Chapter 576: A Villain Walks the Path of Scorn

TL: FoodieMonster007

Yeom Baekyin's younger brother arrived for a sudden visit. Just moments before, Yeom Baekyin had been agonizing over his brother's predicament. He was torn between entrusting the matter to the man from the underground or resolving it himself. But before he could decide, Yeom Baekjin had come to him.

"It's been a while since I've been here," Yeom Baekjin said, looking around the office. Visiting his brother after so long felt awkward.

"Sit," Yeom Baekyin offered.

The two brothers sat opposite each other at the reception table. Yeom Baekyin poured cold tea from the teapot on the table, filling his own cup and his brother's.

An awkward silence hung between them for a moment until Yeom Baekjin was the first to speak.

"Someone once said that for martial artists, the only ways to resolve conflict are through conversation or the sword."

Yeom Baekyin fiddled with his teacup as he asked, "So, which did you bring?"

"That will depend on your answer," Yeom Baekjin replied, staring at his brother.

Honestly, he wanted to demand answers. He wanted to scream, 'Was this all your doing?' He wanted to ask about Master Lim's death and Pyo San's death.

'What in the world are you plotting?'

Despite the turmoil inside him, Yeom Baekjin forced himself to ask calmly, "Did you know that the White Snake Society had infiltrated the White Dragon Class?"

Yeom Baekjin had tried to be indirect, but Yeom Baekyin's response was cold. "Why the sudden interest in the martial arts academy's affairs? You never cared before."

Yeom Baekjin's expression hardened.

Why wouldn't I be interested in the martial arts academy?

Anyone else might not understand why he feigned disinterest, but his own brother should not be saying such things to him.

"Answer the question first."

"And if I did know? Is your solution the sword?"

Yeom Baekjin had hoped for a denial, for his brother to claim it was all a misunderstanding. But Yeom Baekyin didn't deny it. His irritable reaction could only mean one thing.

"Didn't I tell you?" Yeom Baekyin said. "Don't meddle in the martial arts academy's affairs from now on."

"How can I not get involved? It's our martial arts academy!"

"……"

At his brother's baffled tone, Yeom Baekjin realized something in that moment. He had been gravely mistaken about one thing.

Yeom Baekjin had always believed his brother felt sorry for him for obediently stepping aside and not engaging in a power struggle over the academy.

But that reaction revealed the truth. It seemed his brother saw him as nothing more than a wastrel with no interest in the martial arts academy.

Ah! Now that he thought about it, they had never once spoken of the matter. He had just assumed his brother would understand.

"Leave the martial arts academy."

"What?"

"Leave and go far away," Yeom Baekyin continued. "I'll give you enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life."

Yeom Baekjin glared at his brother for a moment before he asked, "And if I don't leave? Are you going to kill me?"

The expected reply, a shocked question of how he could say such a thing, never came. Yeom Baekjin's voice naturally rose in pitch.

"Don't be mistaken. This martial arts academy isn't yours. It holds our father's lifelong efforts and the dreams of countless officials."

Hearing those words, Yeom Baekyin realized something. His earlier worry about his brother's problem wasn't a fear of his brother dying. Instead, he had been worried that the man from the underground would solve the problem by keeping his brother alive.

Yes, he was the kind of person who couldn't forgive anyone, not even his own brother, for touching what was his. He was only a good person when things were going his way.

In fact, he had always known. The day would come when he would have to kill his brother.

That thought was hidden deep in his heart, encased in a block of ice that would not easily melt. The ice didn't melt easily, but it was transparent, so he could always see the thought inside. He had just pretended not to.

"You're making me burn, brother," Yeom Baekjin said. "I would have otherwise remained cold forever. I will never stand by and watch you ruin the martial arts academy our father left behind."

But Yeom Baekjin didn't know the truth. It was actually Yeom Baekyin who had grown hot, and the ice concealing his killing intent had completely melted away.

As the two brothers stared at each other in a tense, silent standoff, a new visitor arrived. It was the Sword King, who had just finished his class.

The Sword King greeted Yeom Baekjin cheerfully. "Oh, it's Master Yeon!"

Yeom Baekjin, however, was seeing the man's face for the first time today.

"I've taken on the role of temporary instructor for the White Dragon Class," the Sword King explained.

Was there really such an instructor at the academy? There were so many instructors, after all.

When Yeom Baekjin looked back at his brother, he found Yeom Baekyin silently staring down into his teacup.

Without a word of farewell, Yeom Baekjin turned and left the office. At the doorway, he glanced back at the Sword King.

But is there any reason for an instructor to visit my brother's office? A temporary one at that?

His brother usually only dealt with the Seven Instructors. Any matters concerning other instructors were typically discussed with the Seven Instructors, especially Gi Seok, whom he treated like his own limbs.

However, this wasn't the time to question it, so he departed.

As Yeom Baekjin walked away, he recalled Geom Mugeuk's advice.

Resolved by conversation, my ass. Damn it!

After Yeom Baekjin left, the Sword King sat down in the seat his brother had just vacated. He poured the cold tea from the teapot for himself, drank it, and spoke nonchalantly.

"I will make it so you never see your brother before your eyes again."

Yeom Baekyin was startled, taking the words to mean the Sword King would kill his brother.

Then, the Sword King laughed playfully. "Be honest. Were you a little thrilled just now?"

Realizing the Sword King was joking, Yeom Baekyin turned his displeased gaze toward the window. This wasn't an opponent he could afford to get angry with. Besides, the man had always made such jokes without hesitation.

With his gaze still averted, Yeom Baekyin changed the subject. "Did the class go well?"

Yeom Baekyin knew this man had come here looking for the one called the 'demon'. Since he had offered to be an instructor for the White Dragon Class, that demon, who was more terrifying than a ghost, must be a disciple there.

The Sword King replied with a broad smile, "The class is so much fun."

Yeom Baekyin could sense that the man was more excited than he had ever seen him.

"Who is this person called the demon?" he asked.

"It's better that you don't know," the Sword King said. "You seem to have enough on your mind as it is."

In truth, Yeom Baekyin's deliberation was already over. All that remained was to convey his decision.

Yeom Baekyin expressed his feelings with two words. "…I was thrilled."

He couldn't face the Sword King, keeping his head bowed. He knew exactly what he had just admitted.

Then, the Sword King spoke. "You're trying to have it both ways again. You want to be the brother who kills his sibling, but also the brother who has a shred of conscience."

Struck to the core, Yeom Baekyin could not refute the words. It was the truth. He wanted to be seen as someone killing out of necessity, not out of greed.

"Lift your head."

Yeom Baekyin lifted his head and met the Sword King's gaze.

"That's worse than a shameless villain," the Sword King said. "It means you want to become a villain while still protecting your own heart."

He drained the rest of his tea in a single gulp and rose from his seat.

"A villain walks one path, enduring the scorn."

When Gi Seok entered the office after being summoned, Yeom Baekyin had his back to him, staring out the window.

"You summoned me?" Gi Seok asked. Even at the greeting, Yeom Baekyin continued to stare silently out the window.

Having served Yeom Baekyin for a long time, Gi Seok could guess what this silence meant in the current situation.

He asked cautiously, "Have you finally made a decision?"

Indeed, Yeom Baekyin slowly nodded his head.

It was the decision Gi Seok had been hoping for. The biggest obstacle in this matter was none other than Yeom Baekjin. Because of him, Gi Seok's own subordinate, Pyo San, had died.

Now, Yeom Baekyin offered no deliberation, no excuses, and no explanations.

"Send word to the White Snake Society."

Yes, if he had decided to walk the path of a villain.

"Tell them to send their best so they don't fail."

After leaving the office, the Sword King found Geom Mugeuk at the martial arts academy's training grounds.

The grounds were now empty of officials, and Geom Mugeuk was practicing his martial arts alone. He was barefoot and held a wooden sword.

The martial art Geom Mugeuk performed was the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique, but it was different from what the Sword King had taught him previously. He was executing a newly reinterpreted version of the technique, based on the Sword King's own teachings.

If the Sword King's martial arts were like water, concealing ultimate power within flexibility and softness, the art Geom Mugeuk now performed was a Yellow Dragon Sword Technique interpreted through the element of wind. Geom Mugeuk's slowly moving wooden sword began to speed up.

A quiet breeze that rustled the reeds became a gust rising through a valley, and soon, it transformed into a typhoon that swept through the area. It was a wild, untamed freedom.

The Sword King felt that freedom in the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique Geom Mugeuk performed. It blew gently, then suddenly swirled into a vortex. Just as Geom Mugeuk completed all three techniques, the Sword King walked toward him.

"Is this defiance?" the Sword King asked, meaning that Geom Mugeuk hadn't performed the technique as he was taught.

"This is all something I learned from you, Instructor." Geom Mugeuk was referring to how the Sword King had taught him a reinterpreted version of the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique. He had simply reinterpreted that reinterpretation.

As if he had been waiting to show him, Geom Mugeuk wasn't surprised at all by the Sword King's appearance.

"You were waiting to show me, weren't you?" the Sword King asked.

Geom Mugeuk didn't hide the fact. "Because you're the only one who would recognize it, Instructor."

Even though they knew each other's identities, Geom Mugeuk treated him as an instructor, and the Sword King treated him as an official.

The Sword King's gaze dropped to Geom Mugeuk's bare feet. He had mentioned that being barefoot was good, but Geom Mugeuk was likely the only one who had actually put it into practice.

"Training barefoot feels good, doesn't it?"

It wasn't just about feeling the earth's energy. The sensation of performing movement arts was so vivid that he could grasp his foot positioning with greater accuracy.

"Show me that technique you performed earlier one more time."

Geom Mugeuk demonstrated the three techniques of his reinterpreted Yellow Dragon Sword Technique. After watching it all, the Sword King held out his hand. "The wooden sword!"

Geom Mugeuk turned the wooden sword around and respectfully offered the hilt, as if he were handing over a real blade.

Taking the wooden sword, the Sword King perfectly replicated Geom Mugeuk's technique. After seeing it just once, he had made Geom Mugeuk's reinterpreted martial art his own. To reinterpret a martial art and then to reinterpret that reinterpretation was something only possible for those at their level.

Then, suddenly, the Sword King rushed toward Geom Mugeuk in a surprise attack.

SWOOOSH!

The Sword King's wooden sword tore through the air toward Geom Mugeuk. It wasn't a different martial art. It was the First Stance of the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique, executed exactly as Geom Mugeuk had interpreted it.

The three techniques followed in an instant. A strong wind became a gust, which then stirred up a typhoon.

WHOOSH. As the kicked-up dust settled, the two figures became visible. Geom Mugeuk had dodged all of the fearsome attacks.

"Ugh, this awful dust," the Sword King said, waving his hand.

Both of them acted as if the surprise attack had never happened. One didn't question why he was attacked, and the other didn't apologize.

"Yours is better," the Sword King admitted honestly.

He acknowledged that Geom Mugeuk's reinterpretation had a higher degree of perfection.

At that, Geom Mugeuk let out a sigh.

"I said it's better, so why the sigh?"

"That's not why I sighed."

"Then?"

"I have a habit of sighing whenever I see someone more admirable than myself."

He said it like a joke, but he was sincere. A person of the Sword King's caliber would not easily admit their own shortcomings, yet the Sword King had done so without a moment's hesitation.

"Why the sudden flattery?" the Sword King asked.

"I'm a shield, aren't I?" Geom Mugeuk replied, meaning it was because he had people to protect.

"Since I've started, I'll continue the flattery," Geom Mugeuk said. "The reason mine is bound to be better is because it was reinterpreted based on something far more magnificent."

The Sword King's gaze deepened as he stared intently at Geom Mugeuk. "I think I understand a little now."

The words were out of context, but Geom Mugeuk could guess their meaning. The Sword King was surely implying that he now understood why the Demonic Cult's Young Cult Leader repeatedly thwarted their organization's plans.

"You call yourself a shield, so what about the women you're supposed to be protecting? What are you doing here?"

"A shield needs to rest sometimes, too," Geom Mugeuk replied. "Now that I've tried it, I see that not just anyone can be a shield."

It was this hard just playing the role mostly in name only. He thought of Lee Ahn, Uncle Hwi, and his own bodyguards, realizing once again how difficult it must have been for them.

"Being a shield doesn't suit the disposition of a worrier like me at all."

Then, the Sword King asked directly, "That woman, Lee Ahn, what is she to you?"

"She is like my own heart."

The Sword King was puzzled by the honest answer. "Is it alright to reveal such a huge weakness so honestly?"

"She is not my weakness, but the weakness of my enemies," Geom Mugeuk stated.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Because if they touch her, they will die the most miserable death in the world at my hands. So, it's a weakness that distracts my enemies, forcing them to suppress their desire to touch her."

The Sword King laughed out loud, clearly pleased. "That was some fresh sophistry."

The Sword King started to walk away again. Geom Mugeuk asked, his eyes on the shoes dangling from the man's waist, "Why don't you kill me?"

He was sure the Sword King had revealed himself as an instructor for the purpose of killing him.

"Why are you postponing it?"

The Sword King paused for a moment and looked up at the sky, as if searching for the answer there. Geom Mugeuk looked up at the sky with him.

The two of them stared at the sky for a long while.

"What was the question?" the Sword King finally asked.

"What did I ask? Ah, why you don't kill me?"

"It's been a while since I've gotten some fresh air."

The Sword King started trudging along again and added, "There are just too many boring bastards in this murim."