The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 58

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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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Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family – Chapter 58

-A God of War from the Northern Region? Is he famous?
‘Yes. Though he’s not from the Central Plains and hasn’t entered the ranks of the Thirteen Venerables, he is a master of comparable caliber.’
This wasn’t merely my personal speculation.
In the past, the Northern Region’s God of War had come to the Central Plains for reasons unknown, and had once clashed with Overwhelming Force Divine Fist, one of the Thirteen Venerables.
The result was a draw between the two.
Of course, it was said that neither had fought to the death with full strength due to their respective circumstances, but the God of War and Overwhelming Force Divine Fist had acknowledged each other.
In other words, he was a master formidable enough to stand as an equal to the Thirteen Venerables.
‘Moreover, what’s truly terrifying isn’t his individual martial prowess, but rather his backing. The God of War is a fierce warrior who commands the steppe peoples of the Northern Region with an iron grip.’
-Hmm. Does that mean he has unified the Northern steppes?
‘Not quite unified, but he certainly wields considerable influence. In fact, aside from the Golden Clans and a few other tribes, his tribe possesses the greatest wealth and power in the region.’
In simple terms, the God of War was essentially a king among the various nations of the Northern Region.
Yet somehow, his daughter came to the Central Plains.
-Does she come in the future you remember as well?
‘Yes. But her reasons for coming then were… not favorable.’
-Unfavorable reasons?
‘The God of War intended to invade the Central Plains with his tribesmen.’
-What? Is that truly so?
‘Yes. For a time, chaos and unease permeated this land of Sanseo. If the God of War pressed forward, his forces would pass directly through here.’
Indeed, he had advanced his troops as far as Datong, the northern city.
Of course, there were soldiers stationed there to guard the border, so armed conflict was narrowly averted…
Still, I remember the atmosphere was quite tense.
-How did you come to meet this person?
‘As the leader of the martial forces responsible for Shanxi Province, I was forced to join the Northern Region’s battlefield. It was a decision made by the Elder Council, which governed the family in my stead at that time.’
I still vividly remembered how Elder Won-ju Lee Tae-gyeom had orchestrated public opinion to send me away.
And despite doing so, he hadn’t even arranged an escort force, so I had to go almost alone.
As a result, I had to endure sharp looks from the government military forces protecting the North, saying I was of no help.
‘At that time, Gye Wol-hyang, the God of War’s daughter, came as the representative. She led the negotiations before the actual fighting began.’
-I see. So you became familiar with her face then.
‘Yes. Though to be precise, it was only I who remembered her. There was almost no opportunity for her and me to converse.’
I was seated as the representative of Sanseo’s martial world, but that was all.
She didn’t even glance my way, perhaps knowing I was merely a figurehead.
-Still, it seems things ended well?
‘Yes. The God of War’s true purpose wasn’t to start a real war, but to use a show of force to make trade terms more favorable for his people.’
Gye Wol-hyang achieved what she wanted in the negotiations.
They agreed to trade war horses sold from the North to the Empire at fifty percent higher prices.
Thus, the Northern Region’s crisis came to an end.
But the mere fact that the God of War had nearly descended caused considerable turmoil throughout the Central Plains.
‘That was also during a time when the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was running rampant. Things were truly chaotic back then.’
-I see. Ah, they’re fighting.
While the Sword Spirit and I were conversing, Gye Wol-hyang and her escort began their battle.
“Attack!”
“Show these barbarians what we’re made of!”
The Black Bandits, apparently unaware of the aura emanating from them, charged forward with overconfidence.
Yet Gye Wol-hyang and her escort met them with scornful smiles, dispatching more than ten enemies in mere moments.
‘Impressive indeed.’
Gye Wol-hyang was young.
Only a year or two older than I was at this point in time.
Yet she appeared to have already reached the pinnacle of transcendent mastery.
Her escort was even more formidable—a master of the Johwa Realm—which explained how these two could travel with such confidence.
Moments later.
“Cough!”
“Arghhhh!”
The Black Bandits who had charged so boldly were reduced to pulp in an instant.
“Get out of here before the lady. Had this been the grasslands, none of you would have survived.”
The man escorting Gye Wol-hyang cracked his knuckles as he spoke.
The Black Bandits scattered in panic and fled.
But then it happened.
“How much longer do you plan to size us up?”
Gye Wol-hyang’s escort turned to face Sa Gong-cheon and me as he spoke.
It seemed we had unconsciously raised our guard in response to their combat.
Before he could say anything more, I stepped forward and clasped my fist in salute.
“If we’ve caused offense, I sincerely apologize. We were merely unaware of your identities and acted rudely.”
-Hmph. Lying without even wetting your lips first.
“….”
Gye Wol-hyang and her escort seemed somewhat taken aback by my immediate deference.
They had apparently expected us to respond with hostility.
Sa Gong-cheon watched my lead and remained silent for now.
After a brief pause, I introduced myself first.
“I am Jin Muyeol, the young master of the Bukcheon Sword Family. Might I ask where you two hail from?”
“The Bukcheon Sword Family?”
“The Bukcheon Sword Family… could you mean that place which represents the Sanseo martial world?”
Gye Wol-hyang spoke to me.
Representing the Sanseo martial world.
It wasn’t an inaccurate statement.
Despite our decline over recent years, we remained the greatest force in Sanseo.
Yet what startled me was hearing such words from Gye Wol-hyang’s lips first.
In my previous life, she had treated me as though I barely existed, so her behavior now was astonishing.
“Insufficient though it may be, that is what we are called.”
“Miss.”
“Yes.”
At my response, the two of them suddenly exchanged glances.
What was that?
Gye Wol-hyang seemed to share a brief telepathic message before assuming a fist salute with slightly awkward movements.
“We are people from the grasslands of the Northern Region. We apologize for our rudeness earlier. We had some strange individuals pestering us, which caused us to react rather harshly.”
“There is no need for concern. I believe such a reaction would be entirely understandable. However, what brings you warriors of the grasslands to this place? Perhaps you are here for sightseeing?”
“Well, that is….”
Gye Wol-hyang hesitated for a moment before her expression grew serious with resolve.
She approached us and sealed the area with a barrier so that others could not hear her words.
“This matter must not be revealed to anyone. Young Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family. Can you keep this secret on the honor of your clan?”
“I do not know what this concerns, but I understand. As long as it brings no harm to us, we shall not unnecessarily divulge anything.”
“Yes. Then I shall tell you. We have come searching for a physician.”
“A physician?”
I asked in surprise, and Gye Wol-hyang nodded.
“Yes. My mother… the matriarch of our tribe has fallen ill with a mysterious ailment.”
This was the first I had heard of such a thing.
In my previous life, I had never heard such a story.
Yet I did not panic and listened to her account until the end.
Wol-hyang seemed to have something more she wished to say to me.
“Young Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family. If it would not be too much trouble… could you possibly help us?”
I answered without hesitation.
“I shall.”
I was not fool enough to let slip an opportunity that had fallen into my lap by chance.

* * *

First, we returned to the clan with the two of them.
We decided to visit the dumpling house later, as originally planned.
For now, something far more pressing had come up.
We dismissed the servants and entered my Administrative Office to talk.
“Before we do anything, could you explain the exact situation to me?”
“Of course.”
Gye Wol-hyang nodded and spoke.
“My mother began falling ill about a year ago. At first, I thought she was simply unwell, but soon after, she started coughing blood and losing consciousness—her condition grew severe.”
“I see….”
“So my father summoned physicians from the grasslands to examine her, but it was useless. No one could identify the disease or its cause. They could only provide symptomatic treatment to ease her suffering slightly.”
“Is that why you came all this way?”
“Yes. My father is gathering physicians from the Central Plains near Datong, but… since that region is a frontier area, I doubted proper physicians would gather there. I wanted to bring physicians from a larger city if we could find them.”
“But it seems you’ve had difficulty finding them.”
“Most physicians showed reluctance upon hearing our grassland accent. And just now, some even appeared who mocked and insulted me….”
“It was quite satisfying to see you discipline those fools. Watching it was refreshing.”
“Aren’t you upset that a Central Plains person was beaten?”
“Why would I be upset? Those who discriminate against people for being of a different ethnicity and harass women deserve a beating. You did well.”
“Thank you.”
Gye Wol-hyang and her escort seemed pleased with my response, their lips curling upward.
I had clearly made a favorable impression.
I decided to seize this opportunity.
“The real problem is where to find physicians. Their reluctance stems not only from ethnic prejudice but also from the difficulty of traveling to the grasslands for consultations. They would have to close their practices and couldn’t be certain of proper compensation.”
“We intended to offer generous compensation to any physician willing to come.”
“But without an established relationship of trust, such promises are difficult to believe. If a stranger asks you to travel beyond the border, no amount of money would ease your hesitation, would it? That’s a practical difficulty.”
“That’s… true.”
Gye Wol-hyang nodded in acknowledgment.
I spoke to her in a gentle voice, reassuring her.
“However, I will take the matter into my own hands. If I gather people under the name of the Bukcheon Sword Family, far more exceptional and skilled physicians will come forward. Moreover, if our family—a renowned house of Sanseo—vouches for you, the physicians can travel with peace of mind.”
“Oh!”
“Will you truly do this for us?”
“Of course. One must help those in dire straits first. Isn’t that the essence of righteousness?”
The truth was, I had my own reasons for wanting something from the father and daughter….
But revealing that openly from the start would be unseemly.
So for now, I intended to place them in my debt.
“And I suspect we might even be able to bring someone of considerable standing.”
“Someone of standing?”
“By chance, our family has formed a connection with an exceptional physician from the Central Plains. If all goes well, he should honor our request.”
“Oh, might you tell me who this person is?”
“Of course. His name is Yu Jung-gwang.”
I smiled faintly and continued in a gentle voice.
“A remarkable physician who serves as one of the Five Great Physicians of the realm and is also known as the Medicine King.”
Even the Medicine King of all the lands cannot refuse my request now.
The time has come to collect the debt owed by the Shanxi Yu Clan.

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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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