Chapter 107: Hearing the Secret History of My Fake Father (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: Hearing the Secret History of My Fake Father (2)
Someone was walking boldly toward the Triple Hall.
It was Ham Jeok, the Ninth Chamber Leader, whom I had helped with his internal energy circulation using the Golden Qi-Poisoning Bracelet in the secluded meditation room.
Was it really alright for him to be walking around like this?
"I heard a descendant of an old friend was visiting, so I came out in secret," Ham Jeok said, flashing a thin smile at Seo Gong.
"Can't you start acting officially within the Chamber now?" Seo Gong asked.
Ham Jeok shook his head at Seo Gong’s words.
"No. I still have one matter to settle. Only after I deal with that will I officially take my place."
Seo Gong nodded, agreeing with Ham Jeok’s intent.
"Are you the boy named Eo Ja-seo?"
Being called a "boy" grated on my ears, but coming from a supreme master, such a title was a trivial matter.
"Yes. Eo Ja-seo, a humble junior of the martial world, greets the Sword Demon."
The Sword Demon scanned me from head to toe before making a dry comment.
"You look like any ordinary young man one might bump into on the streets."
At that, the Demon of Chaos, Seo Gong, laughed.
"Hahaha! Think back to how Cheong-rin looked at that age."
"Hmm, now that you mention it, there is a resemblance. It’s been so long that my memory is a bit hazy."
The name "Cheong-rin" that the Demon of Chaos and the Sword Demon were mentioning seemed to be the man they believed was my father.
"I overheard as I was coming in that Cheong-rin has passed away."
"I am hearing the name Cheong-rin for the first time, but my father did pass away fifteen years ago."
Seo Gong added to my statement.
"I heard he died covered in countless sword wounds."
"I knew it! Those bastards!"
Ham Jeok’s killing intent suddenly surged, filling the entire hall.
It was chilling to think that someone who had only recently recovered from Qi Deviation possessed such immense internal power. I shuddered to imagine what his full strength must be like.
After taking a moment to steady his energy, the Sword Demon, Ham Jeok, spoke.
"I will tell you everything. Listen, and then you can judge for yourself."
He was practically forcing the information on me, so it wasn't like I could refuse.
I couldn't exactly say no to the Sword Demon, of all people. Still, I wasn't such a fool that I’d willingly entangle myself in the affairs of a "fake father" I didn't even know.
"I apologize, Sword Demon. I believe my late father had his reasons for not telling me his secrets. I will listen later, when I am capable of truly understanding his intent."
I cupped my fists toward the Sword Demon and the Demon of Chaos, then turned to leave.
The two of them looked dazed for a moment, as if they never expected me to say such a thing.
Good. Let’s get out of here quickly.
"Enough. You must know now. The time has come."
Suddenly, my body spun around against my will and I was pulled back, landing right in the chair.
My god, did he just pull me through the air with telekinesis? He really is a monster.
Then, regardless of my wishes, the Sword Demon began to speak.
"Your father’s original name was Woo Cheong-rin. He was our friend and the eldest disciple of the White Hero Sect."
I trembled at the Sword Demon’s words as if I’d been struck by lightning.
The story was escalating to a level I could no longer handle.
To think my fake father was the eldest disciple of the White Hero Sect.
The White Hero Sect was a truly legendary sect in Murim.
Back before the Murim Alliance even existed, when the Nine Great Sects were at war with foreign forces, the Blood Cult, and various unorthodox factions, wasn't the White Hero Sect the one that stood at the very forefront, spreading its fame?
Their exploits were so great and their martial arts so formidable that people used to say the current Murim wouldn't exist without the White Hero Sect.
While the Shaolin and Wudang are considered the top of the Nine Great Sects today, back then, the White Hero Sect stood on equal footing with them. In fact, many say they actually led the Nine Great Sects.
Though they now live in quiet seclusion like hidden sages, it is said that warriors used to dismount from their horses out of respect whenever they passed within a hundred paces of the sect. Furthermore, they were the ones who established a "Sword-Dismounting Pond" even before the Wudang Sect did.
The White Hero Sect was still a place of profound awe.
The first Murim Alliance Leader came from the White Hero Sect, as did the Imperial instructors and the leaders of the Imperial Guard. Its prestige was beyond words.
Since my fake father was supposedly the eldest disciple of such a sect, how could my heart not leap into my throat? How could my sphincter not loosen?
Seeing my shocked expression, the Sword Demon waited for me to calm down.
"At that time, we were disciples of the Mount Hua and Wudang Sects, and we were close friends with your father."
As I thought, these two were connected to Mount Hua and Wudang.
"A shadow organization began threatening the White Hero Sect in an attempt to seize control of Murim. The one who opposed them most fiercely and fought them most desperately was your father."
"Mmm..."
Even if he was a fake, I couldn't remain indifferent while hearing the secret history of my "late father." I allowed a look of regret to cross my face.
"In the end, your father left the sect for its own sake. He had a fiancée at the time, and to protect her, he vanished into the deep mountains and valleys."
As I listened, I couldn't help but ask a question. The story was getting quite interesting.
"The White Hero Sect was the greatest sect in the world at the time. Why was the eldest disciple forced to flee instead of just eliminating that shadow organization?"
The expressions of the Sword Demon and the Demon of Chaos turned bitter.
"That shadow organization was no ordinary force. They were larger and stronger than even the White Hero Sect. We found out later that they were a sect primarily composed of hidden sages and masters. Just because a master seeks to become an immortal through martial arts doesn't mean they actually succeed. Those who failed to attain immortality became 'Half-Immortals' instead and formed this sect. Their descendants and disciples are trying to seize Murim, and recently, they even tried to take over our Chamber, going so far as to poison me and drive me into Qi Deviation."
Gasp! So the Sword Demon’s Qi Deviation was the work of that shadow organization?
I’m starting to feel like I’m walking straight into a powder keg.
"They call themselves the Divine Light Sect. We don't know when they were founded, but they possess the power and influence to seize control of both Murim and the Imperial Court."
The Divine Light Sect.
Literally, the name meant a sect that pursues a "new light," which made it sound like an orthodox sect.
It seemed that evil groups often had a tendency to adopt sacred and noble-sounding names.
That has been true throughout history.
It would be much clearer if they just named themselves the "Pro-Evil Sect" or the "Pro-Unorthodox Sect," but they always hang up a plausible name as if they aren't who they really are.
They act wickedly, commit foul deeds, and behave like traitors, yet they live under the delusion that they are doing something beneficial for the world.
Hearing the name, I guessed that this group was far from normal.
As soon as I heard their name, something clicked in my mind.
I bet these are the guys pulling the strings behind the Ghost Pursuit Squad and Ban Ye.
Hearing a setup that sounded like it belonged in a martial arts novel come out of the Sword Demon’s mouth was bewildering, and I felt more than ever that this was no place for me.
The problem was, I couldn't escape.
"Your father was constantly being hunted. He likely finally fell to their pursuit in the end."
I noticed something strange and asked.
"My father possessed the incredible Nine-Section Soul-Severing Sword. Why was he constantly on the run?"
I was becoming so engrossed in the story that I was starting to think of this fake father as my real one.
"Your father had been hit by the same poison as me and had lost most of his internal power."
That explained the situation to some extent. The Nine-Section Soul-Severing Sword was a technique that required two jiazi of internal energy to show its true power. Having lost his energy, he wouldn't have been able to perform the technique properly.
And he certainly wouldn't have had a Circulating Dantian like I did.
"I also opposed the Divine Light Sect when they tried to take over the Nine Demons Chamber, just as your father did, and that is how I ended up poisoned and in a state of Qi Deviation."
Ah, so that’s why the Sword Demon isn't officially announcing his recovery.
Still, there was one part I didn't understand.
"Then shouldn't you report this to the Murim Alliance and inform the heroes of the world so you can fight them together?"
The Demon of Chaos and the Sword Demon shared a thin smile. That smile implied that I was still being naive.
"We don't know how far the Divine Light Sect’s influence reaches. Their roots run deep—into the Imperial Court, Murim, the Murim Alliance, the Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Families, the New Five Great Families, the merchant world, and even the scholarly circles. They’ve even reached the Emperor’s inner circle. In such a situation, any alliance between sects is always dismantled from within by the Divine Light Sect’s spies."
Seo Gong, the Demon of Chaos, chimed in.
"That’s why Cheong-rin tried to gather like-minded individuals. Did your father ever tell you about the Candlelit Guards?"
"This is the first I’ve heard of them."
"I see. In the end, when an alliance between sects proved impossible, Cheong-rin activated the Candlelit Guards."
When I continued to look confused, the Sword Demon went on.
"While traveling to find hidden sages and masters to request help against the Divine Light Sect, Cheong-rin discovered a certain fact. He learned that there was a sect that had been keeping the Divine Light Sect in check for a very long time. They were called the Candlelit Guards. Because the members of the Candlelit Guards were scattered across the continent performing secret missions, Cheong-rin couldn't find them when he first sought their help. They had to be summoned with their own unique signals and commanded with the Sect Leader’s Token, but he struggled because he didn't know the method. Eventually, after many twists and turns, Cheong-rin figured out how to contact them and even found the Sect Leader’s Token. He managed to summon the Candlelit Guards and stop the Divine Light Sect’s rise. But the price was high. Due to the Divine Light Sect’s schemes, Cheong-rin lost his internal energy and was forced to leave the White Hero Sect."
The more I listened, the more it sounded like a series of plot points from a martial arts novel.
Should I tell them Woo Cheong-rin isn't my father?
But if I said that now, they would surely think they’d been played and would likely crush my skull on the spot.
They were definitely the type of people who would do that.
Since I had essentially "sold" their dear friend Woo Cheong-rin to get this far, they wouldn't forgive me.
Sigh, since it’s come to this, I might as well stay Woo Cheong-rin’s son until the end.
As I let out a heavy sigh at this thought, the Sword Demon spoke.
"It’s only natural to sigh after hearing such things."
I threw out a question. I was curious about the Divine Light Sect.
For some reason, I felt like I had been entangled in an ill-fated relationship with the Divine Light Sect ever since the Ghost Pursuit Squad appeared.
"What is the Divine Light Sect’s goal? Is it simply to conquer Murim?"
At that, the two masters laughed.
"Hahaha! If it were something that simple, how wonderful would that be? The Divine Light Sect was formed by a group of people who believe they can manipulate Murim according to their will. They don't want to destroy Murim, nor do they want it to flourish. They simply want to manage Murim according to their own tastes."
"What’s the fun in doing something like that?"
When I asked with wide eyes, Seo Gong replied.
"Hoho, you probably don't understand such things yet. When people gain power and become intoxicated by it, they start wanting to dominate and manipulate others. In short, they see it as a game."
The idea of being intoxicated by power didn't immediately click with me.
"For example, political power is the same. Don't you know well what those with power do?"
When he put it that way, it was easy to understand. I had never seen a person with power who hadn't become corrupted.
Wherever there was power, there were always maggots and a foul stench.
That was something I had experienced firsthand in my life, so I knew it was true.
"Power is, in the end, the pinnacle of strength. Similarly, those in the Divine Light Sect who have tasted the power of martial might are wielding that strength for their own amusement. Imagine thinking you can run the world according to your own whims. How grand would that feel?"
"It’s madness," I blurted out in response to Seo Gong’s words.
Seo Gong looked at me with a thin smile.
"What ordinary people call madness, the Divine Light Sect considers a grand endeavor. They don't even realize how much suffering it causes others."
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.
Wait, he said 'Candlelit Guards' earlier, right? Then aren't the Candlelit Shadows a derivative of the Candlelit Guards? Just like the Ghost Pursuit Squad?
Driven by curiosity, I asked.
"You mentioned the Candlelit Guards. Then what is the relationship between the Candlelit Shadows and the Candlelit Guards?"
The Sword Demon and the Demon of Chaos gave me surprised looks.
Their eyes seemed to ask, How do you know about that?
"I once helped a member of the Candlelit Shadows who was being pursued by the Ghost Pursuit Squad."
"Oh!"
The two masters let out a small exclamation simultaneously.
"Well now, all of this is truly karma and fate. The Candlelit Shadows are the division within the Candlelit Guards responsible for intelligence and tracking. We only learned of them because of Cheong-rin."
As I thought, the Candlelit Shadows belong to the Candlelit Guards.
As I realized I was subtly connected to the Candlelit Guards, I also realized I was entangled with the Divine Light Sect.
By killing the members of the Ghost Pursuit Squad, taking down No. 3 and the Deputy Leader, and protecting Hwang Chu’s manual and the Soul Spirit Bead, I had been involved in the war between the Divine Light Sect and the Candlelit Guards without even knowing it.
It turned out that everything around me was dangerous. I felt the same shock as someone who realized the toys they’d been playing with were actually Thunderbolt Bombs.