Chapter 284: Taking in a Disciple (2)

“Regardless of what happened, I’m glad we met like this. From now on, you may move with me.”

“Understood. We were actually trying to head toward Young Master Yong as well. But those bastards were so persistent in their pursuit that we couldn’t even enter Jeongju city.”

After finishing the treatment, Yong Hwarin took them to the nearest guest inn.

Due to being pursued and not having had a proper meal in time, Ha Cheollyeong’s stomach let out constant growling sounds.

“Cheollyeong, let’s go eat.”

At the mention of food, Cheollyeong’s face brightened.

They ordered only the most luxurious dishes at the inn and laid them out across the table.

Ha Cheollyeong was so focused on eating that he didn’t say a word.

Not wanting to disturb their meal, Yong Hwarin stood up from his seat.

He looked around for a moment.

He climbed onto the inn’s roof to survey the area, checking if there were more pursuers after them.

Baekseom was already standing guard on the roof.

Yong Hwarin was grateful to see Baekseom guarding without even the slightest opening.

“Fortunately, no pursuers have caught up yet.”

“Yes, don’t worry. We’ll handle the perimeter watch.”

After chatting for a bit with Baekseom, Yong Hwarin returned to the inn to find the plates already licked clean.

Worried about the injured Ha Deokgong, Yong Hwarin borrowed a carriage operated by the inn.

Baekseom insisted on taking the coachman’s seat, so Yong Hwarin gave him the reins and entered the carriage along with Ha Deokgong and his grandchild.

Martial artists of the Blood Green Unit escorted the carriage as it moved.

Inside the carriage, Yong Hwarin gently laid down Ha Cheollyeong, who had quickly dozed off and begun snoring.

Ha Deokgong looked on with pity in his eyes.

“Cheollyeong has endured bravely all this time. He’s truly admirable.”

Now that his hunger was satisfied, Ha Cheollyeong had passed out.

Worried he might overhear, Yong Hwarin cast a sound-blocking Qi Veil.

Then he opened his mouth.

“I’ve sealed off sound using Qi Veil.”

Ha Deokgong, already having witnessed Yong Hwarin’s martial prowess, was not surprised by this.

He merely marveled at the miraculous growth in martial arts in such a short time.

“Truly impressive. When I saw you at Mount Wudang, you were no more than the leader of a small to mid-sized sect. But now, you’ve become the Heavenly Sword Hero who shakes the murim. It’s astounding.”

“It was due to a small fortunate encounter.”

“If martial arts could improve so dramatically from mere fortune, then wouldn’t everyone be a master? This is only possible because Young Master Yong already possessed such talent. I believe it is a great blessing that someone like you achieved such feats.”

“Thank you for your kind words. And please, there’s no need to speak so formally with me. I consider Cheollyeong like my own younger brother. So Elder, that makes you like a grandfather to me. It feels awkward to be addressed with such respect by someone like you.”

Ha Deokgong liked how Yong Hwarin, just as he had been at Mount Wudang, remained humble and courteous.

Normally, when young prodigies gained sudden fame through rapid martial growth, they easily grew arrogant.

He had never seen one avoid that path—except for Yong Hwarin.

‘Only those with deep spiritual cultivation don’t fall into the pit of arrogance.’

Ha Deokgong considered this a difference in the depth of one’s vessel.

“Very well. Then I shall speak comfortably.”

Yong Hwarin asked softly.

“Who are the ones chasing you and Cheollyeong?”

Ha Deokgong closed his eyes for a moment, as if to organize his thoughts.

Moments later, he opened them and began to speak.

“Before I tell you that, I must first explain something. It’s about Cheollyeong’s mother. She was also my daughter-in-law.”

Ha Deokgong continued.

“After my son Mureung became a Grand General, he once made a brief visit to the murim. Since a Grand General can’t move freely within the murim after being appointed, he likely wanted to preserve one last memory. Then one day, he returned with a woman. She knew martial arts and could handle spiritual energy. I opposed their union. But my son was so stubborn that I eventually gave in. Later, Cheollyeong was born. And that’s when the problems started. It turned out that my daughter-in-law came from the demonic path.”

“Demonic path?”

“Yes, she was from what murim people call the Three Demonic Heavens. And not just any member—she was the daughter of their leader.”

“Huh…”

Yong Hwarin let out a sigh.

He could sense where this story was headed.

“The issue now is that the people from that place want Cheollyeong. Since he’s the last descendant of the cult leader’s daughter, they want to raise him as the next leader. Then the opposing faction tried to kill him. But even the faction that wanted to make him leader didn’t try to protect him. That’s why we fled to Mount Wudang. We thought the demonic practitioners wouldn’t dare make a move there. But they brazenly entered Mount Wudang to find us. I heard there were a few clashes with the Wudang Sect, but I never thought they would go so far to eliminate us.”

“Then does that mean events are unfolding rapidly within that group?”

“According to what I’ve found out, yes.”

Putting together all the information Ha Deokgong had provided, Yong Hwarin could identify the pursuers.

“They must be people from Blood Demon Castle.”

Currently, Blood Demon Castle was known to be experiencing internal strife after a leadership shake-up.

There were even rumors of an internal war.

It was said the sub-leader of Blood Demon Castle had broken out of isolation earlier than planned for that reason, and that their attempt to unify the Three Demonic Heavens was led primarily by Blood Demon Castle.

Ha Deokgong briefly wetted his lips with water from a gourd.

“That’s why I bring this up—if Young Master Yong intends to protect us, you may end up having to fight them. That’s what worries this old man. I fear you may be harmed because of us.”

“Please don’t worry. There are still surviving generals and warriors from the Grand General’s Office. With them, there won’t be any difficulty in protecting Elder and Cheollyeong. I, too, will guard you both to the best of my ability.”

Ha Deokgong was truly grateful to Yong Hwarin, who, though not bound by blood, had chosen to walk a difficult path for the sake of righteousness and chivalry.

“Thank you, truly. I’ve been unable to close my eyes from worrying about Cheollyeong, but now I could die without regret.”

“What are you saying? Elder must live long so that Cheollyeong may properly grow up.”

“Thank you, truly.”

Ha Deokgong tightly clasped Yong Hwarin’s hand.

Though Yong Hwarin didn’t show it outwardly, he felt heavy-hearted upon hearing that the ones pursuing Cheollyeong were none other than people from Blood Demon Castle.

But he couldn’t abandon Ha Cheollyeong just because he feared them.

He would never allow himself to do that.

‘If they come for Cheollyeong, I’ll kill them all.’

If one had power but failed to protect those they cherished, then there was no reason to possess power at all.

Using strength against the weak was a sin—but using it against the unjust was righteousness.

This resolve and state of heart were things he could never have attained in his past life.

He felt proud and admirable of how much he had changed.

‘Had I been my former self, I’d probably be fretting over whether saving them was the right thing to do just from hearing the name Blood Demon Castle.’

While conversing with Ha Deokgong, the carriage carrying the three of them arrived at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

The Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect looked bewildered as the sect’s Young Master, who had left without a word, returned with a dying old man and a young boy.

Mu Iso asked Yong Hwarin,

“Young Master, who are they?”

“From now on, they are people you must serve well. This child is Ha Cheollyeong, who will become my disciple, and this gentleman is Cheollyeong’s grandfather.”

“Ah.”

Everyone was left speechless at Yong Hwarin’s thunderous declaration.

A disciple of the Young Master—he was still young and not of the age to take in disciples.

But given his martial prowess and renown, there was no reason he shouldn’t.

In truth, Yong Hwarin had thought deeply during the carriage ride to the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

If he missed this opportunity, the two might join Pil Gye-young and depart in pursuit of their own lives.

From what Yong Hwarin had seen, the strength of the generals from the Grand General’s Office rivaled that of an entire sect.

In a way, they could be compared to the Heavenly Central Sect.

Pil Gye-young and Bang Yeorip were seasoned masters who had achieved high realms, and the warriors under their command were rarely anything less than first-rate.

Even prestigious clans had to invest thirty years to raise such elites.

Yong Hwarin realized that merely keeping Cheollyeong as a younger brother would not be enough to retain those people.

He needed to place himself in a position of overwhelming influence, not one where they could leave at any time.

Thus, accepting Ha Cheollyeong as his disciple was the most effective approach.

Though he had fallen back into his merchant habit of calculating, it was his sense of righteousness and chivalry that had fundamentally driven him to take in Ha Cheollyeong as a disciple.

Furthermore, Yong Hwarin already knew—Ha Cheollyeong’s talent was exceptional enough to become the greatest under heaven.

In truth, Yong Hwarin had only been able to build his current fame because he had received the miraculous encounter that originally belonged to Ha Cheollyeong.

Now was the time to repay that fortune.

And from another angle, supporting someone with Ha Cheollyeong’s ability might end up benefitting Yong Hwarin himself.

‘Blood Demon Castle needs time to unite the Three Demonic Heavens, so they won’t move aggressively to eliminate Ha Cheollyeong. At most, they’ll send an assassination squad. That much, the Blood Green Unit can easily handle.’

He’d heard that Deuksang was secretly gathering surviving warriors of Hidden Saint Cult.

The number wasn’t small. Most of the force had already been absorbed into the Sky Ocean Escort Agency.

The number of people in the agency, which had been around one hundred, had nearly doubled for this reason.

According to Deuksang, that number would double again.

If so, their power was not to be underestimated.

If he could fully recruit them, the Heavenly Central Sect could become the strongest martial sect outside the Nine Great Sects.

Combining the warriors of Hidden Saint Cult, the Grand General’s Office, and the elite of the Heavenly Central Sect would place them well above even the prestigious Shangguan Clan of Henan.

‘If I unify them, this sect will no longer be Heavenly Central Sect, but be known as the Yong Clan.’

While thinking of such things and grinning, Yong Hwarin was interrupted by Seok Unjeong.

“Orabeoni, that child’s going to become your disciple? Then I suppose he’ll be my little brother?”

Yong Hwarin smiled.

“Yes, he’ll be your little brother.”

Seok Unjeong jumped with joy.

“Hehehe, that’s great. It was boring playing only with uncles all this time.”

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