“Huh? If it’s Jin Baekyang of the Fire Demon Sword, isn’t he the person you killed, Benefactor? Right?”
For a moment, only one thought came to mind.
‘I should have put a muzzle on that guy’s mouth long ago.’
Is he a person or an animal?
But it was already too late. Cheong Pung was already running wild like a pit bull off its leash.
“It’s a famous story, you know. That you, Benefactor, after a fierce life-and-death struggle, planted your spear right in the Fire Demon Sword’s chest, BAM! And the blood went, gush!”
Please stop. Stop it, you crazy bastard.
I had to stop him now. It was at that moment, as I hastily tried to open my mouth.
“I heard you even cursed at the Fire Demon Sword! ‘Take your hands off me, you bastard!’”
“…And where did you hear that?”
“Everyone I met seemed to know. When I said I was close with you, Benefactor, many people came over and told me all sorts of things. The head cook even packed me lots of delicious food.”
So that’s why he was so often away from his seat. It seemed he had been running all over the place during his stay at the Taiyuan Jin Family, eating and hearing a lot.
‘And thanks to him, I’m so fucked.’
I swallowed hard and slowly turned my head. There stood Jeok Cheon-kang, his expression utterly unreadable.
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
Jeok Cheon-kang’s eyebrow twitched.
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes. A real, genuine one.”
“A misunderstanding, you say. That’s possible. Rumors that spread in the Murim are bound to be twisted and exaggerated.”
A dry voice followed.
“So, you are not the one who killed the Fire Demon Sword?”
“Uh… I am the one who did it. But, you see…”
“Then there is no need to hear more.”
I couldn’t continue my words. It was because I saw Jeok Cheon-kang’s two hands, burning red, just a few steps away.
Fwoooosh.
I could feel it. The flow of an enormous amount of internal energy. The cold air shattered, and a hot wind of the desert swirled. The heat that forced its way between my lips felt like it would burn my lungs. A memory from just a few months ago flashed through my mind.
‘The Flaming Divine Palm Arts?’
That’s right. It was the Flaming Divine Palm Arts. But it was on a different level from Jo Pil’s. It was several times stronger, more powerful, and just… powerful. Jeok Cheon-kang was no longer an old man with few days left to live. He was the Fire King himself.
“To go against the heavenly principles and kill the Fire Demon Sword. Are you truly a human being?”
“W-Wait a minute! There are some very profound and complicated circumstances…”
That was a mistake. Instead of prattling on about circumstances, I should have just blurted out that the Grand Elder had betrayed the Taiyuan Jin Family. Profound and complicated circumstances?
‘Fuck, you have to wait for me to explain them.’
For a moment, I forgot who my opponent was. The Fire King, Jeok Cheon-kang. Words like profound and complicated were light-years away from the man who had burned a thousand people to death for the simple reason of trespassing and arson.
FWAAAAAK!
Damned old geezer…
True to his name as the Fire King, he was disgustingly simple and fiery. I stared wide-eyed, feeling the heat of the Flaming Divine Palm Arts.
‘Is this my life flashing before my eyes?’
In a world that had slowed down, his palm, engulfed in flames, was slowly approaching my chest. If Jo Pil’s Flaming Divine Palm Arts was a bone broth soup, this was a spicy fish stew. Loaded with fiery chili peppers. If I took a direct hit from something like that, my life would not be guaranteed.
‘I have to block it.’
The problem was that I couldn’t lift a single finger. The fact that the world was moving in slow motion was just the effect of my brain recognizing a life-threatening crisis; it wasn’t because Jeok Cheon-kang had slowed down or I had gotten faster.
‘Goddammit.’
I desperately tried to raise my hand, but it was already too late. It was at that moment, in the dark despair, as Jeok Cheon-kang’s burning red palm filled my vision.
Shwaaaek! BOOM!
A streak of Sword Qi, shot out of nowhere, struck Jeok Cheon-kang’s hand. A vivid violet Sword Qi. It was Cheong Pung. Beyond the roar, I heard his shout.
“Benefactor!”
A desperate cry. But Jeok Cheon-kang’s Flaming Divine Palm Arts could not be blocked even by Cheong Pung’s Sword Qi. It only slowed it down for a brief moment. But the crossroads of life and death are decided in that very instant.
‘Now!’
The 45 years of internal energy coiled in my danjeon uncoiled. The Scorching Yang Qi, rising like a wildfire, shot up through my numerous blood vessels. The destination was my two hands. I stretched my hands out with all my might towards Jeok Cheon-kang’s Flaming Divine Palm Arts.
‘Dammit. There’s no time to draw a weapon.’
To think that all I could come up with against the Flaming Divine Palm Arts was my bare hands. It was certainly a crazy act… but it was the best crazy act I could manage in the current situation. I let out a roar that came from the depths of my soul.
“Cheong Pung, you son of a biiiiitch!”
The moment my hands finally made contact with the Flaming Divine Palm Arts.
Gooooong.
A deafening roar erupted. A tremendous sound, as if the sky was splitting apart. After a moment of silence, a change began.
Pssssss.
It turned to ash and scattered. The stone wall built with care ten years ago, the few trees planted in a corner of the yard. All of it became black ash that fluttered down onto the old man’s white hair.
“Wh-What is this…”
***
The old man, Jang Taebo, could not control his trembling body. He had spent a long time in the Murim, long enough for mountains and rivers to change six times over. He was nothing more than a blacksmith who had not learned martial arts, but for that very reason, he had been able to meet many people.
‘I implore you thus. If you wish, I will offer you even my own neck!’
‘Create for me the greatest famed sword in the world.’
‘Are you the leader of the Iron Crafts Workshop? The Imperial Son-in-Law sent me.’
From third-rate martial artists to the masters of renowned orthodox sects. And even the powerful figures of the imperial court. The people who sought out Jang Taebo were all different, but his answer was always the same.
‘If you are worthy, I will make it for you.’
Jang Taebo believed that all blades had a soul. For a blunt, round lump of iron to take shape, it had to go through thousands, tens of thousands of hardships. It was bent and beaten countless times. It was heated until it was scorching hot, and then cooled until it was freezing cold. When it finally took shape at the end of that long process of endurance, it was only then that it gained a soul.
‘So it must be my calling to choose a worthy owner for the weapon.’
Depending on whose hand it was held in, it could become a Killing Sword[1] or a Life-Giving Sword[2]. Jang Taebo knew this fact very well, and for that reason, he never accepted any commission carelessly.
‘One with a gentle nature, one overflowing with ambition, one who walks their own path…’
A hundred people, a hundred colors, they said. Until now, many different people had received weapons from him and returned to the Murim. Some died, and some survived, but they all had one thing in common.
‘They were strong. All of them.’
They were masters who were worthy of becoming the hegemon of a region. They were strong individuals who could protect the treasures that everyone coveted and use them in their own way. Among them, there were even those who possessed martial arts comparable to the leaders of the Nine Sects and One Faction and the Five Great Families Under the Heavens.
However…
‘This one, this one is different.’
The Fire King, Jeok Cheon-kang. The aura and martial arts that erupted from that short frame were already not of a human. He also realized that he would have no need for any weapon.
‘That man’s martial arts have reached the heavens.’
Whether he held something or not, it no longer mattered. The realm of the Transcendent, which he had only vaguely thought about, was something like that.
“Hoooo.”
Jang Taebo let out the breath he had been holding. As the strength left his body, the object in his bosom fell out with a thud. The object, which was unbelievably hard and light for a mineral, was emitting a faint light despite it being daytime.
“Oof!”
It was a treasure that would be reborn as the final masterpiece of his lifetime. He hastily picked up the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron and hugged it to his chest, then he paused. As his senses returned, he suddenly remembered a crucial fact he had forgotten. The existence of his client.
“H-Hey! Stop it! I said stop!”
Jang Taebo, who had gotten up, ran over in a hurry. The young man, lying naked with all his clothes burnt off at Jeok Cheon-kang’s feet, showed no sign of movement.
“I-Is he dead?”
Jeok Cheon-kang did not answer. He just stared at his own hand and the young man alternately with a terrifyingly hard face.
“Say something!”
“Th-This man!”
Just as the furious Jang Taebo was about to check the condition of the young man, Jin Tae-kyung…
“He’s not dead. He just suffered some internal injuries and passed out.”
The owner of the clear voice that blocked his path continued.
“Right, Grandpa Jeok?”
“…Yes.”
The voice of Jeok Cheon-kang that finally came out was extremely hoarse. His every word revealed the shock and complex emotions he felt.
“I had no intention of killing him in the first place.”
Just as Cheong Pung and Jang Taebo let out sighs of relief, Jeok Cheon-kang added a short phrase.
“Until now, that is.”
“……!”
“……!”
“Do not worry. I will decide everything after hearing the detailed story later.”
Jeok Cheon-kang stared at the collapsed Jin Tae-kyung with strange eyes.
“I have a lot to ask this fellow.”
At his words, which sounded dangerous, Jang Taebo stepped forward. Even after witnessing the martial might of the Fire King, the solid core forged by time could not be shaken.
“That sounds like you intend to torture him.”
“I have no such hobby. But if necessary.”
“Do you say that not knowing who this young man is? No matter how much of a master you are, one of the Ten Kings, if you think you will be safe after making an enemy of the entire Shanxi Murim, you are gravely mistaken!”
Jeok Cheon-kang let out a chuckle.
“There were once those who swallowed half the world with an army of a hundred thousand. Do you think I would have been afraid of them?”
“……!”
Jang Taebo was at a loss for words. That’s right, this opponent was the Fire King. The Old Monster of Mount Jiuhua who had fought alone against the Demonic Cult that had once tried to rule the world. He who belonged nowhere, neither to the righteous, the unorthodox, nor the demonic, had placed himself on the scales of war. The reason was simple. Because they had invaded his territory.
Jeok Cheon-kang stared at Jang Taebo with reddish eyes.
“Let me ask you one favor. Please do not ask anyone for help. I have no wish to burn down the Shanxi Murim at my age.”
These words were sincere. And he had the power to make them a reality.
“Understood?”
“I-I will keep that in mind.”
“A wise decision.”
As Jeok Cheon-kang grinned and turned away, Jang Taebo’s legs gave out completely. Cheong Pung, who caught him before he could fall, asked, “Where are you going?”
“There must be an inn where you two stayed, no? I will be there ahead of you, so follow me.”
Cheong Pung, who was watching Jeok Cheon-kang’s receding back, muttered as if complaining.
“Haa, my grandfather was right. That man’s personality is really strange.”
He nonchalantly uttered words that would have earned him a muzzle from Jin Tae-kyung and bowed deeply to Jang Taebo.
“We have caused you much trouble. Then we will be on our way.”
And then, tucking Jin Tae-kyung and Hyeok Mujin under each arm, he dashed off with determined steps.
Jang Taebo, who had been standing as if possessed by a ghost for a while, soon realized a crucial fact he had forgotten.
‘The Fire King, what a damned old man.’
There should be a limit to his destructive behavior. He had burned down everything but the foundation stones. As he blankly stared at the scattering ashes, he let out a deep sigh.
“Fuck me, this place is finished too.”
It was the moment that put an end to his sweet retirement life.