Chapter 2: An Unexpected Encounter

This damn bastard.

What was he so resentful about that he’d follow me all the way to the afterlife?

No, more importantly.

It should have been normal for that bastard and me to have different destinations after death.

I was confident that even if I couldn’t go to paradise, I wouldn’t go to hell since I hadn’t really accumulated any bad karma.

On the other hand, it was only natural that the Great Divine Physician bastard should fall into the deepest hell.

If a villain that heinous didn’t go to the deepest hell, who would?

“Bi-Big brother? What did you just say?”

“What? Son of a bitch?”

“Surely you didn’t just call Elder Cheong-ryeong a son of a bitch, did you? Haha, hahaha.”

He broke out in a cold sweat and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

“That bastard is a son of a bitch. You know it well too, since you also suffered because of him.”

He was also one of the victims of the Great Divine Physician.

Dark Heavenly King Dang Cheon-wi.

A hero who had achieved countless military merits in the war against the Demonic Cult.

But after the war with the Demonic Cult, the Sichuan Tang Clan was annihilated by the Murim Alliance, and he, like me, ended up imprisoned in the Demonic Prison.

I heard this story directly from him when we reunited in the Demonic Prison… wait a minute.

“Big-brother, you must have gone through a lot.”

The look on his face as he gazed at me with pity seemed strange somehow.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I understand. You’ve been going through such a hard time, so it’s understandable that your mind has become clouded.”

“…….”

“But it’s okay now. The Great Divine Physician of Immortals hasn’t reached ascension yet, and he’s visiting the Righteous Heavenly Alliance. I heard it directly from a clan elder, so you can believe it. What did I tell you? I told you to have hope, didn’t I!”

He grabbed my hand and said.

“If it’s Elder Cheong-ryeong, he’ll know a way to treat your qi deviation! So….”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a memory from the past surfaced.

20 years ago.

While I was suffering from qi deviation, hadn’t he told me about the Great Divine Physician’s visit to the Righteous Heavenly Alliance?

Why was the situation from that day 20 years ago unfolding before my eyes?

Wondering if it was a dream, I pinched my cheek hard and blinked my eyes open and shut repeatedly.

But nothing changed.

In front of me, Cheon-wi was grinning.

It was exactly as it was 20 years ago.

Not the Dark Heavenly King Dang Cheon-wi I had reunited with in the Demonic Prison, but the Dark Dragon Dang Cheon-wi from the days we studied together at the Heavenly Martial Academy.

“Big-brother! They say Elder Cheong-ryeong’s medical skills can even revive the dead! For someone like him, treating a mere qi deviation would be nothing, right? The suffering is over, and happiness begins now! Recover quickly and show those bastards who looked down on you….”

I was so confused that his words didn’t even register.

Still, I had to address one thing.

“Everything is fine, but don’t talk about that son of a… I mean, Elder Cheong-ryeong. And don’t even think about going to see him.”

“But….”

“If I say don’t, then don’t.”

I said again, firmly.

“I’m really grateful for your concern. But I’ll handle that matter myself, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring it up again. Please.”

“I understand.”

Perhaps sensing that something was seriously wrong with my state, he didn’t bring up the topic again.

…That aside.

‘What is this situation?’

I still couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality, and doubts constantly arose.

‘I’ll find out if I wait and see.’

For now, I decided to grasp the situation step by step.

Whether this was reality or not.

***

For three days, there was nothing I didn’t try.

I wandered around like a madman, moved my body this way and that, sometimes banged my head hard against a wall, and even threw myself into a well.

Also, to satisfy the hunger accumulated over the past 20 years, I binged, and I drank until I was dead drunk.

‘Big-brother! Please don’t make any extreme choices! Uwaaaah! Please get a grip! Please!’

Cheon-wi, watching me from the side, misunderstood and thought I had gone completely mad.

And so, the conclusion I reached was…….

‘I’ve returned.’

On the morning of the tenth day.

I decided to accept that I had returned to the past.

Heavenly Divine Dragon Jin Yeong-in.

To the days when I was a promising prodigy of the Orthodox Factions.

It was a bit disappointing that it wasn’t to the days when I was in my prime.

At this time, I was in the midst of suffering from qi deviation.

Every time I tried to circulate my true qi, I felt the pain of my qi center being torn to shreds, so I couldn’t use my inner arts. My entire body’s meridians were filled with turbid qi, and the muscles and veins in my limbs were stiff, making it difficult to move.

My left leg was half-paralyzed, making me practically a half-cripple who limped along.

This was the time when I was paying the full price for the side effects of learning orthodox arts with a Heavenly Demon’s Physique.

Of course, it wasn’t the worst.

It was better than when I was locked up in the Demonic Prison.

‘Anyway… what should I do.’

I couldn’t just stand by and live the same life as my previous life, which was not a previous life.

‘I need to take a walk.’

As I walked aimlessly, organizing my thoughts, Cheon-wi spotted me from a distance and rushed over.

“Big-brotheeeerr! Where are you going? What are you planning to do again!”

“It’s not like that.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

I said with emphasis.

“I’ve come to my senses now, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s a relief. Whew.”

He let out a sigh of relief and said.

“Big-brother, you must not act strangely today. You know that, right?”

“Is today something special?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot? It’s the anniversary of our master’s death.”

“Master? Ah….”

Oops.

“Big-brother, you have to observe the anniversary of our master’s death.”

He made a reproachful face.

“Honestly, I forgot. Thanks for telling me.”

“Of course you should be grateful. Oh, and I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you today. I heard my father is visiting the Murim Alliance, so I think I have to go.”

He said with a grin.

I remember.

Even though he wasn’t his master, he used to join me for the anniversary of my master’s death every year.

“So you can’t be sad, okay? Haha!”

“How could I be? Don’t worry about me, just go. I won’t be sad.”

“Good. Then, I’ll see you when I get back.”

“Alright. Be careful. Oh, and. Don’t do anything I didn’t ask you to do.”

Just in case, I added a word of caution to him.

I was sick and tired of how many times he had mentioned the Great Divine Physician in the past ten days.

“Don’t you worry.”

“Then that’s settled.”

Leaving him behind, I prepared to visit the grave.

I packed some farming tools like a hoe, a sickle, and a shovel, along with some food and alcohol, and headed to the grave.

On a hill overlooking the Heavenly Martial Academy.

A small burial mound stood there.

‘Master.’

As if possessed, I approached the burial mound and caressed the rough tombstone.

Azure Heaven Divine Warrior.

Jang Guk-pyeong’s spirit tablet.

Although he was a wanderer by birth, he was a man who walked the righteous path and performed chivalrous deeds throughout his life.

Thus, he was called the Divine Warrior and respected by all.

The one who took me, an orphan, as his disciple and led me to the path of martial arts.

That was the kind of person my master was.

It was such a pity that my time with him was short due to his early passing.

If things were going to turn out this way, how much better would it have been to return even further into the past, to when my master was still alive?

‘As a master, I am sorry for not being able to teach you much. Still, it is a great relief that you were able to enter the Heavenly Martial Academy. When I leave, bury me on that hill. I will watch over you from there.’

The memory of my master’s last moments made the tip of my nose sting.

There was a time when I resented my master.

‘Master! Is this the true nature of those who claimed to hold righteousness in their hearts! Why did you take me in! Why!!!’

During my time in the Demonic Prison, my disappointment and sense of betrayal towards the Orthodox Factions were so great that I even came to resent my master.

But was that really my master’s fault?

There were countless people who, with even a little bit of martial skill, were desperate to secure a position in the Murim Alliance.

My master was fundamentally different from those blinded by ambition.

How bad must it have been for a renowned master to wander the world without a home?

‘What a mess.’

The overgrown weeds caught my eye.

“I’ll take care of it right away.”

I cleared the overgrown weeds and dug the ditch around the burial mound deeper to prepare for flooding.

It wasn’t easy with my uncomfortable body, but since it was for tending to my master’s grave, I didn’t feel tired.

After finishing the work, I offered food and alcohol to my master and burned incense to hold a memorial service.

By the time I was done, night had fallen with a faint darkness.

As night came, my heart felt more at ease.

It was probably because I had spent a long time in the dark prison.

‘Something’s coming.’

As I was lost in thought, keeping watch over my master’s grave with the darkness as my companion, I felt a presence behind me.

When I turned around, I saw two figures.

One was a tall giant with a massive build, and the other had a towering height.

Both were wearing old-fashioned cloaks and had black bamboo hats pulled down low, making it difficult to recognize their appearances.

However, seeing the giant walking slightly to the right and behind, the hierarchy between them seemed clear.

“Young brother, what brings you to a place like this at this late hour?”

The giant spoke with a voice as heavy as his build.

“Ah, yes. I am….”

As I tried to answer with a slight clasped-hand greeting, I felt a strange sense of incongruity.

I felt a familiar energy.

This was…….

‘Demonic qi!’

The giant was a practitioner of demonic arts.

***

I had the ability to instinctively sense demonic qi.

It was one of the many characteristics of the Heavenly Demon’s Physique, and its accuracy was nearly ninety percent.

Only one person.

That damn old geezer, the Great Divine Physician, was the only one who could perfectly hide his demonic qi from this sense.

In any case, that tall giant was clearly the owner of powerful demonic qi.

Though with my current state, it was difficult to measure its exact level.

‘Damn it.’

For a moment, a chill ran down my spine as if I had been doused with cold water.

I was just trying to quietly organize my thoughts by my master’s side, but to unexpectedly encounter demonic practitioners, did that even make sense?

If they were hostile, I was a dead man.

They were demonic practitioners, and I was a prodigy of the Orthodox Factions.

The problem was that there was a high probability the situation would turn ugly.

After all, my master had played a major role in the past war against the Demonic Cult.

“Young brother, what is your connection to the owner of that burial mound?”

“…….”

The giant asked, pointing to my master’s grave.

For a moment, I considered lying, but the situation didn’t support it.

The traces of tending to the grave and holding a memorial service were still there, so telling an obvious lie pricked my conscience.

‘I can’t just act like a complete idiot either.’

At that moment.

“Answer honestly.”

A deep, low voice.

It sounded like a woman’s voice, but it was imbued with an indescribable dignity.

I hadn’t thought she was a woman due to her tall stature…….

Slowly, I turned my gaze to the owner of the voice.

‘Heok!’

Suddenly, my breath caught in my throat.

It felt like being overwhelmed by a huge, black mountain.

When she was silent, she seemed faint, as if she wasn’t there, but when she spoke and revealed herself, an overwhelming pressure that dominated the world emanated from her.

She was clearly a master who had reached the state of returning to the origin that I had only heard about.

Unlike the giant, I couldn’t feel any demonic qi from her, so there was no room for doubt.

“I will ask.”

She ‘ordered’ me.

“What is your relationship with the owner of the burial mound?”

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