Martial Artist Lee Gwak

Light Novel: Volume 1 Chapter 17

Manhwa: Chapters 21-22

Episode 6. When Relationship Ends, No Resentment Remains (2)

Accompanying the sound of the pipa was a clear and melodious voice. The voice resonated deep with the people’s hearts, heightening their emotions.

In the night, filled with worries, my heart aches alone,

Blowing out the candle, in my orchid-scented room, I’ve grown.

Tender moonlight seeks me out, its grace,

Worries it may reveal our secret embrace.

A lamenting night, a solitary heart’s sigh,

Candles extinguished in the orchid chamber, by and by.

Fearing the moon’s excessive emotion, I stay still,

It returns to illuminate my chamber, as it always will.

It was a song that didn’t seem to fit in with the martial faction such as the Jade Heaven Alliance.

The song was entitled Nocturne¹ and had been passed down among the people for a very long time.

What was important was not the title or the content of the song but the fact that this was a song that someone Lee Gwak knew used to enjoy singing.

Lee Gwak walked into Qingming Hall.

“Hoo… Out of all the times…”

Seok Yi-cheon sighed as he opened the door for Lee Gwak.

Normally, Lee Gwak would not have been allowed to enter the Qingming Hall. However, Seok Yi-cheon knew all the circumstances, and so had no choice but to let Lee Gwak inside.

The source of the music was the grand hall inside Qingming Hall. This spacious hall could accommodate hundreds of people, and indeed, there were just as many people gathered inside. However, none of them caught Lee Gwak’s eye.

At this moment, all Lee Gwak could see was a beautiful woman on a large stage in the center, plucking the pipa and singing.

Dressed in blood-red silk with intricate golden patterns, her exposed shoulders were as white as snow. And her small lips, which contrasted sharply with her snow-white skin flowed a clear and melodious voice.

Numerous warriors were lost in her song, staring at her in awe.

Among them was a man in his early to mid-twenties, who stood out with his extraordinary size and presence.

The eyes beneath his dark brows were as fierce as a tiger’s, and the angular jaw beneath his tightly pressed lips was covered with short stubble. On the bandage wrapped around his arm, a black dragon soaring high was vividly engraved.

His presence was so overwhelming that it subdued the many people gathered in the grand hall. In fact, the martial artists around him were having a hard time breathing properly.

The man’s name was Woo Mun-pae.

He was the young leader of the Martial Sword Alliance and a martial genius who shook the world with his alias, Berserk Dragon.

Next to Woo Mun-pae sat a man and a woman, both of whom exuded an equally imposing presence.

The man, clad in a sleeveless garment made of white tiger skin and wearing a white hero’s headband, exuded an aura as if he could split the sky.

His eyes, visible through his lion-like disheveled hair, were fierce, and his thick nose and tightly closed lips made him appear even more valorous.

The man’s name was Yong Cheon-myeong.

He was the first disciple of Ja Hong-cheon, the leader of the Jade Heaven Alliance, and another man who shook the world with his alias, Indestructible Steel Blood.²

Sitting next to Yong Cheon-myeong was a woman dressed peculiarly in all black. She had jet-black hair and a black cloth covering her face.

All their gazes were fixed on the woman on the stage, singing.

After observing the singing woman for some time, Woo Mun-pae finally opened his mouth,

“Heh! So this is why Brother Yong dared to leave the inner fortress and bring us to the banquet hall of the outer hall. I’ve met numerous singers in my life, but I’ve never seen one who can captivate an audience with her voice like her.”

His voice conveyed his genuine admiration. In response, Yong Cheon-myeong smiled faintly.

“I told you, didn’t I? That you would surely like her.”

“If I could, I’d like to take her into our Martial Sword Alliance. What do you say, Brother Yong?”

“I’m sorry, Brother Moon-pae, but there are also many people here who would love to hear her voice.”

“Does that include you, Brother Yong?”

Instead of answering, Yong Cheon-myeong offered an enigmatic smile. But that was enough of a clear answer for Woo Mun-pae.

Woo Mun-pae clicked his tongue as if disappointed.

‘Tsk! There’s no point in being greedy. Yong Cheon-myeong already has his eyes on her.’

At that point, Woo Mun-pae let go of his lingering attachment.

The reason he came here was to negotiate important matters on behalf of Yu Mun-sang, the sect leader of the Martial Sword Alliance, and not to be distracted by some woman.

“Wow!”

“Amazing!”

As the woman received applause from everyone, she began to sing the next song.

Yong Cheon-myeong and Woo Mun-pae both stopped their conversation around then and listened to the woman’s voice.

The woman wearing a black cloth looked at them and thought to herself,

‘It’s just what I’ve heard, a great musician has come out of the Grand Abyss Music Hall, capable of enchanting many men.’

Even from a woman’s perspective, her seductive form and voice were captivating. Many martial artists in the hall were staring at her.

Originally, she had no intention of coming here. However, she had no choice but to come out as her senior brother, Yong Cheon-myeong, wanted to welcome Woo Mun-pae together.

Her name was Dan Li-yeon, and just like Yong Cheon-myeong, she was the third disciple of Ja Hong-cheon, the leader of the Jade Heaven Alliance.

Dan Li-yeon was inherently a martial fanatic. She was so obsessed with martial arts that she was cooped up in the training hall every day. This was also the reason she was given the nickname, Black Martial Empress.

Dan Li-yeon was a female martial artist who dreamed of becoming the strongest in the world.

She looked around the hall with bored eyes.

Most of the martial artists around her showed the same reaction as Yong Cheon-myeong or Woo Mun-pae who were next to her. However, only one person was different.

“Hmm!”

A glint flashed across Dan Li-yeon’s eyes, which were slightly revealed above the black veil.

Her gaze was fixed on the very back of the great hall. There, in the shadows, barely visible from the crowd, was a man who caught her eye. His eyes were similar to those of the others, yet somehow different.

The man who looked at the singer with wavering eyes was none other than Lee Gwak.

‘Yul-seon!’

The woman who was singing in her dazzling red silk dress was Geum Yul-seon, who was once his lover.

On the grand stage, with all eyes on her, she was showing off her talent to the fullest.

Everything else seemed to disappear at that moment, leaving only Geum Yul-seon.

Lee Gwak just stared blankly at her like that.

He thought he had gotten over her, but seeing her made his heart waver.

She was the woman he had once loved to death.

They had whispered sweet nothings and shared a passionate love, believing that such love would last forever. At one point, he thought he could even give his life for her.

Now she was in full bloom on the stage she had dreamed of.

In a place high above, out of Lee Gwak’s reach, sat Geum Yul-seon.

‘You are so…’

Lee Gwak closed his eyes.

His time with her flashed before his eyes.

The day when they first met, the moments they whispered sweet nothings, the times when they held hands causing their hearts to pound like so, and the day they made love with each other for the first time.

When Lee Gwak opened his eyes again, his eyes had involuntarily turned bloodshot red. However, his heart didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would.

He thought that seeing Geum Yul-seon again would tear his heart apart, so he deliberately stopped looking for her and forced himself to forget. But his heart didn’t ache as much as he thought it would.

His eyes, which had been shaky like a ship encountering turbulent seas, were now calm as if nothing had happened.

Lee Gwak found his own reaction strange, too. But after pondering it, he felt like he understood why.

During the one year he had lain incapacitated, he had been cutting off his lingering affections for Geum Yul-seon one by one.

Over and over and over again, and now he had cut off the last lingering feeling that remained.

Just then, Geum Yul-seon’s song came to an end.

“Wow!”

A huge cheer erupted, and Geum Yul-seon bowed to the audience. With a bright smile on her face, she looked absolutely radiant like a red rose in full bloom.

Then her gaze swept over the audience. Her dizzying gaze briefly stopped on Woo Mun-pae, then moved on to rest momentarily on Yong Cheon-myeong.

Lee Gwak knew what that meant. For her eyes once looked at him in the same way.

He turned away.

There was no longer any reason for him to be here.

* * *

Geum Yul-seon’s gaze, which had momentarily stopped on Yong Cheon-myeong, turned back to the audience. It was to thank them one last time.

She could see countless martial artists cheering for her. These passionate martial artists, who would readily lay down their lives for the justice of Jianghu, were cheering solely for her.

It was the scene she had always dreamed of.

Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a man’s back.

There were so many people standing between her and the man, but strangely enough, she could see his backside clearly.

‘Was that–’

Geum Yul-seon’s pupils shook.

Her gaze followed the back of the man exiting the hall. Even though she couldn’t see his face, she was certain. That it was him.

Her heart raced.

Geum Yul-seon quickly descended from the stage and headed to the back.

“T, That’s impossible!”

As the people’s gaze disappeared, Geum Yul-seon began to run. She ran in the direction where the man had disappeared earlier.

It wasn’t long before she caught up with the man.

“Excuse me–!”

She called him out in a hurry. Then the man stopped in his tracks.

“Hoo!”

The moment she heard his soft sigh, Geum Yul-seon knew her suspicions weren’t wrong.

“Br… Brother.”

“Yul-seon.”

The man, Lee Gwak, turned around.

The moment Geum Yul-seon saw Lee Gwak’s face directly, she felt her heart drop.

“How? I heard you were paralyzed.”

“……”

“Big brother, can you really move?”

“As you can see.”

Lee Gwak slightly shrugged his shoulders. At that moment, Geum Yul-seon’s body slightly trembled.

She had been perfectly fine a moment ago, but now she felt a chill run through her body.

She stuttered,

“I, If you were up, why didn’t you come find me?”

“Come find you?”

“That’s right…”

Geum Yul-seon couldn’t continue her words.

She had not sought out Lee Gwak even after hearing that he was paralyzed. She thought that if she went to him, she’d be forever bound to him.

What Geum Yul-seon needed was a strong protector who was in perfect health, not a patient who needed her care.

She wanted to climb higher.

She wanted to be admired by others, not live in the shabby way she had been living. That’s why she made a cold-hearted decision not to look for Lee Gwak.

She broke off her affection, focusing only on her singing.

In the end, she made a name for herself at Grand Abyss Music Hall and made contact with another man who recognized her true value.

He was a man who, unlike Lee Gwak, was near the pinnacle of Jianghu. The real man she had been searching for. A noble being, incomparable to Lee Gwak, who was merely a lower-ranked martial artist in the Outer Hall.

He reached out his hand to her, and she took it, and until now, she had forgotten about Lee Gwak.

Whether it be the memories of him or the days when they loved each other, she had forgotten everything.

She thought she had cut off all her affections. But when she actually saw Lee Gwak’s face, her heart ached and past memories came flooding back.

“B, Brother, I–”

She wanted to offer some sort of excuse, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Lee Gwak looked at her indifferently.

Instead of the passionate gaze that could burn her entire body, his gaze was infinitely calm and cold, piercing into her heart.

Geum Yul-seon trembled.

This moment was too cold for her to bear.

She blurted out,

“Brother, you understand, right?”

“……”

“Other people may not, but you understand me, don’t you? Please tell me you understand.”

“What is there for me to understand? Live well, Yul-seon.”

“Brother!”

“I hope to never see you again.”

Lee Gwak turned around.

Geum Yul-seon stretched out her hand toward him. It felt like if she had extended her hand a little further, she could have caught him. But she couldn’t catch him in the end.

“Hic!”

Geum Yul-seon’s sobbing filled the air, but Lee Gwak did not look back.

As he walked, his eyes were filled with a sky so piercingly clear.

“Our relationship has run its course, so I have no regrets left.”

His soft murmur drifted away on the wind.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

Oooh, unlike in the manhwa, Lee Gwak was colder in saying goodbye to Geum Yul-seon.

Anyway, thank you for reading!

1. Nocturne. Raws: 야야곡(夜夜曲). 沈约
   • 夜 yè – night
   • 夜曲 yèqǔ – nocturne

2. Indestructible Steel Blood. Raws: 철혈금강(鐵血金剛).
   • 鐵 tiě – iron (metal) / arms / weapons / hard / strong / violent / unshakeable / determined / close / tight (slang)
   • 血 xuè – blood
   • 金 jīn, jìn – gold; metals in general; money
   • 剛 gāng – hard, tough, rigid, strong

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