Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: If You Can Rise Above It
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-The First Young Master's room in the Heavenly Dance Family
With the exception of Mu-heun, the brothers had gathered to discuss the future.
The Third Young Master was the first to speak, his voice laced with impatience.
"The Fourth has changed far too much lately."
"That's right. Even Father discusses all family matters, big and small, with the Fourth first now."
The Second Young Master’s reaction was much the same as the Third's.
"How can a person change so drastically?"
Seeing his two younger brothers, the First Young Master spoke calmly.
"Don't be anxious. Is this not a good thing?"
"But... Brother."
The Third and Second Young Masters hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"We feel like we're being ostracized within the family now."
"..."
It wasn't an unfounded assumption.
While the Fourth Young Master Mu-heun's transformation was a cause for celebration, he had changed so remarkably that all the family's attention was now focused on him alone.
Suddenly treated like ordinary men overshadowed by a genius, their feelings were complicated. Unable to voice their thoughts elsewhere, the brothers could only confide in each other.
The First Young Master looked at his two younger brothers and thought.
'The Fourth's change is undoubtedly a good thing. The emergence of such a genius in our family is a joyous occasion. However... as the eldest son, I can't help but worry about my two younger brothers.'
The First Young Master spoke as if he had made a decision.
"Let's go to Father. Putting our heads together here won't yield any brilliant solutions. It would be better to go to Father and speak frankly. If we are lacking, we will be reprimanded, and we can use that reprimand as a foundation to strive forward, can we not?"
Hearing the First Young Master's words, the Second and Third Young Masters' faces lit up.
"Excellent!"
And so, the three young masters of the Heavenly Dance Family sought out the Family Head, Baek Gun-hak, in his office.
The First Young Master knocked on the door on their behalf and spoke.
"Father, it is I, Mu-hyeon. I have come with the Second, Mu-seong, and the Third, Mu-gang. May we come in for a moment?"
"Enter."
The three young masters opened the door and went inside. But...
"Huh? Wh-Why is the Fourth here?"
The three young masters were startled upon entering the Family Head's office.
"We were in the middle of discussing an important matter. What brings you all here?"
The brothers couldn't help but be flustered, and Mu-heun observed the expressions and emotions of his brothers as they looked at him in surprise.
'This is... acknowledgment of me, mixed with anxiety and a hint of jealousy.'
Mu-heun smiled faintly.
He found the thoughts and actions of his young older brothers amusing.
The Heavenly Dance Family Head, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to his sons' feelings and told them to state their business concisely.
'Our Family Head really doesn't understand his children's hearts.'
As the Second Young Master, Baek Mu-seong, and the Third Young Master, Baek Mu-gang, were too flustered to speak, the First Young Master stepped forward.
"So, you and the Fourth were discussing something important. Is it perhaps something... we do not need to know?"
"Hmm... I didn't call you because there was no particular need for you to know."
"..."
Mu-heun watched his brothers' expressions harden and began to feel a little uneasy.
'I need to handle this before it gets out of hand.'
On behalf of his brothers standing at a distance, Mu-heun spoke to the Heavenly Dance Family Head.
"There's no harm in my brothers hearing this. Please, come and sit. I have something to say to everyone."
"Oh... i-is that so? N-No, Father, would that be alright?"
The Heavenly Dance Family Head simply nodded at Mu-heun's words, and only then did the brothers join them.
In a rare gathering of the Heavenly Dance Family Head and all the brothers, Mu-heun spoke as if making a declaration to everyone.
"Father, I have something to say to you and my brothers."
"Speak."
The Heavenly Dance Family Head said, stroking his beard, while the brothers listened with an unidentifiable tension.
"From now on, I intend to walk the path of martial arts. My participation in the upcoming Divine Dragon Assembly is part of that, and it is also what the Cult Leader desires. Therefore..."
Mu-heun looked around at his brothers and the Family Head before continuing.
"I can no longer be tied down by family affairs. I apologize. I hope you will understand."
"...!"
The brothers' eyes widened at Mu-heun's statement.
The Third Young Master was the first to speak, unable to hold back.
"Wh-What are you talking about, when everyone is following you?"
"Father will entrust the family to my older brothers. I will be undertaking other duties under the Cult Leader's command, so I leave things in your capable hands."
Only then did the Family Head, having grasped Mu-heun's intention, chime in.
"Yes, I failed to mention this to you. The Fourth will have many duties both inside and outside the Cult from now on. In the future, you must lead the family well and help one another."
The Heavenly Dance Family Head agreed with Mu-heun, driving the point home.
The first to respond was the First Young Master.
"O-Of course."
In that brief moment, Mu-heun clearly felt it. The subtle, tense atmosphere in the office had melted away like snow.
The emotions filling his brothers' eyes were distinctly different from before.
The new emotions were relief, shame, and apology.
It was a kind of guilt for having been jealous of Mu-heun until now. Looking at his brothers, Mu-heun thought.
'That settles it.'
Even though they were his older brothers.
They were still just young men.
Watching them reminded him of his disciples back in Sichuan.
He then swallowed a bitter feeling, thinking that he too, like the current Heavenly Dance Family Head, might not have fully understood the hearts of his disciples.
Mu-heun's brothers must have thought they would be responsible for the family since they were young; they must have felt so ostracized all this time.
Mu-heun rose from his seat, bowed his head, and clasped his fist in a martial salute as he spoke.
"Then, I will be in your care, my brothers!"
The brothers looked at Mu-heun, who had already gone so far beyond them, and replied.
"Y-Yes, we'll be in your care as well."
The Family Head, Baek Gun-hak, was genuinely impressed by the scene unfolding before him. It was no different from the picture he had painted in his dreams.
Baek Gun-hak suppressed the reddening of his eyes and said.
"Yes, your roles are important. Devote yourselves to scholarly research and ancestral rites, and do not neglect your martial arts training."
"Yes!"
"Good, you may all leave now."
"Yes!"
And so, the brothers left with expressions completely opposite to the ones they had when they arrived. Soon after, Mu-heun discussed the matter of the Heavenly Demonic Corpse with Baek Gun-hak.
"The corpse of the Golden Fang Poison Claw is indispensable for the future conflict with Sichuan."
"Yes, I will pour my utmost effort into it."
"In your estimation, Father, when do you think it will be complete?"
"It should be finished around the time the Divine Dragon Assembly ends. Come by from time to time until then and infuse it with your energy."
"Yes, I understand."
'Once the Divine Dragon Assembly is over, I will head to the Central Plains.'
That was the truth. The world Mu-heun envisioned and the world his brothers envisioned were different in sheer scale.
* * *
-The garden in front of Baek Mu-heun's room.
A formation diagram carved into dry firewood.
Mist, Seal, Silence.
'It reminds me of the night I sparred with the Azure Dragon Unit Leader.'
On a piece of paper in front of the residence, the character for Gate.
On the ground, the character for Field.
I placed a torch on top of the character for 'Field' and added the dry firewood. Finally, I added the illusion grass. Every time I saw the illusion grass, I felt grateful to the Blade Leaf Demon.
'Now, to the watchers, it will look like Seobong and I are just fooling around.'
I plan to tolerate the surveillance only until the Divine Dragon Assembly.
'After that, they should be prepared to die.'
I donned my martial arts uniform and stood at the entrance of my quarters.
I picked up the Sun and Moon Sword and clasped my hands behind my back.
Expanding my senses, I confirmed the approach of a martial artist.
Seobong had arrived.
He seemed to be entering with the mindset of a routine spar, showing no particular tension.
"Young Master, I heard you wished to spar with me."
He thinks it will be the same as usual, but today will be completely different.
A faint mist settled, creating an atmosphere different from the usual. In an instant, all noise vanished, and not a wisp of wind blew.
Seobong, looking around in confusion, asked.
"Young Master... what is this?"
"I prepared it for you, so don't worry about it."
"Pardon?"
'How can I not worry about something he says he prepared for me?'
Just then, I drew the Sun and Moon Sword from its sheath. Then, I clashed the eight lines within my dantian.
At that, a sinister demonic energy swept through the entire garden.
"Wh-What in the world is this..."
From Seobong's perspective, Mu-heun was emitting a terrifying pressure along with a purplish aura emanating from his entire body, making it difficult even to stand facing him.
Overwhelming pressure.
Even seeing it with his own eyes and feeling it on his skin, it was hard to believe.
'Is this truly the Fourth Young Master I'm seeing?'
I pointed my sword at the stunned Seobong and said.
"Come."
"N-No, wh-who in the world are you?"
"The Fourth Young Master of the Heavenly Dance Family, Baek Mu-heun."
"N-No way. Then, have you been hiding your martial prowess all this time?"
"You talk too much."
I gathered the energy I was emitting and suppressed it. No, 'condensed' would be a more fitting term than 'suppressed'.
It was no longer a ferocious, constricting energy like before, but a quiet and heavy flow.
A chilling sensation made Seobong's knees weak.
"What are you doing? I will make you realize what you so desperately desire."
What he so desperately desired.
To understand the reason for his defeat as a martial artist.
To grow through that understanding.
"I understand."
Seobong lowered his stance on trembling legs and drew his sword.
'Alright, it's do or die.'
I watched him and smiled warmly.
'He's got guts, as expected.'
Seobong ignored his weakening knees and charged at me.
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
He swung the sword in his hand diagonally with all his might.
Clang!
Seobong's sword, swung with all his strength.
I parried it not with the Sun and Moon Sword, but with a sword sign formed by two fingers.
"Th-This is...!"
Though stunned, Seobong did not stop swinging his sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
'My opponent is only using two fingers...'
Seobong's hands were bleeding, his eyes were bloodshot, and the muscles all over his body were twisting in agony.
"Yaaawn~"
I let out a yawn.
Seobong, thinking it was an opening, attacked with every ounce of his being. I raised the energy in my sword sign and swept it across Seobong's blade.
*Slice*
Seobong's sword was cleanly cut in two.
"H-How can this be..."
I brought my left hand to Seobong's forehead and flicked my middle finger.
*Thwack!*
"Kuaagh!"
Seobong was sent flying and crashed into the ground.
I walked slowly toward him and said.
"Do you know what your problem is?"
"..."
"Of course you don't. If you did, you wouldn't be fighting like this. If you insist on your current methods, you'll struggle to become stronger even after a hundred years."
Seobong seemed utterly shocked, as if he believed that simple, earnest effort would one day make him strong.
"Th-Then are you saying you know, Young Master?"
"At least, better than you."
Seobong couldn't believe it. Or rather, he could, but it was all so sudden that his mind couldn't process it.
Even in that situation, there were two things that required no processing: first, that the Fourth Young Master before him was an overwhelmingly superior martial artist, and second, his own obsession with martial arts.
Steeling his resolve, Seobong slammed his head to the ground.
*Thud.*
"I apologize for my past behavior."
Seobong, reduced to rags in a single exchange, gathered all his strength to stay conscious and knelt.
Then he pleaded with me.
"Please, could you teach me how to become stronger? I beg you."
"Why should I?"
"Th-That is."
Unfortunately, the boy was gravely mistaken. I don't bestow great favors on anyone who isn't one of my own. That was something he needed to understand.
"If you become my man, I'll consider it."
"I-I am a member of the Azure Dragon Unit."
"What of it? Are you saying you cannot serve two masters?"
"Y-Yes, that's right."
'Good, that's how it should be. The more I see, the more I like him.'
I had confirmed Seobong's obsession with martial arts. I also had a rough idea of the reason why. I could see a past connection in his face. However, it would have been problematic if he were the type to flock to one person after another like a bat, so I tested him.
And Seobong passed my test with flying colors.
"In that case, continue to be loyal to the Azure Dragon Unit. If you do, I will make you strong."
"I-Is that true? No, wait, does the Unit Leader know about this?"
"Do you think the Azure Dragon Unit Leader is less capable than you?"