Wind, Moon, and Blade · Chapter 6
Clashing Hearts
Serpang
*Huff...* *Huff...!*
I'm exhausted... I can't run anymore!
Toto
Coo...
We've been running nonstop since morning.
Fei
Thanks to that, we managed to open up some distance and bought ourselves some time.
The sun's setting. We'll camp here tonight.
Lyn
How will we handle the night watch?
Fei
We'll take turns standing guard.
Lyn
And what guarantee do we have that you won't run while we sleep?
Fei
None. But I have no reason to run.
Once this is over, Lyn, I'll finally get to face you!
A duel with a formidable opponent is the finest training there is.
As someone walking the path of martial mastery, there is no reason for me to avoid it!
Lyn
Again with that path of martial mastery.
???
Hello! So there you were!
Serpang
Huh? What the... Who are you?
Lyn
Wait... you're...?
???
Hehe!
A chain scythe that seemed to extend endlessly slid out from the girl's sleeve.
Xien
Tien, should we keep chasing them?
Tien
No. The sun has set. Besides, they retreated into the forest.
Xien
I see. Terrain where the few have the advantage against the many.
Tien
That's right, Xien.
It is the perfect environment for Chain Scythe Jenny, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Xien
Chain Scythe Jenny...! A master said to wield a ten-meter chain scythe as though it were nothing!
Fufu... The guards you faced earlier were the weakest among us.
But if Chain Scythe Jenny steps in, even Fei and her group will not come out unscathed.
Tien
Kekeke...
Xien
Fufufu...
Tien & Xien
Hahahahaha!
Chain Scythe Jenny
This is so yummy! Seconds, please!
Lyn
Got it! Just wait right there.
By the way, Jenny, thank you.
We needed firewood, so thank you for cutting down those trees for us.
Here's a praise pat for you!
Chain Scythe Jenny
Hehe! I did well, right?
...Wasn't she one of the people chasing us?
Serpang
Lyn's got a knack for dealing with children.
You saw it too, Captain. She was giving that girl uppies within one minute of meeting her.
Fei
That's strange... Did even a little kid like that end up holding a grudge against me?
Chain Scythe Jenny
No. I don't really have a grudge against you or anything.
My master just told me that if I want to get stronger, I should fight strong opponents.
I just came because I heard Fei was strong. But it doesn't matter now! Hehe!
Mm...
Fei
Something feels off...
Serpang
Same with the guard, and now this Chain Scythe Jenny...
Lyn
So not everyone chasing Fei is doing so out of resentment.
Perhaps we could resolve some of this by talking.
Chain Scythe Jenny
Maybe... But not Tien and Xien.
They gathered everyone who wants revenge on Fei.
They hate her more than anyone else.
Serpang
What exactly have you been doing all this time, Senior Sister Fei...?
Fei
...I knocked out that makgeolli bread baker a while back, tore out a fraudulent sect, and also...
Sounds like you've still got a lot coming to mind...
Lyn
...The one who causes the harm rarely remembers.
Fei
Mm?
Lyn
Only the victim carries the scars and memories.
Just like when you left the Wind Moon Sect without saying a word.
Fei
...Hmm.
Chain Scythe Jenny
Mm...? Huh...?
Serpang
C-Captain! I want seconds too!
Toto
C-coo!
After finishing the meal in that tense atmosphere...
We decided to take turns keeping watch while the others slept.
Serpang
Zzz... Candy... Zzz... Cake... Ehehe...
Toto
Cooo... Cooooo...
...
Lyn
...
Fei
Hmm... Is this not how I swing it?
It's not like this either...
Looks like I'm still far from completing the Celestial Art.
...Captain?
What are you doing here? Lyn is supposed to take the next shift.
Are you here to learn more about the Celestial Art?! If so, I can talk all night! No, even until tomorrow night—
Huh? You want to know what happened at the Wind Moon Sect?
Is it because of what Lyn said earlier?
Sorry if what I'm asking is a sensitive topic.
Fei
No, it's fine. It's not something I can't speak about.
But that's a broad question. I don't know where to begin.
...Right.
Maybe I'll start from that day.
Young Fei
Kuh...! *Cough!*
Sect Master
When I heard a street thug was assaulting passersby in the back alleys...
I never expected it to be a child.
Young Fei
What the—Why are you so strong...?!
Sect Master
Where are your parents?
Young Fei
What...?! What the hell are you talking about, you old geezer?
Sect Master
Such foul language for a small child.
Doesn't seem like you have parents looking after you...
I have made my decision.
Follow me, little wolf. I will teach you how to live like a proper human.
Young Fei
Shut up! Get lost!
Sect Master
Your manners are rough.
Very well. Education is one of the basic duties of the Wind Moon Sect Master.
I shall start by beating proper hierarchy into that body of yours.
Fei
Hahaha! He beat me until foam came out of my mouth.
Is that really something to laugh about...?
Fei
Why not? It's all in the past anyway.
I hold not even a speck of resentment. Only gratitude.
Just as the Sect Master said, I was able to live like a human being at the Wind Moon Sect.
I could eat without stealing money, and sleep in a bed instead of the dirt.
I learned how to read and write. How to interact with others.
And I even learned martial arts from the Sect Master.
...I was happy there.
But it wasn't enough.
"Wasn't enough"?
Fei
The more I trained in martial arts, the stronger an unexplainable thirst grew inside me.
Looking back now, it was because the Wind Moon Sect's martial arts were never my path.
Seeing me wander, the Sect Master gave me advice. "All rivers run to the sea."
All rivers run to the sea...
Fei
Yes. That was the first time I entered the secret library with him.
Manuscripts of sects long forgotten by the world were piled up like mountains.
But no matter how much I trained, the thirst never faded. Only one thing could quench it.
The Celestial Manuscript.
The moment I opened it, I realized... The Celestial Art was my calling.
I realized I was born in Lavistar to restore the Celestial Art.
At that moment, I stood at a crossroads.
Whether to abandon everything and restore the Celestial Art, or endure that thirst and continue my old life.
There was only one choice.
...Do you regret it?
Fei looked up at the moon and shouted toward the sky.
Fei
I don't regret any of it!
For a martial artist walking the path of martial mastery, there is only one thing to aim for! To be the strongest!
If I complete the Celestial Art, I'll become the strongest! I could even cut down the moon itself!
So...!
Lyn
Could you lower your voice?
You'll wake everyone up.
Fei
Is it already time to switch?
Lyn
Yes. It's my turn.
Fei
Time flies, huh?
Stay alert. I'll go get some sleep.
Lyn
Hold on, Fei.
Fei
Huh?
Lyn
I have a proposal for you.
Once this is over, come back with us peacefully. Then I will speak to the Sect Master and...
Fei
I refuse.
My mission is to restore the Celestial Art. But I haven't completed it yet.
I have no time to waste on pointless matters.
Lyn
...Understood. I will ask again another time.
Fei
You'll still get the same answer from me.
Lyn
Even so, I will ask.
Fei
Hah. As you wish.
Lyn
...The night has grown deep.
You should get some rest too, Captain. You must be tired.
Good night, Captain.
...
Fei
For a martial artist walking the path of martial mastery, there is only one thing to aim for! To be the strongest!
If I complete the Celestial Art, I'll become the strongest! I could even cut down the moon itself!
Lyn
The path of martial mastery...
Young Lyn
Senior Sister Fei, it's dangerous...! Please come down from the tree!
Young Fei
Come up here, Lyn. I want to show you something.
Young Lyn
Ooh... Sect Master will scold us if he sees...!
Young Fei
Geez! Quiet down and hurry up!
Young Lyn
Amazing... This is amazing! The buildings look smaller than grains of sand!
Young Fei
That's the capital of the Eastern Continent. It stretches endlessly, right?
But I heard there are cities in the Western Continent even bigger than that capital. The world is vast!
Lyn, I will become the strongest in all of Lavistar.
If you walk the martial path, that's the only natural goal! You feel the same, right?
Young Lyn
No...? I'm satisfied just being with you and my other fellow disciples.
Young Fei
How unambitious! That's not something a junior sister of mine should be saying! I'll knock your head for that!
Young Lyn
Ah! That's so mean!
Th-then I'll stay by your side and help you achieve your dream.
That will be my...
Lyn
...Fufu.
How foolish I was.
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