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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shrine
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“Huh… What on earth is going on here?”
Elder Baek sighed at the sight before him.
Elder Baek’s sigh, which seemed to be released from his mouth for the umpteenth time , pierced William’s ears.
But no one could blame him for his sighs.
Who would have thought that a once-successful friend would be living in a dilapidated house on the verge of collapse?
What reason could there be for him to be lying in such a rundown place, even gasping for breath as if he was about to die?
“Father! I’ve come!”
“How did you… end up like this…”
Elder Baek couldn’t finish his words and just stared at his old friend with his mouth shut. His expression was in stark contrast to the expectant look he had when he first brought up his friend.
It seemed he couldn’t quite come to terms with the reality that his old friend had now ended up in such a state.
William would feel the same way if he were in that position.
How could one easily accept that a friend who was once a successful innkeeper had suddenly become someone living in a crumbling ruin, and dying on a sickbed too? William thought unpleasantly as he quietly leaned against the crumbling wall, watching the reunion of the two friends.
“Cough… cough… So you’ve come…”
“How did you, who were once called the Iron Chivalrous Dao, end up like this? How did you end up in such a state?!”
A cry mixed with anguish shook the dilapidated house.
Perhaps because he was too excited, Elder Baek had infused internal energy into his voice.
William let the vibration of internal energy that tickled his skin pass by and fiddled with the handle of his sword.
He wasn’t sure about other things, but it seemed certain that they had gotten involved in quite a troublesome situation. Still, now that they were involved, they just had to resolve it somehow, like with the situation with Merchant Ming.
William began to pay attention to their conversation.
“It’s just the karma I’ve accumulated…”
“Karma? What are you talking about? You’ve saved dozens of people through your chivalrous deeds! Weren’t you praised as a hero until your retirement?”
Elder Baek’s lament turned into a rough voice mixed with anger and sorrow, like the howl of a beast.
Should I calm him down? William thought.
If I left him like this, he might develop an illness from anger.
William continued to watch their conversation with some internal conflict.
“Even a hermit… living in the mountains… cough… accumulates karma. It’s all… my fault.”
“Father! It’s not your fault that my brother became corrupt like that!”
“No… I should have… clearly… explained… why…..i denied…his request”
…So it’s a family matter.
“You are talking about your firstborn… isn’t that Munkyung? I knew that boy had some rascal tendencies, but to think he would bring harm to his own father? What on earth happened between you?”
“It’s all… my fault…”
“I’ll explain.”
Ma-ryang’s story was quite long. It was natural, given that the words came from a throat full of resentment. William listened carefully to the story and sighed.
What a mess.
“…So because his father didn’t teach him martial arts when he asked, that scoundrel left home, learned martial arts somewhere else, and then challenged him to a duel? And in the midst of that, he used an assassination technique?”
“That’s right…”
Ma-ryang gritted his teeth, seemingly unable to contain his own anger. His face looked as if he would kill his brother right then and there if he appeared, regardless of their blood relation.
“It’s all my fault… my fault… I should have… been honest… what was my pride for…”
The half-deranged old man continued to blame himself repeatedly.
But why didn’t he teach him martial arts? In the modern world it might be understandable, but in a world like this, there was no reason not to pass on martial arts to one’s son unless he had a constitution like the Nine Yin Skeleton.
After all, since inns were places where martial artists often caused trouble, learning martial arts wouldn’t be a bad thing, and if one could become a renowned expert, it would even be something to boast about.
And wouldn’t it be better if the disciple to inherit one’s martial arts was one’s own son?
“Father, why didn’t you just teach my brother?..”
“…No… the Seven Severance Dao… cannot…”
“Father!”
“We need to get him to bed for now! No, we should take him to a doctor right away! Quickly, carry him!”
“Uncle, it’s such a terrible story…”
“In this world, you’ll hear countless stories just like this. Get used to it. It’s a cruel thing to say, but tragedy always strikes unexpectedly.”
There’s no warning for tragedy.
Some people’s accumulated negative karma piles up like mountains yet they live peacefully, while others suffer suddenly due to a small amount of karma. That’s reality.
Unfortunately, the old man being carried on his son’s back seemed to have become a victim of an unexpected tragedy due to a small amount of karma he might have accumulated.
“Hajin, you and the others should go to an inn and rest. I want to stay by my friend’s side tonight.”
“…Yes, Elder.”
Hajin nodded with a bitter face and turned to the others, saying, “Let’s quickly find a place to stay.”
No one objected to his words.
—
“Uncle… did you sleep well?”
“Well…”
To be honest, after what happened yesterday, it wasn’t easy to sleep comfortably. Even Hye-ryeong, who was blinking her eyes at William, looked tired.
Although he wanted to tell her to sleep more, it was already quite late.
They had woken up half an incense stick’s time later than usual, so now it was time to wait for Elder Baek.
William wondered why the bedridden owner of the Hong Family Inn didn’t teach his son martial arts. It seemed even Ma-ryang didn’t know the reason and was frustrated about it.
The reason for not teaching his son martial arts seemed to be the key.
What reason could there be, that he couldn’t even tell his son about it? He wasn’t just a disciple of his, but his son.
With this question in mind, William went down to the first floor of the inn with Hye-ryeong. The others would take some time with their morning cultivation, so only William and Hye-ryeong decided to have breakfast first.
They sat in a quiet corner of the inn,overlooking the entrance.
“We’ve informed Elder Baek about the inn’s location, so he should be here soon, right?”
“I’m not sure. Given his friend’s critical condition, he might not come. Maybe… we should go find him instead.”
They sent Hong Mu-gang to the doctor last night, so they know the location of the doctor. It might be better if only two or three of them went, given the serious condition.
William wasn’t even sure if they should be involved in this at all.
Getting mixed up in such sensitive family matters was extremely uncomfortable. Maybe it was because he was a former Korean before his transmigration…
“Uncle, let’s not talk about depressing topics and have breakfast!”
“Right. We should…”
There was no point in them being pessimistic. After all, they didn’t know the whole story. They couldn’t judge the situation based on only what was relayed by the son.
“Waiter! Two portions of thin noodles and dumplings here!”
“Yes! Two bowls of thin noodles and two portions of dumplings!”
The waiter’s voice, slightly hoarse, and gruff related the waiter’s response from the kitchen.
William killed time by rotating his teacup with his fingertips, while listening to the faint noises the cooks made while preparing their meal.
Hye-ryeong, who would usually be chattering away, was also silent, perhaps shocked by yesterday’s events.
“Your order of two bowls of thin noodles and two portions of dumplings is ready!”
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you!”
Perhaps because William was a foreigner,the waiter gave a slight bow and quickly ran back towards the kitchen. Was it difficult for him to converse with foreigners?
But I’m speaking in the language of the Central Plains. He shouldn’t find it difficult to converse with me, William thought.
“Let’s eat.”
They then focused solely on devouring their breakfast. There wasn’t much else to do anyway.
Soon, the martial artists of the Haenam Sword Sect began to take their seats at the table one by one. After a long and quiet meal, Hajin broke the silence.
“How about if the two of us, Sir William and I, go?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
“Senior Brother, I also…”
“Hagyeong, you stay and look after the disciples while we’re gone.”
“Yes.”
Hagyeong nodded in understanding at his words.
“Sir William. Shall we go?”
I hope nothing goes wrong, William thought.
He agreed with a nod and stood up.
“We’ll be back then.”
“Have a safe trip. I’ll be resting in the room.”
Hye-ryeong announced her plans in a lower tone than usual and got up from her seat.
I don’t need to worry about this group anymore, right?
With a hint of concern, William headed towards the doctor’s place with Hajin.
“Hajin. You’ve come.”
“Yes, Elder.”
Elder Baek’s face looked noticeably gaunt, as if he hadn’t slept properly. How much had he worried in just one night?
“How is the old man?”
“The doctor told us to prepare for the worst.”
This was the worst news possible. William looked at Ma-ryang, who was sitting beside him in a daze. He didn’t look good either; if he wasn’t careful, he might follow his father soon.
“Is there anything else you’ve learned about the cause of this situation?”
“He just kept repeating that everything was his fault.”
Elder Baek answered with a frustrated expression and continued in a hoarse voice.
“I want to stay and see my friend’s funeral through. You should go ahead.”
“No, we came with plenty of time to spare, so we can stay for the funeral. As juniors, shouldn’t we send off the once-famous Iron Chivalrous Dao?”
William silently nodded in agreement with Hajin’s words.
The original story wouldn’t properly start for at least a few months anyway. Even if they were a bit late, it wouldn’t make much difference.
“You should go back and rest. I want to stay by my friend’s side a little longer…”
“Yes. Please take care of yourself too, Elder.”
“I’ll be fine, so go on.”
They turned and walked out of the doctor’s place.
Sigh, how frustrating.
So… at times like this, one should take action.
“Junior Hajin.”
“Yes, Sir William.”
“Are there beggars in this place too?”
“Is there any place in the world without beggars?”
Right. Beggars are one thing the world never lacks.
“Let’s go see how the beggars here live.”
Hajin nodded with a determined face at William’s words.
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Damn
Thank for the chapter