Chapter 501: Give it to me just once.

“Isn’t it kind of hot?”

As soon as we returned to Dangmun, Woohyeok said.

Hearing Woohyeok’s words, I looked around.

‘Hot?’

Indeed. I could feel a slight warmth.

As summer had arrived, it was natural for the air to get hotter, but…

‘What is it?’

Something felt a little different.

I didn’t know exactly what was different, but I could feel a subtle difference.

Perhaps it was because I had learned Hwagong, but I was actually better at sensing temperature differences.

I considered raising my Ki sense to check, but decided to let it go for now.

‘It’s just the temperature, I guess.’

I figured it was just hotter today. I thought so.

Because there was something more urgent than that right now.

[…Damn…Damn….]

The irritating voices constantly echoing in my ears from within my clothes, that was the problem.

The voices that had tormented me the entire way back to Dangmun made me frown without realizing it.

[Damn it all….]

[Ah, would you please be quiet.]

Shin Noyai, unable to stand it any longer, let out a remark. For some reason, Noyai’s voice was full of amusement.

[Do I look like I’m calming down right now!]

Namgung Myung, the owner of the cold voice, unleashed his fury at Shin Noyai, but Noyai only laughed at the outburst.

[Hoo… It’s a bit awkward to say this, but Myung-ah.]

[What is it….]

[You look absolutely pathetic. I like it.]

[You son of a bi-!]

‘Ah, would you guys just be quiet already! It’s driving me crazy how loud you are, seriously.’

Because of the two old geezers bickering childishly all day, I wanted to cover my ears, but…

Covering my ears wouldn’t make the noise lessen.

Damn it all.

In this headache-inducing situation, I had to squeeze my eyes shut.

The Brain Seed was inside my clothes. The Brain Seed that should have originally been held by Goeseon.

It wasn’t even with Namgung Bi-ah.

How did this end up in my hands?

I couldn’t possibly understand this unexpected situation.

…How did it really come to this?

Leaving the two gentlemen who were noisily clamoring without a moment’s rest behind, I thought about the cause of this situation.

The reason was none other than…

Simply…

‘I picked up the Brain Seed.’

That was probably the problem.

I had only intended to pick up the fallen Brain Seed with a somewhat good(?) heart and give it to Goeseon.

I didn’t know it would become a problem.

Seeing me casually pick up the Brain Seed, Goeseon asked with a shocked expression.

-…That…thing… How can you pick it up?

-Yes?

At Goeseon’s words, I had to give a dumbfounded reply.

How could I pick it up? How else but with my hands? What else would I do?

Meanwhile, it wasn’t just Goeseon; Namgung Myung was also a problem.

[This…What is this…!]

Perhaps he was even more shocked than Goeseon, his reaction was unusual.

I only grabbed the Brain Seed. What on earth could be the problem?

As I tilted my head, thinking that,

[…Why. You, who are not of Namgung family blood, can pick up the Brain Seed?]

-What did you say?

At Namgung Myung’s subsequent words, my eyes widened.

If you’re not of Namgung family blood, you can’t grab the Brain Seed?

-What does that mean…?

[You should have been scorched by the Brain Ki immediately…Why…are you unharmed.]

What kind of terrifying words are those? Saying I should have been scorched by Brain Ki.

Only then did I recall the light that had flashed the moment I grabbed the Brain Seed.

Could it be that the light had that kind of intention?

Thinking like that, I felt like throwing away this damned rod right away.

However.

-…Why did nothing happen?

Unlike Namgung Myung’s or Goeseon’s reactions.

The Brain Seed only flashed briefly; nothing else happened.

In fact, the way it fit snugly in my hand felt quite good.

[Put it down immediately.]

Namgung Myung’s chilling voice reached my ears. Though I didn’t know the reason, it was good that the Brain Ki hadn’t erupted, so I let it pass.

For now, let’s return it to Goeseon and think about it.

As I thought that and was about to walk towards Goeseon,

-Wait…!

-…?

Goeseon suddenly reached out his hand towards me, stopping me.

-You’re saying you can hold it without any problems?

-No…

-Like, it doesn’t hurt or anything. Is that what you mean?

Is he asking about my condition?

-Yes… It doesn’t particularly hurt or anything…

-Good.

What’s so good about it?

Hearing my answer, Goeseon’s expression was unusual.

As if things had gone well. His face was filled with excitement.

Why was he suddenly making that kind of face?

Meanwhile, it seemed I wasn’t the only one who found Goeseon’s expression strange.

[Wait… Descendant-ah, what are you trying to do now?]

Namgung Myung seemed to have realized what Goeseon was trying to do. Urgency tinged his voice.

What is this? What’s going on?

Just as I stood there blankly, unable to comprehend the situation,

[Immediately! Grab that guy!]

Namgung Myung screamed out. Ah, fuck, my ears hurt.

With a frown forming involuntarily, I tried to look at Goeseon again, but…

Whoosh-!

-Huh?

Suddenly, an immense pressure emanated from Goeseon.

It was comparable to the level when he briefly tried to fight me seriously at the end.

I wondered why that guy was acting like this.

Just then.

-Well then, I’ll ask you to hold onto it for a few days.

-Huh?

Goeseon suddenly said that to me, and then…

[Grab that guy…!]

Pop-!

Kwaaaahhhh-!

He disappeared before my eyes, creating immense wind pressure.

Huh…?

The pit gouged out by the aftermath of the Hellfire Prison. Right after Goeseon disappeared from there.

I had to stand there blankly for a moment, unable to comprehend the situation that had unfolded.

-What the…?

[You baaaaastard!]

Namgung Myung cried out as if in anguish, seeing this.

Wondering what this situation was, I had to look at Woohyeok.

As if asking for an explanation of the situation, I looked at Woohyeok, and that guy Woohyeok was picking his nose with a familiar look in his eyes.

That handsome face picking his nose…?

As I looked at Woohyeok like he was crazy, Woohyeok muttered, looking at the space where Goeseon had disappeared.

-He ran off again.

At Woohyeok’s nonchalantly spoken words, I finally realized what had happened.

Along with Namgung Myung’s noisy mumbling, I looked at the Brain Seed in my hand.

And I thought.

Could this be…

-…I’ve been set up?

It seemed that way.

---

After the series of events, I returned to my room first.

It was around the time the sun was about to set, or maybe not. Originally, I had planned to visit Paejon and tease him under the guise of training, but…

Given how things turned out, that was impossible.

[Acting all high and mighty. Kkuhuhuh!]

[Gggghhh….]

[…Damn it all….]

Returning to the present like that, I had to think about many things while looking at the Brain Seed placed in the room.

‘What should I do with this?’

It seemed like Goeseon had dumped the Brain Seed on me, but…

Should I be happy about this?

Of course, it was something to be happy about.

‘It turned out the way I wanted….’

As much as I had sought to obtain the Brain Seed, and it ended up in my hands, it seemed like a situation to be happy about, but…

‘This… this isn’t it….’

The distinctly uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away.

I hadn’t even gotten to say anything I had prepared, and I certainly didn’t expect Goeseon to just throw this at me and leave.

‘A few days…? What does ‘a few days’ mean?’

He’s only entrusting it to me for a few days?

After just handing this over to me, where did he go?

It was somewhat difficult to understand Goeseon’s actions.

Judging by Woohyeok’s reaction, which seemed familiar, it looked like something that happened often, but…

[That damned guy…Truly…!]

Looking at Namgung Myung’s reaction, it seemed like this kind of thing was a first, even amidst all this.

[Return me, immediately, immediately, to that guy.]

Namgung Myung seemed quite displeased, repeating this phrase, but…

“…How am I supposed to return him? I don’t even know where he is.”

I had no means to catch Goeseon, who had fled with all his might.

[Find him somehow and return me!]

Namgung Myung started throwing a tantrum, grinding his teeth.

[Whoa there! How dare you yell so loudly at someone else’s child!]

Shin Noyai wasn’t one to just watch this happen.

Someone else’s child? Anyone would think Shin Noyai was talking about his own grandson.

[Hey, isn’t it enough that I picked up someone who was about to be discarded on the ground!]

[What? Someone to be discarded?]

[From the looks of it, that child of yours doesn’t seem to like you much. If he dislikes you that much, he should just leave on his own, tsk tsk, so much lingering attachment.]

[What do you know…!]

Ah, is this another argument?

Feeling like this tiresome argument was starting again, I felt like I was burning up inside.

[What don’t I know? Seeing how things are going in the Namgung family, I know perfectly well.]

[…Grrr.]

[I understand you’re trying hard because you pity your descendants who have lost their way… But as I said earlier, us, who are already dead, interfering any further is greed…]

[What do you know to speak like that?]

Namgung Myung’s voice changed as he cut off the words.

Just moments ago, he seemed to be venting his anger, but his voice just now felt much calmer.

However.

The anger permeating that calmness was enough to make me flinch involuntarily.

[Since the plum blossoms of Hua San are still blooming brilliantly, you can say such things.]

[Myung-ah.]

[Centuries have passed, and what do you know, appearing only now, to speak like that? You know nothing, don’t you? What feelings I, ‘we’, had during those long, long years. Can you possibly understand?]

[…]

At Namgung Myung’s frosty words, Shin Noyai fell silent for a moment.

The resentment contained in that voice was suffocating even for me to feel.

[Everyone looked towards one goal and strived. You did too, and so did we. But.]

[Myung….]

[Your Hua San, sleeping peacefully, still holds something noble, while we, who volunteered sacrifice, are all falling into ruin. Is watching that passively faith? And trying to stop it is greed?]

[…]

I swallowed hard at Namgung Myung’s words.

Because when I thought about it, he wasn’t wrong.

Namgung Myung’s Namgung family was gradually weakening, having forgotten the essence of martial arts;

The Dangmun of the Tang Gate sect had rotted to the point where she herself had asked for it to be removed.

Was the Shaolin of Hwangabulyeong any different? From my perspective, I didn’t think so.

Yeonilcheon’s Yeon Family had long since fallen and was only recorded in history.

Then what about Hua San?

Even just before my past life self and Cheonma destroyed them, they were a steadfast prestigious family guarding Shaanxi.

The plum blossoms blooming from their swords were still beautiful.

Knowing that, perhaps Shin Noyai couldn’t say anything else either.

[Did you wake up with your original beliefs intact, only to intend to curse me now? If that’s the case, why didn’t you appear a little sooner.]

Sharp words mixed with sarcasm.

I could feel Namgung Myung’s anger permeating them.

[…So, is that why you said you wouldn’t meet me?]

[I have forgotten. I don’t remember what I endured all this way for. What I want to do now is solely to correct Namgung’s twisted sword.]

The matters left unfinished from the Blood Demon War, passed on to the future.

The traces left behind to help with that, and their beliefs.

Namgung Myung claimed to have already forgotten all of this.

Listening to him, I thought.

Did I dare to see him as selfish? No.

To say he wouldn’t make sacrifices that wouldn’t be rewarded. To say he would fix his ruined family with his own hands, even now, what right do I have to curse him for that?

If it were me, I wouldn’t have made any sacrifices in the first place.

However.

‘What about Noyai?’

I thought Noyai’s position might be different.

Shin Noyai, as I had seen him so far, setting aside his damn personality, was indeed a person who could be called a hero.

As I waited for Noyai’s words with a sense of worry,

[…I see.]

Finally, Noyai spoke.

Does ‘I see’ mean he affirms Namgung Myung’s intentions?

Expecting that, I waited for Noyai to continue, but…

[As expected, you are not Myung-i.]

[…!]

‘…What the.’

Shin Noyai suddenly said something. It sounded like something he’d said before.

What could this mean?

Just as I was about to ask Noyai what he meant with a bewildered expression,

Knock knock.

Suddenly, I sensed someone outside the door.

Was I so focused on the conversation that I didn’t notice someone approaching?

I glanced towards the door with a frown.

“Who is it?”

‘…’

I called out, but there was no answer.

Yet, it definitely felt like someone was outside.

‘What is it?’

Judging by the lack of response, is it Nahi?

I had called Nahi earlier today because I had something to ask her, but…

If it were her, she wouldn’t fail to answer when I asked.

Then who could it be? I got up.

I see a shadow outside. It’s quite large to be Nahi.

Then, could it be Dangdeok?

Creak.

With questions in my mind, I opened the door, and…

“…Huh…?”

Seeing the figure standing outside the door, I froze solid.

A massive build, clad in red martial attire adorned with gold patterns.

Dust clinging here and there as if he had arrived in a hurry, and his black horse somewhat dishevelled.

And even his menacing red eyes. It was an appearance I could never mistake.

Looking into his calm eyes gazing down at me, I involuntarily spoke.

“Family Head…?”

“…”

Yes.

The one standing at the door.

Was, surprisingly, my father.