Chapter 57: Traveling Together
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Seop Pyo stood staring blankly at the Vermillion Dragon Medallion in Cheol Ryu-heun’s hand while recalling what he had said before.
That if he ever saw someone possessing that, he would serve them as a superior as he would Ba Hun, and would also grant them three requests…
He was bewildered and confused.
Honestly, he had never thought he would encounter such a situation while still alive.
No matter how he looked at it, that was definitely the Vermillion Dragon Medallion that Ba Hun had possessed.
Thirty years had passed, yet the symbolic brilliance of the Vermillion Jade was still splendid and magnificent.
Well, it wasn’t for nothing that it was called one of the world’s rarest supreme gems.
It was definitely authentic.
It was an item that was impossible to attempt imitating from the start.
Moreover, those characters clearly engraved on the surface of the Vermillion Jade…
-First Dragon Martial Gate Master, Ba Hun
Each stroke resembled the dynamic movements of the Four Dragons Sword Art – wasn’t it a handwriting that no one but Ba Hun himself could possibly imitate?
That’s why it was even harder to quickly organize his mind, which had become complicated with all sorts of questions.
At that time, Ba Hun had clearly said.
That he would bury everything from that day as a secret.
But.
What on earth was this fellow who had suddenly appeared without warning and identified himself as White Peak Sword Sect Master Cheol Ryu-heun?
Given that he knew secrets only Ba Hun knew and even possessed the Vermillion Dragon Medallion, it meant he was connected somehow.
Could it be that Ba Hun had recorded their meeting from that day and stored it separately in his secluded dwelling?
‘If that fellow obtained it somehow… Yes, there’s sufficient possibility of that.’
Again, Cheol Ryu-heun’s voice reached his ears.
“Your head seems complicated – it’d be annoying to explain everything, so let me summarize simply.”
“…”
“As you can see, I happened to discover the Ascending Heavens Sword Dragon’s secluded dwelling and was lucky enough to obtain the Vermillion Dragon Medallion hidden there. And I also obtained additional information about you. Well, what people commonly call a fortuitous encounter. That’s all. Don’t overthink it.”
At that, Seop Pyo quietly examined his face.
Though it was an expression from which no emotion could be read, he didn’t seem like someone who would lie.
“The information about me – what exactly is it?”
“A diary.”
Simultaneously, Seop Pyo’s expression changed noticeably.
‘A diary? Then does that mean he really did record that incident? But why…!’
Cheol Ryu-heun spoke as if reading his mind.
“I don’t know either. Why he wrote it down. Though I did come all the way here thanks to it. Seeing that he kept it in the secret room where the Vermillion Dragon Medallion was stored, maybe he thought no one would find it.”
“Ah…”
Seop Pyo immediately recalled what Ba Hun had said in the past.
-I plan to store the Vermillion Dragon Medallion somewhere hard to find, so it will never appear in the world again.
‘Ugh… Senior, that prediction was wrong.’
The Vermillion Dragon Medallion had, in the end, been brought back out into this world by Cheol Ryu-heun, who stood before him.
Along with the diary that recorded the most shameful secret killing from his assassin days…
At this point, something like resentment rose slightly.
But what could he do?
Unless he was a god who controlled time at will, he couldn’t turn back what had already happened.
Meanwhile, Cheol Ryu-heun was inwardly snickering.
What diary?
He just knew everything because he was the Divine Martial Sword.
“Now, you should roughly understand the situation.”
When Cheol Ryu-heun said this while putting away the Vermillion Dragon Medallion, Seop Pyo’s eyes deepened.
“Hmm… So you’re saying it’s time for me to keep the words I spoke back then?”
“Right.”
Cheol Ryu-heun pointed alternately at himself and Seop Pyo.
I’m the superior, you’re the subordinate – that’s what it meant.
“You won’t try to back out, will you?”
“…”
Seop Pyo seemed to sink into thought for a moment, then slowly nodded and spoke in a solemn voice.
“Though it was a promise spoken as a joke at the time, if I stubbornly deny it here, I would not be fulfilling my duty as a junior. Especially with records remaining…”
His speech had already shifted to respectful forms, as if he could no longer ignore an opponent who had brought Ba Hun’s divine artifact.
“Good, quick acceptance. But aren’t you making it sound too noble? I can see right through you.”
“What do you…?”
“If you don’t listen to me, you’re worried the diary might be leaked, so you’re taking a submissive stance. Let’s be honest with each other.”
Seop Pyo’s expression wavered imperceptibly.
He had hit the nail on the head.
Just as he said, having that embarrassing secret revealed to the world was something he absolutely didn’t want.
Having written the myth of the previous martial world’s assassin path and mysteriously retired by suddenly disappearing, he couldn’t now stain the dignified alias of Head-Severing Yama with that shit.
Even if his body had left the martial world, in his heart he wanted to remain there as an honorable great assassin.
“W-Well, that reason isn’t entirely absent, but…”
Just as Seop Pyo muttered in an embarrassed tone, Cheol Ryu-heun lightly waved his left hand.
“Don’t worry about it. Shit swordsman. As long as you properly fulfill the three requests, I’ll burn that record right away.”
Argh, stop with the shit swordsman already!
Inwardly bristling, Seop Pyo soon clasped his hands before his chest and spoke seriously.
“I will regard Sect Master Cheol from now on as an incarnation of Senior Ba Hun and treat you with proper respect. And before hearing the three requests… There is something you should keep in mind.”
“I know.”
“Pardon?”
“You were going to say I absolutely must not ask for anything unjust, weren’t you?”
“Ah… Yes. That’s right.”
“I may look like this, but I’m an orthodox Sect Master. At minimum, I keep what needs to be kept.”
He was saying that he had no intention of asking for anything that violated the principles Seop Pyo had thoroughly upheld during his swordsman days, so he should drop his needless concerns.
“Yes, it’s reassuring to hear you say it directly.”
Seop Pyo answered thus while inwardly marveling.
‘Remarkable. I guessed he wasn’t ordinary, but…’
His intuition for seeing through the other party’s mind was unbecoming of his young age – almost like a veteran expert who had been through countless battles.
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke meaningfully.
“Of course, the diary matter is an exception. It’s a rather sordid method unbefitting an orthodox Sect Master.”
At that, Seop Pyo’s face twisted slightly.
‘Fine! I get it already!’
What he just said was essentially a warning and a threat that he wouldn’t ask for anything that would smear the alias of Head-Severing Yama, but depending on his conduct, he could very well smear it with shit.
In other words, if he wasn’t satisfied, he would publicly expose all those smelly memories from the outhouse…
Seop Pyo seethed internally again but forcibly suppressed his temper.
‘Phew, why do I feel like I stepped in shit?’
Suddenly, Cheol Ryu-heun handed over a paper with something written on it.
“You must still have many questions about me and my sect – if you read this, you’ll understand.”
Seop Pyo quickly took the paper, unfolded it, and began rolling his eyes along the black letters.
After a while, having finished reading, his eyes went wide.
“This is unbelievable…”
Written there was a sequential account of White Peak Sword Sect’s situation, which had repeatedly declined over the past thirty years, the unexpected death of former Sect Master Sagong Woon, and the recent events carried out by Cheol Ryu-heun, who had miraculously recovered after living as a vegetable.
Many of his questions about Ba Hun’s secluded dwelling cave were resolved as well.
Exactly as much as the current members of White Peak Sword Sect knew – no more, no less.
“But why didn’t you show me this from the start…”
“I was just testing you. To see how you’d react.”
Cheol Ryu-heun had already gone to sit by the firewood.
“Is this really true? That you went to a secret place where an ancient fortuitous encounter was arranged and achieved Bone Replacement and Marrow Cleansing…”
Cheol Ryu-heun nodded and replied indifferently.
“Yes, though I still don’t match your martial level.”
“…”
Seop Pyo tilted his head.
Even when he heightened his energy sense, he couldn’t accurately perceive the energy inside Cheol Ryu-heun’s body, yet why was the man himself claiming to be a level below?
He was quite curious.
What level his true martial power was at.
“Sect Master Cheol, though I’ve been in seclusion here for a long time, I pride myself that my sword skills are still quite usable. If you wish, I could serve as a sparring partner.”
“No, wait a bit. After the Thousand Snake Gang matter is handled, when the right time comes, I’ll be the one to ask for a sparring match first.”
At Cheol Ryu-heun’s firm refusal, Seop Pyo swallowed his disappointment and replied.
“Understood. By the way, I never knew there were several other fortuitous encounters arranged together in the place where Senior Ba Hun had stayed. But… I’m puzzled about what happened to the Divine Martial Sword.”
The sword that Sagong Woon had obtained after entering there much earlier than Cheol Ryu-heun had been ruthlessly destroyed by an unidentified assailant.
If so, it couldn’t possibly be the Divine Martial Sword.
That blade, called the foremost of all divine weapons, could never break.
Cheol Ryu-heun, recalling the bitter defeat from half a year ago, glossed over it appropriately.
“Who knows, I’m not particularly interested.”
Then he finally brought out the first request.
“What you need to do this time is monitor the Thousand Snake Gang’s movements and gather information.”
Seop Pyo wore a surprised expression.
“Pardon? Is that all?”
“Does there need to be more?”
“Ah, it’s not that, but… It’s too easy a task…”
“It’s only easy because it’s you. Thanks to your Space Concealment Stealth Technique that has reached a high realm.”
“I’m a bit embarrassed by sudden praise.”
“I can’t force someone who retired because they no longer wanted to stain their blade with blood to do that work again. Not that you’d accept even if I did.”
“You knew from the start that I’d be reluctant.”
“That’s all written in the diary.”
“Yes… I see.”
Seop Pyo wore a faint smile while recalling what he had said before.
-Senior. Haven’t I been living all this time staining myself with the blood of various evildoers while hiding my face? Of course, it was a path I chose myself, but… Now I want to take off my mask and live freely. Gradually removing the blood scent that has seeped deeply into this body and living comfortably – that is this remnant life’s wish.
‘Cheol Ryu-heun… The more I talk with him, the more interesting a person he is.’
Though Cheol Ryu-heun’s first appearance had been utterly forceful, now that they’d gotten to the main point and he was speaking with consideration for such matters, a strange fondness arose.
Just then.
“What are you doing?”
At Cheol Ryu-heun’s casually thrown words, Seop Pyo looked confused.
“…?”
“Stoke the fire harder. Aren’t you going to treat me to meat?”
“Ah…”
“What’s with subordinates these days?”
Having chided him, Cheol Ryu-heun gave a languid yawn as if bored with waiting.
Seop Pyo grumbled internally while throwing firewood into the flames.
Good grief! That guy, he really is a geezer! Top-tier geezer!
Soon, the two shared the nicely roasted meat and then finished their preparations to set off.
“Sect Master Cheol, just a moment…”
Having said that, Seop Pyo brought a brush and wrote a short message on a piece of wood.
<Something came up and I’ll be away for a while. Don’t worry too much and wait. I’ll return within ten days at the latest.>
Seeing that, Cheol Ryu-heun asked.
“You weren’t alone?”
“That’s right. Actually…”
“You don’t need to explain.”
Cheol Ryu-heun spoke disinterestedly and mounted Divine Wind’s back.
‘That wooden sword in the yard belonged to someone else. Then did he take on a disciple in his later years?’
He wasn’t particularly curious.
It wasn’t so strange to have gained a disciple while in seclusion.
After all, the connections of the human world were subtle and mysterious – unpredictable.
Just take himself, who had come to find this place…
Soon, when Seop Pyo followed and climbed onto Divine Wind’s back.
“I’m going to do energy circulation on the way, so don’t talk to me. It’s annoying.”
“…”
Seop Pyo stared blankly at the back of his head.
Just now… What? Did I mishear? He’s going to do energy circulation while riding a horse?
“Hold on tight.”
Simultaneously with Cheol Ryu-heun’s words.
CRASH-!
Divine Wind kicked off the ground and burst through the thick forest like a ray of light.
Clatter-clatter-clatter, clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter…