Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: A Pleasant Chat
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“Are you feeling calmer now?”
Baek Ji-pyeong asked Mu-heun upon his return.
“Yes. Please, speak comfortably. As you can see, I am young, and you are all my senior brothers and sister, are you not?”
“……”
The three exchanged glances upon hearing Mu-heun’s words. Ever since Mu-heun had left for the lavatory, they had been carefully choosing what to say.
But while they tried to act natural, the tension on their faces was palpable.
I was the only one who could tell, as they had subtle habits that would change when they were nervous.
However, as I spoke to them casually, the expressions on the three of them eased considerably, and Baek So-so opened her mouth.
“Yes! That’s a great way to think. It’s not good to live trapped in the past. What’s important is what comes next. We can be with you. You’re not alone.”
As Baek So-so suddenly took the lead, Baek Ji-pyeong and Baek Yeon-ho started to look flustered.
“……Ah, well…”
The way his disciples were acting now was familiar to Mu-heun.
‘Just like when they were young.’
The impatient Baek So-so, the quiet Baek Yeon-ho, and Baek Ji-pyeong, who calmly assessed the situation—these kids hadn't changed much.
If anything had changed, it was their outward appearance. Mu-heun, who had been swept up in a torrent of emotions and hadn't had a chance to properly look at his disciples, now slowly observed them.
The eldest, Baek Ji-pyeong, always observed situations calmly with a gentle expression, the very picture of a typical scholar.
Looking at him now, his deep eyes seemed to hold a profound insight into the world. He wore a blue robe over his white clothes, a color that seemed to perfectly reflect his calm and thoughtful personality.
The second, Baek Yeon-ho, would silently watch situations unfold but act decisively when necessary.
His gaze was sharp, exuding resolve. Like Ji-pyeong, he wore a green robe over his white clothes, and his neat attire seemed to symbolize his strong spirit and drive.
He was the type who could coolly observe his surroundings and then unleash explosive power in an instant.
Finally, Baek So-so, being the youngest of the three, was highly proactive and had an impatient personality. Within that, she also had a girlish, cute side. Her red robe perfectly expressed her passionate and active nature.
In So-so’s eyes, there was a strength, but also a certain purity.
Each of the three disciples possessed their own unique personality and characteristics. All of them were scholars who played important roles in the academic world of the Central Plains.
Mu-heun smiled at them and spoke.
“Ah, I’m fine.”
When I smiled and said I was fine, Baek So-so rushed forward, took both my hands, and said with sad eyes.
“Child, you don’t have to force yourself to act so brave and composed.”
“Excuse me…?”
“I know everything. We’ve all experienced the same pain, haven’t we? You can be completely honest with us.”
“Ah… haha.”
Mu-heun was flustered.
‘This one’s habit of not listening to others hasn’t changed a bit.’
Just then, Baek Ji-pyeong also began to speak.
“We are renowned scholars in the Central Plains. We have connections with countless powerful figures. If you find life in the Demonic Cult difficult, come with us. We will protect you.”
And, for once, Baek Yeon-ho also chimed in.
“That’s right, we are all capable scholars. Since you also learned from our master, you must know that scholars can learn things from other scholars. We have the means to support you, no matter what field of study you wish to pursue.”
Baek So-so, still holding my hands, said.
“I know you don’t like being indebted to others. But don’t worry. We are simply sharing what we received from our master. And later, you can do the same for others.”
“Finally, Ji-pyeong delivered a brilliant line.”
“This is like a chain our master left for us. A virtuous cycle that endlessly repeats.”
“……”
Mu-heun, while grateful to his disciples, thought it was about time to clear up this misunderstanding. He just wanted to have a normal conversation, but their constant persuasion left him no choice.
From what I overheard them saying earlier, it seems they’re trying to persuade me to go with them, no matter what… I can't let that happen.
“Um… actually, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it? You can tell us anything.”
“Please don’t be too surprised.”
“……”
The three looked at each other nervously at Mu-heun’s words, exchanging glances. Then, with resolute faces, they said.
“Speak. We are prepared to hear anything you have to say.”
“Yes. The truth is, aside from the master we share, I serve another master.”
“Another master? Who do you mean?”
“He is the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. I am a candidate to be the next Cult Leader and, as his sixth disciple, my martial prowess is considerable.”
“““……!”””
As Mu-heun observed the three’s reactions, they all seemed quite shocked.
“Hahaha. You’re surprised.”
“……Th-that is…”
“Our master was betrayed by the Tang Clan and passed away. The Golden Fang Poison Claw pursued our master, who had fled to the Demonic Cult’s territory, and in the end, he died. That is why I have come here.”
“So if you came here for that…”
“Revenge. I have already killed the Golden Fang Poison Claw, the one who did that to our master, within the Demonic Cult’s territory. And now, I am here to strike down the one at the very top who ordered our master’s death.”
“And that is the Poison King, Dang Baek-ho?”
“That is correct. My martial arts have reached the pinnacle of the Transformation Realm. I eventually confronted Dang Baek-ho head-on and succeeded in killing him. My revenge is complete.”
“……”
The three were speechless at Mu-heun’s shocking declaration.
It was hard enough to believe that their master’s last disciple was skilled in martial arts, but that he was also the sixth disciple of the Demonic Cult Leader and a candidate to succeed him? And that at such a young age, his martial arts had reached the pinnacle of the Transformation Realm?
It was unbelievable.
But what was even more unbelievable than all of that was that this young boy had challenged the Tang Clan, one of the five great families of the Central Plains, killed its head, Dang Baek-ho, and then come to find them.
Mu-heun, having already guessed their thoughts, spoke.
“You don’t have to believe me now. You can find out the truth by asking Gam Pa-pa. She also cooperated in striking down the Tang Clan. Ah, but it’s not good for you to get too involved in the affairs of the martial world.”
After hearing everything Mu-heun had to say, Baek Ji-pyeong said.
“……Heh, heh heh, I see.”
And Baek So-so let go of my hands.
“I-I see.”
“Yes. I am by no means a pitiful victim, nor am I being exploited by the Demonic Cult. So you have no reason to worry about me.”
As Mu-heun explained the circumstances, the expressions on the three became very peculiar.
“More importantly, I would like to tell you the reason I wanted to meet you, my senior brother and sisters.”
“Go on.”
“It was because I wanted to tell you about our master’s final moments.”
“Our master’s final moments…?”
“Yes. Just before he died at the hands of the Golden Fang Poison Claw, our master said this to me.”
Mu-heun took a breath and continued.
“He said he was so worried about the disciples he left behind, that it seemed the Sichuan Tang Clan was trying to use them…, and that he was so sorry for making those children carry his burden.”
“……”
“He said that if he could, he would gladly become a ghost and wander the nine heavens after death, just so he could go to his children and tell them… to run away at once, not to be used by the Sichuan Tang Clan, that they, at least, should live without setting foot in this filthy martial world.”
“M-Master said that….”
“Yes. Until the very moment he died, our master worried about you all. He regretted collaborating with the Tang Clan on his research, and finally, he passed away saying that his last wish was for you all to live happily.”
Mu-heun had finally said everything he wanted to say.
He felt a sense of relief.
Hearing Mu-heun’s words, all three of them looked sad.
“I see, so you came to deliver that message…”
“Actually, our master didn’t need to worry about us. The first thing we did after he disappeared was suspect the Tang Clan. And there’s one more thing our master and Gam Pa-pa don’t know.”
“……?”
“We are no longer naive children who know nothing of the world.”
“We came to the Sichuan Tang Clan to find evidence of why our master disappeared there. And we have been reporting the evidence we've gathered so far to the leaders of the Martial Alliance.”
“……!?”
Mu-heun was quite surprised.
“Our master was not well-versed in the affairs of the martial world, but we are different. We have been secretly acting as major patrons to the Martial Alliance, sending them large sums of money while investigating the Tang Clan on the side. It was as part of that investigation that Gam Pa-pa, whose goals aligned with ours, came to Sichuan.”
“……”
“Our master shouldn’t have been worrying about us; he should have been more worried about himself. We had a complete plan, including a way to escape safely after proving the Tang Clan’s guilt.”
“Ha, hahaha, that’s amazing.”
“Yes, I’m truly grateful to have met you and had this conversation. It seems for now there’s nothing we can do to help each other, so let’s share more stories like this.”
“Stories like what…?”
“Memories of our master.”
“Ah…! I’d love that!”
And so, Mu-heun came to know his disciples on a deeper level. The three people he thought he knew better than anyone… he realized he actually knew them the least.
With all misunderstandings cleared, in the reception room's atmosphere that was neither pitiful nor overly gentle, Mu-heun, Ji-pyeong, Yeon-ho, and So-so began to share their stories.
Trivial stories of their time with their master. Of course, for Mu-heun, these stories were about himself, but that didn't matter.
Finally, they began to eat the feast laid out in the reception room and drink, and the four of them started to talk. It was a very familiar and comfortable conversation.
For Mu-heun, this time was a happiness that all the gold in the world couldn't buy.
“Kehahaha! Master told you even that story? He really told you everything, didn’t he? Hahahaha.”
Baek Ji-pyeong said, swirling his cup, drunk.
“I’ll tell you one too, a story about the trouble your senior sister, Baek So-so, caused. Hahahaha!”
“Senior Brother! Don’t tell that story!”
“No! No! This might be the last time, so I have to!”
“What!?”
“So-so loved learning about formations from our master, and one time, she created a fusion formation. Back then, she fused a chicken, a snake, and a dog, didn’t she? Anyway, the creature born from it was utterly bizarre.”
“The thing had the body of a dog and walked on four legs, but its head was shaped like a chicken's—a chicken head the size of a dog's head.”
“But it had wings too, chicken wings, mind you. Hahahahahaha! And on top of that, it had a snake’s tail.”
As Ji-pyeong and Yeon-ho spoke back and forth, So-so shouted.
“Senior Brothers! Stop it!”
“Wait a minute. This is the crucial part. That bizarre monster got into our master’s office. It flew in! Through the window!”
“Then, it bit our master with its snake tail, knocking him out with poison, and proceeded to pluck out all of his hair with the beak on its chicken head! Hahahahahaha!”
Mu-heun felt a slight irritation as he remembered that time.
‘That’s right, that happened…! That brat, So-so!’
“By the time we went to our master’s room, he already looked like he’d joined the Shaolin Temple! Hahahahahahaha!”
“Senior Brother! Stop it!”
Ji-pyeong was having the time of his life as he spoke, which annoyed Mu-heun even more.
One after another, stories were unpacked, and the three no longer felt awkward or distant with Mu-heun.
It was soon time to get up.
All four of them knew.
That now was the time to part, and…
That they had to leave this meeting with no promise of another and go their separate ways.
Ji-pyeong, on behalf of the others, offered Mu-heun a handshake.
“It was good to meet you, junior brother.”
“It was good to meet you too, senior brothers and sister.”
“Next time we meet, you might be the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, eh?”
“Haha, I will become the Cult Leader and change the Demonic Cult. I will never do anything that goes against our master’s will, so even then, you must share a cup of wine with me like this.”
“Hahahaha! Of course we will!”
“Then.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“You take care as well.”