Chapter 140: Faintly, Suddenly (10)

Chapter 140: Faintly, Suddenly (10)

As I lay my torn clothes on the floor, I truly feel that todays training has come to an end.

A black martial arts uniform soaked with blood.

Whether those dark stains were from sweat or blood, no one could tell.

Yet, after training ended like this, seeing my martial arts uniform torn to shreds made me feel like I had truly given my all today.

A smile naturally formed on my lips, my heart uplifted.

Come down slowly, and dont use that power recklessly.

I know. But do you put Cheondo through the same training?

I asked him directly, responding to the old man who had started down the mountain ahead of me.

Why are you curious about that?

His reply was cold and immediate.

I shrugged and laughed awkwardly.

Just curious. After all, you know very well what kind of person she is to me.

My unmatched mentor. The one who picked me up when I was nothing.

Saying picked up might sound odd, but it felt strange not to phrase it that way.

Cheondo would risk her life for me, her student. Not many would risk their lives for a relationship of just a few weeks.

A person I was grateful for.

After looking down at me for a while, the old man spoke indifferently.

What kind of person? What, are you her betrothed?

What? No, thats not it.

I was momentarily taken aback by his sudden joke.

That wasnt the intention behind my question. Did I inadvertently cause him to harbor such doubts? While the thought crossed my mind, the old man continued speaking in his usual unemotional tone.

Cheondo knows how to push herself. You, who knows nothing, cant compare.

You seem to know a lot about your daughter?

Are you trying to play word games with me?

Of course not.

There were many people with such personalities.

Fathers too strict to express even a single emotion properly are as common as outdated dramas.

Cheondo, in the present, missed her father.

The way he treated me showed he wasnt entirely devoid of affection.

If you look closely, he smiles a lot.

He simply diligently restrains those emotions as much as possible.

This is a bit off-topic, but I heard from Hongyeon that youve withdrawn your involvement with Dowon. May I ask why?

I presented my questions one after another.

Beating around the bush doesnt work with him, so I asked as directly as I could.

Its not something you need to concern yourself with. Werent you here for training?

Just curious.

Perhaps returning like this wouldnt be so bad after all.

In terms of achieving growth, it has been quite a success.

But no one knows if growth was the only reason I came to the past.

Even the World Tree of Time could only vaguely state that sending me to the past was its purpose.

As I mentioned before, I dont have a specific purpose. But if I leave without knowing this, I feel like it will trouble my dreams.

A guy who doesnt even sleep talking nonsense.

The old man turned his back and paused.

I sat on the rock, leisurely awaiting his response.

I created Dowon for rest, not to increase my workload.

I was already well aware of Dowons origins.

Is that your answer?

What more do you want to know?

Well, I dont know, maybe a dream you were so passionate about that you were willing to give up Dowon. Or a reason for wanting a successor.

Your way of speaking is quite irritating. Ah a dream? Heh, its been a while since Ive heard that word.

Then, the old man said,

I have a dream.

Those words.

Just hearing that four-letter sentence filled me with a piercing sense of dj vu.

-I have a dream.

Cheondos words that I heard in Purgatory.

All sorts of emotions were condensed in them, making the meaning unclear and seemingly out of place.

She wouldnt clarify what he meant afterward, which was frustrating. Could it be that she simply recited her fathers words verbatim?

I adjusted my posture respectfully.

The reason I became Cheonma was to kill those I disliked, whether they were from the World Tree or humans, it didnt matter.

Both me and this person. Were already somewhat ethically compromised.

The old man stood there, self-deprecating.

I thought I was surrounded by naive fools, but it turned out I was the biggest fool of all.

Cheonma, quite the contrary term.

Just living as things came, now shamelessly, I wanted to rest. I wanted to experience the joy of raising children that others talk about. So, I returned to Dowon and settled down.

So, you created Dowon?

It just grew on its own. A child I picked up out of amusement became the leader and expanded this place.

Hongyeons face came to mind.

Picked up by Cheonma. I know there were a few more adoptees like that.

The old man turned around to look at me.

I tried to make this place into Dowonhyang, but now its all done.

Dowonhyang?

Something like a legend passed down in the Peach Tree family. An ideal world Do you understand what I mean?

Abstract, but I got the gist.

A utopia or heaven, as passed down in Asian cultures.

As I nodded, the old man sighed deeply.

If you want to create it, why not just do it?

Before that, Dowon would be ruined.

Dowon being ruined.

I already knew about the future where it would be ruined, but it was surprising to hear Cheonma say it.

Excuse me?

Ive made too many enemies over time. Whether I die or not, Dowon will become a target.

That makes sense.

Cheonmas achievements, or should I say, disasters.

There were too many to count.

Almost like having defeated a whole country, it was natural that there would be many holding grudges against him.

Even if I try to stop it, it would just be a matter of who dies less or more.

Is that why you detached yourself from Dowon?

No.

Perhaps I was reading too much into it.

The old man muttered expressionlessly.

Just had a lot to do.

A lot, indeed.

I recalled a sentence I had read in a book once.

-To subdue Cheonma, many hunters, including the World Tree Foundation, participated in that war.

The two most recent disasters in my original world, the Spirit King and Cheonma.

At this point in time, the second disaster had yet to occur.

What the old man referred to as having a lot to do must have been the preparations for that.

Are you trying to save my master?

I didnt know how many people survived.

Whats certain was that the clan was terminated. I only know three people who survived.

Tch.

I clicked my tongue at the bitterness filling my mouth.

The war he single-handedly caused might have been a kind of struggle, after all.

Knowing the outcome, I couldnt help but think that way.

Youve learned all you were curious about.

If you hadnt been so devoted to Dowon, I wouldnt have said this. Tch. Stop the nonsense.

Yes Well, Ill try to make amends.

Though he called it nonsense, I already knew he somewhat approved of my work in Dowon.

The old man, with his deeply furrowed face, started down the mountain again. I stayed put, silently reflecting on his words.

Even as I put on new clothes and descended the mountain, the thought persisted.

A world where evil did not exist, and the good could freely pursue their ideals.

It was hard to believe such thoughts could belong to Cheonma.

Well. As long as I do my part.

Yet, I wasnt displeased to have uncovered a secret Cheondo had harbored.

I couldnt prevent Cheonmas death or Dowons ruin.

But I intended to do what I could while I could.

I was starting to get a feel for this place called the past.

If my present life was a reflection of this past

It wasnt certain, but thats what I believed.

And if my prediction was correct, there was still work left for me to do.