Book 9 Chapter 14

I've messed up!

- Biryuyeon's Worry

"Grrrrrrrrr…"

Biryuyeon was at a crossroads.

The circumstances around him were constantly urging him to make a decision.

There wasn't much time left.

He needed to make a swift decision.

"What's so worrying?"

It was quite surprising to Jang Hong, who had always considered Biryuyeon to be someone about 20,000 ri away from worry and concern.

What could possibly have plunged him into such deep thought?

"Well, you see…"

Biryuyeon struggled to speak. Looking at him ponder, it must have taken a lot of courage to even bring it up! Jang Hong nodded his head vigorously.

"Tell me! I'll help with anything I can!"

However, Jang Hong soon had to regret saying that.

"What do you plan to do now?"

Jang Hong asked, as if interrogating him. He was no longer the broad-minded brother who had been ready to listen to his worries just a moment ago. As far as Jang Hong could see, no matter how hard he tried to think positively, Biryuyeon had acted too carelessly.

"Not once, but twice…"

Jang Hong's expression wasn't pleasant either.

"Ughhhhhh…"

Biryuyeon scrunched up his face, unable to come up with a solution. His face, which wouldn't even twitch an eyebrow at most matters, was distorted beyond recognition.

"Ah! I'm so worried…"

Biryuyeon sighed with a grave face.

"I told you to think and act more cautiously!"

Jang Hong was genuinely angry. He couldn't forgive Biryuyeon's thoughtlessness.

"Hmm…"

Biryuyeon groaned again. His posture, with his arms crossed and maintaining silence, clearly showed his deep contemplation. There seemed to be no need to assert himself further.

"I'm sorry! I think I messed up! I'm deeply reflecting!"

Biryuyeon, who seemed like he would never apologize or reflect in his life, uttered the word "reflect."

"There's nothing else to be done! You caused this, so you'll take responsibility!"

Jang Hong said ruthlessly.

"That's how it should be, right?"

Biryuyeon said with a dejected look. He had never intended to cause such a mishap. Perhaps seeing his pathetic state, Jang Hong said in a chiding tone,

"I told you not to be greedy for food! No matter how big your stomach is, two special delicacies were too much! Usually, four people can't finish that much!"

"Ugh… I regret it too! I'm truly reflecting!"

There was still so much food left to eat.

'It would be such a waste of money if I leave it unfinished?'

What was important to him now were the dishes laid out before him. The warlord Maharyeong of the Warlords' Association and the Justice Lord Yongcheonmyung, who had caused a disturbance earlier in the day, were not within his scope of concern.

'Is there perhaps some kind of monster nesting in this man's brain?'

Jang Hong had been having such thoughts from time to time lately.

If he had the chance, he felt a growing urge to split his head in two and check its contents. However, he could guarantee one thing: it was definitely different from the brain or mind of an ordinary person.

'If it were the same, he could never be like this even if he died and came back!'

In any case, there was definitely a need to properly inform Maharyeong. The ship had already left the pier, but he had to prevent Biryuyeon from falling off the pier and drowning.

Even on that day, when a sensational event that would be the talk of the town for about three days had occurred, night still fell as if the changes in nature were unaffected.

In Biryuyeon's room, three men with serious expressions were gathered, putting their heads together.

Their expressions were grave. Among them, the one with the most serious face was none other than Jang Hong. Jang Hong was also the person among the three who was most acutely aware of the gravity of the incident Biryuyeon had caused that day. Every time he saw Biryuyeon confronting situations that others avoided out of disgust, he wondered if there was something wrong with his heart.

"Ryuyeon! Are you crazy?"

Jang Hong asked directly.

"Why? I'm perfectly normal! Can't you see?"

Biryuyeon answered directly as well. Of course, there were still some lingering doubts.

"I'm asking because I saw it!"

Jang Hong yelled. He rarely raised his voice. This time, he was so dumbfounded that he was trying his best to maintain his composure.

"Do you even know who you've crossed?"

"Just some rude woman passing by!"

At Biryuyeon's answer, Jang Hong's shoulders slumped.

"As expected! You couldn't have done it if you knew. They say ignorance breeds courage, and you're exactly that."

Jang Hong worried if his sigh would cause the ground to sink.

"Whether she's the Warlord of the Warlords' Association or not, what does that have to do with me?"

His tone suggested he didn't think it was a big deal at all!

"Y-you… even though you clearly knew!!!"

Jang Hong was horrified. At that moment, he felt like splitting Biryuyeon's skull in half to meticulously examine his brain structure and mental state.

"No, so do I have to bother with the opponent's identity or strength every single time I get into a fight? It's too bothersome, how can I allocate attention to each and every one of those things? I'm not going to gain anything by clinging to people's backgrounds or statuses, so what's the use of knowing?"

"Still, shouldn't we avoid unnecessary trouble?"

"Was she that great a woman? Judging by her actions, she didn't seem that refined at all! Whoever her father is, he clearly didn't raise her properly."

This was Biryuyeon's cold, harsh assessment.

"About that father…"

Jang Hong cautiously began. As he suspected, Biryuyeon hadn't done it knowing everything.

"Huh?"

"Do you know that her father is the head of the Cheonmu Academy, the great martial artist Iron Fist Ma Jinga?"

"……!"

"Hoo."

While Hyoryong, who was nearby, was startled, Biryuyeon scratched his head nonchalantly. For a moment, Jang Hong could only doubt Biryuyeon's comprehension skills. He found some comfort in Hyoryong's normal reaction as a human, which was in line with his expectations.

To meet Hyoryong's expectations, Jang Hong had to continue.

"You're not surprised enough yet! Her maternal grandfather is also the Sword Saint Ha Hu-sik, a great martial artist so well-known that just mentioning his name makes everyone aware, or rather, people are so afraid of committing sacrilege that they don't dare utter it carelessly! She is the Sword Saint's granddaughter and has inherited his teachings!"

At Jang Hong's thunderous words, Hyoryong had no more energy to be surprised. His friend had carelessly provoked an incredibly powerful figure.

"…So, dealing with just you shouldn't be a problem. You possess enough strength and background to do so! I'm curious to see what kind of martial arts one would possess who inherited both the teachings of the Sword Saint and Iron Fist. It remains a mystery how such a woman was subdued by you, though…"

Jang Hong advised, glancing at Biryuyeon. For the sake of the person speaking earnestly, if he had even a shred of conscience, he should have shown a more surprised expression. However, compared to Hyoryong, who had become pale even though it wasn't his own problem, Biryuyeon looked too lively. Jang Hong didn't want to lose this interesting and bizarre friend yet.

'Understand the gravity of the situation more!!! You damn friend!'

Jang Hong's outcry was a silent echo resonating only within his boiling heart.

"I'm not intimidated by people's backgrounds or power! Except for my own skills… So, go and forge your own life, you who are burdened by worry!"

He meant to stop wasting his energy on pointless worries. However, Jang Hong, with the mindset of an ordinary person, couldn't do that.

"Be careful anyway!"

"If I remember!"

Biryuyeon's answer was completely unconcerned.

The light of the flickering oil lamp flowed down the cold sword's edge. The eerily sharp blade illuminated Go Yakhan's face. A chilling sharpness flashed across the entire blade. It was his beloved sword, 'Gwihon (Ghost Soul),' which had earned him the nickname 'Ghost Killer Sword.' For decades, it had been his comrade in life and death. How much blood, sorrow, and anguish had flowed through this sword…

Go Yakhan held the sword hilt with his left hand and a white, plain cloth in his right, slowly and deliberately wiping his sword with a stern face. As if responding to his emotions, the murderous intent emanating from the sword grew stronger.

"Hwanmadong (Phantom Demon Cave)…"

Go Yakhan found it a rather unexpected decision.

"Is it that the other side is so strong that they have to open even Hwanmadong?"

It was unthinkable that Ma Jingga would make such a decision without any thought. He wasn't someone who lived without thinking! It must have been a conclusion reached after considerable deliberation.

"Will I truly be able to survive?"

The light reflected on the sword's blade seemed like red blood.

"Heh, I'm looking forward to it…"

The ultimate gateway of demonic trials that would test both mind and body! If one made a mistake, their mind and body would be devastated, and some would even go mad. The Gate of the Dead, which had been sealed until now due to its extreme danger! It was about to be opened again.

"They say many casualties occur there?"

"Even if I die, it will be an accident… If I can't overcome even that, how can I win a fight!"

To gain something, one must pay a corresponding price.

"The world… dislikes freebies…"

Sometimes, the world, though malicious, was surprisingly fair. He carefully placed the white cloth down and returned Gwihon to its sheath.

*Click!*

With the sound of the sword and scabbard interlocking, Gwihon was sheathed once more.

Go Yakhan suddenly had a feeling that he would be busier starting tomorrow.

"Are you thinking of doing it these days, or not?"

"I apologize!"

"I need a living person, not a dead corpse who is alive."

Go Yakhan's thunderous command fell like lightning.

"Hyoryong!"

"Yes!"

"Are your eyes open? Your training attitude has been too poor lately. Even if you keep your mind sharpened like a sword, it's not enough, but such a weak mind… At that level, you'll die without anyone noticing! If you get killed by a sword from behind while spacing out, you'll have no excuse."

"Why is he like this lately?"

Biryuyeon tilted his head. To make a mistake by tripping over such a simple sword path? It was completely unlike him.

Lately, he had been acting like a dazed person. Everything he did was a mistake, and he couldn't do anything properly, drawing the disapproving glances of those around him.

'Is that the cause after all?'

Biryuyeon was a little worried. Ever since the incident at Mount Wudang, he had found almost no spark or motivation, the elements that gave life, in Hyoryong.

"Do you know the path you will take from now on?"

When everyone answered that they didn't, Go Yakhan wore a cold smile. He was thrilled just imagining what expressions the children would make.