What… did he fly here?
'No, it would be a problem even if he flew here.'
If I consider my past life as a reference, I didn't find it particularly problematic.
As long as there's enough energy, lifting the body using the heat it emits isn't difficult.
If I think about using that to travel from Shanxi to Sichuan.
'It's impossible.'
Even with the energy I had back then, it would definitely take seven days, at least.
That's assuming I used all my energy just to run.
If I consider it from the current perspective, it would probably take about fifteen days. The speed might be faster with the use of compression and rotation, but it would still take that long due to the limitations of my cultivation level and energy.
But the fact that my father is here means,
'… He must have run that distance, even after reducing the time it would take.'
Does that even make sense? It's an incomprehensible situation, even with the proof in front of me.
"So… you're saying you came after reading the report?"
"…"
I asked, still unsure if that was the case, but my father gave no answer.
I kept watching him, trying to figure out why he was acting this way.
Suddenly, his rough hand grabbed my cheek.
"Wha…?"
His hand was so large that it was enough to grip my cheek with one hand.
He held my face like it was a ball, moving it this way and that. I couldn't even muster any resistance.
My father, who was massaging my face as if it were clay, lowered his already low voice and asked me,
"Who did this to you?"
Ah.
Now I understand. It's because of my face.
'… I keep forgetting about this.'
I had been forgetting about how my face looked at this moment.
Because my recovery is so quick, I knew it would disappear in a few days, so I hadn't bothered with it.
I never expected my father to see it, though.
At that moment.
"Third."
"Yes…?"
"I asked who did this. Was it someone from the clan?"
"Uh… no…? It's nothing major, so please don't worry about it…"
"Tell me."
Tight.
'Kkwek.'
The pressure on my cheek intensified.
For some reason, it seemed like my father was a little angry. Judging by his gaze, I felt like I had rolled down the stairs. I didn't think I could escape with just words…
Does this mean I have to speak up?
I hesitated for a moment, but then decided to just say it.
"… Paejon… did this."
"…"
At hearing my answer, my father's eyebrows twitched.
Paejon was the one who did this to me.
As I said that, the strength in my father's hand, which had been holding my cheek, loosened and slowly withdrew.
I thought about it as I watched that action.
Since his bloodline was in this state, from my father's perspective, he would want to deal with it considering the family's honor, but if I said Paejon was the one who did it, I think my father would let it go.
In reality, Paejon had become my master with my father's permission, so it wouldn't be an issue for a master to discipline their disciple for training purposes.
Thinking that, I looked at my father.
He stood silently for a few seconds, his eyes seeming to reflect some sort of inner conflict, before speaking up.
"I need to send a letter."
"Pardon? A letter?"
"It seems I'll need to stay for another two days."
"… What do you mean by that all of a sudden?"
He said something I couldn't understand, then turned and began to walk away.
I was taken aback, watching his back, thinking he was suddenly leaving after just arriving.
"I'll return by the hour of Hai (亥時), so be ready."
,
T/L note: between 9PM to 11PM
I heard my father's voice, telling me he would return at night.
"What do you mean by preparing?"
I asked, seeking clarification, and my father slightly turned his head to glance at me.
When I met his crimson gaze, I felt my body freeze up.
"Prepare to say things that are not written in the letter. That's what you need to be ready for."
"…!"
As soon as I heard that, I gulped.
"I want you to explain to me what your purpose is here. What you intend to do in this place. That's what you need to tell me."
"…"
After saying that, my father turned his head away and began walking.
Fwoosh!
In an instant, he transformed into a flame and disappeared before my eyes.
As he vanished, the heat that had filled the air dissipated, along with the faint pressure that had been weighing down on me.
Only then did I realize:
'So that was because of Father…'
The reason the temperature in the area had risen was because of him.
Even the stiffness that had overtaken my body—it was all his doing.
'...He's angry, isn't he?'
It seemed clear that Father was furious.
For it to be so apparent, he must be extremely upset.
'And on top of that... he figured everything out.'
The body I had concealed with Qi Transformation Technique—he saw through it completely.
And he also knew I had been planning something in Tang Clan. He had uncovered everything.
I replayed his words in my mind, deciphering their meaning.
The message was simple.
While it carried the literal instruction to explain myself, the true implication was unmistakable.
—I'll return tonight to reprimand you, so be ready for it.
There was no doubt that this was what he meant.
'Hmm….'
I nodded to myself as I thought it over.
'I'm screwed.'
No matter how I looked at it, I was completely, utterly screwed.
Should I run away now? That might actually be a better option.
[...Running away because you're scared of getting scolded by your father? How disgraceful.]
The Old Man Shin chimed in, sounding utterly incredulous.
But from my perspective, nothing could be more terrifying than this.
'Try being my father's son yourself, Elder Shin. Let's see if you wouldn't be scared stiff.'
Seriously, how did he even get here?
I couldn't wrap my head around how he managed to reach this place in just a few days.
[It's not that strange a thing.]
'You're saying this isn't strange…?'
A journey that would take months by carriage, and he made it in mere days—how is that not strange?
I must have been making some bizarre expression in response to that outrageous statement because No-Ya lowered his voice and began to explain further.
[In our time, it was like that. Back then... even the physically weak Jemun, that guy... no, that friend, could travel from Sichuan to Shanxi in about seven days.]
'...'
To travel the distance from Sichuan to Shanxi in just seven days? Occasionally, Elder Shin would talk about the times when he lived, but every time I heard those stories, I found it hard to believe.
It was called the age of despair. It was the time just a few years after the appearance of the Demonic Gate, and even the Bloody Demon War had taken place.
People referred to that period as the age of despair.
[Yeah, it's understandable that you can't believe it.]
Was Elder Shin disappointed that I couldn't believe it?
There was a heavy bitterness in his voice.
'No... it's not that I can't believe it.'
[It's perfectly normal not to believe. That's just the kind of world it was. Or should I say, it was a world intentionally shaped so that it couldn't be believed.]
'Huh?'
I had to express my confusion at Elder Shin's words, which carried a strange tone.
What did he mean by a world that had been made in such a way that it couldn't be believed?
It didn't sound like simple boasting about how great they had been back then.
There was something off about the atmosphere.
What was this? Why did Elder Shin give off such a feeling?
Was this the reason why I had been sensing a slight discomfort from Elder Shin recently?
As I pondered, Elder Shin continued speaking.
[It's something I've been puzzled about.]
Finally, Elder Shin continued.
[Unlike in our time, the quality of the martial artists living in this era is much lower. That was my concern.]
'... The quality is lower?'
[The power of the later generation is certainly much greater than when I was around.]
The generation of the later generation, meteor generation...
These were the people born and active in this era, the geniuses who were said to have been born in large numbers, a generation of hope.
However...
[But the level of martial artists who are supposed to be in their prime is ridiculously low.]
When Noya mentioned martial artists in their prime, he didn't mean the time when their bodies were at their best—those in their thirties, the prime years of martial artists. Rather, he was talking about martial artists who started learning martial arts at a young age and passed their prime after forty.
If their talent had peaked and they remained at the top level, the enlightenment they had attained would have already sunk into their body. Beyond their peak, their inner energy would have begun to bloom, reaching full potential.
'Are they really that low?'
I couldn't believe Elder Shin's words.
The masters I had met were undeniably impressive.
The Eccentric Immortal (Namgung Hyung) I met recently was, of course, extraordinary. And how about the Three Venerables?
As I thought about them, I mulled over Elder Shin's words.
[They are low.]
Even through the cracks in his words, Noya spoke firmly.
[It's not about the martial arts realm. The problem is that the strength they have gained is too meager compared to the realm they have achieved.]
'... Meager?'
[Yes. Even those called kings, or those addressed as Venerables, their strength is far weaker than their titles suggest.]
Elder Shin's voice, as he continued speaking, was filled with undeniable sadness.
[At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. That they had forgotten the essence of martial arts, and the desperation had disappeared, so it was understandable. But even then, isn't it strange? It's not just one or two people; it's the entire martial artist World whose quality has diminished.]
As Elder Shin spoke more slowly, I felt an uncomfortable shiver run down my spine.
My stomach churned, and I swallowed dryly.
T/L note: moving forward Elder Shin will be replaced by Shin Noya
As the Old Man No-Ya spoke, his voice carried a heavy weight, his words confirming my worst fears.
In this era of peace that followed No-Ya's time, where martial artists were said to thrive, the drastic decline in their quality now made a terrifying kind of sense. The bitterness in No-Ya's tone came not just from nostalgia but from something far more ominous.
I had an inkling of the truth, but I desperately pushed it aside. If my suspicions were correct, the implications were catastrophic—far beyond what I could handle.
Still, I had to ask. My voice trembled with unease as I called out to No-Ya.
"No-Ya, are you saying…?"
[Young one.]
"Yes?"
[Do you recall what Il-Chun said in the hidden temple?]
"The hidden temple…?"
He was referring to our encounter at the Heavenly Academy—the time when Il-Chun had tried to kill me, branding me a calamity.
"What Il-Chun said to me back then?"
The words of the man who'd treated me like a plague were hazy, buried under layers of painful memories. As I struggled to recall, No-Ya saved me the effort.
[The world does not make the same mistake twice.]
That was what Il-Chun had said.
He had spoken those words with disdain, claiming to search for the cursed "correct answer" across multiple realms. Blood Demon had echoed similar sentiments.
And now, No-Ya's revelation struck like lightning.
"No-Ya… Don't tell me—"
My eyes widened in sheer panic as I stared at him, begging silently for him to deny it.
But instead, he dropped the truth.
[Tang Jemun told me something.]
"What…?"
[After we sealed the Blood Demon, the very first thing the world did was…]
He paused, his voice growing darker with every word.
[It cursed the 'humans' of this world.]
A suffocating silence enveloped me as his words settled in.
My entire existence had been a sequence of nightmares. And now, even the faintest hope I had for normalcy was crushed.
Once again, life had proven that my wishes never amounted to anything.