Chapter 4
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Death (1)
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"It's truly amazing."
Gwang-u scrutinized his senior brother's face from every angle as he performed Breath Adjustment and Meditation.
One half of the face emitted a faint, bright glow, while the other half was shrouded in a murky black aura.
They practiced the same heart technique and the same martial arts, yet his senior brother was different from him.
Ssssss...
The energy swirling through his entire body returned to his dantian and chest.
As he finished Breath Adjustment and Meditation and opened his eyes, Gwang-u's enormous face and bull-like eyes were right in front of him.
"What now?"
"How do you do that, brother?"
Gwang-u's cow-like massive eyes sparkled unusually bright.
"Do what?"
"That black aura flowing over half your face. How do you do it? Teach me too."
Irritation crept in, so no kind words came out.
"You bringing that up again? Why do you keep talking nonsense?"
"I'm serious. Really, brother. It looks cool even if it's weird. Teach me."
Listening to Gwang-u made him uneasy for no reason.
Could it be that the Great Heavenly Demon was in the process of taking over his body right now?
"I don't know."
At his response, Gwang-u suddenly turned serious.
"Is that how it's gonna be? Then spar with me."
'Ah... this bastard really...'
Gwang-u was grating on his nerves from the morning, making his insides boil with resentment.
But the words that came out were mild as could be.
"I've got a lot to do today, so next time. We have to hurry and prepare Master's breakfast too."
Master's illness had deepened with each passing day.
Just half a year ago, he could move around without much trouble and ate heartily, but now he stayed cooped up in his room, surviving on porridge alone.
Apart from occasionally being helped to the outhouse, he spent all his time in his room.
"Don't use Master as an excuse, brother. You've always wanted to leave this place. Once Master passes, you're planning to bolt right away, aren't you?"
He was struck dumb, like his mouth was glued shut with honey.
He'd inwardly dismissed the guy as a fool, but hearing this today showed he had a sharp side after all.
Seeing him speechless, Gwang-u snickered.
"So? Feel like teaching me now?"
No matter how much he hated sparring, he couldn't tell this guy about the Great Heavenly Demon.
Even if he did, the fool wouldn't believe him, and even if he did, he'd run straight to Master and tattle.
Then Master would order Gwang-u to kill him without a second thought.
Master harbored that level of wariness toward the Great Heavenly Demon.
"No."
Gwang-u's face twisted at the reply.
"Then we spar. Get up, brother."
Gwang-u lunged first, swinging a fist.
He stared at the incoming punch toward his face, inwardly marveling in awe.
It had been half a year since they last sparred, and Gwang-u's fist was too slow.
No—more accurately, the Great Heavenly Demon's punches every night were so blindingly fast that Gwang-u's seemed sluggish by comparison.
For the first time, the saying that true masters perceived a different flow of time hit him viscerally.
He deflected the incoming fist aside from his face and countered with his own.
Thwack!
Ugh!
A heavy impact transmitted through his fist, and Gwang-u's face whipped around.
It wasn't just his face—his whole body staggered.
Stumbling back, Gwang-u stared at him in disbelief.
"Wh-what was that, brother?"
He himself could hardly believe what just happened and couldn't respond right away.
How could this occur after just half a year?
"Damn it! What was it?!"
Unable to get an answer, Gwang-u bellowed in anger.
He looked just like a kid who'd had his favorite toy snatched away after cherishing it for so long.
Gwang-u clenched his fist tight and charged again.
This time, he feinted with left and right fists to draw his gaze, then aimed a right kick at his waist.
But by then, he was already driving into Gwang-u's abdomen.
Thud!
Gwang-u's mouth gaped open as the fist sank into his belly, and he doubled over.
In that instant, he followed up with an uppercut to the jaw.
Crack!
Gurk!
Gwang-u tumbled backward.
How refreshing it felt.
Like ten years of pent-up indigestion dissolving all at once.
Gwang-u lay on the ground, still staring at his face in disbelief at his defeat.
Br... brother...
"You bastard. I pitied you all this time, let you have your way, and you don't even appreciate it, keep threatening me? Think I'd be weaker than you when I started learning martial arts two years before you? From now on, act like a proper junior brother. Got it?"
Ah...
How long had he wanted to say that?
Now that he finally had, he wanted for nothing more.
He turned his back on Gwang-u and strode proudly toward the house.
Tonight, when he faced the Great Heavenly Demon, he owed him at least a thank you.
Heh heh heh...
"You laid him out nice and clean."
The Great Heavenly Demon spoke first, before he could even voice his gratitude.
Th... thank you. It's thanks to you.
"Of course. Your body will soon be mine, so I have to make it the strongest in the world. But that Gwang-u isn't a pushover—slacken off, and he'll catch right up."
His words were gentle, so the response came back without bite.
"I know. But Gwang-u said a black aura flows over half my face. Do you know anything about it?"
Heh heh...
"The energy lingering in my flesh flowed into your body. Isn't that obvious?"
Fear struck him suddenly.
He'd heard that recklessly accepting another's energy could lead to qi deviation.
As if sensing his inner turmoil, the Great Heavenly Demon said something unexpected.
"What martial art are you cultivating?"
"One Immortal Merit."
Kuh... kuahaha!
The Great Heavenly Demon burst into mad laughter.
"Is One Immortal Merit that ridiculous?"
Snapping at him, he got the Great Heavenly Demon to stop laughing and meet his eyes directly.
"The art you're learning here isn't One Immortal Merit—it's the divine technique from the Demonic Essential True Scripture."
"What... what do you mean, Great Heavenly Demon?"
Amused by his shocked face, the Great Heavenly Demon chuckled again.
Heh heh heh...
"The Demonic Essential True Scripture originally had a Divine Merit section and a Demonic Merit section. Your Ancestral Master, Choe Geuk-yu, took the Divine Merit, and I took the Demonic Merit, so they share the same origin."
Aha...
Only then did he understand why the Great Heavenly Demon had despaired so upon first learning he was a disciple of the One Immortal Sect.
"Same origin but polar opposites. If you weren't a One Immortal Sect disciple, this body would already be mine."
What luck. True luck.
Exhaling in relief, he asked another burning question.
"Then how did you win against Ancestral Master a hundred years ago? I know his condition wasn't great."
Heh heh heh...
"Not great? He was missing an arm and his legs were crippled too."
"Who did that to him?"
Heh heh heh...
The Great Heavenly Demon fell silent.
"You're chatty today. Shall we begin?"
Ah... damn it.
He'd have to dart around suffering again tonight to ease the pain.
He clenched his fists and charged at the Great Heavenly Demon.
"Brother. Brother, wake up. You trying to freeze to death?"
At Gwang-u's urgent voice, he opened his eyes to find himself lying in a snowbank.
Ugh...
Clutching his aching body, he rose from the snow.
If the Great Heavenly Demon had killed him last night, he wouldn't have woken up in a snowbank.
But for some reason last night, he hadn't killed him, leading to this absurd situation.
'He knew it would snow and spared me on purpose.'
A scheming bastard like that was more than capable.
"Why'd you come to my place anyway?"
Gwang-u shook his head with an aggrieved pout, as if he'd suffered some great injustice.
"Don't say such hurtful things, brother. We're closer than blood brothers. Your place is mine, and mine is yours."
He'd never seen the guy act this meek before.
That meant he desperately needed help with something.
Half-opening his eyes, he glared.
"Spit it out honestly. What do you need? Or you get a punch."
His body even trembled with emotion as he said it.
His chest swelled grandly for no reason.
A day where he could say this to Gwang-u had finally come.
Gwang-u flinched and bowed his head.
"Truth is... from today, I want to share a room with you here."
An unexpected plea burst from Gwang-u's mouth.
"Wh-what?"
Too flustered, no reply came to mind.
No, more than that, he was curious about the reason.
"Master and you teamed up to kick me out, and now you want to bunk together? You joking?"
"Sorry, brother. I'll beg forgiveness."
Gwang-u suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed his head low.
"This fool has teased and belittled you all along. It's a crime worthy of death, but forgive me for the sake of our brotherhood and master-disciple bond."
This guy was surprisingly eloquent...
How much had he practiced that speech at night?
He had been slighted by Gwang-u, but it wasn't a capital offense.
And how could he turn away someone begging forgiveness like this?
As he showed no reaction, Gwang-u hurriedly continued.
He was about to open his mouth and forgive when he clamped it shut, waiting for the rest.
"From now on, I'll tend to Master completely, do all the cooking, and all the laundry too."
The guy had clearly lost his marbles a bit.
But a bit crazy was much better.
"Fine. Forgiven. Get up. But why bunk with me?"
Gwang-u rose from the ground and answered.
"I want to become a master like you."
"You already are one."
Gwang-u hesitated a moment before speaking haltingly.
"Before... when Eldest Senior Brother was here... Master told me this. If I diligently cultivate, I won't have many equals in the jianghu later. And he said not to follow you, but to follow Eldest Senior Brother... But now I know I'm no match for you. I want to stay with you and learn everything."
Finished, Gwang-u cautiously gauged his reaction.
And rightly so—he utterly despised Eldest Senior Brother.
Not hatred exactly, but he hated even hearing the name.
A few years ago, a fresh-faced youth of sixteen came alone to Heavenly Mountain.
He'd said it was to see the place steeped in legends of the Great Heavenly Demon and Divine Calculator, and by chance, he entered their thatched hut for a cup of water.
With the face of the world's most handsome man, broad shoulders, tall stature, and imposing build, he drew admiration from all who saw him.
The youth watched Gwang-u practice for a bit, then suddenly sought Master, begging to be taken as a disciple.
Master, already fond of the boy, accepted immediately.
At the time, Master had remarked about the youth:
"I've gained the world's greatest prodigy. Even if I die now, I'll have no regrets."