Chapter 026
Silence descended upon the meeting hall. Both the guardians and elders of the Myeongwang Council kept their mouths shut. Baekri Sa had pointed out something they hadn't considered. Would they endure a moment of humiliation, or face the crisis that would come later?
With that single question, most of them were rendered speechless like mutes who had swallowed honey.
Gal Yeom broke the silence.
"What should I do, Military Commissioner?"
"The choice is yours to make, Chairman."
"That's..."
Gal Yeom showed signs of conflict. Giving in would wound his pride, but ignoring the matter would mean facing the consequences of Baek Sugyeong's book.
As he held his forehead and groaned, he heard footsteps approaching.
The sound of soft boots brushing against the ground.
Looking up, Gal Yeom saw a red-haired woman throwing open the doors and entering the hall. He frowned at the sight of the black-clothed man following behind her.
"Who said you could barge in here-"
"The guards outside? Weaklings. I didn't kill them though."
The red-haired woman cut off Gal Yeom's words.
The black-clothed man who had gone to Shaolin with Baekri Sa, the Silkworm Assassin, stood silently behind her.
Baekri Sa spoke up.
"Are you from the Hao Sect?"
"Yajeop, Left Commander of the Hao Sect. Heard of me?"
The woman who identified herself as Yajeop had black butterflies embroidered on her clothes, matching her name. Black butterflies on white clothing. Yajeop, or Black Butterfly.
Seeing this, Gal Yeom narrowed his eyes.
"One of the Three Great Commanders that Yanoe, the Hao Sect Leader, treasures so much... What business do you have here? Barging into our council meeting like this."
"I came on orders from my master. If you're finding it difficult to choose, perhaps we can help?"
"What?"
Left Commander Yajeop gave a seductive smile.
"I mean we'll handle the negotiations with Baek Sugyeong on your behalf. Myeongwang Council Chairman. What do you say, want to make a deal?"
...
At the foot of Mount Funiu in Xixia County, Nanyang, Henan Province.
True to its name, the mountain resembled a crouching ox with its gentle slopes. At the foot of Mount Funiu was a village called Namryeong Village.
Past the village and into the mountains, one could find a thatched cottage where many children lived together. This place, called Jiprang because of the many children gathered there, was more like another small village than a house, sustained by the Thousand Sword Heroine Bang Soran.
"Teacher is back!!"
"Yaaay!"
"Teacher, tell us stories about the martial world!!"
Bang Soran entered the cottage to the children's enthusiastic welcome.
"Have you all been behaving yourselves?"
"Yes!"
"That's a lie! Utae almost destroyed the village storehouse!"
"Hey, Yang Soryeong! You promised not to tell!"
"Hmph, i-diot."
"You shouldn't cause trouble for the adults, Utae."
"I'm sorry..."
The boy called Utae lowered his head at Bang Soran's words.
The children, delighted at her return, surrounded her and chattered away.
"Utae was..."
"Yang Soryeong started it first!"
"Hmph, hmph!"
"My goodness. Don't fight."
Bang Soran walked slowly while listening to the children's chatter.
This was the last village she would visit before departing for the Northern Sea.
With the Double Ninth Festival approaching, she planned to spend it with So Seonha before leaving. She also wanted to give her the "Little Immortal's Chivalrous Journey" she had received from Baek Sugyeong.
"Lady Bang, we apologize!"
"Children, let's all go home!"
"We shouldn't be disrespectful to Lady Bang!"
"Ah, Teacher!"
"But I want to hear more stories about the martial world!"
As the children were led away by adults, Bang Soran walked toward her house with a bitter smile.
She had spotted So Seonha sitting alone in front of her house, waiting.
"Seonha."
"...Master?"
Not long ago, she had been a child with such a stoic expression that no emotion showed on her face. At least now she had become somewhat more human-like.
Bang Soran smiled at the child with skin as white as a wax doll.
"Waiting here alone again? Not playing with your friends?"
"...They just make fun of me, so I don't like it."
So Seonha's voice was thick with discontent.
As Bang Soran had already mentioned to Baek Sugyeong, Seonha was the slowest among her peers in martial arts achievement.
Bang Soran frowned slightly as she folded the bamboo hat she had just removed.
"Oh dear. Again?"
It seemed Seonha was teased whenever she was away, which worried her. She always tried to be mindful of it, but she was absent more often than not.
She had asked others in the village to look after Seonha, but they were only human and couldn't watch over everyone.
The child had only recently begun to smile, and such treatment would hurt her for a long time.
Suppressing her regret, Bang Soran took Seonha's hand.
"I brought you a gift. This trip might be longer than usual, so I won't be able to stay home for long."
"I heard you're going to the Northern Sea."
"Yes. I don't know how long it will take. That's why I visited Teacher Sugyeong on my way back."
"Teacher Sugyeong?!"
So Seonha's eyes sparkled.
Bang Soran smiled gently.
"Yes. Teacher Sugyeong wrote something for you."
"Really?!"
How surprised she must have been. Her exclamation was so loud that even the children nearby turned to look at Bang Soran and So Seonha.
Bang Soran smiled and stroked the child's head.
She showed the wrapped book in her hand and said:
"Shall we go inside and open it?"
"Yes!"
Her heart was pounding.
How long had it been since she felt this way?
So Seonha carefully unwrapped the bundle. Among several books, the title of the one on top caught her eye.
"Little Immortal's Chivalrous Journey."
Though Baek Sugyeong's name wasn't written on it, So Seonha, who had read "Wudang Sword Hero" until it was worn out, recognized that the handwriting matched Baek Sugyeong's perfectly.
"Master, this wasn't ghostwritten or anything, right?"
"Of course not. I watched him write it myself."
True to her nature of becoming unusually talkative when it came to his books, the child picked up the book while chattering away.
Looking at the title "Little Immortal's Chivalrous Journey," So Seonha said:
"There's a part of my name in the book title. Did Teacher Sugyeong do that on purpose?"
"Well. Teacher Sugyeong said it was a coincidence."
Bang Soran winked playfully.
"But you don't have to believe that, do you?"
"Right?!"
"The teacher said he hopes you won't give up on your dream of becoming a hero."
"Ah!"
So Seonha's face turned slightly red.
Her martial arts progress was slower compared to her peers. Because of this, she was somewhat ostracized among the children.
She wasn't particularly sociable to begin with, so she didn't get along well with the other children. This tendency had grown stronger since she began learning martial arts.
"Did you tell him about me, Master?"
"Hmm, I wonder?"
Bang Soran answered with a playful smile.
"Why don't you read it and see?"
"Oh, yes!"
With a pounding heart, So Seonha opened the book.
As soon as she turned to the first page, she saw Baek Sugyeong's handwritten message.
"To a future warrior who dreams of becoming a hero."
"Ah...!"
Baek Sugyeong's handwriting captured So Seonha's eyes.
As if trying to engrave the powerful yet flowing characters into her mind, So Seonha buried her face in the book before even starting the novel, half-entranced by the writing.
Baek Sugyeong's message clearly indicated it was dedicated to So Seonha.
*"I hope you will have dreams that won't be broken. To Lady So Seonha, who dreams of becoming a hero.
I dedicate this writing to you."*
And at the end of that brief message, another sentence was written.
"Wishing Lady So Seonha success in her martial journey. -Baek Sugyeong."
'I hope to meet you in the martial world someday.'
So Seonha rubbed her eyes in disbelief and read Baek Sugyeong's message again and again.
The writing remained no matter how many times she read it.
Baek Sugyeong's words of encouragement, meant for none other than So Seonha, were conveyed to her through the pages of the book.
So Seonha looked at Bang Soran and said:
"M-Master! This was really written by Teacher Sugyeong, right? Right?!"
"Yes."
Bang Soran smiled gently.
She understood why her disciple was making such a fuss.
It was because of the message Baek Sugyeong had written for So Seonha before the prologue of "Little Immortal's Chivalrous Journey."
The meaning was simple.
This writing was solely for So Seonha, written by Baek Sugyeong himself.
He hoped her dreams wouldn't be broken and wished to meet her in the martial world someday.
For So Seonha, who admired and loved Baek Sugyeong, this was nothing short of miraculous.
Hugging the book to her chest, So Seonha said:
"Master, thank you so much!"
"You don't need to thank me. You should thank Teacher Sugyeong."
"What?"
"'Little Immortal's Chivalrous Journey' was born because Teacher Sugyeong listened to my selfish request."
Bang Soran smiled and stroked So Seonha's head.
"Be sure to thank the teacher someday. When you enter the martial world, make sure to visit Teacher Sugyeong and convey your gratitude."
"Yes!"
So Seonha nodded firmly.
It was a moment when another dream bloomed in the child's heart.
...
"That woman is back?"
"Yes, boss! She seems to have stopped by one last time before heading to the Northern Sea. She'll likely leave soon. What should we do?"
"Why are you asking!"
The man with a fierce face pounded his shoulder with a machete and laughed savagely.
He had many personal grudges against Bang Soran.
For a man who had been waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on Bang Soran, who rarely stayed in one place due to her wanderlust, this was a chance.
After all, Bang Soran only returned to her home 2–3 times a year.
The man looked at his subordinates.
"How long until the Double Ninth Festival?"
"It's coming up soon, boss!"
"The Chunggu Festival, is it?"
"Yes!"
The Double Ninth Festival is a holiday celebrating when two odd numbers (yang numbers) coincide.
While the 3rd day of the 3rd month, 5th day of the 5th month, 7th day of the 7th month, and 9th day of the 9th month are all such occasions, the 9th day of the 9th month is called the Chunggu Festival and is celebrated with bigger feasts and festivities.
There's a custom of climbing mountains during the Double Ninth Festival, and he planned to take advantage of this.
Around this time, people from Xixia County at the foot of Mount Funiu would climb the mountain, and visiting the small settlement created by Bang Soran on the way had become an annual event.
The man twisted his mouth roughly.
"She's been absent every year, so I never had a chance, but this time I'm lucky."
"Shall we prepare?!"
"Isn't that obvious?!"
"Understood, Stronghold Leader!"
Watching his bandit subordinates rush out, Jang Yu, the Nine Dragons Stronghold Leader, twisted his lips.
The scar that diagonally split his forehead seemed to throb.
He had received this wound five years ago.
Back then, he was still a novice bandit, but after that experience, he became ruthless.
He beheaded those who looked down on him, cut off their limbs.
He cut out tongues, pulled out fingernails and toenails, and only killed after inflicting extreme pain.
The reason for his viciousness was simple.
Bang Soran's sword had crippled him.
Jang Yu ground his teeth.
"Bang, you won't escape easily this time...!"
His grudge ran deep.
This time, he planned to capture that little brat, her weakness, and inflict extreme pain to get revenge on Bang Soran.
Jang Yu's eyes gleamed with malice.
---
📚 Author's Note:
Thanks to JustSomeOneFrench for the 1 Power Stone!
🐧