The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

In stories of chivalry or tales of old masters, there’s a scene that often appeared.

It’s the scene where a righteous martial artist was imprisoned in the lair of an evil sect and tortured. Even if they pulled out his teeth or whipped him mercilessly, the martial artist clenched his teeth and endured.

Aspiring martial artists watching such scenes would think to themselves: if they ever get tortured, they too will keep their mouths shut till the end.

Of course, this was just a fleeting imagination. In the face of overwhelming violence, human willpower crumbles.

Pop! Thump!

Yi-gang’s fists were as painful as if they were iron hammers.

At some point, Dam Hyun gave up resisting. Just moments ago, he tried to turn the tables and beat Yi-gang, but now he was just taking the hits silently.

He even stopped cursing and swearing. Every time he did, he got punched in the mouth again.

His screams also stopped. Continuous pain blurred his consciousness.

Finally, the world went dark, and Dam Hyun’s consciousness sank. Yi-gang’s merciless violence reached even the dark energy in Dam Hyun’s mind.

Yi-gang’s constitution, transformed by the roots of the Three-Element Sacred Flower, attracted not only spiritual energy but also that dark energy.

The dark energy that was sticky and attached to Dam Hyun’s brain started to detach, triggering deep memories.

Perhaps it was inevitable that Dam Hyun recalled that day from his childhood.

---

Zap—!

With the pain of a slap on his cheek, Dam Hyun suddenly regained consciousness. Before him was the face of his weeping sister.

Before he could even process the thought that his sister had died when they were young, she spoke, “Please, come to your senses… sob, you have to hide here, here.”

His sister, eight years older than the youngest Dam Hyun, had always been mature in her behavior and cherished him more than anyone else in the family.

In a desperate, hushed voice, she whispered to Dam Hyun, “No matter how scary the sounds are, don’t come out. You can’t make any noise either.”

“Si-sister, I want to go out.”

Young Dam Hyun was also crying.

It was an inevitable situation. Just moments ago, he had witnessed his father’s head being severed by the bandit leader.

His older brother, enraged, had rushed at them and was impaled by a bandit’s spear, dying as his limbs stretched out like a frog, shivering in his final moments. The heartbroken wails of their mother had ceased at some point.

Only Dam Hyun and his older sister had survived. Likely, everyone in their tenant farmer village was dead.

“It’s absolutely not possible. I’ll go hide somewhere else. You must, must absolutely stay quiet.”

While crying herself, the sister wiped the tears of young Dam Hyun.

Since the rice had run out long ago, leaving the storage bin empty, Dam Hyun could hide there.

“Don’t come out until it gets dark at night. I’ll come back for you.”

“You must, come back.”

The sister, trembling, kissed Dam Hyun on the forehead and then closed the lid of the storage bin.

Thump—

Suddenly, his view turned pitch black.

But it wasn’t completely dark.

Light seeped through the gaps of the warped and aged wood grain. Instinctively, Dam Hyun peered through these cracks.

He saw his sister’s retreating figure in the space where the storage bin was located. Just as she cautiously peered outside the door to the east.

Bang!

The latch broke, and the door swung open. The sister was helplessly knocked down.

The intruders were brutal bandits.

“Aaah!”

His sister screamed in utter panic. Dam Hyun desperately covered his mouth to suppress his own scream.

“Hehe, here she is.”

“Is this the daughter of those people from earlier? Not bad, huh?”

The faces of the two bandits were obscured by the backlight, but the blades in their hands were clearly visible.

These were the ones who had beheaded his father, beaten his mother to death, and stabbed his brother.

Terror made his body shake uncontrollably, and tears streamed down his face.

Yet, even amidst this, Dam Hyun, still peering through the gap in the storage bin, was startled.

One of the bandits had firmly grabbed his sister’s wrist.

“Let me go…!”

“We’ll get a good price for this beauty.”

Despite her desperate struggling and resistance, the bandit’s grip was extraordinarily strong. They laughed and snickered as if her screams were inaudible to them.

“Just don’t harm her.”

“Where did her little brother go?”

At that moment, Dam Hyun turned his eyes away from the gap.

He was terrified.

Terrified of the bandits who had killed his entire family.

Afraid of what these bandits might do to his kind sister.

And most of all, scared that their eyes might meet through the gap in the storage bin, that they might discover him hiding.

He hugged his knees and crouched down, trembling. Dam Hyun’s ears caught the sound of his sister’s screams.

“Get your hands off!”

“Ah! She stabbed my eye.”

Dam Hyun’s back shuddered repeatedly.

Screams and shouts, the sound of a body being kicked repeatedly.

His sister was not one to tolerate injustice. Perhaps, to protect Dam Hyun, she would have charged at the bandits with a hoe, just like her late brother did.

Dam Hyun, with tears and snot running down, desperately tried to suppress his sobs. Clamping his mouth shut and trembling, he noticed it had become quiet outside. The silence was even more frightening.

How long would he have to stay like this?

Until nightfall? Maybe his sister was already dead.

His stifled sobs sounded like thunder to his own ears. No matter how hard he tried to keep quiet, it seemed futile.

And it appeared the bandits, skilled in martial arts, had noticed too.

Crash!

The lid of the storage bin shattered as a strong hand reached in. It grabbed Dam Hyun by the collar and pulled him out.

The face of a bandit loomed close to Dam Hyun.

The bandit, revealing his yellow teeth, grinned. A disgusting smell wafted towards him.

“A little mouse was hiding here.”

“Were you here all this time?”

Behind the two bandits lay his sister, knocked down while resisting them.

A bandit with bloodshot eyes drew a dagger and pressed it against Dam Hyun’s abdomen.

“What a coward. Hiding here all by himself, trying to survive.”

“If he had any guts, he would have come out with a weapon or something.”

A cold shiver ran through his entire body.

Although it was hardly a fitting remark for bandits, their words pierced Dam Hyun’s heart like a dagger.

Dam Hyun was a coward, ignoring his sister in a bid to save himself.

“You’re even worse than your house dog, who died barking at the boss fearlessly.”

In contrast, their yellow dog had bravely confronted the threat. Dam Hyun was worse than an animal.

The bandit, as if playing a game, traced Dam Hyun’s belly with the dagger.

“Coward. I’ll carve your name for you.”

“Aaah!”

With swift strokes, he carved the word ‘coward’ into his flesh.

Screaming in agonizing pain, Dam Hyun felt his lower body become wet.

He was a coward who wet his pants and a traitor who abandoned his family.

From that day, a deep-seated loathing for humanity was etched into young Dam Hyun’s heart.

Hatred for evil people and, more so, for his own powerless self.

It was perhaps inevitable that this old memory resurfaced, along with the sensation of wetness in his lower body.

“…Wake up.”

Dam Hyun faintly opened his eyes.

Despite the throbbing pain in his head, the wounds in his burst mouth were healing.

“Wake up… It seems like it’s all done now.”

The vision, once clouded with burst blood vessels, gradually returned to normal.

And what appeared before his eyes was Yi-gang’s face.

“Senior Brother!”

“Ugh!”

Dam Hyun was startled to the point of losing his breath.

Instinctively, he raised his arms to protect his face, but Yi-gang didn’t continue to beat him.

“You’re not going to do that again, right?”

“I-I-I, I won’t do it.”

“Taking my spiritual energy, that’s absurd. No matter if you’re my senior brother.”

“R-r-right!”

He kept stuttering. Just seeing Yi-gang’s face made his teeth clack together.

It might be because a lot of the dark energy had left his mind, but the advice of the Immortal Divine Sword truly had an effect.

“He said it too. That you couldn’t covet my spiritual energy anyway.”

The spiritual energy that had pooled on the floor had completely vanished. It was all absorbed by Yi-gang.

“Yes? Oh, Cheongho!”

Dam Hyun noticed a fox plushie sitting next to him. He burst into tears and hugged Cheongho.

Yi-gang nodded in satisfaction. It was a laborious process, but the outcome was good.

“Uhhuhuhuhuk.”

As Dam Hyun sobbed uncontrollably, Yi-gang grimaced.

“Stop crying.”

“Uh, okay.”

He seemed to have become overly timid.

Yi-gang extended his hand to Dam Hyun.

“…?”

“Take it.”

It was a handshake. He shook Dam Hyun’s hand and said, “I look forward to working with you, Senior Brother.”

In Dam Hyun’s frightened eyes, he saw the smiling face of Yi-gang.

---

The Forest Lord swung his sword towards the barrier.

The sword, borrowed from Yu Jeong-shin, was undoubtedly excellent. However, it was not a legendary sword capable of cutting through barriers.

The swordsmanship of the Forest Lord also seemed ordinary. There was no blazing sword energy, nor did the sword light brightly shimmer.

However, there was a subtle finesse in the sword, recognizable only by Yu Jeong-shin and Golden Needle Phantom.

When the sword was lifted, it seemed as light as a feather, but when it fell, it crashed down like a giant tree falling - thud.

Screech—

The sound of something being cut rang out.

And then, the barrier created by Dam Hyun using the Heavenly God Candlestick started to crumble.

“Forest Lord, that sword is…!”

“Today, this unworthy disciple has had a great enlightenment!”

Yu Jeong-shin and Golden Needle Phantom exclaimed as if releasing a held breath.

Even to their expert eyes, the Forest Lord’s realm seemed beyond imagination. It was impossible to guess the principle behind it.

With just one strike, Yu Jeong-shin’s sword was jaggedly chipped.

“The sword is ruined. My apologies.”

“No, Forest Lord. I am only grateful.”

But Yu Jeong-shin was satisfied with having broken the barrier.

Soon, the dark barrier shattered like scattering fragments.

Yu Jeong-shin had resolved to subdue Dam Hyun and rescue Yi-gang, who lay collapsed.

However, he couldn’t help but flinch and become perplexed.

“Y-you guys.”

Dam Hyun and Yi-gang were standing side by side.

Yi-gang, who had been unconscious with needles all over his body, was also awake now. He had removed the needles himself and even dressed properly.

What about Dam Hyun? He had intruded with the intent to steal Yi-gang’s spiritual energy, yet there he stood, seemingly at ease with him.

It looked awkward, but he even managed a smile.

Among the bewildered, the first to react was Golden Needle Phantom. Adhering to his duty as a physician, he first checked Yi-gang’s physical condition.

And he was astounded.

“Good heavens, the severed major meridian has reconnected. Did you absorb the spiritual energy by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a miracle. There’s no other way to describe it.”

After Dam Hyun’s intrusion, they had nearly given up hope, but Yi-gang’s major meridian, from the right palm’s heart area to the lower dantian, was perfectly reconnected.

Upon confirming Yi-gang’s well-being, Golden Needle Phantom immediately turned to Dam Hyun with a scowl.

“Dam Hyun, what on earth have you done!”

It was anger towards the one who had endangered his patient.

Dam Hyun instinctively furrowed his brows, at least until Yi-gang poked him in the ribs.

“Senior Brother.”

“I’m sorry!”

Dam Hyun knelt down and bowed his head. Everyone was taken aback, even Golden Needle Phantom, who had been angry.

“I made a grave mistake! I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Well… uh, yes, a mistake.”

It was surprising to see Dam Hyun, who even openly defied the Disciplinary Hall Head in front of everyone, showing such a submissive attitude.

The Forest Lord’s eyes shone sharply.

Clearly, Dam Hyun had become more docile after Yi-gang poked him in the waist.

“Dam Hyun.”

“Forest Lord…”

Even the mighty Dam Hyun couldn’t act recklessly before the Forest Lord.

The Forest Lord smiled slightly and said, “Trying to steal from a junior brother is not something a senior brother should do.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You were trying to give the spiritual energy to the doll?”

Dam Hyun’s body flinched.

“Answer me.”

“Yes… that’s right.”

The Forest Lord seemed to have a full understanding of Dam Hyun’s intentions.

“That child has helped you a lot. Ever since you collapsed due to the Treasure’s influence. But now, it seems more like you’ve been bewitched by it.”

“No! It’s not Cheongho’s fault… It’s all my mistake.”

“Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox, is that what you thought?”

“…!”

“I see I was misunderstood. I never once said that the spirit in that doll was a yokai.”

“Wh-what do you mean by that?”

“Hand it over.”

The Forest Lord commanded gently, yet firmly.

“Give me that doll.”

“…”

Dam Hyun hesitated.

“Senior Brother.”

“Dam Hyun.”

But when Yi-gang and Yu Jeong-shin said so, he reluctantly handed the doll over to the Forest Lord.

Cheongho was conscious but did not try to escape or resist. It simply sat quietly on the Forest Lord’s hand.

“It would be better for it to explain itself than for me to do so.”

As the Forest Lord spoke, he brought out an object resembling a rectangular drum. It was the Soul Echo Board, an instrument to convey the voice of the soul.

Dam Hyun’s eyes widened in astonishment.

For him, who had been unable to hear Cheongho’s voice, this was an unexpected opportunity.

What would the voice sound like? Having thought of it as a cute younger sibling, he expected a voice like that of a young boy or girl.

But, could a yokai even speak human language well? Yi-gang had indeed mentioned that Cheongho could speak, but….

“Ahem.”

The Soul Echo Board resonated, and Dam Hyun felt a chill run through his body.

“Hello, speaking like this feels a bit awkward.”

The voice was somewhat different from what he had expected.

“It seems like you have some misunderstandings about me… I never had a chance to clear them up.”

“Wh-what misunderstandings…?”

Surprisingly fluent speech. And it was definitely a young woman’s voice.

“I’m not a yokai, but a human.”

Dam Hyun’s face froze. Beside him, the Forest Lord coughed and prompted a correction.

“Ah, to be precise, a ghost. I died a long time ago.”

The doll he had believed to be inhabited by the Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox and had carried with him.

Its true identity was that of a human spirit.

“Are you a bit shocked…?”

Dam Hyun covered his mouth with both hands.

“Gulp!”

He felt like he was going to vomit.

“Yo-you’re overreacting. We’ve spent time together, after all.”

Cheongho spoke, seemingly embarrassed, but Dam Hyun’s mind was overwhelmed and he collapsed, fainting.

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