Chapter 308
Bu Eun-seol opened his mouth with a puzzled expression.
"Why?"
"'Why,' you ask?"
An utterly peaceful smile hung on Yeong Mun-ho's lips.
"Isn't having tasted death once enough? Even if you recover your internal power, you still won't reach a usable level compared to the others."
"Yeong Mun-ho."
"Don't look at me like that. I'm satisfied with my life now."
He grinned brightly and pointed at the thatched cottage.
"There are plenty of good medicinal herbs around Seven Sword Peak. If I gather and sell them, I can make enough to enjoy a drink at the guest inn now and then."
As he continued speaking, his pupils held a faint, twilight-like glow.
"And when I'm a bit older, I'll meet a simple-hearted woman and start a family. It might be a modest life, but we'll have children and live each day... happily."
Hearing those words, a smile also formed on Bu Eun-seol's lips.
Truthfully, he too had dreamed of such a life since childhood.
Even without money, even if it was a slightly lacking life—if only he could live happily with his grandfather again...
He would have no regrets, even if he had to abandon the status, martial arts, and faction he held now.
"A good plan."
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
Yeong Mun-ho had already found happiness.
Dragging him back into the blood-soaked martial world, back to the Demon Hall, would only ruin his life.
"Then I'll take my leave."
Turning away without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol wished him well.
"Live well. Be happy."
"Wait."
Just as he was about to turn, Yeong Mun-ho sniffed and spoke.
"Since we've met like this, why not share a drink before you go?"
"A drink?"
"I've brewed some Hundred Herbs Wine with the herbs around Seven Sword Peak. It's quite good."
A faint smile touched Bu Eun-seol's lips.
He preferred wine over tea. And sharing a drink with Yeong Mun-ho, the Ten Demonic Heir he had searched for so long—that wine would be more fragrant than anything.
"Very well."
"Then wait just a moment. I'll go buy some snacks."
"Just the wine is fine."
"But how can I serve only wine to a guest who's come all this way? Wait a little."
As he hobbled toward the wicker gate, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
"Then I'll hunt a bird. It'll make good skewers over charcoal."
Yeong Mun-ho waved his hands and jumped up in protest.
"I left killing behind to gather herbs deep in these mountains—what are you saying? If I wanted to hunt birds, I'd have become a hunter."
"So you've left the martial world and don't even eat meat now?"
"It's not that. I just don't like wielding a blade against animals myself."
"I'll be the one hunting."
"It's the same. If you hunt, the stench of blood will cling to you too."
It seemed he hadn't just left the martial world—he had become someone who, like a monk of the Buddhist Order, detested even the scent of blood.
"When drinking Hundred Herbs Wine, the smell of blood is particularly noticeable... that's all."
As Yeong Mun-ho awkwardly averted his gaze, Bu Eun-seol's faint smile deepened.
"Then I'll go to the village instead. I'll be faster anyway."
Yeong Mun-ho chuckled.
"Fine. Go ahead."
In a flash, Bu Eun-seol descended to the village and returned with an assortment of delicious snacks.
In case the wine ran short, he even brought back a jug of forty-year-old yellow rice wine.
'Will I ever be able to live like that too?'
As he recalled Yeong Mun-ho's peaceful face, a smile formed on Bu Eun-seol's lips.
Yeong Mun-ho, who had once harbored aspirations to reign at the apex of the Demonic Path and participated in the Ten Demonic Heirs Plan.
Even after becoming a Ten Demonic Heir by breaking through that brutal gate, it was only the beginning.
Unless he killed one of the formidable Great Righteous Experts above him, he himself would inevitably die.
Perhaps it was from that moment he began to feel disillusioned with this merciless martial world.
And instead of exhausting his strength to kill a Master of Great Righteousness, he must have prepared a plan to leave the martial world behind.
And though he finally left the martial world in silence, losing most of the internal power he once possessed...
His expression was more at ease, happier even, than when he had wielded overwhelming power.
—Seol-a. This old man's last request.
Back then, Bu Jan-yang, dying in a wretched state, had mustered his final strength to say to Bu Eun-seol:
—When I die, leave this place far behind.
It was likely Bu Jan-yang's last wish—not for Bu Eun-seol to seek revenge,
but to live an ordinary life.
Yet paradoxically, Bu Eun-seol chose the exact opposite path.
Without hesitation, he walked a road drenched in blood for vengeance, striving to become a martial artist who would be defeated by no one.
And not a single day had passed where he hadn't devoted his full strength to finding the murderer who killed his grandfather.
'It's not the life Grandfather wanted for me.'
Bu Eun-seol would sooner take his own life than share the same sky as that killer.
But as he witnessed Yeong Mun-ho's peaceful existence, Bu Eun-seol found himself suddenly wondering—was this truly the right path to walk?
Along with his grandfather's final plea.
'Useless sentimentality.'
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
He had merely been momentarily swayed by the tranquility of Yeong Mun-ho's life.
After parting ways with him, he would return to tearing through the Martial World—hunting down the murderer who had taken his grandfather's life.
And without fail, he would seize the trail of the factions connected to that killer.
Whoosh.
In a single breath, Bu Eun-seol unleashed his Lightness Art, ascending once more to Seven Sword Peak, where Yeong Mun-ho's thatched cottage stood.
Clang!
The moment he arrived, the jug of liquor and side dishes he had been carrying slipped from his grasp and crashed to the floor.
Before him unfolded a sight he could scarcely believe.
"Ugh—"
Yeong Mun-ho, blood trickling from his lips, clutched with both hands at the greatsword embedded in his chest.
And standing before him, a giant of a man was calmly pushing the blade deeper into his flesh.
The very same man who had once shattered Black Wind Fortress in a single strike.
"Oh? You're—"
Just as the man turned toward Bu Eun-seol with a welcoming smile—
CRACK!
A crimson flare erupted above the man's head.
Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword, swift as lightning, clashed against the greatsword midair, sending a shower of sparks scattering like a million fireflies.
An astonishing feat.
The man had not even shown the slightest hint of an attack—yet he had effortlessly blocked Bu Eun-seol's Thunderbolt Single Strike, a technique as sudden as a bolt from the blue.
"Disappointing. So you truly are of the Demonic Path after all?"
Shink.
Not only had this seemingly dull-witted man intercepted Bu Eun-seol's abrupt assault—
He was now effortlessly pushing back the Ink Sword, still imbued with fifty percent of Bu Eun-seol's Internal Power.
That single exchange alone proved that his swordplay and Internal Energy were not the slightest bit inferior to Bu Eun-seol's.
"You were hiding that overwhelming killing intent and rage beneath a serene aura."
As if peering into Bu Eun-seol's very spirit and mind, the man muttered under his breath—
Oooom—!
From Bu Eun-seol's body erupted hundreds of strands of pitch-black True Qi, surging skyward.
Vicious rage and murderous intent.
As these emotions seized control of his heart, the Willful True Binding naturally unfurled.
"Die."
Just as the razor-sharp True Qi was about to engulf the man's body—
Thud.
A dull impact reverberated against Bu Eun-seol's back.
Yeong Mun-ho, unable to endure the blood loss any longer, collapsed in a heap.
Gush—
A torrent of blood poured from his body, the acupoint at the center of his chest completely pierced.
"Where are you looking?"
Snap!
In that instant, the man's greatsword twisted unnaturally—slicing toward Bu Eun-seol's neck.
Shiiiing—!
Yet the blade halted midair, as if entangled by invisible black threads.
The Willful True Binding had instantly reflected Bu Eun-seol's will, reshaping the True Qi into a tangible barrier.
"Impressive. To materialize Internal Power in such a way..."
The True Qi Bu Eun-seol had unleashed was not only diamond-hard—it moved with the fluidity of a living creature.
"To freely manipulate True Qi in such a refined state, maintaining its form like solid matter... That would require Internal Power beyond imagination."
The man clicked his tongue in admiration, nodding slowly.
"Seems I'll have to ensure you can't even muster your Internal Power first."
Swish!
With a flick of his greatsword, the man severed the True Qi constructs formed by the Willful True Binding—then aimed once more for Bu Eun-seol's throat.
BOOM!
At that moment, a crimson aura erupted from Bu Eun-seol's entire body—
CRACK—!
And from his left fist, an overwhelming Fist Energy surged forth like a collapsing mountain.
The Extreme Annihilation Fist Art of the Fist Demon Seven Forms—Heavenly Hand Empty Wave—unleashed with enough force to shatter even a hall in a single strike.
"Ghk—!"
Clearly not anticipating such a devastating Fist Energy at point-blank range, the man hastily raised his greatsword in defense.
THUD!
The impact of the Heavenly Hand Empty Wave sent him flying back over sixty meters in an instant.
Bu Eun-seol didn't spare him another glance.
"Yeong Mun-ho."
He swiftly knelt beside the fallen man, pressing a finger to the acupoint on his chest.
Then, cradling him, Bu Eun-seol shot into the air in a single bound.
Swish—!
Streaking through the sky like a meteor, he bypassed the village entirely, racing toward Chengdu.
His destination—a hidden manor housing a secret branch of the Kill-Seeking Unit.
Every member of the Kill-Seeking Unit carried out missions that danced on the edge of death.
Because of this, skilled physicians were always stationed near their covert bases, stocked with potent Spirit Medicines for emergencies.
BANG!
The moment he arrived at the manor, Bu Eun-seol blasted the gates open with a thunderous fist strike, as though shattering them to splinters.
The deafening explosion shook the earth, startling the branch leader and unit members inside into rushing out in alarm.
"Y-You are—!"
The Kill-Seeking Unit operatives were the elite of the elite, entrusted with the most covert and perilous missions.
Moreover, under the recent orders of the Kill-Seeking Unit's leader, their allegiance had been secretly shifted from the Supreme Cult Commander to Bu Eun-seol.
Thus, every one of them had memorized their leader's appearance.
"My Lord, what brings you—?"
"A physician—!"
As the branch leader approached with clasped hands, Bu Eun-seol shouted urgently.
"Hurry!"
The Henan Branch of the Kill-Seeking Unit was in chaos from Bu Eun-seol's sudden arrival.
The secret elixir storage within the branch had been completely opened, and Yu Cheong-sim—the finest physician in Henan, who normally demanded exorbitant fees and endless pleading before treating a patient—had been dragged out barefoot to tend to the wounded.
Yu Cheong-sim's skill was as renowned as his reputation, and the branch had prepared the Thousand Fragrance Divine Elixir, a miraculous medicine said to bring the dying back to life.
But Yeong Mun-ho's chest had been pierced clean through by a greatsword, causing massive blood loss, and his heart meridian had been shattered by the overwhelming internal energy behind the strike.
Even if the Great Immortal himself had descended, there would have been no way to revive him.
"M-My lord..."
Yu Cheong-sim, his face pale, took one look at Yeong Mun-ho—gasping for breath—then bowed deeply to Bu Eun-seol.
"I've exhausted every ounce of my skill in treating him, but his injuries are far too severe..."
He trembled, not daring to lift his head.
Bu Eun-seol's eyes were completely bloodshot, and a haze of black true qi seethed around his entire body.
Having treated countless martial artists in his time, Yu Cheong-sim could roughly guess the extent of Bu Eun-seol's martial prowess—and just how unimaginably high his status truly was.
"I—I truly did my utmost."
At that moment, Yeong Mun-ho, lying on the bed, faintly opened his eyes.
"Bu Eun-seol."
"Yeong Mun-ho."
In an instant, the light returned to Bu Eun-seol's gaze as he swiftly supported Yeong Mun-ho's body.
Then, he placed his hand on the Life Gate acupoint and channeled Reverse Polarity True Qi into it.
The only thing he could do now was infuse pure Reverse Polarity True Qi to prolong Yeong Mun-ho's life, even if just a little.
"It's pointless. Don't waste your energy."
Yeong Mun-ho tried to push his arm away, but Bu Eun-seol didn't budge, continuing to pour in his qi.
Bu Eun-seol's pupils, as always, remained cold and motionless—yet to Yeong Mun-ho's eyes, he looked like a child holding back tears.
"Everyone knew. That beneath that ruthless exterior, you were never truly coldhearted."
A faint smile touched Yeong Mun-ho's lips, as if recalling memories of Hell Island.
To the Ten Demonic Heirs, Hell Island was a place they never wanted to remember—
And yet, it was also a place where vague, bittersweet memories lingered.
Guhk—
As Yeong Mun-ho coughed up blood, Bu Eun-seol's expression darkened further.
"It's fine. I should've died a long time ago anyway."
Yeong Mun-ho forced himself to swallow the blood rising in his throat, then grinned weakly.
"If anything, I've been living on borrowed time..."
Then, twisting his body slightly, he slowly lowered Bu Eun-seol's hand—the one still channeling internal energy into him.
And he smiled, softer and gentler than ever before.
"Right...? Isn't that so?"
The light in Yeong Mun-ho's eyes, clear as a child's, was fading bit by bit.
Without the Reverse Polarity True Qi sustaining him, his life force was quietly extinguishing.
"Don't blame yourself."
Yeong Mun-ho knew.
That Bu Eun-seol would torment himself over his death. That he would spend the rest of his life wondering—
If only I hadn't come... Would he have lived?
"That's just how it is for those who live by the sword. The present, the future... all of it is stained with grief and misery."
—Why do martial artists deny their pasts?
—Because the pasts of those who live by the sword are all stained with grief and misery.
Only now did Bu Eun-seol finally understand the meaning behind those words Bu Jan-yang had once told him.
The lives of those in the martial world—past, present, and future—were all spent with the blood of countless others on their hands.
And such a life could only ever be shrouded in sorrow and suffering.
Bu Eun-seol, too, had lived that way all this time—and would continue to do so.
Because his hands were already drenched in the blood of countless people.
Because that was the life of a martial artist.
Yeong Mun-ho, struggling to draw breath, gave Bu Eun-seol a bright smile.
"Thank you... for coming to find me. Bu Eun-seol."
The smile on his lips stiffened as he uttered those final words.
Thud.
At the same time, his hand—which had been gripping Bu Eun-seol's—dropped limply to the ground.
Yeong Mun-ho, the Ten Demonic Heir of the Death Command Gate.
Though he had possessed exceptional talent, his heart had been too tender for the path of a martial artist.
After losing his martial arts and becoming a herbalist, he had finally found peace—only to meet his end at the hands of a nameless man's blade.
"Yeong Mun-ho."
Bu Eun-seol carefully took his lifeless hand, his own fingers trembling as he gently closed Yeong Mun-ho's eyes.
"..."
Then, a faint smile bloomed once more on Yeong Mun-ho's lips.
It was so peaceful, so tender—as if it could illuminate the entire world.
But in Bu Eun-seol's world, all light had vanished. His vision drowned in darkness blacker and deeper than despair.
Rumble...
The earth trembled as black true qi erupted from his body once more.
He could never forgive him.
That man who had so casually thrust his greatsword—murdering Yeong Mun-ho.
Even if he were to chew every last bone of his to dust, his fury would never be quelled.
BOOM!
With an explosive sound, Bu Eun-seol shot into the sky.
Then, like a streak of black light, he vanished into the western horizon.
He was returning to Seven Sword Peak—to hunt that man down.