Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Translator: Penny
Chapter 76
At the End of Fate's Branch (4)
Song Hwarin woke up just before noon.
Her head throbbed like it was about to split open.
Only after drinking several bowls of cold water mixed with honey, brought by Suran, did she finally regain her senses.
"Ah, how much did I even drink?"
Just then, a voice came from the doorway.
"You drank yourself to death."
She turned to see Byeok Ridan standing there. Suran, who had led him in, playfully mimed hitting Byeok Ridan on the back before disappearing.
"Are you okay?"
"No. My head feels like it's going to explode. I don't remember anything from yesterday."
"So you don't remember biting me either?"
"What?"
Song Hwarin's eyes widened.
"Bite? Me? You?"
Byeok Ridan nodded firmly.
"But why?"
Her voice trembled with shock. Bite someone? I never knew I had such a habit!
"Should I tell you everything?"
Byeok Ridan smiled triumphantly, but she shook her head.
"No, forget everything I said."
She chuckled softly after speaking. Her head throbbed like it was about to split open, and her stomach churned, but she felt relieved. Truly relieved. She had finally spoken all the words she had kept locked in her heart, words she had never dared to utter to anyone before. Though she had blurted them out in a fit of emotion, she felt no regret.
Byeok Ridan asked cautiously, "Are you going to see Master?"
"No. I don't want to."
Her resolute answer prompted Byeok Ridan to reply, "I think you should."
"What?"
"Otherwise, you'll never escape this."
"But..."
"I'll go with you."
Song Hwarin lifted her head and gazed steadily at him.
Byeok Ridan asked with clear, deep eyes, "Do you really think that old man is so formidable?"
Song Hwarin remained silent for a long moment. Finally, she spoke her conclusion.
"No. My Master... he's a despicable man."
Even if he hadn't acted on his desire to violate his disciple, the mere thought made him pathetic and contemptible.
Not every branch of fate bears beautiful flowers. Sometimes, rotten fruit also hangs there.
Byeok Ridan looked at her calmly and said, "Wounds not worth keeping should be shed when the opportunity arises."
Song Hwarin stared intently at Byeok Ridan. "Before that, could we do something else first?"
"What is it?"
Clutching her stomach, she pleaded, "Please, let's get some hangover relief first. My stomach is burning like hell."
"Hahaha!"
Byeok Ridan burst into laughter. Song Hwarin joined in, her laughter the brightest she had shown since they first met.
When Ho-yeon Tak returned to Gu Family Manor, his master, Ho-yeon Nam, was in his room, polishing his sword.
In his late fifties, Ho-yeon Nam's sideburns had turned completely white. His angular features and stubborn expression gave him a stern appearance. The emptiness in his eyes as he gazed at the sword cast a dark, unsettling aura.
"Master, I've returned."
"What did you find out?" Ho-yeon Nam asked without looking up from his sword.
"The Butcher Yeom Hwa is currently staying at Myeongsu Manor. He brought five subordinates with him, the Heavenly Blade Five Friends, whom he always travels with. They are known for their formidable martial arts skills."
Ho-yeon Tak wore a slightly worried expression. Fifteen disciples had accompanied their master on this mission. Although they outnumbered their opponents, some of the disciples lacked experience, while The Butcher and the Heavenly Blade Five Friends were renowned for their formidable skills.
Even if their master took on Yeom Hwa, Ho-yeon Tak doubted whether they could handle the Heavenly Blade Five Friends.
"We should request support from the Night Merchants," he suggested.
The hand honing his sword froze abruptly, as if startled.
"Are you afraid?" Ho-yeon Nam's cold question dripped with displeasure.
"No, Master," Ho-yeon Tak replied quickly. His master's stern demeanor always terrified him.
"I meant we should prepare in case they summon other experts," he clarified.
"That's impossible. The Butcher isn't one to rely on others. He believes himself to be the greatest."
"Your disciple failed to consider that. I apologize, Master."
The icy aura around Ho-yeon Nam dissipated as he asked softly, "Do you know why I volunteered for this mission?"
"Why is that?"
"A man like Ma Bonggi should never have become Alliance Leader. The Heavenly Blade Gate trying to manipulate the Martial Arts World as they please? That's unforgivable."
Ho-yeon Tak knew well how much his Master revered the Former Alliance Leader. He had practically deified Cheon Hajin as the foremost Martial Artist under Heaven.
With Cheon Hajin's death and Ma Bonggi's ascension to Alliance Leader, Ho-yeon Nam's animosity toward the Heavenly Blade Gate had reached its peak.
When the Night Merchants requested assistance this time, everyone hesitated to step forward. Ho-yeon Nam, however, volunteered without hesitation.
"I will personally eliminate Yeom Hwa," he declared.
Ho-yeon Tak was stunned by these words.
The word "eliminate" should never have been uttered. Their original mission here was to mediate between the Heavenly Blade Gate and the Shandong Night Merchants.
The plan was to appease Yeom Hwa and resolve the conflict with money. This was also the order from Ho-yeon Se, the Patriarch of the Ho-yeon Family.
In such a situation, to speak of eliminating Yeom Hwa? It was utterly unthinkable.
Their Master was a man of immense pride in his martial arts prowess.
Yet Ho-yeon Tak's anxiety stemmed from knowing that his Master's skill fell short of his pride.
Master's fondness for Cheon Hajin wasn't about liking the person himself. He barely knew anything about Cheon Hajin.
Master revered him because he was the "Foremost Person Under Heaven."
What Master had desperately sought but never even approached—the single, unparalleled position in the Martial Arts World—was ultimately just the title itself.
Perhaps my master had spent his entire life vicariously living through the persona of Cheon Hajin, finding satisfaction in the legend rather than the man.
After Cheon Hajin's death, Master grew even more sharp-edged and sensitive. Never a cheerful man to begin with, he became even darker.
"Master, I'm worried. Of course you can eliminate Yeom Hwa, but the Heavenly Blade Gate is behind this. I'm concerned about the consequences."
Though the Ho-yeon Family was one of the Four Great Families of the Martial Arts World, they would still struggle to confront the Heavenly Blade Gate, which had produced the Martial Arts Alliance Leader.
Killing Yeom Hwa would undoubtedly cause major problems.
"This isn't something you need to worry about," Master said, cutting off any further discussion.
"I'll take my leave now," Ho-yeon Tak said, turning to leave. But he paused and added, "Oh, I happened to see Junior Sister Hwarin."
Ho-yeon Nam flinched slightly, his hand freezing mid-stroke as he polished his sword.
"Is she well?"
"Yes, she was with Young Master Byeok, her fiancé from the Prenatal Vow."
For a moment, Ho-yeon Nam's eyes seemed to blaze with intensity, but he quickly resumed polishing his sword as if nothing had happened.
Ho-yeon Tak quietly left the area, feeling an inexplicable sense of suffocation in the air around him.
I bought a steaming bowl of gukbap with Song Hwarin.
We could have eaten at home, but we deliberately went to a nearby inn.
After finishing her gukbap, she beamed with contentment, looking as if she had the whole world in her hands.
"Ah, I feel alive again," she sighed.
Her relief washed over me, easing my own tension.
"This is really nice," I murmured.
Back when I was the Alliance Leader, I used my Internal Force to expel Alcoholic Qi at nearly every drinking session.
But these days, I often find myself getting drunk—whether with Gwangdu, Baek Pyo, or even her.
"So you carried me home?"
"Yeah."
A faint blush rose on her cheeks.
"You drank a lot too, didn't you? That must have been tough."
"I was so tense that I didn't get too drunk."
"Why were you so tense?"
"You were drinking so much, I figured I had to stay sharp."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Thank you for yesterday."
She lowered her head, avoiding eye contact. Now that she thought about it, she seemed embarrassed by the whole situation—especially since she had even cried.
"I think... yesterday was the first time I've cried since my mother passed away."
"Does it feel better now?"
She nodded slightly, still looking down.
"You asked me before why I hate the Alliance Leader so much, right?"
"Because someone you hate likes him... Wait, could it be?"
"You're right. My Master liked the Alliance Leader."
"I see."
Damn that old bastard. Knowing he liked her only made me feel worse.
Regardless of my feelings, I sensed it again: Byeok Ridan's life was once more intertwined with my past life.
She asked, her face still etched with fear and worry, "What should I do when I meet Master?"
"Get a proper apology for what happened that day. A formal, thorough one."
"Would that even matter?"
I nodded firmly. "It does."
Whether you speak up or stay silent, whether you receive an apology or not—these seemingly small things make a world of difference.
"Do you think Master will actually apologize?"
"We'll find out when we meet him."
Of course, my real goal in securing an apology was to help heal her wounds.
I intend to investigate him myself. If, apart from what he tried to do to Hwarin, he deserves to die for other misdeeds, I'll make him apologize to her before killing him.
If he turns out to be just a pathetic old man, he'll fade away one way or another anyway.
"I'll arrange the meeting with your Master. Is that alright?"
She nodded.
"Before that, there's one thing we need to do."
"What is it?"
"Shall we step outside for a moment?"
I led her out of the inn and strolled casually toward the forest behind it.
After confirming we were alone, I drew my sword.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"Let's have a spar."
"What?"
She stared at me, her expression shocked.
"Gasp! Don't tell me you want to beat me up again?"
"Ha ha ha."
"This isn't funny!"
"Sorry. I'm really sorry about what happened back then."
A hint of mischief finally flickered across her face, breaking through her carefully maintained composure. I could feel a boundary between us crumbling, revealing glimpses of a new side of her beyond that wall.
"Why do you want to spar?"
"I need to perfect my counter-strategies before meeting your Master."
She stared at me, her expression conveying her confusion.
But a moment later, she gasped in shock.
"Wait, you don't mean...?"
"Exactly. I'm going to defeat him using the martial arts he taught me."
"Impossible!"
"Possible!"
"How on earth?"
"Have you forgotten? There's a critical weakness in the Forms you learned. That's the martial arts I want to spar with."
"Ah!"
Even if her Master were to offer a proper apology, she didn't believe it would completely free her from the past.
To truly break free, she needed to suppress him with her martial arts—in other words, defeat him decisively, and do it herself. Only then could she truly escape her Master's shadow.
"What I'm about to say might hurt you. But I need you to hear it."
She nodded, her expression tightening with anticipation.
"After the spar with your Master, you must abandon all the martial arts you've learned."
"What?"
The unexpected words startled her.
"How could a martial art with an inherent weakness ever be considered perfect?"
"But—!"
"How can I abandon five years of training?"
"Still, abandon it!" My tone was resolute.
"During those five years, the Song Family Manor must have sent a considerable amount of money."
This was a common practice among renowned sects.
The sect's renowned masters would train numerous disciples from secular families. Later, they could summon these disciples for their own purposes or earn money through them—a true win-win situation.
"The martial arts you learned—it's not the Ho-yeon Family's exclusive technique, is it?"
She nodded again.
"Your martial arts aren't worth dedicating your entire life to. They probably just brought some decent-looking techniques from somewhere and taught them to you. Of course, if you only plan to face nameless second-rate martial artists from Shandong, you can keep practicing them."
Of course, this was my standard. From my father's or Song Ugyeong's perspective, her martial arts might be considered quite decent. After all, it was good enough to be taught under the Ho-yeon Family name.
But now that I was involved, I wanted her to abandon those techniques.
Song Hwarin's expression hardened. She must have felt like her entire past was being denied. After a long silence, she finally spoke with difficulty.
"Thinking about my Master makes me so upset and angry. Yes, I want to abandon the martial arts I learned from him too. But if I give up everything... it would mean I wasted the last five years of my life."
"And if you can't let go, those five years will become ten, then twenty... and eventually your entire life."
The painful truth must have felt like a sword piercing her heart.
"Alright, let's say I abandon it. What do I do from now on?"
"Are you going to abandon it or not? Make up your mind."
After a moment's pause, she said, "Yes, I'll abandon it."
Now she trusted me completely. I had to repay that trust.
"I believe that when you truly give up something, you gain something new. And what you gain will be far greater than what you lost."
Among the martial arts I knew, there was one perfectly suited for women—far superior to the one she had been practicing.
She still seemed uncertain. That was understandable. Despite my recent changes and the trust I had earned, she probably couldn't imagine that I could surpass her own Master in martial arts prowess.
"Hwarin."
"Yes?"
I didn't think any more words were necessary. So I said just one thing:
"Trust me."
Her gaze, which had been fixed on me, shifted as she nodded firmly.
"Okay, I'll trust you."