Chapter 158
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: A Masterpiece Forged from Life
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Late one afternoon, several days later.
As he descended Mount Kongtong, Dan Ak-seon suddenly stopped and stared at the joint signature petition in his hand.
Han Seol-hwa, who had been watching him, spoke quietly.
“With this, you’ve gotten the signatures from all the Nine Great Sects.”
“Yes.”
The petition was now on the verge of completion.
All that remained was the signature of the Beggar's Sect Leader, I Rip.
Even so, Dan Ak-seon’s expression wasn’t particularly bright.
“Is something wrong?”
At Han Seol-hwa’s question, Dan Ak-seon let out a deep sigh.
“No, it’s just…”
Dan Ak-seon trailed off for a moment, then smiled bitterly.
“I was hoping to receive an apology from the Kongtong Sect.”
“An apology?”
Dan Ak-seon nodded at her question.
“For their bitter history with my mother. When you trace it all back, they’re the reason she came to be called the Demonic Physician and was ostracized by the Orthodox Faction.”
However, the Sect Leader of Kongtong, Head Daoist Hyeongjin, had said nothing about it in the end.
If he were to receive an apology, it had to come from the people involved in that incident.
But as long as they remained silent, Dan Ak-seon had no way of finding out who they were.
After all, the person at the center of it, his mother, was no longer of this world.
“If you wish, we can go back right now and get an apology from them.”
At Han Seol-hwa’s words, Dan Ak-seon shook his head.
“No.”
Dan Ak-seon continued with a bitter smile.
“What sincerity could there be in a reluctant apology?”
Han Seol-hwa nodded silently.
She knew that the true apology Dan Ak-seon wanted was predicated on an attitude of acknowledging and repenting for past wrongdoings.
“Besides, getting an apology from them is something I have to do myself. And one day, I will.”
He couldn't drag Han Seol-hwa into his personal affairs.
“I want to become an adult quickly.”
If he grew stronger and gained more fame, they wouldn't be able to ignore him anymore.
Han Seol-hwa felt a pang of pity for him.
“Still, don’t grow up too fast.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve missed out on so many things that children your age should have enjoyed. Shouldn’t you take your time and experience all of that now?”
At the sympathy in Han Seol-hwa's eyes, Dan Ak-seon gave an awkward smile.
“I’m perfectly happy as I am now.”
As they continued down the mountain.
Spotting Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi waiting ahead, Dan Ak-seon beamed and held the petition high.
“I did it!”
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi smiled and nodded.
“You worked hard.”
“Congratulations, Doctor Dan! I knew you could do it.”
Dan Ak-seon ran up to them, and with a bright smile, he mentioned their next destination.
“Let’s go to Nanchang now.”
“Nanchang?”
Beom Gye-wi tilted his head, then his eyes widened in realization.
“Ah! The Flame Iron Ore!”
He had belatedly remembered that they had left the Flame Iron Ore they acquired in Hainan with the Mukga Ironworks.
“Of course. We definitely have to go get it. I went through so much trouble to obtain that thing.”
“Trouble?”
“Yeah. To shake off that Byeok Hwa-ryeong girl… Oof!”
As he spoke, Beom Gye-wi clutched his side and collapsed.
Cho Ak-ryang, who had cut him off with a swift elbow, quickly sent a telepathic message.
—*Why don’t you go ahead and tell them you lied about dating Han Seol-hwa?*
“Gasp!”
Belatedly, Beom Gye-wi sucked in a sharp breath.
Then he forced an awkward smile, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.
“...It wasn’t that much trouble.”
Suddenly feeling a sharp gaze, Beom Gye-wi glanced behind him.
Just as he expected.
His eyes met Han Seol-hwa’s, who was staring at him intently.
“What are you hiding?”
At Han Seol-hwa’s question, Beom Gye-wi’s expression hardened.
“Me? Hiding? What?”
“…”
“You know what that is? It’s a disease, that suspicion of yours. You think all I do is cause trouble all day?”
As Beom Gye-wi vehemently denied it, Han Seol-hwa only grew more suspicious.
At that moment, Cho Ak-ryang stepped in and quickly changed the subject.
“Aren’t you excited, Doctor Dan?”
“Pardon?”
“Because soon, you’ll have a weapon that can be called your signature weapon.”
“I am excited!”
Dan Ak-seon’s martial skill had begun to skyrocket recently.
And with it, his desire for greater martial prowess grew.
“Then we’d better hurry.”
With those words, Beom Gye-wi swiftly lifted Dan Ak-seon and placed him on his shoulder. Then, without giving Han Seol-hwa a chance to say anything, he shot forward like the wind.
“Brother Cho…”
Han Seol-hwa tried to say something to Cho Ak-ryang, but by then, he too was already far in the distance.
Han Seol-hwa frowned slightly.
She couldn't put her finger on it, but the strangely unnatural behavior of the two men was suspicious and irksome.
They were clearly hiding something.
The problem was she had no way of finding out what it was for now.
In the end, Han Seol-hwa had no choice but to leap forward, chasing after the two who had run ahead.
* * *
Dan Ak-seon’s group arrived in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, in just a few days.
“It’s a shame Uncle Ga couldn’t come with us.”
As the Tengwang Pavilion came into view, Dan Ak-seon was suddenly reminded of Ga Du-dal.
He could still vividly picture Ga Du-dal explaining the origin, history, and related stories of this place.
Dan Ak-seon took the folding fan from his robes and opened it.
The familiar landscape painting came into view, one he never tired of seeing no matter how many times he looked at it.
As Dan Ak-seon gazed at the painting on the fan, Cho Ak-ryang casually spoke.
“You’ve gathered quite a few signatures now.”
“Yes. The Hwayeong Sect also readily agreed to the petition.”
The petition now had a considerable number of signatures besides those from the Nine Great Sects.
On their way here, they had stopped by various large and small sects and received signatures from those known as masters.
As they continued their conversation, they arrived in front of the Mukga Ironworks.
“Huh?”
A look of puzzlement crossed Dan Ak-seon’s face.
The atmosphere of the estate was completely different from before.
The deafening clang of metal was gone, replaced by an all-encompassing silence.
Moreover, the main gate was firmly shut.
Dan Ak-seon looked up at the plaque above the gate.
It was definitely the Mukga Ironworks they had visited before.
“What could have happened?”
Before anyone could answer, the impatient Beom Gye-wi shoved the gate with all his might.
*Crack.*
With the sound of something breaking, the firmly shut gate swung wide open.
Startled by the noise, a few blacksmiths came rushing out.
“What in the world…”
They were about to get angry, but upon spotting Beom Gye-wi, they managed only a bitter smile.
“I will inform the Master.”
As if they had been told in advance that the group would be coming, one of them disappeared toward the inner courtyard.
The remaining blacksmiths could only sigh as they looked at the broken latch and the half-detached hinge.
A short while later.
A man came through a moon gate and approached Dan Ak-seon’s group.
He cupped his fist respectfully.
“Welcome. We have been waiting for you.”
At first, Dan Ak-seon was puzzled, not recognizing the man, but then he cried out in shock.
“Why are you so thin?”
At his words, Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi also couldn't hide their surprise.
“No way, how…?”
“What? Why does that fatty look like a walking corpse?”
Amazingly, the man was the master of this place, Mukbi, who had once boasted a massive frame.
Whatever had happened, he had become so gaunt in just half a year that he was almost unrecognizable.
Moreover, the hands revealed beneath his loose sleeves were nothing but skin and bones.
His once-healthy complexion was now pale, and the sudden weight loss made him look at least ten years older.
Despite all this, he was smiling more brightly than ever.
One of the blacksmiths standing behind Mukbi sighed.
“Myriad-Year Cold Iron, Flame Iron Ore, and Cloud Iron all have vastly different properties, so they cannot be melted and mixed together. In the end, they had to be hammered and fused at the same time.”
Another blacksmith nodded in agreement.
“It sounds simple, but in reality, it’s a brutish method no other blacksmith would dare attempt. The Master essentially ground away his own lifespan to complete it.”
At those words, Dan Ak-seon’s expression darkened.
“Why would you go this far…?”
Mukbi let out a hearty laugh.
“For a masterpiece that none can ever surpass, what does it matter? Thanks to that, I was able to forge a monster tougher and harder than anything else in this world with my own two hands.”
“Wait a moment. Let me check your pulse first.”
Dan Ak-seon abruptly grabbed Mukbi’s wrist.
He took his pulse for a moment.
Dan Ak-seon couldn't help but frown.
“Your body is a complete mess.”
What on earth had happened?
Just six months ago, aside from being overweight, he had been in perfect health.
He had been so completely healthy that even Dan Ak-seon had never seen anything like it.
But now, his health was so ruined he didn't even know where to begin.
His qi, which once flowed without obstruction, was now unstable and wavering, and his pulse was irregular.
When he placed his ear on his back to listen, he could even detect symptoms of pneumoconiosis.
He surmised that his cardiopulmonary function had deteriorated due to the fine metal dust generated during the forging process.
“I know. I know what you’re going to say.”
Meeting Dan Ak-seon’s worried gaze, Mukbi smiled gently.
“But right now, I am happier than I have ever been.”
Dan Ak-seon sighed.
“Haa… For now, I think you should go inside and lie down. We need to start treatment before your condition worsens.”
“Thank you, my boy. But there is something you must see first.”
Mukbi nodded to the family members waiting behind him.
They brought a long wooden box and placed it before Dan Ak-seon.
“Take a look.”
With a pounding heart, Dan Ak-seon opened the box.
A staff of dark azure, gleaming with a subtle luster as if pure color were mixed with black, was revealed.
“Wow!”
Dan Ak-seon let out a gasp of admiration.
Upon closer inspection, a pattern reminiscent of waves flowed smoothly over the surface, enveloping the entire weapon.
It gave the staff an air of both supreme elegance and solemn gravity.
Dan Ak-seon wasn't the only one who felt this way.
“Magnificent.”
“That’s impressive.”
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi murmured in admiration.
It was the same for Han Seol-hwa.
Though she said nothing, she nodded with a look of utmost satisfaction.
Reaching into the box, Dan Ak-seon picked up the staff and gauged its weight.
The staff, which felt substantial, fit into his hand as if it belonged there.
“It’s perfect!”
After swinging the staff lightly a few times, Dan Ak-seon beamed with a radiant smile.
Just then, Mukbi spoke with a smile.
“Try channeling your Dignified Fire Divine Arts.”
“My Dignified Fire Divine Arts?”
Tilting his head, Dan Ak-seon did as Mukbi said, channeling his art while holding the staff.
And then, something incredible happened.
“Huh?”
The irregular, wave-like patterns flowing across its surface became strikingly vivid.
It was as if the staff was emitting its own light, asserting its presence.
But the truly astonishing thing was yet to come.
The qi of the Dignified Fire Divine Arts that had seeped into the staff suddenly expanded as if it had exploded.
Dan Ak-seon couldn't hide his astonishment at the miraculous effect—it was as if the staff had a will of its own, accepting and amplifying his qi.
Seeing his unusual expression, Cho Ak-ryang asked.
“What is it?”
Dan Ak-seon explained the strange phenomenon he had just experienced to the three of them.
A faint look of surprise appeared in Cho Ak-ryang’s eyes.
He had heard stories of weapons that could amplify one’s internal energy, but this was the first time he had seen one himself.
“If that’s the case, it will be extremely useful in a real fight.”
Beom Gye-wi added to Cho Ak-ryang’s words.
“Not to mention training. It’ll be a huge help.”
Dan Ak-seon turned to look at Mukbi.
“Thank you so much. I’ll treasure it.”
Mukbi was genuinely pleased to see Dan Ak-seon so happy.
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”
“Pardon?”
“That weapon will be reborn as a divine weapon through you. As the signature weapon of the Divine Demon Physician.”
“The Divine Demon Physician?”
“You didn’t know? The martial world is buzzing with stories about you.”
“About me?”
At Dan Ak-seon’s bewildered expression, Mukbi let out a hearty laugh.
“I can assure you, if you were to name the biggest topic in the martial world today, you would undoubtedly be at the top of the list.”