Chapter 74: Sword Hero of the Heavenly Central Sect (1)
All sorts of thoughts filled my mind.
I had obtained the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra and the Dual-Mind Inner Art, so I thought creating the Tai Chi Dantian would be simple.
But once that expectation was shattered, stray thoughts started to scatter and stir my entire head.
I suddenly stood up.
"At times like this, nothing beats training that makes you sweat."
I stepped outside and went through every martial art I knew from beginning to end, trying to calm my mind.
Just as I finished and was about to go back in, I saw the two of them still drinking, and for no real reason, I felt irritated.
Here I was, struggling to become stronger, and my subordinate was leisurely sipping alcohol. That moment, it twisted my nerves.
"Bodyguard Nam, come out with your sword. Let’s have a spar."
“Hahaha, this is when the drink tastes the best.”
“You might not be able to enjoy that taste starting tomorrow.”
At my cold words, Nan Myeonggwak whispered,
"Looks like your Young Master is seriously upset. At times like this, it’s best to go along with him."
Namwook smacked his lips and went to fetch his sword.
Nan Myeonggwak watched him leave and chuckled.
“Hehehe, thanks to that, this drink is mine now.”
Returning to the Shangguan Clan, I quietly sought out Mo Biyoung and Jong Seok. Even after I arrived, I didn’t greet people properly and moved discreetly.
I didn’t want to get tangled up in unnecessary matters by letting people know.
Right now, all I had to think about was returning to the Heavenly Central Sect.
After I returned, it took about five days for Mo Biyoung and Jungwook to recover enough that walking wasn’t too difficult.
But they weren’t fully healed yet, so traveling on horseback for long periods wasn’t an option.
Still, that didn’t mean I could stay at the Shangguan Clan until they were fully recovered.
So, I asked the Shangguan Clan to prepare a carriage. Once word got out that I had requested a carriage, Pang Giyok came to find me.
“Hwarin!”
He came to me with a somewhat angry face, and I smiled at him.
Pang Giyok was the type whose emotions showed clearly on his face.
"How could you do that! You arrived, and I didn’t even get a word!"
"I knew you were busy, so I planned to tell you later."
At that, his expression turned into one of hurt.
"No matter how busy I am, how could I ignore a friend? Do you know how rare it is to find a friend? After meeting you, I finally understood what it meant when people said they’d sell their parents just to gain a friend."
Pang Giyok had never truly met someone worth calling a friend. While he interacted with other clan heirs, none were people he could give his heart to.
Because with them, it was always about interests — people who could sell even a friend if it benefited them.
That’s why he never treated Shangguan Joyoung, who was his peer, as a true friend.
No, until now, Pang Giyok had never had someone he could call a friend outside of his own blood.
And so, to him, a friend’s value was above all else.
“Hahaha! Giyok, I figured that no matter how quietly I arrived at the Shangguan Clan, you’d somehow notice and come. So I didn’t even bother sending word. Wasn’t I right?”
Seeing me brush it off with a grin made him laugh too.
Truthfully, Pang Giyok had already figured that I hadn’t reached out just to be considerate.
“You’ll have to at least see Cheollyeon before you go. That kid’s been waiting for you, wondering when you’d show up.”
“Hahaha, fine. I’m scared of Cheollyeon. I feel like he’s going to challenge me to a duel the moment he sees me.”
“That’s true. Actually, even I had a tough time while you were gone. He’s completely immersed in mastering the Five Tiger Severing Blade Technique now.”
“Tell Yeonma not to even think of seeing this brother Hwarin until he completes the Five Tiger Severing Blade Technique.”
“Ah, don’t say that. If he hears that, he might master it even faster than me.”
We both laughed as we caught up.
Pang Giyok realized that this was what friendship was — being able to laugh and chat over the most trivial things. How he’d envied friends who could laugh over such nonsense.
He’d always thought how nice it would be to have a friend with whom he could even joke about his flaws. That such a friend turned out to be Yong Hwarin made it even better.
“Hwarin, once everything’s settled, how about coming to the Pang Clan with me? If my clan learns you helped fulfill our longstanding desire, I wouldn’t be surprised if they treat you like a royal envoy. I promise you that. The Pang Clan calls things as they are — good things are good, bad things are bad. We don’t put on airs like others do.”
Pang Giyok wanted to spend more time with me.
And he wanted to bring me to his clan and proudly introduce me as a brilliant friend.
He wanted to boast that he had finally found a friend like this.
"If a man is lucky enough to make a friend worth staking his life on, he should hold onto that friend no matter the cost. True friendship cannot be bought, not even with a mountain of gold."
His father had always emphasized that.
And because of those words, he had never made friends lightly.
Placing my hand on his shoulder, I said sincerely,
"Listen, friend. Once you’re a friend, you're a friend for life. So don’t act like a fretful wife just yet. We’ve got plenty of time. Maybe think about the girl you like instead?"
That made Pang Giyok burst into laughter.
“Wahahahaha! You’re right. Since you’re my first real friend, I ended up acting like a nagging wife. But you know what?”
Suddenly, his eyes sparkled.
"Before I made a friend, the woman I liked seemed more important than anything. But strangely, after making a friend, I don't see her the same way anymore."
I flinched slightly.
“You… don’t tell me you’re into men?”
Hearing that, Pang Giyok suddenly hugged me and then let go.
“If that were true, I’d have married you already. But after making you my friend, I finally realized—women shouldn’t be put on a pedestal like goddesses, but should be someone you can reach out and touch.”
I smiled slyly.
“Looks like learning the Five Tiger Severing Blade Technique taught you about women too. If I learn it, will I understand them too? You should teach me.”
I joked, but Pang Giyok responded seriously.
“Hmm, I wouldn’t do this for anyone else, but if you really want to learn, I could ask my clan to teach you.”
Seeing his innocent sincerity made me laugh again.
“Hahaha. I was joking—don’t take it so seriously. You were doing great with the banter just now. What happened?”
“If it weren’t for you, I’d probably have died of frustration without ever understanding the Five Tiger Severing Blade Technique. You deserve a lot of credit.”
I placed my hand on his broad shoulder.
“Don’t make it too deep. Just think of it as a gift for being my friend. If you treat it like a debt, I’d be a creditor, not a friend.”
Pang Giyok grinned from ear to ear.
“That’s why I like you.”
“Hey now, how about liking a woman instead of me?”
From a distance, Jaegal Yohye quietly watched the two of us chatting and laughing, her expression a complex mix of emotions.
Truthfully, she didn’t really dislike Pang Giyok.
He was handsome and considered a candidate for the next head of the Pang Clan, so she kept him within her circle of interest.
But she hadn’t liked him romantically, so whenever he approached as a man, she felt uncomfortable.
Still, a woman’s heart was strange.
“They say even a woman doesn’t understand a woman’s heart.”
She was a perfect example of that.
After Pang Giyok started hanging around Yong Hwarin, he hardly even looked her way.
At first, she thought he was just busy. But even when the other heirs and noble daughters gathered to discuss forming the Three Pillars Alliance, he no longer looked at her the way he used to.
“If you realize chasing a woman’s heart is pointless, that’s when it becomes hardest to win him back.”
Something her older female cousins once said suddenly crossed her mind.
She realized that Pang Giyok had lost the burning passion he used to have for women after the battle at the Blood Demon Castle and his interactions with Yong Hwarin.
No, to be exact, that passion had been redirected elsewhere.
And once that happened, the one who felt the most regretful was herself.
She couldn’t quite define the overwhelming sense of loss she felt. Even if one were a genius, understanding every nuance of their own emotions was no easy feat.
Jaegal Yohye recalled how, as a child, she was told the hardest and most difficult battles in life were battles of the heart. Back then, she thought that was nonsense.
But after experiencing the ever-shifting turmoil of her emotions, she finally understood why the geniuses of the Jaegal Clan had said that.
*
I spent the whole day going around saying goodbye to people in advance. Somewhere along the way, I realized that my nickname had recently changed.
When a martial artist grows, it’s only natural for their nickname to evolve as well.
Some kept the nickname they received at the beginning of their careers until the end, but that only happened to those who never did anything noteworthy.
Those who earned fame or great achievements had nicknames that grew to match their renown.
I had previously shown swordsmanship like the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword and chivalry like a true hero, which earned me the title Flying Dragon Sword Hero. But after the bloody battle in the bamboo forest with the Blood Demon Castle, which greatly spread my name, I received a new alias.
Sword Hero of the Heavenly Central Sect.
At first, the martial artists of the Shangguan Clan didn’t even bow when they saw me, a little-known heir from a lesser clan in Henan.
But now, even their elite warriors gave respectful salutes with clenched fists whenever they saw me.
“Aren’t you the Sword Hero of the Heavenly Central Sect? When did you arrive?”
“Ah, so you're the Sword Hero of the Heavenly Central Sect.”
Wherever I went, that name followed me.
After hearing it so many times, I finally returned to my quarters and asked Mo Biyoung and Jungwook,
“They keep calling me the Sword Hero of the Heavenly Central Sect. Did my nickname change?”
At my words, Mo Biyoung smiled proudly.
“Yes. Ever since the Blood Battle in the Bamboo Forest, everyone started referring to you that way. It feels like our family finally has a top master to represent our name.”
I liked this new title more than the rather plain Flying Dragon Sword Hero.
And the phrase itself, Sword Hero of the Heavenly Central Sect, sounded nice.
Something about it stirred my heart.
When I received the Flying Dragon Sword Hero title, I felt indifferent, but hearing this new one filled me with joy.
Jungwook smiled and said,
“Young Master, not only you but even Master Mo and we ourselves earned nicknames too.”