Chapter 75
“You insolent brat. You know who I am and don’t even bat an eye?”
The Fire King, Yang Huicheon, was observing Eun Sowol’s group from afar as they swiftly moved through the forest.
What had caught his attention first wasn’t the child, but the Tang clan member.
A person from the Sichuan Tang family traveling alone with outsiders—he had never seen such a thing before.
Moreover, the fact that the man was calling the stranger “hyungnim” (older brother) and followed his commands was strange enough to draw his attention.
And then, they killed what was no ordinary bear, but one that looked like the master of the mountains—using just concealed weapons.
At first, Yang Huicheon had suspected this was a trap meant to kill the Tang clan member.
However, whenever that Tang man seemed in danger, the group subtly helped him, and in the end, he was the one to take down the bear.
Seeing all that, his interest naturally shifted toward the other members of the group.
“A Tang clan member, a man of unknown identity, and a girl who looks no older than five or six…”
It was a truly unusual combination.
Once they left after slaying the bear, Yang Huicheon leapt onto the branch where the man and the little girl had been.
And then, he felt it—a refreshing wave of pure Yang energy that engulfed his entire body.
“This is…!”
Yang Huicheon had spent his entire life mastering Yang-based internal energy.
Now, he had reached the level where he could sense the lingering energy left behind by others.
And never in his life had he felt such a clean, pure, and refreshing aura.
It was like encountering the original flame of creation, never extinguished, passed down in continuity.
Yang Huicheon had met countless people across the martial world in his quest to find a successor.
Among them were so-called prodigies, even those born with the rare Pure Yang Constitution.
Yet none of them had ever moved his heart.
He had begun to fear that the Hwayang Sect might disappear into history without a true successor…
But now, the energy left behind on that branch blew all his doubts away.
Yang Huicheon immediately followed the trail of that energy. At the end of it was Eun Sowol.
The child was just perfect in his eyes.
She wasn’t afraid of him, had a touch of boldness, and an utterly endearing charm.
On top of that, she was only five years old.
And martial arts should be taught as early as possible.
If that pure child were to enter the Hwayang Sect, not just she but the entire sect would surely rise to greatness.
“But… she has meridian blockage?”
At over eighty years of age, he had finally found a gem. He couldn’t just let her go because of something like blocked meridians…
As he contemplated, a sudden thought crossed Yang Huicheon’s mind.
If she had meridian blockage, couldn’t he just cure it?
“As luck would have it, I know exactly where that thing is. I should find it and give it to the child as a gift.”
That thing would help cure her condition—and more importantly, give him the chance to become her benefactor and formally take her in as his disciple.
“But… are they really uncle and niece?”
Eun Sowol seemed to follow him genuinely, so perhaps they weren’t lying…
But could two blood relatives possess such completely opposite energies?
If Sowol’s energy was like pure sunlight, Gwangryong’s was a shadowy, oppressive aura hidden beneath the night sky.
While some energy traits are inherited, others change over time.
Based on energy alone, the two were fundamentally incompatible.
In fact, the man’s aura resembled something far more dangerous—something that shouldn’t even exist in the central martial world. It was the aura of the truly wicked.
“If that man ever becomes a danger to the child… then I’ll have to take her away.”
But first, he needed to figure out a way to approach them naturally.
Resolving himself, Yang Huicheon quickly began to follow them before they got too far.
Several Days Later
“The sea! It’s the sea!”
A few days after their encounter with the Fire King, the group arrived in Leizhou, Guangdong Province.
It wasn’t a particularly large city, but as expected of a place where trade flourished, the harbor was well-developed.
Eun Sowol’s eyes sparkled at the salty sea breeze, the fresh wind, and the sight of fishermen hauling various fish and seafood.
Kyung!
Baekwoon happily gnawed on a fish he had somehow found, chewing at it with gusto.
The group had boarded a ship heading to Hainan Island and was now waiting for it to depart.
“Ahh, now this is the life. Sowol, doesn’t it feel great to take a bath and wear clean clothes?”
Tang Jinhak’s hair danced in the sea breeze.
Nearby women flushed and whispered, clearly flustered by his good looks.
“Yeah! I feel like a whole new person. Uncle, you look super cool too!”
After several rough days in the mountains, the three of them had come down looking worse than bandits.
But after a full day’s rest here, they were completely transformed.
After scrubbing away layers of grime and changing into new clothes, the once-ragged Tang Jinhak had returned to his elegant noble form.
And Dok Goryong, dressed in a breezy ramie robe, looked just as refined.
“Hyungnim, you’re so handsome, why don’t you dress up more? Just being neat makes such a difference, especially for men.”
“Mind your business. Why do you care what I do?”
‘Even when we visited the Dokgo clan, people stared at him constantly…’
If only he didn’t insist on wearing that worn-out black hat and dark robes, he’d stand out even more…
‘Or maybe, because everyone else wears bright colors, his black outfit actually stands out more?’
People really did seem to keep staring.
“Of course, our little Sowol is the prettiest one here, right?”
“Of course! Obviously!”
Eun Sowol proudly puffed out her chest at Tang Jinhak’s praise.
She wore a soft sky-blue skirt with a white top, along with a butterfly-shaped accessory he had bought for her.
It wasn’t exactly travel-friendly attire.
‘But who cares, it’s pretty!’
All dolled up for the first time in a while, Sowol smiled like a crescent moon, cupping her rosy cheeks.
Not just Tang Jinhak, but even strangers nearby whispered about how cute she looked.
“Such a young girl already charming everyone. Just who did she take after to be so pretty?”
“My mom, of course! She’s really pretty!”
Flushed with excitement from the attention and compliments, Eun Sowol turned her head—
—only for her eyes to go wide.
“Grandpa Yang!”
Yang Huicheon, whom they had parted ways with a few days ago, greeted her with his warm, crinkly smile.
“Sowol, have you been well?”
“Wow! Grandpa, it’s been so long! Have you been well too—waaah!”
As she tried to rush toward him, a hand grabbed her from behind, lifting her up with a startled yelp.
Of course, the culprit was Dok Goryong.
“You really followed us? I never imagined the great Fire King had such a hobby—trailing others from the shadows.”
“Hmph. Your sharp tongue is still as foul as ever. Who said I followed you? You just happened to be on the road I was walking.”
“Don’t feign ignorance. I know you’ve been watching us ever since we parted. That child will never become your disciple.”
“Life is full of surprises. And even if you’re her uncle, can you truly decide her fate?”
Fwoosh—
Suddenly, flames burst from Yang Huicheon’s hand, while Dok Goryong grabbed his axe tightly with his free hand.
‘What the heck?! Why are they both like this?’
Eun Sowol had no idea when the two had gone into full battle stance.
She only knew their last parting hadn’t been pleasant, and judging by how hostile they looked now, a serious clash was about to erupt.
“W-Wait! You can’t fight on the ship! You’ll feed us to the fish!”
Her desperate shout slowly defused the tension between the two.
The ship had just left the port and entered the open sea.
Eun Sowol had no desire to watch her only means of survival burn or sink.
“Uncle! Don’t be mean to Grandpa! You always tell me to respect elders!”
Dok Goryong twitched an eyebrow but couldn’t offer a single rebuttal, narrowing his eyes instead.
“And Grandpa! Don’t fight with Uncle! He’s just really, really protective of me! And I can’t become your disciple!”
Coughing awkwardly, Yang Huicheon looked away, as if he’d been caught.
Eun Sowol climbed down from Dok Goryong’s arms, stood between the two, and grabbed their hands.
Then, she tried to bring their hands together.
“Now, shake hands and make up…!”
Both men frowned, their expressions souring.
Sowol strained to bring their hands together, but the two only pretended to cooperate. Their hands never actually touched.
‘Stubborn old mules, the both of them.’
In the end, when she let go, both of them wiped their hands on their clothes.
As if something dirty had actually touched them—even though their hands hadn’t even met.
