Rebirth of the Heavenly Demon

As our eyes met when I entered, he stared blankly for a moment before jumping up. I thought he would express joy and rush towards me like a buffalo, but he ran out through the back door of the inn.

“Wait just a moment.”

Just then, a servant passing by whispered to me.

“This is his first meal since you left, Young Master. He waited all night without sleeping.”

Looking at the table where he had been sitting, I saw he had ordered the cheapest food to save money. Even that had gone cold without a single chopstick touching it.

I ordered some dishes that Gwang-du would like from the servant.

A little while later, Gwang-du returned. His eyes were red. It seems he couldn’t control the emotions that welled up when he saw me and had shed tears.

“Add a bowl of rice here too!”

I wasn’t hungry, but I ordered it for him. He probably wouldn’t be able to eat properly alone.

“You fool, how could you eat after sending the Young Master into danger?”

“If you don’t eat regularly, you’ll get an upset stomach. And let’s be clear, who sent who?”

“I’m hungry, let’s eat.”

With that, we finished all the newly arrived dishes and rice.

Gwang-du rubbed his full belly and said,

“This is nice.”

“I’m glad.”

I meant it sincerely. Eating such delicious food and rubbing a full belly, I felt I had nothing to envy in the world. Suddenly, my eyes fell on the leather bag containing the promissory notes I had set aside. A person’s stomach is satisfied with just one meal like this, yet Yang Gi-cheol lost everything due to his excessive greed.

“Oh, right, it’s not true, is it?”

“What?”

“The rumor that the Blood Hound killed the Yang Faction Leader and ran away with all the wealth. The warriors who came earlier were talking about it. It’s not true, right?”

“Oh? That happened?”

“It’s not true, right? You didn’t do it, did you, Young Master?”

“Didn’t they say the Blood Hound did it?”

“Right? Of course, that must be it. How could you possibly defeat the Yang Faction Leader and the Blood Hound? Yes, it must be just a coincidence. You happened to go there, and such an incident occurred first? But… bullshit. There’s no way such a coincidence could happen. What exactly did you do?”

“I told you I would kill them.”

“Good heavens!”

Gwang-du covered his mouth with a frightened expression.

“You did it yourself, Young Master?”

“Yes. With my own hands.”

“Then the wealth that the Blood Hound supposedly stole, did you steal it?”

“Steal? It’s compensation.”

“Compensation?”

“He had ordered the deaths of our parents, you and me, and everyone in our family. He was trying to annihilate us and take everything our family owned. I wanted to take everything from him.”

I meant it sincerely. I really wanted to take even the last chopstick from his kitchen, but realistically, I couldn’t.

“How much did you bring? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

“Why? I’ll tell you if you’re curious.”

“No! It’s scary! They say those who know too many secrets are the first to die!”

“Hahaha.”

“Don’t laugh like that! It’s creepy!”

When I converted everything from the safe into money, it amounted to exactly thirty-two thousand nyang.

If I had stayed longer at the Yang Minor Faction and sold off various things, I could have claimed much more money, but I didn’t.

It’s best to just leave cleanly from here. If I got greedy, my existence might be revealed, and various side effects could occur.

Before I left, Jeong Yeo realized that I was the good-for-nothing successor of the Byeok Clan Sword Manor.

But he didn’t dare to have a dismissive attitude towards me.

Among the people he knew, there was no one who could kill Yang Gi-cheol and the Blood Hound in one place.

Rather, he feared me even more.

He thought I was a hidden dragon who had been concealing my martial arts, and he swore loyalty. Of course, I’m not naive enough to believe this impulsive and desperate loyalty. It’s enough to keep a proper distance and use it to some extent.

Anyway, being deeply involved, he wouldn’t reveal what I had done.

Gwang-du asked in a trembling voice,

“Did you really kill Yang Gi-gang too?”

When I nodded, Gwang-du’s expression darkened slightly.

“Why? Do you feel sorry for him even after what he did to us?”

“He was still young, wasn’t he?”

“Twenty is not a child. And what does age have to do with right and wrong? Young or old, if you do something deserving of death, you should die.”

Even setting aside his attempt to kill me, what he did to the maids alone was enough to warrant death.

“That may be true, but…”

He’s kind-hearted. I like this goodness in Gwang-du. Because I lived in a world where kindness becomes a weakness and goodness becomes foolishness, I like it even more.

“I didn’t kill him because of you. That day, he tried to kill me. I just took my revenge.”

After easing any possible burden on his mind, I stood up.

“Come with me for a moment.”

I took Gwang-du to the forest behind the inn. We walked for a while until we reached a secluded spot and faced each other.

Looking around with a fearful face, Gwang-du asked,

“Is this the moment to leave final words?”

“What if it is?”

“Thank you for everything.”

“Why thank someone who’s trying to kill you?”

“Even so.”

Though it was a joke, Gwang-du was half serious. Even if I were to kill him now, he was thankful.

“Gwang-du.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“From now on, I intend to teach you martial arts.”

Gwang-du’s face mixed with surprise and intense emotion. This might have been his most shocked reaction since meeting me.

“Not just pretend martial arts, but real martial arts.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious.”

“But the White Moon Sword Arts is an exclusive family technique…”

“Of course, the martial art I’ll teach you is a different one. One that you can learn.”

After pondering for a moment, Gwang-du spoke.

“Even if I want to learn, isn’t it too late for me to start martial arts? I’m twenty-five this year.”

“Leave that to me.”

It’s late, very late indeed. But I’m the one teaching. I can offset the disadvantage of late timing.

“Think carefully and answer. This decision will not only change your life but could also be a matter of life and death. Will you learn martial arts from me?”

Gwang-du’s deliberation wasn’t long.

“I will learn.”

“May I ask why you decided so?”

“Of course, it’s because of you, Young Master. As you changed, and after experiencing this incident… I don’t know exactly what, but… I felt I wanted to change too. Young Master, I want to change like you.”

“Let me ask one more thing.”

“Yes.”

“Why are you so kind to me? I used to be a trash person.”

“Because there was a time before that.”

“What?”

“You were a good person when you were younger. You were kind to me too. There was an incident before. When I was fifteen and you were ten. I was very sick then. I lost consciousness due to high fever. When I barely regained consciousness and opened my eyes, you were placing a cool cloth on my forehead. I still can’t forget your worried gaze at that time. Neither before nor after has anyone ever given me such a sincere look.”

“You’re a dull fellow. Living bound by such a trivial thing.”

“What’s trivial to some can be unforgettable to others.”

Gwang-du smiled brightly.

To think that Byeok Ri-dan, whom I vaguely thought was just trash, had such a time? It’s somewhat unexpected.

“What kind of martial art will I be learning?”

I’ve lived my entire life as the world’s greatest and as the Alliance Leader of the martial world. I know several decent martial arts.

Among them, the martial art I will pass on to Gwang-du is:

“The Seven Forms of the Southern Sea[1].”

“The Seven Forms of the Southern Sea!”

Gwang-du repeated those words several times.

It was a martial art I thought of when I saw the sword Gwang-du was carrying. It’s relatively easy to learn compared to its power, and it’s been out of practice for a long time, so few people in the martial world can recognize this martial art, which is an advantage.

“From now on, memorize the verses I’m about to teach you.”

First, I passed on the mental cultivation method of the Seven Forms of the Southern Sea. Gwang-du was certainly intelligent. After repeating it a few times, he memorized the verses perfectly.

“You’re smart.”

“This much is normal.”

He seemed pleased with himself, smiling happily.

Next, I explained about acupoints and inner energy, and taught him how to circulate energy using those verses. The intelligent Gwang-du understood well what I actually taught him.

“For now, let’s focus on practicing the mental cultivation method diligently. It will probably take at least ten days to properly circulate energy. I’ll teach you the forms later.”

Having never had a disciple in my past life, I’ve never formally taught anyone before. So I’m a bit nervous and excited.

“You can’t become a master overnight.”

“I suppose not. Even sweeping the yard requires experience.”

“How do you feel right now?”

“I feel good. Like I could fly.”

“Don’t forget this feeling. This very moment when you first learned martial arts.”

As I said this, I was recalling my own first time.

That moving moment when I first learned martial arts. That day, so long ago but still vivid.

It’s often said that there are things you gain from teaching. In the process of teaching, the well of your heart widens and fills with clearer, deeper water.

I wonder what I will gain as I teach Gwang-du?

“But… this might not be the right question to ask in this grateful situation, but… when did you learn this martial art?”

“I had a chance to learn it by chance in the past.”

Gwang-du stared at me intently. He must have many questions – when, how, why.

Give up, kid. Considering what you’ll see and experience from now on, this is nothing.

“You are no longer my servant. From now on, you are my subordinate.”

Emotion flashed across Gwang-du’s face.

“So I’m your right hand now, Young Master?”

“You could be… or you could be a pinky toenail.”

“No, I’ll be the right hand. I should be by your side, Young Master. I’ll work hard to death to be that arm.”

Gwang-du bowed deeply.

“I heard martial artists bow like this when they start learning martial arts?”

“Yes, I accept your bow.”

I have no intention of taking Gwang-du as a disciple. It’s closer to teaching a subordinate a skill. Still, it’s fine to accept a bow of gratitude.

I achieved three things on this journey.

I eliminated the future threat of the Yang Minor Faction, gained a large sum of money, and most importantly, gained a loyal subordinate in Gwang-du.

“Now, let’s go home.”