Chapter 24. Dream Awakening (24)

Chapter 24. Dream Awakening (24)

Anyone in his place would have reacted the exact same way.

Although Baek Sang-Woon was over a hundred years old, he looked to be in his early thirties when Woo-Moon met him, and his playful way of being reinforced that impression. While Woo-Moon knew his real age, he had always felt that the "nameless man" was like an older brother in his early thirties. However, the same person was now telling Woo-Moon that he was his grandfather.

"Haha, No-name, stop joking around."

At that moment, the Palm Martial Emperor radiated unstoppable energy. He had actually released the Absolute Master energy that he was normally keeping under control.

"You punk! I've already told you I'm your grandfather, so how can you call me 'No-name'? Isn't your mother's name Baek Jin-Jin?"

Woo-Moon was surprised.

'How did he know my mother's name when I didn't even tell him?'

"Your mother lived with me when she was young. However, I lived my life as a wanderer. I thought that if she were to accompany me, she wouldn't be happy, so I sent her to the Iron Sword Baek Family. Wasn't your mother ill and weak?"

Woo-Moon's attitude changed. "You're... right."

The Palm Martial Emperor spoke with a look of remorse in his eyes that completely belied his usual carefree personality.

"When Ah-Jin reached adulthood, the Iron Sword Baek Family tried to force her into a political marriage. But that free-spirited child would never obey such an order, just like her father."

Ah-Jin was the affectionate nickname that Baek Sang-Woon called his daughter.

It didn't seem like the Palm Martial Emperor was telling a lie. Woo-Moon was actually starting to believe that Baek Sang-Woon was indeed his grandfather.

Baek Sang-Woon continued. "If this fact were to be known, it would have damaged the reputation of the Iron Sword Baek Family, so they sent men to capture and retrieve Ah-Jin. I was traveling at the time, so I wasn't aware. However, in the midst of the capture, Jin-Jin got a serious internal injury due to one of the pursuers making a mistake."

"Ah...!" It was then that Woo-Moon finally understood. He wondered why his mother had a chronic cough that worsened day by day. He had thought that this was an illness that she had borne since birth, but the more he thought of it, the more he felt that wasn't actually the case. Thinking back, he realized that his mother had some faint qi, and she moved in a way characteristic of the people in the murim, even when she was sick.

It was only now that he could fit the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Even if the internal injury wasn't serious, if we just let it be, her health would gradually worsen..." mumbled Woo-Moon.

"Yes, that is correct. She couldn't do anything about it, because the internal injury she suffered was not something she could treat herself."

'What should I do now?' Woo-Moon fell into a serious dilemma. 'Should I bow down to Baek Sang-Woon and call him Grandfather? But what if he isn't? Though...wouldn't everything clear up if my mother and Baek Sang-Woon face each other and she admits that he is her father?'

Woo-Moon contemplated the situation for a moment.

"Anyway, let's go and greet your mom. What do you think, kid? That works for you, right?"

Baek Sang-Woon had been speaking in an uncharacteristically solemn manner, but now he seemed to be returning to his normal self.

"Yes... Grandfather." Woo-Moon decided to follow Baek Sang-Woon's advice for now.

"There's still some time before the guild departs, right? Let's go find your young brother first."

As if he already knew where the people of Mount Hua were, Baek Sang-Woon took the lead and walked forward without hesitation.

Following from behind, Woo-Moon asked, "Does my younger brother know about this?"

"No, he doesn't know. You're the older one, so I told you first."

The luggage he was carrying fell, but he didn't even think to pick it up. The rest of the people in the inn felt that something was strange and turned in that direction. Then, they also froze, unable to look elsewhere.

"The Palm Martial Emperor!"

Baek Sang-Woon smiled. "My grandson must be here... Where is he?"

Although Mount Hua had the Sword Emperor, who was also one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors, there were few disciples who had ever seen his face. Even the Legendary Three Plums didn't see the Sword Emperor often, although the latter was their sect's Grandmaster.

It was only the day before when the duel between him and Gyunghong had transpired, so Mount Hua disciples were even more surprised to see him here.

Then, they realized what he had just said.

'What? His grandson is here? Did the Palm Martial Emperor have a grandson? He doesn't have a child, so how could he have a grandson?'

Cheol Myeong-Wi, the elder who led the Mount Hua disciples, came forward with a somewhat displeased expression.

"What brings the esteemed sir here?"

Although Cheol Myeong-Wi was an elder, he was nothing more than a child in the eyes of the Palm Martial Emperor, who was one hundred and seven years old this year. As for their status, despite Cheol Myeong-Wi being a brilliant youngster, he wasn't one of the Eight Emperors, although he was still quite reputable in the murim world as a martial arts master.

"Huh? What do you know, that boy from the Cheol Family is here. Do you still wet your pants when you're in a hurry?"

Cheol Myeong-Wi's face reddened in anger at these words.

He was now in his late fifties. Thirty years ago, when he was just twenty years old, he fought with Baek Sang-Woon in an operation to take down the Cruel Sandstorm Riders, an organization that was a nest of evil.

As their name implied, the Cruel Sandstorm Riders rode horses that were rare beasts and engaged in endless guerrilla warfare, dragging out the war against the army for ten days. There were many prolonged battles, some even lasting longer than a day.

Naturally, under these conditions, even dealing with the normal physiological needs was a tall order. Baek Sang-Woon was already a great master at the time, so he could control his bladder at will, but that did not hold true for Cheol Myeong-Wi.

Thus, Cheol Myeong-Wi engaged in battle while holding in his urge to take a leak as best as he could. Unfortunately, however, he ended up wetting his pants when one of the masters of the Cruel Sandstorm Riders ambushed him. Of course, that wasn't uncommon on the battlefield. However, it was almost unheard of for a disciple of Mount Hua, one of the murim's prestigious Nine Sects, to do something so disgraceful.

The Palm Martial Emperor, who was fighting nearby at the time, witnessed this scene and laughed crazily. Since then, every time he met with Cheol Myeong-Wi, he brought up the story.

"Oh, come on! I'm already fifty years old. How am I still a little kid? Besides, why are you bringing up a story from thirty years ago? Can't you just forget about it already?!"

Cheol Myeong-Wi was normally considered the most upright and serious of the first-generation Mount Hua disciples. However, facing the Palm Martial Emperor, he was showing a completely different side of him. The Mount Hua disciples looked at him in surprise.

"Ahem, ahem." Cheol Myeong-Wi coughed, belatedly realizing the situation, and said to himself, 'No, Cheol Myeong-Wi. Don't get involved with that devil like before. The kids are watching too, so don't be fooled! Calm down, Cheol Myeong-Wi!'

Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Baek Sang-Woon and Cheol Myeong-Wi were actually good friends. After all, they had fought many grueling battles together. With that in mind, Cheol Myeong-Wi managed to regain his composure.

"Okay, what brings you here?"

"Huh? I said it already. Are you already deaf at your age? I'm here to find my grandson."

As expected, some things never changed. Whenever Cheol Myeong-Wi was with Baek Sang-Woon, his blood pressure ended up so high he could hear his own pulse.

"Your grand...what?"

"Well, you know, my daughter was actually alive all this time. This is her son."

Baek Sang-Woon's tone was very casual, but his words perplexed Cheol Myeong-Wi.