I Missed You

Clang!

A clear, ringing note hung in the air. The tip of the phoenix-engraved Cheonbong spear spun through the sky like a cartwheel, turning so many times it was impossible to count before it plunged into the earth. The Black Frost Sword had cleaved the ordinary Profound Qi spear in two as easily as slicing bamboo.

Rainbow-brilliant sword qi split Deung Chung's helmet cleanly in half and left a three-centimeter gash across his forehead. Fresh crimson blood ran down his brow.

"Hah... He cut his forehead!"

The Cheonun disciples below the training platform clenched their fists as one, every last one of them buzzing with excitement. They knew better than to shout, though. Not now. Not here.

Yeop Pung leveled his sword at Deung Chung's brow, his expression razor-sharp, his gaze ice-cold.

"Well then, Commandant. Would you care to join the live combat training yourself?"

"You... you..."

The cold edge kissed Deung Chung's forehead. Sword qi bored into his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bones, a shock like plunging into ice water at the height of summer. Only then did he truly understand. The Yeop Pung standing in front of him was a being completely beyond anything they could handle.

Back at Taibai Peak, this bastard was hiding his strength. This is his real ability. Bad intelligence just got us killed.

No one had imagined Yeop Pung held a trump card as bizarre as time travel through the Golden Disc. A month of relentless training had sent his skill soaring, and any ordinary observer would naturally conclude he had been concealing his true level all along.

Yeop Pung must have been at the peak of the Six Meridians from the start. That's why Cheonun Sect put him forward as their secret weapon for the Autumn Hunt. They would never have matched a completely uncompetitive nobody against Sa Cheonseong otherwise.

Think of it that way, and everything fell into place. The unearthly swordwork and movement arts he had just displayed, the terrifying Profound Qi beyond anything they had imagined — all of it pointed to a single conclusion. This was no ordinary inner disciple of Cheonun Sect. This was a secret weapon they had poured everything into raising.

Deung Chung's forehead was a pretty picture. Blood dripped steadily from the gash at its center, and both temples were already soaked with cold sweat. Having grasped the truth, he understood he had to back down today. Even if the Cheonbong Legion ran wild through Cheonun Sect, their purpose was conquest, not annihilation. Commander Naeng Chu had already given orders: know your limits, and do not go too far. They had trained fairly and been crushed by Yeop Pung. There was nothing left to say.

"Let the Commandant go!"

Deung Chung gritted his teeth, stepped back, and knocked Yeop Pung's blade aside with the broken spear shaft.

"Yeop Pung. Fine. You win."

"Thank you."

Yeop Pung's reply was ice, and he sheathed the Black Frost Sword.

"All of you wait and see. Don't think today's business ends here."

Deung Chung leaped down from the platform. The rage that had wrapped his whole body was gone, leaving only a raw, concentrated hatred. From a distance he glared at the Cheonun disciples with a viper's eyes.

"All units — free training dismissed for today!!"

He bellowed the order and hurried off at the head of the Cheonbong Legion warriors. The Cheonun disciples left behind erupted in cheers without the slightest restraint.

"Long live! God, that felt good!! That was the most satisfying thing ever!!"

"Yeop Pung, you're incredible!"

Wang Maeng and the others crowded in and pounded Yeop Pung on the chest. This was the second time he had taken revenge for the Cheonun disciples, and somewhere along the way he had become the unshakable leader in every heart in the group — the kind of leader who radiated light without saying a word, as if someone had bolted sparkling special effects onto him. Praise poured over him without stint. The whole training ground rang with Cheonun's lifted spirit and heat.

Only Beom Undae and Baek Reung, standing off to the side, did not belong. Beom Undae's mouth was full of bitterness. He had underestimated Yeop Pung. Again.

Baek Reung watched the people celebrating in front of him and ached to join them. He glanced at Beom Undae beside him and did not dare say a word.

"Undae... maybe we should..."

"Shut your mouth."

Beom Undae slashed a hand through the air.

"Why so dejected? That Yeop Pung doesn't even know what a massive mistake he's made. He drives off Deung Chung's bunch by himself and thinks he's a hero? Hmph. Naive as they come. All he's going to do is bring us even bigger trouble. Give it a few days and they'll find out who the real problem is. We're leaving."

The rumor that Yeop Pung had single-handedly smashed a Cheonbong Army unit to pieces spread through the entire Cheonun Sect in less than half a day. A sect already suffocating under suppression grew even tighter, even more on edge.

This Yeop Pung... every time he made a move, he made people jump.

The one mercy was that he had stayed perfectly within the rules. No one could find an excuse to condemn him. The Cheonbong Army, inwardly stunned by the unearthly skill he had shown, would simply prepare even more terrifying methods to deal with him.

Lee Sujol stood at the summit of Nagun Peak, gazing out at distant Mount Tianyun. His eyes were deep as the sea, and within them ripples no one else could read.

"Senior Brother."

Maeng Chang-haeng appeared behind him.

"That Yeop Pung kid beat the Cheonbong Legion bunch into the dirt all by himself. Han Buri's side must be having a fit."

"I expected as much."

Lee Sujol slowly stroked his beard.

"That child's rate of growth far exceeds anything we imagined. We cannot hide talent like that forever. No — there is no longer any need to hide it."

"But... if it comes to that, I worry that Naeng Chu bastard will treat the children even more cruelly."

Lee Sujol was silent for a long time. When he looked up, there was a resolve in his eyes that Maeng Chang-haeng had never seen.

"Isn't that precisely what we want?"

"Senior Brother..."

Lee Sujol ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was the old general who had guarded Cheonun Sect for a hundred years. His voice was harder and more unyielding than steel.

Back at Nagun Peak, Yeop Pung's heart was a tangle. On one side, he felt wonderful. Personally beating those Cheonbong Army bastards into the dirt had been deeply, thoroughly satisfying. On the other, he could not stop worrying about what came next. This was only the start of a three-month training period, and there was no telling what schemes Naeng Chu would cook up against Cheonun Sect from here.

I can't go on like this.

He needed to get in touch with Heukgu, and fast. A hundred years had passed. By now the little guy ought to be king of the rat kingdom. Heukgu, ruler of Mount Tianyun, would surely help him land a blow on the Cheonbong Army and take some of the weight off Cheonun Sect.

On top of that, a hundred-year-old Nakryeong Root could push his cultivation speed to its absolute peak. If he could just reach the Five Meridians Realm, he was confident that his golden Profound Qi would let him overwhelm geniuses like Sa Cheonseong without breaking a sweat — truly invincible within the Profound Realm.

But... why couldn't he feel Heukgu's presence at all?

Tonight, no matter what, he was going to the back mountain.

When night fell, Yeop Pung slipped away toward the back mountain. He moved as carefully as he could, staying out of sight — though he knew, in truth, that if Maeng Chang-haeng and Lee Sujol chose to follow him, he would never notice. His cultivation progress already sat in the palm of their hands. Rather than waste effort figuring out how to reach the Herb Garden without being caught, it was more realistic to start inventing a story.

For instance... the Founder appeared in my dream and said he left me the herb garden...?

No. If I drag the Founder into this again, I'll want to punch myself.

He picked his way forward, completely unaware that Bone was secretly trailing him once more.

Bone was a proud dog. The last time he had lost Yeop Pung, Maeng Chang-haeng had scolded him to keep it short and clear, and Bone had been carrying that slight ever since. The moment he saw Yeop Pung sneaking off to the back mountain again, he followed without a second thought.

Damn it. This time I'm finding out what that brat is up to.

And so one young man and one dog made their stealthy way toward the back mountain.

The farther Yeop Pung went, the more uneasy he became. He could not feel Heukgu at all.

Did something happen?

He quickened his pace. When he finally reached the familiar mountain valley, the sight that met him froze him to the bone.

Only desolate ruins remained. Everything was gone. Nothing left. The once-vast Nakryeong Root field had been dug up without a trace — not merely the hundred-year-old fruits, but the roots in the earth themselves, vanished as if they had never existed. The ground looked no different from ordinary soil.

Maybe inside the cave...?

Yeop Pung ducked inside at once. Lightning flashed, throwing the dark interior into sudden light, and a barren landscape unfolded before his eyes.

Old beast bones lay scattered here and there, so weathered by time that their shapes could no longer be told. The Green Root Fruit trees that had once put out shoots had been trampled beyond recognition. Only parched dust lay in messy drifts across the floor.

"What... what happened here?"

Anxiety closed around him, but he did not collapse into frustration or despair. He had known from the beginning that keeping this herb garden for a hundred years would be no easy thing. If it had been, he would never have drilled Heukgu so hard on hiding himself and guarding the hoard. Even so, the scene in front of him said something had gone badly, badly wrong.

He drew a deep breath and steadied himself.

It's all right. No need to panic yet.

Not fearing failure was his greatest strength. Even if this attempt had failed, in seven days he could go back to the past and patch the holes. The important thing now was to find the cause.

What on earth wiped out Heukgu and the others?

Yeop Pung dropped to the floor and began searching the cave inch by inch, hunting for any ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clue he could take back and teach Heukgu again.

Then he saw it. A huge, hideous claw mark gouged into the wall, near the Green Root Fruit patch in the inner cave. The grooves ran deep, several feet long on their own. It could not have belonged to Brother Tiger or Old Man Armor. It was the claw of a massive, ferocious beast.

An outside invasion?

He had the rough shape of it now. He circled the cave once more and was heading back toward the entrance when several lines of writing carved into the wall caught his eye.

The pretty handwriting seemed to pour into his chest like warm spring water. Yun Hwan's face rose before him, that irresistibly cute smile, and something in him went soft and warm.

"You foolish child..."

Yeop Pung smiled. Time had crossed. A hundred years had passed. And still Yun Hwan's warmth, reaching across time and space, drew a gentle smile from him.

When the smile faded, the urge to return to the past burned sharper than ever.

In seven days, I go back. I'll teach Heukgu properly this time. And... I should go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠see that warm-hearted child too.