Chapter 30. Twin Swords of the Wind and Clouds (5)
Although Woo-Moon, like Woo-Gang, had little experience with the real world, he at least knew what cowardly and underhanded people were like from his experience working at the inn.
Although he had never experienced a situation like this himself, he was still able to grasp the opponent’s behavior accurately.
It was only then that Woo-Gang realized it as well.
If they were to abandon their weapons, it was a given that the lives of the people of the Leebi Merchant Guild would fall into even greater danger, not to mention that it would even put their grandfather, the Palm Martial Emperor, in danger as well.
“Haha! As expected, you’re smart, too! Still!”
Baek Sang-Woon’s voice suddenly rang, and at the same time, five beams of light flew from behind them and pierced the foreheads of the five warriors holding hostages simultaneously.
Thud! Thud!
“Kyaaa!!!”
One of the fake warriors of the Leebi Guild[1] that was held hostage screamed at the sight of blood.
Having dealt with the five warriors, Sang-Woon made his appearance.
“It seems you still don’t know the extent of your grandfather’s abilities. Whether they take hostages or not, these brats won’t be able to flee.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Sang-Woon erupted with a terrifying aura.
“If any of you had any idea who I am, none of you would have dared to do such a vicious thing like taking a hostage in front of me!” he said in a furious tone as he thrust a palm in the air toward the enemies.
WOOSH!
A terrifying sound exploded, so loud that all those who heard it wondered if this kind of sound was something that could be generated just by striking the air with the palm of one’s hand.
A formidable gale was created, breaking apart the ground and flipping it up into the sky as it rampaged forward.
“Agh!!!”
The remaining enemies were swept away by the formidable wind as blood splattered over the surroundings.
During the battle of the Emperors, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor had been forced to run away. Woo-Moon had played a pivotal role in forcing the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor to flee in spite of the latter's skills being on the same level as the Palm Martial Emperor's.
As the two Emperors fought, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor’s qi destabilized slightly as an aftereffect of Woo-Moon's attack, which he had initially brushed off.
Of course, although it had only caused the slightest of impacts on his qi circulation, even such subtle changes played a significant role in a bout between Absolute Masters.
The Palm Martial Emperor had caught onto that subtle change and pushed him persistently, widening the gap between them more and more. It was like a stone shifting ever so slightly at the top of a snowy mountain in the dead of winter—if a breeze sent it rolling down, it would gather more and more snow on the way until it turned into an avalanche.
As a result, the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor was forced to flee, and the Palm Martial Emperor was able to join the others before it was too late.
***
Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang gathered the bodies of their enemies in one place, then Sang-Woon personally lit his Samadhi True Flame and incinerated them. Meanwhile, the Leebi Guild hastily gathered their slain members onto the wagons and set off back on the road.
Although it was already well into the night, after what they had just gone through, there were no complaints as everyone just wanted to return to Unhan as fast as possible.
“Just who could they have been?” Woo-Moon asked Sang-Woon, who was on a horse.
“Hmm, who knows? I couldn’t tell, either. All of the bastards that I left alive took some poison pill and offed themselves. Still, considering how they’d go so far to keep their secret, they’re either from a group that’s afraid of my retaliation, or they’re from a secret organization that follows the Demonic Path, an organization that would likely become a public enemy if it were to be revealed.”
“If it’s the Demonic Path... then could it be the Heavenly Demon Cult?”
Sang-Woon smirked at Woo-Moon’s question.
“No, it could never be them.”
“Why is that?”
Sang-Woon suddenly raised his fist.
“Strength!”
“Strength?”
“Yes. Strength. What the Heavenly Demon Cult ultimately seeks is the epitome of strength. A path of domination that can break through anything! For those muscleheads to work in secret like this to get rid of me? That those idiots would even take poison pills in fear of being discovered? Nonsense.”
The Palm Martial Emperor turned his gaze into the distance as he continued.
“Although they are of the Demonic Path, in a way, they could be said to be the purest of those bastards. They wouldn’t do anything uncouth like taking hostages or do anything in secret, just like those bastards just now. If they wanted to come out, they would have done it confidently, even if it meant that they died for their principles. And even then, they would go down kicking and screaming. That is the way of the Demonic Path’s Heavenly Demon Cult, the way of the Heavenly Demon.”
For some reason, the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon seemed to feel nostalgic about the Heavenly Demon Cult. In fact, he actually seemed slightly upset at Woo-Moon asking if their enemies had been the Heavenly Demon Cult.
‘So that’s how honorable and respectable an enemy they are, then.’
The last time that the Heavenly Demon Cult had appeared was 50 years ago. At that time, the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors had to join forces to stop the Heavenly Demon Cult from throwing the entire world into chaos and to defeat the Heavenly Demon.
The strongest warrior the Palm Martial Emperor had ever seen was the Heavenly Demon, and his memories of the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Demon Cult still remained as clear as day in his mind.
“Then who the hell could they be? To think they could even enlist the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor..."
When he thought back to the Blood Cloud Devil Emperor once again, Woo-Moon became furious as the qi of the Forbidden Divine Art began to bubble up. However, he immediately calmed himself down. The object of his rage had already disappeared, after all.
“How am I supposed to know, you brat? I tried to look into it a few times myself, but they’re so secretive that I couldn’t find any clues,” Sang-Woon said, ending the conversation.
Woo-Moon was now starting to realize that he was getting more and more involved in the murim, and that bothered him. He had just wanted to provide a happy and luxurious life for his parents, as well as to fully acquire the martial arts hidden in the landscape painting.
That was his greatest dream and goal right now.
To be a chivalrous hero?
Of course, it had been a dream of his when he was young, but that dream had been buried away in the corner of his heart from the day that the masters of Mount Hua Sect left him behind. Now that he had reached a point where he could become such a chivalrous hero, he lacked the drive; to him, right now, that was nothing more than an old dream, shuttered away into a corner where dust had already accumulated and the light did not reach.
The atmosphere of the caravan had become subdued as a whole as they all processed that moments before, their companions had died in a sudden attack.
Because of what had happened, they had all realized a very general truth about the world.
There was nothing good to be had by getting involved with the people of the murim. The higher and stronger the reputation, the more dangerous it would be.
* * *
"We’re back!” shouted a warrior of the Leebi Merchant Guild.
His comrades' faces were all flushed. Of course, as hired warriors, they had learned martial arts, but the kind of battle they had just been through was by far not the norm in a rural place like this. On this trip, they had finally come to witness a real powerhouse slaughtering enemies left and right, so they were naturally more excited than they had ever been.
“We will pay you all for this caravan and journey collectively tomorrow. For now, go back and rest well,” Si-Hyeon said.
However, the Palm Martial quietly called out to her at that moment.
“Wait a moment. I have something to tell you.”
“Huh? Ah, yes!”
The Palm Martial Emperor walked with her to a secluded corner and took a pearl out from his bosom.
“Not only did you accompany us all the way here, but the damages you incurred because of us weren’t small, either, so think of it as compensation for your troubles. You’re a good child, so I trust you’ll make good amends for the wounded and dead warriors.”
Si-Hyeon’s eyes grew wide as she looked at the pearl in the Palm Martial Emperor’s hand.
“Is.. is that a Luminous Night Pearl?"
“There’s something I want you to promise me in return for this.”
Shi-Hyeon looked down at the Luminous Night Pearl for a moment before shaking her head slowly.
"A Luminous Night Pearl can cost as much as a castle. I can’t take something like this, sir.”
With this Luminous Night Pearl, the Leebi Guild would be able to not only climb out of the financial pit they were in, but actually grow exponentially. Yet, Si-Hyeon still refused it. Seeing that, the Palm Martial Emperor spoke up.
“Don’t feel pressured. In the future, there will be a time when I ask you for something comparable in return. Now, the promise I wanted... first, don’t tell anyone in this village who I am. Make sure that everyone understands this, alright? Second, choose someone you can trust when dealing with the Luminous Night Pearl. Can you do that for me?”
The first point was because he was worried about the backlash that could fall on the village if it became known in the gangho that he had a connection to this place, and the second was to remind Si-Hyeon that those with treasures beyond their means should be careful.
Si-Hyeon considered it for a moment, but eventually nodded.
“Understood, my lord.”
“Haha! Oh my, you seem to be a rather perceptive young lady. Then, you should gather all the people who know who I am.”
Moments later, Si-Hyeon had gathered all of those that had traveled together in the caravan and instructed them not to let others know about the Palm Martial Emperor.
"Now! Woo-Moon, Woo-Gang, we should head out, too. To your mother."
"Yes, grandfather."
On the way to Deungpyeong Inn, the Palm Martial Emperor Baek Sang-Woon seemed to be deluged with conflicting emotions. Soon, he would be in front of his daughter.
He was overwhelmed with emotion on the one hand, and on the other, he was filled with worry. Worry that his daughter would meet him with coldness... worry that he would be appearing in front of his daughter in vain, only causing her pain.
‘What the hell, you've already made up your mind! No, there’s no going back. Let’s go.’
In front of the Deungpyeong Inn stood Song Dae-Woong. He had received the news that the caravan had arrived in Unhan, so he was now outside, waiting for Song Woo-Moon.
“Oh? Son!!! Huh??!!! Woo-Gang, you're here as well!! How come you're here together?”
Dae-Woong ran forward and hugged Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang at the same time.
“Father!”
“Oh, you little brat. Did you have a safe trip? Have you been eating well?”
Dae-Woong's eldest son had caused him endless worry while he was living at home, but now that he had left for the outside world, Dae-Woong had discovered that this made him even more worried.
“I’m fine. What, am I a baby?”
Dae-Woong was proud to see Woo-Moon's confident smile.
“Good, good. Woo-Gang, have you been well? You’re not hurting anywhere, are you?”
“I'm fine, Father.”
It was only then that Dae-Woong noticed a man in white, roughly in his mid-thirties, who was observing him intently.
‘What the hell is with that fishy look? Hey, little brat, who do you think you're glaring at?’
Dae-Woong was in his early forties, and he did not suspect for a second that this man, who looked a decade younger, was his father-in-law.
Dae-Woong frowned.
“Tsk. And who is that brother over there? Is he someone you know?”
“Cough! Father, please, you can’t be like that. That’s mother’s—”
Sang-Woon interrupted Woo-Moon before he could finish.
"Woo-Moon, go and tell your mother to come out.”
"Understood!"
Woo-Moon immediately gave up trying to explain things and went inside to do what his grandfather had asked. Seeing that, Dae-Woong walked forward, eyes blazing.
“Excuse me, dear brother. Who the hell are you to go and order my wife around?!”
Dae-Woong didn’t like the look of Sang-Woon. Being stared at like that irritated him to begin with, and now his children seemed to be more obedient toward this man than toward their own father! Most importantly, this man seemed to be acquainted with Dae-Woong's fairy of a wife, which made Dae-Woong prick up like a hedgehog.
‘The hell is this bastard! What, is he someone Jin-Jin met when she was younger?’
Woo-Gang rushed to his father and grabbed his arm, quickly explaining, “Father! You have to watch your words. This is our maternal grandfather."
"What?"
Hearing this remark that came out of nowhere, Dae-Woong turned to look at Woo-Gang. Suddenly, he became teary and put his hand on Woo-Gang's forehead.
“So... something is strange. You don’t have a fever, either... No...no! Have you become a fool now that your older brother has become normal again? No, that can’t be!”
“No, of course not! I’m fine. I’m telling you, he is our maternal grandfather. He's your father in law, so please be polite to him.”
“You little punk, what do you mean you’re fine? How can this guy that’s younger than me be your mother’s father? There’s no helping it. Come with me to the clinic right now!”
Dae-Woong was already sensitive to this issue because of Woo-Moon.
‘We can’t have any more idiots in the family!’
The more Dae-Woong floundered, the more Woo-Gang became irritated.
‘Well, of course, he looks younger than you, Father. But that’s not his real age. This person is the famous Palm Martial Emperor. You know that Absolute Masters look as if they never age, right?”
“What a load of crap![2]How could someone like the Palm Martial Emperor come to a place like this? Come on, quickly, we have to go to the clinic!”
1. In chapter 7, the Leebi Guild hired a number of random people to dress up as warriors in order to boost the guild's image. ☜
2. An idiom about speaking nonsense, literally "forgetting the rice for the ghosts." In Eastern society, holding rites for your ancestors was a common ritual as a form of filial piety. One of the common beliefs of the rites is that without holding the rites, your ancestors will starve for eternity. These rites are still held once a year, and the idiom refers to how ridiculous it would be if you said, “I forgot the rice” at the ritual. ☜