Chapter 61

Chapter 61

“….”

Kang Yongchong merely stared blankly into the air. Even though Hwangbo Pungcheon had left the forge quite some time ago, Kang Yongchong’s thoughts had not settled.

And Youngho stood beside him, watching him in silence.

Before the Regression, the relationship between Hwangbo Nyeong and Kang Yongchong had been very good. That was despite the fact that Hwangbo Nyeong had been a fist fighter who did not use weapons.

It was said that his connection with Hwangbo Nyeong had gradually soothed Kang Yongchong’s resentment and had further become the opportunity that allowed him to form amicable relations with the Orthodox Sect as well.

Thanks to that, during the war against the Demonic Cult, whether they were of the Orthodox Sect or the Unorthodox Faction, all had been supplied without discrimination with the goods crafted by Kang Yongchong.

‘From now on, your role is important, Hwangbo Nyeong.’

If this matter allowed the clearing of their Gratitude and Grudge, then Kang Yongchong would surely be able to establish friendly relations with the Orthodox Sect just as he had before the Regression.

But if even the slightest thing went wrong, Kang Yongchong would put down his hammer and begin a new life.

In any case, if he successfully completed the request Youngho had given him this time, Kang Yongchong would be able to live without working for the rest of his life. The compensation for the request was Ten Nyang of Gold, after all.

Youngho sincerely hoped that Hwangbo Nyeong—no, the current Clan Head of the Hwangbo Clan—would make a wise decision.

Before long, Kang Yongchong rose from his seat and spoke.

“I apologize. Only now does my heart feel somewhat at ease.”

“There’s no need to mind it. Gratitude and Grudge in Jianghu do not disappear so easily. And half of it was something I instigated as well.”

In truth, before Hwangbo Pungcheon had come to the forge, Youngho had tipped Kang Yongchong off about something. He had told him that the Hwangbo Clan was keeping this forge under surveillance.

That was why Kang Yongchong had briefly shown an uneasy expression toward a visitor whose name he did not even know.

Of course, the Hwangbo Clan had been surveilling not Kang Yongchong, but Youngho. Yet Youngho had not bothered to mention that fact.

Thus, Kang Yongchong must have mistaken it for the Hwangbo Clan monitoring him.

“No. I did not think that the Hwangbo Clan was watching me.”

At that unexpected answer, Youngho curved his lips into an intrigued smile. Kang Yongchong gave a somewhat bitter smile.

“I was merely angered because the Hwangbo Clan had forgotten. Because they had forgotten what they had done—and because they had hidden it—that is why I was angry.”

“For that, you seemed to trust my words a bit too much.”

“Ha ha, I am not foolish enough to fail to recognize the goodwill of the Flame Dragon.”

“Goodwill?”

“You wished to settle the Gratitude and Grudge between myself and the Hwangbo Clan, did you not?”

“And why do you think that?”

“From the very beginning, I found it strange. Starting with how you knew that I was a blacksmith capable of handling Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, and even coming to a forge hidden away in such a secluded place.”

It had certainly been too obvious. But since he had never intended to hide it in the first place, Youngho simply nodded and said,

“That’s right. I used you to cut out the rotten parts of the Orthodox Sect.”

“If I were to ask why a member of the Unorthodox Faction is concerned for the Orthodox Sect, I suppose you would not answer?”

“…….”

Taking Youngho’s silence as affirmation, Kang Yongchong let out a weak chuckle.

“I do not know why you helped me, but I offer my thanks regardless.”

Just as Kang Yongchong was about to bow his head in gratitude, Youngho spoke first.

“Repay your thanks by forging my sword. Express your gratitude through the value of the blade.”

For an instant, Kang Yongchong’s body stiffened. Then he lifted his head again and grinned.

“That goes without saying. I will forge you the finest blade possible.”

“That will do.”

So as not to disturb Kang Yongchong any further, Youngho left his seat.

Youngho stepped outside for a brief walk. As if waiting for that very moment, Horyeung stood at his side and spoke.

“Young Master.”

“What is it? Do you think the Black Dragon Branch will come here?”

“It is highly likely. If the Black Dragon Branch comes here, that blacksmith will….”

“He will die. Inevitably.”

“What do you intend to do?”

“Send word that I will visit soon. Tell them we should see each other’s faces then.”

“When shall I send it?”

“They do not yet know that the Black Dragon Branch’s members have died. Even if they try to find out, it will take them two or three days.”

In that case, there was ample time. Kang Yongchong had regained his composure and would now properly begin forging Youngho’s sword.

Now that Kang Yongchong had grown accustomed to handling Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, three days would likely be enough for him to complete Youngho’s blade.

“Then there is sufficient time. I will send the letter in a day.”

“Good. And assign some men to watch over Kang Yongchong.”

“Is that acceptable?”

“What is?”

“You had originally intended to take him with us, did you not?”

“I did. But I am merely repaying a debt.”

A debt from before the Regression—one of the countless debts he had owed.

“A debt… Understood.”

He did not know exactly what kind of debt it was. But Youngho had once received a favor from Kang Yongchong, and now Youngho was repaying that favor.

Gratitude in Jianghu took many forms, so Horyeung could only roughly guess that Youngho must have once received some sort of help from Kang Yongchong.

“Tell the escorts to step in only if his life appears to be in danger. Otherwise, they are not to reveal themselves or take any action. It is enough that they report regularly on where Kang Yongchong is.”

“I understand.”

“What is Hyeon-gang doing right now?”

“Did you not show him a bit of the Poison Demon’s poison last time, Young Master? Lately, he has become completely obsessed with creating its antidote.”

“I suppose so. The Poison Demon’s poison isn’t something you can obtain easily. And it’s quite different from the Tang Clan’s poison, so there must be a lot to research. And what about the others? Any changes?”

“Now that you mention it, Hosan and Chowon seem close to breaking through their wall.”

A spark lit up in Youngho’s eyes. Seeing his interest shift toward the growth of Kang Hosan and Kang Chowon, Horyeung smiled warmly.

“Recently, Hosan’s and Chowon’s swords have become extremely sharp. I believe they may soon reach Master Level.”

“Master Level in just two years and half a year… They truly do grow quickly. It must be because they have talent.”

“When you can see them grow the more you push them, it makes you want to push them even harder.”

“Exactly.”

If Kang Hosan and Kang Chowon had heard them giggling as they said such things, they would have been horrified. To anyone watching, the two would have looked like malicious spirits.

“It’s about time I started teaching Hyeon-gang martial arts as well.”

“Will that be acceptable? It would be burdensome for him to cultivate the Alliance Lord’s martial arts. Do you perhaps know other martial arts?”

“What do you take me for? Of course I do. I’ve seen every martial art within the Unorthodox Alliance.”

“When did you see them? And before that, do you even know how many secret manuals there are in the Unorthodox Alliance…?”

“In any case, they’re all in my head.”

Youngho briefly boasted to Horyeung about the extent of martial knowledge he possessed, and Horyeung chuckled.

“Only now does your expression look a bit brighter.”

“Hm?”

It seemed Youngho had not realized what Horyeung meant. Feeling a faint, inexplicable pity, Horyeung spoke.

“Have you not always been anxious and impatient? Because of that, you pushed yourself beyond your limits every day and even reduced your sleep to train.”

“…Was it that obvious?”

Youngho readily admitted it. He had driven his body to the brink of obsession. And he intended to continue doing so.

However, he had not expected someone else to worry about him like this, and that stirred a strange feeling within him.

“It is only natural for a subordinate to support the one who has become his lord.”

Horyeung spoke gently, like soft ripples spreading across calm water.

“I do not know what makes you so anxious, Young Master. But you are already doing more than well enough.”

It was true. At present, Youngho was doing everything he could within his limits.

Yet that was precisely why he felt even more anxious. Because he knew this was not enough. Because he knew he had to strive even harder.

‘Heavenly Demon.’

The pinnacle of all demons, the sovereign who reigned above them all. No—more precisely, he did not fear the Heavenly Demon as an individual. He feared the Heavenly Demon who ruled the Demonic Cult.

Only when the Strategist of the Murim Alliance and the Strategist of the Unorthodox Alliance had put their heads together had they barely managed to match wits with the Demon Brain.

And even when Namgung Cheon, the Murim Alliance Leader, and Youngho, the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance, had joined forces, they had not been able to completely sweep away the Demonic Cult’s frontline forces.

Each day had felt like hell. Because of it, his mind and spirit had gradually deteriorated. And in the end, they had lost.

Defeat.

A truly bitter word. But losing the war against the Demonic Cult was a problem so grave that it could not be compared to anything else.

To lose to the Demonic Cult meant the true Demonic Dominion of the World would open. And the Demonic Dominion of the World they envisioned was simple.

Dominion over everything—and the end of the world. A world where all who did not worship the Heavenly Demon were killed, leaving only followers of the Demonic Cult alive. That was their Demonic Dominion of the World.

“…This isn’t enough.”

“You need not be so anxious.”

“No, I mean it. This isn’t enough.”

“Do not look at your present self. Look at your future, stronger self.”

“That’s exactly why it’s not enough.”

No matter how one thought about it, those were not words that should have come from someone who had not even reached his Coming-of-Age.

‘What in the world is making him so anxious?’

The current Youngho was strong. And if he maintained this state, the future Youngho would become an extraordinary monster. He might even defeat the Heavenly Demon.

“You don’t think my future self can defeat the Heavenly Demon, do you?”

“I believe it is possible.”

He knew nothing. Yet that did not mean Horyeung was someone softened by peace. He was never careless and never showed unnecessary mercy to his enemies.

That made it all the more frustrating. Youngho was certain that if Horyeung were to witness even a fraction of the Heavenly Demon’s Martial Might, he would never say such things.

It was suffocating. The world he alone knew—the future he alone remembered—felt unbearably suffocating.

“I can never defeat the Heavenly Demon.”

“Why are you so certain?”

It was pure confusion. Youngho spoke as though he had faced the Heavenly Demon himself.

On what basis was he so certain? Youngho was not someone foolish enough to estimate the gap in strength and simply give up on victory.

If Youngho had been the type to foolishly submit to someone stronger, he would never have spoken of possibly defeating the Heavenly Demon in the future—nor would Horyeung have chosen to serve him as his lord.

Youngho was a true martial artist and possessed a firm philosophy of chivalry and righteousness stronger than most members of the Orthodox Sect.

Believing that Youngho would understand his intent, Horyeung did not bother to elaborate further.

Though Youngho found Horyeung frustrating, he also felt grateful.

“That man is growing stronger even now.”

“And you will surpass him, Young Master.”

“Thank you for the words. But it is still far off.”

“Young Master, may I say one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“I believe it would be best if you relaxed a little.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Among junior disciples, there are quite many who are injured during sparring matches because of excessive tension.”

“That’s true. They’re still green.”

“Indeed. But do you know this? Right now, you are in exactly that state.”

“…What are you saying?”

“It is a piece of sincere advice—do not injure yourself by being too tense. Entrust your body to the flowing waves. If you struggle upstream without even a moment to breathe, you may drown.”

It was sharp, yet accurate advice. Only then did Youngho realize that he had been excessively anxious.

“You’re right. Thank you, Horyeung. I feel a little more at ease now.”

“That is a relief.”

For the first time in a long while, Youngho smiled sincerely, and Horyeung returned it with a warm smile.