CLS-Chapter 477

Chapter 477:

His master asked if he was afraid.

Wei Yan-ho couldn’t deny it.

He had only just escaped from fear.

“Was your enemy strong?”

“……Yes.”

“Were you afraid?”

There was no hiding it in front of his master.

“Yes, I was afraid.”

Wei Yan-ho let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“But please don’t misunderstand. It wasn’t that I was afraid of dying. What I was afraid of was that if I lost to those bastards, my family and acquaintances would……”

Under Baek Mu-han’s transparent gaze that quietly observed him, Wei Yan-ho lowered his head.

“Yes. I was scared of dying.”

Wei Yan-ho’s fingertips trembled slightly.

There had been a time when he experienced death.

When he collapsed at the hands of the Mad Soul Demon Emperor and then awakened, Wei Yan-ho truly felt death.

If the Mad Soul Demon Emperor had struck just once more, he would have died. He had barely survived only through Wei San-ho’s sacrifice and the Mad Soul Demon Emperor’s whim.

He was suddenly terrified.

He had never truly felt what death was like.

He had only thought that someday he would die. But when he realized that moment could have been the end of his life, he could understand what fear truly was.

When he thought about it, he had always been close to death.

A world where it wasn’t strange for people to kill each other.

He had come to understand what it meant to live in such a place.

‘And it doesn’t end with just me dying.’

If he died, what would happen to those left behind?

He still had unfinished business.

“I was scared of dying. I didn’t want to die. But…… when fighting those bastards, I realized the probability of dying was higher than the probability of living.”

Wei Yan-ho lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, Master. I…… tried in my own way to become a disciple who wouldn’t shame you. But I wasn’t very good at it.”

“You foolish bastard.”

Baek Mu-han’s face contorted.

“Can’t you raise your head right now!”

Wei Yan-ho’s head snapped up. His master was truly angry.

“What’s this about? A disciple who wouldn’t shame me?”

Baek Mu-han’s storm-like voice engulfed Wei Yan-ho.

“Why is being afraid of death something shameful! Where is there a human who isn’t afraid of dying! Do you think Bodhidharma was detached from death! Do you think Zhang Sanfeng welcomed death with joy! Death is naturally something to fear. If you’re not afraid of death, you’re not human!”

“……”

“It’s natural for people to fear death. So why would that be shameful!”

Baek Mu-han spoke with a firm tone.

“Humans can move forward because they fear death. What could a human who isn’t afraid of dying accomplish? If life and death are the same, there’s no need to make an effort. There’s no need to struggle desperately to leave something behind during this brief life. Those who have left something in this world are all people who feared their short lives.”

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes wavered.

“So what’s wrong with fearing death! Shameful? You foolish bastard!”

Baek Mu-han clicked his tongue.

“If it were someone else, I wouldn’t know, but you shouldn’t say such things. Does someone who knows shame live like that?”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Wipe the sleep from your eyes before you speak!”

“……Urgh.“

Wei Yan-ho scratched his head vigorously.

“But, Master.”

“Speak.”

“Then were you also afraid of death, Master?”

“This…… pathetic fool!”

“Don’t, don’t get angry.”

Wei Yan-ho waved his hands.

“Of course Master is different from ordinary people. I know that too. Master didn’t fear death and even created your own internal core to accept death.”

“That’s not it, you stupid fool.”

“What?”

Wei Yan-ho’s face looked slightly dazed.

“No one feared death more than I did. I was terrified of dying.”

“Huh?“

Wei Yan-ho asked with a bewildered expression.

“But Master, you chose death yourself.”

“Because that was the only way.”

“You saw the ultimate void.”

“Where is there an ultimate void, you fool!”

Baek Mu-han clicked his tongue and spoke.

“There is always something higher in this world. Even if you climb to the mountain peak and leap over the clouds, there is still the sky above. There is no end to martial arts either. I climbed and climbed again, but what I saw at the end was endlessly spreading possibilities.”

Bitterness appeared on Baek Mu-han’s face.

“That’s why it’s frightening. My time is up, but others have time. Someone who will surpass me will eventually appear, and if my martial arts stagnate like this, I will be defeated again.”

Terrible.

That was the only way to explain it.

A person who had placed the entire world beneath his feet while alive. A person evaluated as the greatest not only of his era but throughout all history was still afraid of defeat.

At this point, well…….

‘Isn’t he the most petty man in all history?’

“Your expression looks a bit strange?”

“……It’s a look of respect.”

“You looked shifty?”

“No.”

Baek Mu-han looked at him with suspicious eyes, but Wei Yan-ho desperately denied it.

“Well, fine.”

Baek Mu-han chuckled and continued his explanation.

“I didn’t choose that method because I wasn’t afraid of death. I chose that method because I was so terrified of death.”

“……But Master.”

“Hmm?”

Wei Yan-ho asked as if he didn’t understand.

“Then instead of going through all that trouble, wouldn’t it have been better to just grab some smart guy from your family and teach him?”

“I told you we didn’t get along.”

“Still, that would have been better than choosing such a troublesome method, wouldn’t it?”

“Hey! A man has his pride! Why would I teach martial arts to guys who said they didn’t want it! I’d rather die than do that!”

He’s hopeless.

This person is hopeless.

In martial arts, he’s the greatest in all history, but as a human, he’s the worst in all history.

“What’s with that look?”

“……It’s a look of respect.”

“Right. You should respect me.”

I do respect you, respect.

In many different ways.

Baek Mu-han smiled bitterly and continued speaking.

“People in this world all tend to obsess over strange things. Like martial artists shouldn’t fear death, or that running away from battle isn’t something a martial artist should do. What kind of crazy talk is that?”

His master was sharp.

“It’s always the guys who say such things that struggle desperately not to die when they actually have to die. And that damn never retreating in battle. If you’re going to lose anyway, what changes by throwing your life away too?”

Baek Mu-han glared at Wei Yan-ho and spoke.

“Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right!”

Listening to his master’s words seemed to calm him down.

“People need to have fear to become cautious, and when a situation seems ambiguous, they should know how to run away without looking back! That’s not something that hurts your pride. You can get revenge later. Dying now and never being able to win forever—that’s what truly hurts your pride. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I’ll keep it in mind, and keep it in mind again.”

A smile bloomed on Wei Yan-ho’s lips.

It was different from the bright expression he had been forcing until now.

“Then I’ll ask again.”

Baek Mu-han quietly looked at Wei Yan-ho and opened his mouth.

“Are you afraid?”

“Yes.”

Wei Yan-ho’s answer came immediately.

The answer was the same, but the meaning was slightly different.

“I’m scared I might die. But just because I’m afraid of dying doesn’t mean I’m going to do nothing and just give up.”

“Good.”

“When I think about it, being afraid is also a bit strange. Even if all of them combined couldn’t handle Master alone, there’s no reason for me to fear them. I’m Master’s disciple, after all.”

“Tsk tsk, nothing but bluster growing.”

Baek Mu-han was scolding with his mouth, but his expression was infinitely kind.

“Remember just one thing.”

“Yes.”

“You are my disciple.”

It wasn’t much of a statement.

But those words contained so much meaning. Wei Yan-ho closed his eyes slightly.

How much would have been different if he had known that fact a little earlier?

If he had known his master’s greatness sooner, if he had known how amazing his master was back then…….

Then he could have learned more and more…….

No.

That wasn’t important.

What he needed to know wasn’t his master’s greatness. It was the fact that someday he would have to part from his master. He needed to know that time was limited and that someday he would have to stand alone.

If he had known that, he would have treasured it more.

“Master.”

“Hmm?”

Wei Yan-ho bowed his head deeply.

“Thank you.”

“Are you crazy?”

“……”

“Ugh, getting goosebumps.”

“……”

No, he had thought wrong. The answer was to part with this man quickly.

“Don’t do useless things, and focus more on properly understanding and learning martial arts.”

“Yes.”

“The direction isn’t bad. It’s just that the method is clumsy.”

“It’ll gradually improve.”

“It should.”

A slight dissatisfaction appeared in Baek Mu-han’s eyes.

“I don’t like that you’re using the martial arts I created for you to take a different path to follow me instead, but if that’s the path you’ve chosen, I should respect it.”

“There was no other way.”

“It doesn’t matter. Whichever path you take to climb, as long as you reach the summit. But you fool, the path I climbed is the most treacherous of treacherous paths. Can you handle it?”

“Of course.”

Wei Yan-ho grinned.

“I’m Master’s disciple, after all.”

“Tsk, nothing but a smooth tongue.”

Baek Mu-han smiled warmly and then raised his sword.

“Good. Then let’s see how solid that resolve is.”

“Wait a moment.”

“Why?”

“Before that, there’s something I want to ask.”

“Something you want to ask?”

Baek Mu-han’s eyes filled with curiosity.

“Those people dying because of that Explosive Blood Pill or whatever.”

“Right.”

“What should I do about those people? I can’t treat them with my abilities.”

“You hopeless fool.”

Baek Mu-han clicked his tongue.

“You fool, why can’t you do something so simple? If they’re dying because their energy is depleted, just pour energy into them.”

“But their energy channels are all damaged. Does water fill a broken jar when you pour water into it?”

“Then block the broken parts.”

“……What?”

“If the energy channels are damaged and energy circulation isn’t working properly, fix the energy channels, or if that’s not possible, just redirect it through a different path.”

“A different path?”

“Energy channels are originally paths for energy to flow, aren’t they?”

“That’s right.”

“If a path is blocked, you just go around it. Why would you need to stand there dying in front of that path?”

“……”

Wei Yan-ho opened his eyes wide, looked at Baek Mu-han, and then opened his mouth.

“Sometimes I think Master is really smart.”

“You’re just realizing that now?”

“And I think your personality is really bad. How bad must your personality be that none of that intelligence shows on the outside……”

“Hey, you fool!”

Baek Mu-han raised his sword and charged at Wei Yan-ho.

“Eek! W-wait a moment!”

“Shut up, you fool!”

Wei Yan-ho also drew his sword to meet Baek Mu-han.

The sword light emanating from the two filled the world.

Bright and dazzling…….

Dazzling light that seemed like it would illuminate the entire world.

Master and disciple exchanged swords like that until dawn broke.