Chapter 162
By the time I found the formation marker, reactivated the array, and finished unpacking, the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.
I sat watching Yeon Ryang cook in the kitchen, turning one of the cool golden needles between my fingers as I sank into thought.
The sight of such high-quality concealed weapons had overwhelmed my better judgment, and I had snatched them up without hesitation. Now that I was actually considering using them, however, something about them bothered me.
The unnatural chill clinging to my fingertips suggested that millennia-old cold iron had been mixed into the metal to strengthen it.
Even the Tang Clan’s smiths would covet something like this and demand to know where it had come from. I could not understand why a swordsman had been carrying such needles.
Who was that old man?
Anyone capable of cutting through metal with a branch had reached a level every martial artist dreamed of attaining. He also seemed to have seen through Yeon Ryang’s identity as an unorthodox martial artist at a glance.
“The golden needles are yours now.”
More than anything, I could not shake the feeling that he had intended to give them to me from the beginning. He had also kept asking all those oddly specific questions, as though there were something he wanted from me.
He did not seem to bear Grandfather a grudge the way the Martial Alliance Leader did.
So what did he want?
“Brother. Don’t you think that old man came here because he knew we would arrive? I don’t think he happened to be staying here by coincidence.”
“I’m not sure. I couldn’t say.”
“The more I think about it, the stranger it seems. He said he had been staying here because the house was empty, but there wasn’t any sign that someone had been living here.”
“Masters like him appear and disappear like the wind. Perhaps that is all there is to it.”
“And he felt similar to Daoist Jinseong. His movements were much softer and more fluid, but still. Are you sure he has nothing to do with Wudang? His inner force seemed to come from a Taoist school...”
“Probably not. Why would a Taoist lie about not being one? Oh, the broth has reduced too much. Sohae, could you draw some water from the well?”
Yeon Ryang brushed the matter aside, turning away and pretending to busy himself with the food.
I glared at the back of his head as he fiddled with his earlobe.
Yeon Ryang had a habit of touching his earlobe whenever he felt cornered.
He knew who the old man was and was lying to me.
Was it someone I was not supposed to know about?
He certainly had not been from the Demonic Sect.
Still, I did not want to make things any harder for Yeon Ryang.
“...All right.”
I obediently picked up the water jar and left the cottage.
*****
Perhaps it was because the tension had finally left me, but my eyes kept drifting shut throughout dinner.
When I began dozing with my chopsticks still in my hand, Yeon Ryang snickered and took them away from me.
“You must be exhausted. Go to bed early. You’ve pushed yourself too hard these past few days.”
“Mmm...”
“My lady, you must walk properly. Were you planning to crawl all the way to bed?”
Laughing, Yeon Ryang slipped an arm around my waist, lifted me effortlessly, and placed me on the bed.
I nodded drowsily and lay down. He pulled the covers over me.
“Go to sleep. I’ll put out the light.”
“Mmm... Good night, Brother...”
I should wash before sleeping. I can’t get my eyes open...
When I drifted awake again, it was deep into the night.
Beyond the paper door, I could see Yeon Ryang’s silhouette sitting motionlessly outside.
It’s so late. Can’t he sleep?
Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and slowly opened the door.
At the sound, Yeon Ryang glanced back.
“Brother, why aren’t you asleep?”
“You’re awake? Why did you get up? You should sleep some more.”
“No reason.”
I dropped down beside him.
He must have removed the human-skin mask while I slept, because his familiar, handsome face had returned.
“Whew. I can finally breathe now that you’ve taken that mask off. Can’t you throw away the one you wore in Yueyang? It was terrifying.”
“Really? It was expensive.”
“I’ll buy you another one. I’ll buy you ten.”
“Ha ha, all right. We’ll throw it away. I suppose I should take advantage of my newly wealthy little sister.”
Yeon Ryang grinned and looked up at the sky.
I followed his gaze and saw countless stars spread overhead, so thick they seemed ready to spill from the heavens.
“Brother. Is what that old man said bothering you?”
“Hmm?”
“You’ve been staring at the stars this whole time.”
At my question, Yeon Ryang awkwardly laced his fingers together and rubbed the back of one hand with his thumb.
I drew up my knees and wrapped my arms around them as I watched him.
“You know, Brother...”
“Yes?”
“If you were a star... you would be my guiding star.”
“...Your guiding star? That’s rather romantic.”
Yeon Ryang gave a soft laugh and stroked my hair.
“I mean it. Without you, I wouldn’t even be here. I would’ve gotten lost long ago and died somewhere no one would ever find me.”
“Tsk. Don’t say things like that. Who says you’re going to die?”
“Oh, you know what I mean. So don’t worry about what other people say, Brother. Who knows you better—a strange old man who met you for the first time today, or me?”
“...”
“You’re not going to answer?”
“Ha ha. My little sister knows me better, of course. All right. I won’t let it bother me. I mean it.”
Yeon Ryang raised both hands as though surrendering to the inevitable.
I gave him several firm pats on the back and stood.
“Go to bed early, Brother. If you worry too much, your hair will fall out. I’m going back to sleep.”
“All right. Sleep well. What would you like in the morning? Shall I steam some dumplings? Would you prefer wontons?”
“Wontons sound good. When are you making them? Should I help knead the dough?”
“You can help by staying out of the kitchen.”
“...Fine.”
I pouted, shot him a glare, and went back inside.
Judging by the way his shoulders sagged, Yeon Ryang seemed to need some time alone.
I hope he doesn’t think about it too deeply...
Suppressing a sigh, I wriggled beneath the blankets.
*****
Yeon Ryang stared blankly at the star-filled sky for some time before slowly rising to his feet.
His expression tense, he clasped his hands respectfully toward the darkness.
“What brings such an esteemed master of the martial world back here?”
“Is the child asleep?”
“Yes.”
The old man glanced toward the cottage, then lightly snapped his fingers and erected a barrier of energy around them.
“My disciple has been hopelessly distracted ever since meeting that child. I came to see what sort of girl she was.”
“...”
“But it seems she was not the reason for his distress. It was you. Why is a filthy wretch from the Demonic Sect clinging to the side of a righteous child? How did you slip past the Martial Alliance’s watch?”
The old man’s icy voice cut into Yeon Ryang’s chest like a sharpened sword, but Yeon Ryang did not panic. He lowered his head.
“I pay my respects to Elder Taeheo, the Taiji Sword Immortal.”
“I have no need for the greetings of a Demonic Sect bastard. Think carefully before you try to deceive me with that silver tongue of yours. I left you alone only because the child seems to trust and follow you, but my sword has not yet rusted.”
The pure Taoist energy radiating from Taeheo made nausea surge up Yeon Ryang’s throat, but he forced it back down.
The man before him was the greatest swordsman in the world.
Not only was he far beyond anyone Yeon Ryang could recklessly challenge, but Yeon Ryang had no wish to provoke a master who seemed fond of his little sister.
He did not care for that painfully stiff young Daoist, but if the man allowed Tang Sohae to form a connection with Wudang, she would gain a powerful shield.
Drawing a deep breath, Yeon Ryang extended his arm toward Taeheo.
“...Would you examine me?”
“What are you plotting?”
“Nothing.”
When Taeheo hesitated, Yeon Ryang unfastened his sword and placed it on the ground.
Taeheo scoffed.
“Ha! Are you asking me to kill you? Very well. Let us see what it is you want me to find.”
Only then did Taeheo approach and send his inner force flowing into Yeon Ryang’s body.
The pure energy collided with the demonic energy inside him, making his energy channels swell and boil. As the foreign force tore chaotically through his body, Yeon Ryang clenched his teeth.
After examining him, Taeheo frowned in bewilderment.
“You have no poison parasite. Did you escape?”
“Shamefully, yes.”
“Even your core has been steeped in demonic energy, yet you have somehow managed to pass for human. At this stage, remaining sane should be difficult enough. How are you suppressing it?”
“I simply... endure it.”
Taeheo clicked his tongue and slowly stepped back.
“If you escaped, why have you not abandoned your demonic arts? You will die if you continue like this. Change your inner cultivation method if you wish to live.”
“I cannot.”
“Can you not feel your blood and energy seething? Every time you use those demonic arts, you are shaving away your own life. The wick of your candle is already almost gone.”
“I know. But... I cannot abandon them yet. For now, I must remain a brother who is useful to that child.”
Taeheo stroked his beard at the calm reply.
“You mean you need the strength to protect her?”
“Yes.”
“Oh?”
Taeheo studied Yeon Ryang with a peculiar expression, then burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha! I thought you were merely a demon, but you are a true martial artist!”
The hostility faded from Taeheo’s eyes.
Smiling with satisfaction, he asked another question.
“Do you know why the written character for ‘martial’ combines the meanings of ‘stop’ and ‘spear’?”
“...”
“Because protection is the beginning of the martial path. A martial artist stops the enemy’s spear to protect himself, preserves his convictions, and defends the world that belongs to him. In an age when so many martial artists have forgotten that truth and pursue nothing but domination, it has been a long time since I met one who still remembers.”
Taeheo’s gaze settled firmly on Yeon Ryang.
“Heir to the demonic path, even I cannot refuse to acknowledge you. What is your name?”
“Yeon Ryang.”
“Ryang? As in the character for a goblin?”
Taeheo frowned, and Yeon Ryang shook his head.
“No. I use the character meaning ‘bright.’”
“Not a particularly fitting name.”
Taeheo continued in a grave voice.
“If you persist as you are, qi deviation will take root in your core, and demonic influence will invade the crown of your head until you lose all control. Will you still remain a martial artist then?”
“I intend to endure for as long as I can.”
“How arrogant. The agony must already feel as though your tendons are being torn apart and your bones wrenched from their joints.”
Taeheo snorted, but his expression softened as he met Yeon Ryang’s eyes.
“Still, it is a good resolve. Never spill blood. Once you begin drawing blood, the things gnawing away at you will try to swallow you whole.”
“I will remember.”
“I must give more thought to what should be done with you. What a headache. Jinseong, that fool, should have told his master instead of agonizing over something like this alone...”
Still grumbling, Taeheo dissolved into the darkness like mist.
Yeon Ryang stared after him with a twisted expression that was neither a smile nor grief.
Merely touching such pure Taoist energy for a moment had left his entire body contorted and his mind clouded.
As Taeheo had said, he did not know how much longer he could endure.
Day by day, the demonic influence devouring his body strained harder against his control.
But he could not collapse yet.
One more day.
Just one more day...
“You would be my guiding star.”
Repeating that affectionate voice in his mind, Yeon Ryang clenched his fist.