Chapter 5
“How did you…”
Moyong Cheon’s eyes widened.
The intruder in his estate was an old man he knew well.
“Kekeke, the intelligence network of our cult can be said to be the best under heaven, second only to the Beggars’ Sect.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been tailing me?”
“My, what a great man you are to be tailed. I just happened to stumble upon you.”
“Tsk tsk, if only you couldn’t talk…”
“Don’t be so harsh, War Fiend. My grandson came with me, so you won’t kick us out right away, will you? Kuhuhu.”
Moyong Cheon’s gaze shifted to the boy standing next to the old man.
He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, with a handsome, jade-like face that was no less than So-ah’s. His heroic eyes and aura seemed to possess the makings of a genius at a single glance.
“What a great martial talent…!”
Just as Moyong Cheon was exclaiming in admiration, the old man continued.
“Chan, pay your respects. This old man is the Moyong geezer, known as the War Fiend of this era.”
“A humble junior of the martial world, Wi-ji Chan, pays his respects to Senior God of War!”
The boy bowed his head respectfully and performed a cupped fist salute.
Moyong Cheon smiled with a satisfied expression at the boy’s dignified bearing, which exuded a sense of resolve.
“Ho ho, truly worthy of being the grandson of the Demonic Lord… no, the Wi-ji geezer. Welcome.”
Moyong Cheon treated the boy with a completely different demeanor than he did the old man.
Then,
“So-ah.”
He called to So-ah, who was staring blankly at the unidentified old man and boy.
“Yes, Grandpa.”
“Shouldn’t you pay your respects as well?”
“Yes, but who is that gentleman?”
“He’s an old man named Wi-ji Un. Looks scary, doesn’t he?”
“Ah… Grandpa.”
Moyong Cheon gave So-ah a pointed look.
Sure enough, So-ah had been thinking the same thing.
The reason was that the old man called Wi-ji Un had an incredibly imposing physique.
He was a head taller than an average person, with shoulders as broad as two sturdy men standing side by side. His hands were so large that if he clenched them into fists, they would look like cauldron lids.
So-ah had never seen a person with such a large body in his life.
Moreover, the black robe the old man wore and the aura of the light in his eyes were as imposing as Mount Tai, so the twelve-year-old So-ah could only be left speechless at the sight of him.
“Hello, Grandpa. My name is So-ah.”
So-ah also mustered up his courage and gave a cupped fist salute to the old man named Wi-ji Un.
It was his first time performing a cupped fist salute to someone, so it felt awkward, but since the boy named Chan standing next to the old man had also done it to his grandpa, he felt he should do the same.
“Kekeke, what a cute child.”
Wi-ji Un strode over to So-ah.
‘Gasp…’
For a moment, So-ah had the illusion that a giant mountain was approaching him.
“I am Wi-ji Un. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Since this is a special occasion, I’ll give you a gift.”
Wi-ji Un pulled out a small wooden box from his robes and handed it to So-ah.
“Thank you. But Grandpa Wi-ji, what is this?”
“A Minor Restoration Pill.”
So-ah didn’t know what a Minor Restoration Pill was and was bewildered, but Moyong Cheon stared at Wi-ji Un with a dumbfounded expression.
He was certain that the only madman in the world who would gift a Minor Restoration Pill to a boy he had just met was Wi-ji Un.
***
“So-ah. Show Chan-hyung around the estate and come back.”
“Yes, Grandpa!”
So-ah’s face brightened.
He had already taken a liking to the jaw-droppingly handsome boy named Chan.
“Chan-hyung. Let’s go for a walk!”
So-ah spoke to Wi-ji Chan with a bright face.
At that, Wi-ji Chan looked at his grandfather with a bewildered expression.
Wi-ji Un smiled at his grandson and nodded.
“Ho ho, what are you so nervous about? Go on.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
As Wi-ji Chan gave a silent bow, So-ah approached.
“The area around the estate is designed with the Nine Palaces Yin-Yang Formation, so you have to follow me closely. Got it, Chan-hyung?”
“Uh… uh, okay.”
So-ah led the way out of the estate with an excited face, and Wi-ji Chan followed hesitantly behind.
***
“It’s been a while.”
“I think it’s been about ten years.”
“About that long.”
Only after So-ah and Wi-ji Chan left the estate did Moyong Cheon and Wi-ji Un sit down and chat.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Wi-ji Un, are you perhaps mad?”
“Why?”
“Do you know who So-ah is to be giving him a Minor Restoration Pill?”
Moyong Cheon was still puzzled by that point.
The Minor Restoration Pill was a treasure of Shaolin, a precious spiritual medicine whose value was hard to measure.
Wi-ji Un’s motive for suddenly gifting a spiritual medicine that even one’s own flesh and blood would find hard to part with was unsettling.
“Kekeke. In this era, our cult has accumulated wealth that can be said to toy with a thousand gold pieces.”
“So?”
“Buying a few Minor Restoration Pills that the Shaolin monks sell out the back door is no big deal. I just bought one more while buying a birthday present for my grandson.”
“No matter how much money you have, a Minor Restoration Pill is not something you can give away easily.”
“Hehe, surely you wouldn’t just take it and wipe your mouth clean, would you?”
Only then did Moyong Cheon see through Wi-ji Un’s dark intentions.
“So that’s it. It’s so absurd I can’t help but laugh. But I’m sorry, I don’t have any spiritual medicine to give your grandson.”
“That’s likely. The Moyong Family isn’t a wealthy one.”
“Then what do you want from me?”
“The War Fiend’s Tendon-Splitting and Bone-Dislocating Art is truly the best under heaven.”
“You old Demonic Lord, that’s torture.”
“That’s a problem for Chan to handle.”
At Wi-ji Un’s words, Moyong Cheon let out a laugh.
Tendon-Splitting and Bone-Dislocating Art!
It was a technique that manipulated the body’s tissues, such as bones, ligaments, and muscles, and was originally a form of torture.
However, Moyong Cheon, as a master with the most practical combat experience of his time, had created a special version of it. Receiving his Tendon-Splitting and Bone-Dislocating Art and massage would grant one a tough body capable of withstanding even the most hellish training.
“Ho ho, to think that I, a member of the Five Great Families, would be performing the Tendon-Splitting and Bone-Dislocating Art and massage on a young master of the Demonic Cult. What am I to do?”
“War Fiend, don’t play so hard to get. Kuhuhu!”
As Wi-ji Un laughed heartily, Moyong Cheon also chuckled and poured him a glass of infused wine made with mountain herbs.
“By the way, what brings the Demonic Lord here? No, I should first ask how you found my residence.”
“The rumor that the God of War is living in Deokyang County, Sichuan, is known to all who should know. Besides, you left a little girl at the Emei Sect, didn’t you? It’s amusing to think of the famously proud God of War groveling to that old hag Hong-ryeon.”
“The Demonic Cult’s intelligence network is impressive.”
“It’s lacking compared to those beggar bastards of the Beggars’ Sect.”
This time, Wi-ji Un filled Moyong Cheon’s cup.
The two men raised their glasses.
“There are six years left.”
Wi-ji Un said softly.
At those words, an inexplicable bitterness hung coolly in the air.
“You old Demonic Lord. Seeing you today, you’ve clearly advanced another step. Have you broken through the gate of life and death?”
“It’s been quite some time since I broke through the gate of life and death.”
“My prediction was correct. You deserve to be called the greatest Martial God of this era, no, of all time, no matter what anyone says.”
Moyong Cheon truly thought so.
The Wi-ji Un before him was a Martial God himself, having reached an unfathomably high realm.
“Martial God… a nice thing to hear, no matter when.”
“Does it still feel good to hear such words? You’re still a pure person.”
“Kekeke, but what good is a Martial God? I can’t claim to be the greatest under heaven.”
“…”
“As long as that rotten war fiend is alive, I can never be the greatest under heaven.”
“Why are you so obsessed with being the greatest under heaven?”
“Because it was my dream.”
“In six years, you will be able to achieve your dream.”
“Humble. I know you well. And your martial arts as well.”
“…”
“My friend Moyong Cheon never loses a fight.”
“Do you still think of me as a friend?”
“Once a friend, always a friend.”
At Wi-ji Un’s words, Moyong Cheon could only smile bitterly.
Then Wi-ji Un spoke again.
“Are you teaching the boy named So-ah the martial arts of the Moyong Family?”
“I originally intended to. But So-ah is a dullard, so the complex martial intent of my family’s arts does not suit him.”
“I see.”
“Instead.”
Moyong Cheon refilled their cups as he spoke.
“I am teaching him the Ten-Second Invincible Arts.”
“…Didn’t you say he was a dullard?”
“I too was a dullard in my youth.”
“…”
“But I can say with certainty that you would be hard-pressed to find another child in the world who enjoys martial arts as much as So-ah.”
“A truly interesting child.”
“I intend to make So-ah the second God of War.”
The two men raised their glasses again.
Thus, the God of War, Moyong Cheon, and the Demonic God, Heavenly Demon Wi-ji Un, who reigned as the two gods of the martial world, tilted their silent cups of wine.
***
“Chan-hyung, aren’t you tired?”
The boys were walking around the estate, heading towards the summit of Mount Daeak.
So-ah asked Wi-ji Chan, who was still following with an awkward air.
“Huh? Uh… I’m not tired. I’ve learned martial arts.”
“No wonder your stamina is amazing. The area around Samryun Peak is so rugged that even mountain climbers don’t come here, but you don’t show any signs of being tired.”
“Have you learned martial arts too?”
“Yeah, but I’m a dullard.”
“What?”
“My grandpa said I’m a dullard. So he was originally going to teach me the martial arts of the Moyong Family, but instead, he’s teaching me the Ten-Second Invincible Arts.”
At those words, Wi-ji Chan burst out laughing.
“Hahaha!”
So-ah tilted his head at Wi-ji Chan’s sudden burst of laughter.
But any martial artist would have been unable to resist laughing at So-ah’s words.
Because he was a dullard, he was learning the God of War’s ultimate life-or-death art, the Ten-Second Invincible Arts, instead of the Moyong Family’s martial arts?
Who could not laugh?
“Haha, you’re a really funny kid.”
“You’re funny too, hyung.”
“What? Why am I funny?”
“Just because. Haha.”
So-ah felt good for the first time in a while.
Except for the occasional trip to Sodamgol for shopping, So-ah had only been learning martial arts in the deserted estate on Samryun Peak.
Just spending time with a handsome older brother of a similar age was a joy in itself.
Just then.
So-ah’s grinning face frowned, and his expression changed.
“That’s no ordinary beast…”
Seeing So-ah muttering softly, Wi-ji Chan asked.
“What…?”
“A tiger. And not just any tiger.”
“What?”
“This is…”
The moment So-ah’s words trailed off.
The roar of a mountain beast, so loud it seemed to shake the entire Mount Daeak, struck their ears.
—KRAAAAWWWR!
“That’s the roar of a Mountain Lord!”
So-ah and Wi-ji Chan turned their heads in the direction of the sound.
And what entered their vision was,
—KRAAAAAANG!
A pure white tiger, the size of a house with not a single stray hair, its ferocious maw wide open.
‘This child…’
Wi-ji Chan couldn’t hide his surprise.
He wasn’t surprised by the appearance of the white tiger.
He was simply amazed that So-ah had noticed the presence of the beast before he himself had.
‘His senses are incredible…’
But So-ah, completely unaware of Wi-ji Chan’s thoughts, said with a very serious expression.
“Hyung, that thing is super dangerous, okay? So you have to stay quietly in a corner, okay? I’ll take care of it!”
So-ah’s voice was utterly serious.
Wi-ji Chan couldn’t help but laugh at So-ah’s appearance once again.
‘Hahaha! What a cute kid.’
Wi-ji Chan thought it was necessary to imprint upon this cheerful little boy who he was, and what kind of person he was.
—Shhh-ing…!
He drew his sword.
(End of Chapter)