Chapter 719 – Stone Sword Group (9)

‘Bow down, what nonsense.’

Like Jeong Yeon-shin’s condition of using his bed as a place of secluded cultivation, all warriors wandering jianghu inevitably suffer from homesickness. The longing for home was something that would easily pierce through even the sturdiest protective strong energy.

Each person had their own way of burning it away.

Whether by drinking heavily enough to rival Beggar Sect’s drunken fist techniques, causing trouble to innocent people at inns or official roads, or brawling with worthy opponents holding just a single blade.

The youth who would soon become Desolate Fortress Lord was the same.

‘If Divine Physician has entered, it would have to be the guest hall.’

Even while carrying the grown-up Shin So-bin like baggage as he fell, Jeong Yeon-shin felt the reality of returning home. The sensation of stepping on and breaking the stronghold’s roof had such an effect.

Crunch.

He stepped on the floor with dignity.

Among the roof tiles and rafter fragments rolling around, Jeong Yeon-shin set Shin So-bin down like a shrine tablet. She gently tilted her head to the side and pushed away Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand.

“Lord Jeong, that’s disgusting.”

A bloody smell emanated from her gentle golden hand that was like a cat’s paw. From what he could see now, it no longer seemed to be a heart demon. It was merely a character completed on the battlefield.

Jeong Yeon-shin calmly advised without concern.

“Show proper courtesy. He dislikes warriors, so respectful conduct is necessary.”

Of course, as soon as he took out Shin So-bin’s severed arm from his bundle, he first bowed his head.

A bitter scent stung his nose.

A noble clan physician who appeared to be a young man stood in the smoke of boiled medicinal herbs. He was wearing tattered yellow robes that made him look like a beggar.

Yet his towering presence remained unchanged. Along with the thick wood energy vibrations that seemed like fragments of World Tree, what also remained unchanged were his beautiful facial features.

Eternal Candle Divine Physician.

A physician known to surpass even Hua Tuo’s realm. He had experienced that skill when his arm was cut by Unorthodox Finest Sword’s blade.

“Elder Mok.”

He greeted respectfully, but what returned was a shower of iron needles reminiscent of Myriad Heavens Flower Rain.

The momentum was fierce.

Zzzzzt!

The moment faint white light wrapped around Jeong Yeon-shin’s body like clothing, sparks burst forth in succession. Along with thunderous sounds like roasting beans, but it was particularly unpleasant to hear since this was a famine year when even a single dry bean should be carefully preserved and seen.

“Instigating kidnapping through your subordinates! Yue Feng, Myo Lian, Shin Cheon-hwa…! The Divine Sword Group Leaders have all been arrogant for generations, but you would be the cream of the crop!”

“Recently, there are many people in the stronghold who haven’t even seen rice. If you suddenly shout about cream…”

Jeong Yeon-shin clasped both hands together with a troubled face. It was a chaotic time with many topics to be careful about. Words with the same pronunciation as white eyebrows and white rice were the same.

Soon after, Jeong Yeon-shin inquired about Divine Physician’s well-being.

“Is your mind peaceful?”

“If you’re asking whether I haven’t been subjected to unity, yes. That’s why I’m providing medical treatment to your subordinate here.”

A resigned face. The question and answer exchanged in Hangzhou was still valid.

“I deliberately poured out words verbosely for you to understand clearly, but why must this old man endure the nausea rising to his throat and treat the arm of a blade wielder, someone like you? At least tell me the reason! For what purpose exactly?”

“All under heaven.”

It was something he could only feel relieved about.

Suddenly Divine Physician gestured with his chin at the arm Jeong Yeon-shin was gripping. It was Shin So-bin’s left arm that continuously emitted cold energy.

“You want me to reattach it?”

“Yes, shamelessly… it belongs to my disciple. Please take good care of it.”

“The same damn thing every time I see you.”

Jianghu people, really.

Muttering like that, Divine Physician looked at Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder area and widened his eyes. Soon he made an expression of disbelief.

“You were cut by that fellow.”

Did his eye technique have the ability of clairvoyance? It was precisely the area that had been cut by Praising Earth Sword Duke at Mount Song and bound with Jeong Family Dynamic Technique.

Divine Physician, who had guessed correctly immediately, sighed.

“You forcibly stuck it back together. Instead of thread and needle befitting the situation, it seems you used internal energy technique, with the approach that being fine for now would be enough. If I don’t fix it with large needles, the failure will be revealed at any time. Who exactly did you entrust it to?”

“It wasn’t a physician…”

“Of course it wouldn’t be. The one who attached a person’s arm in such a manner must surely be an orphan without a master or someone severely expelled.”

Jeong Yeon-shin handed over Shin So-bin and her arm to Divine Physician and looked around.

Perhaps because he had rushed frantically from Xiangyang? There was a scene that only now came into view. Though it shouldn’t have been so.

“Group Leader.”

It was the inner bed.

A woman lying face down, only turning her head to look at Jeong Yeon-shin. Blade-like ears protruded through her disheveled black hair. She was indeed one of Jeong Yeon-shin’s precious swords.

Law Enforcement Leader Woon So-yu.

During the northern expedition, her spine had been shattered by Literary Star.

Even now the traces were prominent. Lying with her back exposed, long and short large needles were embedded in rows along her dark erector muscles. The scene of mysterious energy waves spreading semi-transparently from each needle like heartbeats.

He could feel it with his energy perception.

Very slowly gathering the bones scattered throughout the entire meridian system, precisely connecting nerves and fine channels. It seemed to violate natural law. Like wondering if this would happen if World’s Five Swords level blade skill was poured only into medical arts.

‘But.’

Jeong Yeon-shin’s relief went only that far.

Because the pain was difficult to fathom. What would it feel like to have tiny bone fragments scraping inside the body?

Woon So-yu’s upper body glistened with cold sweat. Even though her hair had been tied up due to the acupuncture treatment, the ends had stuck to her nape.

She asked.

“Group Leader, was there no trouble?”

A face where a calm expression suited her still beautiful features. After a moment of silence, Jeong Yeon-shin lowered his eyelids and asked back.

“…Would you like to play go? I’ll be your opponent.”

Woon So-yu’s lips rose in a faint curve and parted slightly.

“Imitating Guan Yunzhang?”

[TL Note- Guan Yunzhang (關雲長) is the courtesy name of Guan Yu (關羽), one of the most famous and revered figures in Chinese history and culture. He was a Chinese military general who served under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty and died in January or February 220 CE.]

“I mentioned go first for propriety’s sake, but you can change to gomoku anytime. When it hurts, that might be better.”

He threw out light provocative banter, but Woon So-yu only smiled. One of the noble clan leaders who had most followed Desolate Fortress Lord was like that.

That smile lingered in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind until the moment he left the guest hall and headed to the lord’s inner fortress.

“Group Leader… Lord! Are you well?”

“You seem to have become more gaunt.”

“I heard bandits had come, so now we can stride about with peace of mind.”

The air of the stronghold felt different. Just the several clerks and attendants, members of subordinate families who began greeting him were like that. The alleys that had always been full of crowds were sparsely filled.

The Seven New Enemies of Defeated Desolation rebellion had been severe.

Rather than inheriting the intact stronghold of the past, he had inherited Desolate Fortress whose very existence was precarious. For Jeong Yeon-shin who had experienced the former, it felt like the gravitational pull of a thousand-pound weight followed each step.

“Lord Jeong, we’ve also entered.”

Lim Jin-ming’s sound transmission flowed in continuously.

“There were uninvited guests, but suppression has been completed. Divine Spear has transformed once again. Though expected, it’s a shocking matter.”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked.

“When you say suppression?”

“First, it’s been confirmed that there’s no intention of combat between both sides. If Lord Jeong gives orders, we’ll follow instructions, but throwing them even a stable as lodging would be acceptable…”

“Leave them there.”

“Pardon?”

“Since there’s someone mixed in who’s difficult to force with martial arts, it would be hard to move them elsewhere. They’ll sleep on their own.”

Even in the midst of this, he walked.

It felt like some thorns were touching his worn soles. Or as if a small blade mountain and sword forest was spread out. Though what was being stepped on by his leather shoes was only small debris and pebbles as always.

Step.

A path that had been nothing special. Therefore the most precious small road.

This was truly his enthronement ceremony.

A sword only draws a lethal sword path when the blade wielder’s heart moves.

The most noble position in all under heaven at this time was the same. To properly use that symbolism and power, he had to constantly ask questions.

Could he care for the people’s livelihood as much as his master? How much would Desolate Fortress’s warriors be injured and die under his decisions? How far would his vision, seen with naked eyes rather than eye techniques, reach in all under heaven?

The questions he raised himself opened up time along with his footsteps, the feeling of being sucked into eternity along the great road.

Even to the lord’s inner fortress it was so.

Before he knew it, after entering Desolate Fortress Lord’s office. Like her from some time ago, he had opened the door with Void Grasp.

A breeze rushed in through the door gap.

Whoosh.

A desolate interior. Nothing was familiar.

Neither the grass scent that had mixed with his breath and gently soothed his body and mind, nor Desolate Fortress Lord who had lain diagonally against the wooden pillar, nor young Jeong Yeon-shin who had crossed the threshold with excitement each time.

Only a man in dragon robes was looking down outside the wide-open window. With his hands behind his back, with the bearing of looking down on all under heaven rather than Desolate Fortress.

It was Emperor Longzheng.

The man who had been a bored crown prince during the previous Emperor Qian-ling’s reign now seemed befitting of the current emperor.

“…Having been hostage to Fighting God, I understand. Having experienced a couple such beings, the journey must have been arduous. I express my respect to you.”

He spoke without even turning around.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s answer was brief.

“It’s still arduous.”

“It would be.”

A voice tinged with laughter returned, with deep empathy embedded in it.

The man who had inherited none other than Emperor Qian-ling’s vacant position. That pressure would have made even what Jeong Yeon-shin was feeling now seem laughable.

The emperor asked.

“Did I burden you with this responsibility?”

“No.”

“Then that’s settled. You can deliberate not just for a day or two, but for seven days and nights, even half a month. But you mustn’t exceed a full month. Because it’s that kind of position.”

“It seemed people were preparing an enthronement ceremony. Everyone was so busy, it looked like a much grander ceremony than I thought.”

“Their waiting is not the problem. Because it’s all empty ceremony.”

The emperor’s voice continued slowly.

“The ceremony of one who moves all under heaven with just a finger must first be accomplished in that person’s heart. Only then can all under heaven become peaceful… I realized this too late. Only after losing everything.”

“I felt it just now while walking.”

“No modesty.”

The emperor’s clasped hands behind his back loosened. His voice mixed with the rustling sound made by the dragon robe’s sleeves.

“This land too is like that. Now there are no nations, and all under heaven is jianghu. Do you agree?”

While Jeong Yeon-shin silently nodded, he glanced at the desk in the office. Because something that hadn’t been there originally was placed on it.

‘Complete Map.’

Mountain ranges and waterways, large and small villages and cities drawn out in detail so thorough it was eerie. So precise that he had never seen its like even during his black, blue, and purple periods. A map where even one-person transmission sects he had only heard of were recorded in dot-like small characters.

It was the vast Central Plains.

“It’s you.”

The emperor said.

Suddenly dust by the window rose and permeated into the dimness. A breeze perhaps due to Jeong Yeon-shin’s energy waves or the night wind. It was an evening with no moonlight, only dense star clusters.

* * *

Dawn broke over the central training ground.

It was after the martial stage had been transformed into a banquet hall.

Among silk canopies and luxurious chairs spread out like formations, the Desolate Fortress masters arrayed on the marble martial stage.

They were the stronghold’s remaining forces.

Transparent sunlight poured down on the character “Desolate” on their shoulders, and all of them had stayed up all night standing. Because there were three peerless masters who might turn hostile at any moment.

Each was at the edge of the martial stage.

The faded monarch, Martial Dragon Alliance Leader, Profound Martial Alliance’s Sword Venerable.

Elder Council Lord Shin Byeok’s face, seated at the left place of honor, was like an active volcano. Glaring at them with a murderous expression.

The faded monarch bent his waist peacefully.

“A flower has come.”

What his pale finger plucked from between the marble cracks was a dandelion bud. As soon as it felt his breath, it bloomed fully like magic.

It was the ability of Living Sword.

The sound transmission network of Desolate Fortress masters became busy.

“Assume that person’s internal energy endurance to be at the great achievement level of Jeong Family Dynamic Technique. Report to the General Administration. The enthronement ceremony must not be disturbed.”

“Also request transfer of information about Mount Hua Sect Leader. Who knows best about Jade Flame Sword God Lady Lu Xian?”

“Isn’t it the next lord?”

“Ah.”

Meanwhile, Helian Feng-yue, who had folded his arms, said to the faded monarch.

“You’re very relaxed. As if you’ve come for a long convalescence.”

“Of course.”

The faded monarch smiled and inhaled the flower fragrance.

“According to rumors and information encountered so far, the man who became Dream Flight’s lord is desperate in all matters. Then even seven days and nights of ritual purification would be insufficient. He doesn’t seem like he’d be swept along just because subordinates prepared a ceremony.”

“Hmm.”

“He would be overcoming troubles.”

His voice was small, but it broadly dominated the venue. Since the brightness of sunlight changed like a veil with every word, it was natural.

It appeared like the manifestation of the Jade Emperor.

In the venue that repeatedly grew light and dark, only two people were anxious.

Helian Feng-yue and Baek Seo-gun.

“Sword Venerable…? Why do you look unwell?”

“I’ve never faced it.”

“What?”

“I’ve heard about transformation.”

It was about the grown-up Jeong Yeon-shin. But Helian Feng-yue was indifferent to how much Desolate Day Extinction resembled the fellow called Jeong Pan-yue. So he only looked around and asked.

“How about reducing the numbers in advance even now?”

The military groups that greatly enhanced the martial power of peerless masters, starting with Blood Guardian and Resonant Spirit, were the problem. Simultaneously the lineup extending to Burning Abyss, Nether Stream, Obeying Heaven Wing, Annihilation, and finally Divine Sword.

The faded monarch asked ambiguously.

“Is it possible?”

White dandelion seeds flew up in all directions from his exhaled breath. Of course, the seeds floating about touched several people’s faces.

Starting with one-armed Desolate Fortress Ma Family Head and Annihilation Team Leader Silent Lord, Dragon Treading Leader who still held the Cotton Rope Lasso wrapped around Helian Feng-yue’s ankle.

Dream Flight staring directly at the faded monarch before his face, Obeying Heaven Wing Lord sleeping at the Divine Sword Vice-Leader seat across from where Jeong Yeon-shin would sit, Desolate Fortress Great Hero next to him who had drawn out an ominous demon sword and was whispering to the blade, the scholarly giant looking down at them with a smiling face from behind the uninvited guests…

Helian Feng-yue said.

“It was just idle talk.”

Then several dandelion seeds turned hazy purple. The sunlight that had flickered like lantern flames also fixed to its natural color simultaneously.

In the silence that arose imperceptibly.

The faded monarch, Desolate Fortress Divine Spear Dream Flight, and the scholarly giant first gazed at the place of honor in the banquet hall. The assembly’s gazes followed their head movements.

The scene of a youth in purple robes descending with the sunlight and sitting in the grand chair. He really seemed to have poured down together with the sunbeam.

“……”

The enthronement ceremony was over.

It had become so by the youth’s sitting.

His elbow rested on the marble armrest. His chin, which seemed heavy with many worries, was supported by the back of his hand. His face became much more comfortable.

Rustle.

When extremely long hair carelessly disheveled the burned character “Desolate” on his shoulder.

Desolate Fortress Lord Lightning Genius spoke.

“State your business.”