Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 76

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 76. Owner of the Treasure (1)

“Huff, huff!”

White steam rose from Moyong Su Hyang’s body, soaked with sweat.

Her thin martial uniform was completely drenched in sweat. Despite the cold weather, her heat was intense enough to cover the entire training ground.

“Young Miss.”

Seok Woong, who happened to be passing by, spoke with a worried expression.

“No matter how important training is, you shouldn’t overdo it like this.”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

“You skipped dinner too, didn’t you?”

Moyong Su Hyang smiled awkwardly and shook her body like a cat.

Sweat drops scattered everywhere.

“I’m overflowing with energy. I’ll just eat a couple of rice balls later.”

“Are you worried about Young Master and Guo Lao?”

Moyong Su Hyang, who had been silently staring into empty air, shook her head.

“No.”

There was neither her characteristic sulky expression nor angry look.

Instead, Moyong Su Hyang’s face, tinged with bitterness, looked more mature than just a few days ago.

“He told Elder Sister that he might be away from time to time. That’s enough, right?”

Seok Woong, who had been quietly observing her expression, smiled.

“Do you feel left out?”

“Of course not.”

“You’re frustrated and angry that Young Master, Family Head, and even Guo Lao don’t share what they each know, aren’t you?”

Moyong Su Hyang neither answered yes nor no.

Seok Woong nodded and continued speaking.

“Everyone has secrets they keep hidden. You know that, right?”

“I know. More precisely… I’m trying to accept it.”

“You’re doing well.”

“But feeling frustrated about it is probably because I’m not an adult yet, right?”

Seok Woong shook his head.

“Anyone would find it frustrating. That’s why it’s a problem.”

“What?”

“I think this current situation is a problem.”

“…?”

“More precisely, there’s a problem with Young Master, Family Head, and Guo Lao.”

Moyong Su Hyang was flustered.

“A, a problem?”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“Weren’t we family?”

Her heart suddenly ached.

“Even among family, there are secrets too painful to tell. But Young Master, Family Head, and Guo Lao are hiding even matters that should naturally be shared among family. How could this not be a problem?”

“Is, is that so?”

Hearing such words made her even more confused.

Seok Woong’s eyes became warm.

“But if Young Miss also acknowledges that everyone lives with their own secrets, please wait for them a little longer.”

“…”

“Sometimes there are times when you must wait even knowing it’s a problem. They probably aren’t refusing to share because they don’t want to tell you.”

“Well, that might be true.”

Her lips pouted again.

“I’m just a kid who doesn’t know adult patience anyway.”

“Sometimes adults become more petty, you know?”

“…Really?”

“Adults are people too.”

“Then there’s no need to become an adult.”

“You still should. You’re growing up quite well already.”

“If I’ll just become more petty, why should I become an adult?”

“Adults don’t overflow with understanding either. But the reason they seem understanding is probably because they know how to wait better than when they were children.”

Moyong Su Hyang’s eyes wavered.

“Waiting…”

“Our Young Miss is such a kind person, isn’t she? Please wait just a little longer.”

“I’m not kind.”

“I don’t think so.”

She felt embarrassed for no reason.

Moyong Su Hyang cleared her throat and asked carefully.

“Then are you frustrated too, Chief Administrator?”

“I’m probably much more frustrated than Young Miss. I’m in charge of managing the family’s affairs, aren’t I?”

“I, I suppose so.”

Seok Woong looked up at the sky.

In the dark night sky, the countless clusters of stars seemed particularly bright tonight.

“But what choice do we have but to wait? If we carelessly interfere and the accumulated resentment festers into pus, then we’d have no choice but to burst it.”

“…”

“I believe we can all overcome reality well – myself, Young Miss, and those three.”

* * *

‘Mister Guo?’

Who had called me Mister Guo?

‘Everyone.’

Though I had the name Guo Ho Gyun, I asked to be called Mister Guo myself. Since I sat in the glorious position of guarding the head of the Moyong Noble Family, I thought I should abandon even my name.

One who exists solely to protect his lord.

To become a sword larger and stronger than any shield or fortress wall, I had to abandon the human Guo Ho Gyun.

Suddenly, Guo Lao recalled his conversation with Young Master who had returned home late at night two weeks ago.

‘Mister Guo?’

‘It’s been quite a while since I heard that title. Hehe.’

Thinking about it, that was strange too.

‘I was simply Guo Lao, nothing more.’

Even after my lord passed away, I didn’t reclaim my name. Even when I aged and the master’s children were born, I still asked to be called Guo Lao.

Of course, addressing someone by surname only was common for subordinates.

So I passed it over without any suspicion.

“Just what…”

My vision was dizzy. The entire plaza seemed to tilt on its own.

Even in the midst of this, Young Master remained unwavering.

As if even when the world collapsed, only Young Master would remain in that exact spot.

‘Who are you?’

It’s been a long time? What does that mean?

‘Just who are you to know about the Soul Calming Demon Castle? Who are you to know about what happened then?’

The elder brother you most respected and loved? Who is this elder brother?

Who is that Elder Brother that he could tell you about the Soul-Calming Demon Castle?

Just who could he be?!

‘He’s a human just like you, who witnesses a reality where he cannot despair even if he wants to, and struggles to escape from the curse scattered by his past life.’

Why did he despair?

Is there another human besides me who struggles to escape from a curse?

Someone who knows about the Soul-Calming Demon Castle and knows about Hwan Hwan Ma Nyeo.

Someone who remembers the past era and can provide the sense of kinship that only those who shared the same generation could offer.

And Elder Brother.

How many people in all the world would call that person, who clearly refers to his Lord, Elder Brother?

Shiver!

Goosebumps rose all over his body.

It felt like lightning had struck the top of his head. That lightning spread to his limbs in an instant, delivering an unbearable shock.

“Immortal Master Yi?”

He was startled by the words he unconsciously uttered.

Even while being surprised, he couldn’t overcome the weight of truth that poured in like a flood.

“Immortal Master Yi…”

Moyong Bi smiled.

“The years of being called only Alliance Leader have been too long. When Elder Brother would often call me the second family head, I thought it was all just a joke.”

“…!!”

“Do you still consider me Immortal Master Yi?”

It felt like everything before his eyes was turning pure white.

Guo Lao spoke in a dazed voice.

“Really, are you truly Immortal Master Yi?”

“Mr. Guo.”

Moyong Bi spoke mischievously with a sad expression.

“That first love you experienced around age thirty, that girl might have grandchildren by now. Don’t you think?”

Something that no one knew except Lord and Immortal Master Yi.

He remembered the time when he first grabbed Immortal Master Yi by the collar while drunk, unlike Lord who would comfort him, Immortal Master Yi would tease him using all sorts of bizarre analogies.

The next day, when he was prostrating himself saying he had committed a mortal sin, Immortal Master Yi lifted him up and laughed heartily, saying he nearly got a black eye because of him yesterday, so he should apologize with hangover soup.

The man he respected most after Lord.

That person was now looking down at him through Young Master’s body.

At that moment, another conversation came to mind.

‘That Su Jeong?’

‘Still, she’s your Elder Sister, so you shouldn’t address her so carelessly, Young Master.’

He remembered being shocked at Young Master for carelessly calling Eldest Miss by name.

And the conversation that followed.

‘Elder Brother, no.’

‘Yes?’

‘Gr-Grandfather?’

‘You haven’t forgotten. The memorial service for Previous Clan Master is in five days.’

Young Master’s appearance of staggering in shock right after the conversation.

Why was Young Master so surprised then? Was it so shocking that Grandfather, no, Lord had passed away?

Before that, why did Young Master mistakenly call Grandfather Elder Brother?

“…This is impossible.”

“…”

“How, how can this be?”

Moyong Bi looked at Guo Lao silently.

Eyes that seemed ready to accept anything generously, and within them, an intense will pulsating like a heartbeat.

Guo Lao was startled.

‘It is Immortal Master Yi!’

Only now did he realize the identity of the strange sense of kinship and pleasant familiarity he had felt from Young Master’s eyes.

If Young Master is Immortal Master Yi.

If he’s the great hero who, as Lord’s younger brother and Former Martial Alliance Leader, ended the war with Seongheolgung.

If he’s the one who, together with Lord, lifted the Moyong Family Estate that should have fallen to ruin onto solid ground and made great contributions to securing the head position among the Seven Great Families at that time, then those eyes could be understood.

To Guo Lao, who was looking at him with a face full of confusion, Moyong Bi said.

“This place is the Residence of the Alliance Leader.”

“What?”

“During the height of the war with Seongheolgung, I put special effort into the safe houses in Hubei and Henan. Henan because it could be the best hiding place, Hubei because it was the frontmost battle zone that required particular attention.”

“…!”

“Though it’s called the Alliance Leader’s safe house, more precisely it should be seen as Moyong Cheon’s personal safe house. He threw away his Alliance Leader dignity and ran wild like crazy, so as Grand Strategist, I couldn’t help but rack my brains. I was constantly anxious about when this guy might die.”

Moyong Bi looked around.

“Dae Ho was my closest associate who knew everything about the Alliance Leader’s safe houses. He knew where they were, how to enter them, and what was stored inside them.”

Dae Ho.

He’s Father to Young Master, yet he speaks that name so naturally.

As if calling the name of a nephew he had known for a long time.

“I don’t know why that Dae Ho didn’t come here directly. There must be circumstances. I can guess what those circumstances might be, but I’m not certain.”

“…”

“That’s not all. There’s much I don’t know – why the few remaining martial arts of the family are in such a state, why Elder Brother and the Dae Ho couple died so quickly, how difficult life has been for my great grand nephews all this time, why the connections from the Main Family House haven’t extended a helping hand despite things reaching this point, and so on.”

“…”

“As much as there is that I don’t know, there’s also much for you and me to discuss.”

Tears flowed from Guo Lao’s eyes.

Unstoppable emotion and heart-breaking sorrow intersected.

He didn’t know how Immortal Master Yi had entered Young Master’s body.

But it was definitely Immortal Master Yi. It wasn’t content that someone could know from hearsay, and those eyes, that atmosphere, that way of speaking – no one but Immortal Master Yi could display such things.

At the same time, he realized.

That Young Master had passed away.

The fact that Immortal Master Yi had entered Young Master’s body meant that Young Master no longer existed in this world.

Joy and sorrow, elation and despair squeezed old Guo Lao’s heart like mad.

“Uhhheeoong!”

Guo Lao collapsed prostrate and wailed, beating the ground.

Over the sorrow of being a worthless servant who had seen three generations pass before him, the joy of Immortal Master Yi’s return – who could be called the Moyong Family Estate itself – cast its shadow.

Guo Lao, whose confusion had reached its peak, sobbed for a long while before fainting.

Moyong Bi moved the unconscious Guo Lao to the bed chamber.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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