The Youngest Member Chapter 1

Deep in the mountains, a shabby hut.

In the wide yard, two burial mounds sat side by side.

Cheon Woojin stood still, gazing at them blankly.

He was recalling the last words his two masters had left him before they died.

His Black Master, who had always insisted on wearing black, from his hair and eyebrows to his martial robes and monk's garnts, had wanted his disciple to beco the world's greatest villain.

- Woojin, my boy, if the sole disciple of this Black Master is not a villain, that would truly be a ridiculous state of affairs. In this disgusting world full of hypocrites, it is more shaful not to beco a villain. Take note, especially, that the white path bastards are generally a disgusting lot.

Cheon Woojin let out a smirk.

The Black Master's gruff voice was still vivid in his ears.

On the other hand, his White Master had been a gentleman until his final monts. He would stroke his snow-white beard and often lecture on the theory of chivalry of the white path.

- You are the Black Master's disciple, but you are also mine. Woojin, my boy, if only you had t

a little sooner, you could have beaten to death all the villains in the world, including this Black Master here. What a true sha that is.

- You can ignore the words of a senile old man.

- Ho ho, watch your mouth.

- You shut up.

The image of his two masters bickering even in their final monts seed to play out before his eyes.

- Woojin, my boy, beco a villain as the Black Master wishes.

- Oh? Now that you're about to die, the White Master is finally saying sothing right.

- Beco a villain to villains.

- Good heavens...

- A prodigy of the ages has received this White Master's teachings, so what in the world is there to fear? You have completely inherited our legacies. To the good, you will be a good man, and to the evil, you will be a villain.

Such conversations always ended with his two masters grabbing each other by the collar.

His two masters had said they often enjoyed making bets since they were young. Did the world know of such a relationship between the Black Master, the greatest public enemy of the martial world, and the White Master, one of the three great prodigies of the white path?

And so, the two old n made a bet even in their final monts.

After their own short remaining lives ca to an end.

Would the orphan they had taught everything with all their might beco the greatest villain, as befitting the Black Master's disciple?

Or would he beco a good man who would change the world?

Even as they closed their eyes, the two old n could not predict the future. That was how much they had each staked their lives on teaching Cheon Woojin.

Of course, Cheon Woojin was just as ignorant of the future.

In truth, he had no particular interest in being a good man or a villain in the first place.

He was simply grateful that they had fed, housed, and taught so much to an orphan who had nowhere to go at a young age.

Lost in sentint for a mont, Cheon Woojin was about to bow to his two masters' gravestones when he paused.

- Woojin, my boy. If, after ten years have passed, the world calls you a villain, then on my gravestone.

- If they call you a good man, then on this White Master's gravestone, you shall bow and carve your na.

Recalling his two masters' last words, Cheon Woojin smiled bitterly.

"To forbid

from even bowing in your final monts."

They were mischievous masters to the very end.

Cheon Woojin picked up the Crescent Moon Staff left by the Black Master and the Crane Feather Fan of the White Master.

They were his two masters' only keepsakes.

At the sa ti, since they were the signature weapons of the Black and White Twin Elders, it was right for Cheon Woojin, who had completely mastered their martial arts, to have them.

Just as Cheon Woojin was about to take a step.

"..."

A chilling air settled around him.

Soon, ten n in black dropped down, surrounding the hut.

"Are you the Black Master's disciple?"

"Seeing the Crescent Moon Staff, it seems so."

They exchanged questions and answers among themselves.

Cheon Woojin simply stood still.

'Enemies of the Black Master?'

The White Master had said that it was common in the martial world for a master's bad blood to be passed down to his disciple.

- In the martial world, the only seeds I would call my enemies are the Demonic Cult bastards at most, but most of the martial world is the Black Master's enemy, so you, Woojin, must always be careful.

Recalling the White Master's words, Cheon Woojin nodded at the n in black.

"I am the Black Master's disciple, Cheon Woojin."

Soon, the man who appeared to be the leader of the n in black strode forward. He observed Cheon Woojin as if inspecting him, then spoke.

"I have no particular ill will towards you. If you just return the Crescent Moon Staff, I intend to leave quietly."

Cheon Woojin held out the Crescent Moon Staff, made of a dark lump of iron. Though it showed so signs of age, it looked hard enough to smash anything.

"You an this?"

"That's right. It was originally ours, so if the Black Master senior is dead, it is right that we retrieve it."

"Aha."

It seed they weren't enemies of the Black Master after all.

There was a story he had often heard from the Black Master.

- The Dark Heavenly Son. It's safe to say that most of the major villains of this era are his disciples. I was the sa. However, in the year I turned forty, I cut ties with those bastards, so in the future, if any bastards claim to be disciples of the Dark Heavenly Son, smash their heads in without a second thought.

Of course, since all the disciples of the Dark Heavenly Son were villains, killing them was sothing the White Master would also be very pleased about.

To be certain, Cheon Woojin asked.

"Are you a disciple of the Dark Heavenly Son?"

"Our master is he. The giant known as the Dark Heavenly Son left behind nurous villains in his ti, and they in turn raised many villains as their disciples."

Cheon Woojin nodded his head as if he understood.

"In a way, the people here could be called my fellow disciples. Since you are the disciples of the Dark Heavenly Son's disciple. I pay my respects to my senior fellow disciples."

Cheon Woojin then cupped his fist in the world's most polite manner.

At that, the n in black exchanged glances.

'I was inwardly tense because he was the Black Master's disciple.'

Not only did he seem young, but wasn't he unexpectedly reasonable?

Cheon Woojin held the Crescent Moon Staff out towards the man in black.

A gesture as if telling him to take it.

Of course, the man in black was also a martial artist raised with the utmost care by one of the era's foremost villains, so he did not let down his guard.

In ti with his cautious steps, the other martial artists surrounding the hut also slowly tightened their encirclent.

Soon, a circle with a radius of one zhang [3 ters] was ford around Cheon Woojin. As the man in black reached out to receive the Crescent Moon Staff, he prepared to draw his sword with his left hand to guard against a surprise attack.

Despite being so tense, so cautious.

The mont his fingertips lightly touched the dark iron staff.

He had the illusion that the Crescent Moon Staff blurred and stretched like taffy, and...

Screech-!

Before the man in black's sword was even halfway drawn.

Thwack!

His head burst like a ripe gourd.

That was not the end. The Crescent Moon Staff drew a black full moon centered on Cheon Woojin.

Dark Sky Full Moon.

Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!

Blood, flesh, and marrow splattered chaotically in the air. It all happened in an instant. Ten heads burst at once, and only those with relatively high cultivation had managed to even place a hand on their sword hilts.

Cheon Woojin slamd the Crescent Moon Staff onto the ground with a thud.

The blood and flesh stuck to the staff fell away, and the ten headless corpses finally collapsed to the ground.

The blood they shed stained the wide yard red.

Having retrieved his staff, Cheon Woojin's gaze turned towards the dense thicket.

Rustle-!

The faint sound of rustling leaves sounded like thunder to Cheon Woojin's ears.

'A total of seven, is it?'

Having finished his assessnt, Cheon Woojin took out a white fan from his robes and unfolded it.

Snap-!

It was the Crane Feather Fan, painted with three white cranes.

He then began to fan himself leisurely, like soone escaping the heat under the shade of a tree in midsumr.

The wind that started from the tip grew in size as it moved forward, eventually filling the wide yard.

Crane Wind Annihilation.

The thick branches of the giant trees bent wildly as if they would break. Surprisingly, amidst such chaos, the two masters' burial mounds remained peaceful, without a single gust of wind.

Thud!

A heavy sound echoed from a short distance away.

Starting with that, the fleeing n in black collapsed, bleeding.

Having put away his fan, Cheon Woojin's gaze turned behind him.

A man in black who had sohow survived the blade-like wind was looking at Cheon Woojin, terrified.

"P-please spare ."

Cheon Woojin asked into the empty air.

"Masters, what should I do?"

Naturally, the dead do not speak.

However, Cheon Woojin looked at the Black Master's gravestone and then nodded.

"Yes, I understand."

"...?"

Despair clouded the man in black's face.

Cheon Woojin, who had been glancing around the ground, picked up a fist-sized stone and...

Whoosh- Thwack!

The head of the last remaining man in black burst open. Even in a situation where all sides were stained with blood, the area around where Cheon Woojin stood was utterly peaceful.

Having straightened his clothes, Cheon Woojin offered a cupped fist salute to his two masters' graves instead of a bow.

- Hahahaha! Serves those bastards right. Go find their master right now and smash his skull in!

- Truly well done, Woojin, my boy. There is no need to show rcy to villains. On the contrary, you could put yourself in danger.

The thought of his two masters looking proud made him feel inexplicably pleased. Cheon Woojin bowed his head towards the burial mounds and bid his masters farewell.

"Your disciple is a little nervous to be leaving, but I will act in a way that will never bring sha to my masters' reputations."

When Cheon Woojin, having stated his resolve, raised his head again and turned his body towards the martial world.

- What is there for you to be nervous about? It is the world that should tremble.

- The Black Master is right. With the exception of the three martial artists who did not fear us, the whole world will be watching your every move.

At the words that seed to co from behind him, Cheon Woojin gave a gentle smile.

And so, Cheon Woojin took his first step towards the world.

Whether it would be the path of a villain or the path of a good man, no one could know.

(End of Chapter)