Defying the Heavens Scholar - Chapter 18

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Counteracting Heaven’s Script, Episode 18

Episode 18. The Door Departs

Time had passed since I administered the Gongming Pill.
Not long, yet the change in the old man’s body was unmistakable.
It began with his breath.
His breathing grew more regular, and the marks of suffering slowly faded from his sleeping face.
Next came his pulse. Each time I pressed my fingertips to his wrist, the flow grew clearer.
And after several days, his fingertips held warmth again.
Beneath the white cloth, the marks of stitching remained, yet the old man’s face was no longer ashen.

As his vital energy returned, so too did his awareness of the world around him.
He began to turn his head toward me from time to time. Though he could not see, his senses of hearing and feeling grew sharper with each passing day.

“The wind… the wind here feels quite high.”

Yun Seo spoke carefully.

“Lord Myojin. I believe you may rest easy now. Once a pulse takes hold like this, it will not break easily.”

I bowed deeply in gratitude. And silently, I calculated.

‘Now I can leave.’

To be able to leave was to know that I must leave soon.
The rumor that I had defeated three disciples of the Mudang Sect at the Martial Arts Tournament had grown and distorted with each telling.

“Apparently, he’s the son of a destroyed noble house.”
“I heard he was a warrior secretly raised by a certain faction.”
“No, no—there’s even talk that he came from beyond the seas?”
“With the Daoist Swordsmanship mastered?”

From these fragments alone, I could tell: someone from the orthodox sects had been spreading this.

‘Likely the Mudang Sect themselves, no doubt.’

Reading the current of such matters was not difficult. In any case, it worked in my favor.
As these rumors spread and mutated, it would become harder for the Imperial Court to identify me.

Meanwhile, the Guest Hall saw more unfamiliar visitors, and polite inquiries seeped through like water.
Jin Gak perceived this current faster than anyone.
The day he summoned me was such a day.

* * *

Behind the Guest Hall lay a small garden where bamboo rustled softly in the breeze.
Sunlight lay long across the stone floor, and the fragrance of tea drifted thinly through the air.
I bowed deeply to Jin Gak, who had invited me here.
Receiving my bow, Jin Gak nodded lightly and gestured for me to sit.
Then, pouring tea, he spoke in a low voice.

“Myojin. People are gathering around you.”
“I feel it too.”

At my reply, Jin Gak took a long sip of his tea and set down the cup with weight.

“The interest surrounding you… it won’t fade easily. Only grow, in fact.”

Jin Gak gazed down at his teacup for a moment. Then he lifted his head, meeting my eyes directly.

“Have you no desire to enter the Gongdong Sect?”

A breeze passed through.
The bamboo leaves whispered, and the air in the Garden tightened imperceptibly.
Jin Gak’s tone was courteous, but his meaning was unmistakable.
He lifted the teacup, took a sip, and set it down again. His movements were unhurried.
I could not answer at once, so I bowed respectfully.

“You do me great honor with such words.”

Jin Gak nodded slowly.

“I think nothing of the sort. Should you enter the Gongdong Sect, I would teach you myself.”

I steadied my breath before speaking.

“Why does the Elder take such care with me?”

Jin Gak’s gaze deepened. He did not rush to finish his words.
A brief silence fell as the bamboo leaves whispered crisply around us.

“You possess exceptional Five Aptitudes and Martial Talent. And I wish to see such gifts bloom under my own hand.”
“You are too kind. How could one such as I presume to such an honor?”
“Not so. I have seen it, and the Elders of the Nine Great Sects have seen it as well. That is why talk of you does not easily fade.”
“……”

As I hesitated, Jin Gak spoke with even greater directness.

“Should you accept, I would even prepare the path for stations I myself would gladly assume.”

In other words, if I became his disciple, he would entrust me with important positions within the sect in time to come.
But such a thing could not be easily accepted.

“I understand how great the kindness you show me is, Elder.”

Jin Gak nodded.

“However, my father wishes to spend his remaining years in his native home. Should I become a disciple of the Dao, it would become far more difficult to attend to his needs. And I wish to live an ordinary life.”

Jin Gak fell silent for a long moment. Then, as if rolling the teacup beneath his fingertips, he spoke quietly.

“An ordinary life……”

He did not look at me, but gazed instead at the sunlight across the garden floor.

“Yes, it is my greed. The Dao must be left as the Dao.”

Jin Gak laughed very softly.
I could guess why he had shown me such regard.

Exceptional talent.
Though the Gongdong Sect belonged to the Nine Great Sects, their standing was not high.
The reason was simple: their martial prowess lacked the depth of the other great sects.
And they were not far from Xinjiang, where the Demon Sect’s influence was strong.
For these reasons, talented individuals did not gather to them as they did to other sects.
With talent failing to gather, their standing naturally grew weaker with each passing year.

“There’s no help for it. How could I, as a Daoist, hold back someone who wishes to serve their father?”

At those words, I exhaled slowly, barely audibly.
But Jin Gak was not finished.

“Yet, just because I am stepping aside,”

he lowered his voice,

“does not mean the other sects will do the same.”

I understood at once what Jin Gak meant to say.

“So it seems right that I should send you away from here, before more people come looking.”
“Elder…”

Jin Gak raised his hand, silencing me.

“This is the last courtesy I can extend to you. And it is repayment for the aid you gave Jeong Yeon.”
“Aid, Elder?”

At my confusion, Jin Gak rose slowly to his feet.

“Jeong Yeon came to me and said he was sorry for his insufficient skill. And he spoke of you—of someone who showed him the way, small though it was, and whom he was grateful for.”

To that, I had no answer. I could only look up at him.

“Thank you.”

With those words, Jin Gak gave me a shallow bow.
So overcome was I that my body froze, and I could only stare dumbly.

“I heard from Yun Seo that your father has improved greatly. So make haste before you become entangled in needless trouble. I will have Yun Seo guide you by a quiet path.”

Having spoken thus, Jin Gak turned without hesitation.
The way opened swiftly before him.

* * *

Packing did not take long.
Gang Ro could already sit up on his own and even walk a little, however briefly.
Without needing to be carried, he could follow slowly when I offered my arm.
Yun Seo checked his pulse one last time as we prepared to leave.

“Young Master. The road to Sichuan is long. But given your father’s condition now, he should be able to endure it.”

I bowed my head.

“Yun Seo. I cannot thank you enough for all this. Without your skill as a Daoist, we would never have come this far.”

Yun Seo acknowledged me with a quiet bow.

“Not at all. I am simply grateful that your father has recovered.”

At those kind words, I grasped both his hands firmly.
Yun Seo nodded in return, and we shared a bittersweet farewell.
It was then that Jin Gak’s transmitted sound brushed against my ear.

— Once you leave this place, there will be many more eyes searching for you. So always be wary and on guard against people.

At that transmitted sound, I gazed up the narrow stone staircase I had descended and bowed deeply.

Take care on your way.

Yun Seo watched me and smiled.

“It seems the elder sent you a transmitted sound.”
“Yes, he did. Someday I’ll return to the Gongdong Sect and repay this debt without fail.”
“I’ll be waiting for that day.”

And so the time at the Gongdong Sect scattered away with the cold breath of dawn.
Yun Seo watched me until I grew distant, and Jeong Yeon, who came running late, called out to me loudly in regret.
I, too, bowed once more in farewell.
As we moved away from the Gongdong Sect, Gang Ro patted my shoulder and spoke.

“From the perspective of the Gongdong Sect’s elder, it must be quite a loss. Your talent is rather exceptional, isn’t it?”
“Still, we’ve remained on good terms, so perhaps it’s for the best. I’m sure Elder Jin Gak will accept that.”
“Heh heh, that’s true. The Gongdong Sect alone holds this connection with you, a martial master of such caliber.”

Gang Ro, having given my shoulder a light pat, nodded while breathing in the dawn air.

Thank you.

It was a phrase layered with many emotions. Because of that, it struck deeper.

Not at all, sir.

We descended the mountain path slowly. We did not hurry.
From now on, we had to live on the road, by the laws of the road.
And I knew.
That even though Jin Gak had opened the way, the world would not yield its paths so readily.
Somewhere along the way to Sichuan, there might already be eyes watching for us.

* * *

The mountain path stretched longer than I had expected.
Even as the Gongdong Sect’s Mountain Gate vanished into mist, the stone staircase seemed never to end.
Each time the wind swept across the cliff face, bamboo leaves rustled and sang, and that sound clung to us like a whispered warning not to rush.

Gang Ro walked slowly, leaning on a walking staff I had carved anew from wood.
The white cloth still covered his eyes, yet his steps did not falter.
With each step he took, his feet found the ground, and the strength with which he pressed down grew firmer by degrees. I matched his pace a half-step behind — close enough that the elder would not feel abandoned, yet far enough that I could catch him should he stumble.

You there.
Yes, sir.
The wind is colder than I expected.

His voice trailed on at length, unbroken by gasping breath.

The mountain is high, so it follows.

I answered quietly.

But it will grow warmer as we descend.

Gang Ro laughed softly.

Is it only the wind that will grow warm?

We reached a small village below the Mountain Gate as the sun began to sink toward the horizon.
The marketplace was not large, yet the mere sound of its bustle seemed to loosen the tightness in my chest.
Smoke rose thinly from the rooflines, and the smell of cooking rice drifted through the alleys.
The neighing of horses, the rumble of wheels, the haggling voices of merchants—all of it blended into a single hum.
It was a world utterly unlike the quiet of Gongdong Sect.

I seated the elder in the shade of a tree and offered him a drink of water.

“Wait here for a moment, please. I’ll find us a cart.”
“There’s no need to hurry.”
“Very well.”

With that, I set out through the village, searching for any place where carts or carriages might be found.
When I spotted several horses grazing in the distance, I quickened my pace.

“Are you headed to Sichuan?”

A cartman with sparse whiskers looked over my clothing before answering.

“That we are.”
“What fortune. My father and I are also bound for Sichuan. Might we travel with you? I can pay for our passage.”

The money Jin Sang Moon had given me at the Martial Arts Tournament proved useful indeed.
Of course, Yun Seo from Gongdong Sect had also provided some funds, saying the elder had given them to him, but what Jin Sang Moon had given me was more than sufficient.

“Well… if you’re willing to pay, there’s no reason to refuse. We’re leaving soon, so bring your father along.”

At those words, I hurried back and returned with Gang Ro.
The cartman’s gaze lingered briefly on the white cloth wrapped around Gang Ro’s body.
Before that glance could linger long, I offered him a respectful bow.

“I pray the road ahead will not be too arduous.”

The cartman nodded.

“All roads are hard in their own way. But I’ll keep our pace steady for you.”

We left the village before the sun had fully set.
Each turn of the wheel against the dirt road sent up a dull vibration, and I laid down more straw to shield the elder from the jolting. He sat without speaking, breathing in the wind. Though the face beneath the white cloth did not yet look entirely at ease, the sickly pallor had faded.
The face beneath the white cloth did not yet look entirely at ease, but it was no longer as deathly pale as before.

“Are you well, Elder?”
“Well enough.”

The cart followed the course of the river.
The water carried the cold light of late winter as it flowed, and the reeds along the bank swayed in the wind as though bending to the earth. Stars scattered thinly across the sky. When their light shattered upon the water’s surface, the elder spoke quietly.

“When we reach Sichuan, I’ll finally be able to see him.”

I steadied my breath before answering.

“Yes. We will surely see him.”

* * *

Our first night we spent in a tavern near the river.
The tavern was small, but the firelight was warm. The sound of pot lids clattering, the smell of damp wood burning, the soot-blackened walls—men washed their exhaustion away with drink and their tomorrow’s anxieties away with talk.

From the second day onward, the road widened.
The rocky, earthen mountain paths gradually gave way to flat roads, and the number of travelers increased. Peddlers with heavy loads, herb gatherers, merchants asking directions, small outposts scattered here and there. As we drew closer to Sichuan, the texture of the world itself seemed to change.
There were more voices, more goods, more smells.
The elder’s condition improved gradually, keeping pace with our journey.
Each time we descended from the cart, he would take my arm and straighten himself upright.
His hand trembled less as it gripped the walking staff than it had before. There were still moments when his breath came short, but it no longer caught as it once had. In this way, we traveled for several more days.
And we arrived safely in Sichuan, where Man Tong was.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————