Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Let's Be Master and Disciple Instead of Father and Daughter
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A disheveled middle-aged man and a young girl were walking along the seaside path. The middle-aged man led the horse from the front, while the girl rode on it.
The girl wept quietly, and the middle-aged man waited for her tears to stop. Once she finally did, he spoke.
"I'm sorry."
"……?"
"I promised not to kill in front of you, but I couldn't keep it. And I probably won't be able to going forward either."
"I'm not your daughter, so that promise was invalid from the start. Don't worry about it."
"Are you disappointed in me?"
"Whether I am or not isn't something you should concern yourself with, my benefactor."
The term of address had changed from "Uncle" to "benefactor." To Heuk Do-san, it felt just as strange as if it had shifted from "father" to "uncle."
"I want to get down now."
"We're still far from where we're going."
"I want to get down."
Heuk Ye-mong awkwardly leaned over. In doing so, she momentarily lost her balance and wobbled.
Heuk Do-san swiftly grabbed her waist and lifted her down to the ground.
Heuk Ye-mong clasped her hands together and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for saving my life twice. I'll never forget this favor as long as I live. But I won't be able to repay it. I don't have that kind of power. Well then, farewell."
With that, she calmly turned around. Heuk Do-san called out to the back of her head.
"It won't do you any good if you go."
"……?"
"Your house burned down."
Heuk Ye-mong stopped dead in her tracks and turned back around. Her face had gone pale as she asked.
"What... do you mean?"
"That's what happened."
"What about my mother? What about my mother!"
Heuk Do-san took a deep breath facing the sea. The salty wind rushed into his nostrils, bringing an indescribable freshness.
"Walking along with the sea breeze isn't so bad."
Smack!
Heuk Do-san slapped the horse's rump hard. The startled horse bolted off back where it came from.
"I had Paeng No take your mother somewhere safe. I'm heading that way anyway, so come if you want, or don't."
Without looking back, he quickened his pace. Heuk Ye-mong stood there dazed for a long while before following after him.
Silence fell once more.
This time, Heuk Do-san didn't start a conversation.
Heuk Ye-mong deliberately kept her distance as she followed. It was the complete opposite of the situation when he first met her and headed to where Seol Mae-ran lived.
Time passed, and before they knew it, they had entered Bukmang-dong. As the night deepened, there were even more drunks shouting loudly. Prostitutes pulling them along lined the streets. In one corner, some had even drawn their swords and were fighting.
A staggering sailor spotted Heuk Ye-mong and approached with bloodshot eyes.
Startled, she hurriedly clung to Heuk Do-san's side. When he glared menacingly, the drunk flinched and backed away slowly.
Heuk Do-san resumed walking as if nothing had happened. Heuk Ye-mong cautiously spoke up.
"Did... something happen?"
"What happened was to you."
"Tell me."
"It's too complicated to explain. Better to hear it from Paeng No later. But no need to worry. Your mother's safe, and she might even have neighbors and people to look after her now."
"……?"
He glanced back to see Heuk Ye-mong following with a look like she was dying of curiosity.
'This is your punishment, kid.'
After a long while, Heuk Ye-mong spoke.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I wasn't mad at you, Uncle."
"I know."
"You were relieved, weren't you?"
"About what?"
"When you found out I'm not your daughter."
"Why do you think that?"
"Who would be happy about a daughter born from a drunken night with a courtesan, especially one with hazy memories? And one who suddenly shows up fifteen years later at that."
"Are you ashamed that your mother was a courtesan?"
"It's not something to boast about."
Heuk Do-san gazed at Heuk Ye-mong with a bitter expression for a moment. Then, looking up at the sky, he said.
"Honestly, I don't remember."
"See?"
"But it wasn't just some drunken one-night stand. Back then, your mother was truly beautiful. Guys from Bongrae who fancied themselves big shots came with sacks of money. Even a ship owner who pawned his vessel to scrape some together."
"……?"
"But your mother never gave herself to anyone. As far as I know. Still, the brothel prospered every day."
"How could that be?"
"Some courtesans bring great wealth to a brothel just by existing. Your mother was one of them."
"But she must have given herself at least once. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been born. And you were one of them."
"For some strange reason, she gave herself to me, even though she played hard to get with everyone else. I truly loved your mother. You won't believe it, but that's how it was back then."
"But you didn't want to marry her, right?"
"That's true."
"See?"
"Love comes in many forms. You like your mother, but you also like Paeng No, don't you? It was the same for me. In a way, your mother was like Paeng No to me?"
"That's lame."
"Yeah, a bit."
"You don't have to try so hard."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yes."
"Trying something I never did before is harder than I thought."
In truth, the woman Heuk Do-san had given his heart to back then was Mo Yong-ak. He had met Seol Mae-ran while wandering after losing her and devoted himself to her, but still.
And now, he harbored feelings for another woman. Hotly, as if he'd met his true fate.
Humans are truly cunning, he thought.
When he was deeply infatuated with Mo Yong-ak, he couldn't have imagined loving anyone else.
"But one thing I can say for sure. Back then, I never once saw your mother as just a courtesan. My feelings of affection and respect were genuine. Your real father must have felt the same. That's why she gave herself to him."
"……."
By then, Bukmang-dong had ended, and the seaside village where Demonic Cult members lived came into view.
In the distance, Seol Mae-ran paced with a torch in hand. She must have come out worried upon hearing Heuk Ye-mong had been kidnapped.
Heuk Do-san stopped and turned to Heuk Ye-mong.
"Do you know the saying 'jun sa bu il che'?"
"What's that?"
"It means lord, teacher, and father are one. Leave out the lord. That guy's not the least bit interested in your future."
"……?"
"But a teacher is different. You know I'm the eldest disciple at White Deer Academy, right? My teacher was like a father to me. I'd like it to be that way for you too."
"What... do you mean?"
"How about master and disciple instead of father and daughter?"
"……!"
"Come find me once a day. I might not be there sometimes, but that's unavoidable. A disciple must accommodate the master, not the other way around. If you don't come, I'll take it as a refusal."
Just then, Paeng No emerged from a hut, spotted Heuk Ye-mong, and widened his eyes. He said something to Seol Mae-ran, and color returned to her ashen face.
Paeng No grabbed Seol Mae-ran's wrist and led her to Heuk Ye-mong. Heuk Ye-mong was still staring blankly at Heuk Do-san.
"Ye-mong, are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Where on earth did you go?"
"I'm sorry."
"My poor child. Do you know how worried your mother was?"
Seol Mae-ran hugged Heuk Ye-mong tightly and shed tears. Then, peering at Heuk Do-san through teary eyes, she nodded quietly.
It meant thanks.
Heuk Do-san turned and started walking back. Having safely delivered Heuk Ye-mong, he was returning to White Deer Academy.
That's when Hyeon-gak appeared, blocking his path. His face was somehow stiff.
"What's up?"
"Come with me for a sec."
* * *
"I've found the location of Geumo Island."
"……?"
"More precisely, I've found someone who knows about Geumo Island. We're meeting tomorrow."
"Good."
"That's it?"
"If not?"
"I thought you'd be jumping for joy."
"Why would I?"
"Why? Aren't you going to rescue Bing-seol?"
"Forget it."
"What's with you since earlier?"
"That's what I want to ask. What are you planning to do after saving those two? Restart the Demonic Cult?"
"What nonsense. You know I wouldn't think that."
"What about Gong Cheon-ak?"
"What... do you mean?"
"He's the Seventh Star Lord who inherited the Heavenly Demon's legacy. You think he'll just quietly hide in the mountains after being freed? If it were me, I'd gather forces for revenge."
"That's just your imagination. Even if—and it's unlikely—I'd stop him by any means necessary."
"What about the others? If the Seventh Star Lord is freed, won't the surviving Demonic Cultists rally around him?"
"That's because you've been away from the martial world for so long, Brother Heuk. The Demonic Cult was annihilated ages ago. Why worry about such nonsense?"
"When I crossed Akdasa Plains and entered Tongmang Fortress, I spotted the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Holy Maiden and her group. They were fighting people after the Jang Bo-do."
"Did you just say... Jang Bo-do?"
"You've heard of it, huh. Yeah, they had that Jang Bo-do. They fought tooth and nail to protect it. Looked like they were escorting it somewhere. Do you think remnants are after treasure to get rich now that the Cult's destroyed?"
"That's..."
"If I'm right, they're using that wealth to gather the scattered Demonic Cultists. They'd be thrilled to learn Gong Cheon-ak's free."
"……!"
"There's more. Freeing Gong Cheon-ak will turn the Righteous Alliance upside down. To prevent survivors from regrouping around him, they'll hunt down every last Demonic Cultist with all they've got."
"……!"
"Freeing those two will make more people bleed. That's what I'm trying to stop. Get what I mean?"
Hyeon-gak's expression cooled. He apparently hadn't thought that deeply.
"The war is over. Let's end it here."
Having said his piece, Heuk Do-san turned to leave. After a few steps, a cold voice came from behind.
"Not that you lack the guts?"
Heuk Do-san stopped and turned to stare at Hyeon-gak.
Hyeon-gak continued.
"I don't know about all that complicated stuff. I just want to save my old friends."
"Friends?"
"Yeah, friends."
"Weren't you once a Shaolin monk? During the Righteous-Demonic Great War, you were a hero who sent countless Demonic Cult experts to hell."
"Call me whatever, condemn me as a traitor, I don't care. But I have to save them. Because I've come to like those guys. I thought you felt the same."
Heuk Do-san glared at Hyeon-gak for a long time. There was genuine emotion in his eyes.
He truly saw Gong Cheon-ak and Bing-seol as friends. Considering Hyeon-gak's background, it was utterly absurd.
"I'm going back to my place."
"It's not just your face that's changed."
"……?"
"I heard you brutally killed the viper and his brother. They deserved death, but the old you wouldn't have treated their lives so lightly. You've become more cruel and ruthless. Like your blood's gone cold. What the hell happened all this time?"
Was it excitement?
Hyeon-gak spoke bluntly, casually dropping formalities. Strangely, it felt natural, like old friends.
Heuk Do-san looked down at his hands. Come to think of it, he'd killed quite a few on the way here. Brutally, too.
It was because of the Shiman Daecheongyeong. His emotions weren't dried up, but when anger surged, he turned cold-blooded without realizing.
'Guess it's the karma I have to bear.'
"No such thing as a free lunch in this world?"
Hyeon-gak's tone returned to formal. To Heuk Do-san, it felt bitterly distant.
"Gong Cheon-ak told me that on the day you escaped the Snowy Mountain cave, you chose death to save us all. Go if you want. Still, I want to repay the debt for saving my life. It has to balance the books."
"……?"
"While digging into your trail to find Seol Mae-ran, I ran into someone unexpected. Someone who knows your past before White Deer Academy. Want to meet them?"