Dreams of the Past (5)
The person who entered was an old man with white hair.
The moment I saw him, I was taken aback. It was none other than the Hyunhyeon Cult Leader, whom I had personally killed long ago.
“You’re here?”
At the man’s question, the cult leader bowed respectfully.
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
To my astonishment, the cult leader was actually the man’s subordinate.
This was the moment when Galsaryang’s suspicion that someone might be behind the cult leader was confirmed.
“You say the Martial Alliance is on your tail?”
“I couldn’t escape the relentless pursuit of Jeonguigak. I apologize.”
“That Galsaryang is a tough one, isn’t he?”
“This time, Cheonhajin himself has come down. With him involved, I doubt we can hold out any longer.”
“Indeed.”
The cult leader bowed again and handed over a small vial from his robe. Inside was a liquid redder than blood.
“Fortunately, I completed the mission you assigned. This is the Thousand Blood Seed, made from the blood of our followers.”
“Finally completed, huh? You’ve done well.”
The man patted the cult leader’s shoulder.
“I only did what was necessary.”
The cult leader’s face was filled with emotion. Just from this, it was clear how well this man controlled his subordinates.
“When do you plan to proceed?”
The man’s gaze shifted to the sleeping Byeoklidan.
“This child’s nature is so pure and good that it will take time. I estimate it will take a few years of work by his side.”
“That long?”
“He’s a chosen one, after all.”
I sighed again. Whatever scheme he was planning, Byeoklidan was so inherently good that it would take years to corrupt him.
I felt sorry for Byeoklidan.
Sorry for dragging him into such a mess in the world I once led. Sorry for letting these kinds of people run rampant.
“I’ll take my leave now. Cheonhajin will soon attack the main base. My death will ensure no loose ends.”
“I won’t forget you.”
“I hope you achieve your great ambition. Please forgive me for not being able to serve you longer.”
The cult leader bowed deeply and left the room.
Now I understood the meaning behind his last words before he died.
Yes, I knew nothing. I had only eliminated one of his pawns.
The cult leader had shown loyalty unto death, but as soon as he left, the man’s expression turned indifferent. It was as if he didn’t care whether the cult leader lived or died.
The moonlight streaming through the window made his smile, as he looked at the vial, even colder.
Beyond him, Byeoklidan slept peacefully, unaware of the danger.
Drip, drip, drip.
I awoke on my bed.
I lay there for a moment, processing everything.
The Hyunhyeon Cult had been created to produce the Thousand Blood Seed. The missing people had likely been sacrificed for its creation. Judging by the name, there might have been a thousand victims.
The silent Heavenly Demon finally spoke.
[Without our sect, such strange things have taken root.]
[Perhaps I should have let your kind remain.]
[Don’t be angry. They’re not worth it.]
[No, I should be angry. They’re destroying things of true value. Watch closely how I deal with them later.]
[Terrifying.]
[You know I’m a scary person.]
[Yes, I know a bit.]
I couldn’t be sure what the Thousand Blood Seed in that vial was for, but one thing was certain.
It would be used on Byeoklidan, and it would change all our destinies.
That night, I entered Byeoklidan’s dreams again using the Dream Lotus Technique.
When I awoke, chaos unfolded before my eyes.
The dining table was overturned, and Byeoklidan was causing a scene.
“Where is she? Bring Aewol here!”
A courtesan replied from the front.
“Aewol has left.”
“Left? Where?”
“She left at dawn yesterday, saying she was tired of this life. Didn’t you know? I thought she said goodbye to you.”
“What nonsense is this? Do you know how much money I spent on her? Bring her back! Now!”
Slap!
Byeoklidan lunged and slapped the courtesan.
“Why aren’t you going? Are you ignoring me too? You, a mere courtesan, dare to ignore me? You wretched woman! I’ll kill you first!”
Slap! Slap!
At that moment, a middle-aged woman who managed the courtesans and some hired thugs rushed in.
“Master Byeok, please calm down!”
The men rushed to restrain him. As a valued guest, they couldn’t lay a hand on Byeoklidan, so they ended up tumbling to the floor together.
“You bastards! Come at me, all of you!”
He acted like a spoiled brat, but his curses and tantrums seemed awkward, like clothes that didn’t fit. Of course, I could read the subtle emotions because I knew everything.
And then came the final words.
”…If it weren’t for you all.”
It was clear that Byeoklidan regretted that day’s events.
“Aaaah!”
In the next dream, I awoke in a strange laboratory.
The man and Byeoklidan entered through the door.
Byeoklidan looked older than in the previous dream. It was clear that several years had passed. It seemed to be around the time I had entered his body.
The man seemed slightly excited. I could sense it. The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived. He had spent years corrupting Byeoklidan for this moment.
Every destiny has its turning point, and now that moment had come.
Byeoklidan swaggered around, inspecting the room.
There were many things he had never seen before. Sculptures reminiscent of demons, paintings with a similar feel. Strange incense filled the air, and there were several objects inscribed with unrecognizable symbols and numbers.
“Where is this place?”
Byeoklidan asked, and the man replied.
“My laboratory.”
“What kind of research do you conduct here?”
“Research to fulfill my dream.”
“To become the ruler of the martial world, that dream?”
“Yes, that very dream.”
“You’re still dreaming the impossible dream.”
“Think of it as hoping. Who knows, with a bit of luck, it might come true.”
Byeoklidan glanced back with a puzzled look. In all the years they had known each other, the man had never spoken of hope.
Then again, they hadn’t always been together. They met only occasionally. Even Gwangdu didn’t know of the man’s existence.
But at decisive moments in his life, the man appeared. Whenever Byeoklidan resolved to start anew, the man would show up and reset everything.
“I hear your betrothed is returning in a few days?”
The man’s question made Byeoklidan flinch. He answered nonchalantly, as if it didn’t matter.
“So they say.”
“Oh! Our young master is becoming a real man.”
The man said, watching Byeoklidan fiddle with the objects in front of him.
“You’ve been in a place full of men for years, haven’t you? Sorry to say this, but… give up.”
At that moment, I could see it. Byeoklidan’s expression.
A mix of anger and sadness. The woman he loved, Song Hwarin, was returning, yet here he was, having this conversation. He felt guilty.
I could read his thoughts from his expression.
How did it come to this?
At this moment, Byeoklidan might be recalling the day he parted with Song Hwarin in the valley. That pure moment.
Then the man took out the vial containing the Thousand Blood Seed from his robe.
“Do you know what this is?”
Byeoklidan glanced back, asking casually.
“What is it? Blood?”
“Not blood, but a seed.”
“A seed?”
“Yes, a seed of evil. Plant it in a person’s heart, and it will grow and bear fruit.”
“What kind of fruit?”
“A blood god that will cover the world in blood.”
“Hahaha.”
Byeoklidan laughed heartily, clearly thinking the man’s words were a joke.
“Sounds impressive. A blood god, you say?”
The man grinned and said,
“Care to take a sip?”
“Hahaha. If one sip can make me a god, I’ll drink it all.”
Byeoklidan took the vial and drank it without hesitation. He trusted that the man, with whom he had spent years, wouldn’t harm him.
“The seed is planted now.”
“So, when will the fruit appear? Hahaha.”
The man laughed brightly, as if finally rewarded for his efforts.
“Soon.”
The next night, as I recited the incantation for the Dream Lotus Technique, I had a premonition. This would be the last dream.
I awoke near the Song family estate.
Not far from where I awoke, Byeoklidan and Gwangdu were having a heated argument by the roadside.
“Master! You’ve been saying your memory’s been failing and you feel like you’re floating in a feverish daze. Why did you drink so much?”
Hearing those words, I was shocked. Byeoklidan was experiencing the same symptoms I had before my death.
Could it be that the cause of my death was that man from the dream?
But I hadn’t drunk the Thousand Blood Seed. Why?
“I was in a good mood, so I drank. My betrothed has returned as the most beautiful woman in Shandong. I should celebrate. Come on, let’s go.”
“Master! Please, wait until you’re sober to go.”
“No need. I want to see my woman. Why stop me? Move aside!”
Byeoklidan pushed Gwangdu aside and ran towards the Song estate.
Then he began pounding on the door as if to break it down.
What followed was exactly as it had been that day.
Song Hwarin stepped forward, and Byeok Lidan was causing a scene.
“Hah! You think that pretty face of yours will last forever? You’ll wrinkle up like the rest of us when you get old. So stop acting so high and mighty.”
“Just go home already!”
“No way. I’m not leaving like this.”
Byeok Lidan tried to pull her into an embrace, but Song Hwarin shoved him away, sending him sprawling backward.
“I said go! Sober up and come back later!”
“You pushed me? Did you just push me?”
Byeok Lidan sprang to his feet and charged at her again.
“Is it those guys lurking outside you want to see? Is that why you’re trying to get rid of me?”
“You’re talking nonsense! What do you take me for?”
“You think you can look down on me just because you learned a bit of martial arts? You’re mine, from the moment you were born!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not yours!”
“Is there someone else? Is that it? You little…!”
Thud! Thud!
Song Hwarin’s fists flew, and the drunken Byeok Lidan lost his balance, collapsing backward.
I saw it all. At that moment, Byeok Lidan was fine. He had just lost consciousness for a bit.
And then it happened.
A brilliant flash!
Byeok Lidan’s heart began to glow red. Like ink spreading on paper, the red light radiated from his heart, enveloping his entire body.
It was a phenomenon invisible to the human eye.
Once his body was completely suffused with red, something began to emerge from him.
It was a white light, astonishingly taking the shape of a person.
I realized it was Byeok Lidan’s soul, forcibly expelled.
He hadn’t died because Song Hwarin hit him. It was the cursed poison, Cheonhyeol Akjong, that had killed him.
And then it happened.
A dazzling beam of white light shot down from the sky, striking directly at Byeok Lidan’s heart. The white light burst forth from his heart, restoring it to its original color.
Simultaneously, the energy spread throughout his body, pushing out the red aura. The red aura resisted but couldn’t withstand the power of the white light.
As the red aura vanished, Byeok Lidan returned to his original form.
I knew then that this was the moment my soul entered Byeok Lidan’s body.
Byeok Lidan’s soul hovered in the air, watching everything unfold. It seemed reluctant to leave, unable to ascend to the heavens.
I could feel it.
The soul was speaking to me.
This was the truth.
It wasn’t the soul of the reckless Byeok Lidan from the past few years. It was the pure, kind soul of the original Byeok Lidan.
I looked up at the soul and nodded once.
The soul shone brightly and finally ascended to the sky.
Thankfully, it rose to the heavens, not the underworld. The heavens knew his true nature was good, that he was a victim of a conspiracy he never wanted.
I saw Gwangdu rushing over, carrying Byeok Lidan away.
I witnessed everything that day, but I still didn’t understand.
Why had I ended up in this body?
Was it the will of the heavens, an unforeseen twist in the plan, or something else entirely? Where was the man who orchestrated today’s plot?
These were questions I needed to answer.
I suspected that from now on, the dreams of Mongryeonbisul would no longer be Byeok Lidan’s dreams but mine.
Listening to the distant chirping of birds, I looked up at the sky.
Dana, rest in peace. I will uncover everything and avenge you. In your name.
And so, I awoke from Byeok Lidan’s final dream.