The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

It had been quite a while since a new rising star emerged from the Namgung Noble Clan, renowned as the best in the world.

But then, a young martial artist from the Namgung clan went on an undefeated streak in Kaifeng, shattering all the successors from other prestigious clans.

Namgung Shin was a star that shone like a comet.

During the time when his nickname “Azure Sky Sword Dragon” was resonating in Kaifeng, Yi-gang defeated Namgung Shin.

“Wow!”

“Henan’s Sage has won!”

Yi-gang was also a newly emerged prodigy.

A person who had left his clan due to meridian blockage disease, had defeated the strongest new rising star of the new generation.

“When did he even cut the arm? I didn’t see it at all.”

“Isn’t he from the Azure Forest? Then it must be the sword of the Azure Forest.”

“Anyway…! Is that what’s important now?”

The spectators would spread the tales of today’s bravery.

The story of Baek Yi-gang defeating Namgung Shin would spread.

People loved stories of heroes, and at the same time, stories of those heroes being defeated.

If Namgung Shin’s continuous duels were for elevating his clan’s fame, today’s defeat would be painfully humbling.

Yi-gang, who had just stepped down from the dueling stage, was immediately surrounded by people.

“When did you cut him? I didn’t even see it.”

“Brother, since when were you able to do Sword Cry?”

These were the questions from Peng Mu-ah and Baek Ha-jun.

“I didn’t actually cut his arm, so I don’t know why he was bleeding.”

“Is that even possible…?”

“And I don’t quite remember when I did my first Sword Cry. Maybe around two years ago?”

“Two years…”

Baek Ha-jun was counting on his fingers, trying to calculate the time.

He was sure that when the Golden Needle Phantom visited the Baek Noble Clan, Yi-gang couldn’t make his Sword Cry.

“…That’s amazing, Brother.”

“What’s so amazing about it?”

Yi-gang spoke as if it was nothing, but Baek Ha-jun was truly moved.

Yi-gang, born with the Great Yin Meridian Blockage, had made his Sword Cry around the same time as Baek Ha-jun.

Even with Yi-gang’s exceptional talent, it wasn’t something achievable by talent alone. It must have required grueling effort.

Thinking about it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“You really went through a lot…”

“Let’s talk a bit later.”

Yi-gang left the spot regardless of whether Peng Mu-ah and Baek Ha-jun were moved or not.

Since there were so many people, they couldn’t follow Yi-gang.

Yi-gang ran to a place out of everyone’s sight. He was heading in the direction Dam Hyun had gone.

Sure enough, Dam Hyun was hiding under the shadow of a secluded tree.

Thump, thump.

He was hitting his head against the tree.

“…What are you doing, Senior Brother?”

“There were too many people.”

“It’s natural for there to be a lot of spectators when a duel is happening.”

Dam Hyun didn’t handle crowded places well.

Thump.

But this level of panic was not typical for him just because of the crowd.

“I had no choice but to say it was my voice.”

“People seemed to believe it. You did well.”

“Yeah, thankfully.”

The moment Yi-gang was about to use the Heavenly Thunder Bell, the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon let out a sharp cry.

It seemed precisely timed to stop Yi-gang.

Dam Hyun looked bitter.

“All those people were staring at me.”

“It’s natural since someone was making fox-like sounds.”

“They must have thought I was strange.”

“Isn’t that the case?”

Dam Hyun seemed embarrassed to have received so much attention.

It was an unexpected side of him, thought to be shameless.

“Aargh!”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed about it, so don’t worry.”

“Still…”

“And, you’ve done things much more embarrassing than that, so what does it matter.”

“Wh-when have I ever?”

Yi-gang just shut his mouth.

He didn’t have the confidence to convince someone who didn’t even know their own embarrassing history.

There was something more important than that.

“It looks like you’ve finished it. The doll.”

“Ah, yes.”

Dam Hyun checked that there were no people around and then took something out of his pocket.

It was really like a baby fox.

Not the old, shabby wooden doll, but one made of bronze with a smooth body.

It seemed to be coated with something that made it shimmer in blue.

“This is my masterpiece. Seo-ho’s… body.”

“Wow!”

The joints moved smoothly.

Even with this new body, she couldn’t shock people like before.

That was something the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon did with her last bit of yokai energy.

But Dam Hyun seemed happy just to have the fox from his memories back.

Seo-ho posed in various ways, showing off her new body. She even jumped onto Yi-gang’s hand.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“It was fun making it.”

Dam Hyun looked at Yi-gang and Seo-ho alternately with a complicated expression.

“Keep her with you.”

Now, Dam Hyun was no longer bewitched by the fox, and he knew that the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon was in fact human.

Having grown more than before, he made a body for Seo-ho and then let her go.

“I’m going ahead.”

Saying that, Dam Hyun left.

Seo-ho, sitting on Yi-gang’s hand, watched Dam Hyun leave intently.

When Dam Hyun’s figure had completely disappeared, Yi-gang opened his mouth.

“Hey.”

Seo-ho’s ears pricked up, trembling.

「…Why?」

‘You’re quiet. I thought you’d be happy to have a body.’

「Ah, yes, right! How is it! Dam Hyun is really skilled with his hands. Impressive, isn’t it? Though I’m a bit disappointed he made me as small as a baby fox.」

The usually talkative Blue-Eyed Mad Demon had been conserving her words up to now. There must be a reason for that.

Yi-gang questioned her with a dry tone, ‘Why did you stop?’

「…Stop what?」

‘Playing dumb, huh? You stopped the duel.’

「Ah, right, that!」

As if suddenly remembering, the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon shouted out loud, 「What would you do if you used the Heavenly Thunder Bell in front of all those people!」

‘Even if I use it, it doesn’t show until one-star. And I was trying not to use it anyway.’

The reason the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon stopped the duel.

At first, Yi-gang thought she had noticed him considering using the Heavenly Thunder Bell.

But the more he thought about it, the less it seemed to be the case.

Yi-gang spoke coldly, ‘Do you think I’m a fool?’

His voice was as cold as when he first met Seo-ho in the Spirit Spring Valley.

Seo-ho’s ears drooped.

It seemed like Dam Hyun’s design reflected her emotions perfectly. She looked guilty.

There was something she hadn’t told Yi-gang.

‘Why did you… with the martial artist from the Namgung Noble Clan…’

Yi-gang hadn’t been sure at first, but he definitely felt it.

In the last sword move of Namgung Shin, there was a familiar aura.

‘…You sensed the aura of the Heavenly Thunder Bell, didn’t you?’

The power of the heavens that could burn a thousand-year-old tree to death.

The energy of the lightning blazed blue.

Above all, the moment Namgung Shin’s eyes flashed blue.

‘What exactly are you?’

At that moment, Seo-ho jumped off Yi-gang’s hand.

Then she started to frantically dig the ground with both hands.

‘Planning to dig into the ground to hide? Should I just dig and bury you?’

Yi-gang grabbed her by the scruff of the neck.

His gesture implied no tolerance for evasion, but Seo-ho’s reaction was absurd.

「Aaaah, I don’t know! Aaaah!」

Yi-gang scrunched up his face in disbelief.

She covered her ears and kept repeating that she couldn’t hear.

Coincidentally, on the opposite side from where Yi-gang had disappeared, the direction Namgung Shin had exited.

There was a secluded spot where people’s eyes didn’t reach.

Namgung Shin was there.

Namgung Yeo-sang was with him.

Swoosh—

A painfully sharp sound was heard as Namgung Shin’s head whipped around.

Namgung Yeo-sang, having slapped his cheek, was startled.

Her hand had moved in a surge of emotion.

“…Say that again.”

“I told you not to worry about it.”

Namgung Yeo-sang’s voice, who had slapped, trembled more than Namgung Shin’s, who had been hit.

“Again, your skin split and bled. Have you forgotten that using Blue Lightning True Qi wrongly could kill you?”

Namgung Shin’s sleeve was still wet with blood.

The wound had healed, but Namgung Yeo-sang knew it wasn’t cut during the duel.

His body couldn’t withstand the strain caused by the martial arts technique.

“I haven’t forgotten.”

“Then why did you use Blue Lightning True Qi there? It’s dangerous.”

“I thought it didn’t matter.”

“You…!”

Namgung Yeo-sang raised her hand again, then lowered it.

After taking a long breath, she tried to suppress her anger.

“I’m not worried about your safety. I’m just concerned you might mess up something important.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“…You’ve already lost the duel, but now it doesn’t matter. The Great Clan Head has said it’s enough.”

Referring to the Great Clan Head meant talking about Namgung Yu-baek, the Vice Leader of the Murim Alliance and the former Clan Head of the Namgung clan.

It was Namgung Yu-baek who had ordered Namgung Shin to show off his skills.

“Yes.”

“The exploration of the Five Elements Tomb is scheduled to start in four days.”

“I remember.”

Namgung Yeo-sang, feigning coldness, took something out of her pocket.

“Take this. It’s a gift from the Great Clan Head.”

“…What is it?”

A small box, the size of a fist.

It was ornately decorated with gems, and the character for “earth,” one of the five elements, was engraved on it.

“I don’t know exactly. He only said it would help in the exploration.”

“…”

“Don’t show it to anyone else and keep it quietly.”

After a few major sects learned about the existence of the Five Elements Tomb, the information was treated as highly confidential.

But it was Namgung Yu-baek, the Vice Leader of the Murim Alliance, who secretly prepared and gave this item.

A self-mocking smile appeared on Namgung Shin’s lips.

“I will do so.”

As always, Namgung Shin, sharing the same surname, greeted Namgung Yeo-sang with excessive politeness.

Watching her distant relative and younger brother leave, Namgung Yeo-sang had a complex look in her eyes.

Namgung Shin wouldn’t be undertaking the Five Elements Tomb exploration alone.

In that underground space, where human desires were overtly exposed, she couldn’t be sure if Namgung Shin would be safe.

Yi-gang’s rank really reached the first of the top 30.

It was reflected in the results the very next day.

Everyone who saw the ranking board inevitably noticed Yi-gang’s nameplate at the very top.

The top five were considered representatives for the Five Elements Tomb exploration.

The extent of the Five Elements Tomb was assumed to be vast, but that didn’t mean the passages were spacious.

Thirty participants would be divided into groups, each led by one of the top five representatives.

And it’s the prerogative of each representative to decide how to form their team.

1st place, Baek Yi-gang.

2nd place, Namgung Shin.

3rd place, Jeong Myung.

4th place, Baek Ha-jun.

5th place, Yu Su-rin.

Although there could be no one more trustworthy than Ha-jun and Yu Su-rin, due to the rules, Yi-gang couldn’t team up with them.

The first thing Yi-gang did was to look for a companion.

The first person he approached was Moyong Jin.

“What… sir?”

He said he had declined the offer to accompany Baek Ha-jun and Peng Mu-ah.

When he met Moyong Jin again, he was wearing a bandage on his shoulder.

He had been stabbed in the shoulder when he lost to Namgung Shin for the second time.

“What rank are you?”

“Why do you ask…”

“Just tell me.”

“…25th.”

Yi-gang’s eyes widened.

It was below his expectations. It was rare for someone from the Dragon-Phoenix Conference or the Seven Stars Conference to fall outside the top 20.

“Why so low?”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Why would I make fun of you?”

“…I lost in all the duels.”

Moyong Jin didn’t duel with anyone else.

He only challenged Namgung Shin and lost all three times.

“So, why did you reject Mu-ah and Ha-jun’s offer?”

“…”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? You want to go in with Namgung Shin.”

“…I’m not planning any surprise attacks or anything.”

Yi-gang saw through his feigned expressionlessness.

“Don’t make a fool of yourself and bring shame to your clan.”

“What do you know, brother!”

“Really?”

Moyong Jin was bristling with defiance.

Instead of pushing hard, Yi-gang made a gentle suggestion.

“Let’s team up.”

“Why would you pick someone like me…”

“I’ll tell you how to beat that Namgung Shin.”

“…Really?”

Moyong Jin looked at him as if to say, “Is that even possible?”

But Yi-gang’s eyes looked infinitely serious.

Eventually, Moyong Jin had no choice but to swallow hard.

“R-really?”

“Yes.”

“Then…”

“Good, that’s one more person added.”

“Is there anyone else besides me?”

“I’m off to persuade them now.”

That’s how Yi-gang pulled Moyong Jin in.

Moyong Jin would be there to watch Yi-gang’s back in the Five Elements Tomb.

Yi-gang’s next destination was the Poison Beauty Tang Eun-seol.

Having observed the skills of other martial artists to her satisfaction, she was leisurely resting.

Yi-gang approached her as she sat on a rock, fiddling with her nail decorations.

He looked up at Tang Eun-seol and asked, “Let’s go in together.”

“Okay.”

“You won’t use poison on us, right?”

“The Tang Clan has good relations with Azure Forest. Probably.”

“If someone attacks us inside, you can use poison.”

“Please help with the aftermath.”

“Yes.”

That’s how Yi-gang recruited Tang Eun-seol.

Lastly, Yi-gang approached So Woon.

“Do you still have a keen sense of smell?”

“I’m ranked 30th.”

“Even in the dark, your ability will be useful inside.”

“I’m the last. I lost in all the duels. Actually, I should have been eliminated in the second round, shouldn’t I?”

“Let’s go together.”

So Woon’s face looked like he was about to burst into tears.

He shouted as if crying out, “Brother!”

“Brother who?”

Had he overheard someone talking about sworn brotherhood?

Looking a bit sheepish, So Woon seemed to have made up his mind and pulled something out.

“My father, he gave me this when I was leaving.”

“What is it?”

So Woon’s background was not ordinary.

Although he had been hiding his identity, Yi-gang and Peng Gu-in thought he didn’t seem like a bad person and remained quiet.

But now, it appeared that he came from a more remarkable place than they had thought.

“It’s this box…”

What So Woon took out from his bosom was a metal box.

And engraved on its surface was the character for “wood.”

Yi-gang’s eyes widened in surprise.

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