Chapter 27: Do You Know Anything About Your Father?
I wandered in a daze. With every step, familiar smells assaulted my nose.
The stench of burning cow dung, the cheap smell of boiled grass gruel, the rotting odor of a pig's head...
It was exactly as I remembered. I was a kid born and raised in a place like this. In reality, it had long been reduced to ruins by the hands of demonic cultists. But before my eyes, it lived again, vivid as if time had turned back.
[What the hell is all this? This isn't some paradise of food, women, and song—it's some filthy slum...]
The Demon Sealing Spirit, who had been watching my illusion silently, finally revealed himself. I'd begged him not to show up, but he couldn't resist his curiosity about this scene.
I silently pressed on into the bustling market.
This is the neighborhood I grew up in. Seon-mong-hyeon.
[Seon-mong-hyeon? Never heard of it.]
Of course not. It's a backwater village in Liaodong Province, far from the Central Plains.
[Liaodong? Isn't that up near the cold northeastern sea?]
Yeah. You can see the ocean after half a day's walk.
The Demon Sealing Spirit looked puzzled at my answer—a question I'd once wondered about myself.
[How did they find out about a kid from such a remote dump all the way in the Hundred Thousand Mountains...?]
Seon-mong-hyeon was far from the Central Plains, and even farther from the Hundred Thousand Mountains. So how had Yong Baek-heon discovered my existence, someone who looked exactly like him?
Now that I possessed some of his memories, I could give a partial answer.
The Young Cult Leader had already been searching for a body double. Long ago, he'd ordered Cheok-san Do-wang to find a boy who looked just like him.
[And you got caught?]
Yeah.
[Hmmm...]
The Demon Sealing Spirit tilted his head, unconvinced. With nothing more to say, I kept walking.
True to its village roots, Seon-mong-hyeon was a dirty place. Yet it also felt strangely serene.
"Sirs, you gotta wet your whistles tonight! Our tavern's got these new courtesans—absolutely mind-blowing!"
"Big brother, just one coin! It's for my little sister's medicine! Please!"
"Grab that bastard! I said grab him...!"
Lowly folk scraping by day to day. Bottom-dwellers who could shatter over any absurd mishap, anytime, anywhere. But in my beautified memories, everyone was laughing happily.
Even the Demon Sealing Spirit nodded approvingly.
[Looks like you have fond memories of this place. It has a warm, nostalgic charm...]
It was a decent spot, in its own way. Though now it's gone from the world forever.
The spirit shut his mouth awkwardly. The demonic cultists who'd captured me had massacred everyone here in their "extermination," turning Seon-mong-hyeon to ashes. This was all just an illusion, nonexistent in the real world.
Good. No risk of getting lost in it, then.
[...I wouldn't know what to say to console you.]
Spare me the creepy comfort, old man. Just stay quiet.
I spotted beggar kids playing in the street—pals I'd run with. Did that mean my younger self was somewhere around here too?
[Probably. People sometimes see their past selves through the Hwayeongno's power.]
I see.
I gave a wry smile. Lighting the Hwayeongno during meditation had conjured visions of my old hometown. But I didn't feel drawn to it. If anything, my chest ached, making me want to close my eyes.
The Demon Sealing Spirit explained:
[Just endure as long as possible without getting deluded by the illusions. The best is to keep meditating until the incense burns out.]
Enduring in a dream... And that alone multiplied training efficiency several times over. I chuckled.
If it's like this, I'd repeat it endlessly. Nothing's more boring than qi cultivation.
Unfortunately, no. Tolerance built after two or three sessions with the Hwayeongno, nullifying the effects. And sustaining the qi flow was no joke.
From the moment I entered the illusion, the Extreme Heaven Nine Wheels Art's circulation had accelerated.
[Circulation creates a sequence in your meridians, and these illusions act as catalysts to speed it up...]
The spirit warned me gravely.
[Stay too long, and you'll lose control of the flow. Rampage leads inevitably to qi deviation.]
I nodded slowly. Seeing Seon-mong-hyeon stirred my heart, accelerating the qi in response. Lingering here was dangerous.
[Good thing you're not deluded. Stop at the right moment when you can still control it.]
I nodded again. In this state, I wasn't likely to screw up and rampage into qi deviation.
I walked slowly through the squalid streets of Seon-mong-hyeon. My inner energy piled up far faster than usual—satisfying. Seeing my old home was nostalgic and heartwarming.
Then, suddenly.
"Excuse me, brother. Mind if I ask something?"
A sinister voice, utterly out of place in Seon-mong-hyeon, grazed my ear. Chills ran down my spine like a snake slithering up my back.
What the—?
"Is there a kid around here who looks like this? About this tall."
"Well, maybe? Or maybe not?"
"A merchant, eh? Here, will this do?"
"Huh? Oh my! No, that's too much money...!"
Turning, I saw a man in black robes talking to old man Seok from the fabric shop. My heart sank.
I finally realized.
It's that day. Seon-mong-hyeon on that day!
My heart pounded wildly, qi circulation surging.
The Demon Sealing Spirit sounded panicked.
[Kid! Calm down! Slow the circulation as much as you can to maximize the Hwayeongno's effect!]
But it was hard. I stared at the black-robed man. A middle-aged guy with a long chin beard, cold demonic energy faintly swirling in his eyes.
Cheok-san Do-wang!
Even at a glance, danger oozed from the bastard. But old man Seok's eyes were glued to the silver coin in his palm.
"Looks tasty, huh?"
"Great hero, could I see that portrait again?"
"As much as you want."
"Let me look... Ah! This kid—I know him well! Little pickpocket named Jang Ho-sam..."
So that's how it started? Or was this a ridiculous illusion? Why show scenes I never witnessed?
I stood dazed, listening.
Old man Seok spilled everything about me. Cheok-san Do-wang's eyes gleamed as he drank it in.
"Toss coins to the street urchins down that slope—you'll find him quick. Won't take even a quarter hour."
"I see. Thanks. Take this."
"Oh, no need! But... can I really take all this?"
"Of course. You'll need spending money on the road to the afterlife. Spend it freely."
"Wh-what? Road to the afterlife...?"
As old man Seok gaped at the ominous words, a brief flash gleamed.
A blade shot from Cheok-san Do-wang's sleeve, slashing the man's throat.
Flash!
"...!"
The shopkeeper froze in place. He didn't collapse. Despite his severed neck, his body stood rigid like a totem pole, staring blankly.
My mind went white. I trembled, and the Demon Sealing Spirit yelled.
[Kid! Suppress your emotions! You trying to rampage the qi flow? Straight to qi deviation?]
He was right. The sudden acceleration already made my meridians ache everywhere. Left unchecked, my whole body might explode.
And thinking of the hell about to unfold in this Seon-mong-hyeon...
Maybe I should just block my eyes and ears. That'd suppress the emotional turmoil best.
But I couldn't. A question nagged at me—from the moment I first gained the Extreme Heaven Nine Wheels Art.
Yong Jeong-heon.
For some reason, the name wouldn't leave my head. Maybe I'd find clues here.
If so, I had to keep my eyes wide open.
I turned to the Demon Sealing Spirit.
"Bong, can you count down my limit in percentages?"
It was vague, but as the spirit in my head, he got it.
[Damn it! You've got about 67% left to your limit! But that's just a reference...]
Got it. Noted.
I took slow, deep breaths, fighting to stay calm.
Meanwhile, Cheok-san Do-wang gestured behind him. Shadowy figures rose stickily from the streets—demonic cultists from the Hundred Thousand Mountains, swords drawn, killing intent sharp.
"Seal off every ant from now on. Once we secure the target, clean this place spotless."
"Yes, sir!"
They surged forward in unison. Then the scenes I remembered unfolded.
"Find the target!"
"A boy who looks just like the Young Cult Leader!"
"Kill and clear the rest!"
The bloodbath began. Masked cultists slaughtered everyone in Seon-mong-hyeon. Women, men, children, elders—no mercy, no distinction.
Some resisted or fled the sudden attack, but it was futile.
"Aaagh!"
"P-please, spare me!"
"You bastards! What the hell...!"
Innocent blood filled alleys, flowing down streets. I watched, feeling like I'd go mad, yet desperately reining in my churning heart.
The Demon Sealing Spirit clicked his tongue.
[Crazy bastard. You're really crazy! But you're doing great. 52% to limit.]
Got it.
Then I appeared—or rather, young Jang Ho-sam. Dragged out roughly, the boy was bloodied, face blank from shock.
"Great Protector, we've found the target."
"Certain?"
"See for yourself."
Cheok-san Do-wang inspected the boy's face closely, then grinned.
"Yes, definitely. Looks just like the Young Cult Leader."
I had no memory of this moment. Partly from the massacre's trauma, but mostly what happened right after.
"Feed him the drug."
"Yes! Open your mouth!"
"Ugh...!"
Cultists pinned the boy's limbs, forcing his jaw open. They shoved a fingernail-sized pill down his throat.
Young Jang Ho-sam thrashed, refusing to swallow, but it was already in his stomach.
[47% to limit.]
Still nearly half left, but my meridians burned like fire. The Extreme Heaven Nine Wheels Art raced through them at insane speed.
Then the boy's eyes glazed over.
"Jang Ho-sam, hear my voice? Answer my questions."
"I don't hear shit, you bastards!"
"...The drug hasn't fully kicked in yet."
[Kukukuk! Not a pushover even as a kid! Now 38% left.]
Soon the young body went limp. That's when my original memories cut off. I'd thought it was just terror, but the drug played a part too.
"From now on, answer everything I ask truthfully."
Cheok-san Do-wang's voice turned eerie.
"Yes..."
"What's your name?"
"Jang... Ho-sam..."
"Do you know anything about your father?"
"I don't know..."
"Your mother?"
"No idea..."
"Ever lived anywhere but this village?"
"No..."
Cheok-san Do-wang nodded, satisfied. At his glance, cultists gagged the boy and bound his limbs tight.
It was odd. I was just a normal kid, no martial arts.
Why bind me so securely?
[Exactly. Now at 30% left.]
As the spirit and I both tilted our heads at the excessive ropes—
A thunderous voice boomed from somewhere.
"Yong Jeong-heon! Where is Yong Jeong-heon!"
It was the voice I'd been waiting for.