Chapter 5.5: Past Relationships [Part 2]

The breakfast ended in silence. Woo politely saw Kang-oh off. However, Kang-oh felt uneasy when he saw Yeon-jin, a maid, enter Woo's quarters at his call.

It was because he realized that Woo must have also known that the maid had been coming and going with food from the First Internal Officer.

This realization struck him after hearing about the Third Internal Officer's bribery ledger. When he first had Il-woon investigate Woo's background, they found that he had been working as a servant in the Black Sky Clan for the past eight years, but the more he learned, the more unusual it seemed.

In the Central Plains, where only those from educated families typically learned to read, it was already surprising that a servant knew how to read and write. Moreover, he had the insight to find a bribery ledger that a cautious person would have hidden multiple times over. Being able to read the ledger also meant she could do calculations.

It was also unusual that, despite holding the weakness of someone who was practically an enemy, he had the extreme patience not to expose it for five years.

Returning to his quarters, Kang-oh immediately summoned Il-woon and ordered him to retrieve the ledger hidden in the Third Internal Officer's room.

Despite it being broad daylight, the leader of the Southern Lake Group (Honamdan) moved in secrecy, like a thief lurking in the night, and delivered the bribery ledger to Kang-oh.

At the very least, the secret location Woo mentioned regarding the Third Internal Officer was indeed real.

Kang-oh held the ledger in his hand, flipping through the pages as he organized the list of bribes the Third Internal Officer had received and the names of those who had given them. Four names immediately stood out.

"Gong Ji-rak, Jin Hwe-seop, Gil Ya-hoon, Im Bul-yeo… They sure took a lot."

At Kang-oh's muttering, Il-woon frowned and replied, "Those names are unfamiliar."

"I thought the same."

Shrugging his shoulders, Kang-oh wrote down the names of the four separately on a piece of paper and laid it out. He stared at them for a moment, furrowing his brows, then started rearranging the names while mumbling under his breath.

'Seop Gil Im, Seop Gil Hoon, Seop Hoon Yeo… Seop Gil Ji?'

By pulling out the characters that were usually used as surnames and rearranging them, he was able to recognize some familiar names.

"But if I combine the names like this..."

From that point on, everything fell into place.

"…!"

Kang-oh, realizing something, started tearing the paper apart. Il-woon's eyes widened as he watched Kang-oh piece the names together without hesitation.

"Ye Bul-hoe, Seop Gil-ji, Yarak-hoon, Im Gong-jin—now this is starting to look familiar."

"Is it the Second Disciple? What would he have to gain from joining hands with the Third Internal Officer?"

"No, it's not him."

"Then..."

Il-woon hesitated to finish his thought, but Kang-oh realized he was about to mention Mo Yong-yun and shook his head.

"Keep your mouth shut. It's best not to make baseless suspicions."

"Understood."

At his lord's warning, Il-woon bowed his head and clasped his hands in respect.

Only after spreading his senses to confirm that no unwanted ears were listening did Kang-oh speak again.

"I don't think it's him. He may be hostile toward me, but he would never let his pride and honor be tarnished."

The senior disciple he knew was extremely proud. There was no way he would go so far as to bribe the Third Internal Officer for his own gain.

"That's why we should investigate this separately. A tree with many branches is never free from the wind… but if an outside force is interfering…"

Trailing off, Kang-oh's cold gaze fell upon the ledger of bribes from the Third Internal Officer.

"Is he dead?"

"Yes. On the third day after he entered the mountain, he was torn apart and killed by wolves."

"…At least he died in pain, so that's a relief."

"That's unexpected. The Third Internal Officer was quite loyal to the Black Sky Lord…"

Il-woon muttered.

"Even someone who preached about unwavering loyalty to his master must have realized it in the end—loyalty alone won't bring wealth and power."

Kang-oh had seen all kinds of people in his life.

Even the most skilled warrior could be a coward, and even a simple village woman could display incredible bravery.

Just because the Third Internal Officer was filled with loyalty didn't mean everything he did benefited the Black Sky Clan.

"Submit the ledgers publicly, but separate these four."

"May I ask why?"

"They're the four who gave the most money to the Third Internal Officer. It's unclear what they received in return. They seem to be cautious enough to hide their names in the bribery ledgers, yet these four are bundled together."

Kang-oh's finger tapped rhythmically on the table.

"These four are connected."

The Third Internal Officer was ruthless and blindly loyal, but he wasn't stupid.

He had managed to reach the position of a Black Sky Clan's internal officer, even if it was only the third seat.

If he hadn't been consumed by his own inferiority complex about martial arts, he might have even aimed for the head officer position.

Would someone like that mix the names of these four without reason?

He was the kind of person who had received bribes so cunningly that no one, not even the Grandmaster, would openly suspect him. There was no way he would create a code without purpose.

At the very least, he must have had a reason to recognize these four as a group.

"I'll investigate their connection."

Il-woon cupped his fists in a formal gesture and stepped back.

Kang-oh, flipping through the ledger, found his thoughts drifting like a boat being pushed by waves—back to Woo, the one who had told him about this ledger.

Could it really be just a slip-up that let Woo uncover something the Third Internal Officer had gone to such lengths to hide?

'That can't be.'

Letting out a breath, Kang-oh leaned back in his chair, his eyes gleaming with thought.

***

In the afternoon, Ye ryeongdang received an unexpected guest.

"Third Disciple."

Seo-mun Geumryeong, the First Internal Officer, stood up to greet the visitor—none other than Kang-oh himself.

"Please, have a seat."

As Seo Mun Geum-ryeong returned to her seat, Kang-oh handed her a secret ledger from the Third Internal Office.

"What is this...?"

"It's a copy of the bribery records I took from the Third Internal Office."

"Bribery, you say?"

At her calm response, Kang-oh nodded.

"You didn't know nothing about it, did you?"

"I had my suspicions, but I couldn't find any solid evidence. A few of the trading companies that used to supply goods to the Black Sky Clan were cut off, and others took their place."

"They really covered their tracks well."

Kang-oh smirked coldly. If she already had an idea, then getting proof wouldn't be difficult. That was just how the underworld worked. In the end, power and strength alone determined authority.

So Seo-mun Geumryeong didn't avoid taking action against the Third Internal Officer because there was no evidence—she simply chose not to.

Because he was still useful somewhere.

A sudden thought crossed Kang-oh's mind: could that despicable man have survived because he attacked Woo?

He didn't think things had gone that far, but just the possibility made his stomach turn.

"He was quite capable in his own way. Had an uncanny sense for the smell of money. Thanks to him, we were able to weed out those with corrupt intentions."

As the First Internal Officer organized the ledger, she added, "But I suppose that's all over now, isn't it?"

Seo-mun Geumryeong met Kang-oh's gaze, as if she already knew everything. Then again, it would make no sense for her not to know—the officer under her command had disappeared.

Kang-oh had hoped that the Third Internal Officer's disappearance would shake up Black Sky Clan, but now he realized Seo-mun Geumryeong had already taken over his duties.

"Was this the master's order?"

"It's my job to remove anything that would tarnish the Third Disciple's name."

Seo-mun Geumryeong's expression was flawless, as if drawn on a canvas.

"So it was the master's doing." Kang-oh muttered to himself.

He knew that Ye Jin-rang wouldn't cast him aside just for taking matters into his own hands and killing the Third Internal Officer. However, he expected to be reprimanded for acting without a justifiable reason.

But in the end, it was overlooked. He had deliberately left the matter unresolved to make it a public issue, yet—

Ye Jin-rang's affection was like a lake so still that even throwing a stone into it wouldn't create ripples. No matter who was thrown in, his master would simply swallow it whole, without a reaction.

Even blood ties wouldn't guarantee unconditional forgiveness. If anything, mistakes were punished more harshly in teacher-disciple relationships. And yet, while Ye Jin-rang had raged endlessly when Kang-oh took Woo away, he turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the matter of the Third Internal Officer.

Perhaps if the rumors were true—if he and Ye Jin-rang truly had some secret relationship—this would have made sense. But Kang-oh and Ye Jin-rang had always kept their relationship as pure and untainted as the snowy plains of the north.

"You used the Third Internal Officer like a mere watchdog to root out those who harbored disloyalty toward Black Sky Clan, and now you discard him so easily," Kang-oh said.

"Every person has their use. He simply fulfilled his,"

Her words were cold, yet her expression remained unshaken. She was as calm and composed as ever—polite, professional. There was no pity for a fallen comrade, but no contempt either.

Only Ye-jin-rang, the master of Seo-mun Geumryeong, knew what lay beneath that calm exterior.

"Usefulness..."

Kang-oh muttered. The very sound of that word sent a chill through his heart.

"I'll handle the announcement about the Third Internal Officer. Should I say that he was attacked by a wild animal while escaping with the ledger?"

Given her mention of the mountains and beasts, it was clear she was fully aware of the situation.

"Do as you wish."

Kang-oh answered bluntly, rubbing his neck. He felt like he was bound by an invisible rope. Even if this was based on affection, it was still suffocating.

Ye Jin-rang showered his youngest disciple with affection, desperately wanting him to stay by his side. But in the end, he was the very reason Kang-oh was drifting away from Black Sky Clan.

No matter how much he respected his master, to Kang-oh, Black Sky felt like nothing more than a giant cage.

If someone else heard this, they'd say he was an ungrateful disciple and point fingers at him. But Kang-oh wasn't the type to care about what others thought. The only reason he had kept his head down and lived like a tamed beast for ten years was because of his loyalty to Ye Jin-rang.

A being so powerful that no sword could cut him and no poison could harm him—yet, in front of his youngest disciple, he became just like an ordinary human.

Kang-oh respected and followed Ye Jin-rang, but at the same time, he feared seeing him hurt because of him.

It was like wishing that a great mountain would never collapse or that an ancient tree would never fall.

"The Third Internal Officer may be ruthless, but he's smart. So why would someone like him cross such a dangerous bridge?"

Before leaving Ye ryeongdang, Kang-oh posed one last question.

"Because he wanted to climb higher."

Seo-mun Geumryeong answered calmly. She spoke about the Third Internal Officer's reckless ambition like it was just someone else's business, as if she had no interest in it at all.

As Kang-oh strode away without hesitation, the First Internal Officer also put aside her work and stood up.

Seo-mun Geumryeong headed toward the residence of her lord, Ye Jin-rang. Passing by an outer building where disciples were usually summoned for training, she walked even deeper inside.

The separate residence she arrived at was just as beautiful on the outside as any other Black Sky Clan building. But inside, beyond the windows, a gloomy atmosphere lingered. The place was practically empty, with nothing but the bare essentials—there were no signs of life.

Unlike Hee-do Won's place, where trees were planted everywhere, the backyard here was full of withered weeds, their leaves turning yellow. This was a highly secluded residence, belonging solely to Jin-rang. It was also a place where even idle chatter was forbidden.

Without hesitation, Seo-mun Geumryeong pushed through the thick foliage and reached her lord.

A man was reading a book while holding a fishing rod over a pond with no fish. Sensing her presence, he turned his head.

"The Third Disciple has brought this."

Jin-rang flipped through the ledger and immediately recognized it as the Third Internal Officer's bribery records.

Kang-oh wasn't the type to bother securing something like this—he never cared about covering his tracks. Jin-rang knew his youngest disciple well. If Kang-oh believed he had done nothing wrong, he wouldn't care in the slightest about what others thought.

In fact, Jin-rang found it strange that Kang-oh had let the Third Internal Officer live for so long. It had been Jin-rang himself who had ordered Seo-mun Geumryeong to take care of the matter once news of the man's disappearance came in.

Knowing Kang-oh better than anyone, Jin-rang smirked as he guessed who was really behind this ledger ending up in his hands.

""He sure knows how to use that sharp mind of his in such a filthy way. He takes after that woman—summoning people like dogs by borrowing someone else's hand."

Ye Jin-rang's voice carried a chilling tone, full of resentment.

"What should we do?"

As he tossed the ledger that Seo-mun Geumryeong had handed him onto the floor, Ye-jin-rang commanded, "Summon him."

Even though Jin-rang didn't specify who, the ever-loyal First Internal Officer of the Black Sky Clan bowed her head in obedience.

"Understood."

***

It was late at night, but Woo was pacing anxiously around the room instead of lying down on his bed. He had already cast his line—now, it was time to face the consequences of what he had done.

And just as expected, Yeon-jin, looking as pale as a ghost, came to see hi. Her pale face looked more lifeless than ever. Woo felt uneasy knowing the reason behind her demeanor.

"Can I go now?"

Without daring to meet his gaze, Yeon-jin mumbled while staring at the floor, her lips as pale as her face.

"It's... it's my fault."

It was a sudden confession of guilt, but Woo had a feeling he knew why she was saying that.

"If I... if I hadn't let the Third Disciple find out on purpose..."

She had used Kang-oh as a shield, but she had been fully aware that she might face punishment for her actions. What she hadn't expected was for Woo to be summoned instead.

Yeon-jin's world was relatively simple. She believed that one must pay the price for their own actions. So when she weighed the risks, she considered Kang-oh but never Woo. After all, she had been the one to take the initiative.

No matter what she planned or carried out, a mere servant's actions could never escape the grasp of the First Internal Officer. Yet she had let her emotions take over and made a reckless move.

Now, the time had come to face the consequences. But the one paying the price wasn't her—it was Woo.

Yeon-jin found it hard to bear the reality of the situation.

"No, it's not..."

Woo took her trembling hand. Yeon-jin's shaking suddenly stopped. His skin felt rough, but the careful way he held her gave her a sense of stability.

"I-I was the one who tried to meet him. Y-Yeon-jin, this isn't your fault."

At those words, Yeon-jin felt the strength drain from her body.

Tried to meet her? That didn't make sense. If Woo had wanted to see the Grandmaster, all he had to do was tell Yeon-jin. But he had never asked her to pass on a message.

Was he trying to comfort her, or was he telling the truth?

Yeon-jin wanted to collapse right then and there, but she fought against the urge with everything she had.

"W-we have to go. To that place from last time."

Her voice was weak and unsteady. Woo nodded and let her take the lead.

This was only her second time leaving Hee-do Won.

Yeon-jin guided Woo through a secret passage used only by the attendants. Once they slipped out of Hee-do Won, Woo moved swiftly under the cover of night.

The path leading to where Black Sky Clan Leader Jin-rang was staying was eerily silent. Somehow, not even the sound of insects could be heard, making the night feel even more unsettling.

From time to time, Yeon-jin's shoulders trembled as she walked ahead. She was trying her best to hold back her emotions, and though she made no sound, Woo looked at her back with worried eyes.

"We... we've arrived."

Yeon-jin muttered as she stopped in front of a forest of blackened, lifeless bamboo. Last time, she had been led to a lake, but now, for some reason, a bamboo forest stretched before her.

"This is the right place, but why is it a bamboo forest...?"

She mumbled to herself, staring at the lantern in her hands. The flickering shadows wavered like ripples on water.

"I-I'll be back soon."

Without hesitation, Woo walked past Yeon-jin and stepped inside. From the beginning, he had already suspected what was happening.

It was a formation.

Because they had entered the range of the 'Phantom Gate Formation' Gate set up by the Black Sky Clan Leader, they were seeing a bamboo forest instead of the lake. Once inside a formation like this, only designated people or objects could move freely in and out.

That lantern Yeon-jin was holding belonged to him. Without its guidance, Yeon-jin and Woo would have been trapped in the formation, wandering endlessly. The sudden silence of the insects—almost as if they'd vanished—was likely because of this strange illusionary formation.

Ye-jinrang wasn't just skilled in martial arts—he was talented in all sorts of unconventional techniques. He was a true genius. Just as he could use sorcery, he was also highly knowledgeable about formations.

Thanks to this formation, they could move around without being noticed by the guards of Heedo-won. No matter how narrow a path they took or how well they hid under the cover of night, it was impossible to completely evade the eyes of skilled warriors—unless they had the help of such a formation.

"Be careful."

As Yeon-jin anxiously fidgeted, she caught sight of Woo's back. As usual, he was limping, but strangely, he still looked dignified. His normally hunched back was now straight, and even his awkwardly slanted shoulders seemed to have naturally settled. He didn't look like someone walking into danger at all

Yeon-jin couldn't tell if this was just an illusion caused by her own desperate hope or if Woo truly would make it through unharmed. Biting her lips anxiously, she waited for him.

Pushing through the dense bamboo forest—where even a single green stalk was hard to find—Ye-jinrang came into view, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. Woo lowered his head, not saying a word. Before he could speak, the Black Sky Lord addressed him first.

"You knew that I assigned her to watch over you."

Jin-rang's voice, colder than a winter night, brushed against Woo's ear. For an ordinary person, just feeling the sharpness in that voice would have been enough to make their legs go weak and collapse on the spot.

However, Woo simply kept his head down and did not respond.

"Why didn't you send a message through her?"

Ye Jin-rang's hand casually pointed outside the forest, pinpointing exactly where Yeon-jin was waiting for Woo. Even with the dense bamboo forest in the way, for someone like Jin-rang, who had mastered martial arts, sensing an ordinary person's presence was an easy task.

"It's… it's better if she doesn't know. S-She's a good person."

For the first time, Woo spoke up.

The more time he spent with Yeon-jin, the more convinced he became. Kindness could be a strength, but for someone unable to protect themselves, it was also a double-edged sword. It was better if she remained unaware of his connection with the Grandmaster of Black Sky Clan.

A mere servant requesting a meeting with the Grandmaster— and the fact that Jin-rang actually agreed to it. Even from just that small piece of truth, Yeon-jin was sharp enough to sense that something was off.

Thus, Woo had to be cautious. The reason he had instructed that the bribery ledger be passed to the First Internal Officer was precisely for this reason.

If Kang-oh handed the bribery ledger of the Third Internal Officer to Seo-mun Geumryeong, it would inevitably reach Ye-jin-rang's ears.

The Grandmaster of the Black Sky Clan knew his disciple well. At the very least, he had enough insight to realize that it wasn't Kang-oh who found the Third Internal Officer's ledger—it was Woo.

Woo had counted on this. He believed that if he overstepped his bounds, Ye-jin-rang would be outraged.

"A good person, you say? You can't possibly be unaware that that person has been watching you and reporting back to me for their own personal gain."

In response to Ye-jin-rang's mocking tone, Woo replied calmly.

"The reason she's a good... good person is because she tries to take on things she c-can't even handle herself."

He added quietly, "And she won't be able to hide everything from the Third Disciple. Because she... she pities me."

His gaze lowered slightly. The dignity of his past was still there, faintly lingering on his face. It was as thin as a layer of fine silk, but the sorrow beneath it was unmistakable.

Anyone looking at the surface would simply scoff, but those with true insight would see it—the background of this mere servant was far from ordinary.

That was why he kept telling him to bury it in the mud, to never let it surface again. But in the end, no secret stays hidden forever.

"Those righteous fools…"

Ye-jin-rang's face twisted in disgust. However, he didn't bring up Yeon-jin's matter anymore.

"So, what's the reason you called me out like some damn dog?"

"I-I never thought of it that way!"

Woo quickly shook his head.

"Bullshit."

Ye-jin-rang retorted sharply, despite Woo's denial."

"You knew that once that ledger was in my hands, I would react immediately."

"…"

"Whatever your intentions were, you manipulated the situation so that things would play out exactly the way you wanted."

"I… I apologize…"

At Woo's trembling voice, Ye-jin-rang scoffed.

"I don't like you. And I can't stand the filthy human blood running through your veins. You act like controlling others is only natural. If it means getting the picture you want, you don't care what methods you use."

The Grandmaster of Black Sky Clan's words were partly directed at Woo, but the real target was someone else—someone he saw behind Woo's actions.

Jin-rang, after giving Woo a harsh scolding, pressed his fingers to his temples as if he had a headache. There were very few people in the world who could make him lose his composure. One of them was no longer in this world, and the other was none other than the man standing before him—Woo.

At the very least, Woo wasn't completely reckless in his methods. However, since he had been raised under Seol Buyong's teachings, Jin-rang couldn't help but see her in him, which irritated him.

"Enough. What is the urgent reason for summoning me like this? You agreed that we should minimize contact."

"Th-the Third Disciple's memories… I-I think they're coming back."

Jin-rang, who had been rubbing his temples, suddenly widened his eyes. The moment he reached out, Woo's collar was caught midair and yanked forward.

It was Heogong Seobmul—a technique that only high-level martial artists could use to grab objects through thin air.

"...What did you just say?"

Jin-rang's voice came out hoarse.

Even with his throat constricted, Woo didn't resist or struggle. He knew Jin-rang wouldn't kill him, but more than that, he simply had no desire to fight back.

"A sign… I saw… a sign…"

Even as he gasped for breath, speaking in broken phrases, Woo's expression remained indifferent—almost as if he didn't care whether he lived or died. Seeing that, Jin-rang felt a shiver run down his spine.

He threw Woo to the ground. Woo rubbed his sore neck a few times before continuing.

"Sometimes, he pauses like he's feeling déjà vu. Then he talks about a past he... he can't remember... And he often presses his fingers to his forehead, like he has a headache."

Woo spoke about Kang-oh's behavior as if he knew it by heart, even though Kang-oh never mentioned his condition or revealed his inner thoughts.

"And?"

"He once said... that it felt like he had lost me before..."

Woo's voice was hoarse from being choked, but he didn't seem to care. It was as if his only purpose was to report Kang-oh's condition. There was even a hint of madness in his blind devotion.

"...Hah!"

Jin-rang ran a hand over his face. No wonder Woo had insisted on meeting him—it was a serious matter.

"This is exactly why I didn't want you near that kid. Your very existence is a trigger."

His words were spoken like he was grinding them between his teeth, carrying a deep, unspoken anger.

And at the same time, resignation.

"If Kang-oh gets his memories back this time, he's going to lose his mind. It's not just about his willpower. His soul, which was barely pieced back together after being shaken to its core, will have its bindings undone. He'll fall apart from the ground up."

"…"

Woo clenched his teeth.

Jin-rang had warned him over and over—once a tangled thread starts unraveling, there's no way to rewind it.

Even so, he couldn't let go.

Because this wasn't just about anyone. This was about Kang-oh.

"Is there... no way?" Woo asked, gripping Ye-jin-rang's leg. The desperation in his grip was surprising, considering his frail body.

Feeling the weight of that desperation, Jin-rang frowned. After a brief silence, he spoke.

"Do you know why forbidden arts are called forbidden?"

"…"

Woo lowered his gaze. Rooted in the righteous path, he knew more than enough about the dangers of demonic and unorthodox techniques—he could probably write ten books on the subject.

But in front of Jin-rang, a man who stood at the pinnacle of the dark path, there were some things he simply couldn't bring himself to say.

That's just shallow knowledge.

"It's useful, but it has clear limits. Even if you gather energy in your (3)danjeon using demonic arts, the risk of losing control is still higher for someone like me—who gained power through pure techniques—compared to other martial artists. It's the same with Kang-oh. Even if it was done to save him, the root problem hasn't changed."

"…"

Woo's eyes darkened.

"You think I like this situation?"

At the sight of his despair-filled expression, Jin-rang snapped irritably.

He swore to the heavens and earth—never, not even once, had he wanted to get involved in the ten-year disappearance of White Virtue Clan's Grandmaster.

"I got a report that the mechanisms in Gamsook's hideout had been activated—other than me, that place only had a bunch of dead bastards left—so I rushed over. And what do I find? That damn White Virtue Clan's Grandmaster, barely clinging to life, clutching a child in his arms, claiming it's the son of Ye Jin-seo—my sister's child!"

Of course, he couldn't say he hadn't considered the possibility. After all, only one person besides Jin-rang even knew about that place.

Maybe… just maybe… the one who should have been long dead had returned as a vengeful spirit.

To finally keep their promise.

If that were the case, he had hoped to use the Soul Binding Bell, a tool for binding spirits, to land a solid punch. But the one he found was none other than Dan Woo-hyo, the current Grandmaster of the White Virtue Clan.

Even his faintest hope turned ice-cold, replaced entirely by rage. If the dead had any sense of shame, that face should never have appeared in this place.

If Ye-jin-rang were to name those he despised most in the world, there would be two: one was Seol bu-yong, and the other was her child, Dan Woo-hyo.

He had personally sent all his enemies to the afterlife. The only ones left were those he wanted to kill but couldn't.

No—if he really thought about it, one person had slipped through his grasp.

Dan Baek-hoon, the former Grandmaster of the White Virtue Clan. The one who started this wretched cycle of hatred and resentment.

"I spent my whole life trying to bring peace in the Central Plains. After all that, I had no intention of watching another war break out right in front of me while I'm still alive. So as a last resort, I kept you alive—just barely."

With a trembling heart, Jin-rang had introduced himself to the boy as his uncle. But despite having never once met this so-called family member in his short yet long life, young Kang-oh had called out for Dan Woo-hyo instead.

"My nephew barely regained consciousness, only to immediately ask where you were. Telling him you were dead in that moment… that is the regret I will carry for eternity."

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyo was closer to a corpse than a living being. Ye Jin-rang used both medical techniques and all sorts of sorcery to keep his heart beating and his soul tethered to the world.

He believed that confirming Woo-hyo was alive only for him to die would cause an even greater shock. Thus, he had kept it hidden... but in that instant, the young boy's world crumbled.

Tears flowed endlessly from his dark, deep eyes. Ye Jin-rang reached out to comfort him, but instead, the boy slammed his head onto the ground. Even Ye Jin-rang, a master of Hyungyeong (a high level of martial arts mastery), was caught off guard and couldn't react in time.

It wasn't just an act of self-harm driven by anguish—he truly wanted to die.

Ye Jin-rang cradled the bleeding child's head with his hands. There was no screaming, no desperate wails—just a quiet but absolute desire to die. And that shook Ye Jin-rang to his core.

To young Kang-oh, hearing that Dan Woo-hyo was dead meant one thing:

His world had ended.

Fortunately, Jin-rang was well-versed in all kinds of forbidden arts. Among the techniques he had learned from the dark path, there was one that could manipulate memories. Acting quickly, he sealed the boy's memories and, when Kang-oh awoke, introduced himself as his uncle.

The problem was that Kang-oh's memories had returned. Along with the very words that stated Dan Woo-hyo was dead.

"At that moment, I called myself his uncle and sealed those memories along with it, only for him to realize again that you were dead with just that word, and then I had to use sorcery again..."

When Ye Jin-rang restrained him and pressed for answers, Kang-oh said he felt like he was trapped in an endless nightmare. Every time he recalled a memory that had been erased by sorcery, he accepted it as if it had always been part of a repeating cycle.

For Ye Jin-rang, who had always relied on tricks and cleverness, this was maddening. He had never seen a seal break so easily, so frequently.

Maybe the blood of the Ye family itself was naturally resistant to sorcery. Or maybe, Kang-oh's desperation to reach Dan Woo-hyo, who was on the brink of death, was simply that strong.

Ye Jin-rang didn't want to admit it.

Memories were delicate things. Touch one thread, and everything connected to it would unravel.

In the end, he had to make a decision. When he showed the half-dead but still-breathing Dan Woo-hyo to the boy, Kang-oh buried his face in his palm and cried all day. That was the moment Ye Jin-rang truly committed himself to saving Woo-hyo.

After all, if Dan Woo-hyo didn't survive, how could his only nephew stay sane?

For that time, Kang-oh even called him "uncle." It was as if a leash had suddenly been placed around his neck, but still, Ye Jin-rang had no intention of letting Woo-hyo die—not when he had been the one to bring his nephew back.

Furthermore, Ye Jin-rang understood just how desperate Dan Woo-hyo had been to protect the child.

He had seen the collapsed cliff edge and the pile of fallen rocks in front of the hiding place, the torn-out fingernails, the trail of blood leading into the cave, and the broken limbs.

He had wrapped his whole body around the child to protect him as they fell off the cliff. When he briefly regained consciousness, he had crawled to the cave to escape the rain. If his body temperature had dropped too much, death would have been inevitable. Rather than thinking about himself—who was already lucky to be alive—he had endured the pain for the boy in his arms.

Then, he had triggered the mechanism in the hideout... which ultimately led to Ye-jin-rang being drawn out.

It was as if fate had led them together.

But the real problem came afterward. No matter how many precious elixirs they poured into him, Dan Woo-hyo was like a broken vessel. Even his internal energy defense (호신강기) hadn't been enough to protect him. The only thing they could guess was that he had pushed himself beyond his limits, using up even his own life force (선천진기) to shield the child.

Dan Woo-hyo's breathing was barely holding on.

Then one day... a seizure struck. It happened while Ye Jin-rang had stepped out for a moment. He had left to retrieve an elixir from the storage, and by the time he returned, the child was there—watching Dan Woo-hyo's body convulse, his eyes rolled back white.

By the time Ye Jin-rang rushed back, Dan Woo-hyo's heart had stopped.

Ye Jin-rang dashed to his side as if kicking off the ground and, after staying up the entire night, managed to bring him back to life.

As he cursed under his breath—words he had never uttered since his battle with the Blood Cult leader—he turned to find Kang-oh slumped on the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

The boy felt like he was trapped in a nightmare that kept repeating endlessly. His mind was already fragile, on the verge of breaking. The only thing that calmed him, even slightly, was seeing Dan Woo-hyo still breathing, even if it was slow and weak. But all this time, in places where Ye Jin-rang couldn't see, his heart had been rotting away.

To the point where seeing Dan Woo-hyo truly die had him lose his mind completely.

"Even after pushing my sorcery to its limit, his memories kept returning, so I had no choice but to take the most extreme measure. If even this unravels, there's nothing more I can do."

"…"

Gritting his teeth and swallowing back tears of blood, Ye Jin-rang sealed away every memory the boy had. Including—perhaps somewhere within them—the memories of his sister, Ye Jin-seo.

And with that, he gave up on ever being called Uncle by Kang-oh again. All for the sake of saving his nephew.

"If only I hadn't introduced myself as his uncle back then... Kang-oh would have been able to enjoy everything he was supposed to have."

Ye Kang-oh, not as a disciple, but as a nephew. As the sole remaining blood relative of the Grandmaster of Black Sky Clan in this world, he could have had everything he wanted.

In the Central Plains, blood ties made all the difference. If people had known Kang-oh was his nephew, the vile rumors surrounding Black Sky Clan wouldn't have existed in the first place.

Ye Jin-rang buried his face in his hands.

He owed a debt to his long-lost sister, Ye Jin-seo. A debt so immense that even a lifetime wouldn't be enough to repay it, with only the interest piling up endlessly.

Even as the Grandmaster of the Black Sky Clan, a man who never had to concern himself with others' opinions, Ye Jin-rang's life was tightly bound in chains of suffering.

"How do you think I felt when I had to make my nephew kneel and pay respects as a disciple?"

"…"

Woo remained silent. He didn't dare to measure the depth of Ye Jin-rang's despair.

"I wasn't entirely sad since I could keep him under my wing. But I was miserable. Because the last family I had left in this world could never call me 'uncle' again."

Ye Jin-rang had saved Dan Woo-hyo out of sheer spite. Bringing back someone who had lost the will to live was no easy task—especially when the one dragging them back was a reaper from the underworld.

"It's your fault."

Ye Jin-rang spat out the words bitterly.

"Y-you're right. It's because of me. This happened because of me…"

Woo muttered.

Ye-jin-rang's gaze sharpened. He felt a surge of anger toward Woo, who, despite having no desire to live, stubbornly swallowed every bit of blame directed at him.

"That child was truly intelligent. He took after his mother—sharp-witted, bold, and with extraordinary talent in martial arts. No matter how grueling the training, he persevered with such dedication. she would have loved seeing how much her son had grown."

His words, spoken like a passing lament, pierced Woo like sharp daggers.

If things had turned out differently—if he were still the Grandmaster of the White Virtue Clan—perhaps Woo-Hyo would have witnessed Kang-oh's brilliant rise.

"Tell me, didn't it anger you when the title of 'Master' was taken from you?"

Ye-jin-rang lifted Woo's chin with his hand, forcing him to meet his gaze. Woo averted his eyes.

But his face said enough. Even if he had never resented Ye Jin-rang for anything else, even if he had lived his life with his head bowed, there was one thing he could not let go of.

"That fierce, greedy desire to take what isn't yours—you get that from your mother."

In the dark path, and even across the Central Plains, there was no one as beautiful as that single bloom of poisonous flower, whispering with an enchanting smile.

Looking at that face, Woo couldn't help but think—yes, Kang-oh and he were truly bound by blood.

"But that sense of shame—the way you bow and cower so pathetically—that, you must have inherited from your father."

A deep, dark hatred, even stronger than what he felt for Seol Buyong, spilled from Ye Jin-rang's lips.

He had often heard Ye Jin-rang mention his mother, but it was rare for him to speak of Dan Baek-hoon.

Woo trembled slightly.

"You're still far from making up for what you took from me."

Ye Jin-rang muttered to himself.

"Oh, far from it."

His tone wasn't directed at Woo but seemed more like an obsessive reminder to himself—engraving the reason he had to keep holding on to this anger and hatred.