Heavenly Inquisition Sword Novel - Chapter 250
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Chapter 250: Wind and Clouds
Henan Province.
Zhengzhou City.
Chiliha Village.
East Hill.
With the arrival of spring, the black branches began to turn greenish.
Some trees already showed light green buds at the tips of their branches.
In the quiet mountain, where no bird songs could be heard, occasional short shouts resonated.
“Cha-hat!”
The sound came from the top of the mountain.
At the desolate summit of the mountain, a man wielded a sword, moving back and forth.
It was Yeon Jeokha, practicing the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship.
After executing a sequence quickly, then once again slowly, he stopped.
This was the limit of the technique he had seen in the mirror.
His expression was serene as he sheathed the sword.
He had already mastered the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship, whether executing it quickly or slowly.
He had reached a point where more practice wouldn’t improve his skills.
Yeon Jeokha sat on the edge of a rock and looked at the distant sky.
What should he practice now?
He knew the answer.
‘The Sword Control Technique.’
But that didn’t mean the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship was inferior to the Sword Control Technique.
The Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship and the Sword Control Technique were essentially different.
They were like ‘wind’ and ‘cloud’.
The Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship was like the wind.
It could be a gentle breeze or a strong gale according to his will.
Although he was unsure of what ‘the sword reaching the nine heavens’ truly meant, he thought that, like the wind blowing everywhere, he had a rough idea of its meaning.
In contrast, the Sword Control Technique was like a cloud.
It seemed to be something, but then it transformed completely into something else.
At first, he thought it was just ‘moving the sword with qi’.
But after learning the Heavenly Sword Technique, he realized it was not.
From the perspective of the Heavenly Sword Technique, ‘moving the sword with qi’ was ‘a superficial technique’.
The Sword Control Technique talked about ‘responding with qi to all things’.
Not just a sword, but responding to all things with qi.
In reality, that was just ‘the beginning of the Sword Control Technique’.
After responding to all things, he didn’t know what else to expect.
The Sword Control Technique constantly changed, like clouds changing shape with the wind.
Yeon Jeokha knew he still didn’t fully understand the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship or the Heavenly Sword Technique.
If Old Shim heard this, he would say not to speak nonsense, but it was true.
‘The sword reaching the nine heavens’ and ‘the sword hidden in the sky’, what did they really mean?
For now, he could only think that the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship referred to its essence and the Heavenly Sword Technique to its profound meaning.
Was it frustrating not to understand?
Not at all; in fact, he found it fascinating.
If he knew everything about the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship and the Heavenly Sword Technique, the days would feel long.
He would have nothing else to do.
Practicing the Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship and the Heavenly Sword Technique made the days pass quickly.
Even though he had climbed up in the morning and practiced for a while, it was already noon.
Growl~
When his stomach growled, Yeon Jeokha quickly stood up.
Descending the mountain, he slowed his pace.
The branches that had been black and dead during the winter were reviving.
Many already showed new shoots.
Within the branches that had seemed dead during the winter, life was hidden.
‘Is the Heavenly Sword Technique something like this?’
Suddenly, an inspiration flashed in his mind like lightning.
He felt as if his crown opened and he could see the secrets of the universe for a moment.
‘Ah!’
But that brilliant inspiration, like the wind, dispersed and he couldn’t grasp it.
The inspiration that hit him like thunder only left the sensation that something was ‘hidden’.
Where and what was hidden?
Yeon Jeokha walked, contemplating only that.
Entering through the main door of the rented house, he saw an unwanted visitor.
It was Yeon Seolju.
Yeon Jeokha stopped and frowned deeply.
Yeon Seolju, sitting at the edge of the porch, stood up awkwardly.
It was their first encounter since Five Peaks Mountain, so he felt awkward but tried to act naturally.
“Jeokha.”
“What do you want?”
Yeon Jeokha openly displayed his annoyance.
He had handed over the Waryong Sword after much persuasion; why was she coming back now?
“It’s been a while. You look better than last time.”
“Hmph! What trick are you trying now? Do you want a rematch?”
Yeon Jeokha spoke harshly, true to his nature as a Nokrim thief.
Yeon Seolju waved her hands quickly.
“It’s not that. I just came to see you. I found out two years ago that you are our fourth brother.”
“Stop talking nonsense and get to the point.”
“Won’t you invite me for tea, even though I’m your sister?”
Yeon Jeokha looked at her with disdain.
“Are you crazy? I’ll give you one last chance. Tell me what you want. If you have nothing to say, I’m leaving. I’m hungry and want to eat something.”
“…”
Yeon Jeokha’s firm attitude made Yeon Seolju bite her lips.
He had always been different.
Surely that’s why he had become a Nokrim thief.
No matter that she was his half-sister, to him, she was no more than a stranger.
Of course, she didn’t see him as family either.
She was just trying not to bother him to get what she needed.
“Alright, I’ll say it.”
She hurriedly spoke, fearing that Yeon Jeokha would leave.
Yeon Jeokha’s face twisted into a sarcastic smile.
It was expected.
Saying she came for tea? That was something even a dog wouldn’t believe.
“Elder Brother asked you to return the Waryong Sword, right? I’m sorry. Elder Brother is a bit greedy. I apologize on his behalf.”
Yeon Seolju blamed Yeon Mubaek for what she had caused.
“The prologue is long. Get to the point. Or should I leave?”
“Alright, I’ll be brief. Elder Brother lost an arm using the Waryong Sword.”
Yeon Jeokha’s eyes twitched for a moment.
It seemed she was suggesting it was his fault.
“What nonsense is that? Are you blaming me if someone chokes on a fishbone?”
“No, I didn’t mean that. Don’t misunderstand. I just wanted to say that he lost the arm using the Waryong Sword.”
Yeon Seolju quickly changed her tone, seeing that the accusation wasn’t working.
She knew that if Yeon Jeokha had any sense of responsibility, he wouldn’t be a Nokrim thief.
She mentally chided herself and continued.
“Elder Brother believes that only you can properly handle the Waryong Sword. Is that true?”
“What do you mean?”
Yeon Jeokha frowned.
“Properly handle” could mean many things, including sword skills, qi, and experience.
But why would they mention him?
There were many excellent swordsmen in the Heaven and Earth Alliance.
“I heard that you know how to handle the Waryong Sword. Elder Brother said that without that technique, the Waryong Sword is just a well-made sword.”
“Wow!”
Yeon Jeokha exclaimed, incredulous.
First, they said the Waryong Sword was a spiritual treasure, and now they said there was a special technique to handle it.
“Since you returned the Waryong Sword, they should have asked you to teach us how to handle it. After all, we are also part of the Yeon Family. We have the right to know.”
“You’re misunderstanding something. The Waryong Sword is not a spiritual treasure. There’s no special technique to handle it. If it were a spiritual treasure, do you think I would have returned it? Do you think I’m that foolish?”
“But you killed demons with the Waryong Sword.”
“Haven’t you heard the recent rumors? I also killed the Tianmen Mountain demons with this sword. Do you want to say it’s also a spiritual treasure? Why don’t you try asking for it too?”
Yeon Jeokha touched the sword at his waist.
“Is it really not a spiritual treasure?”
“If it were a spiritual treasure, I would have used it until it wore out. Don’t you know what I’m like after the Five Peaks Mountain incident?”
Yeon Seolju stared at Yeon Jeokha.
His clear eyes and unchanged expression indicated he wasn’t lying.
Anger began to bubble inside her.
“You should have told us it wasn’t a spiritual treasure! Elder Brother lost an arm trusting the Waryong Sword.”
“I said many times it wasn’t a spiritual treasure. If you didn’t believe me, how is that my fault? Is everything that goes wrong my fault? What a comfortable life you lead.”
Yeon Seolju, breathing heavily, spoke with resignation.
“Alright. Let’s say you’re right. But Elder Brother still believes you have a special technique. If so, it must be a lost internal technique of our ancestors. That’s the only difference between you and us.”
She recalled the battle at the Jin’an night market two years ago, where Pung Yeoncho and Tak Gomyung showed their skills.
The technique they used was the Nine Heavens Swordsmanship of the Waryong Manor.
But the form was similar, though the result was completely different.
They had probably learned a lost internal technique from their ancestors.
“Am I wrong?”
Yeon Jeokha neither confirmed nor denied.
It was true he had learned a lost internal technique from the Yeon ancestors.
The Nine Heavens Supreme Swordsmanship was something completely different, though.
“So?”
Yeon Jeokha asked indifferently.
It would be foolish not to know what Yeon Seolju wanted in this situation.
“You taught our techniques to the Five Peaks Mountain thieves.”
“I don’t like beating around the bush. Get to the point.”
“I’ll be brief. Those techniques are ours. We have the right to learn them. Teach us too. If you do, Elder Brother will accept it.”
“Accept what?”
“I told you. Elder Brother believes you have a special technique. Teach us the Yeon ancestors’ techniques. That will solve everything.”
Yeon Jeokha wiped his forehead and showed it to Yeon Seolju.
“What’s written on my forehead?”
“There’s nothing written.”
Yeon Jeokha brought his forehead closer to Yeon Seolju.
“No, there must be something written.”
“There’s nothing. What should be written?”
When his forehead was close to her nose, Yeon Seolju backed away slightly.
“Look closely. It must say ‘idiot’.”
“…”
Finally, Yeon Seolju realized he was teasing her and gritted her teeth.
But she couldn’t give up here.
If she was going to give up so easily, she wouldn’t have even come.
“You taught our techniques to thieves, leaving the owners with nothing.”
“Stop calling the thieves thieves. It bothers them.”
“I know you suffered in Waryong Manor because of our mother. But you’ve already taken your revenge by destroying Waryong Manor and Elder Brother’s family. Isn’t that enough? Do you have to do the same to your brothers and sisters?”
Yeon Jeokha, who had been listening silently, spoke in a low voice.
“You’re here only because you’re my siblings. If not for that, you wouldn’t be able to approach me.”
“Why? What did we do to you? We were just children. Do you still hold a grudge against us?”
“I was locked in the storage room for ten years. Were they children? When they grew up, they didn’t come to save me. Do you pretend not to know I was locked up?”
“You know our mother’s stubbornness and the elders’. We couldn’t do anything.”
Yeon Seolju spoke with her heart in hand.
Though they had forgotten Yeon Jeokha over time, even if they had known, they couldn’t have helped him. The guards of Waryong Manor watched the storage room day and night.
“So, you want me to teach you the Yeon Techniques?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Seolju looked at him with hope.
Since the battle at the Jin’an night market, she had dreamed of this.
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