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- 22 - Bukcheon, Because It's Bukcheon
Chapter 22: Bukcheon, Because It’s Bukcheon
All the days and nights that Cheol Gun-ak lived were times of losing something.
─What exactly do you live for?
Pyeong Yoo-han, a famous friend from the Central Plains known for his friendly demeanor, always asked him this.
But Cheol Gun-ak could never answer.
Because he had enemies.
To kill the enemies.
To fulfill Halmeom’s last wish.
There were many reasons he lived, but none of them could be called enjoyment.
And the beginning of this struggle might have been…
Because of the Cheol family head, Cheol Woo-seng, who had hollowed out his life.
If Cheol Woo-seng hadn’t cast his mother away, if he hadn’t treated Halmeom like that, if he had grown up as an ordinary great clan’s firstborn…
The resentment and sorrow Cheol Gun-ak had harbored for all this time weighed heavily on Heukya.
Whoosh─.
Cheol Woo-seng barely managed to evade with desperate resolve.
For a moment, Bukcheonju hesitated when he saw Cheol Gun-ak’s unyielding resolve and the pain it carried.
Bukcheonju had planned to seize the opportunity and capture Cheol Woo-seng.
“Please, let me carry this burden.”
Cheol Gun-ak politely rejected Bukcheonju’s offer to help.
Bukcheonju, after silently observing him, quietly stepped aside.
Cheol Woo-seng wiped the blood from his mouth and staggered to his feet.
“You’re a murder monster born from the filthy blood of a mountain hermit.”
Click─.
The Pacheonchu was destroyed, but Cheol Woo-seng still had his smaller, hidden weapon, the Socheonchu.
“As the head of the Manbyeong Cheol family, I can no longer allow you to live. Seeing you try to kill your own father, you must be nothing more than a disciple of the Amaje sect.”
“If you are the family head.”
Boom─.
Cheol Gun-ak stepped forward with determination.
His body trembled, barely standing, on the verge of collapsing.
But Cheol Gun-ak grit his teeth and focused all his energy into Heukya.
“……!”
Bukcheonju’s eyes brightened at the spark of inner strength rising from Cheol Gun-ak.
However, Cheol Gun-ak, who was fully concentrating on his opponent, did not notice it.
He merely vented the anger he had carried for decades toward Cheol Woo-seng.
“I am the grandson of Song Ok, the son of Ye Seol-yeong, and a man of Bukcheon. I cannot simply leave you be.”
Step─.
He no longer had the strength to run.
Cheol Gun-ak slowly walked through the wet dirt toward him.
Meanwhile, Cheol Woo-seng cast a brief glance at Bukcheonju.
It was as if he was signaling that he would not interfere with this situation.
With the unspoken approval, Cheol Woo-seng gripped his small iron mace and charged at Cheol Gun-ak to kill him.
Zhu Rong’s Demon Technique
Whoosh─.
Just as expected, the energy of the Cheol Gun-ak’s vital channels began to flow as the hot divine energy spread through his body.
A faint warmth melted the fatigue in his body, and the searing pain from the burning energy gripped Cheol Gun-ak’s consciousness, threatening to make him collapse.
Waiting for Life
The eight layers of hell, named after the Eight Hells of the Flame.
This was the only martial technique Cheol Gun-ak could truly use.
‘My life.’
A life of constant suffering for one man.
“Die, murder monster!”
Cheol Woo-seng planted his left foot into the ground with force.
Then, he swung the Socheonchu to crush Cheol Gun-ak’s head.
Swish─.
Cheol Gun-ak stared at it with his black, emotionless eyes.
Place of No Joy
Heukya split the night.
Crack─.
The Socheonchu fell into the mud.
Thud.
From the right hand that was gripping the mace, all the way up to his forearm, everything crumbled as the agony of Cheol Woo-seng’s face became one with the pain.
Rather than rain, blood spurted from his shoulder and splattered everywhere.
‘The deeds done by hand must be repaid by hand.’
Swish─.
Cheol Gun-ak pulled Heukya toward him.
‘The sins you’ve made with your life, Cheol Woo-seng.’
Cheol Gun-ak aimed directly at Cheol Woo-seng’s throat.
The dark blade of Heukya pierced through his neck without hesitation.
“Kuhk─.”
Blood poured out from Cheol Woo-seng’s mouth.
Covered in his blood, Cheol Gun-ak continued to watch, unblinking, as his father took his last breath right before him.
Whoosh─.
He withdrew Heukya.
Blood spurted from his severed neck.
Cheol Woo-seng tried to stop the wound with his hands but to no avail. Trembling from the cold, he dropped to his knees on the ground.
“You will forever be cursed as the one who killed your own father.”
He cursed until his last breath.
But Cheol Gun-ak wiped the blood from his face just as Halmeom had done, and with a flick, he brushed his hair back.
“Do as you will.”
Cheol Woo-seng, with his fading eyes, looked up at Cheol Gun-ak.
“I couldn’t protect my mother, but I protected Halmeom from you.”
After a long time, Cheol Gun-ak smiled with relief that Halmeom and Sibi were alive.
“That’s all that matters.”
Swish─.
Heukya split the night again.
The dark blade of the demon sword cut through the heavens.
With a smooth, elegant trajectory, it severed Cheol Woo-seng’s head.
Thud─ and his head fell before his eyes, unable to blink.
No matter how noisy a life is lived, death treats everyone equally.
Cheol Gun-ak grabbed his father’s hair and moved. He placed his head between his beloved family, Geum Myeong-hwa and Cheol Wi-gang.
Whoosh─.
The rain had stopped.
Cheol Gun-ak stood silently, gazing down at the four severed heads, including Geum Jung-tae. The deep sorrow reflected in his black eyes left Bukcheonju and Im Se-gul silently watching.
“Great Prince.”
Breaking the silence, Halmeom spoke.
Song Ok placed a hand on Cheol Gun-ak’s shoulder and gently patted it.
“Let’s say it was me who killed Cheol Woo-seng. If you carry the burden of killing your father, I…”
“No matter what, Halmeom, I won’t let you take my revenge.”
Smirk─.
Cheol Gun-ak smiled, turning to look at Halmeom. She quickly wiped the dirt from her sleeve and gently cleaned Cheol Gun-ak’s face.
“Of course, mother wouldn’t approve.”
Ye Seol-yeong was a good person.
Even though Cheol Woo-seng had acted like a fool, she never lost hope.
She never imagined that after her death, her funeral wouldn’t be permitted.
“I’ll make up for it, in my way.”
Halmeom nodded firmly.
The smell of Ye Seol-yeong’s rotting corpse still lingered in her memory.
So, Halmeom swore.
No matter how difficult the road ahead, she would always help and remain Cheol Gun-ak’s eternal ally.
“I cannot approve of this murder.”
Bukcheonju, Bukrimugeuk.
He spoke softly from afar.
But despite his stern face, he nodded.
“However, as a man of Bukcheon, how could I stop a man from taking up his sword for his mother’s vengeance?”
Because it’s Bukcheon.
Bukrimugeuk recognized Cheol Gun-ak’s vengeance.
But Im Se-gul, who was standing beside him, couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
In just one night, the entire family of the Cheol family, one of Bukcheon’s Three Great Clan Families, had been almost wiped out.
But in the end, he nodded.
Because it’s Bukcheon.
Boom─.
The rain had finally stopped.
The thunder, like a deep breath, only flashed in the clouds above.
The long night was coming to an end.
Cheol Gun-ak slowly looked up at the sky.
“Thank you, Ok-sae.”
Crack─.
He clenched his left fist.
A radiant beam of light burst forth, one that only Cheol Gun-ak could see.
‘Not that I’m thankful, but… at least I saved Halmeom, so thank you, Amaje… Leader.’
And he spoke to the figure that had appeared as an illusion when saving Halmeom.
For some reason, he felt that the one who resembled Amaje, “she,” was naturally the “Amaje Sect Leader.”
The more he called her that, the more fitting it seemed.
Thinking that he should call her the Amaje Sect Leader from now on, Cheol Gun-ak turned his body toward Bukcheonju.
“……!”
He saw that Bukcheonju’s eyes were directed elsewhere. His chin gestured toward him.
Whoosh─.
Cheol Gun-ak’s heart raced with a chilling feeling as his eyes widened.
Tiiing─!
A short sword blocked his neck.
It was the glittering spearhead that had flown from afar.
Boom─!!
The two weapons, covered in faint spiritual energy, crossed in a X-shaped motion, creating a shockwave that nearly shook his heart.
The green spear returned into the darkness from where it had come.
“Nice to meet you.”
The one holding the short sword was a masked warrior with only his eyes visible.
He greeted Cheol Gun-ak politely, then turned to Bukcheonju.
“I, Sin Yawol, meet Bukcheonju.”
Looking closely, it seemed that he had run from afar, his chest heaving heavily.
His breathing was rough.
Bukcheonju nodded.
“It must have been tough to get here.”
“No, I’m sorry I couldn’t get here faster.”
“Still, you managed to catch my signal so quickly.”
He pointed to his chin.
The moment Cheol Gun-ak and the masked warrior felt the flying spear and sensed the danger, Cheol Gun-ak gave the signal to protect him. The masked warrior had immediately understood and shielded Cheol Gun-ak.
“I’ve been waiting for the day Bukcheonju would come.”
Flap─.
The short warrior was smaller than Cheol Gun-ak but wore a cape, one that was different from others, with a single star embroidered on it.
‘Bukya Seongpo…!’
He was the leader of Bukcheon’s northern elite guard, Bukmyeongdae, and the commander of Seongdo Hwaryeom, Bukmyeongdaeju Yawol.
He withdrew his short sword and, turning his back to Cheol Gun-ak, spoke to the darkness where the spear had flown from.
“Bukcheonju is watching. Put down your weapon, Yongjin-san.”
Boom.
The earth trembles.
A man holding a green spear begins to emerge from the darkness.
“…Impressive.”
A middle-aged man with silver hair.
A figure as sturdy as Cheol Woo-seng, the head of the Cheol family.
Flap─.
Like Bukcheonju and Bukmyeongdaeju, he too wears a Seongpo (Star Robe).
The gentle green glow of the Seongpo, the owner of Nokyaseongpo, who is Nokmyeongdaeju Yongjin-san.
He glanced over the area and then stared at the four severed heads lying on the ground.
“These are the heads of the Cheol family head, I see.”
“Show respect.”
Bukmyeongdaeju spoke sternly.
Yongjin-san shot a brief, arrogant glance at Bukmyeongdaeju and turned toward Bukcheonju.
“I never thought I’d see you here, the one who never appeared at the Eight Great Leaders’ Conference.”
Thud─.
Bukcheonju kneeled on one leg toward him, but his face held no expression of respect.
He scrutinized Bukcheonju from head to toe, seemingly satisfied with the visible signs of his illness.
“I never thought I would see you here in Cheol family’s front yard,” Bukcheonju commented as he took a step forward, away from Halmeom.
Swish, swish, swish─.
At the same time, several of Nokmyeongdae’s warriors began to gather behind him, all armed with spears.
As expected of Nokmyeongdae, the most famous of Bukcheon’s Eight Great Families for spear combat. The warriors’ disciplined military presence filled the air.
And there was a clear sense of wariness towards Bukcheonju.
‘Already quite fractured,’ Cheol Gun-ak thought as he squinted, seeing through the current situation in Bukcheon.
“You know there have been traces of the Amaje sect found here, right?” Yongjin-san asked, his cold eyes scanning Cheol Gun-ak.
“Originally, tonight, the Cheol family head was supposed to meet with me. To seek my Qingming spear to root out the hidden Amaje sect in his family,” he continued.
“I see.”
“But just before meeting me, I received urgent news and had to return.”
“Then what about you guys?”
“There are reports that the most important places in Nokju, the Manbyeong forge and the Cheol family, are in trouble. How could we just sit still? I had to chase after them quickly,” Yongjin-san replied with an air of legitimacy.
On the surface, there were no issues with their claims.
But Bukcheonju felt suspicious.
Cheol Woo-seng’s aggression.
How Yongjin-san, who is well known for his strategic moves, was so proactive.
Everything seemed too coincidental.
“And then, they say that the great prince, influenced by the Amaje sect’s black blood, killed his family…”
Swish.
Yongjin-san aimed the green spear’s tip at Cheol Gun-ak.
Cheol Gun-ak, not backing down, raised the blood-stained Heukya and met his gaze.
The cold and sharp murderous intent in Yongjin-san’s eyes made them narrow.
The twisted smile on his lips was unsettling.
“It’s true, then.”
“…….”
“Originally, I intended to have him taken immediately to the authorities, but since Bukcheonju is here, I’ll ask.”
Swish─.
Bukmyeongdaeju stood up without even needing to be prompted by Bukri Mugeuk.
The warriors of Nokmyeongdae rose as well.
“Under the name of Nokmyeongdaeju, may I carry out an immediate execution here?”
The energy they released began to press down heavily on the Cheol family.