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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Foundation (4)
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I left the Great Library only after carefully hiding not just the Sun and Moon Compendium, but also the Sun and Moon Sword, within my robes.
I walked slowly, worried it might fall out or be noticeable through my clothes. As I opened the library door...
"Ah, Young Master, you're out... Ugh! Wh-what is this..."
Jangbong, who had been waiting by the door, stopped mid-sentence and covered his mouth and nose. All the impurities had been expelled from my body, and I reeked of a foul odor... The smell was like...
"D-don't tell me... Did you relieve yourself inside!"
Yes... It's crude to say, but it was a rather unpleasant, dirty smell.
"No. Enough. It's not like I enjoy this stench... I want to wash up quickly. Let's go back."
"Ugh... Understood. I suppose, given your behavior until now, relieving yourself in the Great Library isn't that big of a deal..."
"I told you, no...!"
*This guy's getting awfully familiar after just a few interactions.*
On the way back to my room.
I endured numerous trials.
First, I tolerated my servant Jangbong's impertinence.
Second, I placated the library's archivist, who was struggling to contain his anger at the stench. No, rather than placating him, I pretended not to see his utterly crumpled face and fled.
Third, I had to erase the disdainful expressions of the male and female servants who managed my quarters from my memory.
Thus, four hours after leaving my room in the morning, my final destination was a bathtub filled with hot water. I undressed, rinsed my body, and stepped into the hot bath. Steam rose gently, and the warm water not only washed away the stench that filled my head but also relaxed my body and mind. It felt like paradise on earth.
The wounds from the attack had vanished as if washed away. My body, now free of impurities, felt refreshed. The surging demonic energy flowed unimpeded through all my meridians, making me feel light enough to fly.
*Now, the foundation is complete.*
"Hehehe, I lived my entire life as a scholar, yet now I find myself looking forward to a duel."
After finishing my bath, I took out the Sun and Moon Compendium I had tucked away in my robes. Then, setting the book on fire, I muttered.
"I will carry on your will, Master, so please rest in peace."
The moment the flame touched it, the Sun and Moon Compendium burst into flames and burned away in an instant.
And so, the Sun and Moon Compendium left behind by the Heavenly Demon Master turned into a handful of ash and vanished.
* * *
After my bath, I tidied my sparse hair. I changed into a clean martial arts uniform and went to the Family Head's office.
I had been busy since morning, but it was still noon.
As I opened the office door and entered, the Heavenly Dance Family Head looked at me as if he had been waiting.
"Your son greets you, Father."
"Hmm... I was about to summon you anyway. However, I didn't expect you to come on your own. Well, what is it?"
"It's related to the reason you were going to summon me, Father."
"Are you referring to your visit to the medicinal herb storeroom and the public duel with your eldest brother?"
"Yes."
"Yes, on the day you received the Sacred Fire's blessing at the Heavenly Dance Festival, you came to me for the Yusudan pills. You said you had a fortuitous encounter in a dream after the attack."
"That is correct."
"You said you would explain once you had sorted things out. So, I waited for you to be ready. However, the situation has changed. Why is that? I must now hear the full story of the events leading up to yesterday."
"I met the founding Heavenly Demon in a dream."
"...!"
I'd vaguely called it a dream, but that wasn't entirely wrong, so it should be fine...
"At first, I didn't realize it was the founding Heavenly Demon. However, after receiving the Sacred Fire's blessing, I could feel a different energy dwelling within my body."
"...Mu-heun. You must choose your words carefully."
The Heavenly Dance Family Head, Baek Gun-hak's expression hardened grimly. It was the first time I had seen such a face on him in this body.
"Would I have requested a public duel with my eldest brother if I knew for certain I would lose?"
"..."
"Even if this were a lie, it will be revealed in three weeks. No, a day has passed, so it's less than three weeks now. I will show you, so that you may believe, Father."
"..."
The Heavenly Dance Family Head was silent for a moment. He seemed to be deep in thought. I waited quietly. I had faith. I knew what choice a man who loved his son would make.
"Very well. Let us continue this conversation after your public duel with your eldest brother. By the way, I doubt you came to me just to say this. Speak. What is it that you need?"
It was a response befitting the head of a family.
To calmly converse, satisfy his own curiosity, and simultaneously read my intentions... I was impressed.
"I intend to train my martial arts personally, but I lack a suitable place. If possible, please allow me to use the training grounds alone and prevent any family members from approaching for three weeks."
It was a somewhat unreasonable request. To ask to use the communal training grounds by myself, and to bar family members from approaching...
However, it didn't matter if he refused. A similar measure would have been sufficient.
"Alright, I understand."
"Yes, in that case... Yes?"
*He agreed?*
His ready agreement, as if I had made a perfectly reasonable request, was what flusttered me.
"Indeed. The Heavenly Dance Family's training grounds are rarely used anyway. I doubt anyone will complain even if it's unavailable for three weeks. The Azure Dragon Unit, which protects the family, trains elsewhere, so it doesn't matter."
"Th-thank you."
"Furthermore, until the day of the public duel, no one in the family will interfere with or approach you. I will see to it. But only until the duel. Do you understand?"
"Of course."
That's settled.
The conditions were more than enough.
It was worth a shot, after all.
Fortune favors the bold.
"I will assign someone to you. Go to the training grounds."
"Yes, I understand."
I stood, bowed once more, and left the Family Head's office. Then, I followed the person the Family Head assigned to me and went to the training grounds. The Sun and Moon Sword was tied at my waist.
Creating energy in my dantian wasn't the end. Obtaining a body optimized for martial arts wasn't the end. Now, I had to train my physical body. I had to internalize the fighting methods taught by the Heavenly Demon Master.
However, I couldn't let the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon be discovered. Just because I was using the training grounds alone didn't mean there were no watching eyes, and I had no intention of revealing my true skills before the duel. So, for now, I focused on building a strong body.
That afternoon.
By now, there was no one in the Heavenly Dance Family who didn't know that the First Young Master and the Fourth Young Master were having a public duel.
The initial reactions of those who heard the rumor were all the same.
"What? The First Young Master and the Fourth Young Master? Sigh... The First Young Master must have finally made a decision."
"Looks like the Fourth Young Master still hasn't come to his senses."
"I heard the Fourth Young Master is trying to change, and that he's training in martial arts, so the First Young Master said he'd test him."
"Does that make any sense? How could the troublemaking Fourth Young Master, who's done nothing but cause problems, beat the First Young Master, who has done nothing but train?"
"I don't expect him to win. Isn't it enough if the Fourth Young Master just shows that he's come to his senses and worked hard at something?"
"By the way, I heard he received the Sacred Fire's blessing at the Heavenly Dance Festival. Has there been any word since then?"
"I don't know. There's a rumor that the Fourth Young Master pulled some trick for that too."
The servants of the family gossiped.
"Has the Fourth Young Master finally gone mad?"
"No, didn't they say he's trying to get his act together?"
"What about the Sacred Fire's blessing?"
"The Sun and Moon Divine Maiden announced it in front of everyone, but it seems no one outside our Heavenly Dance Family and the Sacred Fire Palace knows yet."
"True... Even if it were known, who would care about the Fourth Young Master?"
"The Fourth Young Master... How did he end up like this? Tsk, tsk."
"Indeed. Tsk."
The high-ranking elders of the family also clicked their tongues in disapproval.
I had eyes and ears, so I couldn't be unaware of how my story was circulating within the family. But it didn't matter. In three weeks, I would show them.
Every morning at the Hour of the Rabbit, I woke and went to the training grounds. I spent the entire day training my body, aside from meals and sleep.
At the same time, to avoid damaging my body, I concocted and consumed Jwagwihwan pills using the medicinal herbs provided by the Heavenly Dance Family Head. I repeatedly trained while replenishing my depleted energy.
When my muscles became sore, I would occasionally use my knowledge from my time as the Divine Doctor to perform acupuncture on myself.
Two weeks passed like that.
* * *
The story of the Fourth Young Master, Baek Mu-heun, training his body at the training grounds every day continued to spread. At first, no one believed it, but as time passed and witnesses and testimonies emerged, a different public opinion began to form.
"Have you heard? The Fourth Young Master has been training at the grounds every day for two weeks without even visiting the brothels."
"Nah... No way."
"It's true, I tell you! He hasn't even touched a drop of the alcohol he loved so much."
"What? Is that true?"
"Aish! Have you only ever been deceived?!"
"Is he really trying to change?"
"Who knows! But according to the maids who attend to the Fourth Young Master, he leaves his room every morning at the Hour of the Rabbit and doesn't return until after the Hour of the Pig. And he's drenched in sweat!"
"Ugh... If that's the case, it seems he wasn't just talking big."
"He must intend to give the First Young Master a real fight."
"Do you think he has a chance of winning?"
"Not at all."
"Right. The First Young Master is a first-rate warrior, after all."
"But, do you know? All of this started right after he received the Sacred Fire's blessing at the Heavenly Dance Festival."
"Oho. So you're saying the Sacred Fire's blessing can change a person?"
"Perhaps it can."
Although no one yet believed that Baek Mu-heun would change, rumors began to circulate about the possibility, given his drastically altered behavior immediately after receiving the Sacred Fire's blessing.
"He used to spend every day with women. What's gotten into him all of a sudden?"
"It's too early to jump to conclusions. It's only been two weeks, hasn't it?"
"Still, he's never been like this since losing his mother."
"That's true. Maybe this time, we can really have some expectations..."
"Let's just wait and see. The results will be out soon enough."
"Let's do that."
These rumors also reached the other young masters.
The brothers, excluding Mu-heun, gathered in the First Young Master's office to discuss the rumors.
"The rumors about Mu-heun... Could they be true?"
"I had a subordinate check. They are."
"Did he eat something bad? Why is he suddenly acting like this?"
"Perhaps he genuinely wants to change."
"Hah! Him, change? I'd sooner eat a book."
"I'm just as confused. I've hoped and waited for our youngest to come to his senses and change. Nine years... I've waited for him for nine long years. He's the one who wouldn't change no matter what we said for nine years..."
"That's my point. He might just be out of his mind for a bit after the attack. Brother, don't hold back during the duel."
"I don't intend to."
Mu-heun's change was what his brothers had so desperately wanted, but the chasm of distrust built over nine years was deeper than they thought, and a mere two weeks was far too short a time to build trust.
Regardless, Mu-heun trained his body desperately, and after returning to his room late at night, he would practice his swordsmanship where no one could see.
And so, the promised three weeks passed, and the day of the public duel arrived.
In the training grounds where I had trained every day, spectator seats were set up, and a VIP section was prepared. The Heavenly Dance Family Head and the family's senior executives sat in the VIP section, while others sat in the spectator seats or stood to watch.
The murmuring of the family members was reminiscent of a bustling marketplace, and everyone seemed a little excited.
On the training platform, the First Young Master, Baek Mu-hyeon, was waiting for me. Behind him, the Second and Third Young Masters watched, anxiously tapping their feet.
I ascended the platform with a composed gait, a wooden sword in my hand.
"Young Master! Do your best! You've worked so hard, so I'm sure it will turn out well!"
"..."
I thought there would be no one in this training ground cheering for me, but I was wrong. Jangbong, who had assisted me from the day I was first able to speak until this day I stepped onto the platform, offered his encouragement.
"Alright, I'm off."
"Yes!"
As a warrior, I received encouragement before a duel. It was the first time this had happened in my past and current lives combined, so I felt a strange emotion.
"Silence!"
My uncle stepped onto the platform and shouted, and the murmuring ceased. No, in a sense, a dead silence fell.
"Then, let the duel between the Heavenly Dance Family's First Young Master, Baek Mu-hyeon, and Fourth Young Master, Baek Mu-heun, begin!"