Longevity - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 20: Rain and Wind Together
Jang Saeng did not know what the Defying Heaven Technique was. Since he had never learned Magic Art itself, he could not fathom what price such defiance of heaven’s logic might exact from a person.
Moreover, he was only fourteen. The notion that one’s hair could turn white from longing for someone seemed beyond his imagination.
Jin Ip-chu said nothing more. He glanced back toward the cart once, as if troubled by continuing his speculation with his back turned to his master.

“Let’s leave this story here. If it reaches Master’s ears, we’ll both catch hell for it.”

He finished the remaining rice cake and went beneath a boulder where the wind blew less fiercely. Rather than lie down, he unfastened the Zhu Xuan Sword from his belt and spread it across his palm. His face, as he stroked the crimson blade, held both worry and joy intertwined.
Jang Saeng kept the fire alone. He wanted to do anything for Na Yang-ja, but all that came to mind was adding more wood or preparing warm water.
If it were poison, he would have needed to find a physician. But Na Yang-ja had already traveled a long road, and his cough had only worsened. It seemed not the sort of ailment that an ordinary physician like those Jang Saeng knew could remedy.
When night deepened toward the fourth watch, branches rustled overhead. Jeon Jin-gung descended silently and offered him a folded blanket.

“Go get some rest. I’ll keep watch.”
“I am not drowsy.”
“Your eyes are already shutting. The wounded need more sleep.”

Jang Saeng tried to resist, then accepted the blanket. He watched Jeon Jin-gung settle by the fire before departing, though he did not go beneath the boulder.
With the blanket draped over his shoulders, he went to the forest’s edge. Each time he lifted his left arm, the wound pulled, so he gathered dry branches with his right hand alone. His body was weary, but standing idle would only mean listening to the cough from inside the cart.
When he returned with an armful of wood, Jeon Jin-gung was not watching the fire but examining the circular disc on her lap. The weapon that had been locked together like a single piece the day before was now separated into several components.
Twenty-eight Spinning Blades.
The size and curvature of each blade differed. Some were slender and straight; others hooked at the end like a grappling hook. Each bore the engraved likeness of an animal—monkey, snake, dragon, or rabbit—one per blade.
Jang Saeng set down the wood and crouched beside the disc. He recalled the talk of Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, Nine Palaces, and Star Numbers that he had heard from Yi Jung-yong and Jin Ip-chu.

“Are these animals the Twenty-Eight Mansions?”
“They seem to be.”

Jeon Jin-gung laid the blade inscribed with a dragon beside the one inscribed with a snake.

“There must be a reason for the different shapes. If these were meant to be thrown in the same direction, there’d be no need to make them so varied.”

Jang Saeng picked up one blade with its end curved upward. As he rotated his wrist, it seemed better suited for thrusting upward from below rather than throwing straight.

“This one seems meant to be thrown upward from a lower position.”
“What about this?”

Jeon Jin-gung offered the blade curved in the opposite direction.

“Might it be used for throwing sidelong? You could even target someone hiding behind a tree.”

Jeon Jin-gung nodded curtly. The two turned each blade over in turn, matching their purposes. The larger blades seemed well-suited for throwing with force, while the smaller ones were perfect for finding gaps.
Yet the interlocking structure proved more complex than they had guessed. If a single blade was fitted incorrectly, the space for the next one would be blocked. Though Jeon Jin-gung disassembled and reassembled it three times, the configuration never returned to a perfect disc.

“Is there something even you do not know, Master?”
“Many things.”

Jeon Jin-gung answered calmly and set about matching the blades again.

“If you don’t know, you learn.”

Yi Jung-yong approached for his turn at watch. The moment he saw the Spinning Blades scattered on the ground, he forgot his sleepiness and sat down at once.

“You fitted this section backward.”

Yi Jung-yong extracted two blades and pointed to the grooves on the inside. The depth of the grooves varied minutely. He then aligned them one by one according to size, curvature, and the position of the lock, and tested them in groups of four.
Jeon Jin-gung held one section steady while Jang Saeng passed the blades. As the three worked in concert, the tangled Spinning Blades gradually found their places.
Twenty-four gleamed golden, but four bore different colors. The blade inscribed with a dragon was blue, the tiger white, the red bird scarlet, and the interlaced pattern of tortoise and snake black.

“Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise.”

Yi Jung-yong fitted the four blades together. The locks clicked into place in sequence, forming a short sword about two feet long.
Jeon Jin-gung lifted the blade and examined its balance.

“This one handles quite differently from the rest.”
“These four seem to be the primary blades for stopping enemies at close range. They also serve as the center that draws in the other blades.”

Yi Jung-yong separated the Azure Dragon Blade from one of the yellowish Spinning Blades. Even after releasing them from his hands, the two blades drew toward each other, trembling with minute movements.
Jang Saeng leaned his eyes close to observe.

“Is it magnetism?”
“Something like it, but it’s not merely metal drawing to metal.”

Yi Jung-yong infused a trace of Spiritual Energy into the Azure Dragon Blade. The yellowish Spinning Blade, dropped a hand’s distance away, slid across the ground and returned to his hand.
Jeon Jin-gung immediately seized the four primary blades in one hand and hurled another Spinning Blade far into the distance. It grazed a tree trunk, curved sideways, and embedded itself in the earth.
As she drove her Spiritual Energy forward, the blade trembled once. It lifted from the ground but could not fly straight toward her—it fell short midway.

“That’s the limit at this distance, then.”
“As your cultivation deepens, you’ll be able to call them back from even farther away.”

Yi Jung-yong picked up the fallen blade and handed it to her.

“You should never let go of those four primary blades. They must remain in your hand so the scattered blades can return.”

Jeon Jin-gung verified the results, then reassembled the disc. When fighting alone, she would use the larger blades for force; when space grew tight, she would choose the smaller ones; against enemies hidden behind obstacles, she would select the curved blade.
Jang Saeng marveled even as his head spun. Even if he memorized the shape and use of all twenty-eight blades, selecting the right one in the midst of combat and hurling it seemed far from simple.
A crossbow required only loading the bolt and aiming—the rest followed. This weapon demanded that he observe the enemy’s position and distance, read what obstacles obscured them, and choose his blade accordingly. A good memory was not the same as making the right choice in an instant.

“Impressive, but surely difficult to master.”
“Difficulty is what makes it worth learning.”

Jeon Jin-gung spun the completed disc once around her wrist. The interlocking blades did not waver.
Once Yi Jung-yong grasped the design, he showed no further attachment. He returned the disc to Jeon Jin-gung and brushed the dirt from his hands.

“I find pleasure only in understanding the maker’s thought. The one who wields it is someone else.”

When the eastern sky began to pale with dawn’s first light, a sound came from within the wagon. Na Yang-ja drew back the covering and climbed down.
Yi Jung-yong, Jeon Jin-gung, and Jang Saeng rose at once. At that sound, Ba Tu-ru and Jin Ip-chu also woke and drew near the fire.

“Master, you coughed heavily through the night. Are you well?”

Yi Jung-yong asked carefully.

“I’m fine.”

Na Yang-ja waved his hand dismissively and sat on a slate stone beside the fire, waiting until all five disciples had gathered.
His face bore the expression of someone about to speak a decision made through the long night.

“You all understand our situation well enough.”

Na Yang-ja looked at each of his disciples’ faces in turn.

“It is fortunate we reached this place before the word spread among the Kangho practitioners. But ahead lie endless pursuit and ambush. We must prepare.”

Ba Tu-ru cradled his Bian Tie Gon upright against his body. Jin Ip-chu said nothing, only touching the grip of his Zhu Xuan Sword.

“The Secret Manuals are already destroyed, but only we know this truth. Those who refuse to believe the manuals are gone will search for clues among you.”

Na Yang-ja’s gaze fell to the new weapons.

“If word of these new weapons spreads, even more will come hunting. Surely among them will be Masters whose strength exceeds what we can bear.”

Yi Jung-yong asked quietly.

“So what do you intend to do?”
“People may recognize me, but few know your faces well. If I separate from you, those men will have fewer ways to track you down.”

Jin Ip-chu’s eyes hardened.

“Are you telling us to abandon our master and save ourselves?”
“You’re reading too much into my words.”

Na Yang-ja showed no anger.

“I know you’re not ungrateful. But if we keep traveling together, we’ll be discovered soon enough. Stop one group, and another follows. And all the while, we fall further behind.”

He paused to collect himself, then continued.

“Against ordinary opponents, I can hold my own. But if we face a master who has achieved the Purple Aura, we have no chance as we are now.”

Ba Tu-ru nodded emphatically.

“You’re right, master. Your words are right.”

Jin Ip-chu turned to look at him.

“Do you understand what he’s saying, and you still agree? The master is trying to send us away.”
“Away where?”

Ba Tu-ru’s eyes widened.
Jin Ip-chu swallowed a sigh and turned back to Na Yang-ja.

“I would never have left, even if you hadn’t been wounded. I certainly cannot leave now.”

Yi Jung-yong glared at Jin Ip-chu.

“Do you alone have honor while the rest of us have none?”

He clasped his hands before Na Yang-ja.

“The debt of kindness we owe you could never be repaid even with our lives. We will not go. Please don’t speak of this again.”

Jeon Jin-gung bound the Spinning Blade disc to her waist in silence. Jang Saeng met Na Yang-ja’s gaze without flinching.
Seeing the resolve in both their faces, Na Yang-ja’s expression softened for a moment. Yet his determination did not waver.

“Except for Ba Tu-ru and Jang Saeng, each of you three has family.”

That single remark stiffened the faces of Yi Jung-yong and Jin Ip-chu.

“Kangho does not shelter only the righteous. There are those who, if they cannot find you, will seize your parents and relatives and demand you turn yourselves in. What will you do then?”
“Few people know of my hometown or my family.”

Yi Jung-yong answered at once.

“Even if they search, they won’t find them easily.”

Jeon Jin-gung also spoke.

“My family is far from Zhong Tu. It will be difficult for what I’ve done here to reach them.”
“That’s right.”

Jin Ip-chu followed with his own words, but his voice was weaker than before.
Jang Saeng understood the reason. Jin Ip-chu had divided his heart among several women, and had secretly exchanged letters with them. He himself likely had no idea how far those traces extended.
Na Yang-ja did not miss that small tremor.

“You don’t realize how precious the Heart Methods you’ve memorized are. A single copy is enough to dominate an entire region and earn a name. Before such temptation, how many would refuse to use any means necessary?”

His voice hardened.

“This matter is settled. Jung-yong, Ip-chu, and Jin-gung—return to your hometown at once. Ba Tu-ru, take Jang Saeng to the Grasslands and hide yourselves there. When the rumors die down, I will come find you.”

Only Ba Tu-ru’s eyes darted about, gauging the expressions of the others. The remaining four understood the true meaning buried in those words.
Na Yang-ja was not certain he would be able to come find them again.
Only then did Jang Saeng recall the long teachings he’d heard in the cart the day before. Those words might not have been instruction for some distant future—they might have been what Na Yang-ja meant to leave behind before sending them away.

“I will not go.”

Jeon Jin-gung spoke first.
After her brief refusal, Jang Saeng opened his mouth.

“Nor will I.”

Yi Jung-yong and Jin Ip-chu had already made up their minds not to change their answer. Ba Tu-ru only then grasped the situation and pressed his Bian Tie Gon firmly into the earth.

“I won’t go either. I’ll follow wherever Master goes.”

Na Yang-ja rebuked them several times. He told them not to disobey his command, warned that remaining might not be filial piety but foolishness.
No one moved.
Jang Saeng looked at the tips of Na Yang-ja’s fingers. Each time he spoke his rebuke, his hands trembled faintly, yet he did not hide them within his sleeves. Jang Saeng understood that the command to leave was not meant to push his disciples away but to save them. Still, he could not move his feet.
At last Jin Ip-chu stepped forward, unable to contain himself.

“Master, speak honestly to us.”

He looked directly at Na Yang-ja’s gaunt face.

“How severe is the wound?”

Na Yang-ja did not answer at once. He regarded his disciples for a time, as if he’d known this question would come eventually.

“The Hedge Hog Spine that pierced me was extracted from Nam Jo’s Hyeon-wi.

It is a venomous barb.”

Ba Tu-ru’s mouth fell open.

“The venom is extremely potent, and there is almost no antidote.”
“Then Master, you….”

Jang Saeng’s voice did not reach its end.
Na Yang-ja raised his hand and stopped him.

“Do not despair. It is true that time is urgent, but one thread of hope still remains.”

He rose slowly from his seat.

“If you will not leave after all, then let us go together to find the antidote.”

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