* *
– Kyaaaah!!
Have you ever seen a person falling from the sky?
Sabok Seol became one of the few in the world who could say yes to that question.
After all, a giant hawk entity was soaring through the sky, and suddenly, a person began to plummet with a shriek.
“…What’s going on?”
Sabok Seol muttered under his breath, raising his inner power instinctively. A grandfather, skillfully holding onto Black Rib with one hand while tightly clutching a girl with the other, was descending from the sky.
And then, impact.
Crash!!
Instead of the typical and mundane question of “Who is that?” from the members of the Trench Faction alongside Sabok Seol, they drew their Daoist weapons. No matter how vast the world was, could anyone besides Thunder Name Zhonja be falling from the sky while riding a hawk entity?
“Calm down. I’m just here to talk.”
Ho Cheon-an replied nonchalantly, setting the dazed Nab-in down on solid ground. Perhaps the shock of free-falling from the sky caused Nab-in’s legs to give out, as he plopped down right there.
Though they readied their weapons, the members of the Trench Faction dared not approach Ho Cheon-an, who had made an entrance never seen before, and merely fussed over the startled Nab-in, creating a bizarre standoff.
This standoff broke when Nab-in regained his senses.
“Stop bothering the Podalap Palace people! Please!”
“What?”
Sabok Seol was taken aback by Nab-in’s words, which were half-hidden behind Ho Cheon-an’s leg. More precisely, he was shocked by Ho Cheon-an allowing Nab-in and himself to communicate directly.
Typically, conversations are held between leaders of groups. Following common courtesy, if Nab-in had any dealings with Sabok Seol, it was only natural for Ho Cheon-an to lead the conversation.
“Hey, Thunder Name Zhonja. What is this bizarre act?”
“It’s just that this child wants to talk to you, so I brought him here.”
“Hah.”
Sabok Seol looked down at Nab-in, then thought to himself.
This tiny creature wants to talk?
Sabok Seol was baffled but decided to indulge in the conversation. After all, it was an opportunity to indirectly express his feelings to Thunder Name Zhonja, and having witnessed the risks that little creature took to come down, he decided to commend that bravery.
“Alright. What do you want to say?”
“Please leave the Podalap Palace alone! They’re all kind and good people!”
“Hmm… Sure. Those in Podalap Palace are monks, so of course, they’d be kind and good, huh?”
“Then why…!”
“Why indeed.”
Sabok Seol stared intently at Nab-in. Observing how Nab-in shrank back under the gaze of an expert martial artist, he thought: Would this child truly grasp the history of the Martial World and the actions of the Huang Nation if he explained it?
Probably not.
Thus, Sabok Seol slowly organized his thoughts and simplified his feelings.
“Kid, you also came to this place from the Central Plains, didn’t you? Even if you rode an entity, it sure took some time, right?”
Nab-in nodded.
“I’ve spent over ten years wandering this western area, escaping the Huang Nation. I’ve probably wandered around longer than you’ve been alive.”
Those words made Nab-in gulp. He, too, had experienced a journey where neither the entity nor Ho Cheon-an protected him.
“I bore and endured those long years, waiting for a chance to return to the Central Plains. But now that peace has come to the Central Plains, that chance has vanished. Do you know the feeling of despair and anger when that long wait goes to waste?”
“Still, it’s wrong to bother kind people!”
“That’s true. So what do you think I should do? Should I abandon my lifelong wish just because I shouldn’t do bad deeds?”
Nab-in was at a loss for words.
Sabok Seol’s actions were undoubtedly wrong. Wasn’t he planning to bother the people of Podalap Palace to fuel his desire to return to the Central Plains?
“I want to go back to the Central Plains, and the only way I can do that now is to conquer this Podalap Palace and Rano Sara, build up influence, and wage war against the Huang Nation. Ha, but what a slim chance of that happening, huh?”
Yet he couldn’t tell Sabok Seol, who had roamed this western area for years with the single-minded wish to return to the Central Plains, to “quit.”
“That’s… still…”
When Nab-in stuttered without a response, Sabok Seol burst into laughter. It was a question even most adults and martial artists would find difficult to answer. It may have been too harsh a question for a child.
“You sure are raising the kid well, huh? Thunder Name Zhonja.”
Ho Cheon-an silently pressed Black Rib. With this indirect expression of intent not to converse, Sabok Seol nodded and opened his mouth.
“Anyway, since we’ve met, let me say a few things I want to say. You may think differently, but even the expert of the martial artist’s realm is enough to be called a transcendent being in the secular world. However, all those experts have chosen to either wander or recluse themselves. Do you really think they fled, hiding from the Huang Army?”
Ho Cheon-an didn’t respond.
“Of course not. But they were human too. Being human, they had connections. They couldn’t withstand the pressure exerted by the Huang Nation on those around them. Are you any different? As long as the Huang Nation exists, it will try to repress you in one way or another. And its targets won’t be limited to just you.”
Ho Cheon-an understood what Sabok Seol was getting at.
The Huang Nation had expelled all the experts from the martial artist realm. So how would they treat Thunder Name Zhonja, who had shown a talent beyond what those experts could exhibit?
They’d apply even greater pressure.
Ho Cheon-an had confidence that no matter what oppression the Huang Nation imposed on him, he wouldn’t be affected. But what about his surroundings? If Nab-in became his disciple? Perhaps just for being Thunder Name Zhonja’s disciple, he might be unable to lead a normal life.
“As long as the Huang Nation doesn’t change, the martial artists will live lives oppressed just due to their high skill in martial arts. But will the Huang Nation change its stance? Even turning a blind eye to the emergence of Thunder Name Zhonja who eradicated all the remnants of the Blood Sect?”
Sabok Seol shook his head.
“The only thing that can change the Huang Nation’s attitude now is the sword hanging over its head. Am I wrong?”
If he cared for Nab-in, if he wished for Nab-in to live a happy life, he couldn’t just let the current Huang Nation be as it is, Sabok Seol urged.
Still, Ho Cheon-an remained silent in response to Sabok Seol’s appeal.
Due to Ho Cheon-an’s lack of response, Sabok Seol gestured for his subordinates. The subordinates sheathed their weapons and slowly stepped back, and Sabok Seol, watching them, turned away and said,
“Quietly leave the Podalap Palace. If you do, both you and I will be able to obtain what we desire.”
Once again, there was silence.
* *
“Nab-in…!”
As soon as Ho Cheon-an and Nab-in returned to the Podalap Palace, Ramo embraced Nab-in.
“Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?”
“Yes! I’m fine, sister!”
“Elder! No matter what, you fell from the sky on Cheon-eung! What were you thinking if something went wrong?!”
At Ramo’s anger, Ho Cheon-an just awkwardly smiled. Seeing that, Sara added,
“Nab-in and Ho Cheon-an Great Hero are guests of this Podalap Palace. It is the duty of the host to ensure the safety of guests. The members of the Trench Faction will be fully dealt with in the Podalap Palace, so Great Hero, you may rest comfortably inside the palace.”
“Elder! If you take Nab-in with you on another reckless mission, I swear I will be really angry! I mean it!”
“I understand. I will be careful.”
Ho Cheon-an barely soothed the two fussing over him, sighed deeply, and turned to Nab-in, who was staring glumly at the ground.
Ho Cheon-an moved closer to Nab-in.
And then, he silently patted Nab-in’s head.
How long had it been?
“Did I… do something wrong?”
Suddenly, Nab-in spoke up.
“I don’t want anything bad to happen to the people of Podalap Palace… But I can’t stop thinking about that grandfather… And that grandfather isn’t exactly a villain either…”
His rambling was jumbled, but Ho Cheon-an understood Nab-in’s concerns perfectly.
Even though he wanted to help the people of Podalap Palace, he had also started to feel compassion for Sabok Seol.
Ho Cheon-an patted Nab-in’s back and said,
“Actually, this grandfather has a plan to save both sides.”
“…Huh?”
Nab-in looked up at Ho Cheon-an with a puzzled expression. Could such a thing even exist?
“If we change the Huang Nation’s mind, wouldn’t that be it?”
Nab-in momentarily blanked out.
The scale of the answer was something he could never have imagined.
“If we could change the Huang Nation’s mind, then Sabok Seol would be able to return to the Martial World, and since he could return to the Martial World, there would be no need to invade Podalap Palace.”
“Is that… even possible?”
“Of course, it’s a difficult road.”
Ho Cheon-an smiled slightly.
“Why, do you think it’s impossible?”
Nab-in slowly shook his head. During his travels, he was gradually becoming aware of how amazing a person Ho Cheon-an was.
If it were Ho Cheon-an, it might really be possible.
Yes!
A smile began to spread across Nab-in’s face. This way, both Sabok Seol’s problem and the Podalap Palace problem could be solved.
However, Nab-in’s smile cracked at Ho Cheon-an’s next words.
“But to change the Huang Nation’s mind, I will have to leave the Podalap Palace. At least, this grandfather will.”
“Huh?”
Leave the Podalap Palace?
“Haha. Do you think Sabok Seol would just back down? Changing the Huang Nation’s mind is still just a possibility; to persuade Sabok Seol, we’ll have to show some action right away.”
“Then…”
“Thus, this grandfather must leave for the Central Plains.”
At Ho Cheon-an’s words, Nab-in fell into confusion. The Podalap Palace was a place he had always wished to stay. It was home to the tribesmen and monks who cared for the entities, and it had Ramo, with whom he played every day, and for some reason, an unexplainable closeness to Sara.
He wanted to protect the Podalap Palace because he wanted to stay with them… but now he had to leave?
Just imagining leaving the Podalap Palace hurt his heart. Naturally, his face scrunched up, and seeing that made Ho Cheon-an feel pitiful.
“I know you’ve grown very attached to Ramo and Sara. I’m sorry to have to say such things, knowing that.”
Ho Cheon-an embraced Nab-in.
“This grandfather is greedy. I want to send the members of the Trench Faction back to the Central Plains, ensure peace in this Podalap Palace, and have the Huang Nation change its resolve so that this world can return to its original form. I know the path will be long and treacherous for you… and many adversities await.”
“Grandfather…”
“Nab-in. If you stay with this grandfather, you will encounter similar situations in the future. You’ll wander the world, and even if you grow attached to someone, you’ll have to leave again; you might even experience pains you can’t imagine right now.”
Ho Cheon-an would do everything possible to prevent such a future from happening to Nab-in. But inevitably, those things would come to pass.
So.
Ho Cheon-an looked at Nab-in’s face and said,
“Therefore… if you want to stay here and think this farewell and the hardships and pains ahead will be too much to endure, I will ask my Rano Sara to let you stay here.”
“Why…”
Upon hearing Ho Cheon-an’s words, Nab-in exclaimed.
“Why would you say something like that?!”
With a voice angrier than ever, he pushed Ho Cheon-an away. Although Nab-in was the one who was pushed back, ultimately, it was Nab-in who escaped from Ho Cheon-an’s embrace.
“I really hate you, Grandfather!”
And with that, Nab-in stormed out of the room.
Ho Cheon-an reached out toward the diminishing sound of little feet, only to withdraw his hand and lower his head.
