The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

It was said that no villain was without a story.

Even the worst villains, when looked closely, had heartbreaking stories that might evoke sympathy.

Like Dam Hyun, who as a child, witnessed his family being murdered by a band of marauders.

Or like the Immortal Divine Sword, who accidentally killed his son with a sword.

Or someone else, whose whole family died from poisoning because of themselves.

Such are their tragic circumstances.

However, Cheong Hye did not have such an extraordinary story.

To begin with, he couldn’t even be considered one of the world’s great villains.

Outwardly, he appeared diligent and gentle, but inside, he was slightly twisted, greedy, and a bit foolish.

Of course, there must have been reasons why he turned out that way.

He was born in a fairly influential family in Hubei Province, but his half-brother was more capable.

He joined the Wudang Sect probably because he was pushed out of the succession.

He wanted to become a master, but in truth, he lacked talent in martial arts.

Deeply feeling inferior because he thought his senior brother, whom he had looked down upon, was far superior.

Or perhaps the betrayal he felt when the Sword Emperor, whom he had affectionately cared for, chose an outsider over him as his successor.

Cheong Hye had his own reasons for feeling unjust, though they were less dramatic…

None of it was particularly remarkable to mention.

It would indeed be uninteresting and trivial. Just like the person Cheong Hye.

Only one person would be curious about such things.

Cheong Su, who was almost struck at the paralysis acupoint by his trusted junior brother.

Cheong Su was able to twist his body quickly after seeing his reflection on the water’s surface.

Thanks to that, Cheong Hye’s fingers slightly missed the Tianzhu acupoint at the back of the neck.

Splosh—

Fortunately, his whole body didn’t become paralyzed, but the acupuncture point charged with inner power was powerful in its own right.

Cheong Su endured the tingling pain that spread through his body and flailed his arms and legs.

The movement of the Taiji Fist he was familiar with unfolded.

Pushing Cheong Hye with both hands was the initial move of Double Joining Hands.

Cheong Hye, shocked, crossed his arms to block.

Crash—!

Water splashed as Cheong Hye was pushed back.

Cheong Su yelled angrily, “Wh-what are you doing!”

“…”

“You bastard! Answer me!”

Cheong Su felt an immense sense of betrayal.

Cheong Hye blushed deeply, embarrassed. He had launched a surprise attack, but seemed to know it was shameful.

“Could it be… you were planning to go alone?”

Cheong Su’s guess was probably right.

“You’re going to leave me behind and inherit the martial arts secrets…”

“…Yes! That’s right!”

Cheong Hye shouted angrily.

“I guess it’s okay since Senior Brother has no guts. But I can’t stand it!”

“What are you talking about!”

“How could Great Senior Elder do this to us!”

It was the first time Cheong Su had seen Cheong Hye this angry. Could it mean he had been harboring such a hard lump in his heart all along?

Cheong Su felt both anger and astonishment at his junior brother’s rebellion.

“What did Great Senior Elder do to make you lose it like this! He’s teaching us martial arts, isn’t he!”

“He’s just skimming the essentials. Always the Nine Palace Linked Sword or the Lesser Blue Sword Technique!”

“Maybe it’s not time for us to learn the Taiji Wisdom Sword yet!”

“That’s not the issue. What about the Founder’s divine art? Or Sage Sanfeng’s martial art techniques? Don’t you see he’s not teaching us? He probably decided from the start to give them to that Immortal Divine Dragon!”

Cheong Su finally fully understood Cheong Hye’s feelings.

His junior brother felt betrayed by the Great Senior Elder.

“For years now, we’ve taken care of the senile Great Senior Elder. Bathed him, washed his urine-soaked blankets. Even got beaten while doing it.”

“That’s…”

“I’ve even had broken limbs. You know I almost died that time! How could he treat me like some disposable object after all that…”

The moment for rational judgment had passed.

Cheong Su realized that he had made a grave mistake. The junior brother he thought was so remarkable was just an ordinary human.

At the same time, he felt a surge of emotion.

“So, you attacked me because of that?”

“…”

A hollow laugh escaped him.

The junior brother he thought was superior in every way turned out to be a petty and ugly human.

“You bastard, were you the only one getting hit?”

His anger boiled over.

“If I hadn’t thrown myself to block it, you would have died, you little shit. You don’t even appreciate that, and you stab me in the back? I got hurt more than you did!”

Just as Dam Hyun said, Cheong Su was from the bottom of society.

He had held himself back since coming to the sect, but he had always been sharp-tongued since childhood.

“You son of a bitch, cursed to die tearing your guts out.”

Cheong Hye, who had never been cursed at like this in his life, turned deathly pale.

“Even beggars don’t stab each other in the back. You fucking bastard!”

“H-huh!”

Cheong Su charged forward, causing a splash.

Cheong Hye, startled, raised his hands, but he was already overpowered.

It seemed a moment when Cheong Su, as a senior brother, would demonstrate his authority.

Fur-fur-fur—

Blows were exchanged, and Cheong Su’s expression contorted.

The problem was the recent stab at the back of the neck.

Cheong Hye’s penetrating Qi in the meridian interfered with the body’s movement. The muscles from the back of the neck to the lower back were tightly contracted, making the movements awkward.

Still, the exchange of blows continued fiercely.

Fur-fur! Crack!

Cheong Hye’s fist struck Cheong Su’s face. A trickle of blood flowed from his nose.

A faint smile appeared on Cheong Hye’s face, and Cheong Su boldly headbutted him.

Thump—!

“Cough!”

Cheong Hye’s head snapped back. Blood also flowed from his nose.

It was a good thing no one was around to see, as it was quite an embarrassing affair.

It had turned almost into a brawl.

Neither was seriously attempting to kill, so they ended up soaking wet and with bruises on their faces.

“You alone went in, what were you trying to do, you fool!”

“What do you think! To catch up the Immortal Divine Dragon…”

“As if, idiot!”

Cheong Su suddenly leapt up and kicked Cheong Hye in the chest.

Cheong Hye pulled his body back to absorb the impact and then destabilized Cheong Su’s center of gravity.

Cheong Su plunged into the water. Cheong Hye rushed over him.

“You made a deal with that eccentric guy from the Azure Forest!”

“What deal! Pfft!”

“Obviously. Senior Brother wins and then shares Zhang Sanfeng’s martial arts, right? That’s like blocking the dantian!”

“Pfft, nonsense!”

Cheong Su and Cheong Hye continued their fierce splashing fight, no, water fight.

“Cough! I didn’t realize you were such a bastard!”

Dam Hyun had given Cheong Su two things.

One was a telescope capable of observing long distances. The other was a small metal canister, and its purpose was unclear.

The metal canister was tied around Cheong Su’s waist, and a red string protruded from it, equipped with a ring for pulling.

In fact, this was much more important than the telescope.

Cheong Hye noticed it too.

“What is that used for! Argh!”

“This is…”

Cheong Su also did not know the exact purpose of the object.

Dam Hyun had only said ominously while smiling, ‘This will light your path. When you can’t see anything.’

‘What? What do you mean…’

‘When there should be something but there’s nothing. When magical barriers block you, pull this ring. It will break most spells or Qi Men formations. It’s modeled after the Flame Mist Bottle, but it’s not like it contains poison or anything.’

Dam Hyun’s face was full of competitive spirit.

‘I might even be better than Zhang Sanfeng in this regard.’

It was a crazy thing to say, but his expression was triumphant.

Cheong Hye tried to snatch the canister without even knowing its function.

“Ugh, let go, you bastard!”

“Aaaaah!”

Cheong Hye flailed recklessly, and his finger accidentally caught on the ring.

Tying that important object around his waist was undoubtedly a mistake by Cheong Su.

As the rope on the ring tightened, a ‘click’ sound came from the metal canister.

Pff!

As if it were a flare, something popped out.

Something yellow burst through the surface of the water.

The gazes of Cheong Hye and Cheong Su simultaneously turned in that direction.

Its identity seemed clear.

“…A talisman?”

Hundreds of small talismans, the size of a finger, written on yellow sophora paper with red cinnabar ink containing mantras.

They sprang into the air and began to burn with a bright white light.

Sizzling sounds!

It was like watching fireworks, excluding the fact that the light was dazzlingly white and the fact that the light produced an extremely mysterious effect.

Hissing—

Firstly, there was a change at the very spot where Yi-gang had disappeared.

Thud—

Along with the sound of something falling, a hole suddenly opened up on the valley floor.

There was no doubt that this place was the entrance to the Heaven Ascension Cave.

Cheong Hye’s face brightened momentarily.

However, Cheong Su couldn’t share that feeling.

The talismans had illuminated other things hidden in the world.

On the rocks of the valley.

And, on the tree right behind.

Also, within the dark shadows.

The light forcibly revealed everything that had been hiding within.

Figures wearing gray hoods, with pitch-black eyes. They were the Hidden Ghosts, who had infiltrated the Wudang Sect under the command of Mang-hon and Heuk-am.

They had been waiting here, even deceiving the eyes of the Sword Emperor.

Because they possessed a spell of invisibility, they had been hiding their presence, but ironically, that’s why they were exposed by Dam Hyun’s invention.

Cheong Su stiffened his face and shouted, “Wh-who are you!”

But his voice lacked enough strength.

The sight of the five Hidden Ghosts was that terrifying.

Their limbs were elongated, and their eyes, glimpsed through the gaps in the hoods, were as black as obsidian.

They exchanged glances and communicated through telepathy.

Then, they simultaneously drew bizarrely shaped curved blades from their waists.

Swoosh—

The blades, about two spans long, were greatly curved and darkened as if coated with ash. It was an exotic shape rarely seen, but its purpose was clear.

It was an assassin’s blade designed for a lethal strike.

“Ha!”

Cheong Su drew his sword with a loud shout, and Cheong Hye did the same.

In contrast, the Hidden Ghosts quietly closed their encirclement.

He shouted, but no one appeared in the vicinity. If there had been anyone, they would have appeared during his earlier altercation with Cheong Hye.

“I don’t know who you are, but to dare invade the territory of Wudang… Reveal your identity!”

The leader of the Hidden Ghosts ignored Cheong Su and simply nodded.

Then, four Hidden Ghosts charged at once.

Cheong Su’s complexion turned pale.

“Keuk…”

But soon, he steeled his expression and gripped his sword firmly.

He too was a disciple of Wudang. As a swordsman trained by the Sword Emperor, he could not be frightened before the battle had even begun.

Cheong Su executed the Nine Palace Linked Sword technique.

Stepping on the treading step, he continued with a slow walking method, splitting the water. He trusted his back to his junior brother, Cheong Hye.

Cheong Su swung his sword horizontally at the leading Hidden Ghost.

Compared to that curved blade, the Wudang’s pine-patterned sword was much longer.

Whish—

The honest but sufficiently sharp sword cut through the air.

The Hidden Ghost swung the curved blade fiercely, but Cheong Su changed the angle of his sword at the right moment.

Clack—!

The attack of the Hidden Ghost was blocked.

However, Cheong Su was soon horrified.

From the elbow of the Hidden Ghost, a blade suddenly protruded.

At the moment when Cheong Su’s face was almost split vertically, someone suddenly grabbed Cheong Su by the nape of the neck.

The curved blade whisked past Cheong Su’s nose. He could smell the foul odor of the poison on the blade.

For a moment, he thought it was Cheong Hye who had helped him.

“What is this.”

It was Yi-gang who had appeared out of nowhere and saved Cheong Su’s life.

Yi-gang’s sword pierced through the chest of the Hidden Ghost.

Thud—

It was a strikingly fast strike.

“Just as I thought I heard bickering outside, suddenly a deluge came down.”

Yi-gang was soaked through.

When exactly had he come out of the Heaven Ascension Cave?

“It was clear some suspicious characters had shown up.”

He appeared quite annoyed as he swept back his wet hair.

“What are you doing, draw your sword quickly.”

“Y-yes!”

To Cheong Su, Yi-gang seemed like a savior.