-Wonhwi, I can’t hear Short Sword.
It seemed like I was not the only one. Iron Sword couldn’t hear her either. Ever since I acquired the power contained in this Big Dipper, I have been able to hear the voices of swords.
‘Short Sword! Short Sword!’
Even though I didn’t block her, I couldn’t hear anything from her. I didn’t know what to do.
What I knew for certain was that someone was holding her. I didn’t know who it was, nor did I know if I would forgive him for hurting her.
-Wonhwi, calm down.
I was calm.
The same applied to the rest of the swords, but Short Sword was family to me.
I could not lose her.
‘I need to hurry.’
I used the Wind Shadow Steps and entered the northern edge of the forest.
However, on the path before me, I had no choice but to stop as I saw what was ahead. There was a thick fog ahead of me.
‘What is…’
I couldn’t understand this at all. I had seen no fog when Short Sword had looked at the scenery from above.
In fact, Short Sword’s vision had shown a clear night.
‘Just what is this?’
I approached the fog and looked closer. The fog was so thick that it was almost impossible to see the forest now.
There was a strange sensation to the qi in the air that felt like a wall.
‘Is this the fog Jwa-baek mentioned?’
I wasn’t sure why, but I was certain that I needed to get through the fog to reach the lake. Without another thought, I forged ahead.
I couldn’t see anything because of the fog, but if I went in a straight line, wouldn’t I just pass through it?
As I moved forward in that manner, the fog eventually disappeared.
There was a faint light up ahead.
-Everyone is coming.
I turned, and the instant I emerged from the bushes, I couldn’t hide my shock.
‘…?!’
-Wonhwi, what is this.
Even Iron Sword was taken aback by this peculiar sight.
A bonfire was lit, and surrounding it were Sima Young, Song Jwa-baek, Song Woo-hyun, and Jang Mun-ryang, along with Ah Song. They were all gazing towards the northern side of the forest.
“Ha!”
They all glanced in my direction, gasping in astonishment. Sima Young seemed just as surprised.
“Young lord, didn’t you just head over there?”
She motioned to the north.
Ah Song’s eyes widened with curiosity.
“Young master, have you discovered the art of traveling through space?”
As if I could. I wasn’t even sure what this phenomenon was, but I couldn’t waste any more time.
“Pay attention.”
With that, I rushed for the forest again, and not long after, the fog appeared. This time, I was going to be careful.
I pulled out Iron Sword and moved to the foggy side of the forest, cutting off the branches to mark them. As I continued to move forward, I noticed a clear light.
‘…what now?’
It felt incredibly odd. This familiar light.
After passing through the forest, I was now completely lost.
Again, there was a bonfire and a group of people. When I appeared from the south side once more, Song Jwa-baek exclaimed.
“What are you even doing? Is this some kind of joke?”
“A joke? You think this is a joke?”
I was genuinely furious, but I could not articulate it to them. I wasn’t even certain what this phenomenon truly was. However, every time I entered the fog, I emerged on the other side without fail.
So, I began to explain.
“See! I told you there was fog!”
“That isn’t important. I said I came from the other side after moving through here.”
At my words, Jang Mun-ryang stroked his chin and said,
“Such a strange thing.”
“Does Elder Jang know anything about this?”
“I am guessing that this is some form of sorcery or maybe a defensive formation.”
It sounded like he was thinking the same as me. However, even in the memories of Revolting Mother, I didn’t see such sorcery.
Shouldn’t this be something different? Or perhaps a defensive formation, as he mentioned.
“Whether it’s sorcery or martial arts, there are vulnerabilities to those created by human hands. Lord, what do you think about going together this time?”
I was in a hurry due to Short Sword, so I decided to do it. It would be better than solving it on my own. Therefore, this time, I ventured into the northern side with my party.
“For real?”
“Oh. I did say it was for real, didn’t I!”
Song Jwa-baek stamped his feet in frustration as he felt untrusted.
I simply ignored him and glanced around as Sima Young asked.
“Young lord, what has caught your attention?”
“I had pruned the branches before entering the misty forest.”
I searched for evidence but strangely found nothing amiss.
Even after walking straight through the mist, the trees appeared untouched, with no branches cut.
“…everything seems in order.”
“Did you truly cut them?”
Did they think that I was lying?
I had felt that I was cutting them, so I didn’t understand. I turned to Jang Mun-ryang.
He must have had some experiences while serving that lord, so he might have some understanding of these things.
He looked at the foggy forest and said,
“Well, this seems more like a defense formation than sorcery, but if we enter and don’t find the exit, we will never go to the right place.”
“You mean we will continue to repeat?”
“I haven’t been inside it, so I am not sure about it. But seeing the lord come out from the southern side twice after passing through seems strange.”
Sima Young responded to his words.
“For now, let’s go in together. Wouldn’t it be safer that way?”
If this was a defense formation, something peculiar might happen each time we enter. So we held hands and entered. As I entered abruptly, I had this realization.
“Ah!”
I had forgotten an important thing due to my impatience.
Instead of entering the forest, why not go over the fog?
There was no need to walk through this.
“What is it?”
At Sima Young’s question, I pulled out Iron Sword and mounted it.
“Ah! Up!”
“We never know, so I will jump over the fog.”
“I understand. Then we will hold hands and enter.”
And so, the entire party went into the forest, holding hands, and I rode Iron Sword. The moment I flew high, it wasn’t long before I looked down at the forest.
The forest was completely engulfed in a wide-reaching fog.
However, Iron Sword said,
-Wonhwi, the fog has dissipated.
‘What are you talking about?’
The fog was so dense that I couldn’t even see the lake. Confused, I questioned Iron Sword.
-Look through my eyes and see for yourself.
Intrigued, I decided to share Iron Sword’s vision.
‘Huh?’
It was actually true.
Just as Iron Sword had claimed, looking through his eyes eliminated the fog. It was similar to when I had used the Short Sword’s vision.
Immediately, I moved around a kilometer and caught sight of the lake, the towering castle, and the guest house-like building.
However, the only difference was that the boat was now anchored at the end of the pier.
‘Why does it appear like this when I observe through Iron Sword’s vision?’
Evidently, what I saw with my own eyes was obscured by a thick fog. Yet, what Iron Sword perceived was unchanged.
Through Iron Sword’s vision, I watched the party enter the fog-covered forest.
‘Ah!’
A breathtaking spectacle unraveled before me.
The group of people walked hand in hand, but then they suddenly vanished as if they weren’t even there.
‘So this is a defense formation?’
I looked to the south, and before long, I saw the group of people emerging from the woods.
They turned towards the bonfire as soon as they came out, experiencing exactly what I did.
‘I really don’t know. What even is this?’
It looked normal when viewed from above with the sight of a sword. However, if we entered the foggy forest, we would never touch the lake, only the south.
Was this the power of a defensive formation?
-Since we need to get Short Sword, why not head to the lakeside first?
Iron Sword was right. Rescuing her was the priority.
“Let us head in.”
-I understand.
Iron Sword entered the lakeside, which we could see. What was really strange was that my sight was showing me fog, but then suddenly, the fog lifted.
And that wasn’t even the end.
“No way.”
Suddenly, the day had arrived.
It should have been the end of a long night, with the darkness fading away, but instead, the sun was shining in the middle of the sky.
-Wonhwi, I don’t know what this is.
That was what I wanted to say.
The sudden burst of bright light only made me frown.
As I grew accustomed to the sunlight, the sight of the lakeside greeted my eyes. The peach blossoms surrounding the lake, the vibrant palace, the towering buildings resembling a temple, and the guest house all stood before me.
‘Is this a dream… or is it an illusion?’
-I am witnessing it as well, so it cannot be either.
Besides, no one had been there just a moment ago. However, as the day dawned, young men wearing white robes were staring at me as they hummed. Their reactions were as shocked as mine.
‘Where did these people come from?’
I couldn’t understand it at all.
‘Where will I find Short Sword in all this?’
I couldn’t even find the man who had taken her. I jumped off Iron Sword, and the young men rushed toward me the moment I landed.
One of them suddenly spoke to me.
“Which teacher are you attending for?”
Which teacher?
What was he saying?
Examining their robes and the pure qi emanating from them, they appeared to be warriors from Taoist sects.
However, I was unaware of which sect they belonged to.
Whether it was Wudang, Mount Hua, or Southern Edge, each sect had distinctive robes. But all the individuals I saw seemed to be first to second-rate warriors with similar attire.
Therefore, I respectfully bowed and stated,
“I am So Wonhwi, disciple of the South Heavenly Swordsman. If you are referring to a teacher, then…”
Before my words could finish, the Taoist’s expressions had changed.
Their expression, which had been one of kindness and curiosity, had changed in an instant. It was quite odd that I had trouble understanding.
“A mixed one!”
“How did a mixed one come in?”
What did they even mean?
It sounded like what a Buddhist or a Taoist might say when they addressed a secular person, but was it something to be wary about?
The Taoists around me suddenly took up stances and surrounded me.
“I don’t understand why you’re here.”
“Drop that sword and kneel with your hands up.”
Now they were making absurd requests.
“Taoists, I mean no harm. I don’t even understand what this all means, but after traversing the misty forest, the day turned brighter…”
“Get down!”
A Taoist shouted, and another charged toward me, employing a palm-to-fist technique.
“Taoists…”
I didn’t have time to deal with them one by one, and I also had to search for Short Sword.
Snap!
With a light snap of my fingers, all the Taoists rushing towards me suddenly collapsed.
Thud! Thud!
“Huh?”
“T-the mixed one learned sorcery.”
The remaining Taoists couldn’t hide their shock. I attempted to knock them all out, but four of them managed to stay standing.
Although skilled in martial arts, they were only at a beginner level, able to endure but lacking proficiency. Or perhaps their mental fortitude gave them an advantage?
Nevertheless, I had to inquire.
“Is there a man with long hair and a pale face here? He took my dagger. If I find it, I will leave this place, so no more…”
Suddenly, something crashed towards me, causing me to tilt my head to avoid it.
‘Needle?’
It was nothing other than a long needle. I managed to dodge it and turned my head.
There was a woman with long hair that reached her waist, wearing a dress that resembled fancier clothing rather than robes, aiming her sword at me.
‘That woman…’
I saw them from a distance, but how could I forget her?
The woman who was with the man on the boat.
She was truly beautiful, although not as much as Sima Young, but she possessed excellent martial arts.
‘Strong. She is young and excellent.’
At that level, it was without a doubt that her martial arts skills were the best, comparable to Baek Hyang-muk.
I was genuinely surprised when the woman spoke.
“There is no way this mixed person is as skilled in sorcery as us. Unveil your identity immediately.”
I couldn’t comprehend it.
My focus now was on something else.
“That bastard… phew. The man who was with you took my dagger. Where is he?”
The question sparked excitement in her eyes.
“Are you the owner of that dagger?”
She was aware. That would make things quicker.
“Exactly. Please inform me of his current location.”
The woman smiled and responded,
“Are you a student nurtured by a mentor?”
What was this about?
“What do you mean?”
“Huh? But how can you achieve what a mentor can?”
“How can I know who the mentor is? Stop discussing it and tell me where the individual you were with is.”
The woman tilted her head and commented,
“How peculiar. Sahyung must certainly be the mentor’s disciple.”
“I am not acquainted with the lady’s teacher; he is irrelevant to me…”
“Are you not of pure blood?”
“Pure blood?”
…wait, I believe I had heard this before.
As I pondered, she grinned and remarked,
“Wasn’t he known as the Sword Immortal in your realm?”
‘…!!’
