Book 14: Chapter 4: Breaking the Wall

Just a little while ago.

“Aunt.”

To her former teacher who was loitering on the street in front of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment Yeon Seo-rin, the Second Young Lady of the Luoyang Sword Family who was called the Seamless Heavenly Robe, smiled bitterly with the setting sun behind her.

“Are you still afraid of meeting So-hyeon directly?”

“Afraid…?!”

At Yeon Seo-rin's overly blatant and direct expression the Guard Pavilion Lord blushed redder than the sunset and flew into a rage.

“Is there anything I would fear from that fellow?!”

“Then, just why…” Yeon Seo-rin let out a deliberate sigh.

“Why did you come all the way here, yet instead of entering Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment, you are wasting time on the street?”

“T-That is…!”

When the Guard Pavilion Lord stammered, flustered by her former disciple's words that hit the mark, at the shouts heard around them, the two reflexively turned their heads in that direction.

“That is…!”

“It is the Eldest Young Master…!”

* * *

“This Eldest Young Master, Yeon So-hyeon, will accept your challenge.”

The white mask that the Eldest Young Master took off and threw upward reflected the glow of the sunset.

The mask that rose high into the sky caught the wind and began to fall downward while spinning once twice, it danced, reflecting and flashing the crimson sunset glow every time it rotated.

And the moment that mask touched the ground, along with Elder Peng's voice announcing the stance in accordance with the format of a sparring match, Elder Peng's body, which had twisted and wrung his entire frame to condense a fearsome energy, moved explosively.

“…Sword Family Martial Arts, Sword Heart, Sword Ring.”

“Sword Drawing Stance Ultimate Art!”

“—Ripple!”

Although he lacked something and had not crossed the wall, Elder Peng's sword strength accumulated over a lifetime was by no means at a level anyone could ignore.

And as if he had expected it, the Eldest Young Master's lips also parted at almost the same time.

“Sword Heart, Sword Ring, Sword Drawing Stance.”

“Ultimate Art, Ripple.”

The same stance name came out of the Eldest Young Master's mouth, and the moment it seemed his right hand took the form of a sword hand-sign,

Clang—

Did a beam of light flash past?

Clearly, Elder Peng's own sword was drawn first, and it was even the same stance, but what touched first was the Eldest Young Master's sword hand-sign.

“Oh…?!”

“I couldn't see it…!”

“Is that the sword hand-sign in the rumors?!”

Just like the name of the stance, Ripple the Eldest Young Master's swordplay caused a ripple among the onlookers.

“Kuh…?!”

A groan burst from Elder Peng's mouth.

Because the Eldest Young Master's invisible sword hand-sign struck his sword his wrist was twisted in an instant.

However, at that moment, clearly what rose on Elder Peng's wrinkled mouth was a smile.

And that was the smile of the young warrior of Peng Family origin who knew nothing but the sword in the past.

“Striking Sword Stance, Ultimate Art!”

Elder Peng's thunderous shout.

Elder Peng's bounced sword and body spun around in place, and his front leg, stretched long as he spun, scraped the ground, kicking up dust.

“Northern Blast!”

A strike laden with the recoil received from the Eldest Young Master's fearsome sword strike.

He compensated for his aching right wrist by gripping it with his left hand!

“Hyaap—!”

To the ears of Elder Peng, from whose mouth a battle cry burst unconsciously, the Eldest Young Master's voice was heard.

“Striking Sword Stance, Ultimate Art.”

“Northern Blast.”

Would the flesh-carving winter northern wind be like this?

A fierce storm raged from the tip of the Eldest Young Master's sword hand-sign.

“…Kuh!”

Clearly, the Eldest Young Master was also using a single strike just like Elder Peng himself, but for some reason, a sharp pain as if all the skin on his body was being torn ran through him.

‘My sword—?’

His single strike was swallowed up, melting without a trace in that fierce northern blast.

However, even while receiving the northern blast with his entire body, Elder Peng's leg succeeded in taking a step forward, and his body drew one step closer to the Eldest Young Master, and from his mouth, a strange sound that was neither a scream nor a battle cry burst, so that spirit was like a ghost.

“Not yet—!”

“—I said not yet, Eldest Young Master!”

“……”

Did that thrilling spirit transcend the realm and reach the Eldest Young Master's heart?

“……”

The temporarily overwhelmed onlookers retreated one step at a time without realizing it.

“Cruel Chaos!”

Finally, a smile hung on Yeon So-hyeon's mouth as well.

“Ultimate Art, Cruel Chaos.”

With the two as the center a storm of iron raged.

* * *

“Oh…?”

Unlike Yeon Seo-rin's voice praising implicitly on the contrary, the Guard Pavilion Lord frowned.

“……”

The sound of the sword and the sword hand-sign clashing continuously resounded as if to tear the ears of the audience, and the sight of Elder Peng's sword tip, which clashed with Yeon So-hyeon's sword hand-sign in all directions, reflecting the sunset light disorientingly, looked as if he was burning Elder Peng's remaining life.

However, the Guard Pavilion Lord murmured so.

“…It falls far short.”

After all, this sparring match was only established because Yeon So-hyeon kept yielding the first attack, and he was not even putting in a follow-up attack.

To her who had crossed the wall, Elder Peng's all-out offensive could only be felt as technically lacking.

“So-hyeon is also mischievous.”

The Guard Pavilion Lord clicked her tongue.

“If he wanted to display his martial arts to the public, there would have been a more appropriate opponent.”

“Indeed…, So-hyeon.”

At those words, her former disciple, Yeon Seo-rin, spoke in an enigmatic tone.

“Is that his intention?”

The Guard Pavilion Lord frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Yeon Seo-rin was from the beginning.

Yeon Seo-rin watched the sparring match between the two without blinking an eye as she spoke to the Guard Pavilion Lord.

“Who would know So-hyeon's mind precisely? However…” she shrugged her shoulders.

“At least, it doesn't seem like he is doing this sparring match for such an obvious reason.”

“Then—” the Guard Pavilion Lord's voice, trying to say something, was drowned out by Elder Peng's battle cry.

“Uwoooo—!”

As if squeezing himself Elder Peng squeezed out even his last handful of internal energy to continue the wild strikes.

The storm of his sword did not decrease its momentum in the slightest, but it was impossible to maintain sword strikes forever with battle cry and grit.

“Cough—!”

Did the squeezing finally reach its limit?

Elder Peng spat dark, dead blood from his mouth.

“…He failed.”

Whether it was not only the Guard Pavilion Lord who felt so

“……”

“……”

While only the loud clashing sound of swords resounded, everyone watched the scene without a word.

* * *

He loved the sword.

Although the first thing he held when born in the Peng Family was a heavy saber what he eventually chose was a single sword.

“You will hold a sword?!”

“Are you not ashamed as a member of the Peng Family?!”

“And a direct descendant at that?!”

Receiving the harsh words of his family and relatives on his back, he left the family.

“You are no longer a member of our Peng Family!”

It was full of pain and agony, but at the very moment he held the sword, he could forget everything.

So he chose the Luoyang Sword Family.

“Your comprehension is outstanding. Your bones are also excellent, and your senses are great. But.”

To him, who entered the Sword Family as a warrior, his swordplay teacher had said, as if in rebellion to those words, even on snowy days, even on days when the wind and rain raged, even in the day when the sun burned, even in the night when the frost settled down, he swung the sword.

“You are not a genius of the level to cross the wall.”

“Amazing.”

However what returned to such a self was not as a warrior, but for some reason, it was recognition toward a direction where he had not put in that much effort.

“Why don't you try going into administration like this?”

“Congratulations on rising to the position of an elder. No, I offer my deepest congratulations!”

“I should call you Elder Peng from now on!”

Before he knew it, time passed and he had become an elder.

“Elder Peng. I ask of you.”

“You are making the name of our Hebei Peng Family shine.”

The attitude of the people of the Peng Family who had despised him in the past changed completely, and even his father, who had cast him out, until he passed away, wanted to meet him at least once more by any means.

However, unlike himself who had his hair turned white and became the head of the Hebei faction before he knew it, himself as a warrior was still lingering in front of the wall.

“Haha, does Elder Peng swing the sword from the morning?”

“Appropriate exercise helps maintain health. I should also learn from Elder Peng.”

Even when he felt he crossed the wall at one moment, the wall was still blocking the front, and even when he felt he passed the wall at one moment, the wall was holding his ankles like a swamp.

“Can it not be done somehow?”

To his earnest question “After all…” the expert of outstanding skill whom he secretly invited blurred his words.

“Since your age is what it is, crossing the wall at this point is somewhat…” although he fiddled with his hand-worn sword, the sword never answered.

“…I see.”

“…I see.”

Now it was the point to accept reality.

All his life he loved the sword.

But that was a one-sided love.

* * *

“Cough…!”

Elder Peng coughed up blood.

As he pushed his body, which was old to the limit, his blood vessels could not hold out.

The sword that had woven the wild strikes became heavy, and it only drooped as if weights were hung on his entire body.

‘Is it up to here…’ after seeing the Eldest Young Master's single sword in the Elders' Hall, his heart from his young days beat again, but it seemed his old body and his lacking talent could not catch up with his desire.

‘Even so—’ his lungs, which lacked air, gasped, and the muscles of his entire squeezed body screamed, and even his front became blurry now, but still, at the very moment strength left the hand of Elder Peng holding the sword, in the sword wind woven by the sword strikes, in that situation where everything was fading blurrily, only the Eldest Young Master's voice reached Elder Peng's ears very clearly.

‘—I had no regrets.’

“Not yet.”

“Not yet, Elder Peng.”

Simultaneously with those words the Eldest Young Master's sword hand-sign, which was not even visible properly until then, suddenly thrusted in, piercing that instant.

“Hup—!”

Did he have some strength left?

How did he see that sword hand-sign?

Elder Peng's old arm and worn sword deflected that sword hand-sign reflexively.

“……!”

Elder Peng, who wore a surprised expression at his own action, suddenly wore a satisfied smile without realizing it.

‘Still, in the end, it seems I reached a little bit…’ however, the Eldest Young Master's whispers did not end.

“What are you smiling at, satisfied all by yourself?”

Simultaneously with those words, the Eldest Young Master's sword strikes became one step faster.

“Hup…!”

Even while his hands and feet did not move properly Elder Peng began to deflect that storm of sword strikes reflexively.

“Not yet.”

“……!”

The Eldest Young Master's sword strikes became one step faster again.

‘This is too fast—’ a shout burst from the Eldest Young Master's mouth.

“I said not yet!”

“Kuh…!”

It felt as if his heart was popping out of his mouth, and controlling his breathing was already impossible, and the qi and blood of his entire body boiled as if burning, and he even forgot where his limbs were.

“Uwooooaaaaaaa—!”

It was a thunderous battle cry.

Thinking so, Elder Peng realized that the battle cry was a sound coming from his own mouth.

“Faster!”

Now, from the Eldest Young Master's sword hand-sign, a sword technique Elder Peng did not even know began to charge.

Sword Heart, Sword Ring Secret Ultimate Art.

Supreme Realization, Tangled Hemp.

“Stronger!”

As if responding to the Eldest Young Master's shout.

“More refined!”

As if responding to the Eldest Young Master's sword technique.

“Guwoooo—!”

Selflessness.

Elder Peng's sword tip, which had even forgotten himself, fluttered a crimson sword light as if pulverizing the sunset.

And he realized.

At this very moment he crossed the wall.