ATPnovel Chapter 257 : Fate, Comes
Chapter 257 : Fate, Comes
“Years passed, and one day, the successor of the Heavenly Demon Sect secretly visited my house. He came to me seeking help. He was still in a state where he could not manifest the Heavenly Demon Soul.”From Gwang Saryun’s answer, Lee Jaseung could deduce the solution to the question he had posed.
“Yao Hong found out about his visit huh.”
“Yes. Yao Hong was afraid that I might be swayed by him. That is why he kidnapped my grandson. Damn it! That is exactly the kind of man Yao Hong is.”
Gwang Saryun let out a pained groan.
“Then again, whom can I blame? I am merely receiving the punishment for betraying the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult in the first place.”
Lee Jaseung did not think so.
This was not a matter of chivalry or morality. The Dark Noble Clan was not a family subordinated to the Heavenly Demon Sect. As an independent family situated between the Orthodox and Unorthodox, there was no reason to specifically help the Heavenly Demon Sect.
It was just that Gwang Saryun was agonizing over things he didn't need to because his goodwill toward the Heavenly Demon Sect was so deep.
This was a problem regarding people.
His mistake lay in failing to accurately perceive a person’s character.
It was the fault of not recognizing that the opponent was a cold-blooded man who would achieve his goals even by kidnapping his own flesh and blood.
He had only seen the man’s smiles and his tears.
A masked smile and crocodile tears.
Gwang Saryun spoke again.
“Now, my story is finished. It is your turn to speak.”
“I have nothing to say.”
Gwang Saryun was startled by Lee Jaseung’s answer. His expression crumpled as he thought he was being mocked.
Even Socheong, standing behind him, flared up and hardened his face.
Then came Lee Jaseung’s next words.
“Instead, I have someone to show you.”
The door opened, and Mook Young entered leading Gwangdu.
“He is your grandson.”
The moment he saw Gwangdu, Gwang Saryun snapped his eyes wide.
Socheong, standing behind, shouted.
“Nonsense! It is a fake! There is no way he could be real!”
They had searched every corner of the Central Plains for over twenty years and could not find him.
Gwang Saryun slowly approached Gwangdu and lifted his upper garment.
Though he felt fearful, Gwangdu did not dare refuse that touch.
Gwang Saryun stared intently at Gwangdu’s back. Two small spots were marked side by side below his right waist.
The moment he saw those spots, Gwang Saryun’s pupils trembled. They were the spots marked on his grandson’s back.
Gwang Saryun felt Gwangdu’s head. He examined the bone structure. There was a unique trait that the bloodline of the Dark Noble Clan shared in common.
While examining the bone structure, Gwang Saryun suddenly embraced Gwangdu. The same characteristics were present in Gwangdu’s facial bones as well.
“Cheon!”
His original name was Gwang Cheon.
“Grandfather?”
He had already heard a basic explanation from Lee Jaseung.
“Yes, I am your grandfather.”
Gwang Saryun asked him about various things regarding the past. How he grew up, what he learned, and with what heart he had lived.
As the conversation grew longer, disappointment and rage simultaneously flashed in Gwang Saryun’s eyes.
He was the Dark Great Emperor.
Even without having a conversation, just by looking into his grandson’s eyes and embracing his body, he could tell his condition. He could tell that his grandson had been raised miserably. His personality and his martial arts were both lacking.
How could that be the grandson’s fault?
Gwang Saryun hugged Gwangdu tightly again and spoke to Lee Jaseung, who was beyond him.
“Thank you.”
Lee Jaseung said to him.
“Please help us in this war.”
“Should you not have made such a request before showing me my grandson?”
“Whether you accepted my request or not, I intended to return your grandson to you.”
“Why?”
“Because I am not a person like Yao Hong.”
“What kind of person are you?”
“Judge for yourself. I hope you do it properly this time.”
Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung left the place.
“I came here all tense, but nothing happened huh?”
At her words, Lee Jaseung spoke with a smile.
“It seems you wished for a fight to break out.”
“I have to show off my skills after all!”
“Against the Dark Great Emperor?”
“Would it not work?”
She asked playfully. Naturally, it wouldn't work, but she asked with a 'just in case' heart. At least his first remark was good.
“It would work. But the moment the sword floats in the air, you would be attacked and killed first.”
“Ah! Is that so after all?”
She smiled broadly. She also knew. The greater the master, the more careful one must be even when using Sword Qi. She knew that as the power grew larger, the openings also grew larger.
Baek Seolyoung glanced back at the building behind them.
It was not yet known if today’s matter went well. However, there was something she learned from watching Lee Jaseung’s handling of the matter.
That when throwing a winning move, one must throw it boldly like this.
* * *
Gwang Saryun sat alone in the darkness, drinking liquor.
He was emptying several bottles already without even touching the snacks.
“Cheong.”
Had he been waiting for Gwang Saryun to call him? Socheong revealed himself immediately.
“Yes, Great Emperor.”
“Give me a cup of liquor.”
Socheong approached and respectfully filled the liquor cup.
After emptying the cup, Gwang Saryun asked.
“Will you also have a drink?”
“Yes, please give me a cup.”
Socheong accepted the drink, which he would have normally refused.
After emptying his cup, Socheong asked cautiously.
“What do you intend to do now?”
It was because he knew well that the reason Gwang Saryun called him was to have such a conversation.
“What is your thought?”
“You must be cautious. The opponent is the Asura Demon Sect.”
Socheong, who was speaking, was also very cautious. Because this matter was deeply related to Gwang Saryun’s grandson as well.
Gwang Saryun changed the subject without answering.
“How is the child?”
“He has just fallen asleep.”
“What was your impression upon seeing him?”
Socheong hesitated for a moment before answering. It was not because he didn't know the meaning of the question. Rather, it was because he knew it too well that he could not answer easily.
He had heard all of the previous conversation with Gwang Saryun, and afterward, he had talked with him while guiding him to the lodging and bringing him food.
The more he talked, the more he felt an unconcealable vulgarity from him. He knew that he could no longer change that which had hardened like a natural disposition.
“It seems... some time will be needed.”
“Shall I tell you my honest feelings?”
Gwang Saryun revealed his deep inner thoughts.
“I regretted it.”
A dampness was heard in Gwang Saryun’s voice.
Socheong could tell. He knew what kind of regret that regret was.
It meant he regretted finding his grandson. He could tell how difficult it was for him to bring this up. He could also tell with how much anger he was speaking.
Because he had served Gwang Saryun for a long time, he knew better than anyone how much he had wanted to see his grandson.
Yet, the blood relative he actually met had grown into a bastard like a scoundrel and a profligate. He had lived that way for so long that it now seemed hardened like a natural disposition and would not be easy to fix.
Since only the image of the cute grandson from his childhood would have been remembered in Gwang Saryun’s heart, his heartbreak and disappointment would be beyond words.
“That man Yao Hong made me feel the emotion of disappointment toward my blood relative whom I met again after twenty years. He mocked me by ruining that child.”
Gwang Saryun’s eyes flashed in the darkness.
“I can never forgive him.”
* * *
Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung shared their love under the bright moonlight.
The touch of Lee Jaseung, who was indulging in her body, stopped for a moment. He thought her reaction was different today of all days.
“Are you feeling okay?”
When Lee Jaseung asked lowly, Baek Seolyoung embraced him strongly.
As always, the love with Lee Jaseung was joyful and happy.
But today, her heart throbbed exceptionally. It was different from usual.
When she shared love with him, she was earnest.
It was because of the thought that this love might be the last.
In this recent attack by the Asura Three Demons, she had saved her life by a truly narrow margin. If she had not manifested Sword Kinesis then, she would not have been able to have this love today.
So, the love with him always felt like standing on the edge of a cliff.
But today, that trembling was special.
It was a trembling like something was about to happen, and if she had to express it, she felt she had to use the modifier 'fateful'.
It was not the first time they were sharing love, so why was she like this?
Lee Jaseung felt that Baek Seolyoung’s reaction was different from usual.
She, who was embraced in his arms, was so beautiful. In Lee Jaseung’s eyes, she looked more beautiful than before they were married.
Her meaning had continued to change.
From a mere target of use with a beautiful appearance, they became a couple through the marriage martial art tournament, and afterward, their affection deepened so that they were now partners who shared life and death.
When he first thought of her, his biggest worry was bringing her along on the path of blood he had to walk.
But she was walking that path excellently, making such worries pale in comparison.
It was truly something he did not think of, that she would save Dan Woobin and the warriors of the Guard Hall.
He was truly so grateful to her.
But feeling her unusual trembling, Lee Jaseung thought.
That separate from her heart of loving him, she might be aching and struggling. Because the heir of a prestigious Orthodox Faction becoming the wife of the Black Way Alliance Leader and walking the path of world unification was not something anyone could easily achieve.
In that way, the two shared love while having similar but different thoughts.
The two reached a climax with a greater trembling than ever before.
“Hahh.”
The two exhaled sharply.
It was right then.
“Huh?”
A single word flowed from Lee Jaseung’s mouth.
Because it was an unexpected exclamation, Baek Seolyoung was startled.
“Why?”
Lee Jaseung looked at Baek Seolyoung with a dazed expression.
Because he had never been like this, she actually felt fearful.
Lee Jaseung spoke with a drained face.
“It's loosened.”
“What is?”
“My Dantian.”
“What?”
This time, Baek Seolyoung was startled.
“Are you saying that the Dantian, which was said to be sealed, has been unlocked?”
Lee Jaseung nodded. Not only the Dantian, but all the membranes that were in various parts of his body had disappeared. They disappeared cleanly, like a lie.
“How?”
“I don't know either.”
One thing for certain was that the moment he became one with her, all the seals on his body were loosened.
As the inner Qi of two hundred years came out from his Dantian and circled his entire body once, Lee Jaseung’s body became light as if it would fly.
He was curious about what kind of martial arts he could unfold with this body. He already had a hunch that it would be definitely different.
Because Baek Seolyoung did not know Lee Jaseung would regain his inner Qi so easily, she was beyond joyful, yet also dazed.
“I felt strange today too.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know. My mood was just different from usual.”
Lee Jaseung thought of that man.
Just what happened? Surely, he didn't make it so the seal would be loosened if he shared love with her? If not that, did it loosen naturally as time passed? Was it something related to her mood as well?
Lee Jaseung did not know.
That was not the only thing he did not know.
Just how significant this day was for him, no, for him and her.
That it was a day they received a precious gift that could not be compared with the inner Qi he got back. If the natural return of his inner Qi was the man’s parting gift, the other gift was a gift bestowed by the heavens, not the man.