Reincarnated Sword Ghost-Chapter 27 : Return

Return
It didn't even take a quarter of an hour to return. As he took a step forward, true ki pushed his body ahead.
It wasn't as dazzling as the movement from Cheong Jin he had witnessed before, but it felt even more free and light.
Moonlight Swift Steps(月下迅步). That was the name Jeong-un gave it. It was born exactly out of today's experience.
The name felt a little embarrassing, but he decided not to dwell on it.
He needed something to call it anyway.
'It's not like I'm going to teach it to someone.'
Jeong-un didn't bother to set the body-strengthening art apart separately.
Once he realized it, he saw that all the body-strengthening art shared a singular principle.
Separating them and giving each a name wouldn't have deepened their essence.
When he reached the edge of the village, Jeong-un saw a familiar figure in his sight.
It was Tang Yerin, hurrying out of the village.
"Lady Tang."
Tang Yerin looked at Jeong-un, who appeared suddenly, with somewhat startled eyes.
But as if remembering something urgent, she immediately opened her mouth to speak.
"Come on, let's go."
"...?"
She hurried to add words, seeing Jeong-un looking at her quizzically.
"You were going to go after those guys, weren't you? Your last words were suspicious, and when I went to your room, you weren't there anymore. I'm glad I didn't miss you."
"..."
"There must be more than one. Those bastards have learned demonic arts, so they'll also have unorthodox martial arts. I'll go ahead, so please watch our rear. If we thoroughly search the area where we found that guy earlier, I'm sure..."
Tang Yerin, who had been speaking quickly, trailed off and silently stared at Jeong-un.
He seemed a little too calm for someone heading to hunt down and destroy a group of Evil Faction members.
She couldn't help but feel a strange sense of dissonance.
"Why are you so..."
Then she spotted what Jeong-un was holding in one hand.
It was something roughly wrapped in a blood-soaked cloth, stained so much that its original color was unrecognizable.
"What is that?"
"A head."
"...?"
"I followed their traces and found their hideout. Just as you said, there were more than ten of them. I brought the head of the strongest among them. I thought it might be needed to explain my solo actions."
"..."
Tang Yerin seemed at a loss for words, closing her mouth.
"... You must have caught him while he was alone."
She muttered the words out at last.
"I had a feeling ever since you said you were following the traces of true ki, but you really are incredible. Taking a head without the others noticing couldn't have been easy. Honestly... If you show that, even Lee Si-geon won't be able to object to not going with you."
"There are no survivors left."
"Huh?"
"I wiped them all out. There were more victims. I separated them from the culprits."
"...!"
Jeong-un's face was dark. The brutal scene remained clear in his mind.
A confused political order and endless drought. People who become bandits with the turn of an opportunity.
And even bands of the Evil Faction that consume flesh to absorb true ki.
It was difficult to even imagine what other horrors there might be in this era.
"I don't know if they were villagers here... it would be best to notify the authorities as well."
"... Yes."
Tang Yerin, staring at Jeong-un for a moment with her big eyes, slowly nodded at his somber expression.
With that, they both returned to Dragon Heart Gate.
On the way back, Tang Yerin glanced at Jeong-un several times but never spoke up in the end.
She didn't know what words of comfort to offer.
After all, it had been a very long time since she'd seen a martial artist who turned pale at the sight of the corpses of commoners.
* * *
"What did you— what did you just say?"
Lee Si-geon stared wide-eyed at Jeong-un. He was still in his thin sleepwear, as if he'd just gotten up.
The surprise in his face made it clear that Jeong-un's words had woken him up completely.
"I tracked Ja Un-yeop's trail and found their hideout. I also found more bodies of innocent villagers."
"You... you exterminated them all by yourself?"
"Yes."
"..."
There was a tremble in Lee Si-geon's gaze—a mix of astonishment that the hideout could be destroyed single-handedly, and annoyance that Jeong-un had acted without ing to him.
On the side, Jo Gwang was staring, mouth agape, at the severed head rolling in the dirt.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
Standing a bit apart and watching, Baek Il-gang spoke up, looking at Jeong-un with a sidelong glance.
"If you'd given me a heads-up, I would have gone along."
"Baek Il-gang!"
Lee Si-geon snapped, as though scolding him. He'd also been in conflict over how to deal with this.
Jeong-un had certainly accomplished something, but it was bothersome that he had acted alone without a word.
And it had been Lee Si-geon himself who'd decided not to pursue further and just return.
Now that this had turned out to be a wrong choice, he found himself feeling embarrassed and at a loss.
"... I'm amazed by your insight, Lee Si-geon."
"Excuse me?"
At the unexpected remark, Lee Si-geon turned to look at Tang Yerin with wide eyes. The others did as well.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I saw you say a few words to Young Master Yu before heading to your room. I wondered what it was about, and now I see it was to instruct him to search their hideout. When Jeong-un ran into the enemy, he had no choice but to fight them. Isn't that right?"
She turned her head to Jeong-un. He met her eyes for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"... Yes."
"..."
Lee Si-geon's expression, as he looked at Tang Yerin in surprise, subtly changed.
A face that looked like he was deliberating over something. Then he cleared his throat a few times before addressing Jeong-un.
"... Well done. Still, the basic rule of reconnaissance is not to alert the enemy. You acted foolishly in some respects, but as you eliminated all the foes in the end, it's fine. Be more careful next time."
"I understand."
Jeong-un bowed his head and formed a fist-palm salute.
Lee Si-geon, looking somewhat disgruntled, turned away while fervently hoping Tang Yerin truly believed what she said.
Jo Gwang promptly followed after him.
"You really are a great hero. You had such a grand plan, I see."
"... Just go quietly and tell the Dragon Heart Gate Leader about this."
"You're humble as well! Amazing. Didn't you finish the mission in a single day?"
"Shut your mouth."
"Yes."
As Lee Si-geon and Jo Gwang walked off, Baek Il-gang, who had watched the scene in disbelief, burst out laughing.
"So in the end, only Young Hero Yu actually accomplished anything."
"Just by staying here, you've also been protecting this village."
"Hmph, I don't need empty praise."
He frowned, noticing the head on the ground.
"It's obvious at a glance this guy practiced some heinous demonic arts. Weren't you in danger?"
"The aura was indeed heavy with malice, but he was off guard. I was simply lucky."
"..."
At some point, the head had turned so black that its features were hard to distinguish.
There was no way it could have decayed already.
It was a truly bizarre sight.
"They say blood and flesh turn black when one tainted by demonic arts dies..."
"If the body can no longer control that malignant energy, it gets consumed by Demonic Energy. The only choice is to burn it."
At Tang Yerin's explanation, Jeong-un closely examined the head.
Indeed, the head was saturated with Demonic Energy, perhaps even more so than when its owner was alive.
'Why would anyone cultivate something like this?'
To willingly allow Demonic Energy into your body...? It was hard to comprehend.
Even Ja Un-yeop, who had sacrificed a neighboring child just to set foot in the martial world.
"... Anyway."
Baek Il-gang, glancing between Jeong-un and Tang Yerin with a peculiar gaze, spoke up.
"Let me know next time. I'd rather not come all this way just for nothing."
"Your presence alone is reassuring."
Tang Yerin replied with a bright smile, to which Baek Il-gang scoffed and walked off.
Then Tang Yerin turned to Jeong-un and asked,
"Did I do something unnecessary?"
"No. Thanks to your help, I avoided a troublesome situation."
"Then I'm glad. Anyway..."
She looked at Jeong-un for a moment as if he were some fascinating specimen, then smiled gently.
"Get some rest."
"You too, lady Tang."
From afar, the Dragon Heart Gate Leader and his disciples could be seen running over in a hurry, probably after hearing the news from Jo Gwang.
The mission was over.
* * *
The way back was rather quiet.
Lee Si-geon walked silently, lips tightly pressed. Baek Il-gang, walking apart, also kept his silence.
"Young Hero Yu, would you honor us with a duel when we return?"
"... If I have time."
"Ah! Thank you!"
The biggest change was Jo Gwang. Having previously only shown deference to Lee Si-geon and Tang Yerin, he now included Jeong-un as well.
It seemed that exterminating a band of Evil Faction members single-handedly had changed how Jo Gwang saw him.
"That head was terrifying! But looking at the cut, it was done in a single, flawless stroke. Sending such villains off without pain, what mercy!"
"..."
Jeong-un gave no reply.
He had simply moved in the most efficient way to kill. There had been no thought of lessening anyone's suffering.
If anything, he wanted to minimize the time his foe had to draw breath.
'Interpretation is a funny thing.'
When he glanced at Jo Gwang, who promptly lowered his head and chuckled sheepishly.
No matter how he looked, Jo Gwang seemed more like a local official than a martial artist.
'Or rather, perhaps someone serving such an official...'
As Jeong-un absent-mindedly imagined Jo Gwang bowing and fawning like a petty servant—
"We're here."
Baek Il-gang mumbled from behind. Looking ahead, they could see the entrance to Hanyang County.
Lee Si-geon, taking the lead, spoke.
"Once we're back, everyone rest at your quarters. And Yu Jeong-un..."
"...?"
"Come with me and to the corps leader."
* * *
Entering the Heavenly Martial Hall and heading to Yeom Baek's office, Jeong-un could feel many curious glances.
It was not Lee Si-geon in front, but definitely him who was the focus of attention.
"That's the one from this time..."
"He's younger than me."
"I can't recognize that."
Jeong-un met those gazes with a bit of confusion.
Some openly checked him out, even though they weren't members of the Blue Scale Corps.
It was clear these stares had an explicit intent.
'What is that about?'
Jeong-un looked back at them for a moment and then shook his head.
For now, more than anything, Jeong-un wanted to get to the training hall to practice the Moonlight Swift Steps.
It was the first technique he had created from insight and even named himself.
'I'm sure there's still room for improvement.'
He was already used to handling true ki. Now, even simple steps reflected the principles he had grasped.
But Jeong-un instinctively felt he could still refine it further, to remove all unnecessary elements.
"Corps leader."
"Come in."
At some point, they had reached Yeom Baek's office. He must have sensed them already, responding right away to Lee Si-geon's call.
"You finished the mission successfully. That was quite fast."
He already had the general situation thanks to a carrier pigeon. Yeom Baek regarded them with a rather pleased look.
'Was this really a success?'
What lingered in his mind were only the slaughtered corpses of villagers. The ones he killed were already fading from memory.
In the end, Jeong-un only went and exterminated them after the incident had happened.
Yet, still, people called it a success. The sense of dissonance was strong.
"Lee Si-geon, you led your first squad well on their mission. But why have you come together?"
Yeom Baek asked, glancing back and forth between Lee Si-geon and Jeong-un with a peculiar gaze.
Generally, only the warrior who led the group gave a .
"Well..."
Lee Si-geon hesitated for a moment, trailing off. The others looked at him, wondering why.
Even Jeong-un, who had come just because he said to, didn't know the reason.
"... In this mission, Yu Jeong-un acted independently."
"What?"
Yeom Baek looked at us in some surprise, then narrowed his brows and asked again.
"Independently? You mean he acted on his own instead of following the team?"
Yeom Baek glared at Lee Si-geon and me in turn.
In an instant, the atmosphere turned heavy as lead, stifling to the point it was hard to breathe.
This was the manifestation of overwhelming internal energy.
'This is...'
A whole new realm of ki manipulation.
Just being inside Yeom Baek's domain of vital ki made my body feel a thousand pounds.
While he was absorbing that formidable moment, Lee Si-geon, sweating, bowed his head and answered quickly.
"The content I sent earlier by carrier pigeon differs from the truth. I did nothing."
"What?"
"I was too focused on minor achievements and misjudged the situation. But Yu Jeong-un acted alone, tracked the enemy, attacked their hideout, and annihilated them all. If not for him, we would've simply left, and the innocent would've suffered even more."
"...?"