RM-Bab 576

Chapter 576

It was a sudden visit from his younger brother.

In fact, until just a moment ago, Yeon Baek-in had been agonizing over his brother’s situation.

Should he really entrust his brother to the man who came from the underground, or should he step in and somehow resolve it himself?

But then, Yeon Baek-jin had come to him first.

“It’s been a while since I was last here.”

Yeon Baek-jin looked around the office.

It felt awkward to visit his brother after so long.

“Have a seat.”

The two sat facing each other at the guest table.

Yeon Baek-in poured cold tea from a teapot on the table into his own cup and his brother’s.

An awkward silence flowed for a moment.

The first to speak was Yeon Baek-jin.

“Someone once said that for martial artists, the only ways to resolve conflict are through conversation or the sword.”

Yeon Baek-in fiddled with his teacup and asked.

“So, which did you bring?”

“That will depend on your answer.”

Yeon Baek-jin stared at his brother.

Honestly, he wanted to ask this.

-Was it all your doing?

Instructor Im’s death, and Pyo San’s death.

He wanted to shout.

-What in the world are you plotting?

But Yeon Baek-jin forced himself to ask calmly.

“Did you know that the White Snake Gang had infiltrated the White Dragon Class?”

He had tried to ask indirectly, but Yeon Baek-in’s reaction was cold.

“Why the sudden interest in the Martial Hall’s affairs? You were never interested.”

Yeon Baek-jin’s expression hardened.

‘Why was I not interested in the Martial Hall?’

Why he hadn’t been interested, why he had pretended not to be interested—others might not know, but his brother should not be saying such a thing.

“Answer my question first.”

“And if I say I did? Is the solution the sword?”

He had hoped for a denial.

For his brother to say he had misunderstood everything.

But his brother did not deny it.

This irritable reaction could only mean one thing.

“I told you, didn’t I? Stay out of the Martial Hall’s affairs from now on.”

“How can I not be involved? This is our Martial Hall!”

“Our?”

At his brother’s dumbfounded reaction, Yeon Baek-jin realized in that moment.

He had been greatly mistaken about one thing until now.

Yeon Baek-jin had thought his brother felt sorry for him.

For stepping down willingly without fighting for power over the Martial Hall.

But seeing his reaction now, it seemed his brother had considered him nothing more than a good-for-nothing younger brother with no interest in the Martial Hall.

Ah! Now that he thought about it, they had never once spoken of that matter.

He had just assumed his brother would understand.

“Leave the Martial Hall.”

“What?”

“Leave and go far away. I’ll give you enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life.”

Yeon Baek-jin glared at his brother for a moment, then asked.

“And if I don’t leave? Are you going to kill me?”

The expected reply of ‘how could you say such a thing’ never came, so naturally, Yeon Baek-jin’s voice rose.

“Don’t be mistaken. This Martial Hall isn’t yours. It holds our father’s lifelong efforts and the dreams of countless members.”

Hearing those words, Yeon Baek-in realized one thing.

His recent worries about his brother were not because he was concerned his brother might die.

Rather, he had been worried that the man from the underground would solve the problem by keeping his brother alive.

Yes, he was the kind of person who could not forgive even his own brother if he touched what was his.

He was only a good person when things were going well.

He had actually known.

That the day would come when he would have to kill his brother.

That thought had been hidden deep in his heart, in a lump of ice that would not easily melt.

Though it did not melt easily, the ice was transparent, so he could always see it.

He had only pretended not to.

“Brother, you are making me burn. I, who would have otherwise remained cold forever. I will never stand by and watch you ruin the Martial Hall our father left behind.”

Yeon Baek-jin did not know.

It was actually Yeon Baek-in who had grown hot, and that the ice that had concealed his killing intent had completely melted away.

Just as the two brothers were silently staring at each other in a tense standoff, a new visitor arrived.

It was the Sword King, who had come after finishing his lesson.

The Sword King greeted Yeon Baek-jin cheerfully.

“Oh, it is Lord Yeon!”

On the other hand, Yeon Baek-jin was seeing his face for the first time today.

“I am serving as the temporary instructor for the White Dragon Class.”

Was there such an instructor in the Martial Hall? There were so many instructors.

When Yeon Baek-jin looked back at his brother, Yeon Baek-in was silently looking down at his teacup.

Without a word of farewell, Yeon Baek-jin left the office.

Then, at the doorway, he glanced back at the Sword King.

‘But is there any reason for an instructor to visit my brother’s office? And a temporary one at that?’

His brother usually only dealt with the Seven Masters.

Matters related to instructors were mainly discussed with the Seven Masters, especially Giseok, whom he used like his own limbs.

But this was not the time to question that, so he simply left.

As he walked, he recalled Geom Mugeuk’s advice.

‘Conversation my foot!’

After he left, the Sword King sat in the seat Yeon Baek-jin had occupied.

He poured himself the cold tea from the teapot and spoke casually as he drank.

“I will make sure you never see your brother before your eyes again.”

Taking this to mean he would kill his brother, Yeon Baek-in was startled.

The Sword King then laughed playfully.

“Speak honestly. Were you a little thrilled just now?”

Realizing the Sword King was joking, Yeon Baek-in turned his displeased gaze out the window.

It wasn’t as if he could get angry at this man anyway, and this man was someone who made such jokes without hesitation.

With his gaze averted, Yeon Baek-in changed the subject.

“Did the lesson go well?”

Yeon Baek-in knew this man had come up here to find the one they called a demon.

Since he said he would be an instructor for the White Dragon Class, that demon, scarier than any ghost, must be in the White Dragon Class.

The Sword King grinned and said.

“The lessons are so much fun.”

Yeon Baek-in could feel that the man was more excited than he had ever seen him.

“Who is this demon?”

“It’s better you don’t know. You must have enough on your mind as it is.”

In truth, Yeon Baek-in’s悩み had ended.

All that remained was how to convey it to him.

Yeon Baek-in spoke these words to represent his heart.

“…I was thrilled.”

With his head bowed, he could not meet the Sword King’s eyes.

He knew full well what his words meant.

Then came the Sword King’s voice.

“You’re trying to have it both ways again. To be the brother who kills his sibling, but also the brother who has a shred of conscience.”

Struck to the core, Yeon Baek-in could not argue.

It was the truth.

He wanted to seem like a person who was killing out of necessity, not greed.

“Lift your head.”

Yeon Baek-in raised his head and looked at the Sword King.

“That is worse than a shameless villain. It means you intend to be a villain while protecting your own heart.”

The Sword King finished the rest of his tea in one gulp and rose from his seat.

“A villain is meant to be cursed as he walks his path.”

+++

When Giseok was summoned and entered the office, Yeon Baek-in was staring out the window with his back turned.

“You called for me?”

Even at his greeting, he just stood there silently, looking out the window.

Giseok had served Yeon Baek-in for a long time.

In a situation like this, he could guess what this silence meant.

Giseok asked cautiously.

“Have you finally made your decision?”

Indeed, Yeon Baek-in slowly nodded his head.

It was the decision Giseok had been hoping for.

The biggest obstacle in this matter was none other than Yeon Baek-jin.

Because of him, his own subordinate, Pyo San, had ultimately died.

Now, Yeon Baek-in offered no more worries, excuses, or explanations.

“Send word to the White Snake Gang.”

Yes, if he had decided to walk the path of a villain.

“Tell them to send their best, so they do not fail.”

+++

After leaving the office, the Sword King saw Geom Mugeuk in the Martial Hall’s training grounds.

In the training grounds, empty of all members, he was practicing his martial arts alone.

Geom Mugeuk was barefoot and held a wooden sword.

The martial art Geom Mugeuk was performing was the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique.

It was different from what the Sword King had taught him before.

Based on the Sword King’s teachings, he was performing a newly reinterpreted Yellow Dragon Sword Technique of his own.

If the Sword King’s martial art was like water, hiding ultimate power within its flexibility and gentleness, the one being performed now was a Yellow Dragon Sword Technique interpreted on the basis of the wind.

Geom Mugeuk’s slow-moving wooden sword quickened.

The quiet breeze that swayed the reeds became a gust of wind rising from the valley, and soon, it became a typhoon that swept through the surroundings.

The Sword King felt freedom in the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique that Geom Mugeuk performed.

It was a wild freedom, blowing gently one moment and suddenly turning into a whirlwind, truly blowing as it pleased.

When Geom Mugeuk had finished all three forms, the Sword King walked toward him.

“Is this a rebellion?”

He was referring to the fact that he hadn’t done as he was taught.

“This is all something I learned from you, Instructor.”

He was referring to how the Sword King had reinterpreted the original Yellow Dragon Sword Technique for him.

He had reinterpreted what was already a reinterpretation.

As if he had been waiting to show him, Geom Mugeuk was not at all surprised by his appearance.

“You were waiting to show me, weren’t you?”

And he did not hide that fact.

“Because you are the only one who would recognize this, Instructor.”

Even though they knew each other’s identities, Geom Mugeuk treated him as an instructor, and the Sword King treated him as a member.

The Sword King’s gaze fell on Geom Mugeuk’s bare feet.

He had said that being barefoot was good, but Geom Mugeuk was probably the only one who had actually put it into practice.

“Training barefoot feels good, doesn’t it?”

It wasn’t just about feeling the energy of the earth.

The sensation of his footwork was so vivid that he could pinpoint the position of his feet more accurately.

“Show me that form you just performed one more time.”

Geom Mugeuk showed him the three forms of the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique he had reinterpreted.

After watching it all, the Sword King held out his hand.

“The wooden sword!”

Geom Mugeuk turned the wooden sword around and respectfully handed it to him by the handle, as if he were handing over a real sword.

Taking the wooden sword, the Sword King perfectly recreated Geom Mugeuk’s forms.

Having seen it only once with his eyes, he too made the martial art reinterpreted by Geom Mugeuk his own.

To reinterpret a martial art, and then to reinterpret that reinterpretation, was something only the two of them could do, given their level.

Then, suddenly, the Sword King lunged at Geom Mugeuk in a surprise attack.

Swoosh!

The Sword King’s wooden sword tore through the air and flew toward Geom Mugeuk.

It was not a different martial art.

It was the first form of the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique.

And he executed it just as Geom Mugeuk had interpreted it.

The three forms followed in quick succession, the strong wind became a gale, and a typhoon was stirred.

Whoosh, as the stirred-up dust settled, the figures of the two men became visible.

It was Geom Mugeuk, who had dodged all of that fearsome attack.

“Phew, this incessant dust.”

The Sword King waved his hand.

Both acted as if the surprise attack just now had never happened.

Neither questioned why he had attacked, nor did he apologize.

“Yours is better, isn’t it?”

The Sword King admitted it frankly.

Geom Mugeuk’s reinterpretation had a higher degree of perfection.

At that, Geom Mugeuk let out a sigh.

“Why the sigh when I say yours is better?”

“That’s not why I sighed.”

“Then?”

“I have a habit of sighing when I see someone more wonderful than myself.”

He said it like a joke, but he was sincere.

A person of the Sword King’s caliber does not easily admit his own shortcomings.

But the Sword King had admitted his lack without a moment’s hesitation.

“Why the sudden flattery?”

“I am a shield, am I not?”

Meaning he had people to protect.

“Since I’ve started flattering you, I’ll continue. The reason mine is bound to be better is that it was reinterpreted based on something far more excellent.”

The Sword King’s gaze, which had been fixed on Geom Mugeuk, deepened.

“I think I understand a little now.”

Though the words were disconnected, Geom Mugeuk could guess what he meant by them.

Perhaps he meant he now understood why the Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect had repeatedly thwarted his organization’s plans.

“You call yourself a shield, so what are you doing here instead of protecting the women you’re supposed to?”

“Even a shield needs some rest. Now that I’ve tried it, being a shield isn’t for just anyone.”

It was this hard just playing the role of a shield mostly with words.

Ian, and Uncle Hwi, and his own bodyguards—it must have been so difficult, he felt it anew.

“Being a shield is not at all suited for someone like me who worries so much.”

The Sword King then asked directly.

“That woman, Ian. What is your relationship with her?”

“She is like my very heart.”

At the honest answer, the Sword King was puzzled.

“Is it alright to so openly reveal such a great weakness?”

“She is not my weakness, but the weakness of my enemies.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Because if they touch her, they will die the most miserable death in the world at my hands. So she is a weakness that distracts my enemies, who must endure the desire to touch her.”

The Sword King laughed out loud, pleased.

“That was a fresh piece of sophistry.”

The Sword King resumed his walk.

Staring at the shoes dangling from his waist, Geom Mugeuk asked.

“Why do you not kill me?”

He had surely revealed himself as an instructor in order to kill him.

“Why are you delaying it?”

The Sword King paused for a moment and looked up at the sky, as if searching for the answer there.

Geom Mugeuk also looked up at the sky with him.

The two of them looked up at the sky for a long time.

“What was the question?”

“What did I ask? Ah, why haven’t you killed me?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been out in the fresh air, and also…”

The Sword King started walking again, adding.

“Because there are too many boring people in this Martial World.”