I felt strange.
I didn’t come to meet my father for this kind of outcome. It was as if they were finally meeting their true young lord. Some had thrilled expressions, while others were shocked.
-What are you so shocked about? You have found your own place.
‘My place?’
-Come to think of it, you weren’t this lucky in your previous life either. Why are you looking more miserable now?
Short Sword was right. Before my regression, my life was just a series of bad things happening.
In fact, once I started looking back, I couldn’t even count them. The ending I faced before my regression was also equally miserable because I was unable to join the Murim Alliance, my dantian was broken, and various unlucky things.
Actually, I think I managed to overcome things in this life because of what had happened in the past.
-No. It is because of us that you overcame it, right Iron Sword?
-Hmm. That much? We just hang out with him.
-What? You should be a man.
While they bickered, some people approached closer.
It was Lee Jung-gyeom and Jin Yong.
I forgot about them because of all that was happening.
-Come to think of it, they were aiming to be the successor too.
‘Ah!’
Originally, I had no intention of stepping back on the tests in order to meet my father. Still, as things unfolded as they had, those tests became a waste.
They must be flustered as well. So, what will they say?
At that moment, Lee Jung-gyeom bowed and spoke to Jin Song-baek.
“I congratulate you on finding your son. Senior.”
“Thank you.”
“Congratulations to Ha hyung for meeting your father.”
Surprisingly, Lee Jung-gyeom calmly accepted all of this and offered his congratulations.
Of course, the two of them didn’t react the same way.
“Congratulations. But what do we do if the test is like this?”
Jin Yong’s face was clearly unhappy, and he didn’t hesitate to speak out about it.
-His expression is clearly showing his thoughts about it.
He was a guy who showed his emotions too clearly. He also had a hard time taking the test, so this reaction could be understood.
Jin Song-baek, too seemed to understand it.
“Whatever the situation was, your hard work was in vain since the son was found.”
“No. Why should we do that on such a good day?”
Lee Jung-gyeom spoke boldly.
Still, he was speaking so casually, so it seemed he had some kind of motive, but it’s like Jin Song-baek didn’t think of it.
Looking at me, he said,
“Since you suffered till now, there should be a price to pay. The position of the successor is a one-man post, so I cannot give you a chance, but if you wish, I will pass down my martial arts if you want.”
Jin Yong definitely looked happier.
“Thank you, Lord.”
Actually, this offer wasn’t a bad thing. Even without being his successor, it was still the same as becoming his disciple and being taught.
-He sure is lucky.
Even if he took the test, Jin Yong had no chance of passing it. Looking at this, we can say he benefited the most.
However, unexpected words came from Lee Jung-gyeom.
“Thank you for saying that, but senior, I will decline.”
“You don’t want to learn it?”
“To be honest, I came on my teacher’s orders, so I don’t think I should be greedy because of a martial art when I am not fully trained in the ones I know.”
“Huh.”
Jin Song-baek exclaimed.
I didn’t even expect that he would give up such a chance. However, I felt the same too.
‘…great star.’
Come to think of it, none of the martial arts I currently have were extremely well learned either.
Be it the Xing Ming Sword, Loach Shaped Sword, or the others.
And the upper dantian is needed to use the Heavenly Blood technique.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that I’ve learned most of them over halfway at best, but nothing had been seen to the end.
-Don’t take it to heart, Wonhwi.
‘Uh?’
-My previous owner said that to experience martial arts is a chance to gain something. There is no such thing as an end to martial arts. Develop your foundations based on experience, and you will see it.
‘There is no end…’
Those words made me feel a bit at peace. The path I am supposed to go now.
-Which way is that?
The most fundamental of my martial arts is the Xing Ming Sword. In the past, I managed to get a glimpse with the help of Iron Sword, but I couldn’t progress much.
While I was in deep thought, Lee Jung-gyeom was telling Jin Song-baek something through qi.
I didn’t know what he said, but Jin Song-baek frowned as Lee Jung-gyeom bowed politely.
“I really hope that we will get into a good relationship again.”
“I will think about it.”
“Thank you. If you are not too busy, can we talk for a while?”
“Us, you mean?”
What does he want to talk with me about?
Jin Song-baek nodded as if it didn’t matter.
The two of us then moved to a place without people. As soon as we arrived at the back of the tower, I said.
“You can speak.”
At my words, Lee Jung-gyeom smiled and said,
“If not now, I don’t think I will have a chance to talk to you like this.”
What does he mean?
I was puzzled, but then he began to speak more seriously.
“Ha hyung, what do you think of the Murim Alliance?”
The question was so direct that I couldn’t give him an answer.
It seems that the reason he was asking me this was that I was accused of having ties with the Blood Sect.
“If I were in your shoes, I would hate the Murim Alliance very much. In a way, it was why your family was ruined.”
He knows that it’s right.
If it wasn’t for the request of the Murim Alliance, things might have been different. I might have grown as the young lord of the order from the beginning.
Looking at Lee Jung-gyeom, he didn’t actually have to do this.
“Honestly, I don’t have good feelings.”
At my words, he sighed.
“As expected.”
“That doesn’t mean I hate or hold a grudge against him.”
Because he had nothing to do with that.
Lee Jung-gyeom smiled at that.
“I don’t hate Ha hyung either. Should I say I am rather happy?”
Umm.
I didn’t mean it that far.
He didn’t have to say anything with that mouth.
Lee Jung-gyeom held his hand to me, leaving me unsure of what to do.
“I had a chance to go to the west with my teacher in the past, and the people there greet others by holding hands, like when they are friendly or respect another. It can be a handshake.”
An unusual greeting.
It seemed like he was asking this respectfully from me. So I reached out my hand and took his.
Lee Jung-gyeom held my hand and said,
“I hope we continue our ties.”
“… what if we cannot?”
“I will risk my life to take the last test we couldn’t take today.”
His eyes gleamed. It wasn’t just a favorable attitude. I could see his good intention and desire to fight me.
Clench!
The hand that he held was clenched.
He wasn’t being careless, and he surely was watching me.
“I hope such a day never comes.”
I, too, responded while hoping for it.
But both of us knew about the future that loomed.
We are destined to fight someday.
At the top of Guyang Gyeong’s tower.
The dark office was lit, and a harsh curse escaped from his mouth.
“Damn it.”
He walked over to a cupboard and opened the lid of a wine bottle that was lying inside. He then drank it without bothering to pour it into a glass.
“Haa… how did it get twisted like this.”
Due to that fake, everything went down the drain. Guyang Gyeong gulped down the wine again as if he was trying to deal with the emotions.
Someone called him from behind.
“The way you try to save your life is pitiful.”
‘…!?’
He couldn’t even feel a presence, but the startled Guyang Gyeong immediately moved back.
The moment he was about to use his fist technique, something from the darkness grabbed his wrist and twisted it.
“Kuak!”
Guyang Gyeong tried to shake it off, but then he confirmed who it was.
“You are?”
“Shh.”
Guyang Gyeong nodded his head at the sound of that voice.
And the unknown person let go of his hand.
Looking at his trembling eyes, it seemed like Guyang Gyeong was afraid of this man.
The voice then said.
“He’s good at acting like he had no one left alive.”
To those words, Guyang Gyeong replied.
“The opponent is the Martial Wind God. Besides, the identity of that person, no, Mu Ack, has been revealed to the entire world. How do I stop that?”
Judging by the way he spoke, it seemed that he had known of Mu Ack’s identity from the start.
No, he actually only knew of his real identity today.
He knew that Mu Ack was a fake, but he didn’t know that he was one of the Five Great Evils.
The existence hidden in the shadow clicked its tongue.
“All that hard work was for nothing.”
“… there was nothing to be done on the spot.”
“The person who is said to be one of the four leaders of this place is truly incompetent.”
“Ugh.”
Guyang Gyeong’s face distorted as if his pride was hurt. However, the opponent wasn’t someone he could yell at.
‘Then deal with Jin Song-baek yourself!’
But he didn’t say it. It was because he knew what would happen if this person was provoked.
The one in the shadow then held something out. A black bag.
“This?”
“Your task from now on.”
This made Guyang Gyeong bite his lip and ask.
“Mu Ack is alive. If I do something wrong, I might be exposed.”
“I will handle it, so you do what I tell you.”
“… I understand.”
When Guyang Gyeong answered, the one in the shadows stood up and naturally moved to the door.
The attire he wore was something that a warrior of this order wore. While holding his palm out, the man twisted the knob and said,
“I almost forgot, but Chun Mu-seong is alive.”
“I-I didn’t know either. I thought he was dead.”
“Mu Ack fooled us.”
“…”
“For what reason did he keep that man alive?”
Finally, the door was opened, and the person left. As soon as that happened, Guyang Gyeong leaned back on the wall as if he was exhausted.
He then looked at the black pouch in his hand.
He opened the bag and saw it contained a folded sheet and a brown pill. Guyang Gyeong’s eyes widened in shock as he read the contents on the sheet.
As the sun went down, I was sitting in my father’s office, facing him.
It took some time to meet him like this due to the fight with the fake and Mu Ack’s capture.
“Interrogating him can be done now.”
“No. I don’t have to do it myself, and I have people who can do it for me.”
It seemed like Wang Cheo-il was the one who would be doing the interrogation. Perhaps he was being considerate of my father, and I not have been able to share a moment until now.
Jin Song-baek spoke in a soft voice.
“There is no one here, so you can take off the mask.”
Again, he already knew that I was wearing a mask. In response, I first took off the eye patch and tore the mask from the part near my ear. As I did so, his eyes trembled.
“… this is how you look.”
It seemed that he wanted to see my real face and perhaps also wanted to see how much I resembled both him and my mother.
-I think it’s very similar.
I don’t know, but Short Sword was fussing about our resemblance.
She also said things even when I met So Ik-heon. Now, with the two of us alone, I could ask a couple of things.
“Did you know that mother was in the Ikyang So family?”
This was something that I was curious about. It was because he said that I should have been a child fighting on the side of justice.
His eyes became red due to my words.
“I am sorry.”
“… why… why did you leave my mother there despite knowing?”
I wanted to know, but it looked like he was choking on his words for a while before speaking.
“The day your mother’s Order was expelled… I was imprisoned beneath the tower.”
“Beneath the tower?”
This was something I did not know.
“For a year.”
“A year?”
Who could have kept my father locked up for that long? Perhaps he spotted my confusion as he then added.
“Your grandfather, my father, is the one who did so.”
“Why?”
“I can think of several reasons. Whether it was to prevent me from running away with your mother. Or to prove that the successor to the place had nothing to do with them.”
Ahh…
I didn’t think of this.
Of course, since father would have been the son-in-law of mother’s family, he would be the next target.
“I searched for your mother a year after being released. I couldn’t do it openly as there was surveillance from the main castle, including the Four Lords.”
This made sense too.
At that time, my father wasn’t one of the Eight Great Warriors. And he was in no position to act as such.
“And when I found your mother, she was already living as a concubine to the Ikyang So family and was giving birth to their child.”
I saw the longing in his eyes.
Jin Song-baek tapped his chest.
“This bad father. I never thought that you were my child.”
“… did you hate my mother for what she did?”
“No.”
“No?”
“At that time, your mother was holding you in her arms with that man called So Ik-heon and looked happy.”
“…”
“When I couldn’t protect her and was imprisoned helplessly, and I saw her happy with him, I couldn’t even look at her face.”
Tears flowed down his face. From this, I knew he truly loved mother.
“I couldn’t bring your mother into this place when she had barely survived and found happiness. This was hell. And I was helpless.”
I choked a bit. It was because I could feel the pain he felt.
He didn’t say it, but I could guess after seeing that he devoted his entire time to martial arts to develop strength and power on his own side.
“I devoted myself to martial arts to endure that this kind of tragedy would never happen. I entered training and then only thought about martial arts. And just when I thought I achieved some results, I learned of your mother’s death.”
His tears didn’t stop.
“Your mother left when I barely managed to attain the strength needed to protect her.”
I can see how disappointed he must have been. So I then lived without meeting anyone.
“Every day was like hell. I wanted to take my life to meet your mother.”
“How!”
For him to have taken such an extreme choice. I was startled by that and almost got up.
Seeing me like that, Jin Song-baek grabbed the back of my hand and said,
“I am sorry. From then, my head was filled with thoughts of revenge. I never thought of you being her blood.”
A desire for revenge on those who drove her away.
It seems to have been the driving force behind his life. His hand that held mine then clenched.
“Ha-ryeong, no, when I think of how much your mother sacrificed in order to save you, this father has no face to look at you and your mother even when I die.”
Seeing him in extreme sadness, my heart felt clenched. When I first found out about his existence, I felt resentful.
I even hated the person who said that he had a strong sense of responsibility to become strong and didn’t come for my mother.
But I didn’t know he was living in pain.
The title he held for years was mired in disappointment and pain.
“… you don’t hate me?”
I took a deep breath at his question and then put my hand on his.
“I do.”
“…”
His face darkened. To that, I said.
“I feel very resentful of myself now that I know how you lived in pain.”
“… You.”
“Father.”
At my words, Jin Song-baek teared up.
We looked at each other and wept for a long time. As time passed, we wiped the tears with our sleeves, and he smiled at me.
“Your mother was always better than me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t she raise you this wonderfully? As the successor of South Heavenly Swordsman, you have become a star in the Justice faction. I am so proud of you.”
Those words brought me back to reality. Jin Song-baek only knew one side of my story.
This was expected.
Does he know what I have hidden?
“Even though I was surprised when I heard you went after the daughter of the Wicked Moon Sword, this father can let you meet anyone…”
“Father.”
“What?”
“I have something to tell you.”
Jin Song-baek was puzzled at how serious my voice turned.
Come to think of it, I need to tell this to my grandfather too. What do I even start with?
I should probably….
“Before that… I hope you will not be surprised.”
“I don’t know why, but I don’t think there will be any more surprises for me.”
I took a deep breath, looked at him, and opened my left eye and upper dantian.
At that moment, the transformation happened.
His expression became stiff.
“This.. what is….”
My hair had turned blood red, which shocked him. So I then told him.
“I am the Blood Demon of this era.”
“What?”
He was genuinely shocked despite saying he wouldn’t be surprised by anything.
