Chapter 6: Let's Try Again (2)
Chapter 6: Let's Try Again (2)
This morning.
Persona spoke as she watched Patrick, who had woken up early.
"Master."
"What?"
"One of your eyes is completely swollen."
"Really? Ah... I wondered why I couldn't see out of one side."
Indeed, one of Patrick’s eyes was puffed up.
"I have a hunch as to why."
"What is it?"
"I showed 'mercy' to those Underworld Gang bottom-feeders recently, didn't I?"
"Mercy?"
Persona thought back for a moment.
[Aaaagh! Noooo!]
[Just kill me instead!]
[You monster! Argh!]
The thugs from the Twin Dragon Room had been beaten within an inch of their lives by Patrick.
In the end, he had destroyed their Dantians, severed the limb meridians, forced them to write detailed confessions of their crimes—complete with thumbprints—and then handed them over to the local magistrate’s office.
The screams of those men as their very souls were stripped away still rang vividly in her ears.
"Mercy?" she asked again.
Patrick replied to his disciple, "I let them live, didn't I?"
"..."
"Even though they were Underworld trash."
"..."
"How much more merciful can one get?"
"..."
"The problem is, whenever I show mercy like that, a Heart Demon always manifests in my eye. Tsk, tsk. This is why living a life of righteousness isn't easy. It’s just not easy."
"..."
Persona simply stopped thinking.
One should never attempt to evaluate the ecology and moral standards of a demon by conventional means.
Meanwhile, Patrick was looking at his eye in the mirror.
"If I show up like this for our first meeting, I won't look dignified. I look like I got thrashed by my wife."
Persona let out a sigh.
"Then what do you want to do? Wait until your eye heals?"
"No, there are other ways to maintain dignity."
"Like what?"
"Once, in a land far to the east, there was a prince."
"Where is this going...?"
"Just listen. He was exiled as a child, but he overcame all sorts of hardships to become a self-made man. Eventually, he founded his own country and crushed the nation that cast him out. His dignity was so immense that they say he was as legendary as Dong Zhuo or Cao Cao."
"And?"
"When you see something good, you should emulate it."
* * *
And now.
Watching Patrick, who was putting on airs with a golden eyepatch covering one eye, Persona thought to herself:
I should have stopped him.
No matter how she looked at it, he didn't look dignified; he looked like a total fraud.
In fact, look at the reaction.
"What's this? Who's this quack snake-oil salesman?"
For a pig, his intuition was surprisingly sharp.
Persona found herself nodding in agreement.
"Hmph. I see Mara within you."
"What? You crazy cultist... I'm not buying it. Get lost—"
"The only cure for Mara is a good thrashing."
In that instant, Patrick’s figure vanished.
By the time anyone realized what was happening...
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
All the thugs except for Hooton collapsed simultaneously.
"Uh... wha... wha..."
Hooton realized it then.
This man was a true master.
He was on an entirely different level from the greenhorns who acted tough after spending a little time at a martial arts hall just to extort money from helpless merchants. This was a genuine master of the Jianghu.
Ignoring the frozen Hooton, Patrick spoke to the fallen Moon Yul.
"Boy."
"...Yes? Yes!"
"Engrave this well into your eyes."
"..."
There was no need to ask what.
Moon Yul would never be able to forget the sight that followed for as long as he lived.
"This is the real thing."
Patrick’s body transformed into a streak of light.
Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles.
Third Form.
True Flash Dragon Strike.
CRACK!
"Squeeeeeal!"
The moment the Flash Dragon Strike connected, Hooton was sent flying out of the slums, screaming like a stuck pig.
* * *
Go Seok-hyeon.
He was the current Sect Leader of the Twin Dragon Sect.
Under normal circumstances, he was never destined to hold that title.
When he first entered the sect, there were more than ten senior brothers above him.
It wasn't that the Twin Dragon Sect was a powerful organization that shook the Jianghu.
Far from it.
His master used to say that the Twin Dragon Sect once had a golden age of fame, but it was hard to believe.
However, the Twin Dragon Sect was a local fixture with a long tradition and history in Cheonsu County, and it was the only Orthodox martial arts sect protecting the area.
With no real rivals, they had managed to maintain their position reasonably well. But then...
[Gwahaha! From today, this is my territory. If you have a problem with that, come out and face me!]
Everything went wrong when Kang Man, the Great Bear Twin Axes, entered Cheonsu County with his subordinates.
Kang Man and his men were strong.
At least, they were stronger than the current Twin Dragon Sect.
The sect suffered a crushing defeat, and they were driven out of their home.
That marked the beginning of the Twin Dragon Sect’s true downfall.
Their master suffered deep internal injuries and eventually passed away after a long illness.
One by one, the senior brothers who were supposed to lead the sect abandoned it and left.
When the eldest senior brother left, Go Seok-hyeon had clung to him desperately.
[If even you leave, Eldest Senior Brother, what will become of our Twin Dragon Sect?]
[Give it up, Hyeon. The Twin Dragon Sect is already finished.]
[Eldest Senior Brother!]
[You should find your own path too. Don't be a fool.]
Everyone left, and he was the only one remaining.
Carrying nothing but an old wooden plaque, he refused to leave Cheonsu County.
He stayed behind alone, determined to keep the sect's legacy alive.
He maintained his place in the shadows of the slums, practicing medical arts for the poor.
In his mind, he knew.
He knew it was impossible to revive the Twin Dragon Sect with his abilities alone.
But was a martial sect something so easily discarded? Could one simply erase it from their life as if it never existed?
He couldn't do it.
Even if he were to be the very last member of the Twin Dragon Sect, he believed it was his duty to those who had graced him with their teachings to protect it until the very end.
That was why he had held his ground.
And then...
[Master.]
An unexpected disciple appeared.
A boy he had happened to save begged him to take him in.
At first, he refused.
He thought it was just the whim of a child longing for the romance of the Jianghu, so he didn't take it seriously.
More importantly, he didn't have the luxury of taking on a disciple.
But the boy was sincere.
He came every single day, pleading earnestly, finding chores to do around the clinic, and asking again and again.
Eventually, his heart wavered, and he accepted the boy as his disciple.
The disciple was diligent.
He did his absolute best to understand Go Seok-hyeon's meager teachings and never neglected his training.
His innate talent and character were far better than Go Seok-hyeon deserved.
That was why...
He desperately wanted to do something for him.
He wanted to leave the true martial arts of the Twin Dragon Sect to his disciple.
He wanted to leave him with at least enough strength to survive in this harsh Jianghu after he was gone. But...
I'm sorry, Yul...
He had failed.
The price of that failure was approaching step by step, day by day, in the form of death.
He wasn't afraid of dying.
He only regretted that he could leave nothing behind for his precious disciple.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry your master was so incompetent that he couldn't leave you anything.
Go Seok-hyeon was slowly dying amidst his lamentations. But then...
Hmm?
Something was strange.
True Qi was flowing into his body from the outside.
A powerful energy was entering him, repairing his broken body.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You tried the Twin Dragon Primordial Chaos Heart Method. How reckless..."
He was momentarily stunned.
How did this person know that name?
It was a secret passed down only to the Sect Leader and his direct disciples within the Twin Dragon Sect.
What was even more shocking was that the path the energy took through his meridians was perfectly identical to the Twin Dragon Primordial Chaos Heart Method.
"At least the vessel isn't completely shattered. That's a relief."
As the stranger spoke, he began to manipulate the energy, realigning Go Seok-hyeon's distorted Dantian.
Who is this? Who is doing this?
Could it be one of the senior brothers who had left long ago?
To solve the mystery, Go Seok-hyeon forced his eyes open.
What he saw was a man—a foreigner he had never seen before—channeling True Qi into his body.
"Who... who are you...?"
"We'll talk later."
"..."
"For now, focus on your breathing."
Go Seok-hyeon trembled at the massive energy flooding his body.
That energy began to straighten the meridians he thought were beyond hope and restored the shape of his Dantian to normal.
This is impossible...
It was a miracle.
* * *
"Um..."
Moon Yul, who had been waiting outside the shack, spoke up cautiously.
"Yes? What is it?"
The one who answered with a gentle smile was a peerless beauty, so radiant she seemed to glow.
Her ebony hair was smoother than silk, and her fair skin was like the first snowfall of winter.
Her features were so perfect and flawless that he found it difficult to look at her for long.
"Um... how should I address you?"
"You can call me Senior Sister. We're from the same sect."
"Ah... yes."
Was that allowed?
Could such a beautiful person really be his Senior Sister? More importantly, he had never heard his master mention having any fellow disciples. But...
That Flash Dragon Strike from earlier.
That exhilarating blow that sent Hooton flying.
He had only seen a literal flash of light.
But he knew.
He knew that was the martial art of the Twin Dragon Sect he had always dreamed of.
So they must be from the same sect.
That was why he had trusted them when they said they would treat his master and had stepped outside. But...
How can this be?
He had heard from his master that he and Moon Yul were the only members of the Twin Dragon Sect left.
Then where on earth did these people come from?
"You seem to have a lot of questions."
Moon Yul flinched when Persona spoke to him.
"Ah... yes. To be honest..."
Moon Yul let out a sigh.
"I'm just confused. I've never heard my master mention having fellow disciples like you..."
"Right. I'm sure. There are some... very complicated circumstances."
It was impossible to explain to this child that the Radiant Dragon Hero Jincheon had died 200 years ago, was reborn on the Pangemonia Continent as Patrick Schneider, killed the Heavenly Demon, attained a Divine Rank, and then returned to this world.
"Well, you'll find out in time. More importantly, can I ask you something?"
"Please, go ahead."
"Are you really a disciple of the Twin Dragon Sect?"
"...Yes."
"Really? For real?"
"I am."
Seeing Moon Yul answer with his chest puffed out, Persona let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness."
"...Pardon?"
"I was worried that everyone in the Twin Dragon Sect might be the same kind of person."
"...Pardon?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just very happy that my Junior Brother has a normal personality."
"..."
"Yes, indeed. There's no way there could be two people like that."
What was it? He didn't know why, but she seemed genuinely relieved.
Just then, a scabbard poked out from between the straw mats covering the entrance of the shack...
Whack!
"Ow! That hurt!"
It struck the peerless beauty—his supposed Senior Sister—right on the head.
"What was that for?!"
As she yelled, the voice of the foreign man from earlier came from inside the house.
"If you're asking why I hit you, I'll have to answer that it's because my disciple's head was right there."
"Are you even human? Seriously..."
"Enough. Come in now. Bring that boy, Moon Yul, in too."
"Fine, I'm coming."
Moon Yul followed her into the house.
And the first thing he saw was...
"Master!"
His master was sitting up.
He didn't know how long it had been.
His master, who had always been bedridden and unable to even swallow thin gruel, was sitting up.
Tears welled up in Moon Yul's eyes.
"Master... sob..."
"I've caused you much worry."
"Ugh..."
"Why are you crying, you rascal?"
"Master... hic... Master...!"
Moon Yul wailed, heedless of the tears and snot smearing his face.
Watching his master die day by day while being unable to do anything had made him feel so powerless that he hadn't felt truly alive.
But his master was saved.
As a disciple, what could be more joyful than this?
The disciple clung to his master and cried like a child.
The master embraced him with a smile full of apology. And then...
"It's alright now, so don't worry."
He comforted the precious heart of the disciple who had worried for him all this time.
The sincere bond between master and disciple was enough to tug at anyone's heartstrings...
"What do you mean 'alright'? You almost kicked the bucket."
Except for the demon.