Chapter 98: Sword’s Cry
The duels continued afterward.
It had started with Seok Jin, the youngest of the second-generation disciples, but before long, it was already Seok Gang, the eldest senior brother’s, turn.
Of course, Jin Seong-un had not faced every second-generation disciple. Among those with similar skills, one was chosen as a representative.
Jin Seong-un and Seok Gang stood facing each other atop the training ground.
During the matches, Kunlun Sect had suggested that since Jin Seong-un might grow exhausted, they should duel with techniques only, without using inner arts.
Jin Seong-un agreed, since his goal was to observe their swords anyway.
But then Seok Gang spoke.
“Since this is the last one, how about we use inner arts?”
His proposal drew concern from many.
They still vividly remembered the sight of Seok Jin being blown across the air in their first duel.
“Very well.”
Jin Seong-un accepted without hesitation.
Of course, using inner arts did not mean either of them would fight with full strength.
This time, however, he did not yield the initiative.
If he yielded even to Seok Gang, the eldest senior brother, it would be seen as an insult to Kunlun Sect.
As if in agreement, the two surged toward each other.
Kang—!
The Cloud Dragon Swords, infused with inner arts, clashed head-on. Both Jin Seong-un and Seok Gang retreated two steps each.
‘Something’s definitely strange.’
Even though he swung with far less inner arts, the power in his strikes felt stronger than expected.
In result, it was a good thing. Thanks to the sword’s peculiar nature, it produced greater might than normal.
Yet Jin Seong-un couldn’t shake off the strange sense of discord.
Cha-cha-cha-cha-chaeng—!
The two swords clashed repeatedly.
Sweat began to bead on Seok Gang’s forehead.
Meanwhile, Jin Seong-un kept swinging with his usual calm movements, but his mind remained clouded with thoughts.
‘Do none of them notice?’
No one had ever mentioned that swords from the Qinghai Iron Workshop produced greater power than normal.
If that were true, it would have been a tremendous advantage unique to Qinghai Iron Workshop.
Yet even Chae Seo-ryeong had never said such a thing.
‘So does this only happen to me?’
Ordinary sword clashes didn’t show the phenomenon.
It only happened when he infused it with Women’s Moon Qi.
At that moment—
Swaek—!
Seok Gang hurled his body forward with full force, twisting direction three times mid-air in a mysterious movement.
Even Jin Seong-un, who knew little of martial history, recognized that technique.
Cloud Dragon Great Eight Forms (雲龍大八式).
Kunlun Sect’s pride—when mastered to completion, it was said one could change direction up to eight times freely while in midair.
It might not sound impressive, but when two masters leapt into the air at the same time, the difference became overwhelming.
Normally, movements in midair were restricted. But if one side alone could alter direction eight times, victory would tilt sharply in their favor.
Jin Seong-un watched the Cloud Dragon Great Eight Forms with curious eyes before rotating his body.
Whiiish—!
Seok Gang’s sword thrust forward in a straight line.
It was sudden, sharp, and quick.
Jin Seong-un spun, causing Seok Gang’s blade to merely brush his robe.
Chuk. Jin Seong-un’s sword stopped right in front of Seok Gang’s throat.
A clean victory.
After a brief silence, sighs and cheers erupted all around.
Seok Gang gave an embarrassed smile, sheathed his sword, and clasped his hands.
“I learned much!”
“The same here.”
Jin Seong-un returned the bow.
After all, the Kunlun Daoists had been using sword techniques he had never seen before, making the duels worthwhile.
Soon after, he shared a meal with Seok Gang and a few other Daoists.
The food of Kunlun, however… was tasteless.
“Haha, the flavor isn’t very good, I admit. The ingredients we can obtain are quite limited.”
Seok Gang laughed sheepishly, then pulled something out from beneath the table.
A wine bottle.
Jin Seong-un looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
“We’re allowed to drink this?”
Daoists drinking alcohol?
That was his unspoken question.
At least in Zhongnan Sect, the younger Daoists secretly drank behind their seniors’ backs.
Of course, there were some like Hyeon-un who drank openly.
Seok Gang burst into laughter at Jin Seong-un’s doubt.
“In Kunlun Sect, it doesn’t matter if we drink. If we didn’t, the frustration would kill us.”
“……”
A rather memorable reason.
And so, Jin Seong-un and Chae Seo-ryeong drank the wine poured by the Kunlun Daoists.
The taste was unexpectedly decent.
Though very astringent and rough, that very quality made it oddly addictive.
While drinking steadily, Chae Seo-ryeong suddenly asked,
“What did you mean earlier, about children disappearing?”
Seok Gang and the Daoists exchanged glances. At first, it seemed like they were silently sharing something important, but in truth, they were nudging one another to answer. Daoists—especially Kunlun Daoists—were weak before women.
In the end, the youngest, Seok Jin, spoke.
“Just as I said. Recently, in Qinghai Province and parts of Xinjiang, children have been vanishing. We believe it to be the work of the Demonic Cult, but no clear evidence has surfaced yet.”
“What age are these children, roughly?”
“As far as we know…”
Both Jin Seong-un and Chae Seo-ryeong were left speechless.
They were truly very young children.
Chae Seo-ryeong furrowed her brows and let out a deep sigh.
“We’ll keep an eye out too. If we see anything suspicious, we’ll check immediately. Those bastards deserve heaven’s punishment!”
Chae Seo-ryeong was genuinely furious.
The suffering of adults was lamentable, but the suffering of children was unbearable.
The conversation shifted to lighter topics for a while.
Roughly, stories about murim history, about Jin Seong-un and Chae Seo-ryeong’s relationship, and naturally, discussions of martial arts.
“Ah, I’ll give you that sword as a gift.”
Seok Gang laughed heartily as he spoke.
He was offering the Cloud Dragon Sword that he had lent Jin Seong-un during their duel.
“Is that really alright?”
Jin Seong-un remembered the expression Baek Sang and Baek Seol had shown when Hyeon-un had taken away the Taiji Sword.
The Taiji Sword of Wudang, the Azure Sky Sword of Namgung, the Plum Blossom Sword of Mount Hua…
Weapons that symbolized each faction carried deep meaning.
At his question, the Daoists burst into laughter.
“The Cloud Dragon Sword is just an iron blade. It might break at any time, or we might die at any time. We don’t assign great meaning to such a thing.”
“That’s right. It’s just a tool to kill people, nothing more.”
The Daoists nodded in agreement.
It showed clearly how Kunlun Daoists viewed and treated the way of martial arts.
“But tell me something.”
Seok Gang smacked his lips briefly before speaking.
Jin Seong-un and Chae Seo-ryeong turned to him.
His words continued.
“Why exactly did you come to Qinghai?”
Even if he didn’t know romance or women, Seok Gang could at least tell that Jin Seong-un and Chae Seo-ryeong were not just a couple in that sense.
Jin Seong-un stared back at him.
The air suddenly grew strange.
Kunlun’s second-generation disciples and Chae Seo-ryeong looked puzzled.
After a short silence, Seok Gang spoke again.
“Of course, I don’t mean to doubt you both. You are Guest Dragon and the lady he brought along. But as I said, the atmosphere in Qinghai has been dark and ominous of late. And most of all—”
His eyes sank low.
It was completely different from his usual hearty laughter and carefree demeanor.
That sharp gaze he’d shown while walking the streets of Xining resurfaced, now fixed directly on Jin Seong-un.
“Why do you two keep lying?”
The Kunlun Daoists subtly raised their qi.
Jin Seong-un let out a small sigh and waved his hand lightly. The pressure weighing down on Chae Seo-ryeong instantly dissipated.
“What lies are you speaking of?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious? When we first met, you spoke of training together… Are you truly bound by such a relationship?”
His suspicion was aimed mostly at Chae Seo-ryeong. Since he now sensed deceit, the meaning of her red hair took on a different weight.
“We traveled together. We trained together.”
“What kind of training?”
“Movement arts.”
Jin Seong-un spoke boldly.
Because that was simply the truth.
Seok Gang let out a hollow laugh.
“Well, let’s say that’s true.”
He held no deep hostility toward Jin Seong-un to begin with. His manner had been respectful, and his performance in the duels had been deeply impressive.
But what needed to be questioned, he would question.
That was the habit of Kunlun Daoists, who were always entangled in all sorts of turmoil.
“Why did you lie about your sword being broken?”
Seok Gang’s tone brimmed with certainty.
Jin Seong-un recalled for a moment, then exhaled briefly.
He remembered their first meeting.
—Are you a martial artist?
—As you can see.
He had said that, pointing at the sword at his waist: the Falling Flame Sword he had taken from Falling Flame Manor.
Seok Gang had remembered it.
Jin Seong-un hesitated briefly. But covering the matter with more lies was bothersome.
“A personal reason.”
“……”
Seok Gang’s face twisted in disbelief.
He had not expected that answer.
“With such words, how could we not doubt Guest Dragon?”
“Then there’s no helping it.”
Jin Seong-un nodded calmly.
This was why it was better not to lie in the first place.
To cover one small lie, bigger ones would always follow.
Seok Gang narrowed his eyes at him.
Jin Seong-un did not avert his gaze.
“Young hero, honestly, I don’t think you’re a strange person.”
“I think you’re a good man too, Brother Seok Gang.”
Seok Gang laughed hollowly again.
“Just answer me this one thing. The personal matter you are pursuing—does it conflict with Kunlun Sect, or the orthodox murim at large?”
Jin Seong-un nodded firmly.
Since if Qinghai Iron Workshop was tied to the Demonic Cult, the orthodox factions would welcome its downfall with open arms.
After staring at him for a moment, Seok Gang finally softened his voice.
“I’ll believe you. For now, we have no grounds nor reasons to demand anything from you anyway. But allow me to say this.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“This is Qinghai. An invisible swarm of demonic practitioners creeps about here like insects. Please refrain from any suspicious behavior. This is not a warning, but a request. I’ve come to like you, Guest Dragon.”
At his words, Chae Seo-ryeong gave a startled “Oh my,” her face flushing red. Seok Gang scowled.
“……Not like that. I mean, I feel you could be a good friend in the future. Take the Cloud Dragon Sword with you. That seems to be what you came for, anyway.”
“When my business is finished, I’ll come visit.”
Jin Seong-un and Chae Seo-ryeong rose from their seats.
Though the mood had shifted from its earlier warmth, there was still no hostility between them.
They bid farewell to the Daoists and descended Mount Kunlun.
Jin Seong-un and Chae Seo-ryeong stood side by side in a secluded thicket.
They had used movement arts and run far, far away from Kunlun Sect.
Once certain no one was around, Jin Seong-un drew the sword.
Sreung—!
The pure white blade gleamed with light.
Chae Seo-ryeong admired the Cloud Dragon Sword for a moment.
“……It really does look fine.”
Though she hated to admit it, it was indeed superior to the swords currently forged in Falling Flame Manor.
Its sharpness and durability had already been tested and proven by countless martial artists.
Jin Seong-un stared at it and spoke.
“During the duels, I kept feeling something strange.”
“What kind of feeling?”
“Even with only a little energy infused, it produced excessive power.”
Chae Seo-ryeong frowned.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It wasn’t just an amplification of strength. More like an uncontrollable force bursting out in unintended directions.”
“Hm……”
Chae Seo-ryeong nodded gravely.
It was an effective tactic whenever she had no idea what he was talking about.
“Then you should try again.”
“A good idea.”
Jin Seong-un infused qi into the sword.
Dal-gi’s Women’s Moon Qi.
A gentle force, like her smile, that embraced all things.
The sword slowly filled with that pure-white qi.
Once again, Jin Seong-un felt that alien sensation. But unlike during the duels, he did not stop. He poured in even more force.
Time passed.
Then, the sword’s cry began to resonate.
It was not the deep roar of blade and master’s energy responding to one another.
Both Jin Seong-un and Chae Seo-ryeong’s expressions stiffened.
Because the cry from the Qinghai Iron Workshop’s sword sounded exactly like the sorrowful wailing of a child.