Chapter 200. Eight Years of Hardship and Suffering (21)
Woo-Moon stared at the painting on the wall for a while with tears in his eyes before wiping his face with his sleeve and going outside.
Eun-Ah was so excited about being back that she was playing pranks everywhere. Because of her mischief, Dok-Du, Gwang Ryeok-Gwi, and Rat were running around screaming. Just like before, they were Eun-Ah’s main target.
Woo-Moon turned to see Jae-Hwa. Although he was smiling because of Woo-Moon and Eun-Ah’s return, there was still a deep sense of worry on his face.
“You must miss Gun-Ha a lot.”
Jae-Hwa slowly nodded with a dark expression at Woo-Moon’s words.
“How could I not? She is my one and only kin. I want to go and look for her myself even now...”
“You only want to?”
“I’m too weak. That’s why I can’t go now. If she really was kidnapped by someone the Master and Mistress couldn’t beat, there’s no way for me to do something even if I were to leave now.”
Woo-Moon saw that the bandage wrapped around Jae-Hwa’s fist was seeping blood.
It wasn’t blood that had come from the past day or so. The bandages and scabs had come from Jae-Hwa training relentlessly, beating himself up every day since Gun-Ha’s disappearance.
At this time, the Ten Swords of the North Sea, Yeo-Seol, and Yu-Yu entered the residence.
Woo-Moon introduced them to the guards and servants before giving them their own residences.
The Baek Family decided to hold a joint three-day funeral for their deceased. Moreover, the Baek Family also provided the resources for each affected branch or servant family to have their own funerals, too.
About three days after the disaster, rumors spread throughout the entire murim, rumors saying that the Heavenly Demon Cult had attacked the Baek Family.
Woo-Moon was dumbfounded when he first heard that.
He knew exactly what was going on.
Their attackers had definitely been Martial Heaven. There was no way that there was another Paragon in the Heavenly Demon Cult besides the Heavenly Demon.
However, everyone still believed it had been the Heavenly Demon Cult. Moreover, Woo-Moon had no evidence to prove otherwise. There was nothing on the corpses tying the blood devils to Martial Heaven, either.
Around this time, another piece of news reached the Baek Family.
The Hebei Peng Family had been destroyed.
“And then what happened? What happened to Peng Tianhao?!”
“Peng Tianhao... oh, you mean Young Master Peng of the Wind Sword Battalion... It’s said that he also lost his life in the destruction of the Peng Family,” responded the messenger from the Justice Coalition.
“Haaa...!”
Woo-Moon let out a sigh.
Recently, too many people he knew and had been close to had lost their lives. It wasn’t enough for Martial Heaven to be causing such trouble, to think the Heavenly Demon Cult was now...
With this, a total of three of the members of the Wind Sword Battalion had died. After Ha Gun-Choong and Mu Bi, now Peng Tianhao...
He had even known Peng Tianhao and Mu Bi from before he had even entered the Baek Family. Their loss left an even greater ache in his heart.
‘I thought I would be able to protect all of my loved ones, and yet I lose one after the other. It’s not easy; it’s not easy... I will never forgive those who killed Peng Tianhao, and I will never forgive whoever gave the order.’
Woo-Moon wasn’t the kind of person to repay others in kind. Whether kindness or grudge, whatever he received, he repaid tenfold.
He had a feeling that this incident might also have been Martial Heaven’s doing, and the Heavenly Demon Cult had been framed. Considering this was Martial Heaven, it was quite possible that they attacked the Peng Family simply to create even greater animosity between the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Justice Coalition.
However, since the fear of the Heavenly Demon Cult had already spread throughout the murim, nothing he said or did would be effective.
Woo-Moon sighed at the bad news and sent the messenger back. After thinking for a moment, he told Ah Sam and Yeo-Seol that he would be back after a short while. Then, he even left Ma-Ra behind as he headed into the distance.
He was heading to Gyeong Mu-Gi, the son of Night Spear Devil and Woo-Moon’s first disciple.
A white streak painted itself through the sky as he soon arrived at the manor where Gyeong Mu-Gi was staying. From the air, he could see Gyeong Mu-Gi practicing his spearmanship alone in the backyard.
After watching the boy for a while, Woo-Moon descended in front of him.
“Huh? Wha...”
Gyeong Mu-Gi was surprised, which made perfect sense.
First of all, it’s only natural to be surprised when someone falls from the sky and lands in front of you. Secondly, it’s even more natural to be surprised when someone you know falls from the sky.
“Hey, aren’t you the one who saved me back at the Goryang Plains back then...”
“Yes, that would be me. I am here to see my disciple.”
“Your disciple? Wait, don’t tell me....”
Gyeong Mu-Gi instantly realized that the man before him was the master that his father had found for him. He had heard the man’s name many times and each time with high praise; however, he had no idea Woo-Moon was the one who had saved him, much less that Woo-Moon was his new master.
Now that he knew all this, he only respected and worshiped Woo-Moon even more.
“Have you been practicing diligently?”
Although his complexion had definitely improved compared to before, Gyeong Mu-Gi’s skin was still much paler than that of ordinary boys his age. Moreover, Woo-Moon thought that his mother must have been quite beautiful; while Night Spear Devil hadn’t been much of a stunner, Gyeong Mu-Gi was indeed very handsome.
“Of course, Master!”
Gyeong Mu-Gi suddenly straightened his clothes and took a formal stance.
“Please allow me to bow to you as my master and officially take me as your disciple!”
Woo-Moon chuckled seeing the young boy’s eagerness. “Haha, that is why I’m here. Go ahead.”
While practicing the cultivation methods that his master had left him, Gyeong Mu-Gi had tried to imagine what this mysterious master looked like. And reality proved to be even better than what he had imagined! His master was young, and he was incredibly cool!
‘This is my master, my master!’
With a heart full of emotion, Gyeong Mu-Gi bowed respectfully.
Woo-Moon, who was looking at Gyeong Mu-Gi with a proud expression, suddenly sighed to himself.
‘He’s going to ask about his father, isn’t he....’
It was very difficult for anyone to inform a son about his father’s death. Moreover, Gyeong Hong and Gyeong Mu-Gi had such deep affection for each other...
After Gyeong Mu-Gi finished his bows, he looked at Woo-Moon with eyes full of anticipation.
“By the way, did my father come with you? Haha, is he hiding somewhere to tease me or something?”
Gyeong Mu-Gi’s tone was innocent, and his face showed love and anticipation. The sickly and dark expression Woo-Moon had seen last was nowhere to be seen.
Yet now, he would have to make the boy sad again.
Of course, Woo-Moon had played no part in the death of Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong, but that didn’t console him in any way, and it wouldn’t console Gyeong Mu-Gi.
“I’m sorry.”
Woo-Moon’s serious expression and sudden apology made Gyeong Mu-Gi falter.
Why would his master apologize like this just because his father wasn’t present?
Gyeong Mu-Gi felt as if his heart had suddenly stopped. Something was strange. This feeling... Something was really wrong.
“Wh-why... why are you saying that, Master?”
Even though it was so hard to say, even though he knew saying it would hurt the boy, Woo-Moon had to say it in the end. Moreover, he knew that beating around the bush would just cause the boy to break down even more.
“Your father lost his life while fighting to save my junior sister from evil villains. He died a hero’s death. He was the greatest spearman throughout the murim, even until the end.”
Gyeong Mu-Gi’s gaze turned blank.
“Ah...”
Woo-Moon approached him silently and caught Gyeong Mu-Gi as the boy fell forward, unconscious.
“It must be a massive shock... I’m really sorry.”
He gently massaged the unconscious Gyeong Mu-Gi’s entire body with his qi. To prevent any internal injuries from the shock, he also infused his qi into Gyeong Mu-Gi’s brain and organs, checking their condition and energizing them.
Although he had now completely recovered from his illness and was cultivating, Gyeong Mu-Gi was still weak physically. Having spent his entire childhood with a weak constitution, he couldn’t just randomly acquire an exquisite physique out of thin air.
The boy woke up a short time later.
Even after waking up, he refused to open his eyes. He kept his eyes tightly shut as he prayed to himself.
Please, let it all be a dream. My master’s visit and my father’s death, let it all be a dream...
However, when he opened his eyes, all he saw was Woo-Moon’s face.
Gyeong Mu-Gi started to cry.
Since his earliest memory, Gyeong Mu-Gi had traveled wrapped in a blanket on his father’s back. It should have been very difficult for him, considering his rare illness. However, in reality, it wasn’t anything like that. Even in the sandstorms of the desert, even in the snowstorms of the winter, Gyeong Mu-Gi was warmer and more comfortable than anyone else in the entire world.
That was how much Gyeong Hong had loved his son, more than anything.
As time passed and Gyeong Mu-Gi matured, he realized exactly how pure and lofty that love was. He cried alone at night, thanking his father for his kindness, and vowed to repay him someday.
It was only after he was miraculously cured of his illness, and was able to cultivate properly that he saw the hope of being able to do so. That was what led him to cultivate and practice even more diligently.
‘But now... now, there’s no way for me to repay my father’s love... no way at all...’
“Dad... Father! FATHER!”
The Night Spear Devil Gyeong Hong was the epitome of chivalry. He was a truly honorable man, one who disdained evil and did his best to crush it whenever he saw it.
When he first entered the murim, he killed many people and showed a cruel side in order to avenge his parents, which was why he had been given the Devil title, something that did not suggest heroism in any capacity. However, his actions were the very essence of a hero.
Gyeong Mu-Gi knew that as well, which was why he aimed to clear that stigma someday.
“My-my father, who worked so hard to get medicine for me, he, he...”
Gyeong Mu-Gi continued to sob.
With his eyes closed, Woo-Moon just quietly held the boy’s hand, checking to make sure that he didn’t hurt himself in his sorrow.
As Gyeong Mu-Gi cried, his emotions suddenly changed drastically. A thick, murderous bloodlust that even Woo-Moon was surprised by spilled out of his entire body.
In an instant, Gyeong Mu-Gi’s teary eyes flashed with bloodlust.
“Who, who killed my father?! I’ll kill them all! I’ll kill them all!”
“Calm down for now. If you don’t, you might fall into qi deviation.”
However, Gyeong Mu-Gi couldn’t calm down at all.
“Calm down? What do you mean, calm down?! Those bastards who killed my father are probably still alive! Aren’t they? We have to kill them right now!”
Woo-Moon’s gaze also became fierce.
“So, you think you can kill an enemy who killed your father?”
However, Gyeong Mu-Gi was resolute despite those words.
“I’ll put my life on the line to kill them! I’ll slaughter them all! No, no I-I-aGHHHHHH! I’LL SLAUGHTER THEM ALL! ALL OF THEM! ALL OF THEM! I’LL KILL THEM ALL! WHY DID MY FATHER HAVE TO DIE?!”
Gyeong Mu-Gi’s killing intent quickly grew out of control. It was not the cold, controlled intent to kill displayed by a powerful person on the path to revenge; it was the directionless thirst for blood of a madman who would destroy anyone and anything in his path.
Thwack!
Woo-Moon slapped Gyeong Mu-Gi’s cheek and scolded him sternly, imbuing his voice with the energy of the Forbidden Divine Art.
“Who are you trying to kill right now? Shut up and focus.”
The primal qi of the Forbidden Divine Art flowed into Gyeong Mu-Gi’s ears and into his brain, causing his killing intent to falter.
“Your father was a hero. Do you want to be like your father? Then control yourself! Do you know what kind of man the Night Spear Devil was? How hurt he would feel if he saw you now!”
Woo-Moon’s words echoed in Gyeong Mu-Gi’s mind.
“First, sleep.”
Woo-Moon tapped Gyeong Mu-Gi’s acupoint, putting him to sleep.
Taking a deep breath, he thought about his two disciples and his master, the old daoist immortal.
He could now walk across the air just like his master. But did that mean he saw the world from the same height? By no means. The more his cultivation increased, the more he realized how far he was from that man’s level.
Let alone anything else, he didn’t have the ability to draw a landscape painting like his master had, or do anything on that level. Enlightenment deep enough to engrave the Dao into a painting to the point that he could make someone fall into such a dream... When would he ever reach that point?
After thinking about this and that for a while, Woo-Moon believed that enough time had passed and unlocked Gyeong Mu-Gi’s acupoint, waking him up.
“... I’m sorry, Master.”