These were the words Mu Yan had heard from the Chief before he first joined the Guard Corps.
Mu Yan tried to forget his memories by swinging his sword day and night. However, no matter how hard he tried, the memories remained unchanged.
Martial arts without the heart (心) for a martial artist are merely a series of movements.
The same went for Mu Yan's sword swings.
There was nothing in his sword.
He just swung it. That's why, no matter how many times he swung it, Mu Yan's martial arts remained at the same level as his memories.
If we exclude Guxianmen's prodigy, Guxieye, the grandson of the sect leader, Mu Yan was undoubtedly a genius in terms of talent.
Many people said that if talent were the only criterion, the youngest top martial artist in Guxianmen's history would be born.
Now, looking back, it all seemed insignificant.
Was he so elated by the title of a first-rate martial artist?
Mu Yan still doesn't understand himself.
What did he carry that brought him to this point?
What is left for me?
The cries of the sword team members who begged for their lives still haunt his memory.
Why did I pick up a sword? The sword team is a protective sword.
I failed to protect.
Then what am I?
He didn't know.
Living like a half-dead person, Mu Yan received an order from the Chief.
"We can't just let a martial artist of your caliber rest. This is the only place we can send you for a break. Go and rest a bit."
Thus, he was assigned to the Guard Corps. Although it was said to be an honorable place for protecting the bloodline of the Guxian family, it didn't seem so to Mu Yan.
"Report all the actions of the Guxian family's bloodline."
This was the order he received as soon as he was assigned to the Guard Corps.
To whom and why? Is this really about protecting them?
To Mu Yan, it felt more like surveillance than protection.
However, he didn't express any doubts. Did he have the right to do so? Mu Yan wasn't sure.
Then, Mu Yan's charge was decided.
The third of the family head's four children, the only son, Guchan.
The first impression wasn't good. Like all members of the Guxian family, he had sharp eyes and a pouting mouth, which made him look particularly malicious.
Although they hadn't talked much, he was clearly immature and rude.
"Please take care of me, Young Master."
"Guard?"
"Yes, my name is Mu Yan."
"Ah, I said I wanted a girl. You guys are really useless."
"Yes...?"
"Don't talk to me; it annoys me. Just go stand in that corner and don't let me see you."
...No wonder the senior sword team member who was handing over the charge gave me a piece of candy.
"What is this?"
"If he starts acting up, just listen to one ear and let it out the other, and give him a piece of candy. It will help."
Mu Yan was grateful to the senior sword team member at the time. Thanks to his advice, he could handle the situation a bit more easily.
I wonder if this was the Chief's intention, but Mu Yan's week with Guchan made him want to return to the sword team.
Physically, it might have been easier, but mentally, it was a different kind of hardship.
One day, Mu Yan heard that Elder Li was looking for Guchan.
As expected, Guchan ran away to the market as soon as he heard the news.
Should he have stopped him? Mu Yan's hesitation was brief. He was more afraid of Guchan's tantrums than Elder Li's scolding.
In the market, where he was dragged like a lamb to the slaughter, Mu Yan quietly watched Guchan.
Guchan didn't do anything special there.
He just quietly observed the people.
"..."
Quiet and indifferent.
Sometimes, that's how the boy's eyes looked.
What was he thinking? Despite his bad temper, Guchan's emotions occasionally showed.
Mu Yan knew. It was a feeling he was all too familiar with.
That was definitely 'resignation.'
Guchan had a look in his eyes that seemed to have given up on everything. Despite being half-expected to become the family head due to his noble bloodline, what had the boy given up?
Mu Yan couldn't understand how the boy was wrapped in thorns.
More accurately, he didn't want to delve into it. He didn't have the strength to do so.
Then, suddenly, the atmosphere around Guchan changed.
How should he describe it? Mu Yan instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. He was known for his good instincts even when he was active in the sword team.
Mu Yan quickly released his inner energy to check the surroundings, but he didn't sense any killing intent.
"What is this?"
What was this sticky, eerie feeling? The chill on his back made his skin crawl.
The eerie sensation didn't last long.
"Want a potato?"
A child, about Guchan's age, appeared with a basket full of potatoes.
The eerie atmosphere that had surrounded them vanished instantly. Could this child be the source of that feeling?
It was unlikely, but you never know. Mu Yan approached Guchan, ready to draw his sword at any moment.
"Master...?"
To Mu Yan's surprise, Guchan was eating the potato the child offered. The boy who always overturned the dinner table... was eating a potato.
The child's condition was even more concerning. His clothes were tattered and in poor condition.
Guchan, who used to wear and discard clothes after a single use, could throw a tantrum at any moment.
The child needed to be sent away quickly.
"Are you daring to...?"
"Do you have any candy?"
"Excuse me?"
"Do you have any candy?"
The plan failed. It was because Guchan interrupted.
Why was he suddenly asking for candy? Mu Yan couldn't bring himself to say, "You ate all the candy on your way here."
Fortunately, he found one piece of candy left in his pocket.
Is this why I learned martial arts? To carry candy as a guard? It was a moment of slight doubt.
Guchan took the candy Mu Yan offered.
I thought he would use the candy to wash down the taste of the potato.
"Do you want to eat this?"
He offered it to the child in front of him.
"..."
I expected him to eat the candy and then insult the child with harsh words.
That's what I had seen of Guchan so far.
Something had changed, but what?
He even apologized, saying he wanted to give more but had none left. Mu Yan couldn't understand the situation.
"I need to see where the sun rises tomorrow."
I need to check if it's in the west, east, or south.
Soon, the child, who was delighted to receive the candy, disappeared with an old man who appeared.
What was surprising was that the girl and the old man he met in the market were working in Guchan's quarters.
That day was definitely a turning point. Guchan had changed.
Guchan started practicing. It was surprising enough that he started practicing, but he was even doing intense physical training.
I had seen it a few times.
His attitude towards the servants changed. It wasn't that he treated them better; he became completely indifferent.
He didn't care whether they worked hard or made mistakes. The servants were happier than ever, calling it a paradise.
Many things had changed.
"Has he really changed...?"
Mu Yan remembered the look in Guchan's eyes. It kept bothering him.
He seemed to be hiding something. What could a child of only mid-teens be hiding?
"Maybe he didn't change, but revealed something."
For what?
Mu Yan couldn't figure it out.
When Mu Yan and Guchan went back to the market again, Guchan found Haomen, a secret sect operating in a deep alley.
How could a righteous family's child be involved with a sect of evil? How did he even know the location of this place?
Everything was incomprehensible.
Moreover, Guchan mentioned the leader of Haomen.
Mu Yan was so surprised that he almost failed to draw his sword in time.
The sword of Haomen was faster than expected.
Guchan didn't flinch at all as the sword blades rained down on him.
How was that possible?
Suddenly, the Chief's words when he was drunk came to mind.
"The Guxian family is not as bright as it seems. Don't delve too deeply into what you see."
Mu Yan's thoughts were complicated as he recalled these words.
After escaping from Haomen, Guchan bought a lot of candy as if nothing had happened.
Moreover, he used his own money... which he still hasn't paid back.
When they returned to the family estate, Guchan asked Mu Yan to keep the matter a secret as it involved the family's bloodline. Mu Yan agreed.
However, he eventually had to report it.
While writing the report to return to the Guard Corps, Mu Yan couldn't understand why he was hesitating.
Just write it. That was his job. Why couldn't he write it?
The answer, ultimately, was his instinct. His instinct told him it was better not to write it.
Why? What was the problem? His thoughts were constantly complicated.
In the end, Mu Yan only wrote about going to Haomen and couldn't write about the leader of Haomen.
It was a suffocating night. Not understanding himself was so frustrating.
Suddenly, Mu Yan wanted to swing his sword. So, he went outside and picked up his sword.
It had been months since he felt the urge to swing his sword. The feeling was different from when he swung it to forget.
Who am I?
Who is Guchan?
What is the Guxian family?
When he put these questions into his sword, the sword seemed to answer.
That day, Mu Yan made a martial arts achievement after months.
He was so happy that he even told the old man sweeping Guchan's quarters.
His muddled mind felt a bit clearer.
"...I think I can return now."
With this, he felt he could return to the sword team. In a way, this was also thanks to Guchan.
Mu Yan was grateful to Guchan, who didn't ask about the matter he was carrying, even though he had a vague idea.
So, he couldn't talk about or reveal what Guchan was carrying.
Why did he wear the mask of a troublemaker and now take it off? Mu Yan decided not to think about the secrets Guchan held about the Guxian family.
Just as he was about to apply to return to the sword team,
"...Sichuan?"
He was told to go to Sichuan.
...Why me?
******************
"Are you talking about the Tangbing Exhibition?"
A day had passed since Elder Li suggested the ridiculous idea of running away from home.
When I argued that running away from home was absurd, Elder Li made a disappointed face and said he would look for another way.
The Tangbing Exhibition was what he brought back.
"Although we receive invitations every year, it's not really worth going."
The Tangbing Exhibition was one of the events hosted by the Tang family, inviting various families.
As a family of iron, the Tang family showcased weapons crafted by their artisans.
"Is it happening now...?"
In my previous life, I attended it once under the name of the young master.
I remembered the impressive weapons lined up.
"Since it's happening in two weeks, we should leave now to arrive just in time."
Considering the distance, it was a tight schedule. Could we find the Jinchuan family in Sichuan in that short time?
"But how did you get permission?"
The reason for attending was to put a face for the Tang family since I was the young master.
It was surprising that they gave permission for a bloodline member to be away for nearly a month. It wasn't an easy thing in the Guxian family.
It was only possible because I was the young master at the time.
Elder Li chuckled.
"I just agreed to do the family head a favor."
"Did you really go that far?"
What kind of favor could make things so easy?
Honestly, I thought they would just put me in a caravan or something.
It would be better than running away from home... or is this running away from home?
I shuddered at the thought that I had a similar idea to Elder Li.
'No matter what, I'm not as bad as that bear-like old man...'
Yeah, that's right.
"Since I promised, I have no choice, and Yangchuan."
"Yes."
"I don't know why you want to go to Sichuan, but you are a bloodline member of the Guxian family. Always keep that in mind and behave properly."
"..."
In simpler terms, it meant "don't cause trouble."
I made a dubious face at Elder Li's words. If someone else had said it, it would have been a cool and proud statement.
But when Elder Li said it, it sounded unrealistic.
"What's that face? I feel like giving you a good beating."
"...Too cool, I couldn't help it."
Regardless, it was a good thing. Even if I didn't find the Jinchuan family's secret records in Sichuan, I wanted to use other methods to prevent Jixianmen from obtaining them.
"Then when are we leaving?"
"Whenever? We're leaving now."
"Did I hear that right...?"
What is this guy saying? I haven't prepared at all. How can I leave immediately...
"I told the attendants to pack your things, so we can leave now."
He was unnecessarily quick with the preparations...
"Where did my opinion go?"
"I thought you wanted to go, so I prepared quickly."
"Isn't that too quick...?"
"How long will it take to go and come back? It's better to leave quickly, isn't it?"
It made sense, but it still felt strange.
I saw Mu Yan coming. He looked like his soul had left his body.
What's wrong with him?
Before I could judge the situation, I was pushed towards the carriage by Elder Li.
The group included a few guards, including Mu Yan, and two attendants. Wei Xiaoya wasn't among them.
I was worried she might be here as a personal attendant, but fortunately, she wasn't.
'But should I leave without saying anything? She might be disappointed.'
I would be away for almost a month. Although leaving them behind would be easier, I didn't have the chance to say goodbye.
"Can we really leave like this? At least we should tell the chief steward..."
"Hey! I've taken care of everything. Let's go!"
He almost shoved me in and closed the door.
"What kind of departure is this...!"
I couldn't finish my sentence. The carriage driver immediately moved.
The carriage really left the family estate.
******************
After the carriage left, Elder Li let go of his folded arms and walked towards Guchan's quarters.
"Let's talk now, senior."
Guchan's quarters, which had been empty, now had Jian Zun sitting there.
The always gentle smile on Jian Zun's face was gone, replaced by a cold look.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"The reason the family head asked me to do such a favor."
Elder Li sat opposite Jian Zun. The huge Elder Li and the small Jian Zun were a stark contrast.