The Return of the Sw Chapter 28 : No, Already? -01

Chapter 28: No, Already? -01

Seo I-gyeong’s expression tightened with emotion.

It was not just anyone, but Ban Hojin—called the Divine Dragon and regarded as the greatest among the rising juniors—who had said those words, and the impact moved him deeply.

At the same time, confidence welled up within him.

Once Ban Hojin, a master of Shaolin, acknowledged him, the doubts that had piled up in one corner of his chest until now melted away like snow under the sun.

“Before long, the sword of the Seo Family Estate will shake Jianghu. Through Joun, that is.”

“If I don’t want to hold back my youngest son, I’ll have to work myself to death for real.”

Seo I-gyeong joked lightly.

However, his eyes were different.

They burned more fiercely with passion than ever before.

“I’ll be cheering you on.”

“I will also pray that Young Master Ban remains safe and unharmed.”

“Then, we’ll meet again next time.”

After barely finishing their farewells, Ban Hojin watched Seo Joun turn away and once more performed a deep fist-clasp salute.

At that sight, Seo I-gyeong returned the salute in kind.

“I’ll be going now, Father.”

“Yes. Go safely. And don’t cause trouble for Young Master Ban.”

“Do you think I’m a child? Don’t worry. Then I’ll be off!”

Seo Joun replied bravely, his eyes still rimmed red.

Then he quickly turned his body around.

If he stayed any longer, the tears he was barely holding back felt like they would burst forth, so he grabbed Ban Hojin and pulled him along.

“Isn’t it funny to be acting like this now? Who was it that dragged things out the longest?”

“Hey, it’s my first time leaving home since I was born. This is pretty good, all things considered. Let’s hurry up! You said we have a long way to go!”

“Let go of my arm first. I don’t like being dragged around by anyone.”

Watching his youngest son noisily leave through the main gate, Seo I-gyeong’s eyes also reddened.

He pretended nothing was wrong, but his heart was far from at ease.

At seventeen, it would not have been strange for him to already be married, but Seo Joun had been sickly from birth until not long ago, so even though his body had grown, he still felt like a child.

Perhaps because of that, his heart clenched as he watched his retreating figure.

“He’ll be fine, right?”

“Of course he’ll be fine. It’s not just anyone else—Young Master Ban is with him. More than that, I feel uneasy, as if we’ve only been receiving and receiving.”

“We can repay it little by little from now on, can’t we? Joun will repay it too.”

Even at his eldest son’s words, Seo I-gyeong’s heart felt heavy.

It felt as though he had only ever received from Ban Hojin without end.

Especially the fact that they had made connections with the Geum Family Estate and the Hao Sect was enormous.

If it had not been for Ban Hojin, he would never even have met Geum Hoyeon or Nan Hee-ju.

“We can’t leave everything solely to Joun.”

“Of course.”

“Have you seen the secret manual?”

“……I didn’t realize it would be to this extent.”

When the topic of the martial arts secret manual came up, Seo Jeong-un’s voice grew heavy.

It was because the shock he had felt upon first seeing the manual resurfaced vividly.

“Martial arts as well cannot be left to Joun alone. We must personally verify it, and improve whatever we can.”

“Of course. I intend to do my utmost together with the second.”

“Good.”

Feeling the resolute determination in Seo Jeong-un’s reply, Seo I-gyeong wore a satisfied expression.

Even so, his gaze was still fixed on Ban Hojin and Seo Joun as they grew more distant.

Whoooosh!

A true northern gale swept over their entire bodies.

At the skin-cutting wind, Seo Joun frowned and lifted his wind cloak to cover his mouth.

“I can’t get used to the wind of the Northern Sea.”

“Exactly. I’d heard it was cold, but I didn’t think it’d be this cold. Seasonally, it’s summer.”

“If summer is like this, I can’t even imagine what winter must be like.”

Like Seo Joun, Ban Hojin, wrapped in a thick wind cloak, clicked his tongue.

It was hard to believe that the cold was this severe even in the height of summer.

If even someone like him, who was immune to cold and heat, could feel the chill, then ordinary martial artists surely would not even be able to fight properly.

“But in a way, I’m curious too. Just how bad winter gets.”

“That’s only because you have Extreme Yang Energy, so you can manage.”

“Brother, you’re also immune to cold and heat.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t feel cold at all.”

Ban Hojin shrugged his shoulders.

Being immune to cold and heat did not mean one felt no cold whatsoever.

It simply meant being less affected by it.

If one truly could not feel cold at all, it would be no different from losing one’s sense of touch, which made no sense.

“Still, I like it. I’m alive like this, so I even get to come to the Northern Sea. If I hadn’t cured the Nine Yang Severed Meridians, I wouldn’t have been able to come here.”

There was no snowstorm, but instead a cold wind continuously raged.

Even so, Seo Joun felt happy.

Feeling the wind of the Northern Sea and seeing its scenery was only possible because he was alive and healthy.

However, Seo Joun did not think only of that.

‘There’s definitely a reason.’

Seo Joun glanced sideways at Ban Hojin.

From what he had seen so far, Ban Hojin was not someone who acted without purpose.

If they had come to the Northern Sea, there had to be a reason.

‘Why the Northern Sea, of all places?’

Seo Joun’s gaze turned toward the frozen ground.

Across the barren plains stood buildings constructed in a style completely different from those of the Central Plains.

As if to prove it was not called the outer regions for nothing, even the clothing and the horses were quite different.

It felt like conversation barely worked, to the point where it was hard to even call it a dialect.

‘It doesn’t seem like he came to meet someone he knows.’

If there had been an acquaintance, Ban Hojin’s destination would have already been decided.

But to Seo Joun’s eyes, that was absolutely not the case.

Rather, it was closer to him observing the situation like a secret agent of an intelligence organization.

‘Wait a moment?’

In an instant, lightning flashed through Seo Joun’s mind.

Various pieces came together, producing a single answer.

However, Seo Joun could not readily believe it.

Personally, it felt too far-fetched.

‘But there’s no way Brother would do this without reason.’

Seo Joun looked at Ban Hojin with complicated eyes.

Yet Ban Hojin did not notice that gaze.

His own thoughts were just as tangled as Seo Joun’s.

“Hm.”

A deep sigh escaped Ban Hojin as his eyes narrowed sharply.

He had come all the way to the distant Northern Sea, yet there had been no gains whatsoever.

Though his name was gradually spreading through the Central Plains, at best it was only at the level of a mere rising junior.

That was precisely why Ban Hojin had aimed for the Northern Sea.

He believed that if he came while he was still not widely known, there would be no one here who recognized him.

At the same time, he harbored a faint hope.

Even if it was not on the level of the Central Plains, perhaps there might be a force capable of checking the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

‘So it really isn’t for nothing that they’re called the overlord of the Northern Sea.’

However, that hope ended as nothing more than hope.

As if proving that the title of overlord was not undeserved, there was not a single force that could be compared to the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

There were minor sects here and there, but not a single one dared to raise a banner against the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

Rather, all of them seemed to be under its command.

‘I had aimed to use one enemy to restrain another.’

The best way to prevent war was to ensure that war never broke out in the first place.

That was why Ban Hojin had sought to divert the attention of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

He wanted them to fight among themselves in the Northern Sea, leaving them no room to focus on the Central Plains.

If the Northern Sea Ice Palace’s strength were weakened that way, it would be no different for Ban Hojin than blowing his nose without lifting a finger.

‘But to think there isn’t even a single place.’

Ban Hojin let out another sigh.

There was not even a place worth clashing with; the Northern Sea Ice Palace’s position in the Northern Sea was simply too solid.

Like a single kingdom.

‘And it’s not like assassination is an option either.’

If he stirred things up carelessly, he could end up committing the folly of striking the grass and startling the snake, so Ban Hojin quickly brushed aside the thought that had arisen.

It was difficult enough just to meet the Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace alone, and even if he somehow did meet him one-on-one, he could not guarantee victory.

Though it was said to be ten years ago, there was far too little information.

Even if by incredible luck he managed to kill the Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, there was no guarantee he could escape safely.

‘Everything is at stake.’

Moreover, Ban Hojin’s goal in this life was to live calmly and comfortably.

He had no desire to sacrifice himself once again for the sake of the Central Plains Murim.

‘In the end, do I have to go by the orthodox route? Then I’ll have to revise the entire schedule.’

After the Northern Sea, Ban Hojin had planned to stop by the Great Desert and Miaojiang.

It was to see and feel the Four Tyrants of the World directly, just as the saying went that knowing both yourself and the enemy ensured victory in a hundred battles.

He had fought the Four Tyrants of the World to the point of exhaustion and even died to them, but he knew nothing at all about the current Four Tyrants of the World.

Since even Junior Beggar of the Beggars’ Sect did not know, he had planned to see and judge for himself, but after coming to the Northern Sea, it seemed that might not be necessary.

‘Looked at another way, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.’

Ban Hojin’s gaze sank.

Considering the Northern Sea as it appeared now, the Great Desert, Miaojiang, and even Tibet likely would not be all that different.

And in the first place, variables had already arisen from the Seo Family Estate, so he was not particularly flustered.

“Brother.”

At that moment, Seo Joun called out to him.

It pulled Ban Hojin out of his reverie.

“What is it?”

“There’s something I’d like to ask.”

“Judging by your expression, it looks like you’ve already made up your mind?”

“Is what I’m thinking really correct?”

“It might be, or it might not be.”

Ban Hojin knew the future, but that did not mean he could reveal it here.

Even if he did tell him, whether Seo Joun would believe it was another matter.

Moreover, Seo Joun was not prepared in the slightest to bear this truth yet.

“So it really is like that.”

“I told you last time too, don’t think too far ahead. I just wanted to come see the Northern Sea once. It feels like later on, even if I wanted to come, I wouldn’t be able to.”

“So there is a possibility, at least?”

“There are always plenty of possibilities. It’s not like the Northern Sea Ice Palace invaded the Central Plains Murim just once or twice. Probably no one even knows the exact number.”

“Hm.”

Seo Joun looked at Ban Hojin with suspicious eyes.

Because Ban Hojin spoke so ambiguously, his suspicion only deepened.

But objectively speaking, the chances of things turning out the way Seo Joun suspected were slim.

More precisely, it was nothing more than an overly vague assumption.

“Either way, it’s something we always have to keep in mind—the invasion of forces from the outer regions. The peace of the Central Plains has lasted too long. And if you start worrying, there really is no end to it. Just look at the Demonic Cult alone; it’s already the archenemy of the Central Plains Murim.”

“That’s true.”

“So we have to prepare in advance, right? To protect the things that are precious to us.”

“That’s the correct principle.”

“So don’t worry too much, and just do what you can right now. No one is asking you to protect the Central Plains.”

At those final words, Seo Joun pushed his lips out in a pout.

They were correct, but hearing it said so bluntly did not feel very good.

Yet at that sight, Ban Hojin let out a snort of laughter.

“Your talent is certainly remarkable. Even I’m surprised by it. But that’s only among your peers. When you look at the entire Central Plains, you’re still just a fledgling. Unless your talent has fully blossomed, there are countless martial artists in the Central Plains stronger than you right now. So don’t become arrogant, and always train with humility.”

“I know that too.”

“It feels like you’re gradually forgetting.”

“I’m not!”

Seo Joun shouted in protest.

Then he suddenly flinched.

He was flustered by the fact that he had raised his voice at Ban Hojin.

Perhaps because of that, Seo Joun cautiously read Ban Hojin’s expression.

“If you know, then that’s good.”

“How could I ever become arrogant when I’m traveling with you, Brother? That won’t happen.”

“So you’re saying you would, once you surpass me?”

“Uh, wouldn’t that be okay then?”

“Sorry, but that won’t happen.”

Ban Hojin said with a crooked grin.

Having great talent and that talent fully blossoming were completely different things.

And being a genius did not mean that walls would not appear.

If everything were decided solely by the size of one’s talent, the world would have belonged to geniuses alone.

“The future is unknown.”

“That’s right. But I know myself very well. And I also know the walls you’ll face in the future. That’s why I can say things like this.”

“I’ll definitely prove later that you’re wrong.”

“Sure, sure.”

Casting a glance at Seo Joun as he replied with resolve, Ban Hojin turned his body around.

Now that he understood the situation of the Northern Sea, there was no longer any need to remain.

“Where are we going now?”

“Back to the Central Plains.”