Chapter 12
Chapter 12
12.
The Spring that Mother Bloomed (1)
Lyun Hui's declaration.
Go-gu's face, already red, turned even more crimson and purple.
Lyun Hui spoke as if he was done with the matter.
"Leave. I won't bother seeing you off."
Swish-!
As Go-gu stormed out of the training grounds, Lyun Hui immediately took charge of the situation.
"What are you all doing! Take Hyeok-ah and Japil to the medical ward at once!"
"Yes, yes...!"
The warriors, who had been bowing their heads, jumped up with relief.
One of the warriors picked up Japil and Gwak Jeong, while two warriors supported Un-hyeok, helping him up.
"L-Let's go, Young Sect Leader."
They were much more respectful than before.
Un-hyeok nodded.
"I understand. But before that."
Un-hyeok turned his head and looked at Lyun Hui.
"Father, about the detailed explanation..."
"Enough, Won-i is here."
"Yes, Brother. I'll tell Father everything that happened, so don't worry and go get treated quickly."
"Won-i is right. Hyeok-ah, all you need to do now is focus on your recovery."
"...Understood."
After Un-hyeok left the training grounds with support,
Lyun Hui asked Mu-won.
"Won-ah, explain. How could your brother possibly defeat Japil?"
"That's... it's hard to believe even though I saw it myself. Not only did Brother wield the twin swords like they were his own limbs, but he even used Hidden Weapon Technique."
"What?"
"Furthermore, the one who made Lord Neung kneel was none other than..."
Mu-won's eyes darkened.
"Poison."
"Poison? Explain in detail."
"It was just a fleeting moment, but I clearly saw it. Brother definitely used Poison Art during the duel."
"How... I haven't even taught Hyeok-ah the Thousand Poison Heart Incantation yet."
The Thousand Poison Heart Incantation is the most basic of the advanced martial arts that only the direct line of the Poison Demon Sect can learn.
Of course, learning it doesn't mean you can immediately create poison.
It required effort that shaved bone and flesh.
'It's only been a week since finishing the Dragon Brocade Hall's work, and Hyeok-ah wasn't even in the Dark Writing Pavilion for most of that time.'
Not enough time to learn anything.
'Unless he learned the founder's Ten Thousand Streams Return to Poison Divine Art, he wouldn't be able to use Poison Art so quickly...'
Then, a thought flashed through Lyun Hui's mind.
'Wait, didn't Hyeok-ah say he saw traces of the founder's Divine Art in the Dark Writing Pavilion?'
Seok In-gu said that he started devouring all the books in the Dark Writing Pavilion after that.
"Could it be..."
Lyun Hui clapped his hands.
"Yes, that's it. Now all the pieces fit!"
Mu-won tilted his head.
"What's wrong, Father? Did you figure something out?"
"Indeed. Won-ah, it seems your brother is..."
Lyun Hui's eyes were full of conviction.
"Definitely a genius."
"Yes? What do you mean...?"
"Listen. I'll tell you why I think so..."
Lyun Hui explained how he came to that conclusion based on his hypothesis.
Mu-won listened for a moment, then nodded.
"Indeed, Father, you're right. If Brother is a genius, he could immediately copy a martial arts manual after seeing it once."
"Of course, with the talent to restore the Ten Thousand Streams Return to Poison Divine Art, that's a piece of cake!"
If anyone else heard their conversation, they would think they were crazy.
But Mu-won was more of a brother-lover than anyone else, and Lyun Hui was a fool for his son.
"A genius always deviates from common sense."
Unexplained parts were neatly understood once the premise of 'genius' was established.
"Perhaps the reason he read all the martial arts manuals in the Dark Writing Pavilion was to use the fact that all the Poison Demon Sect's martial arts were derived from the Divine Art."
"Exactly. How could Brother find the origin there? No one in the Poison Demon Sect has ever restored the Divine Art before."
Mu-won purely admired.
"What an absurd martial talent!"
There are over three hundred martial arts manuals in the Poison Demon Sect alone.
The number of stances within them is over ten thousand.
Unless you completely understand the martial arts, it is impossible to restore the Divine Art.
Martial arts tend to change over time, and even the meaning of some parts fades.
But Un-hyeok managed to do that difficult thing.
"Father, but..."
"...?"
"Why has Brother been hiding his talent until now?"
"Hmm..."
After pondering for a moment, Lyun Hui came up with his own answer.
"Perhaps your brother was afraid."
"Yes?"
"After your mother passed away, didn't your brother indulge in women and wine, lost in grief? But he had a talent that no one else possessed."
"......"
"He thought that if his talent was discovered, they wouldn't leave him alone. They certainly wouldn't have given him time to mourn the loss of his mother."
In the Demonic God Church, weakness is a sin.
Moreover, they couldn't let someone with Un-hyeok's talent rot.
Perhaps all fathers with genius children would think that way, but Lyun Hui was different.
"Foolish. How did he endure those difficult times?"
He had to hide his talent and betray everyone's expectations.
To fully mourn his mother's death.
How much did Un-hyeok cry alone inside?
Suddenly, Lyun Hui remembered the past when he tried to drive Un-hyeok out without knowing anything.
His eyes stung for no reason.
"I am a truly incompetent father. I know nothing about Hyeok-ah."
"Father..."
Mu-won offered comfort as Lyun Hui's expression looked very sad.
"If you know it was a mistake, you can correct it from now on! Just like Brother showed us today!"
"...Yes, you're right. A father can't show his son a shameful side."
Lyun Hui resolved.
"I must give unconditional support to whatever Hyeok-ah wants to do in the future. That's the way to help Hyeok-ah."
"I feel the same way! Father, I think I've finally realized my role too!"
Mu-won clenched his fists, burning with determination.
"To help Brother, the greatest talent of all time, restore the prosperity of the Poison Demon Sect! That's what I have to do!"
"Well done, as expected of my son!"
Without Un-hyeok knowing.
Misunderstandings about Un-hyeok were piling up.
Meanwhile, at that time.
Un-hyeok returned to his residence after finishing treatment.
A splint was placed on his arm.
Plaster was poured in and firmly fixed with cotton cloth.
"Tch, how can they tell me to lie down for days with this kind of injury?"
The medical ward told him to receive treatment for a few more days.
Un-hyeok refused.
"An injury that would make even seasoned warriors scream."
Un-hyeok scoffed.
"If you're going to whine about dying with just this much, you shouldn't say you've experienced the battlefield."
During his time as a hunting dog for the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Un-hyeok was always assigned to missions where he had to risk his life.
'Leisurely treating injuries? That's something I couldn't even dream of.'
If he was injured, he was injured.
The mission had to continue.
He learned emergency treatment through Pressure Point Striking at that time.
The opponent doesn't wait.
If I don't kill them, I'll be killed.
Compared to then, the current rest was luxurious.
"Haa, but I still have many shortcomings."
He won the duel against Japil, but he wasn't satisfied with the content.
'The fact that I was injured is mostly due to the terrible equipment, but it's not right to say that there's nothing wrong with me.'
A craftsman doesn't blame his tools.
More important than the weapon is the person who wields it.
Even the best sword in the world becomes mediocre in the hands of a third-rate martial artist.
Even a twig rolling on the street can become the best sword in the world in the hands of the best person in the world.
'Still, I need to make a weapon.'
The problem is that he doesn't have the materials to make it, nor a craftsman to help him.
'Borrowing money or a smithy, I could somehow manage if I cozy up to the Dragon Brocade Hall.'
After a moment of thought.
Un-hyeok came to a conclusion.
'Considering the realistic conditions, I should put this issue aside for now. I need to improve my skills by focusing on what I can do now.'
Since he can't do physical training for a while due to his arm.
He thought of diligently practicing the Ten Thousand Streams Return to Poison Divine Art.
"Young miss, you can't. The Young Sect Leader needs to rest, so please go back!"
It was noisy outside.
"What's going on?"
As Un-hyeok approached the front of the door, he heard the voice of a young girl.
"B-But... I heard that Brother was seriously injured..."
It was a very young voice, but Un-hyeok immediately recognized who it was.
There was only one younger sister of Dok Un-hyeok.
'Dok Seo-ryeon.'
Originally, the owner of this body, Dok Un-hyeok, treated Dok Seo-ryeon as if she didn't exist.
His mother died in childbirth while giving birth to Seo-ryeon.
Dok Un-hyeok's resentment naturally turned to Seo-ryeon.
But.
'Ironically, Dok Seo-ryeon looked exactly like her mother.'
When he saw her face, resentment would boil up, but longing would also fill him.
So all Dok Un-hyeok could do was coldly ignore his younger sister.
"Young miss, it's no use waiting here without moving. Don't you know why the Young Sect Leader hates you?"
"I, I..."
Seo-ryeon said in a tearful voice.
"Is it because I'm the one who was born eating my mother?"
"Young miss, it's not like that...!"
"Just because I'm young doesn't mean I don't know anything!"
Tears welled up in Seo-ryeon's eyes.
Some of the Poison Demon Sect's members blamed Seo-ryeon as Un-hyeok went in the wrong direction.
"Because I was born! That's why they whisper that my older brother went astray... Do you think I don't know!"
"T-That's not it..."
But Seo-ryeon, who had been holding back her resentment, couldn't hear anything.
"That's right, it's all my fault, just like you said! If only I, if only I hadn't been born...!"
"Stop!"
Creak-!
As the door opened and Un-hyeok appeared, both the servant and Seo-ryeon's eyes widened.
"Young Sect Leader..."
"B-Brother..."
Un-hyeok slowly approached Seo-ryeon.
She closed her eyes tightly without realizing it.
How angry would he be that the person he hated to the point of loathing was causing a commotion in front of his residence?
"I-I'm sorry..."
Seo-ryeon trembled like a patient with chills.
"I, I was just worried about Brother..."
"Do you know what you did wrong?"
Thump-!
Seo-ryeon felt her heart sink.
The only reason Seo-ryeon clung to Un-hyeok, no matter how coldly he treated her, was because she craved love.
Seo-ryeon had heard from Mu-won about how much Un-hyeok had cherished and loved her in the past, in place of their parents.
So Seo-ryeon begged to feel that.
She craved attention.
She craved people.
She craved love.
'I wish my older brother would like me too...'
But it seems she has to give up now.
In fact, Seo-ryeon had a glimmer of hope after hearing that Un-hyeok had changed.
'I ruined everything. Brother will continue to hate me.'
Seo-ryeon, who was very sullen, lowered her head.
"I'm... sorry. I won't bother you in front of Brother anymore."
"The reason I'm scolding you isn't because of that."
Seo-ryeon, who didn't know what he meant, raised her head.
But for the first time, Un-hyeok was looking at her without avoiding her eyes.
"Ryeon-ah."
Thump-!
A delicate hand was placed on Seo-ryeon's head.
"It's not your fault. So don't blame yourself."
"...Yes?"
"Mother's death..."
A tangled thread that had been twisted for so long that it could no longer be untangled.
Un-hyeok decided to cut it off.
"Is no one's fault."