Chapter 341: That's What We Call An Occupational Disease
TL: FoodieMonster007
Moon Yul's eyes were closed, his expression peaceful.
"Elder? Elder? Are you alright?" Baek Suryong whispered, staring blankly at Moon Yul.
Am I still dreaming, or am I already awake?
He had just passed through a long dream depicting the lives of two people. Readjusting to the sudden shift back into reality wasn't easy.
TAP!
He carefully reached out to touch Moon Yul's shoulder, but the old man remained perfectly still, a gentle smile fixed upon his unmoving lips.
"Elder…!" Baek Suryong cried out, his expression crumpling. Gripping Moon Yul's shoulders with both arms, he shook him, his tone agitated as he shouted, "There's sothing I need to ask you! Was the person I t really Master Eun? Please just answer that!"
Baek Suryong knew. Moon Yul was dead. No matter how hard he shook his shoulders, Moon Yul would never wake up again. It was uncharacteristic of him to act this way, but he couldn't easily let go of his lingering attachnt.
"How could you show a dream like that and then just leave…!?"
In his past life, he had wished for nothing more than to see the happy smiles of his masters. Just for that, it was the best dream he had ever had.
Yet, he could not smile, because ultimately, it was just a dream.
A dream that would never beco reality.
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"If I had known they were my real masters, I would have asked them lots of things…!" Muttering weakly, Baek Suryong suddenly noticed the White Ice Bangle laid beside Moon Yul. Beneath it, lay a single sheet of paper with a letter.
This object lost its partner long ago. Please keep it safe so they are never separated again.
It was his last will. He left the White Ice Bangle he received as a token from his lover, Eun Yerin, to her disciple, Baek Suryong.
However, that wasn't all. Amazingly, the writing on the letter faded away and new words appeared.
O one born with a heaven-defying fate. I have seen your previous life.
Baek Suryong wasn't surprised. When Moon Yul asked to read his mories, he had suspected that sothing like this might happen.
I saw why Yerin could not return to , how much she suffered, and how deeply you care for your masters. I could not begin to guess how much you must have agonized when deciding whether to deliver Yerin's last words to .
The handwriting on the letter was neat and gentle, reflecting Moon Yul's personality.
I wish to speak with you at length, but I do not have much ti left. Thus, while you conversed with Yerin, I decided to leave these few words behind.
"…Don't tell , did you concede your final monts with Master Eun to ?"
Moon Yul gave up so of the last monts he could have spent with his lover for Baek Suryong. He had arranged it so that Baek Suryong could speak with Eun Yerin, albeit briefly.
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What an incredibly foolish man.
You're probably wondering this right now, so I'll answer your question. The dream we had it is a heaven-defying sorcery that temporarily summons the spirit of the deceased using mory as a dium. 𝘳Α𝐍ŏ฿Ё𝒮
Baek Suryong's eyes widened in shock. Unconsciously, he crumpled the letter in his hand.
"If that's what it was, then why didn't you say so beforehand…!" he gasped, feeling a slight resentnt towards Moon Yul.
Honestly, the likelihood of the sorcery succeeding was quite low. This is because success depends entirely on the depth of the connection between the target of the spell and the deceased. The more ti spent together, the higher the chance of success. Using this spell was a gamble for as well.
"What the…"
Baek Suryong had spent over ten years training with his four masters, inheriting their martial arts. He was also with them in their final monts, so their connection could be said to be deeper than almost any other in the world.
Since this was a spell that could only be perford once in a lifeti, I waited and waited for the best ti to do it. Haha. It was worth the wait. Having married Yerin and lived a happy life, I no longer have any regrets.
"It was still just a dream, wasn't it? Ahh, damn it, I don't get you."
Baek Suryong looked at Moon Yul. The smile that lingered on the old man's lips was a reflection of heartfelt contentnt.
Do not lant the brief eting. Though this is the last ti for , it will not be the end for you. Soday, you will et your masters again.
"I'll…et them again?"
Moon Yul's words conveyed a conviction that his prediction would surely co true. It felt less like a wish or a hope and more like a prophecy.
O one born with a heaven-defying fate. Even at this mont when I commune with the heavens, I cannot see your future clearly. However, what I can vaguely discern is that a mont will soon co for you to make an important choice.
A heaven-defying fate. Both the Dark Heaven Goddess he had t at the Namgung Clan and the dying mother Silver Tiger had said sothing similar about him.
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What on earth is a heaven-defying fate…?
Surely, they wouldn't dub it a "heaven-defying fate" simply because he had mastered the Heaven Defying Divine Art. If that were the case, all past Blood Demons would have had the sa heaven-defying fate.
Is it because I was reincarnated with mories of my past life? Or because of my constitution? And what's this about a choice?
For now, he could only speculate. He simply didn't have enough information to make any inford guesses.
When that mont cos, rember. The people beside you, and also the people who were once beside you…
PSHHH…
The letter began to disintegrate into dust. The residual power of the sorcery was fading.
Please, I pray that you will beco the master of your own destiny.
The letter completely vanished into dust, leaving only the White Ice Bangle behind.
Baek Suryong gazed at the White Ice Bangle left by Moon Yul, his eyes filled with emotion. Although one of his goals had been to find Master Eun's lover, his journey had originally begun as a search for the White Ice Bangle. Now that he had achieved his goal, however, he picked up the bangle with mixed feelings.
"I will keep your advice firmly in mind, Elder."
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Offering his condolences to Moon Yul, Baek Suryong fastened the second White Ice Bangle onto his right wrist.
VWOOOOM!
After being separated for over sixty years, the White Ice Bangles ford a pair. A pure white current of energy enveloped Baek Suryong's body as they resonated with each other. For a mont, his clothes billowed in the wind.
FWOOOSH!
A cold wind, like a northern blizzard, swirled around Baek Suryong's body, then slowly subsided. The pure white current seeped into his body.
"Hoo…" Baek Suryong sat cross-legged and took slow, deep breaths.
Outwardly, there wasn't much change. His martial arts had already reached a level where elixirs and divine treasures didn't affect him significantly. However, he did feel that his body's condition, which was previously destabilized by the Heaven Defying Divine Art, had beco sowhat more balanced. It was a comfortable feeling, difficult to describe.
Baek Suryong concentrated fully on absorbing the energy of the White Ice Bangles.
When he finally opened his eyes again, he found Artist Pung Wol and Geomno standing beside him, looking at Moon Yul with bitter expressions.
"…This bastard. He left us just like this."
"At least he was happy in the end."
The two accepted Moon Yul's death calmly. Geomno lifted Moon Yul's body and carried it sowhere.
anwhile, Artist Pung Wol asked Baek Suryong, "Did the couple you t in the dream look happy?"
"Yes."
"…That's good to hear."
Moon Yul's funeral was a modest affair. Baek Suryong attended the ceremony and stayed at Artist Pung Wol's manor for two more days. He needed ti to process the enlightennt he had gained about the White Ice Divine Art during his duel with Geomno, and there was also sothing he needed from Artist Pung Wol.
"Here, it's finished," Artist Pung Wol said, handing over a family portrait depicting Baek Muheun and Mae Yakbing sitting side-by-side, with Baek Suryong standing behind them.
Baek Suryong bead in delight. "Thank you. My grandfather will be extrely pleased."
He rolled up the scroll, tied it securely with string, and placed it carefully inside a long wooden box. Then, he stored the box deep within his travel pack to prevent damage on the way back.
There was, however, one more unexpected gift.
"Here, take this too," Artist Pung Wol said, holding out the painting depicting Baek Suryong and the Ice Moon Goddess performing the New Moon White Ice Dance under the crescent moon together.
If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.
"This is…" Baek Suryong's eyes widened. Over the past few days, he had seen Artist Pung Wol staring blankly at this painting for hours. "May I really take this? I thought you were quite fond of it…"
"I thought about it, and I think it's only right for you to have it. After all, aren't you the one and only disciple of the Ice Moon Goddess, Eun Yerin?" Artist Pung Wol relinquished his attachnt, rolled up the scroll, and handed it to Baek Suryong. He had considered painting another copy but gave up, lacking the confidence to recreate the inspiration he had received at that mont. "Hurry and take it before I change my mind."
Baek Suryong accepted the scroll without further hesitation. "I will treasure it as a family heirloom for life."
"…Of course you should. If you dare sell it, I'll imdiately hunt you down at the Azure Dragon Academy."
"That's a good idea. When you co to the Azure Dragon Academy, could you perhaps paint another family portrait for , this ti including my grandfather?"
"What? This punk…!"
The two n smirked as they joked with each other. Though their encounter was brief, it was by no ans shallow.
After all, they were people who rembered the Ice Moon Goddess Eun Yerin. For Baek Suryong, this fact alone made their relationship special.
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Just then, Artist Pung Wol, who had been smiling gently, narrowed his eyes seriously. "Be careful. The Ice Palace is a dangerous place."
He had heard from Baek Suryong that the young instructor was planning to go to the Ice Palace, which made him worry. After all, in the past, the Ice Palace was the very source that inford the Ice Moon Goddess about the Divine Physician's location.
"The Ice Palace might have colluded with the Blood Cult. I couldn't find concrete evidence, but I still suspect them," Artist Pung Wol warned. This was the reason he had suspected Baek Suryong when he first arrived.
Baek Suryong nodded. "I'll be careful."
But that's all the more reason I need to investigate them.
He needed to find a way to prepare for the possibility that the Ice Palace had joined hands with the Blood Cult, or worse, had been absorbed by it.
In any case, he didn't plan to charge recklessly into the Ice Palace. First, he needed to understand their internal situation after they had isolated themselves.
"Before that, however, I plan to visit the Black Tortoise Academy."
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"To et with the Dark Heaven Goddess, right?"
"Yes."
I've heard the words 'heaven-defying fate' many tis now. I need to find out exactly what that is.
The Dark Heaven Goddess was the Principal of Shaanxi's Black Tortoise Academy and one of the most outstanding sorcerers in the world. Baek Suryong planned to et her and ask her all about what her words ant.
Artist Pung Wol, unaware of these complex circumstances, nodded. "If it's her, she should be able to provide so answers to what you want to ask."
Though this fact was unknown to the world, he was actually a disciple of the Dark Heaven Goddess from a ti before the Black Tortoise Academy was even established in the murim.
"Well then, I shall be on my way. Farewell, Artist Pung Wol, Elder Geomno." Standing up, Baek Suryong bid farewell to Artist Pung Wol and Geomno, who had co to see him off.
Geomno nodded stoically. "I wish you good fortune."
Recalling the eager young Geomno in the dream, Baek Suryong grinned mischievously. "Next ti, let's have a match with swords."
"…Fine," Geomno grumbled, lips twitching.
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As he left Artist Pung Wol's manor, Baek Suryong's steps seed considerably lighter than when he first arrived.
Gazing blankly at the young man as he disappeared into the distance, Artist Pung Wol muttered under his breath, "Seeing that beautiful figure makes want to paint again."
"That's what we call an occupational disease, my friend," Geomno groaned, shaking his head.
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