"Three hundred years ago...? My lord, what are you talking about?"
Sama-yeong asked, completely dumbfounded by my words.
It was a reaction I fully expected.
Claiming to have defeated Emperor Geumsang, the most tyrannical ruler from 300 years ago, could very well sound like a ridiculous joke.
"Gasp!"
Sama-yeong covered her mouth with her palm and murmured,
"Don't tell me... my lord, you're actually much older than my father…"
"...No."
So she misunderstood it that way.
It seemed she believed I had lived for over 300 years.
Hearing the story alone, I could see how she might think that.
"Do you remember the Misty Forest back then?"
"Oh! Yes, I do. What happened back there? You said you'd tell me later."
At Sama-yeong's words, Sama-chak also looked at me curiously, apparently interested.
—Are you really going to tell them?
Sodam Sword asked me.
Even if not everything, I felt I should at least tell them a part of it.
It was no longer just my matter alone—my father-in-law and Sama-yeong were now deeply involved.
They also needed to know at least a little about that person.
"It was on our way to Muhansi. Suddenly, the Misty Forest appeared before us."
"I heard about that from Yeong."
"Then that makes things quicker. After entering the forest, I was able to reach Dohwaseon, the so-called paradise of ancient Taoist masters."
"Dohwaseon?"
The two of them looked puzzled.
Of course—they would have never heard that name in the secular world.
I figured it would be better to mention him directly.
"It's a place created by Sword Immortal Master and other enlightened sages who transcended time and space to leave the mundane world."
"Sword Immortal?"
The moment those words left my mouth, my father-in-law's eyes widened.
A swordsman—no, is there anyone in the martial world who doesn't know of the legendary Sword Immortal?
Sama-yeong also looked at me in shock and asked,
"No way... You're not talking about that Sword Immortal, right?"
"Yes. That Sword Immortal."
"N-No way! It's said he ascended long ago! Are you saying such a person was inside that Misty Forest?"
Strictly speaking, he left the mortal world with other Taoist masters.
Over time, the story twisted into the legend of his ascension.
Of course, their ultimate goal was ascension.
They are cultivating the Way in Dohwaseon for that purpose.
"...I find it hard to believe you. Both the Geumsang Emperor and the Sword Immortal—it's all too much."
"I expected you would."
No one would believe such a thing easily.
Explaining it a hundred times wouldn't do it. Maybe showing it would be better.
If Sword Immortal Master knew what I was about to do, he might scold me, but what choice did I have?
I drew the Namcheon Steel Sword from its scabbard.
—Shrring!
"They say seeing is believing. I will show you."
"Show us what?"
"A part of the Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique taught to me by the Sword Immortal Master."
'!?'
At the mention of the Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique, my father-in-law's eyes glinted.
It was said that this technique had been lost because the Sword Immortal left no disciples behind.
As I summoned thunder energy and focused it into my blade—
—Crackle!
Blue lightning wrapped around the blade of the Namcheon Steel Sword.
My father-in-law's previously narrowed eyes opened wide.
A swordsman of his caliber would instantly recognize the extraordinary energy emanating from the sword.
"This is..."
"This is the Thunder Sword of the Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique."
"My lord… Did you really… receive sword instruction from the Sword Immortal?"
Sama-yeong asked with a trembling voice.
I nodded calmly.
Sama-yeong repeatedly gasped and kept muttering "Impossible…"
If Yeong-yi were here, her reaction might've been even more entertaining.
—No doubt.
Sodam Sword chuckled.
My father-in-law, who had been quietly staring at the crackling blue lightning, finally spoke.
"When the world's greatest swordsman, the Sword Immortal, swung his blade, it was said to be as if lightning descended from the heavens… So it wasn't just an empty legend after all."
I had heard that tale too.
But it was the truth.
"…You have received a miracle of the ages."
My father-in-law said in a slightly trembling voice.
There was a subtle trace of envy in that voice.
What swordsman wouldn't envy someone who had inherited the legacy of the greatest swordsman of all time?
"I was lucky."
After showing them the Thunder Sword of the Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique, their reactions were vastly different from before.
—Snap!
I withdrew the Thunder Sword and sat down, adding dry twigs to the campfire as I spoke.
"From this point forward, everything I say is the truth."
I slowly recounted the events that happened in the Misty Forest.
From the fateful enmity with Ja-gyeong-jeong, the first disciple of the Sword Immortal, to being trapped in that time and eventually confronting the Geumsang Emperor.
"Huhhh…"
Throughout the story, the father and daughter couldn't hide their astonishment.
Of course, I didn't reveal everything.
I omitted certain critical details, like the existence of the Seven Star Gate which hears the voice of swords, and the fact that this wasn't my first time traveling through time.
But I did tell them everything about the situation I had been caught up in.
Tears welled up in Sama-yeong's eyes by the end.
"I had no idea those seven months here were such a long time for you…"
"It's okay. I came back safely, didn't I?"
Sama-yeong was a woman, after all.
I think this was the first time I saw her cry so much.
My father-in-law, after hearing the entire story, didn't look pleased—he seemed to take the situation very seriously.
"Then it's likely that the Geumsang Emperor, fearing the version of you from that time, has remained hidden until now."
As expected of his insight.
After hearing everything I'd experienced, he made a sound deduction.
Sama-yeong, worried, added,
"Then what he truly aims for might be… you, my lord."
"I can't say for sure, but it's possible."
I was the only one who had instilled fear in him.
He would want to overcome that fear.
"If such a powerful person stayed hidden for nearly 300 years, it might mean he's incredibly cautious and calculating."
"I agree with you, father-in-law."
"Hm…"
If the Geumsang Emperor were to emerge from the shadows, I believe it would be for one of two reasons.
Either he's certain he has surpassed me, the Sword Immortal's successor, or he's confident that I no longer pose a threat to him.
My father-in-law, stroking his mustache, looked at me and said,
"Perhaps… I know what he's after."
"Pardon?"
"Do you believe Geumsang Emperor achieved true immortality?"
I shook my head at that question.
As expected of him.
He was thinking the same thing I was.
I had long been wondering about the difference between having gold in both eyes versus just one.
And in the end, I reached a single conclusion.
"The Golden Emperor's immortality is incomplete. From the fact that it recovers slower when exposed to water to being able to die if beheaded—it's lacking to be called true immortality."
"I think the same. If it were true immortality, there shouldn't be any weaknesses."
From this, one more thing can be deduced:
The existence of the golden eyes—Seo Bok.
It's almost certain that the Golden Emperor reached this half-baked immortality by undergoing the same procedure as me, through Seo Bok.
In contrast, Seo Bok is a being of true immortality.
Such a being was imprisoned by the Golden Emperor, who now seeks him again.
Until now, it was hard to predict what the Emperor truly desired because we didn't know his or Seo Bok's identity.
But now it's different.
What the Emperor wants through Seo Bok is—
"It seems he wants to attain perfect immortality."
At my words, my father-in-law nodded in agreement.
"Perhaps the reason he hasn't shown himself until now is that, like the other Taoists, he assumed you took the Dragon-Tiger Elixir, the elixir of immortality. It could be due to the final warning you gave him."
It's truly ironic.
My last words bound him.
> "Don't forget—As long as Your Majesty breathes, I will continue to watch you. I hope you don't lose your only life by crossing my path again."
To him, the bare minimum to face me was being immortal—only then could he confront me as an equal.
My father-in-law sighed heavily and said in a grave tone:
"Ah... we should've risked our lives to kill him back then. By now, he may have already achieved perfect immortality."
He thought Seo Bok had fallen into the Emperor's hands.
"We don't know that for sure yet."
"We don't?"
"Seo Bok originally assisted the Golden Emperor. But for some unknown reason, he was imprisoned in Bonglim Valley for many years by the Emperor himself."
Hearing this, my father-in-law nodded as if it made sense.
"Perhaps Seo Bok turned against him."
"Yes. If Seo Bok were someone who would easily share the secret to immortality, then even Qin Shi Huang would still be ruling the Central Continent."
Yet Seo Bok disappeared, as recorded in historical texts.
There's no way he would have given the true secret of immortality to a tyrant equal to Qin Shi Huang.
That's probably why their relationship soured, and Seo Bok remained imprisoned in Bonglim Valley all this time.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a realization struck me.
The treasure Seo Bok hid by forging the five demon swords and splitting the map.
"King Pyeong's Tomb!"
– So what about it?
"That's where it's hidden."
– Huh?
Seo Bok had asked the legendary craftsman Gu Yaja to ensure the swords would not be gathered in one place.
And he made sure ordinary people could never possess these demon swords.
Why go to such lengths unless he was hiding something of immense importance?
– Wait...!
The true secret of immortality.
That must be what Seo Bok hid.
That's why the Golden Emperor went to every length to retrieve the five demon swords.
– You're right! But wait, Yunhui—that means this is bad, right?
"Bad?"
– If Seo Bok fell into the Emperor's hands, wouldn't he torture him to force out the secret?
That's the critical point.
If I were Seo Bok and truly wanted to hide the secret, I'd have asked Gu Yaja to make the map in a way that even I wouldn't know the full location.
– But didn't Seo Bok hide it himself? How could he not know?
That's the problem.
Even if the map is hidden, he likely couldn't entrust the secret to someone else.
So Seo Bok might still know the location himself.
And if Seo Bok ultimately gives in to the Emperor, the secret of immortality might fall into his hands.
"There's no time to waste."
We must find out whether the Emperor got the secret or not.
There's a simple way.
Go to King Pyeong's Tomb and see if the treasure is still there.
Only then can we determine if the Emperor possesses it.
If he has achieved true immortality, we'll be facing the worst kind of enemy.
I spoke carefully to my father-in-law:
"Father-in-law, may I ask you a favor?"
"A favor?"
He looked puzzled but nodded.
I then took out a lucky pouch and pulled out two pills.
"What are those?"
"Summoning pills."
They were two of the three pills I obtained from the Shaolin Temple.
I handed one each to my father-in-law and Sima Yeong.
"You may not gain much additional internal power, Father-in-law, but the pill will help you recover your strength faster."
"But why give something so valuable to me?"
Sima Yeong looked puzzled.
I smiled gently and said:
"It'll help you."
Truthfully, I wanted to give her a greater pill, but I should keep it for emergencies.
Even gaining ten years' worth of internal power will be a great help to her.
"Hehe."
Sima Yeong gripped the pill tightly.
Then my father-in-law asked:
"So what is this favor that comes with such a gift?"
"I wanted to go myself, but time is short."
"What do you mean?"
"Could you go to Noklim with Yeong?"
"Noklim?"
While my father-in-law looked puzzled, Sima Yeong immediately understood what I meant.
Those who went to Noklim, including Zuo Bai, had not returned.
I intended to go myself, but with Seo Bok now in the Emperor's hands, I no longer had the luxury.
"They still haven't returned?"
"If Asong's words are true, something must have happened. I'm sorry, but could you rescue my comrades and retainers?"
Given his skills, my father-in-law could handle Noklim unless it's the Emperor himself.
He frowned and asked:
"That's not difficult, but what about you?"
"I'll fly straight to the place where I believe Seo Bok hid the treasure."
"What? How do you know that?"
He was shocked again.
Rather than explain everything about the demon swords, I gave a brief answer.
"I happened to obtain part of the map Seo Bok left long ago. I went to Wuhanshi before to confirm what was there."
"…So you believe it's the secret to immortality."
"That's what I believe for now."
Sima Yeong then spoke:
"Wait, then wouldn't it be better to go with Father—"
"No, he's right."
"Father? But—"
"If I travel alone using Sword Flight, I'll get there quickly. If I go with you, we'll lose too much time."
"Ah..."
Sima Yeong sighed and looked at me with concern.
She must be worried I'm going alone.
"Don't worry."
I patted her on the head as she looked up at me with wide, kitten-like eyes.
She tilted her forehead toward me expectantly, but I subtly shook my head.
With her father watching, I couldn't kiss her on the forehead.
After telling her where we'd meet again, I bowed to my father-in-law, mounted the Namcheon Iron Sword, and flew off using Sword Flight.
---
* * *
As Jin Yunhui flew away on his sword, Sima Yeong sighed and said to her father, Sima Chak of the Wolak Sword:
"I'm worried... it feels like he's trying to shoulder everything alone."
To that, Sima Chak shook his head.
"Why not worry about your old man instead?"
"You're only injured, but you're still stronger than the young master, right?"
He chuckled at that.
As Sima Yeong looked puzzled, he snorted and said:
"Do you really think the man you'll marry is weaker than me?"
"Huh?"
As she blinked, her father ruffled her hair and cleared his throat, clearly done with the conversation.
"Ack! What was that for?"
"You take after your mother—you've got a good eye for men."
'!?'
At that rare compliment, Sima Yeong quietly smiled while fixing her messy hair.