The Undefeatable Swordsman

Chapter 24. Dream Awakening (24)

Anyone in his place would have reacted the exact same way.

Although Baek Sang-Woon was over a hundred years old, he looked to be in his early thirties when Woo-Moon met him, and his playful way of being reinforced that impression. While Woo-Moon knew his real age, he had always felt that the "nameless man" was like an older brother in his early thirties. However, the same person was now telling Woo-Moon that he was his grandfather.

"Haha, No-name, stop joking around."

At that moment, the Palm Martial Emperor radiated unstoppable energy. He had actually released the Absolute Master energy that he was normally keeping under control.

"You punk! I've already told you I'm your grandfather, so how can you call me 'No-name'? Isn't your mother's name Baek Jin-Jin?"

Woo-Moon was surprised.

'How did he know my mother's name when I didn't even tell him?'

"Your mother lived with me when she was young. However, I lived my life as a wanderer. I thought that if she were to accompany me, she wouldn't be happy, so I sent her to the Iron Sword Baek Family. Wasn't your mother ill and weak?"

Woo-Moon's attitude changed. "You're... right."

The Palm Martial Emperor spoke with a look of remorse in his eyes that completely belied his usual carefree personality.

"When Ah-Jin reached adulthood, the Iron Sword Baek Family tried to force her into a political marriage. But that free-spirited child would never obey such an order, just like her father."

Ah-Jin was the affectionate nickname that Baek Sang-Woon called his daughter.

It didn't seem like the Palm Martial Emperor was telling a lie. Woo-Moon was actually starting to believe that Baek Sang-Woon was indeed his grandfather.

Baek Sang-Woon continued. "If this fact were to be known, it would have damaged the reputation of the Iron Sword Baek Family, so they sent men to capture and retrieve Ah-Jin. I was traveling at the time, so I wasn't aware. However, in the midst of the capture, Jin-Jin got a serious internal injury due to one of the pursuers making a mistake."

"Ah...!" It was then that Woo-Moon finally understood. He wondered why his mother had a chronic cough that worsened day by day. He had thought that this was an illness that she had borne since birth, but the more he thought of it, the more he felt that wasn't actually the case. Thinking back, he realized that his mother had some faint qi, and she moved in a way characteristic of the people in the murim, even when she was sick.

It was only now that he could fit the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Even if the internal injury wasn't serious, if we just let it be, her health would gradually worsen..." mumbled Woo-Moon.

"Yes, that is correct. She couldn't do anything about it, because the internal injury she suffered was not something she could treat herself."

'What should I do now?' Woo-Moon fell into a serious dilemma. 'Should I bow down to Baek Sang-Woon and call him Grandfather? But what if he isn't? Though...wouldn't everything clear up if my mother and Baek Sang-Woon face each other and she admits that he is her father?'

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Woo-Moon contemplated the situation for a moment.

"Anyway, let's go and greet your mom. What do you think, kid? That works for you, right?"

Baek Sang-Woon had been speaking in an uncharacteristically solemn manner, but now he seemed to be returning to his normal self.

"Yes... Grandfather." Woo-Moon decided to follow Baek Sang-Woon's advice for now.

"There's still some time before the guild departs, right? Let's go find your young brother first."

As if he already knew where the people of Mount Hua were, Baek Sang-Woon took the lead and walked forward without hesitation.

Following from behind, Woo-Moon asked, "Does my younger brother know about this?"

"No, he doesn't know. You're the older one, so I told you first."

Woo-Moon smiled. He didn't know it himself, but his smile resembled Baek Sang-Woon's.

'That rascal...it's going to be worth seeing his face when he finds out.'

* * *

The term "Rising Stars of Mount Hua" referred to the senior disciples also known as the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms. The three of them had learned the sword art known as the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Blades at a very young age, and they were also the youngest sect members in history allowed to learn the Violet Haze Divine Art. As a result, they were even able to obtain the title of the youngest Plum Blossom Swords.

In short, the Three Legendary Plum Blossoms were the most noteworthy, brilliant youngsters in Mount Hua. They were not only exceptionally gifted, but also from an illustrious background...well, with one exception.

Song Woo-Gang.

By now known as the most earnest disciple of Mount Hua, Woo-Gang got up earlier than anyone else and practiced qi cultivation daily. Today was no exception, and as he meditated, he recalled the duel between the Palm Martial Emperor and the Night Spear Devil that he had witnessed yesterday.

After some time, Woo-Gang got up and headed out.

At the inn, the senior disciples were busy packing their bags and preparing to leave. Woo-Gang had advised his peers against receiving gifts, but there were still many gifts provided to the sect by various people. It was probably because of the brilliant reputation that Mount Hua held. In any case, this was a burden that the disciples had to carry themselves.

When Woo-Gang opened the door and came out, the disciples of Mount Hua who had been laughing and chatting as they prepared became quiet for a moment. After looking at Woo Gang's expression, they cautiously started packing up once more.

Among the young disciples of Mount Hua, Woo-Gang's position was really ambiguous.

The other two senior disciples among the Legendary Three Plums had excellent family backgrounds. Yu Cho was the first senior disciple and the eldest son of the sect's most powerful outer family, which also made him heir to the Red Plum Vault, one of the three major banks in the gangho. As for the second senior disciple, Hyeon Mu-Cheol, he was the eldest son of the sect master.

There would have been no problem if Woo-Gang had belonged to the same class as these two.

Nevertheless, Woo-Gang wasn't like them. His ability was beyond any doubt, but there was no power to support him from behind. In the prestigious Mount Hua Sect, a person was treated according to their ability, but it was inevitable that those who possessed both excellent ability and a solid background ended up with much greater power.

For Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol, who wanted to aim for the sect master position, Woo-Gang was a thorn in their side; he was an unquestionable martial arts genius, but he had no background to account for. Because they had the same master, they were forced to be friendly, but this friendliness was merely on the surface.

Thus, Yu Cho and Hyeon Mu-Cheol had actually joined forces to suppress Woo-Gang, and they hinted to the other Mount Hua disciples to maintain distance from him. Naturally, since the two people most likely to become the next sect master were against Woo-Gang, the other disciples couldn't afford to be in friendly relations with him. Woo Gang had thus become an outcast before he could even understand what was going on.

While the others were working, Woo-Gang didn't help them. He had realized from his experience that the more he attempted to help, the more uncomfortable they would be. Of course, he would then be criticized for not helping out. It wasn't like that before, but thanks to the two senior disciples, rumors had spread about his cocky nature after being named one of the Legendary Three Plums.

As he drank his tea, Woo-Gang felt lonely in the midst of many people. His eyes suddenly were drawn to the figure of a female disciple of Mount Hua working somewhere in the distance. She had a pretty face, but she didn't stand out. However, she was very popular due to her quirky, lively, and charming personality.

Woo-Gang's heart ached. He had loved her since childhood, and she didn't treat him badly either. No...in all fairness, she also had Woo-Gang in her heart.

However, a year ago, a hawk visited her household, a mid-level clan near Mount Hua. The hawk was carrying a letter from Yu Cho, the first of Legendary Three Plums and heir to the Red Plum Vault. A few months after that event, Bi Yeo-Jung began to avoid Woo-Gang. Whenever they ran into each other, she was distant and looked uneasy.

A bitter smile appeared on Woo-Gang's lips. Just then, he thought of his stupid older brother.

'What is my brother doing now? I have to visit him at least once.'

When he saw his older brother come out from the red light district, Woo-Gang was taken aback for a moment and pretended not to know him. That moment continued to linger in his heart. In the past, he wouldn't have done that, but being intimidated and oppressed in Mount Hua was the likely cause of his reaction, so he felt bitter.

Some of Mount Hua disciples with their luggage went outside, being cautious of Woo-Gang. They opened the door of the inn, and coincidentally, someone entered.

"Huh?"

A third-generation disciple was right at the door, and as he looked at the face of the person who had just entered, he froze in place.

Thud!

The luggage he was carrying fell, but he didn't even think to pick it up. The rest of the people in the inn felt that something was strange and turned in that direction. Then, they also froze, unable to look elsewhere.

"The Palm Martial Emperor!"

Baek Sang-Woon smiled. "My grandson must be here... Where is he?"

Although Mount Hua had the Sword Emperor, who was also one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, there were few disciples who had ever seen his face. Even the Legendary Three Plums didn't see the Sword Emperor often, although the latter was their sect's Grandmaster.

It was only the day before when the duel between him and Gyunghong had transpired, so Mount Hua disciples were even more surprised to see him here.

Then, they realized what he had just said.

'What? His grandson is here? Did the Palm Martial Emperor have a grandson? He doesn't have a child, so how could he have a grandson?'

Cheol Myeong-Wi, the elder who led the Mount Hua disciples, came forward with a somewhat displeased expression.

"What brings the esteemed sir here?"

Although Cheol Myeong-Wi was an elder, he was nothing more than a child in the eyes of the Palm Martial Emperor, who was one hundred and seven years old this year. As for their status, despite Cheol Myeong-Wi being a brilliant youngster, he wasn't one of the Eight Emperors, although he was still quite reputable in the murim world as a martial arts master.

"Huh? What do you know, that boy from the Cheol Family is here. Do you still wet your pants when you're in a hurry?"

Cheol Myeong-Wi's face reddened in anger at these words.

He was now in his late fifties. Thirty years ago, when he was just twenty years old, he fought with Baek Sang-Woon in an operation to take down the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, an organization that was a nest of evil.

As their name implied, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders rode horses that were rare beasts and engaged in endless guerrilla warfare, dragging out the war against the army for ten days. There were many prolonged battles, some even lasting longer than a day.

Naturally, under these conditions, even dealing with the normal physiological needs was a tall order. Baek Sang-Woon was already a great master at the time, so he could control his bladder at will, but that did not hold true for Cheol Myeong-Wi.

Thus, Cheol Myeong-Wi engaged in battle while holding in his urge to take a leak as best as he could. Unfortunately, however, he ended up wetting his pants when one of the masters of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders ambushed him. Of course, that wasn't uncommon on the battlefield. However, it was almost unheard of for a disciple of Mount Hua, one of the murim's prestigious Nine Sects, to do something so disgraceful.

The Palm Martial Emperor, who was fighting nearby at the time, witnessed this scene and laughed crazily. Since then, every time he met with Cheol Myeong-Wi, he brought up the story.

"Oh, come on! I'm already fifty years old. How am I still a little kid? Besides, why are you bringing up a story from thirty years ago? Can't you just forget about it already?!"

Cheol Myeong-Wi was normally considered the most upright and serious of the first-generation Mount Hua disciples. However, facing the Palm Martial Emperor, he was showing a completely different side of him. The Mount Hua disciples looked at him in surprise.

"Ahem, ahem." Cheol Myeong-Wi coughed, belatedly realizing the situation, and said to himself, 'No, Cheol Myeong-Wi. Don't get involved with that devil like before. The kids are watching too, so don't be fooled! Calm down, Cheol Myeong-Wi!'

Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Baek Sang-Woon and Cheol Myeong-Wi were actually good friends. After all, they had fought many grueling battles together. With that in mind, Cheol Myeong-Wi managed to regain his composure.

"Okay, what brings you here?"

"Huh? I said it already. Are you already deaf at your age? I'm here to find my grandson."

As expected, some things never changed. Whenever Cheol Myeong-Wi was with Baek Sang-Woon, his blood pressure ended up so high he could hear his own pulse.

"Your grand...what?"

"Well, you know, my daughter was actually alive all this time. This is her son."

Baek Sang-Woon's tone was very casual, but his words perplexed Cheol Myeong-Wi.