Ones," who had been in charge of the operation and management of the grand meeting on this mountain for the past 100 years.

"Say it's not there! Please say it's not there!"

Ice Sword repeatedly repeated these words in his mind with an uneasy heart as he asked. But his wishes did not reach heaven.

"Ah! Yes, there certainly is. For a peak as treacherous as this, there's bound to be one or two."

Ice Sword was greatly discouraged. Then he greatly blamed himself. His own weak heart for not killing and eradicating it before those words came out! If he didn't know, he didn't know, but since he already knew, he couldn't betray his own principles. He was that kind of stubborn man.

"It's already been over thirty years since I saw it."

Suddenly, as if recalling a distant past, the old man's time abruptly reversed to thirty years ago. If one got caught in the time reversal caused by a few old men, they couldn't escape for a while. Ice Sword had to try very hard to escape that torrent.

The difference between the old caretaker's decision thirty years ago, when he was young, to neglect his duties and sneak out of the mountain to drink, and his current business was millions of light-years apart. Moreover, to get to the main point, he would have to stand there blankly for a long time and listen to that tedious story.

Furthermore, he was a man who didn't fit in with small talk. It wasn't for nothing that he was known for his unparalleled taciturnity.

He wanted to escape this backward flow of time as soon as possible and get to the main point, but it was not easy. The old man didn't want to lose his audience, whom he hadn't met in nearly ten years.

The story had now reached the part where the old man left the mountain, passed through the brightly colored night streets, and entered the foremost inn in the prefecture, "Amugae Inn," where he ordered the most expensive liquor, "Amugae Liquor," with the most expensive side dish, "Amugae." Ice Sword finally gave up on escaping the torrent and stood like a stone statue, sinking into the wave of the story. However, regardless of the audience's apathetic attitude, the old man's story continued endlessly.

"And I met it when I was drunk, stumbling my way up Heavenly Dance Peak in the dead of night. Even when sober, a night mountain climb is tantamount to suicide, so there's no need to explain the recklessness of being drunk. I must have gotten lost." And then it appeared before my eyes."

The main point finally began to emerge when Ice Sword was getting bored and lost in other thoughts. The initial candle had already melted down by a span.

There was no need to ask where it was.

The unexpected luck was that the caretaker, without being asked, drew a map on the ground and explained the terrain in great detail. Moreover, as he got excited, he even explained every single stone. He didn't want to get lost in the unfamiliar mountains all night, so he naturally memorized it with great care.

"This is definitely the area. But why all of a sudden?"

Pointing to a spot on the map he had drawn, the questioner asked, and Ice Sword was speechless.

"Ah… Ah! It's… it's nothing. I was just curious. Wouldn't it be convenient to check for potential dangers in advance! Even guards can't let their guard down. It's better to be prepared!"

As he uttered an excuse that had nothing to do with the truth, he felt as detestable and pathetic as that person.

"Ah, I see! That's true. Of course. For a warrior, complacency is an unforgivable sin."

It was a great relief that the other party easily accepted it.

He had lived here for decades. Even the rugged Heavenly Dance Peak was like his own backyard. So, if he said it was there, it would certainly be there. For Ice Sword, that was his only hope at the moment.

"For a warrior, complacency is an unforgivable sin!"

The old man's last words echoed repeatedly in his ears like a spell. The past, so humiliating to recall, crawled up from the depths of the abyss and revealed its sinister form. Ice Sword's face contorted as if he had bitten into a bitter gourd.

"Hahaha, I won, right? Then I'll state the first condition! No complaints, right?"

The smiling face of a person with their bangs covering their forehead appeared. It was a very annoying face. Ice Sword's tensed facial muscles twitched more in agony. His cool blue hair, reflecting the moonlight, emitted a faint glow.

"For a warrior, complacency is sin!"

Knowing that, why was I complacent then? I was guilty. Unquestionably guilty! And the price for it was painful. Standing here now is also part of that atonement…

Even looking back now, I can't understand. In fact, Ice Sword had replayed that event dozens of times. Each time, enduring the shame and humiliation that tormented him!

However, he had never understood. But he remembered one thing clearly. At one moment, it had slipped beyond his perception. If he couldn't perceive it, he couldn't exert influence over it. When it reappeared in his perception, he was helpless.

He was powerless…

"That unsettling sense of wrongness back then…"

How could such a thing have happened? That remained an unsolved mystery.

"Hoo… Who can I blame! For a warrior, complacency is a grave sin! All is a disaster brought about by my complacency!"

His heart became heavy again.

"Damn it, I can't see anything now!"

The moon was thin and weak today, casting a stingy light, and was not much help in navigating the dense forest on the treacherous terrain. Cursing the useless moonlight, he began to make his way through the mountain path again.

'I wish I had left this task to Flame Blade and followed him instead.'

The thought that it would have been much easier made him feel even more resentful towards Flame Blade, who was surely lounging around with nothing to do now—Ice Sword was convinced.

"That fireball, he's probably out enjoying a pleasant night with the children right now!"

Thinking of that, a flame suddenly surged from his frozen heart. He had always thought he maintained his composure with a heart like ice, and indeed he did, but just thinking of that scorching figure with his red hair speckled with blood sent his accumulated mental discipline flying away, and irritation and anger exploded like breaking ice.

Rustle!

At that moment, a presence was felt from beyond the bushes colored with darkness. His keen ears twitched. Ice Sword's eyes lit up, and he flew towards the source of the sound. If what was there was what he was looking for, he wouldn't have to scour the mountain in the cold dew any longer, and he could finish quickly and rest, so his speed was faster than ever.

Branches, blended with the ink of the night, scratched his silver-blue martial uniform, but he didn't even care.

"Damn! What is this now!"

At this moment, Flame Blade was certainly not in a very good situation to be reprimanded by Ice Sword.

Flame Blade's tiger-like, fierce eyes scanned the surroundings menacingly. About thirty swordsmen surrounded Flame Blade and his party. As the alarm sounded, doors burst open here and there, and they rushed out. Some of them had even leaped over walls with a great deal of noise.

The encirclement was completed in an instant.

'These guys… they're well-trained!'

It was impossible for ordinary training to allow such swift and organized responses in a sudden situation. Unless it was literally bone-grinding repetitive training.

'Aren't they like soldiers from a strictly disciplined army! Who trained these men so silently?'

The enemies surrounding them closed in like fishermen herding fish into a net.

Well, it was the pressure of encirclement. And as a bonus, being trapped from all sides. What a truly kind fate! However, he didn't even have time to thank the heavens and earth for this incredibly rare experience.

Flame Blade's thoughts couldn't linger any longer. As these well-trained individuals, the encirclement narrowed to its most ideal form, they attacked without asking any questions. Was it "no questions asked"?

"Damn!"

Gripping his crimson flame, Flame Blade spat out the curses he had been chewing in his mouth with a loud sound.

"That ice-and-tag guy is probably resting comfortably on the mountain with his legs stretched out! Damn him!"

It always felt like the suffering was his lot, which made him furious.

Grind!

He gritted his teeth so hard that his molars were about to shatter.

Although they insisted they were not alike, and that they could not mix like ice and fire, they were indeed from the same school. In an unexpected place, similar ways of thinking were evident. However, these people would never admit this, even if it meant hanging themselves. They would probably never admit this until the day the earth entered their eyes.

"Break through!"

At Flame Blade's command, the entire rescue party charged towards the front of the encirclement. The one at the forefront of this united charge was none other than Flame Blade himself.

"Get out of the way!"

He was already heated, and this was a good opportunity. Perhaps the man with the fiery red hair like granite thought so. Therefore, there was no room for mercy in his actions.

Crimson Seventeen Flames (眞紅十七炎) Sword Flame Qi (劍焰氣)

Flame Strike Three Extreme Refined Fire (炎擊 三極練火)

As one blade cleaved the ground, three enemies were engulfed in flames simultaneously. The boiling anger exploded brilliantly with the flames.

"You ice-and-tag bastard! Do you think you can sleep soundly with your legs stretched out after doing this?!"

Knock! And it shall be opened unto you; seek! And ye shall find.

Flame Blade's wish was granted. Unknowingly, in a way he didn't recognize. He should have rejoiced and praised.

"I'm sorry, but you're not who I'm looking for! How unfortunate."

Ice Sword said softly in a gentle voice. He genuinely wanted to resolve things amicably. But the response he received was that of a fierce, untamed beast.

Grrrrrr!

Despite Ice Sword's kind words, the pack of wolves surrounding him showed no signs of backing down.

Bad luck. He had rushed over after sensing something, but what awaited him there was the jaws of a pack of wolves, at least dozens strong.

"Oh dear, are you not going to let me go peacefully?"

His eyes, accustomed to the wild, were filled with the determination not to let go of their prey. Ice Sword could feel that clearly, but he had no desire to become a late-night snack.

Screech!

Ice Sword drew Bingru from its scabbard without the slightest fear. The moonlight shattered on the blade, emitting a frosty, bluish light. White mist, like a halo, rose from the sword's tip and spread over the dark mountainside. The wolves surrounding him instinctively sensed the threat and flinched.

"I do not favor needless slaughter. Retreat!"

A cold chill brought winter to the autumn mountain in the middle of the night.

Grrrrrr! Roar!

However, the opponents, perhaps relying on their numbers, seemed unwilling to back down easily. This was the state of affairs since being forcibly awakened when he should have been asleep. He could tolerate anything but having his deep sleep disturbed. Not being able to sleep at the proper time, what an absurd situation!

'Is someone secretly wishing misfortune upon me?'

Ice Sword unknowingly came up with the correct answer.