Book 27 Chapter 15
The Frenzied West Wind
- The Origin of Nightmares
“You’re the one who gave Yerim nightmares, aren’t you?”
A deep smile formed on Biryuyeon’s lips, as if he were delighted by this meeting.
“I wanted to meet you.”
That was the truth. He was genuinely happy to meet.
“Why?”
It was impossible not to be curious why this young man he’d never seen before, out of the blue, wanted to meet him. Seocheon, seemingly unconcerned even as his subordinates fell, still had his arms crossed.
“So I can make sure I never have to meet you again. I don’t want to see the face of a bastard like you ever again after today. No, your very existence is poison, so I’ll erase that existence from this world on Yerim’s behalf.”
Seocheon’s lips tilted upwards as if amused. In truth, he had been observing the brash young man who had appeared beside Nayerin for some time now. He gave himself over to his boiling jealousy. It was only natural to consider the flavor of surrounding ingredients when cooking a rare and precious one to perfection. Since the cooking would be done in an instant anyway, it was a pleasant diversion to first investigate what kind of ingredient this one, clinging to Nayerin’s side, was.
“Who do you think you are to Yerim? Are you someone she fancies?”
Biryuyeon’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t utter Yerim’s name with that filthy mouth. Just hearing it makes me want to vomit.”
“Heh heh heh, that little bird is mine. From the tip of her hair to the last fragment of her heart. Every inch of her flesh belongs to me, so what’s wrong with me calling my own possession what I please?”
Biryuyeon laughed. And then he said,
“That’s nauseating.”
A flash of light momentarily glinted in Seocheon’s eyes, but Biryuyeon didn’t stop talking.
“Make sure that not even the ‘Ye’ of Yerim’s name ever crosses your lips again. I absolutely cannot permit such revulsion.”
At those words, Seocheon burst into manic laughter.
He was a dangerous one, indeed. Not in his right mind. Pure madness. His madness was too horribly distorted for a pure soul like Nayerin to bear. Merely getting close to him posed a risk of corruption. He didn’t want to know why his soul was twisted.
He had to be eliminated. Right here, right now. So he could never approach Yerim again. Immediately.
“Who do you think you are to permit or disallow anything? I need no one’s permission. I only need my own!”
“That was true until yesterday, but it’s different from today onwards.”
A mad smile still lingered on Seocheon’s lips.
“Fine, I’ve decided. I’ll rip out your heart, gouge out both your eyes, tear out your tongue, and cut off your ears to throw them before that child. She’ll probably be overjoyed. I can already hear the chirping of the little bird trembling with delight.”
He exuded confidence that he could rip out the heart of someone like you anytime.
“As expected. Your very act of breathing is a nuisance to this world. It’s an insult to nature. So, for the sake of preserving nature, I shall eliminate you.”
Biryuyeon, not to be outdone, smiled back. Biryuyeon had never once been pushed back in terms of spirit.
“Can you really do it? Someone who’s about to die right now?”
*CRAAAAASH!*
The West Wind’s Frenzy lunged towards Biryuyeon with dark claws.
A swift attack like a nimble snake, a dark blow pierced directly through Biryuyeon’s heart.
*Swish!*
Before Seocheon’s lips could even form a satisfied smile, Biryuyeon’s figure vanished.
Suddenly, Biryuyeon had retreated half a step back. As if daring him to reach that far.
“Afterimage?”
Seocheon tilted his right shoulder back, as if recalling the West Wind’s Frenzy, its power now halved.
*Whoosh.*
At that moment, his index finger, one of the iron beast’s claws, stretched out and shot towards the space between Biryuyeon’s eyebrows.
A sudden strike.
The moment his brow was about to be pierced, Biryuyeon turned his head to the side.
*Thump.*
A hole the size of a coin appeared in the thick tree behind him, as if piercing through tofu with ease.
The next moment, the remaining four fingers of the West Wind simultaneously stretched out like steel whips, coiling around Biryuyeon’s entire body.
West Wind’s Radiant Finger
Shattering Blade
*Chik.*
The tree, entwined by the five stretched steel whips, fell to the ground in dozens of pieces. However, Biryuyeon’s body was not among the pieces.
By then, Biryuyeon had already ascended to the top of the massive tree.
Seocheon’s piercing attack had severed the tree’s trunk, but not its topmost branches.
Seocheon retracted the West Wind’s Frenzy with a blank expression.
As Biryuyeon lightly jumped down from the falling tree, he looked back at Seocheon and said,
“How was that? Not as easy as you thought, right?”
“It’s too soon to boast about dodging just that. I haven’t even started. You’re entertaining enough to play with for a bit. Since that child is still watching.”
The ship had left the dock, but Yerim stood at the railing, continuously gazing towards Biryuyeon.
“Heh heh heh, I can’t help but want to destroy everything that child holds dear. Thinking about how much I can taint that pure soul makes my whole body tremble with joy.”
At that moment, Biryuyeon clearly witnessed Seocheon’s eyes becoming hazy with ecstasy.
“I knew it, but you’re a pervert. And mentally unstable, on top of that.”
“A pervert? I’m perfectly normal. When you see a courtyard covered in fresh snow, doesn’t everyone want to be the first to step on it? If so, what’s wrong with trampling a child as pure as snow? The desire to defile something clean is the very essence of human nature. It’s the ‘evil’ humans are born with. It’s pure innocence itself.”
Twisted. This man was endlessly twisted. Biryuyeon felt disgusted just by being near him.
“Shut up, you pervert. Pure souls are worth preserving. They’re not something degenerates like you can carelessly defile. I think it’s for the good of nature to purify contaminants like you quickly.”
“What an arrogant fellow. To spew such 'vain' boasts in this situation. I’ll have to pluck that feather-light tongue of yours and keep it safe so it doesn’t fly away. It’ll be a gift for my little bird, that adorable child.”
Seocheon taunted Biryuyeon with gleaming eyes.
“The more you cherish that child, the more she will shatter and sink. And she’ll never be able to leave my side! I will not let go of even a single strand of her hair, not a speck of her soul! Because she is the one who will bear my child! Absolutely. I will not let it happen!”
His words were almost a ‘curse’.
At that moment, Biryuyeon felt a prickling sensation on his skin.
Something was piercing his skin.
It was wind filled with killing intent. The air around him rippled, attacking him.
It was a prelude.
A prelude to a storm that would soon sweep in from the west.
“I will sweep you away with my storm and send you out of this world!”
Once again, the West Wind’s Frenzy erupted.
West Wind’s Frenzy Ultimate Technique
God-Striking Whip
Seocheon’s hand stretched out like a giant whip, sweeping towards Biryuyeon.
“I don’t fall for the same trick twice.”
Biryuyeon dodged lightly, scoffing.
“The same trick? Where?”
*Clang!*
Hundreds of steel thorns sprouted from the extended claw. It looked like the black scales forming the iron claw were all rising at once. Biryuyeon dodged those thorns as well. Then…!
Black Scale Cyclone
*Rumble.*
The sprouted thorns began to spin simultaneously. The black serpent instantly became a vortex. As Seocheon raised his right arm, the black vortex shot upwards like a whip towards the sky.
West Wind’s Frenzy Extreme Ultimate Technique
West Wind’s Rhapsody
Frenzied Wind Sway
“I will tear you to shreds with a black whirlwind.”
The surrounding air was sucked towards the vortex emanating from Seocheon’s right hand.
Biryuyeon quickly extended his right hand. Five Thunderclap Blades and the Thunder Spirit Saber were unleashed.
‘This technique is dangerous! Then!’
The technique of the master who had slammed him against a wall, the method his master had used on him.
What his master used was one of the Wind God’s ultimate techniques, ‘Twin Dragon Roll’.
An applied ultimate technique of the Wind God, using two dragon rolls simultaneously.
He couldn’t use it to that extent yet, but something else! Perhaps one!
Now that he had subdued the Left Hand Dragon, he could use it.
Thunderclap Blade Ultimate Technique
Sword Qi Lethal Skill
Chapter of the Rotating Dragon Roll
Final Chapter
Gale Dragon Blade
The Thunder Spirit Saber unleashed from his right hand spun above his hand, forming a silver whirlwind.
This was a technique that originally required both hands and all ten Thunderclap Blades.
But now, it was possible with just one hand.
Seocheon’s eyes widened as he saw the dragon roll forming from Biryuyeon’s hand.
Perhaps he felt he couldn’t delay any longer?
“Die!”
The black whirlwind descended towards Biryuyeon like the devil’s whip.
“Get lost!”
The silver-shining white whirlwind shot back, refusing to yield.
The black whirlwind and the white whirlwind collided in mid-air.
And they fought, biting at each other like a black dragon and a white dragon fighting.
The black dragon bared its fangs and bit the white dragon. The white dragon resisted, flipping its body.
Again, the black dragon’s counterattack, again, the white dragon’s counterattack. It was a battle of biting and being bitten.
Neither side retreated. The only thought was to tear the opponent apart.
*BOOM!*
A deafening roar that shook heaven and earth echoed, and dust billowed up.
After a while, the figures of two people shot out from the wall of dust.
The two, repelled by the backlash of their ultimate techniques clashing, glared at each other.
No one fell.
Mutual Annihilation
Both of their dragon rolls had canceled each other out.
Power: Equal! The ground where the black and white dragons collided was deeply and crookedly furrowed, revealing the fierce battle that had just taken place.
“……This can’t be……”
Seocheon was astonished that he couldn’t kill such a young pup with the Frenzied Wind Sway, an ultimate technique of the West Wind’s Frenzy.
The mental shock was no less for Biryuyeon.
‘It’s broken again…….’
His Thunderclap Blade’s ultimate technique had been broken once more.
What was that technique just now? What kind of martial art was it, as if made to counter the Thunderclap Blade’s ultimate techniques?
Was that Seocheon’s martial art?
To have his ultimate technique broken twice in one day.
Moreover, like Biryuyeon himself, he still had his final ultimate technique remaining. He clearly had a more formidable move than the one he had just shown.
If they brought that out, he would need to prepare accordingly.
‘It seems I have no choice but to use ‘that’.’
At that moment, with a faint noise, a subtle vibration was felt from the ground. New enemy reinforcements seemed to be arriving. And there appeared to be three times as many as those he had just defeated.
“Tch, I didn’t want to see your face ever again after today, but the situation doesn’t look good.”
If the members of the Sky Splitting Thirteen Blades gathered at the port, even Biryuyeon would be in a predicament.
“But! You wounded Yerim’s heart, so you must pay the price. Though the penalty for branding Yerim with nightmares can never be washed away even by dying a million times.”
“Hmph, do you even have the skill for that? This world is all about power. The thoughts of the powerful are the laws of this world! You must realize that without power, even opening your mouth is not permitted.”
“Does that mean that as long as you have power, you can trample on people’s hearts with that power? Do you not think you might be the one to be trampled?”
“Hahahahaha, who dares do such a thing to me? Wound my heart? My heart, dried of blood and tears, filled with hatred?”
Seocheon burst into manic laughter, as if hearing the most ridiculous thing. He couldn’t even imagine what could possibly wound him. He seemed unable to believe such a thing could happen to him. He could trample on others’ hearts, but could others trample on his? In his mind, such a thing was impossible in this world.
“Try it if you can. I will make you howl in despair. I wonder if you can still laugh like this after your guts and intestines are ripped out.”
However, Biryuyeon’s heart was not so soft as to be swayed by such threats.
“Then I shall not refuse. By the way, why are you reacting so sensitively? Are you perhaps feeling guilty, afraid a secret you’ve been hiding will be exposed? The fact that you are ‘inferior’?”
“What! Just now… what did you say?”
Seocheon’s casual smile and mockery vanished from his lips.
Instead, an icy chill mingled with killing intent, shimmering.
It was anger, a cold anger simmering deep within his heart.
The grass around Seocheon’s feet began to blacken and wither, and the leaves of a tree about half a span away wilted, turning into a dead tree.
The killing intent he harbored, the intangible energy emanating from his body, was bringing death to the surrounding vegetation. It was a majesty only those who had reached the extreme state of Internal Martial Arts, close to the realm of Mind Killing, could display.
A tremendous mass of killing intent was being concentrated and poured onto Biryuyeon.
However, Biryuyeon, far from withering, actually seemed to gain color, a happy smile appearing on his face.
“Are your ears a bit bad? Or is your comprehension lacking? I’ll be generous and say it one more time.”
As if to make sure he wouldn’t miss it this time, Biryuyeon spoke each syllable with a clear voice.
“In-fe-ri-or!”
Then he added, “I said,” in a short burst.
With a *poof*, the surrounding trees exploded.
“You insignificant worm, there’s nothing you won’t say! I am ‘Seocheonmyeolgeop’, a pillar of the ‘Sachyeolmyeolgeop’ that once plunged the entire martial arts world into terror! And you dare call me inferior?! How dare you! Someone like you!”
Seocheon’s words were indeed true. Considering his original status, his current position as Seocheonmyeolgeop, and his standing in the Sky Splitting Pavilion, he was more superior than inferior. However, Biryuyeon had no intention of changing his mind.
“The more someone like you acts high and mighty, the more they hide inferiority deep in their hearts. After all, haven’t you lived your life as a loser? Without ever defeating your own brother, you act so proud. In reality, you probably can’t defeat your brother in martial arts, so you’re tormenting Yerim in a different way, aren’t you? It’s truly pathetic.”
“You in-no-oooo-cent! Are you done talking?! I’ll give you one last chance. Take back those words immediately!”
Seocheon’s face turned scarlet, and he roared. It was strange that he didn’t rush to kill Biryuyeon immediately. His attitude made one suspect he had an intention to accept Biryuyeon’s persuasion through words rather than force. If he harbored such a ludicrous expectation, Biryuyeon felt sorry that he couldn’t tell him to give up before he even had it.
“The fact that you’re so angry proves you are inferior. And that inferiority isn’t just about your brother, you know.”
“What nonsense is that?!”
“How foolish. It means you are far more inferior than I am.”
Biryuyeon said it with an attitude that implied, ‘You didn’t even know that? How inferior.’
“Dog-like talk! Do you think you can stir me with such vulgar tongue? Foolish man!”
But he was already greatly agitated. The fact that he missed the opportune moment to act and was continuously drawn in by Biryuyeon’s words was the greatest evidence.
“Haha, do you know you’re making a huge mistake right now?”
“What?”
“Do you think I would talk to a bastard like you? I’m not so naive as to believe everyone can get to know each other through conversation alone. Sometimes, force is necessary. I will break your sleepy ramblings with a single strike. Didn’t I already tell you? I will trample your heart with power! Just as you have done to others!”
“It sounds like you’re the one sleep-talking!”
To him, Biryuyeon’s mad talk was merely the sleep-talking of broad daylight.
“We’ll see, won’t we? Don’t think you can block this strike.”
*Swish,* Biryuyeon’s hand pointed at Seocheon’s brow.
*Tong!*
A drop of will fell into the clear mind of the mirror, creating ripples.
The will became a blade, wielded.
It couldn’t cut what was visible, but it was a sword of the mind that cut the invisible.
Thunderclap Blade
Sword Qi Ultimate Technique
Chapter of Heart Severing Without Form
Heart Thunder Extreme
Heavenly Punishment Seal
Biryuyeon’s final blow to Seocheon, the nightmare he implanted in his heart. A heavenly punishment that would never disappear until he killed Biryuyeon. It was the punishment of heaven. The divine lightning descending from the high heavens was seared into Seocheon’s retinas like a branding iron, and simultaneously twisted and tore his mind, leaving a dazzling scar on his dark, fallen black heart.
“Kuaaaaaaaaak!”
A terrifying and brutal scream, such as might emanate from the depths of hell, burst from Seocheon’s lips.
He had thought he blocked it, but it seemed Seocheon’s boasted defense of the West Wind’s Frenzy was not perfect. Lightning pierced through that defense, splitting his face and body. Blood spurted out.
Normal wounds leave dark scars on a bright mind. But Biryuyeon’s blow just now left a shining scar on a dark heart. Light in darkness is more vivid than darkness in light.
Thunderclap Blade Ultimate Technique: Heart Thunder.
This was a variation of the same technique Biryuyeon had used in the past to awaken Galhyo-bong, who was under a magical restriction, in Mount Wudang. It was also the technique that had pierced Rakbi’s solid armor and turned his mind blank.
Why was Seocheon suffering so much from what appeared to be a simple gesture with no other attacks? It was because his mind, not his body, was wounded. More precisely, it was his core, made of Qi connected to his body, his gaseous form (Ki-tae), that was wounded.
Inferior…
No! I’m not inferior! I’m not inferior! I’m not inferior!
The man cried out. He repeated it countless times in his mind.
He struggled to shake off those two characters imprinted in his mind, refusing to leave.
But the more he struggled, the more he denied, the more strongly those two words, ‘inferior’, dug into his mind and heart. ‘You are inferior! Admit it!’
No, I’m not inferior! Not inferior!
I am Seocheonmyeolgeop! A name synonymous with terror that once made the entire martial arts world tremble.
I am no longer the powerless Nailcheon of the past.
I am not the Nailcheon who was always overshadowed by his great brother, unable to spread his wings.
I am not the Nailcheon who became a ‘cripple’ when his brother cut off his arm.
I possessed a great power, obtained by killing those who were once my comrades. How many people have I sent to death and terror with that power? Therefore, I am not inferior. Not inferior.
—Oh, you don’t think killing a lot of people will make your inferiority disappear, do you? How foolish. The more inferior you are, the more you attack others to hide it. Inferior people. They think that by hurting others, they will become great, which is itself an ‘inferior thought’.
It was as if those words were echoing in his ears like a hallucination.
He desperately shook his head.
No, no, no, no, no!
I am not inferior! I am not inferior!
I am the best! I am the best! I am the best!
He shouted desperately, but no voice agreed with his cry.
Heart Thunder was not merely an external attack. Nor was it internal.
Heart Thunder attacked the mind, not the body. It attacked the mind, which is Qi, not the body, which is Jing (Essence). This strike shook the soul, i.e., Shen (Spirit).
It was a type of mental attack, but its impact manifested physically. Even though his mind was attacked, wounds appeared on his body.
Red blood flowed down the center of Seocheon’s forehead. He was still holding his head with both hands, groaning in pain.
Heavenly Punishment Seal was the highest level of Heart Thunder, severing the mind to sever the body, but its mastery was not yet perfect, so it could not take a life. For peak experts with trained Jing, Ki, and Shen, reaching a fatal point was extremely difficult.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
At that moment, enemy reinforcements, whose approach had been felt by the increasingly loud vibrations from the ground, appeared with shouts. Dozens of members of the First Brigade, armed with weapons, were rushing from behind. Hearing sporadic shouts from other directions, it seemed it wasn’t just the First Brigade coming.
“You… bastard… how dare you…!”
As expected of a venomous character, Seocheon’s recovery speed was astonishingly fast.
“Consider yourself lucky.”
He had left a wound as promised, but he regretted not finishing him completely.
“Next time, it won’t end with just this. Believe me. I promise!”
It was a warning. A warning to be engraved on Seocheon’s chest and ears.
And it was a promise. A promise to return and finish it next time.
Furthermore, it was an effort to implant fear in his heart.
He retreated like this, but it would be unfair to let him think he ran away. He wanted to leave behind the fact that he would return. So that Seocheon couldn’t sleep peacefully until that day. So that he would suffer nightmares every night.
“Don’t forget that wound until we meet again. Though you probably never will. Then, let’s meet in our nightmares for now!”
It was a threat to give him nightmares every night.
“Kuh, the ship has already sailed. Do you think that ship will come for you? Foolish man! First, I’ll catch you and sink that ship to the bottom of Dongting Lake!”
Seocheon snarled, his brow furrowed from the still pounding headache. This was an island, and moreover, it was Dongting Lake, said to be the largest in the world. No matter how skilled he was, he couldn’t escape without a boat. With the ship already having left the harbor, the despised little kid had no escape route.
“Are you an idiot? How inferior. If they can’t come, we can go.”
*Flap!*
Biryuyeon took out a long black rod he had wrapped in his backpack and opened it.
It was the Heavenly Black Silver Scale.
“……?”
Confusion arose not only on Seocheon’s face but also among the members of the Sky Splitting Pavilion who had gathered around him.
“Well then, goodbye!”
Without hesitation, Biryuyeon threw the Heavenly Black Silver Scale onto the lake. It spun and fell upside down on the lake.
*Fwsh fwsh,* Biryuyeon kicked the air a few times and lightly landed on the inverted Heavenly Black Silver Scale. Since it was made of Black Scale Blood Web leather, its waterproofing was perfect. Using the inner energy of ‘Phoenix Wing One Feather,’ one of the secret techniques of the Phoenix Dance, he made his body light as a feather. Biryuyeon held the umbrella handle with his left hand and shot palm strikes with his right.
As the powerful palm strikes hit the lake’s surface, the umbrella began to fly at tremendous speed.
The allied forces chasing Biryuyeon, standing at the end of the port, watched him recede into the distance and belatedly fired projectiles, swords, and in a few cases, arrows. But it was too late.
Using the Heavenly Black Silver Scale as a boat and the palm strike as a bow, Biryuyeon approached the ship carrying the party. Finally, he shot a palm strike vertically onto the water’s surface and leaped onto the ship using the recoil. Then he raised the Heavenly Black Silver Scale.
*Drip, drip.*
The water that had splashed from the surface fell like rain on the black umbrella. However, Biryuyeon’s collar did not get wet at all, as he was already using the umbrella.
“Welcome back, Yerim.”
Nayrin stood at the ship’s railing. Even after the ship had departed, she had continued to gaze towards Biryuyeon.
“Welcome back, Ryuen.”
Nayrin greeted him.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t finish that damnable fellow.”
At those words, Nayrin shook her head. Seocheon was her own nightmare. Today, she had exhausted all her true energy, but the next time she met him, it wouldn’t be like this. Then, she would draw her sword and face him.
“No, if possible, I should be the one to finish it. But….”
“Why?”
“Where did you get that umbrella…?”
Nayrin’s gaze was fixed on the black umbrella Biryuyeon was holding, the Heavenly Black Silver Scale. She couldn’t possibly mistake such a unique and distinctive umbrella. This was clearly the very umbrella Yeonbi carried with her at all times. Why was Ryuen holding it?
“Oh, this? Well, it’s…”
Oops, she needed to think of a plausible excuse, but she was suddenly caught off guard and lost for words.
She couldn’t just say, ‘I am Yeonbi, surprised? Hahaha!’ here. And lie with the Emperor watching… Even if he couldn’t read her mind, she couldn’t take such a risk. As she hesitated,
“Elder Brother…”
A faint voice, as if about to break, was heard from somewhere.
“Are you… there…?”
Then, Tang Sam’s sorrowful voice was heard.
“Hye Mae! Are you conscious? Hye Mae!”
“That voice!”
Biryuyeon and Nayrin hurried towards the source of the voice.
There, Tang Sam was weeping inconsolably, holding the blood-soaked Tang Munhye.
It was Tang Munhye, who had called out to Biryuyeon in a faint voice.
“Hye Mae! Are you conscious, Hye Mae?!”
Tang Sam shouted, embracing Tang Munhye, who had regained consciousness.
*Squelch! Squelch!*
Red blood gushed like a spring from the spot where the devil’s claws had pierced through. Even if she had missed her heart, there was a large hole in her chest. Even though they all tried to stop the bleeding, no one expected her to survive.
Considering the amount of blood loss, it was a miracle she had held on this long. No, normally, the shock of a hole in the chest would have caused the heart to stop immediately. Perhaps her regaining consciousness was merely a phenomenon of fleeting brilliance just before a candle flame extinguishes.
“You idiot… it’s Hye Seo (Sister)….”
Her trembling hand reached towards Tang Sam’s cheek, but lacking strength, it began to fall through the air. Tang Sam sobbed, holding her hand, which was becoming paler and paler.
“I know! I know, so don’t talk! If you talk, the blood will pour out! If you live, I’ll call you Sister a hundred, a thousand times, so just live, you idiot!”
Hot tears poured down Tang Sam’s eyes like a waterfall. His other half, born on the same day and at the same time, sharing the same life, was about to be torn away. It felt like his own body was being split in half.
“You’re the idiot… you were in danger…”
Tang Munhye forced a smile.
“Elder Brother…”
“I’m here.”
In response to Tang Munhye’s intermittent calls, Biryuyeon replied in a firm voice devoid of any emotion.
“Tang Sam… please…”
She didn’t ask for revenge. She believed this person would naturally do it without her asking. He was always a man of clear calculations. If she were fine, she would have put him through hellish training so he could carry out the task, but now she knew she couldn’t. So she believed that Elder Brother, despite his grumbling, would avenge what had been done to her. Was it strange that she had once admired such a person?
“I’ll put him through hell, so don’t worry. I’ll train him enough to cover the sky with flowers.”
“I believe you…”
“I promise.”
If he didn’t make a promise, it would be one thing, but Biryuyeon was a man who always kept his promises.
“Thank you… for everything…”
“Don’t talk like you’re about to die! You’ll be scolded if you die carelessly!”
A difficult smile formed on Tang Munhye’s lips.
*Gasp.*
With a cough, blood gushed out from her chest once more.
“Oh dear… I’ll be scolded…”
Her voice grew fainter, punctuated by gasps.
“If you don’t want to be scolded, then don’t do something that will get you scolded.”
Biryuyeon was telling her not to die.
Tang Munhye smiled again. With a faint smile, as weak as a candle flame about to be extinguished, she turned to Tang Sam.
“I… want to see…”
“Want to see what? Tell me. I’ll show you everything I can… Sister!”
Tang Sam finally called Tang Munhye ‘Sister’. If she lived, he could call her that a thousand times over. Tang Munhye smiled at Tang Sam, who called her Sister.
Gently. As if not to worry him.
And with her last ounce of strength, she began to utter words interspersed with the sound of the wind.
“A rain of flowers… filling the sky… from your hands… a rain of flowers of ‘Ten Thousand Flowers Falling’. A sky… dyed… with the colors of the Four Heavens…”
If only she had grasped the ultimate technique of Ten Thousand Flowers Falling, she wouldn’t have been defeated so futilely today. Her last regret was not being able to prove that this mere degree was not the entirety of the Four Seasons Tang Clan.
“I can see it. I can definitely see it. I will complete it and show you! I swear it!”
If Tang Munhye could come back to life, he felt he could do anything.
Tang Munhye smiled faintly at Tang Sam’s oath.
“A promise… is…”
Tang Munhye’s hand, held in Tang Sam’s, slipped away.
Her eyelids, which had been trembling, closed, and the faint smile on her lips gradually faded.
And eventually, that smile completely vanished.
Like the last petal scattered by the wind.
On this day, the first casualty among the sixteen members of the Vermillion Bird Squad occurred.