18
Chapter 18: I Live for the Murim
Cheol Wooseng descended onto Yuhagak’s manor.
The first thing his gaze landed on was the three heads placed side by side.
“Ah, Ahh…! Myeonghwa, Wi-gang… Father-in-law!”
Cheol Wooseng cried out in anguish.
It had only been a few hours.
“You!!”
He couldn’t believe it. Just a day after leaving his household, his father-in-law, wife, and son’s heads lay severed before him.
“You’ve ruined the family! You killed your brother and your mother!?”
Whoooosh—!
Cheol Wooseng’s energy exploded from his body.
Unlike the anger he had been holding back before, this time, he grabbed his mace without hesitation.
Crack, crack—.
The sound of the Cheolga family’s heirloom weapon rang through the room, an ominous sign.
“Let’s have this out properly.”
Cheol Gun-ak swept his blood-soaked hair back and coolly pointed at his half-brother, Cheol Wi-gang, and Geum Jung-tae’s severed heads.
“These two I killed, but it was Geum Myeonghwa who killed Geum Jung-tae.”
“You bastard!! Stop lying through your teeth─!”
“Then are you asking me to die quietly?”
Whoosh—!
Cheol Wooseng’s fury surged forward.
The killing intent from Cheol Gun-ak was intense and unsettling.
Cheol Wooseng froze, caught off guard by the unexpected force coming from Cheol Gun-ak.
“Tonight, he came to Muhwagak, right?”
“Brothers─.”
“Accompanied by twenty men.”
Cheol Wooseng wasn’t a fool.
No matter how close they were as brothers, bringing twenty external mercenaries here at this hour was obviously intentional.
—I’ll take care of the family ‘discipline’ in your place, Father.
Before he left to meet Geum Myeonghwa, his third son had said those words.
He hadn’t expected it to mean something like this.
No.
“……”
Cheol Wooseng glared at Cheol Gun-ak with sharp eyes.
He already had a pretty good idea.
He had known that the eldest would die tonight.
And that the third would report that Cheol Gun-ak had been dealt with “by accident” during the discipline.
“And Geum Jung-tae kidnapped my men and took them away.”
Cheol Wooseng finally acknowledged the two figures in the corner: Halmeom and Sibi, nodding in recognition.
“I live for the Murim.”
Whoosh—.
Cheol Gun-ak stepped forward with his left foot.
Just like with Geum Jung-tae, he lowered his center of gravity and raised Heukya. His posture, ready to strike, focused directly on Cheol Wooseng.
The Ink-Scaled Iron Python’s inner core melted into his Ultra Heat Divine Power, giving him a steady support.
“Decide. Whether you’ll be my enemy or not.”
“……How did you kill them?”
Cheol Wooseng could only ask weakly.
Cheol Gun-ak was weak.
No, no matter how strong he might be, without divine arts or skills, there was no way he could win against today’s enemies.
Yet, soaked in blood, standing firm, Cheol Gun-ak remained the only one standing.
Though his own son, the familiar, strange monster he was looking at, made Cheol Wooseng feel unsettled.
Cheol Gun-ak scoffed at his father’s question.
“Why I killed them is less important than how I did.”
“……?”
“Geum Jung-tae was from the Dark Emperor Cult.”
“Again, with that Dark Emperor Cult nonsense. The entire Cheolga is full of it, huh?”
“I have witnesses.”
“What?”
Cheol Gun-ak looked up at the sky.
The dark sky watched back at him, and through the rain, he called for a ‘bird.’
“Whoever you are, I know you’ve been watching.”
“……”
“Come forward.”
Every time Cheol Gun-ak needed help, a bird’s cry had sounded.
Whoosh—.
Darkness stirred.
A figure, masked, appeared between Cheol Gun-ak and Cheol Wooseng.
“Cheol Wooseng, you’re misunderstanding.”
“Who are you?”
Whoosh—.
The figure lowered his mask.
Cheol Wooseng’s eyes widened in recognition.
“Baek Li Chupung Im Se-gul?”
He was one of the Gwangmyeongdae’s three heroes, overseeing the southern region of Bukcheon.
Cheol Wooseng never imagined Im Se-gul would be here.
He gestured at Cheol Gun-ak.
“Someone sent a letter to our leader saying that Cheolga reeks of Dark Emperor Cult.”
It was the letter Cheol Gun-ak had sent through Sibi to Gwangmyeongdae.
Due to the recent issue with the Great Wall, the Gwangmyeongdae leader couldn’t move, but in his usual fiery temper, he couldn’t ignore it and sent Im Se-gul in his stead.
“By the name of Gwangmyeongdae, I speak.”
Boom—!
Thunder struck.
“That man is the one who killed your wife.”
In the world of black and white, Im Se-gul pointed at Geum Jung-tae’s severed head.
Cheol Wooseng, who had been on the verge of exploding, stopped in his tracks.
If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have believed it. But Im Se-gul was someone who never lied, and he knew it well.
“……”
He had thought Cheol Gun-ak was responsible for everything, but if Geum Jung-tae was truly the culprit…
If his precious wife was murdered by his father-in-law…
Even without cutting open his heart, it was clear that it was the Dark Emperor Cult.
Even if it wasn’t the Dark Emperor Cult, someone who treated their child that way couldn’t be human, and they had to be dealt with.
Suppressing his anger, Cheol Wooseng asked Im Se-gul.
“Then, who killed Wi-gang?”
“……The Grand Duke killed him.”
Im Se-gul’s answer.
At the same time, Cheol Wooseng’s eyes narrowed.
At first, he couldn’t believe that Cheol Gun-ak had killed the third. With Jin Yeong-chung, a Cheongmyeongdae expert, by his side, it seemed impossible.
Even though it didn’t make sense, now Im Se-gul was confirming it.
Im Se-gul noticed Cheol Wooseng’s expression and continued.
“I’ve seen the marks left on the bodies. They were all killed with a sword. Moreover, the marks were even and consistent in depth, which suggests that The Grand Duke has mastered at least a first-class swordsmanship.”
“First-class swordsmanship?”
Cheol Wooseng turned his head toward Cheol Gun-ak.
The anger was still clear, but beneath it, a sense of confusion began to form.
No one from the Cheolga had helped Cheol Gun-ak.
There had been no one to aid him, and instead, they all kept their distance.
Which meant that Cheol Gun-ak had fought alone and managed to win.
“—How?”
A short pause followed by another question.
Cheol Gun-ak straightened his back, lifting Heukya and glaring at him.
“When struck, I strike back.”
“……?”
“When I fight, I don’t retreat.”
“……!”
“In the way of Bukcheon.”
It was an old saying from Bukcheon.
In Zhongyuan, children were taught from birth not to be deceived. But in Bukcheon, they were taught to repay what was done to them and never retreat in battle.
Cheol Wooseng understood what Cheol Gun-ak was implying.
It meant that Cheol Gun-ak had followed Bukcheon’s way.
Since they were in Bukcheon, he was telling Cheol Wooseng to accept it as a fellow Bukcheon man.
But Cheol Wooseng retorted with criticism.
“Would have been better if you had died instead.”
Of all the people to survive, it was Cheol Gun-ak, the son who inherited his mother’s blood.
He had never liked him from the start, but now Cheol Gun-ak had killed his beloved son.
The cold raindrops cooled the rage boiling inside Cheol Wooseng’s mind.
After several moments of thought, he reached one conclusion.
He took a deep breath.
“Considering everything.”
No matter how much a person could be swayed by a woman, he was still the Cheolga head.
“I judge you to be part of the Dark Emperor Cult.”
Cheol Wooseng calmly concluded.
“A person can change overnight. But for someone to grow strong enough to defeat these two on his own, wouldn’t it be impossible without the power of Dark Blood?”
“Then I should have died.”
Cheol Wooseng nodded.
For Cheol Gun-ak and the late wife, the cold heart of Cheol Wooseng spoke the truth.
“Of course.”
“……”
“Rather than suddenly becoming that skilled overnight, don’t you think it makes more sense that you joined the Dark Emperor Cult and caused the family’s downfall?”
Cheol Gun-ak smiled lowly.
And tightened his grip on Heukya.
“Heh. Well, fine.”
He hadn’t expected much anyway, but he never imagined seeing the worst in this situation.
‘But it’s fine.’
Cheol Gun-ak’s smile grew deeper.
Halmeom was alive.
Sibi was alive.
And he was alive.
Compared to his previous life, there were so many reasons for him to live, so what was the problem?
“I never thought of you as my father anyway.”
“I never thought of you as mine either.”
The father and son.
No, the now estranged men revealed their true feelings toward each other.
And Cheol Gun-ak glared at Cheol Wooseng and spoke each word clearly.
“I am a man of Bukcheon.”
Whoosh—.
Cheol Gun-ak glanced at Im Se-gul.
The man’s face showed clear surprise, as if he hadn’t expected the family conflict within Cheolga to escalate to this extent.
“If you or anyone else stands as my enemy, I won’t avoid the fight. Not until death.”
Because that’s what it means to be a man of Bukcheon.
He had killed his younger half-brother, Cheol Wi-gang.
He had slaughtered the Black Shadow Corps that Geum Jung-tae had dispatched, along with Jin Yeong-chung, the Cheongmyeongdae warrior who had served as a bodyguard, and even Geum Jung-tae himself, the head of Geumgu War Pavilion.
‘Geum Myeonghwa took care of herself.’
Whether it was in Murim or Bukcheon, survival meant killing. And Cheol Gun-ak had no hesitation about drawing his sword if it meant staying alive.
The foolish Patriarch of Cheolga, Cheol Wooseng.
The Dark Emperor Cult, lurking in the shadows behind him.
And Bukcheon itself.
Cheol Gun-ak slowly turned toward Cheol Wooseng, who was radiating murderous intent, and declared:
“You don’t like me? Then swing that iron mace at me right now.”
“……”
“I’ll face you like a true man of Bukcheon.”
Conviction.
Each of Cheol Gun-ak’s words echoed with unwavering resolve.
Whooooosh—.
The wind howled.
The rain, which had begun to lighten, swirled in small spirals.
Cheol Wooseng turned his head slightly.
Though he had closed them earlier, his eyelids were now lifted wide open.
Three severed heads stared at him with eyes full of resentment—his son, wife, and father-in-law.
His brow twitched involuntarily.
The iron mace in his grip rose and fell repeatedly.
A deep conflict stirred within him.
“Cheolga Lord.”
At that moment, Im Se-gul urgently called out to Cheol Wooseng.
“You left to receive Nokmyeongdae, so how did you return so quickly?”
“There was an urgent report. It said that Cheol Gun-ak had gone mad and was killing my family.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“……?”
“You left hours ago, and Cheol Wi-gang only attacked Muhwagak half an hour ago.”
“……!”
Cheol Wooseng’s pupils contracted.
The timing didn’t add up.
If the report were truly about Cheol Gun-ak’s actions, it should have arrived much later.
Which meant that the ‘urgent report’ he received had been prepared before the events even unfolded.
As if someone had anticipated this situation and ensured he would witness it firsthand…
Slowly, Cheol Wooseng’s gaze settled on Geum Jung-tae’s severed head.
Im Se-gul spoke again.
“The victim wouldn’t have known about the attack in advance.”
Whoever sent the urgent report must have known about the ambush ahead of time.
Logically, it couldn’t have been Cheol Gun-ak, the one under attack. Nor could it have been Cheol Wi-gang, since he would have waited until Cheol Wooseng returned to report the situation according to plan.
And Geum Myeonghwa, who had followed Cheol Wi-gang’s orders, was unlikely to have sent it either.
That left only one possibility.
Geum Jung-tae, the very man whom Cheol Gun-ak had beheaded.
“To reiterate, that man was the one who killed your wife.”
“……”
“I wasn’t able to see the exact moment inside the room. But the scent of blood had already filled the corridors. And from a distance, I saw Geum Jung-tae toss her severed head.”
A father does not treat his child that way.
Only Dark Emperor Cultists did.
Even if Geum Jung-tae had not been a member of the cult, he deserved to be labeled as one and executed accordingly.
For Im Se-gul, Geum Jung-tae was undoubtedly a Dark Emperor Cultist.
Which meant that Cheol Gun-ak, who had cut down everyone associated with him, had done the right thing.
And if a righteous man needed support, Im Se-gul, bearing the name of Baek Li Chupung, would stand with him.
“Cheolga Lord. Think like a man of Bukcheon.”
“……”
“If Geum Jung-tae was indeed a Dark Emperor Cultist, then he must have approached you for a reason—to manipulate you, as your father-in-law, as your wife’s father, as your son’s grandfather.”
A highly respected warrior like Im Se-gul had laid out solid reasoning.
Now, how would Cheol Wooseng react?
Would he continue to brand Cheol Gun-ak a cultist?
Cheol Gun-ak was curious.
—It would have been better if you had died instead.
He recalled his father’s words.
He had already decided to stop considering this man his father.
But he had not yet decided whether to cut him down as an enemy.
Would Cheol Wooseng be able to judge the situation rationally?
Or had his emotions blinded him with grief and rage?
That would determine his fate.
“Baek Li Chupung. You are regarded as the next leader of Gwangmyeongdae. I am aware of your reputation.”
The raindrops, now lighter, continued to wet Cheol Wooseng as he spoke.
He had made his decision.
“But even so, you are only a unit commander.”
Below the Grand Leader and Vice Leader of Gwangmyeongdae, the unit commanders held rank.
His once cold, emotionless gaze began to fill with raw emotion.
Anger, sorrow, love, and betrayal—all emotions swirling into one black abyss.
“As the Lord of Manbyeong Cheolga, you have no right to tell me what to do.”