Chapter 502: Give it to me just once.

Staring into the deep crimson eyes that gazed at me, I swallowed hard.

A solid physique and a frame far larger than mine.

A man with sharp features, complemented by the fierce eyes unique to the Gu family.

The current master of Gu family. The person I found most daunting stood before me.

The guardian of Shanxi.

Gu Cheol-un the chivalrous hero. He was my father.

‘Why is Father showing up here?’

I was flustered. Why would this fellow be here?

Why was someone who should be in Shanxi here in Sichuan?

‘Did he come for a trip…?’

Even though I knew it was impossible, the thought crossed my mind.

That’s how unfamiliar and strange my father’s appearance was.

My father, looking down at me with an expressionless face.

Gazing at my father’s face, I finally managed to ask.

“…Uh, why are you here?”

“…”

In response to my question, Father frowned slightly and looked me over from head to toe.

His gaze felt quite intense.

After scrutinizing me for a long time, Father broke the silence and spoke to me.

“…I saw the dispatch. I heard something happened at the Tang family. Is that correct?”

“…!”

My eyes widened at my father’s words.

I should have been surprised that he’d seen the dispatch about what happened to me.

‘…It arrived already?’

It was only a few days ago that Naxi told me the Tang family had sent a dispatch.

The dispatch arriving quickly was understandable, since they used demonic beasts, not ordinary birds.

If it bore the direct seal of the Tang family, only the Chief Steward or Father would be able to see it.

Even if the Chief Steward saw it, he’d have to report it to Father, meaning Father would eventually see it.

But.

‘Then… how is Father here?’

Even if the dispatch arrived quickly, Father seeing it and being here meant something else entirely.

‘…It means he came from Shanxi to Sichuan in just a few days.’

It would take at least several months by carriage.

And he came here in just a few days?

Maybe… he flew here?

‘No, even flying here is a problem.’

Based on my past life, that wouldn’t have been much of an issue.

If I had enough internal energy, lifting myself using the heat I emitted wouldn’t have been difficult.

Thinking about traveling from Shanxi to Sichuan using that method…

‘It’s impossible.’

Even recalling my internal energy back then, it would have taken at least seven days and nights.

And that’s assuming I ran myself ragged.

Based on my current state, it would take about fifteen days. Although using compression and rotation might increase the speed compared to back then.

It would take that long due to issues with cultivation level and internal energy.

But the fact that Father is here means, ultimately…

‘…He traveled fast enough to more than make up for that gap. That’s what this means.’

Did that even make sense? It was a situation I couldn’t comprehend, despite the evidence right before my eyes.

“So… you came here right after seeing the dispatch?”

“…”

I asked if that was really the case, but Father offered no particular answer.

As I watched him, wondering why.

Father’s rough hand suddenly grabbed my cheek.

“Ack…?”

His hand was so large it was enough to cup my entire cheek.

He grabbed me as if I were a ball and moved my head side to side. Pathetically, I couldn’t even resist.

My father, who had been fiddling with my face as if it were clay, lowered his already deep voice further and asked me.

“Who did this?”

Ah.

So that’s why he was acting like this. It was because of my face.

‘…Damn, I forgot.’

I kept forgetting what my face looked like right now.

My recovery rate was so good, I knew it would disappear in a few days, so…

I hadn’t bothered to touch it.

I never expected to see Father.

Just then.

“Third Son.”

“Yes…?”

“I asked who did this. Was it someone from the Tang family?”

“Uh… no…? It’s nothing serious, so you don’t need to worry…”

“Tell me.”

Kkug.

‘Gack.’

The fingers holding my cheek tightened.

For some reason, Father seemed slightly angry. Looking at his eyes, it was like saying I rolled down the stairs wouldn’t cut it….

So, in the end, I have to tell him.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering what to do, then decided to just tell him.

“…It was Pajeon…”

“…”

Hearing my answer, Father’s eyebrows twitched.

Pajeon beat me up like this.

As soon as I said that, the grip on my cheek loosened and his hand retracted.

Watching him, I thought.

His own kin was in this state, so from Father’s perspective, he’d likely want to handle it considering the family’s prestige.

But if I said Pajeon did it, Father would probably just let it slide.

After all, Pajeon had become my master with Father’s permission, so he wasn’t in a position to complain if a master disciplined his disciple for training.

Thinking that, I looked at Father.

Father remained silent for a few seconds, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

“I suppose I’ll have to send a dispatch.”

He said curtly.

“Huh…? A dispatch?”

“Two days, it seems I’ll need at least that much more time.”

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

He uttered incomprehensible words and turned to walk away.

I was bewildered, wondering if he’d suddenly appeared only to suddenly leave, watching his back.

“I’ll be back by the Hour of the Pig (Hai shi), so be prepared.”

His words reached me.

“What am I supposed to prepare for…?”

As I asked for an explanation, Father turned his head slightly and glanced my way.

Meeting his blazing crimson eyes, my body felt stiff.

“Prepare to tell me things not written in the dispatch. Do that.”

“…!”

The moment I heard that, I gulped in a breath.

“What that body is. What you intended to do here. That’s what you need to explain to me.”

“…”

Having said that, Father turned his head again and walked away.

Pah-!

In an instant, he turned into embers and vanished before my eyes.

Then, the surrounding heat disappeared, and the subtle pressure subsided.

Only then could I understand.

‘So this was Father’s influence….’

That Father was the reason the surrounding temperature had risen.

Moreover, I figured out why my body had stiffened so much.

‘…He seems angry?’

It seems Father is indeed angry.

If it’s that obvious, he must be quite angry.

‘Besides… everything’s been found out.’

Even the body I was concealing with Qi Transformation Technique.

And the fact that I was trying to do something at the Tang family. Father knew it all.

I recalled the meaning behind Father’s words.

The meaning of his words was simple.

While it meant I had to explain the situation, I couldn’t miss the underlying implication.

-I’m coming tonight to punish you, so be mentally prepared.

That must have been the meaning.

‘Hmm….’

Thinking that, I nodded.

‘I’m fucked.’

No matter how I looked at it, I seemed pretty fucked.

Should I run now? That might actually be better.

[…Running away out of fear of being scolded by your father? What a pathetic thing to do.]

Shin Noya interjected, sounding incredulous.

From my perspective, nothing was scarier than this.

‘Noya, you try playing the role of my father’s son. See if you wouldn’t be scared.’

Seriously, how did he get here?

I couldn’t comprehend how he’d reached this place in merely a few days.

[It’s not that strange, you know.]

‘This isn’t strange…?’

You’re saying it’s not strange to cover a distance that takes months by carriage in just a few days?

As I made a bizarre face at his incredible statement, Noya added in a low voice.

[It was like that even in my time. Back then… even Jemun, who lagged behind physically… no, that friend… could travel back and forth in about seven days and nights.]

‘…’

Traveling the distance from Sichuan to Shanxi in seven days and nights? Noya sometimes talked about the era he lived in, but…

I found it hard to believe whenever I heard stories from that time.

They called it the Age of Despair. It was only a few years after the Demonic Mirror Gate appeared.

And then there was the Blood Demon War, where the Blood Demon appeared.

People referred to that time as the Age of Despair.

[Yes, it’s natural that you can’t believe it.]

Was it because he felt slighted that I couldn’t believe him?

Noya’s voice held a heavy bitterness.

‘No… it’s not that I don’t believe you.’

[It’s natural not to believe. Because it was a world that had no choice but to be that way. No, perhaps it’s better to say it was a world deliberately made that way.]

‘Huh?’

At the strange undertone in Noya’s words, I had to question him.

A world deliberately made that way? What did that mean?

It wasn’t just them boasting about how amazing they were back then.

The atmosphere felt… unusual.

What was it? Why was Noya giving off that vibe?

Could this be the reason for the slight intimidation I’d recently sensed from Noya?

As I was pondering this, waiting for him to speak…

[It’s something I’ve found strange for a while now.]

Finally, Noya continued.

[Unlike in my time, the quality of martial artists living in this era is low. That’s been my question.]

‘…Low quality?’

[The power of the Latecomers is clearly far superior to that of my era.]

The Generation of Shooting Stars.

It was a term used to describe the Latecomers born and active now.

It was an era where countless geniuses were born, hence it was also called the Generation of Hope.

But.

[However, the level of martial artists at their peak is shockingly low.]

When speaking of a martial artist’s peak, it’s not about those in their early twenties (Yi rip).

Most martial artists who started learning martial arts before ten and were past forty were in their prime.

If they reached the limits of their talent and remained at the first-class level, it was a time when their insights had assimilated into their bodies.

And if they had surpassed the pinnacle, it was around the time the internal energy permeating their bodies began to bloom.

‘Their level is low?’

I couldn’t believe Noya’s words.

Because the experts I had met were definitely outstanding.

Not to mention the Eccentric Immortal I met just before. What about the Three Venerables?

As I recalled them, pondering Noya’s words…

[Low.]

Even then, Noya stated firmly.

[I’m not talking about their cultivation level. Rather, the problem is that the power they’ve gained seems incredibly meager compared to the level they’ve achieved.]

‘…Meager?’

[Yes. Not just those called Kings (Wang), but even those called Venerables (Jon). They are endlessly meager compared to their titles.]

Noya’s voice was filled with an undeniable melancholy.

[At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. That they’d forgotten the essence of martial arts, that the desperation was gone, so it made sense. But even so, isn’t it strange? That not just one or two, but the quality of all martial artists has declined.]

As Noya slowly continued speaking…

I felt a creeping unease down my spine.

My stomach felt uneasy, and I swallowed dryly.

From Noya’s time to now, called the Era of Peace. The reason martial artists’ quality plummeted all at once in Shin Noya’s view. And the reason Noya spoke with such bitterness.

Things were gradually coming to mind regarding this, but I dismissed them for now.

Because if that were truly the case, it wouldn’t be just one or two problems.

So, I desperately hoped Noya would say it wasn’t so.

With a sense of unease, I called out to Shin Noya.

‘Noya. What you’re saying….’

[Youngster.]

‘Yes.’

[Do you remember what Ilcheon said back in Bigo?]

‘…In Bigo?’

The Bigo Noya mentioned must refer to when we met at the Divine Dragon Pavilion.

‘What Yeon Ilcheon said to me back then?’

The words Yeon Ilcheon, who treated me like a disaster and tried to kill me, had said.

I couldn’t quite recall, so I kept pondering it. Shin Noya then gave me the answer.

[The world does not make the same mistake twice.]

Right.

Yeon Ilcheon had definitely said that.

That’s why he was searching for the damned answer across various worlds…. The Blood Demon had said the same.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, hearing Noya’s words, a thought flashed through my mind.

A truly shitty thought.

‘Noya. Don’t tell me?’

I called out to Noya, my eyes wide.

Hoping desperately it wasn’t true.

[That Jemun fellow told me.]

But.

[Right after we sealed the Blood Demon… the first thing the world did was…]

As always.

[To place a curse upon the ‘humans’ of this world.]

Nothing in my life ever went the way I wanted.