As soon as Namgung Myung realized that Yoo Jin-gwang’s backpack was missing, he quickly raised his hands in defense.
“It wasn’t me!”
“Who said it was?” Hong Geol-gae cut off Namgung Myung’s nonsense, while Dang Moo-jin addressed Yoo Jin-gwang.
“I noticed the clanking sound was gone. Yoo Daehyup, did you not realize your pack was missing?”
Yoo Jin-gwang replied with a look as if the sky had fallen.
“Of course I knew. The tip of a sword grazed my shoulder—how could I not notice?”
“Then you should have stopped immediately to retrieve it!”
“If I were alone, I would have. I would have fought tooth and nail to get it back. But I couldn’t do that now…”
“Why not?”
“If I had stopped, you all would have stopped too, wouldn’t you?”
Dang Moo-jin and his companions sighed deeply. Yoo Jin-gwang’s quick judgment had been spot on.
Yoo Jin-gwang smiled with a sense of resignation.
“No, it was the wise choice. Money can be earned back in a couple of years, but it’s not worth trading for our lives.”
Yet, there was something unsettling in Yoo Jin-gwang’s eyes, the look of someone who had seen something they shouldn’t have.
Dang Moo-jin and his group had a hunch about the source of Yoo Jin-gwang’s inner turmoil. It was the sword the mysterious figure had shown them.
Namgung Myung, after catching his breath, mimicked the sword technique the stranger had demonstrated. Though not as fast, it was enough to deepen the confusion on Yoo Jin-gwang’s face.
“Wait a minute. Namgung Myung, where did you learn the sword path of the Splitting Light Sword Technique?”
“I didn’t learn it. I’m just copying what the stranger showed us.”
“You mean you can replicate it after seeing it just once?”
Yoo Jin-gwang was talking about the sword technique of the Jeomchang Sect, and the situation became clearer.
Dang Moo-jin asked, “Yoo Daehyup, could that old man be the legendary Flash Sword Yoo Gwan-il?”
“I can’t be sure. All I saw were his eyes… But the stranger seemed a bit smaller than my father.”
Yoo Jin-gwang’s voice lacked confidence.
Parents often seem to shrink as their children grow, so the stranger’s smaller stature wasn’t proof that he wasn’t Flash Sword Yoo Gwan-il.
Dang Moo-jin pressed further, “But shouldn’t we go back to confirm?”
“Give me a moment.”
Yoo Jin-gwang sat on a rock, gazing at the sky, lost in memories of his childhood.
The days of living as the son of the sect leader. The days of living as the son of a runaway former sect leader.
The resentment towards his father, and finally, the encounter with the old man.
The conclusion was clear from the start. Regardless of the money, Yoo Jin-gwang had to return to uncover the stranger’s identity.
“Yes. Even if I have to go alone, I must go back.”
But going alone could mean a tragic end. Yoo Jin-gwang turned to Dang Moo-jin for help.
“Dang So-hyup, could you lend me that sand-like thing from earlier?”
“No, I can’t. It’s dangerous for anyone but me to handle the Odok Shinsa.”
“My skills aren’t that lacking.”
“I know your skills, Yoo Daehyup. That’s why I’m saying this. An ordinary person would die the moment they touch the Odok Shinsa.”
“Then perhaps we could go together… No, forget I said anything.”
Yoo Jin-gwang thought it was better to risk his life alone than to drag the young men who had come all the way to the north because of him into danger.
Conversely, Dang Moo-jin and his group hesitated to offer their help, knowing how burdened Yoo Jin-gwang felt by the debt of gratitude.
Instead, Hyun Gong, who had been observing, made a judgment.
‘In my experience, Dang Moo-jin and his group will follow Yoo Jin-gwang anyway.’
Dang Moo-jin, Namgung Myung, and Hong Geol-gae shared a common trait: they couldn’t easily abandon someone they had formed a bond with.
And from Hyun Gong’s perspective, Yoo Jin-gwang was more than just a passing acquaintance. Hadn’t they come all the way to the distant north to find him?
‘Moreover, with the death of the Jeomchang Sect’s Wi Young and Wi Hwan brothers, Yoo Jin-gwang is likely to become the next sect leader. He’s at the right age and has the skills. His score is much higher than Hong Geol-gae or Namgung Myung.’
In such situations, the first to speak often gains the most favor.
Hyun Gong spoke with a calm demeanor.
“Yoo Daehyup plans to see the stranger, and we have no intention of letting him go alone. Right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then what’s there to think about? Let’s get moving.”
Yoo Jin-gwang looked at Hyun Gong with surprise. He hadn’t expected the person he met just last night to be the most proactive.
Hyun Gong maintained his calm expression, enjoying Yoo Jin-gwang’s gaze.
Today, Hyun Gong took another step closer to becoming a sect leader.
The group quietly made their way back to the vicinity of the rocky mountain.
If the stranger sensed their presence, it could lead to serious trouble, so they kept their distance and observed him cautiously.
The stranger stood motionless at the spot where the fight had taken place earlier.
Namgung Myung whispered, “Could he be dead from the Odok Shinsa we used earlier?”
Dang Moo-jin shook his head. The five poisons in the Odok Shinsa were potent, but not enough to kill someone of that skill level instantly.
“No, look. His chest is rising and falling slowly. He’s alive.”
“Then why is he just standing there?”
“Who knows.”
They watched for a while longer. Suddenly, the stranger shook his head and looked around.
Dang Moo-jin and his group quickly ducked down to avoid being seen. Fortunately, the stranger didn’t seem to notice them.
Then, the stranger let out a scream.
“Aaaahhh!”
It was a gut-wrenching, agonizing scream, as if his insides were being torn apart. His voice was so hoarse from disuse that it sounded more like an animal’s howl than a human’s cry.
Hong Geol-gae muttered, “The pain from the Odok Shinsa must be immense…”
“I told you, it’s not that. He must have already expelled the poison. It’s probably madness.”
“Are you sure?”
“Not completely… but probably.”
Dang Moo-jin had never used the Odok Shinsa on a person before, so he couldn’t be entirely certain.
Thus, Hyun Gong remained vigilant, calculating the aftermath.
‘Given the circumstances, the stranger is likely Yoo Jin-gwang’s father, Flash Sword Yoo Gwan-il.’
‘If Yoo Gwan-il dies from the Odok Shinsa, will Yoo Jin-gwang hold a grudge against Dang Moo-jin?’
‘I don’t know. It was a necessary action, but the bond between father and son isn’t something to take lightly. An irrational reaction could occur.’
‘If Yoo Jin-gwang and Dang Moo-jin end up fighting, whose side should I take?’
It was a difficult question, but Hyun Gong eventually found the answer.
‘I should side with Dang Moo-jin. The distance between the Wudang Sect and the Jeomchang Sect is great, and they have little connection. But Elder Youngbo holds Dang Moo-jin in high regard. Falling out of favor with Elder Youngbo would block my path to success.’
Moreover, since the incident occurred in the distant north, the facts could be slightly altered without much risk of exposure. Unlike the previous incident with the Taeui Sword Sect, there was less chance of being found out.
Unlike his inexperienced past, Hyun Gong was now prepared to thoroughly conceal the truth.
While Hyun Gong imagined the potential conflict between Yoo Jin-gwang and Dang Moo-jin’s group, a dry wind from the desert blew, lifting the stranger’s hair and beard.
Yoo Jin-gwang, looking at the stranger’s face, sighed deeply and spoke.
“It seems to be my father. He’s aged a lot, but I can still see his old face.”
“Will you go and speak to him?”
“I should. I must, but…”
The problem was that even to Yoo Jin-gwang, who knew nothing of medicine, Yoo Gwan-il seemed far from sane.
“Dang So-hyup, you mentioned knowing how to treat a martial artist seized by inner demons.”
“Yes, though I can’t treat everyone.”
Dang Moo-jin himself had once been seized by inner demons, had learned from a master, and had received some teachings from the Emei Sect. He was qualified to consider himself somewhat of an expert on the subject.
“Do you think you could help my father?”
”…I don’t know. But the chances seem very slim.”
To help someone overcome inner demons, communication was essential. Only then could they be taught martial arts with the nature to counteract the demons.
However, Yoo Gwan-il’s condition was far from that. He seemed more like a beast wielding a sword than a human.
Yet, Yoo Jin-gwang smiled faintly. He sensed that Dang Moo-jin wouldn’t easily dismiss even the slightest possibility.
Yoo Jin-gwang spoke, “I’ll approach my father alone and try to talk to him. Even if things get dangerous, don’t come near.”
“Alone? Are you sure?”
“I’m willing to take the risk. I’ll calm him down, so don’t come until I call for you. Even if I die. Understood?”
Yoo Jin-gwang looked directly at Dang Moo-jin.
It was the face of a warrior ready to face death, and the face of a son who had long searched for his father. Dang Moo-jin could only nod.
Yoo Jin-gwang gave a broad smile and approached Yoo Gwan-il.
When he was about fifty paces away, Yoo Jin-gwang raised his voice and shouted.
“Father! It’s me, your son, Yoo Jin-gwang!”
Yoo Jin-gwang looked into Yoo Gwan-il’s eyes. There was no pride in seeing his grown son, only the madness of a starving beast.
It felt as if his heart was being squeezed.
Yoo Jin-gwang had long dreamed of reuniting with his father, but he never imagined his father would look at him with such eyes. Even as he called out to him, he hadn’t expected this.
The only one filled with regret was Yoo Jin-gwang. Yoo Kwan-il crouched low, poised to spring forward at any moment.
In the next instant, Yoo Kwan-il lunged at Yoo Jin-gwang with the swift, shadow-chasing technique of their martial school.
Like the unwavering sword of the Jeomchang sect, which never bends or retreats until it pierces its target, this was a movement meant solely to attack.
“Father, have you forgotten your son but not the martial arts of Jeomchang?”
Yoo Jin-gwang extended his sword to meet his father. If his father greeted him with martial arts, there was no reason he shouldn’t respond in kind.
As their swords crossed, a deep cut appeared on Yoo Jin-gwang’s left thigh.
For the first time, he resented the swift and concise martial arts of the Jeomchang sect.
It was already painful enough that their long-awaited reunion involved clashing swords, but did it have to end so quickly?
Yoo Jin-gwang thrust his sword forward again.
“Alright, this time it’s my turn!”
But Yoo Kwan-il, seemingly not understanding his son’s words, charged again, leaving deep cuts on Yoo Jin-gwang’s shoulder, arm, and leg.
For a reunion that had taken decades, the price was steep for just a few breaths of time.
Yet, Yoo Jin-gwang sensed something peculiar at the tip of his father’s sword.
“It’s not full force.”
Yoo Kwan-il’s sword was filled with a deadly aura, honed over decades of killing. Yet, paradoxically, the tip felt strangely blunt.
It wasn’t that Yoo Kwan-il’s sword had dulled from forgetting his martial arts. The bluntness was because he was desperately suppressing his madness.
Oddly, Yoo Jin-gwang felt a surge of joy.
“Father, it seems you missed your son after all!”
He shouted, swinging his sword at his father. This time, a chunk of flesh was sliced from his side.
Yoo Kwan-il’s sword was inching closer to vital points. Yoo Jin-gwang realized he might lose his life in the next exchange.
He prepared his sharpest strike, looking at Yoo Kwan-il. He didn’t think he could win, but he had no regrets.
“Good.”
Just as the next clash was about to begin, thick veins bulged on Yoo Kwan-il’s forehead and temples.
The blood vessels in his eyes burst, turning the whites a reddish hue. It was clear to anyone that he was different now.
Yoo Kwan-il started to swing his sword at Yoo Jin-gwang but stopped, dropping to one knee as if entangling his own legs. He then slammed his right arm against a nearby rock with such force that the bone shattered.
A sickening crack echoed.
Only then did clarity return to Yoo Kwan-il’s eyes.
He panted, suppressing his madness with pain.
“My son.”
His voice was hoarse, but a clear joy enveloped Yoo Jin-gwang. How long had it been since he heard his father’s true voice?
Though covered in blood, Yoo Jin-gwang responded in a surprisingly bright voice.
“Yes, Father.”
“Follow me. But don’t come too close.”
Yoo Jin-gwang didn’t understand what his father meant, but Yoo Kwan-il had no strength left to explain further.
Suppressing his madness, Yoo Kwan-il staggered forward, and Yoo Jin-gwang, along with Tang Moo-jin and the others, followed him.