novelraw Chapter 55 : Chapter 55
Chapter 55 : Chapter 55
Chapter 55. The Negotiation at Yueyang Tower (1)
Glance, glance.
In the silence, the disciples of the One Saber Martial Sect watched Lee Byeok’s expression. Hesitantly, they picked up their sabers again.
But they had no intention of fighting.
All will to fight was gone.
Although it was only a single clash, it was enough for them to feel that they were no match for him.
“H-How much would be enough?”
“…It was a joke. Just go.”
The man at the front mumbled and opened his mouth. Lee Byeok sheathed his sword. He had no particular desire to harm them.
“Y-You’ll just let us go?”
“Why? You don’t want to?”
“……”
The disciples of the One Saber Martial Sect remained silent.
They were the ones who had brandished their swords first without provocation. Even if they hadn't intended to kill, there was no reason for their opponent to take that into consideration.
“…We thank you for your mercy.”
Nod. The man from the One Saber Martial Sect bowed his head.
And, as if worried that Lee Byeok might change his mind, he gathered his comrades and hastily left the roof.
“W-Wait a minute! You’re just letting them go? Why?!”
At that moment, one of the women who had been chased spoke up as if to protest. Lee Byeok turned to face her.
“Young Warrior! They’re from the Righteous Faction! The ones who ruthlessly trampled our land of Hunan! You should at least cut off a finger or take them hostage to teach them a lesson—”
“Why should I do that?”
“Pardon…?”
“In the first place, weren’t you skilled enough to escape on your own without having to rely on us?”
Flinch.
The woman’s expression wavered.
“It seems you knew who we were from the beginning. I’m actually more curious about your identities.”
“……!”
The women took a step back.
In any case, in Lee Byeok’s view, the martial skill of the woman at the front seemed to be close to first-rate.
Even considering that their numbers were double, there was no reason for them to be defeated by the disciples of the One Saber Martial Sect, who were all stuck at the second-rate level.
“…What, was that it? Kehe!”
Pa Jin-seong approached Lee Byeok’s side. He stood in confrontation with the women. For a moment, the women’s faces turned pale.
It wasn't just the disciples of the One Saber Martial Sect who had witnessed Lee Byeok’s move just now.
If even Pa Jin-seong were to join in, it would be difficult for them to even escape, let alone fight back.
Taat.
It was then. Yet another figure lightly landed on the roof. She stood blocking the way between Lee Byeok and the women.
“Excuse me, it seems our disciples have been indebted to the Flying Dragon Squad Leader. Thank you.”
“……”
She bowed her head lightly.
Lee Byeok identified the opponent.
The woman, whose age was hard to guess, was a face Lee Byeok already knew.
The Rakshasa Sect Leader, Soul-Stealing White Claw, U Jin-hui.
She was the person who had been sharp-tongued towards Lee Byeok’s group at the Geumgang Society’s meeting hall and had been the first to leave.
“What is the meaning of this? Did the Rakshasa Sect Leader bring her disciples to test me?”
“Ohoho, of course not. I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
U Jin-hui covered her mouth and laughed. But suddenly, a chilly glint flashed in her eyes between laughs.
“Even if that were the case, what would you do about it, Flying Dragon Squad Leader? Are you thinking of punishing me yourself?”
“…I see no reason why I couldn’t.”
“How insolent!”
Hwoook!
The next moment, a white energy gathered at U Jin-hui’s fingertips. Immediately, her nails, imbued with internal energy, rushed towards Lee Byeok.
[ Azure River Flowing Leaf Sword Style: First Form of the Sword-Drawing Style: Straight Sword ]
Chaeng!
“Keut?!”
But Lee Byeok’s sword was already prepared.
The nail and the sword blade clashed and trembled. The next moment, U Jin-hui’s eyes widened.
The internal energy gathered at her fingertips began to subtly scatter. It felt as if it had clashed with the internal energy of the Righteous Faction, its polar opposite.
‘…And a Taoist one at that.’
She had to retreat.
U Jin-hui judged.
But her pride wouldn’t allow it.
A moment of hesitation flickered, and that gave Lee Byeok enough time to prepare his next form.
[ Azure River Flowing Leaf Sword Style: Third Form of the Sword-Withdrawal Style: Flowing Sword ]
Seueuk.
The tip of the sword swam silently.
It slid past her nails and was withdrawn towards Lee Byeok. Rustle. Along that sword path, U Jin-hui’s internal energy was scraped away like sand.
‘Keut.’
U Jin-hui sensed it intuitively.
Of course, it was only one move; she had not revealed her full power. But it seemed that was not a story exclusive to her.
An endless strength.
‘At this age? This is a monster, isn’t it?’
At that moment, their gazes met again.
And in Lee Byeok’s eyes, U Jin-hui felt the shadow of someone. Although their martial arts and appearance were not at all similar, perhaps.
Hook!
The next moment, Lee Byeok’s swimming sword shot out straight again. The tip of the sword reached the end of U Jin-hui’s throat.
“Aack! Sect Leader!”
“Don’t come! Stand back!”
The disciples of the Rakshasa Sect immediately tried to approach.
The moment Pa Jin-seong was about to confront them, U Jin-hui stretched out her hand and stopped her disciples.
“……”
Hmph. U Jin-hui laughed again. But a somewhat different air surrounded her than before.
“That’s right. It seems you have the qualifications to punish me. Such an achievement at that age, it’s beyond amazing; honestly, it’s hard to believe.”
“……”
“I am ashamed. If I admit my mistake, will you remove this sword?”
Tuk. U Jin-hui’s nail touched the blade of Lee Byeok’s sword. Lee Byeok thought for a moment but soon withdrew his sword.
He had no intention of being played by someone’s intentions, but considering their positions, he couldn't be completely hostile.
A brief silence flowed.
U Jin-hui bowed deeply.
“Please forgive my rudeness. We just wanted to confirm whether the Flying Dragon Squad Leader had truly come to help us.”
“……”
“As you can guess, we have passed the stage where we can trust someone just by the name of the Evil Faction Alliance.”
The disciples of the Rakshasa Sect were astonished.
The Sect Leader they knew, Soul-Stealing White Claw U Jin-hui, had never bowed her proud back before anyone.
Let alone to a prodigy.
“Of course, if you wish, I will compensate for this rudeness in any way. But before that, I would like to ask the Squad Leader a few questions.”
U Jin-hui straightened her back again.
In her eyes looking at Lee Byeok, a complex emotion that was hard to describe was now lingering.
What was certain was that it was not hostility.
“First, why are you trying to help us, Squad Leader? What kind of benefit is there for you?”
“…I am raising the Flying Dragon Squad. Although it is a military unit of the Evil Faction Alliance, its path is different from the Black Heaven Gang or the Hainan Sword Sect, so there aren’t many places to go.”
“I see. Then one more thing. After gathering and raising them, what do you plan to do with that force?”
“……”
Lee Byeok could not answer easily.
Unable to return to Flower Pavilion Village, Lee Byeok had decided to step into the Murim to overcome his inner demon.
Re-establishing the Paewang Family’s standing as the Flying Dragon Squad Leader was… for his senior brother, Hyuk Dae-woong.
“Well, alright. If it’s difficult for you to say right now, we can postpone that question. Whatever your intentions, we’re not in a comfortable enough situation to be picky about helping hands. Then, just one last thing.”
Suddenly, U Jin-hui’s eyes grew distant.
“By any chance, what is your relationship with the Evil Faction Alliance Leader… no, the Paewang Family Head, Squad Leader?”
The meetings of the Hunan region’s Evil Faction forces gathered at the Geumgang Society continued day after day even after that.
However, the situation was quite different from before, where only desperate silence was repeated without any proper opinions.
“With all due respect, I would like to say a word to the seniors present.”
Gongson Su, who had been delegated the authority to participate as the Flying Dragon Squad Leader’s representative, actively proposed an opinion.
Of course, at first, no one paid much attention to the words of a prodigy who was not a force from the Hunan region and had not even reached adulthood.
However, when Yeom U-gil, the branch manager of the Rogues’ Guild, and U Jin-hui, the Soul-Stealing White Claw of the Rakshasa Sect, actively supported this opinion, the story changed.
Murmur, murmur.
With the two largest factions among those gathered here supporting it, there were not many who could oppose it.
In fact, even without that, everyone was already feeling it.
That opinion, which at first glance felt incredibly precarious, was the only hope that had a chance of breaking through this situation.
Soon, even Jeon Sa-uk, the Evil Blood Sword of the Red Evil Sect, reluctantly agreed.
Ma Jun, the leader of the Geumgang Society, made the conclusion.
“…Then, what remains is how to make the Righteous Faction side accept our opinion.”
The meeting was finally concluded.
And after the night passed, the promised day for negotiations between the Righteous and Evil Factions in Hunan dawned.
Clatter, clatter.
A carriage was crossing the city of Yueyang.
Inside the carriage were Lee Byeok, Gongson Su, and Yeom U-gil, the branch manager of the Rogues’ Guild’s Yueyang branch and the owner of the carriage.
There was no particular conversation.
Lee Byeok wanted to repeatedly organize his newfound enlightenment, and Gongson Su, in her own way, seemed to have a lot on her mind.
Only the sound of Yeom U-gil snoring continued in the silence.
“…I’m sorry, Orabeoni.”
After about an hour had passed.
Gongson Su suddenly broke the silence.
“What are you sorry about?”
“No matter how much I pretend to be great… in the end, when it comes down to it, all I can rely on is your martial strength, Orabeoni.”
“……”
“Of course, this matter won’t be easy either… but even if we somehow get through this one time, the moment your true face is exposed to both the Righteous and Evil Factions, unexpected gazes will be drawn to you.”
Haa. Gongson Su sighed.
Lee Byeok had nothing particular to say.
So far, Gongson Su’s opinions had never been a detriment to Lee Byeok.
On the contrary, through the battle at the Invincible Sect, he had realized that he himself had been overly dependent on the path she led.
“Honestly… I’m not sure how far the repercussions will go. To think we’d be confronting the Righteous Faction, and Diancang and the Namgung Clan at that, out of the blue…”
Her expression was complex and troubled.
Uncharacteristically, Gongson Su seemed a little dispirited.
‘It’s understandable.’
No matter how brilliant and how different a life she had lived, she was still just a fifteen-year-old girl.
The pressure of having to lead a group in the Jianghu Murim, where a single misjudgment could lead to death, would be anything but light.
“……”
Lee Byeok reached out his hand.
He held Gongson Su’s shoulder. Flinch. Gongson Su trembled lightly. She looked at Lee Byeok with slightly surprised eyes.
“It’s alright. I trust you. For now, we just do what we can, and we can think about what comes next when it happens.”
“……”
They were together for their own purposes, but it wasn't just that.
Humans flow within relationships and live within relationships. That was an enlightenment Lee Byeok had gained along with the Jincheon Falling Sword Divine Art.
He did not take relationships lightly.
“…It’s heavy, Orabeoni.”
After a brief silence, Gongson Su answered.
“What is heavy?”
“Your heart, Orabeoni. In a moving carriage, and it’s not even just the two of us… well, but this is the first time you’ve touched my body first, Orabeoni, so shall I try my best not to disappoint your expectations?”
“……”
Lee Byeok removed his hand.
Gongson Su giggled.
“Ahem, hem!”
At that moment, Yeom U-gil cleared his throat.
Coincidentally, it seemed he had woken up. The two of them became acutely awkward.
In a somewhat ambiguous atmosphere, the carriage continued forward.
And finally, in the distance, the place where the negotiations were to take place came into view.
Yueyang Tower.
It was a renowned pavilion that had been passed down since the Three Kingdoms period, and also the place where, some fifty years ago, the Murim Alliance and the Evil Faction Alliance had signed a non-aggression pact.
Around it, warriors from the factions that had arrived first, regardless of whether they were Righteous or Evil, were heavily positioned.
A sense of tension flowed between them.
It was as if invisible blades were moving back and forth in the air, keeping each other in check.