The Most Important Value
Not long after Pyeong-u left the Tang Clan, Cheon Ryu-yeong collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Elder Jeolsudok and Tang Hyemi panicked when he suddenly collapsed without a word, fearing something had gone wrong.
But when he soon began snoring softly, they both let out embarrassed sighs of relief and carefully laid him properly on the bed.
They desperately wanted to do something for him, but there was little they could do.
Elder Jeolsudok simply stared at Cheon Ryu-yeong's sleeping face, then exhaled a long sigh.
"Huuh… In a single day, I've experienced more weight and hardship than in my entire life combined."
Tang Hyemi soaked a clean cloth in water, wrung it, and placed it on Cheon Ryu-yeong's forehead.
"At least Brother Cheon is safe."
"Brother?"
Elder Jeolsudok asked with a puzzled look. Tang Hyemi smiled gently.
"Nam-u swore brotherhood with Young Master Cheon. So I said I'd be his sworn younger sister."
"Oh? And Young Master Cheon agreed to that?"
"Ah, n-no… not exactly. We just decided it ourselves."
At her answer, Elder Jeolsudok smacked his lips, then chuckled.
"Well, what does it matter? That's how older brothers, and even fathers, come to be called in the first place."
She blushed, unable to respond. Elder Jeolsudok's expression turned slightly mischievous.
"You do know why the Clan Lord entrusted you personally with caring for Young Master Cheon, don't you?"
"…Yes."
"Good. And how do you feel about him?"
"…."
"Well, perhaps it's too soon—you've only met him for a few hours. But, Hyemi, even from my perspective, Young Master Cheon is destined for great achievements. You should open your heart to him."
Tang Hyemi looked intently at Cheon Ryu-yeong. His bruised and swollen face…
If she had seen a man like this before?
She would have mocked him, sneered at him for being beaten, for being weak.
She was raised in a martial family, where the only standard for men was strength.
Any man weaker than herself, she had never even considered a real person.
But Cheon Ryu-yeong had overturned all her standards of strength.
He had shown her what true strength meant.
The will to endure overwhelming power and unbearable pain without yielding. The ability to smile and show consideration for others even when surely terrified himself.
Almost unconsciously, Tang Hyemi raised her hand and touched his cheek.
It was warm.
She smiled faintly, thinking his heart must be just as warm.
"Brother Cheon… just as Elder said, he will rise. He'll become someone great."
Elder Jeolsudok nodded vigorously.
"Indeed. Which is why you should…"
But Tang Hyemi shook her head, interrupting him.
"It scares me more and more."
"What do you mean?"
"When Grandfather told me to tend to Brother Cheon, I was startled but happy. But as time passes, I feel less and less confident. I wonder if I'm truly worthy of him."
"…."
"He's a really good man. When everyone else said it was impossible and turned away, he smiled and said we should go together. With his head and chest torn open, fever burning through him, he still said we must save my mother… At that moment, my heart felt like it would burst. I cried, because I realized… there are people like him in this world."
Elder Jeolsudok had already heard this story once before, but he still felt a solemn swell of emotion.
"Yes. He is a good man, Young Master Cheon. That's why I want him to truly become one of our people."
Tang Hyemi withdrew her hand from Cheon Ryu-yeong's cheek and looked at the elder.
"That's why I'm afraid. Afraid I'm not worthy of such a man."
Elder Jeolsudok smiled deeply, nodding.
"You truly like him, don't you?"
"I don't know… if it's affection, or respect, or gratitude. But… whenever I see his bruised, swollen face, it hurts here."
She touched her chest.
"Hohoho. That is love. Love always comes like an uninvited disaster, suddenly knocking at your door."
He called it love, but Tang Hyemi shook her head. She did not believe such feelings could bloom so suddenly.
"No… I think it's more gratitude. And guilt, perhaps."
Suddenly, Dokgo Seol came to her mind.
What were her feelings toward Brother Cheon?
Were they romantic? Or simply the concern of a senior who cherished a valuable talent?
Like Namgung Su, she too was confused.
So, Tang Hyemi and Elder Jeolsudok silently gazed down at Cheon Ryu-yeong.
Suddenly, he twitched and furrowed his brow.
The change might have been trivial, but both of their hearts leapt.
Then Cheon Ryu-yeong yawned and opened his eyes.
Elder Jeolsudok quickly asked,
"What's wrong? Are you in pain?"
Tang Hyemi chimed in,
"Are you hurt?"
Cheon Ryu-yeong blinked a few times, looking up at the two staring down at him, then asked,
"How long have I been asleep?"
Before Elder Jeolsudok could answer, he asked again,
"Has a whole day passed? What's the outcome of the battle? Is everyone safe?"
"Uh, well…"
Cheon Ryu-yeong sat up, looking at the flustered elder.
"Then has it been two days? Were the losses heavy?"
Elder Jeolsudok gave a wry smile.
"No… you've only been asleep a little over half an hour."
Cheon Ryu-yeong's face went blank.
"What?"
"Not long at all."
"That can't be… I felt like I had the deepest sleep I've had in ages."
He rolled his neck, rotated his shoulders.
Still a little stiff, but compared to the days of fever and exhaustion he'd endured, he felt far better. Back then, no matter how long he slept, he had never felt rested.
Tang Hyemi brightened.
"I've had that before too—just a short nap but feeling completely refreshed."
"Yes… I suppose. But this feels too…"
Cheon Ryu-yeong trailed off, puzzled. Elder Jeolsudok slapped his thighs and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! Truly, it must be the power of our clan's treasure—the Elixir of Ten Thousand Restorations!"
In truth, it was Pyeong-u's careful guidance of the elixir's qi that had made the difference, but the elder wasn't entirely wrong.
The meridians near his lower dantian had been opened, allowing the elixir's energy to flow quickly through his organs, filling him with vitality.
The miraculous properties of the pill and Pyeong-u's efforts together had produced the result.
Tang Hyemi looked at him in disbelief.
"You really are alright?"
The elder answered for him.
"Of course. It's the Elixir of Ten Thousand Restorations! Normally, when one takes it, they can't even sleep for days, because the energy surges so strongly. But since Young Master Cheon's body was so weakened, we didn't expect that. Hahaha. Still, it is indeed the Tang Clan's treasure."
Growing excited, he asked,
"Don't you feel as light as if you could fly?"
"…What? Not really."
"Hm? Then surely you feel your strength overflowing?"
Cheon Ryu-yeong clenched his fists, swung his arms, then shook his head.
"It just feels like my fever's gone down, and I can finally breathe easy again."
"…."
"The last few days were really hard, after all."
The elder's face stiffened.
The Tang Clan's treasure—the Elixir of Ten Thousand Restorations—prized by countless masters, compared to a mere fever medicine?
He clicked his tongue.
"Truly a shame. If you had been a martial master, you would have gained unimaginable benefits. Hmph. Still, it will surely continue to strengthen your body over time, making you less weary and more resilient."
Cheon Ryu-yeong bowed his head apologetically.
"My apologies. I don't know what this elixir is, but I can tell it was your clan's treasure."
"Hahaha! Don't take it that way. Yes, it was rare—our last one. Even the Shaolin's Great Rejuvenation Pill is nothing compared to this, as those in the know will tell you."
"Ah! Something so precious?"
Cheon Ryu-yeong widened his eyes, flustered. Elder Jeolsudok waved his hands.
"You saved our clan—what is there to begrudge?"
"Even so… I've received too much."
"Nonsense. If gratitude were measured, we would offer even more. For instance, to deepen our ties, we could sincerely…"
Elder Jeolsudok shifted his gaze toward Tang Hyemi with a peculiar look. She flinched, realizing at once that he was trying to pair her with Brother Cheon.
Terrified of what answer might come from Cheon Ryu-yeong, she quickly spoke up.
"Elder! Brother Cheon needs to rest more!"
"Mm? Ah, well… yes, yes, you're right."
"Brother Cheon, please rest a little longer."
But Cheon Ryu-yeong shook his head.
"No. Thanks to your clan's treasure, the Elixir of Ten Thousand Restorations, my body and spirit feel much lighter."
He swung his legs off the bed and stood. Elder Jeolsudok rose in alarm.
"Are you heading to the latrine?"
"No. I must go."
"…Where? Surely not—?"
Seeing the elder's eyes widen, Cheon Ryu-yeong smiled faintly.
"My horse is still here, isn't it?"
"That white stallion is here, yes… but no! You can't. Not yet. We must take more time to examine your condition."
"With such a rare elixir in me, I will be fine."
"Y-yes, but still…"
"And my body is sturdier than it looks."
Tang Hyemi stepped in front of him, blocking his way with a firm voice.
"No. You must rest."
Cheon Ryu-yeong shrugged, smiling.
"Lately, so many people are telling me to rest."
"Brother Cheon!"
"I must go. Please understand, Lady Tang."
"…Just call me Hyemi. And—didn't you hear what Brother Pyeong-u said earlier? He told you the battle can be left to the others now."
Cheon Ryu-yeong's smile deepened.
"And I told him my answer, did I not?"
"…?"
"It isn't that I don't trust them. It's that I want to be with them."
"…."
"When they win, I want to be there beside them, clapping with my own hands. I want to share that moment, in that place, and tell them directly, 'Well done. You've endured.'"
"That's not necessary—"
"It is. We began this battle together. If I stand there, recovered, their joy will be greater. And seeing their joy will make me happy as well."
"…."
"From the start, I planned the stratagem with them. This time, I want to see it through to the end. It's the first time in my life."
Elder Jeolsudok pressed his lips together, staring at him, then chuckled faintly.
"The first time… true. This is the first battle you've commanded in the martial world."
"No. Not just in the martial world. In my life. This is the first time I've ever taken responsibility and done something from beginning to end. That is why I want to see it through."
In that moment, both Tang Hyemi and Elder Jeolsudok glimpsed a vast loneliness in him.
The loneliness of years spent unrecognized, enduring among those who never saw his worth. The solitude of a swan living as an outcast among ducks.
Tang Hyemi forgot she was supposed to stop him. Instead, she blurted the thought in her mind:
"Brother… is your dream simply to be together?"
Cheon Ryu-yeong answered in his calm, deep voice. To her, it sounded clearer and finer than ever.
"Lady Tang, the question is wrong. This isn't merely a dream or goal. It's a fundamental value of life."
"…?"
"To share joy and sorrow with those dear to me. Tell me—what could be a greater happiness, a more important value in life?"
Unrivaled Sword Han Chugwang stood with fifty disciples, preparing to charge out of the forest. Pain throbbed through his chest and abdomen.
The wounds had not yet fully healed.
Forcing his inner energy only made his body, the vessel of his qi, cry out warnings.
"Damn it… and they told me all I had to do was stay still."
He chuckled bitterly, blaming the absent Cheon Ryu-yeong—half in jest, to ease the tension of the moment.
Many believed he had secluded himself after his narrow defeat to Black Wolf Chief.
But that was not the truth.
Since the day he first took up the sword, he had never feared death. He had always thought it worth dying, if in death he could reach new enlightenment.
But after nearly dying to the Black Wolf Chief, his heart changed.
As a warrior, it shamed him to admit it—but he no longer wanted to die.
It wasn't the thought of dying on the battlefield that frightened him. It was the sight of what his disciples of Kunlun would face after his death.
Kunlun was respected only because of him. It was vanity, yes, but also the truth.
If he died meaninglessly, what would become of his disciples?
He realized there was something more important, more valuable than vengeance for Kunlun's enemies: ensuring the sect's survival.
Training successors to carry Kunlun forward.
He could not die before passing on the supreme arts he had revived—The Supreme Art of Nothingness, and the Eight Styles of the Dragon in the Clouds.
Of course, not just anyone could master them. If it were so easy, why had they been lost for so long? Even he had yet to touch their ultimate mysteries.
But even so, he had to leave behind what he had learned. Record his failures, his insights, so that gifted disciples might find the key.
The thought of dying before doing so had shocked him awake.
He could no longer die recklessly.
And realizing this sorrowful truth brought another: he could no longer progress.
For a warrior who clings to life, there can be no advancement.
For him, it was the same as dying as a swordsman.
It was in this agony that he had chosen seclusion.
Yet in the end, he had returned to the battlefield, sword in hand.
For Cheon Ryu-yeong—the Scholar of the Martial World.
To lend even a small strength to the legend that man was weaving.
Cheon Ryu-yeong had saved his life and shielded his sect from ruin.
Even if the "Unrivaled Sword" Han Chugwang had vanished, the man Han Chugwang could not ignore that debt.
Not with the sword of a warrior who feared nothing—but with the sword of a man who desperately wished to live—Han Chugwang charged forward, ignoring the pain in his chest and belly, shouting:
"Kunlun! Attack!"
The most important value in his life as a swordsman had changed.
What changes that would bring him… he could not yet imagine.