Even after witnessing a person turn to dust and vanish, Yeon Woo-jin remained unfazed.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t think this old man is cruel or evil?”
“No. Grandpa, you said it yourself. Those people were bad guys. You were just doing what needed to be done.”
Hearing such words from a child, Yeon Cheon-baek stared blankly at him for a mont before bursting into laughter.
Strangely, the boy reminded him of himself.
Co to think of it, during the fight with the Blood Cult, Yeon Woo-jin hadn’t let out a single scream.
That was no ordinary courage.
Even when a stray blade ca flying toward him, he didn’t flinch or move.
At the ti, it had startled even Yeon Cheon-baek.
To think there might be soone skilled enough in stealth to fool him like that…
But Yeon Woo-jin’s deanor in that mont had been extraordinary.
Though he couldn’t move while in Yeon Cheon-baek’s arms, his killing intent had been palpable—almost as though he were part of the fight.
It felt like looking at himself as a child.
Even their personalities seed similar.
The thought made Yeon Cheon-baek feel a surge of affection.
“It’s as if the heavens sent this boy to .”
At that mont, he thought of soone else.
“Tsk, if that brat had married and had a child, they’d be about Woo-jin’s age.”
Yeon Cheon-baek’s expression turned bitter as he recalled his only son.
Back when he hadn’t yet beco as powerful as he was now, a group had attacked his ho, seeking revenge.
While fleeing, his wife had been killed, and his young son had disappeared.
He’d searched for his son everywhere but to no avail.
To Yeon Cheon-baek, it was his weakness that had caused it all.
So, he grew strong—so strong that no one could ever challenge him again.
Yet every ti he was alone, he couldn’t help but think of his son.
The mory of that child made his loneliness even more profound.
To this day, he had remained unmarried, unable to forgive himself for what happened to his wife and son.
But now he had Yeon Woo-jin.
“I will never lose you.”
Yeon Cheon-baek clenched his fist, silently vowing to protect him no matter what.
However, he couldn’t bring Woo-jin to Mushincheon right now.
As much as he wanted to take him there and declare him heir, there were too many preparations to make.
More importantly, Woo-jin would beco a target.
Yeon Cheon-baek had no other descendants.
In Mushincheon, where survival of the fittest reigned supre, anyone could challenge for power.
And now, if Woo-jin were suddenly to appear?
People would stop at nothing to kill him.
Why?
Because that was how Yeon Cheon-baek had raised them.
In Mushincheon, the strong ruled. Power was everything.
If soone as seemingly weak as Woo-jin were to sit atop Mushincheon as its heir, chaos would follow.
Even now, there were powerful candidates being supported by various factions. Those factions would do everything in their power to eliminate Woo-jin.
For now, the best way to protect Woo-jin was to hide him.
Yeon Cheon-baek had inspected Woo-jin’s body and found it strange—unlike anything he had ever seen.
His Qi channels were underdeveloped, like those of a newborn. His ridians were located in abnormal places, and the flow of his energy was unusual.
Normally, when soone received Qi, it flowed to their dantian.
But in Woo-jin’s case, it flowed to his head.
Yeon Cheon-baek had tested this several tis, but each ti the energy moved to Woo-jin’s brain. Even when he tried to force it toward the dantian, it would return to the head.
It was unprecedented. Yeon Cheon-baek had no idea what to do.
For now, he decided to raise Woo-jin outside of Mushincheon while keeping a close eye on him.
He needed a suitable place.
“Ah, there’s that house.”
He rembered a house he’d passed on his way here—clean, well-maintained, yet oddly unoccupied.
It seed like fate had shown him that place for Woo-jin.
There was no reason to hesitate.
“I’ll clean it up, hire so servants, and settle Woo-jin there.”
*****
Before bringing Woo-jin to the house, Yeon Cheon-baek inspected it thoroughly.
It was empty.
Judging by the lack of recent activity, it seed like the house’s forr inhabitants had been wiped out by so calamity.
Though the house was deep in the mountains and sowhat suspicious, Yeon Cheon-baek decided that if the owners returned, he’d simply explain the situation and compensate them.
After confirming the house was unoccupied, Yeon Cheon-baek hired servants, ordered repairs, and had the place cleaned.
He even put up a grand signboard: Ilmu Manor (一武莊).
He trained the servants carefully, ensuring they knew how to treat Woo-jin.
The once-empty house soon ca to life, bustling with activity.
Now, all that remained was to bring Woo-jin and give him a happy ho.
“Wow! This was my room?”
“Yes. Do you feel like your mory’s coming back?”
“…No. I don’t rember anything.”
“That’s alright. From now on, we’ll fill it with happy mories.”
“You’re right! I’ll fill it with mories of Grandpa!”
Yeon Cheon-baek’s lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smile.
How could he not adore a child who said such things?
Sweeping Woo-jin up into his arms, he hugged him tightly.
“That’s right! You’ll fill it with mories of your grandpa. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“How can you be so cute? Whom do you take after?”
“I take after you, Grandpa!”
“Of course you do! Hahaha!”
Yeon Cheon-baek felt truly happy.
For the first ti in forever, life felt aningful. The long darkness of his loneliness had finally been replaced with light.
The servants, watching the two of them, couldn’t help but smile as well.
It seed they had found a good master to serve.
Everything was perfect—except for one thing.
The manor had no warriors to guard it.
“I’ll need to leave for Mushincheon occasionally. What if sothing happens while I’m gone?”
He couldn’t trust just anyone with Woo-jin’s safety.
“I’ll summon the Heavenly Martial Brigade (天武隊) to guard this place.”
The Heavenly Martial Brigade was one of his personal elite forces.
The only problem was that they were currently stationed in Mushincheon.
Yeon Cheon-baek hesitated.
“Surely nothing will happen in such a short ti… But what if it does? Should I take him with ? No, that defeats the purpose of setting up a safe place for him.”
This kind of indecision was unlike him.
Yeon Cheon-baek was a man who normally acted first and thought later.
But when it ca to Woo-jin, he couldn’t help but overthink everything.
Before he knew it, Woo-jin had beco more precious to him than life itself.
“Right! I’ll make it quick and co back as soon as possible.”
Rather than waste more ti worrying, Yeon Cheon-baek made up his mind.
“Woo-jin, this old man has so errands to run. I’ll be back shortly.”
“Alright, Grandpa. Have a safe trip!”
“Keep an eye on the house. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Yes!”
“Such a good response. My boy!”
Yeon Cheon-baek lifted Yeon Woo-jin high into the air, rubbing their cheeks together affectionately.
After indulging in his doting mont, he carefully set Woo-jin down and gave him stern instructions.
“If, by chance, anyone tries to break into the manor, pull out that item over there and hide in your room. Understand?”
“I shouldn’t run away?”
“No. That building is safer. This old man has set up protections to ensure no bad people can enter it.”
“Understood.”
“Though I don’t think anything will happen. This is just being overly cautious, so don’t be too scared.”
“I’m not scared at all.”
“Hahaha! That’s my grandson! Alright, this old man will be off now.”
“Take care, Grandpa!”
“Yes, yes!”
With Woo-jin’s cheerful farewell, Yeon Cheon-baek leapt into the air, soaring high and disappearing in an instant.
So ti after Yeon Cheon-baek left, two figures appeared on a mountaintop overlooking the manor.
Dressed in black masks, they looked down at the house, tilting their heads in confusion.
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Are those our people?”
“Doesn’t look like it. Just ordinary folks.”
“Yeah. They seem to have set up shop and are living there.”
“What the hell? Did the sect leader sell the place to soone else?”
“No way.”
“Then soone must have illegally taken over the property.”
“Let’s go back and report this to the sect leader.”
“Good idea.”
“What? There are people at Cheongho Manor?”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Who the hell are these fearless bastards?”
“They were acting so boldly, as if it were their own ho, that we were completely caught off guard.”
“They even replaced the signboard with one that says Ilmu Manor.”
“Changed the signboard? What is this? A trap to lure us out?”
The sect leader muttered to himself, and a middle-aged man standing nearby spoke up.
“Surely not. There’s no way they’d know this place is one of our bases.”
“You never know. It could be a ploy by Mushincheon to drag us out. That na Ilmu Manor—it sounds ominous, like it’s referring to the Martial God (Ilmu-shin).”
“If you’re that scared, why don’t we just join Mushincheon? Our sect’s strength would imdiately place us among the upper ranks.”
“What? Are you, a vice sect leader, seriously suggesting we submit ourselves to soone else?”
“Well, Sect Leader, you’re the one constantly trembling in fear.”
“When have I ever trembled?!”
“So, should I invite Mushincheon here?”
“Damn it! Why did I ever make you my sworn brother? You’re such a pain.”
“Haha. You admired my strength, that’s why.”
“Ugh, heavens…”
“But honestly, how long do you plan to keep avoiding Mushincheon? Our people are starving because we’re stuck in hiding. Mushincheon didn’t even demand we surrender everything—they just asked us to join. Why are you so scared of them?”
“If we join Mushincheon, do you think the Martial Alliance or the Evil Alliance will still give us work? They claim to be united, but in reality, they’re just cleaning up Mushincheon’s sses. We’d be reduced to a diocre sect doing grunt work. Do you think they’ll pay us well?”
“And how much work are we getting now?”
“We’re just lying low, weathering the storm. Just wait a little longer—they’ll start forgetting about us.”
“anwhile, our base was left empty, and now random people are living in it.”
“We can’t send all our n there. You go check it out quietly. If it’s just so nobodies, scare them off and chase them away.”
“? I’m the vice sect leader!”
“Exactly. You’re the most reliable. If there’s a martial artist there, they’ll flee the mont they hear your epithet.”
“But it’s more fun when the lackeys announce my epithet. If I have to say it myself, it feels a bit la.”
“That’s an order.”
At the sect leader’s command, the vice sect leader pouted and grumbled under his breath.
“You only call it an order when it suits you.”
“Are you going or not?”
“Yes, yes, I’m going.”
“Make sure to live up to your title as the Black Death God (흑사신).”
“Co on, everyone knows my personality by now. This is just how I am. You like it too, Sect Leader.”
The sect leader knew him well—that was precisely why he was sending him.
If it were anyone else, they’d start by slitting throats, and things would get ssy.
Sending the Black Death God ensured the situation would be handled discreetly, even if it involved soone important.
“Alright, I’ll be back soon!”
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