Chapter 255: The Letter You Sent (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 255: The Letter You Sent (1)
When I thought about it, I realized I didn’t know much about the Dishonored Venerable. He was a recluse who had gone into hiding after achieving Eternal Youth, and he never would have shown his face if the Heavenly Demon hadn’t appeared.
It would have been stranger if I knew the details of his life.
But even so…
I wasn’t completely ignorant. I had met him a few times in my past life, and I’d even crossed blades with him. If I had to describe him…
A monster…
Recalling the events of my past life, I began to understand why the Dishonored Venerable was called the strongest in close combat.
Monster.
If anyone embodied that word, it was him.
He was just that unbelievably terrifying.
A mere glance at him was enough to send chills down my spine. I remember when the Demonic Humans and Demons charged forward in a wave of aggression, and a lone martial artist stood against them.
He wore worn, old clothes and held no weapon.
Moreover, he was alone.
I only learned later that he preferred to fight alone because others would just get in his way. That statement perfectly captured his character.
Despite the calamity charging at him like a tsunami, the martial artist remained perfectly calm.
I didn’t know what was going through his mind at that moment, and I doubt I ever will.
He simply looked forward and clenched his fists. It wasn’t a special movement—he just lowered his upper body and settled his stance. A simple, basic action.
It was the same fundamental posture every martial artist learns, yet his was perfect. Flawless.
His gaze never wavered. He calmly threw a punch, followed by a short, sharp popping sound.
And hell was created.
I still wonder what exactly happened.
I couldn’t even see it clearly. All I knew was that with a single movement, the world changed. When I finally grasped the situation, a pair of pitch-black eyes were staring directly into mine from amidst the torn-apart corpses.
-Come.
And so, the fight between me and the Dishonored Venerable began.
It was a pitiful display. If the Demonic Sword, who had been hunting other Orthodox Sect members nearby, hadn’t joined the fray, I would have died on the spot.
The Dishonored Venerable was simply that powerful.
Even though he had become far weaker due to the aftereffects of Eternal Youth, he was still mighty, true to his title.
He was batshit crazy!
What kind of maniac charges into enemy lines alone to kill them all?
What was more surprising was that he actually succeeded, as easily as child's play. With a single step, the land shattered; with one punch, colossal hills vanished.
Contrary to his title, there was nothing dishonorable about him.
An absolute monster.
That was my impression of the Dishonored Venerable.
Even though the Heavenly Demon’s army and my past self are gone, the fact that the Dishonored Venerable proved his prowess that day remains unchanged.
And such a person…
Is coming to see me?
In person? On his own two feet?
Haha.
I’m fucked.
No, I’m seriously fucked. How did this even happen?
Hah, who am I kidding?
I already knew the reason. It was all because of him, the one who gave me this letter.
Crack—!
I ground my teeth and moved forward. I had originally planned to see Namgung Bi-ah and Father afterward, but that no longer seemed possible.
In the thick forest behind the Gu Clan, I saw a large house at its center.
This was my first time here, but in my past life, I had been practically dragged here numerous times.
It was an unusually small residence for an Elder, with no escorts or servants in sight. It truly reflected the personality of its occupant.
Passing through the small garden, I quickly made my way to the house. Finding a room with a presence inside, I slid the door open.
Slide!
I knew it was rude, but I couldn’t hold back this time.
“What kind of letter is this…!”
I began to complain as I opened the door, but my words faltered when I saw another person in the room.
Tap.
“Oh, what brings you here, Yangcheon?” the First Elder said, placing a stone on a Go board.
“…Ugh.”
The groan reminded me of the other person in the room.
Why is he here?
I had been looking for this person since he wasn’t where he was supposed to be, but I never expected to find him playing a random game of Go at the First Elder’s place. It was the Lord of the Hao Clan, who had been trapped with Gu Huibi in the Black Palace.
I remembered him being imprisoned in the Gu Clan’s jail before I left for the frontlines, so I had intended to ask Father about his whereabouts.
…So why was he playing Go here?
The old man pleaded with the First Elder.
“…Please… Give me one… Just one more chance.”
His voice trembled with regret, as if he had no other choice.
In contrast, the First Elder’s lips curled into a sneering smile. He seemed quite pleased.
“Hmm, another chance? I see, but… If you want that, shouldn’t you first keep the promise we made?”
His tone was unusually heavy. Did he need to be so serious about a board game? Even I, who had come to complain, was momentarily stunned by the atmosphere.
The old man’s body trembled at the response. What kind of promise could make him…
“…I’m… not… good.”
…Hmm?
What was that?
I felt like I’d heard something strange.
But before I could process it, the First Elder shouted.
“Louder!”
“I’m… not better than Gu Ryoon… at Go…!”
“Uh-uh! Speak louder! Your voice is too low!”
“Ugh…! I! Am not better than Master Flaming Fist in Go!”
Only after the Lord of the Hao Clan shouted those words did the First Elder nod in satisfaction.
“Good. I shall give you a chance, thanks to the spirit you showed!”
“…You fucker, you actually made me say that…! You bitch! I’ll get you next time…!”
“…”
What the fuck…?
What the hell are these guys doing…?
They didn’t even seem to care that I was there. The two old men resumed their game. It was only after I snapped out of my daze and interrupted them that the heated match came to a halt.
After the situation was somewhat resolved, I settled into the First Elder’s room. He entered with some tea and sat opposite me.
“Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have any snacks.”
“You should’ve asked the servants for some.”
“Why would I do that when the only things I have are time and my body?”
The First Elder spoke nonchalantly. Considering the size of this building for a man living alone, it seemed a bit much for him to manage by hims—
“Oh.”
Just as I was finishing that thought, I saw someone brushing the floor with a broom.
It was none other than the Lord of the Hao Clan, who had been playing Go earlier.
“Tch! Jeez! Sweep harder! It has to be perfectly clean!”
“You bastard…! At least say that after looking at my body! Do I look like I have the strength?!”
True to his words, Elder Mook’s waist was as thick as an arm, and his arms were as thin as a finger—and that was an exaggeration. I didn’t think he was capable of sweeping any harder.
Wait no, that’s not the problem.
I quickly turned to the First Elder.
“Why is Elder Mook in your place, First Elder?”
“Hmm? Oh, I guess you haven’t heard yet, Yangcheon.”
“Huh? Was there a particular reaso— “
“No, no. I simply asked the Lord to give me that man in exchange for me accepting the position of First Elder.”
“Pardon?”
“I happened to be bored all by myself, and he also said he had nowhere to go, so I just offered to take care of him.”
“…You make it sound like you’ve adopted a puppy or something.”
Elder Mook was the head of the Hao Clan, a prominent faction within the Unorthodox Sect known for their exceptional information-gathering abilities, rivaling even the Beggar’s Sect.
Whether it was the First Elder adopting such a man into his home, Father casually granting him away because he asked, or even Elder Mook himself, busy sweeping the floor… they were all crazy.
What a batshit crazy household this is…
The more I learned, the more absurd it became.
“I… um… never mind.”
I decided to let go of the dozens of complaints I had. Asking about each one felt like it would only lead to me dying of frustration.
There must be a reason behind the First Elder’s actions. Surely, there must be…
“…More importantly, First Elder, just what in the hell is this?”
“Hmm? What is what? What are you talking about?”
“This letter.”
I showed him the letter supposedly sent by the Dishonored Venerable.
After all, that was the reason I had come here.
“Hmm, what about it?”
“Huh? What do you mean, ‘what about it’…?” I couldn’t help but feel exasperated by his casual response.
As if he couldn’t grasp the issue, the First Elder tilted his head. Seeing his reaction, I wondered if perhaps it wasn’t such a big deal after all.
“Isn’t this… a letter from the Dishonored Venerable?”
The First Elder took the letter from me and nodded.
“Oh, this?”
“Is it not?”
“No, it is.”
Hahaha.
So it is, huh? So funny!
Seeing my tense expression, the First Elder added, “Haha! Why are you so worried? He’s only coming to see your face.”
“…Isn’t it weird not to be worried?”
“What’s there to worry about?”
“Do you truly believe nothing will happen if the Dishonored Venerable pays me a visit?”
“What could possibly happen if he does visi— “ the First Elder began, but then abruptly stopped speaking and avoided my gaze.
“Elder, why are you avoiding my eyes?”
“Khm-! Some dust must have gone inside my eyes!”
“Huh? Why are you changing the subject?”
This geezer…!
After I persistently prodded him, he backed away a little and reluctantly spoke.
“Jeez, you worry too much, Yangcheon. There are plenty of people who would jump at the chance to meet him or receive his teachings.”
The First Elder was right. The Dishonored Venerable held a lofty position as one of the three Heavenly Venerables.
They represented the pinnacle of martial arts that a human body and sheer talent could reach. The three Heavenly Venerables were martial arts incarnate.
Each possessed such immense power that they could decimate entire armies.
However, that just added to my predicament.
“Just how did you end up making connections with such a person, Elder?”
“My network just expanded as I lived longer.”
It started with the Lord of Mount Hua, then the Immortal Healer, followed by the head of the Hao Clan, and now even the Dishonored Venerable.
I couldn’t fathom how the First Elder had cultivated such vast connections.
Was he actually serious when he said that he was popular back in the day?
Just what did he do in the past to end up with such a network?
“Jeez, just stop worrying about it. He probably didn’t mean that he would come right away. It was likely just a passing comment. Hehe!”
Indeed, it seemed highly unlikely that the Dishonored Venerable was in a situation where he could come immediately. After all, I doubted he wanted to show his current self to the world.
However, the Dishonored Venerable was a man of his word, at least according to my knowledge.
There was only one instance I knew of where he failed to keep a promise.
When he vowed to kill the Heavenly Demon.
Apart from that, he had always followed through.
Which meant that if he said he would come and see my face…
…He really is going to come someday.
But would he just see my face and leave? A part of me already felt that wasn’t going to be the case.
My premonitions have never been wrong, which was very annoying.
“Nothing good ever comes from getting involved with you.”
“You ungrateful brat! I cleaned your shit, dressed you up, and raised you, yet you have the audacity to say such things to your grandpa!”
“Since when did you clean up my shit! It’s more like you beat me until I shat myself.”
Swish!
In an instant, a fist flew towards my face. I quickly dodged, avoiding a repeat of the earlier incident and becoming dizzy.
“You…! Again! You always resort to violence first! Always using your fist is a really bad habit, you know?!”
“Instead of growing more mature, you only get nimbler!”
The First Elder grumbled, getting up and moving towards me. Sensing danger, I quickly put some distance between us.
I had no intention of getting beaten up while I was here to complain.
“Hmph! I brought you a letter out of goodwill, and yet you don’t even have the decency to show gratitude.”
“If it was something like this, then you should have just kept it to yourself…!”
“Hoh?! Judging by your reaction, I can tell you haven’t read the other one.”
“Huh?”
“Ah~ I went out of my way to give it to you as well.”
The other one?
What other letter was he talking about…?
Wait…! Now that I thought about it, there might have been two letters.
Yes, the First Elder gave me not one, but two letters. Caught up in my emotions, I hadn’t even bothered to read the second one.
Just what did the other letter say…?
I carefully folded the Dishonored Venerable’s letter in half and tucked it into my pocket. Honestly, I just wanted to burn it, but if I did that, there was no going back.
With a mix of curiosity and apprehension, I took out the other letter.
“…Huh?”
As soon as I opened it, I lost all the strength in my body. The rough handwriting on the page spelled out a simple greeting.
-To the Young Master.
The sender was none other than Wi Seol-Ah.