Chapter 220
Chapter 220
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: Things Left Behind
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I had an old dream.
A lucid one, at that.
*Shwaaaa.*
A desolate field near Anhui, under a downpour of rain.
And there I was, walking feebly across that field.
The strange thing was, though it was clearly me, I was watching the scene from a third-person perspective.
Well, it’s a dream, so nothing should be surprising.
‘When was this?’
The thought crossed my mind, and I rummaged through my memories.
‘It was on my way back from burying my family.’
The family I had in this world, who had died helplessly from a plague.
I remember dragging the four of them, one by one, to a nearby mountain to bury them, my body emaciated from lack of food.
I couldn't afford a proper funeral, so I had no choice.
Still, I couldn't just bury them anywhere, so I found a relatively sunny spot and built small burial mounds.
I’d been meaning to visit, but I kept making excuses about being busy and never went.
‘I should go when I wake up.’
As I nodded to myself and continued watching the dream, a static-like sound filled the air, and the scenery changed.
A scene bustling with people.
It was the marketplace in Anhui Fortress.
“Freshly caught fish from the river! Three for a coin!”
“Come have some noodles! The broth is made with chicken bones, it’s out of this world!”
“Silk from Hanzhong! Three rolls for a silver coin!”
“Spare a coin! Oh, good sir, I’m starving to death! Please, just one coin…”
I saw myself, begging in a loud voice.
I must have starved more since the last scene, as I was no longer just skinny but practically half a skeleton.
It was a pitiful sight, yet about 99.4% of the passersby ignored me and went on their way.
‘Seriously, shouldn’t someone help a guy who looks like that? He looks like he’ll be dead in a few days.’
The cold-heartedness of Anhui and the beggar-like… no, the actual beggar days came flooding back to me.
‘The biggest bastard was the gang leader!’
He was the head of the beggar gang I was in. If I earned three coins, he’d take two. If I earned two, he’d still take two. He was a real son of a bitch.
He’d even beat me up if I earned only one coin, demanding I give him two.
‘What was it, some kind of protection racket?’
I resolved to send him off this mortal coil when I went to visit my parents' graves, but then I shook my head.
‘No, he’s probably starved to death by now.’
I was so fed up with him that I’d cut his Achilles tendon while he was sleeping.
The memory of him howling in pain brought a fresh wave of satisfaction.
As I chuckled for a moment, the dream flickered again, and the scene changed once more.
“…”
I saw myself lying motionless, like a dead man, next to a gently flowing stream.
Worse, I must have starved even more than before, as the light was fading from my eyes.
There was a reason for this.
After I stabbed the gang leader—because we were an organization, of a sort—the beggar gang had put a bounty on my head.
I’d fled Anhui to escape them and nearly starved to death.
‘I was so hungry back then…’
I cursed my fate, wondering why I had to be reincarnated into this godforsaken martial world.
Just as I thought I was about to die.
“Will you follow me?”
An old man holding a fishing rod appeared.
Seeing him, I remembered.
‘He was a terrible fisherman…’
During my days in the Black Dragon Hall, my grandfather would often take me fishing, promising to feed me, but I never once saw him catch a single fish.
‘Well, still…’
Considering he reeled in an unparalleled hero like me, I suppose he was a master angler in his own right.
It was good to see him after so long, and I kept my eyes fixed on his form.
My younger self, still lying on the ground, answered without moving.
“What happens if I go?”
“That depends on what you do. You could become a hero of the martial world, or you could rot away as a mere Outer Hall warrior.”
To be honest, back then, I didn't care about being a hero or an Outer Hall warrior.
The most important thing at the time was survival.
“Do they feed you well?”
“You’ll get three square meals a day, so don’t you worry.”
“Then I’ll follow you.”
I shot up to my feet.
The old man took my hand in his.
A smirk appeared on my face.
A smile naturally formed as I looked back at my old self.
But then, something unexpected happened.
“Will you wait here a moment?”
My grandfather let go of my hand and turned back.
This hadn't happened in the past.
As I watched with a puzzled expression, my grandfather, who had suddenly appeared right in front of me, smiled brightly and greeted me.
“Have you been well?”
“…Yes.”
The sudden greeting brought tears to my eyes.
He was someone I had always missed.
“Tsk, tsk. How can the head of a clan be such a crybaby? How will your subordinates trust and follow you like this?”
I met my scolding grandfather’s gaze.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too, my boy.”
He raised his hand and patted my shoulder, then looked back at my younger self.
“To think that scrawny child would become the master of a great sect. You’ve truly grown well.”
“It just goes to show how excellent your eye for talent was, Grandfather. Who would have thought the kid you picked up in a field would become so successful?”
“My eye for talent has always been famous. Just look at the Sword Saint. I’ll tell you now, but when he was young, he was only interested in the Dao. His martial arts were dreadful.”
“Really? Then how…”
“As they say, all paths lead to the same peak. His deep enlightenment in the Dao allowed him to attain enlightenment in the sword as well.”
“Ah…”
As I marveled at this, a sudden thought made me speak up.
“Grandfather, actually…”
“I already met him a few days ago and shared a drink. He died a truly heroic death, just as you’d expect from him. I knew it would come to this, ever since he neglected his training to immerse himself in the Dao, even after reaching his peak.”
“…”
I was speechless at this unexpected revelation. My grandfather patted my shoulder again.
“He said he lived a life with no regrets. And he asked me to tell you he was grateful.”
“But I ran away…”
“There’s no need to blame yourself. From what I saw, you did your absolute best. Thanks to you, he lived as long as he did.”
He pointed his finger, and a large hole opened up, revealing a view of Hanzhong, crowded with people.
They all wore white headbands, likely to mourn those who died in the recent war.
My grandfather pushed me toward the hole.
“It’s time for you to go.”
“No, it’s been so long. Let’s talk a little more…”
“If a living person stays in the celestial realm for too long, they can’t return to the mortal world.”
“…!”
The words ‘celestial realm,’ not ‘dream,’ nearly made my heart stop.
“G-Grandfather, you became an immortal?”
“Not officially… you could say I’m an immortal-in-training.”
My goodness, my grandfather was becoming an immortal.
Just as I was about to express my joy, he made a troubled face.
“We’re almost out of time.”
The hole was shrinking.
“No, that can’t be. I haven’t even gotten married yet.”
“Always going on about marriage…”
My grandfather chuckled softly and nodded.
“Don’t forget the days when you were young and hungry.”
“What?”
I tilted my head at his cryptic words, but then I understood his meaning.
“I understand. I’ll do my best.”
“Good. That’s all I ask.”
*Fwoosh.*
The hole showing Hanzhong sucked me in.
“Take care! I’ll introduce you to my wife when I get married!”
A bright smile graced the face of my grandfather as he waved from afar.
* * *
I woke from the dream, my eyes flying open.
I felt like I should remember everything I saw, yet the details were hazy.
Looking around, I recognized the familiar layout of the room. And Cheong So-so, her head buried in the bedding.
“Umm…”
It seemed the official medic of the War King Arts Sect had been treating me all night.
The problem was…
“Hm? This can’t be right.”
No matter how good a medic she was, my body was in far too good a condition.
The meridians torn apart by the backlash from unleashing the Hellscape were perfectly restored, my completely shattered chest bones had already set and begun to heal, and my crushed dantian was brimming with internal energy.
‘This isn’t some kind of game…’
It was as if I had died and been resurrected with full health.
“…Huh? You’re awake?”
Cheong So-so sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“What happened? I was sure I was…”
For a moment, an impossible hypothesis came to mind.
“Don’t tell me?!”
As if confirming my suspicion, she scratched her head and spoke.
“That’s right. You took the Great Return Vitality Elixir. If not for that, you would have been bedridden for at least four or five years.”
“What are you talking about! That was for!”
“I don’t know the details. It was his decision. I just set your broken chest bones.”
Cheong So-so pointed to a corner of the room.
“…!”
The War King, whom I hadn't even noticed, was lying in a corner with his eyes closed.
“Shall I tell you?”
He spoke, seemingly awakened by the commotion.
“It’s time for me to brew some medicine, so I’ll be leaving. I don’t know what’s going on, but I hope you two can sort it out.”
The quick-witted Cheong So-so made herself scarce, and the War King began to explain what had happened yesterday.
“I did take the medicine you gave me to the Lord of Nine Dragons.”
“Then why…?”
When the War King received the Great Return Vitality Elixir, he had recognized at a glance that it was no ordinary pill and had intended to give it to the Lord.
But something no one had expected occurred.
“…What was I to do when he insisted I just let him die?”
The Lord himself had chosen death.
“Couldn’t you have just forced him to take it?”
At my question, he quietly shook his head.
“If you were in my shoes, you would have done the same. We even woke up the Great Pure Adept to help persuade him, but he wouldn’t listen, saying he wanted to join his grandson.”
“Ah…”
A sigh of regret escaped my lips.
He was a man who shouldn't have died like this.
It was because of him that the Nine Dragons Fortress could maintain its stability despite all the internal politics.
The stability of the Nine Dragons Fortress was crucial for stabilizing Sichuan and Yunnan, as well as Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang, which were to be incorporated in the future.
At this rate, this war was as good as a loss.
Not only had countless warriors from the Nine Dragons Fortress and the Righteous Path Alliance died, but the leaders of both sides were now gone.
And that wasn't all.
The Great Pure Adept had lost his right arm, and the Righteous Path Alliance had lost two elders.
The remaining seven had also suffered internal injuries so severe they would need at least two or three years to recover.
The War King Arts Sect had not escaped such a blow either.
Fortunately, none of the key members were seriously injured or killed, but we had lost nearly two hundred warriors.
“In any case, I did my best, so I am not to blame.”
“…”
The War King rose to his feet and said.
“If your questions are answered, I’ll be on my way. I get restless staying in one place.”
“I still have something to ask you.”
I quickly stopped him.
“Why? Are you curious how I know the War King Arts?”
He smirked, having read my mind.
“Yes. I want to ask how you know the War King Arts of the Bukgung family.”
This question was as important as the Lord’s death.
My master had been adamant that I was the sole successor to the War King Arts.
“Take a guess.”
His interest piqued, he sat back down on the floor with an amused expression.
“Are you a member of the Bukgung family?”
“Isn’t that an obvious question? How else would I have seen the secret manuals of the War King Arts if not as a member of the Bukgung family?”
“…I suspected as much, but I find it hard to believe.”
“I suppose so.”
“Then why aren’t you rebuilding the Bukgung family? With you, the War King, and me, the Combat King…”
“Khkhkhk.”
The War King started laughing at my question.
“Haven’t you learned anything from this war?”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that what you see is not all there is. Do you really think the Lord of the Ten Demon Alliance only killed the seven sect leaders before his campaign?”
“Ah…”
Then I understood.
The Five Hegemons of the world each kept a portion of their strength hidden.
The fact that the elders of the Righteous Path Alliance had tried to summon retired masters from the previous generation during this war was proof of that.
While I couldn't be certain, the same was likely true for the Nine Dragons Fortress.
‘I’ve heard a rumor that there’s a Hermit Forest deep within the Nine Dragons Mountain Range.’
And that meant…
The same was true for the Lion King Alliance, which would surely oppose the revival of the Bukgung family.
“Your martial talent is decent enough, but you’re so dense… It seems that Baek fellow made a poor choice for a successor.”
Only then did I realize who this old man was.
“Jin Mujeon, disciple of the Bukgung family, greets the Grand Master!”
He was my master Bukgung Baek’s father.