novelraw Chapter 83 : Chapter 83
Chapter 83 : Chapter 83
Chapter 83 - We Must Get Revenge
“Hey, Nephew-disciple Mu. Say something. How many hours has it been since you started drinking without a word?”
“Leave him be. Isn't he a child whose mere presence makes the liquor taste good? On the other hand, every time you open your mouth, the taste of the liquor deteriorates!”
“What? This guy!”
“Wahahahahaha!”
The feast that began with Absolute Protector’s initiation ceremony continued late into the night.
Seeing the collapsed pavilions and damaged artifacts was heartbreaking, but at the same time, the hope that they could now be rebuilt also blossomed.
“Junior Brother Biyoung. Receive my cup as well.”
“Of course, Senior Uncle Mujin.”
“When I think of what you have done for the sect, it wouldn't be enough even if I bowed down to you.”
“Keum. It's not that big of a deal.”
“No, it is. For taking the lead in restoring the main mountain!”
“Hmph, hmph.”
“And for recovering the safe and the Diancang Treasure Red Seal that were in the Tiger-Bear Stronghold!”
“Keum. Hmph.”
“Is that all? Not only did you teach our junior brothers proper swordsmanship! But you also increased their internal energy through spirit medicine, did you not?”
“Keum. Giggle. Hmph.“’
He tried to get by with a polite cough, but human nature cannot be hidden.
He tried to restrain himself, but Biyoung’s cheekbones ascended step by step.
“Moreover, even the debt from the O Family Manor that we had long given up on! With that alone, it won't just be possible to repair the facilities of the Diancang Sect, but to build everything anew!”
“Giggle giggle giggle.”
“Isn't he truly the light and hope of the Diancang Sect? I even feel as if an ancient immortal has appeared before my eyes!”
Mujin said so and happily drank his cup of liquor.
After praising Biyoung to his heart's content, he felt a sense of relief.
However.
It seemed that Biyoung, the person in question, had a slightly different thought.
“Giggle. More.”
“Huh?”
“Go on. I'm in a good mood right now.”
“…………!”
……More?
He wants more?
What else was there?
He had already said so much that nothing came to mind, but seeing Biyoung’s expression, it seemed he couldn't stop here.
“Biyoung-ah.”
Fortunately, someone appeared to solve Mujin’s predicament.
“Yes, Senior Brother Solbo?”
“Elder Jeokseo is calling for you. Go to the backyard behind the main hall.”
“The main hall? I thought he was sleeping. Alright.”
Biyoung obediently nodded and stood up.
“But where are you going, Senior Brother? Aren't you drinking anymore?”
“I've already had enough. Just because we had a feast today doesn't mean you'll exempt me from training tomorrow, right?”
“That’s a given, but…… you're going to bed early because you don't want to suffer at dawn tomorrow?”
Solbo licked his lips and nodded.
“Yes. Not just me, but Senior Brother Eung, Senior Sister Jeong, everyone is heading back to their quarters.”
“Oho. This is quite commendable.”
Biyoung, who was smiling with satisfaction, suddenly stroked his chin.
“This is a shame. Since it's a special day with the elders from Simao here, I was thinking of taking a break from the dawn training tomorrow.”
“R-really?”
Solbo’s eyes widened.
It was something that stimulated the tiny bit of hope he had left.
But as the old saying goes.
The way to make a person feel the greatest despair is to give them hope and then take it away.
“And yet. I didn't know your passion was so great. It's truly heartwarming! I can't betray that spirit!”
“What? No…….”
“I feel great! I feel a sense of mission too! I should bring an extra tough schedule tomorrow!”
“No. Hey. Our passion isn't that…….”
Of course I don't want to train.
But it's not a hundred percent our will, is it?
Hey.
Biyoung.
Will you listen to what I'm saying?
“Then I'll see you tomorrow morning, Senior Brother Solbo! Look forward to it, as I'll prepare a super-special training that matches your determination!”
“You son of a……”
“Hahahahahahahaha!”
While Solbo hesitated to curse because of the surrounding elders, Biyoung disappeared into the darkness.
“Huu. Right. It was my fault for expecting anything from that brat.”
Solbo scratched the back of his head with deeply disappointed eyes.
In his line of sight, he saw a man still sitting and drinking.
“Junior Brother Mu. Are you okay to drink more?”
Absolute Protector simply nodded slightly without any particular words.
“I guess. Not even liquor, but the grandfather of liquor couldn't stop your will.”
Biyoung, too.
Absolute Protector, too.
It seems like the Diancang Sect is only filled with strange people.
A ‘person of Jianghu’ who is always trying to find a way to escape.
Solbo shook his head and walked to his quarters.
***
“……That's what I heard happened.”
“Holhol. So that's what happened.”
The reason Jeokseo had called Biyoung in the middle of the night was to ask in more detail about a certain man.
The man who Lady Mihwa, the owner of the Loyal Heart Pavilion, once had in her heart.
It was about Yi Chan, who had fled before the Diancang Sect was destroyed.
“Would you like to meet him? If you ask Lady Mihwa, finding out his whereabouts would be no trouble at all.”
Lady Mihwa was not only the owner of the Loyal Heart Pavilion but also the head of the Syndicate of Ten Thousand Eyes.
Since they had already located him once, even if he moved, finding him again would be no trouble.
However, Jeokseo smiled softly and shook his head.
“Holhol. Is he not one who turned his back on the sect long ago? If the Diancang Sect is not in his heart, meeting him late would be meaningless.”
“That's true.”
In fact, even though he said that, he probably wanted to meet him at least once.
Excluding those who had come to Simao, he was practically the only survivor among those who had been registered with the Diancang Sect.
Although Jeokseo and Yi Chan were not of the same generation, the bond of having once practiced martial arts together in the Diancang Sect was not something that would easily disappear.
“I have never met Lady Mihwa, but I think I can understand how she feels now.”
Jeokseo said so and drank from the liquor bottle with a holhol sound.
Biyoung could understand the meaning of Jeokseo’s words.
Lady Mihwa’s heart looking at the man who had turned his back on her affection.
Jeokseo’s heart looking at the man who had turned his back on the sect.
Though the nature was different, their feelings towards Yi Chan would be the same.
It was said that a person’s heart was more fickle than a reed, but conversely, a person’s heart was also something that others could not control.
“A past connection is like a river. If it cannot be turned back, you just have to let it flow. Now is the time to create a new stream.”
Jeokseo looked at Biyoung with fresh eyes.
There were times when he acted like a reckless child, and other times when he had thoughts more mature than his own.
“Holhol. You are right. Then how do you plan to create this new stream?”
“Eh. Why are you asking me? That's something for the sect elders to ponder.”
“We have neither the qualification nor the audacity. Was it not entirely your generation that reclaimed the main mountain? If you have something in mind, speak without reservation.”
The scholar of the Diancang Sect.
That was Jeokseo’s nickname in the past.
A scholar-like swordsman who was overly bound by convention and narrow-minded.
However, the years in Simao had brought about many changes in him.
A man who couldn't even take a sip of liquor now drank heavily every day, and he had aged so much that he looked at least ten years older than his actual age.
It must have been a difficult time to endure while sober.
The time in Simao had affected not only his appearance but also his inner self.
To ask a young descendant about the future of the sect.
It was a situation that would have been unimaginable for the Jeokseo of the past.
“Hmm…….”
Biyoung’s head tilted up towards the sky, as if to organize his thoughts.
Was it because the effects of the alcohol had not worn off?
The stars in the night sky seemed particularly white and brilliant tonight.
“Broadly speaking, there are about three things.”
“Three things. Tell me one by one.”
“First, we need to improve the skills of the Senior Brothers. Not just swordsmanship, but increasing internal energy is also essential. Fortunately, their talents are outstanding, so if we nurture them well, we can create masters no less skilled than those of the past.”
In fact, for a typical sect, this would be a statement worthy of punishment.
For the youngest of the lowest generation to talk about raising his senior brothers.
Furthermore.
How did a fellow who was born around the time the sect was destroyed know the skills of the past masters?
However, instead of scolding him, Jeokseo asked with a face full of expectation.
“Then can a master like the World's Fastest Sword emerge from among them?”
“Hey. That's out of the question. It's true that the Senior Brothers' talents are outstanding, but compared to the World's Fastest Sword, it's like the dirt between his toes.”
“……Your evaluation has suddenly become harsh.”
“The qualities of the World's Fastest Sword are truly heaven-sent. A genius among geniuses. Heaven beyond heaven! One must have that level of talent to even utter the word 'world'. Ahem!”
“Holholhol. I agree with that opinion, but…… why is your nose pointing so high up?”
Oops.
I was so engrossed in my explanation that I got carried away.
Biyoung hastily smoothed down his nose and cleared his throat.
“Hmph hmph. Anyway, even if it's not as much as the World's Fastest Sword, the Senior Brothers' talents are outstanding. More so than you think, Senior Grand Uncle.”
It was not just flattery; it was the truth.
The Senior Brothers were not at all inferior compared to the next-generation disciples of the Diancang Sect that Biyoung had seen in his past life.
No.
Far from being inferior, they had greater qualities than the youngest generation of the golden age.
There was the disadvantage of having a slightly smaller number of people, but wasn't the Diancang Sect originally a sect that operated with a small elite force?
Although the sect's power needed to be expanded further, considering the quality of the next-generation disciples, the current resources could not be considered insufficient.
“What is the second plan?”
“It's connected to what I just said…… but this requires the elders' permission.”
“Holholhol. When have you ever acted with permission?”
“……I feel like I'm being pointedly criticized.”
“It's just your imagination.”
“Hmph. Well. Alright. As I said before, to make the Senior Brothers' talents bloom, both swordsmanship and internal energy need to grow. I can take care of the swordsmanship, but there's a limit to internal energy. To fill that lack of internal energy, we need to bring that person over.”
“That person……?”
“The person in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.”
“!”
Jeokseo’s eyes, which had been dim and wet with alcohol, widened for a moment.
“Jade Dragon Snow Mountain……! Then is the person you speak of Lord Hyeokri?”
“His personality is a bit eccentric to be called a lord…… but anyway, it seems like a good idea to bring Grandpa Hyeokri Chong and his granddaughter to the main mountain. You know about Grandpa Hyeokri Chong’s skill in making spirit medicine, right?”
“Of course I do…….”
That was a story that would make one’s mouth sore to repeat.
There was even a time when the entire Murim was running around trying to obtain Hyeokri Chong’s spirit medicine.
The Six-Flower Pill that the senior brothers ate was also a very rare spirit medicine, but compared to the ones made by Hyeokri Chong, it was at a level where it had to tuck its tail between its legs.
“Holholhol. That doesn't seem to require separate permission. Lord Hyeokri is an eternal benefactor of our Diancang Sect.”
“That's a relief then. Since you said so, Senior Grand Uncle, I'll take care of the urgent matters first and then go to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.”
“Do so. Are there any other plans?”
Both plans made Jeokseo’s heart feel enriched.
But for some reason, Jeokseo seemed not completely satisfied.
As if.
Something very important was missing.
Siiik.
Perhaps he had read his mind.
A meaningful smile appeared on Biyoung’s lips.
“There's one most important plan left. In fact, the previous two plans can be seen as existing for this one.”
“Hoo?”
Raising the next-generation disciples and bringing over a medicine master.
Each one could be said to be a crucial matter for the sect.
But Biyoung said that all of those were secondary matters.
Because the plan he was about to talk about could be said to be the greatest long-cherished wish of the Diancang Sect.
“We must get revenge.”
A chilling voice, unlike any before, flowed from Biyoung’s mouth.
“We will find the bastards who attacked the Diancang Sect and utterly crush them.”