Episode 75: Where Destiny Takes You…(4)
Light Novel: Volume 3 Chapter 8
Manhwa: Chapter 64
Chapter 8. Where Destiny Takes You…(4)
The group arrived at a village with a large dock. A wide river flowed in front of the village, and to cross it, they had no choice but to take a boat.
In front of the dock, crowds of people were bustling about, waiting to board.
“This is a major route to the Ten Thousand Merchant Union. That’s why it’s always packed with merchants,”
Lim Sobo explained, and Lee Gwak nodded in understanding.
According to her, the ferry that crossed the river only operated once a day. If they missed the morning departure, they would be stuck staying in the village for an entire day.
Fortunately, thanks to their steady pace, the group arrived at the dock before the ferry set out.
True to its purpose of transporting merchants, the ferry was massive. Below the deck was a wide space designed to carry horses, wagons, and a great quantity of goods.
Lee Gwak and his companions left their horses with the ferry crew, then boarded the deck.
Woon Dae-yeon and the Bloodcloaked Death God Battalion headed straight into their assigned cabins as soon as they boarded, while Lee Gwak and Squad 13 sat on the deck, taking in the surrounding scenery.
“This is nice!”
Ki Jinhwi smiled as he welcomed the river breeze with his whole body.
Since leaving the Jade Heaven Alliance, he had been all smiles. He had always been the cheerful type, but ever since departing, he seemed to be in even higher spirits.
He gave a subtle shake of the liquor bottle tied at his waist toward Lee Gwak.
“We’re still on duty, you know…”
“Come now, what trouble could possibly come up out on the river? Just one sip.”
“Only one sip.”
“I won’t offer more, so don’t worry.”
At Ki Jinhwi’s words, Lee Gwak smiled and sat down beside him.
Ki Jinhwi took a sip first, then offered the bottle to Lee Gwak.
As the liquor went down, his throat burned. It was a fiercely strong drink.
When Lee Gwak made a surprised face, Ki Jinhwi chuckled.
“I went through a lot to get this one. Just one sip and your whole body warms up.”
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been outside. I can’t help but feel cheerful.”
“But didn’t you go out pretty often?”
“Going out for half a day and being out like this for an extended time are completely different. You wouldn’t get it, being someone who lives outside the Jade Heaven Alliance, but for people like us who are stuck inside quarters all the time, we miss this kind of freedom quite a bit.”
Ki Jinhwi took another sip of his drink.
Lee Gwak stared quietly at Ki Jinhwi’s face. Noticing the look, Ki Jinhwi gave an awkward smile.
“What, do I have something on my face?”
“You still haven’t found them?”
Though the question lacked a subject, Ki Jinhwi understood what Lee Gwak meant. He grinned.
“They were really good at hiding. I haven’t even found a strand of hair.”
“Is there a chance they’re hiding somewhere other than the Jade Heaven Alliance?”
“That’s possible. But I still believe the Jade Heaven Alliance is the most likely place. It’s the only place that fits all the conditions I’ve considered.”
“You still can’t tell me who you’re looking for?”
“Sorry, Squad Leader.”
“No need to apologize.”
“If the time comes when I can tell you, you’ll be the first to know. But until then, please wait a little longer.”
“Understood.”
When Lee Gwak nodded, Ki Jinhwi held out the bottle of liquor to him again. Without a word, Lee Gwak took another sip.
“You know, now that I look closely, you’ve got quite the interesting face.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not the face of someone who controls fate but one that attracts it.”
“What does that mean?”
“Whether you want it or not, Squad Leader, you’ll end up standing at the center of fate and storms.”
“I’m fine just as I am. I have no desire to get caught up in any storms.”
Ki Jinhwi turned his gaze toward the river.
“If fate went the way we wanted, wouldn’t that be nice? I think fate is just like that river over there.”
“……”
“It twists and turns, and even when blocked, it eventually winds its way to the sea, doesn’t it? Fate is the same. No matter how many variables arise in the middle, it will always reach its destination in the end.”
Ki Jinhwi’s voice contained a strange sense of dizziness.
His squat figure was pockmarked, and with one front tooth missing, his face usually looked comical but in this moment, he looked serious.
Sensing Lee Gwak’s gaze, he suddenly grinned.
“Don’t take it too seriously though. I’m just saying, that’s how it is. Hehe!”
“……”
“Ah, the liquor tastes good. I think I’ll have another drink with Big Brother Yi-cheon.”
He naturally stood up and walked over to Seok Yi-cheon, who was on one side of the deck. With a smile, he began sharing drinks back and forth with him.
Lee Gwak, after watching the two for a while, turned his gaze elsewhere.
At some point, the deck had become crowded with people.
They were gathered in small groups, chatting or admiring the surrounding scenery.
There were merchants, the escort warriors they had hired, and ordinary people unrelated to Jianghu.
Some wore serious expressions, while others smiled as if nothing in the world could trouble them.
He didn’t know what stories they carried, but he could feel the flow of emotion running through the crowd.
Suddenly, Lee Gwak’s gaze stopped at one spot.
The flow of emotions that had been flowing like water had stopped, no longer able to continue.
Like a towering mountain blocking a river, there was a presence disrupting the flow.
He was sitting on the railing of the boat, absentmindedly gazing at the flowing river.
With long black hair draped over his shoulders and half-lidded eyes, his appearance blended into the scenery without a hint of discord.
Though there were tons of people around him, not a single one of them seemed to notice his presence. It was as if he had become part of the landscape itself.
Among the crowd, Lee Gwak was the only one who recognized the man’s presence.
From the moment he recognized him, Lee Gwak felt goosebumps break out all over his body. Starting from his forearm, they spread across his whole being.
The scenery around him faded from his vision, and only the man remained in his sight.
Without realizing it, Lee Gwak swallowed dryly.
His muscles stiffened, and his breathing quickened.
His vision narrowed, and blood vessels surfaced in his eyes.
Even though the man had done absolutely nothing, Lee Gwak alone was feeling threatened and tense.
In that brief moment, Lee Gwak debated several times whether he should draw the blade at his waist. That was how intensely threatening the man’s presence felt.
It was then.
The man, who had been absentmindedly gazing at the river, lifted his head and looked directly at Lee Gwak.
Only then could Lee Gwak clearly see the man’s face.
The man was beautiful. So much so it felt as though he had been painted into existence. Cheon-wol was handsome too, but compared to this man, he was no more than a firefly before a full moon.
Lee Gwak’s breath caught in his throat at the man’s uncanny beauty, dripping with decadent allure.
If the sixth snake hadn’t awakened at that very moment, Lee Gwak would have completely lost himself, bewitched by the man’s beauty.
Shiii!
The cry of the sixth snake rang sharply in his mind, as if to warn him. Only then was Lee Gwak able to barely cling to his rationality.
There was a glint of intrigue in the man’s eyes as he looked at Lee Gwak.
He gestured, as if beckoning him to come closer.
Lee Gwak could have refused the man’s summons. But Lee Gwak didn’t.
He didn’t know who the man was, but he had the distinct feeling that if he turned away now, he would regret it forever.
Lee Gwak pushed through the crowd and approached the man.
As Lee Gwak drew near, the man stood from the railing with a faint smile.
“Interesting little man. My name is Go Geomwol. What is yours?”
“My name is Lee Gwak.”
“Gwak? As in, to guard like a fortress? That’s a fine name.”
The faint smile at the corners of Go Geomwol’s lips deepened.
The moment he saw Go Geomwol’s smile, Lee Gwak felt a strange sensation. It was as if he had been separated from the world, trapped in a space entirely detached from everything else.
Shiiik!
Following the sixth snake, even the large serpent awakened and began fiercely swirling through his entire body—
As if to issue a warning.
Go Geomwol’s gaze shifted toward the blade at Lee Gwak’s waist.
“Have you trained in Blade Arts? A fine choice. People often call the sword the King of All Weapons, but in terms of practical efficiency, nothing beats the blade. If you’re going to half-heartedly train in the sword, it’s far better to choose the blade instead.”
“Then sir, I assume you have mastered the sword?”
Lee Gwak’s eyes were fixed on the sword hanging at Go Geomwol’s waist like an ornament.
It was a plain sword just as ordinary-looking as Lee Gwak’s blade.
Including the hilt and blade, it was only about three cheok long—around 90 centimeters. It was much shorter than Lee Gwak’s blade and even smaller than a typical sword.
Go Geomwol gently caressed the sword at his waist as he spoke.
“If I’d had the chance, I would’ve chosen the blade too for mastering the sword to its ultimate essence is an incredibly arduous path. But I had no choice. From a time so young I can’t even remember, I was made to wield the sword. It’s too late to change my weapon now.”
Jiiiiing!
Suddenly, Go Geomwol’s sword let out a cry.
Lee Gwak felt a pain like his eardrums were being torn apart and took a step back. At that, Go Geomwol smiled in satisfaction.
“Amazing. You could hear the cry of another’s sword.”
“Cry?”
“It’s also called sword resonance.”
Go Geomwol wore a brief look of puzzlement.
It was clear that Lee Gwak didn’t know what sword resonance was. Only then did Go Geomwol realize that Lee Gwak’s martial cultivation was not of the usual kind.
“Hmph! I had sensed something oddly unfamiliar about your cultivation and now I see, you didn’t learn under a proper master. To have reached the level of stimulating the body’s major meridians through self-study… That’s a harmony as profound as creating something out of nothing.”
“……”
For a moment, Lee Gwak felt like he might stop breathing from sheer shock.
He had met many martial artists up to now, but not a single one had been able to perceive his current realm. Yet Go Geomwol not only discerned it. He also saw through the fact that Lee Gwak had reached it through self-study.
‘How?’
Without realizing it, Lee Gwak’s hand moved to grip the hilt of his blade. That was how intense the sense of danger that had overtaken him was.
Even seeing Lee Gwak grab his weapon, Go Geomwol didn’t erase his smile.
“There’s no need to be so wary. I’m not your enemy. Not yet, anyway.”
“Who are you?”
“I told you, didn’t I? Go Geomwol.”
Though he clearly understood Lee Gwak wasn’t just asking for his name, Go Geomwol responded that way anyway.
Lee Gwak narrowed his eyes, glaring at Go Geomwol.
“I left my sect quite a while ago and trained alone. That’s why I understand very well how difficult it is to cultivate martial arts on your own. But still, my situation was better than yours. From a young age, I received the best support and was taught martial arts in a structured way. Even the special internal art I’ve cultivated is something I learned through that method.”
“……”
“But from the moment I saw you, my inner art has been ringing warnings into my soul like mad. I only came here because I heard the Sword Dragon was impressive and thought I’d have a look… But meeting you instead—maybe it means the thread of fate ties us together somehow.”
“Fate?”
“It may seem like a coincidence that we met today, but if you trace time backward, there must be a point where the web of cause and connection overlaps. We just don’t know it yet.”
Lee Gwak felt as though sharp needles were stabbing into both his temples. A part of him even wondered if Go Geomwol might be telling the truth.
Even in that moment, Go Geomwol continued speaking.
“This is how the laws of the world works. It never allows just one thing to shine alone. When someone with a great destiny appears in the world, other beings are sent out to counteract it. It’s a cruel symmetry.”
“I am not some grand existence as you say I am.”
“Not yet!”
“……”
“You needn’t be so nervous. I have no intention of doing anything to you… at least not yet.”
Lee Gwak knew that Go Geomwol was telling the truth. No one had explained it to him. He simply knew, instinctively.
Go Geomwol looked up at the sky.
“It was worth coming all this way in search of the legacy of the War Sword Style left behind by the Demonic Sword Immortal. Had I not, I wouldn’t have had the chance to meet you. Your cultivation, young brother, is a rare and precious thing in this world. So I hope you’ll continue to refine it well… and eventually come find me.”
“I don’t have wings strong enough to reach someone like you.”
“Even the Great Peng,1 which can soar ten thousand li in a single flight, needed protection and care when it was young. As long as your will remains firm, fate will surely guide you to someone who can grant you those strong wings.”
“……”
“I sincerely hope that such fortune will find its way to you.”
“I…”
“Listen to the voice of your blade. When the time comes, it will show you the path.”
Ziiing!
The ringing in his ears made Lee Gwak close his eyes for a moment. When the sound faded and he opened them again, there was no one in front of him.
“What have you been standing there staring off into space for?”
Just then, a familiar voice called out.
When he turned around, Seok Yi-cheon was walking over to him.
“Did you not see the person who was standing in front of me just now?”
“What are you talking about? You’ve been standing there alone this whole time.”
“That’s…”
Lee Gwak gave up trying to explain and bit down hard on his lip.
What he had experienced was no dream or hallucination. The large serpent still wildly swirling through his body was proof of that.
Go Geomwol was real, and he had clearly used some method to prevent others on the ship from noticing him.
‘Go Geomwol, the Demonic Sword Immortal… and the War Sword Style…’
Lee Gwak bit his lip until it bled.
He could feel it, too—
That his fate was moving toward Go Geomwol.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
End of Volume 3. If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!
- Great Peng. Raws: 대붕(大鵬). Also known as Dapeng is a giant bird that transforms from a giant fish, in Chinese mythology.
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