Chapter 219

Jin Gongsu was known as the loser of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, yet paradoxically, his sect—the Jin Clan—was reputed to be the most powerful martial faction in the entire province.

The clan’s head, Jin Gongmu, was infamous for his arrogance.

He refused to even exchange words with anyone he deemed beneath his status, and if he ever felt insulted—whether personally or toward the Jin Clan—he would erupt in fury and relentlessly exact revenge, often several times over.

The people of Guangdong feared him deeply, wary of crossing him lest they, their families, or even their entire sect suffer retaliation.

To his allies, he was an unshakable pillar of strength; to his enemies, a living nightmare.

Yet, despite this fearsome reputation, Jin Gongmu now found himself pacing hesitantly in front of a secluded annex in the Jin Clan’s backyard, unable to decide whether to enter.

This rare display of indecision was unlike the cold, self-assured man everyone knew.

He exhaled a low sigh.

He couldn’t tell if he wanted to go inside or not.

Inside that annex was the person who had shaped his entire life.

The one who had forced him to live as an outsider.

Jin Gongmu had always resented and hated him.

Yet, at the same time, he had worried and longed for him.

And now, that man had finally returned.

But he was old and frail…

Jin Gongmu didn’t know what expression to wear or what words to say.

That uncertainty was what kept him rooted in place.

Then, a sharp, yet strangely weary voice rang out from inside.

“What are you standing there for? If you’ve come, then come in! What kind of clan leader paces around like a constipated puppy?”

Jin Gongmu flinched at the harsh tone.

He hadn’t expected the man inside to sense his presence.

His face shifted through several emotions before settling into a grimace of reluctant acceptance.

With a creak, he opened the door.

As he stepped inside, he muttered brusquely, “Seems you’ve made some progress in the mountains—you sensed me right away.”

The old man scoffed.

“Hmph! It’s just that my ears have grown sharper from all the beasts around.”

Jin Gongmu paused mid-step as a strong medicinal scent suddenly hit his nose.

The room was thick with the smell of herbs.

His expression darkened slightly, and he spoke again, this time with a petulant edge.

“You sound full of energy. You could have stayed in the mountains for another ten years. Didn’t you come back too soon?”

The old man, lying on a bed with a stubborn look etched on his face, chuckled dryly.

“Hmph! So you’ve become the clan leader, huh? Now you know how to treat your old man with some respect. Don’t worry. Once I recover, I’ll take So-eun and head back to the mountains right away.”

Jin Gongmu flinched at that.

Then, with a sharp edge, he snapped, “Back to the mountains again? If you’re going, go alone! Why drag So-eun along? What did she ever do to deserve that?”

The old man, Jin Samong, suddenly bellowed.

“Deserve? Taking on the grave responsibility of reviving Ja Yeon-gon is no crime! Is that something a clan leader should question?”

Despite his frail appearance, his voice was surprisingly strong.

But Jin Gongmu’s voice was just as loud.

“That’s exactly why! When I said I’d take on that responsibility, you beat me senseless to stop me! What changed now? Did your great-grandfather, the true Ja Yeon-gon, appear in your dreams and ask you to do this?”

Jin Samong fell silent, unable to respond.

He was the very man who had opposed his son’s desire to challenge Ja Yeon-gon, even resorting to violence to prevent it.

Seeing his father unable to answer, Jin Gongmu’s frustration boiled over.

Words he’d held back spilled out in a rush.

“You were the one who forbade me from even uttering Ja Yeon-gon’s name! Then, without a word, you took your granddaughter and disappeared into the mountains. Fifteen years later, you show up and say you’re going back? Is that what you say to your son after all this time?”

Jin Samong, the previous clan leader, had abruptly handed over the position to his son and vanished into the mountains.

Jin Gongmu had no choice but to become clan leader unprepared and bewildered.

No proper handover, no guidance from his father.

It was an impossible burden.

Jin Gongmu knew his own shortcomings and doubted he was fit to lead the Jin Clan.

But he had no choice.

He had to be the clan leader, and though he knew his weaknesses, he couldn’t let others see them.

If he appeared weak, it would tarnish the clan’s honor.

So he gritted his teeth and pushed himself harder.

“I will never, ever let that happen.”

To avoid being underestimated, he cloaked himself in cold arrogance.

To outsiders, to clan members, even to his own family.

It was a grueling existence.

Years of enduring the weight of leadership, even as his insides rotted.

Fifteen years passed.

But even now, nothing had changed.

Jin Gongmu still hid his flaws behind a mask of icy pride.

And likely, he always would.

If he ever got the chance to ask his father one thing, it would be this:

Why?

Why did he have to leave like a fugitive, abandoning him and the Jin Clan?

He never expected an apology from the strict, fearsome man.

He just wanted an explanation he could understand.

But when they met again, his father was the same as ever.

Stubborn, unyielding, speaking only his own mind.

So Jin Gongmu never got to say what he truly wanted.

“Hmm…”

His father winced at the sharpness in his voice.

Jin Gongmu was taken aback.

But that wasn’t the end of the surprises.

After a long sigh, Jin Samong spoke again.

“We must revive Ja Yeon-gon. The Guangma Eighteen Techniques alone cannot reach the ultimate realm.”

What?

Jin Gongmu’s eyes snapped open.

Had he heard wrong?

The Guangma Eighteen Techniques can’t lead to the ultimate realm?

Is that true? And why only now?

His voice trembled as he asked.

“…What did you say?”

Jin Samong repeated weakly.

“The Guangma Eighteen Techniques can’t reach the ultimate realm. The path is blocked. I only realized this fifteen years ago.”

Jin Gongmu was speechless.

He had poured himself into reaching that ultimate realm.

But no matter what he tried, the path remained closed.

He had always blamed his own lack of talent.

Not enough skill to reach the top.

A bitter laugh escaped him.

“Hah!”

The day his father took his daughter So-eun and disappeared into the mountains, leaving him to suddenly become clan leader, his greatest worry was that he himself was not at the ultimate level.

If word got out that the strongest clan leader in Guangdong wasn’t truly supreme, other factions would look down on him and challenge him.

A top clan without an ultimate master was meaningless.

It was a fragile throne, inviting challengers.

So Jin Gongmu had chosen to pretend.

He desperately acted as if he were ultimate.

Avoiding contact with those he deemed unworthy, fiercely defending his pride, retaliating mercilessly even at personal cost to prevent anyone from underestimating him.

All to hide his weakness.

And his inferiority complex.

But now…

With trembling eyes, he asked his father.

“So… it was a limit of the Guangma Eighteen Techniques? No matter what I did, I couldn’t reach the ultimate realm?”

Jin Samong nodded silently.

Jin Gongmu’s gaze wavered, then exploded with anger.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why not back then? Do you have any idea how much… how much I suffered not knowing?”

His voice broke with grief.

Memories flashed before him.

The countless efforts to reach the ultimate realm.

The sacrifices he made—family, clan, even himself.

Jin Samong sighed and muttered softly.

“…I’m sorry.”

It was unbelievable.

The stern, stubborn man had just apologized.

Jin Gong-mu let out a bitter, hollow laugh once again.

“Hah!”

He had always been terrified of his stern, unyielding father since he was a child.

Because of that fear, he had no choice but to give up even his youthful dreams under his father’s relentless demands…

And now, that very father was apologizing to him.

It was strange.

For some reason, the unbelievable truth only made him angrier.

With a twisted smile, Jin Gong-mu looked at his father and asked, “So, you ran away back then? Couldn’t bear the role of the family head who never reached the pinnacle? So you just passed that burden onto me?”

At his son’s words, Jin Sa-mong squeezed his eyes shut.

The resentment in his voice felt like a dagger piercing Jin Gong-mu’s heart.

But instead of softening, Jin Gong-mu burst out laughing.

It was a laugh dripping with raw anger.

“Hah! Ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! So that’s how it was. And here I was, thinking you’d gone off to resurrect the real Jayeon-gon or something! Turns out I was the only one dreaming! Ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!”

At his son’s hollow, defeated laughter, Jin Sa-mong struggled to speak.

“That’s not entirely true. I saw potential. So-eun, that child… If it’s So-eun… Ugh!”

But Jin Sa-mong was suddenly struck by a sharp pain in his chest and couldn’t continue.

Still, Jin Gong-mu, already boiling with rage, saw none of that.

He shouted, voice thick with fury, “So-eun! You said So-eun just now! After turning that graceful, gentle girl into what she is, you still want more?! You need her too?! Why?! To ruin her like you ruined me?! And then run away again?! Because of you! Because of you, my life! My children!”

Jin Gong-mu’s voice broke, and he could no longer shout.

His chest felt so tight with anger it was as if it was suffocating him.

He clenched his teeth for a moment, and when his father remained silent, he spat out through bloodshot eyes, “I don’t care anymore if you leave again or not. But! My children will never suffer like this! I won’t let them be destroyed like I was! Never!”

With that, Jin Gong-mu slammed the door and stormed out of the room.

He paced forward with heavy steps, then suddenly stopped, closing his eyes tightly as he looked up at the sky.

He felt tears threatening to spill the moment he opened them.

Jin Gong-mu knew all too well.

He wasn’t a good head of the Jin family, nor a good father to his children, not even a good person.

But he didn’t care.

As long as he could reach the pinnacle.

If he could rise to that ultimate level and become a respectable head of the Jin family, then he could be a father his children could be proud of. He could make up for all the times he hadn’t even cared how they were growing up.

That’s why he had ignored the family’s affairs and his children’s lives, focusing solely on his training.

He kept telling himself he was almost there.

Just one more mountain to cross, and he’d reach his goal.

But…

All those years had been for nothing.

So utterly meaningless.

So painfully empty.