Chapter 623: Because of Him

Dusk settled over a sky stained with the rich hues of autumn.

“You seem worried. Is there something troubling you?”

That’s the part I got wrong?

Mae Geuklyom took a sip of tea and turned his gaze to the setting sun beyond the window. He carried himself exactly as he always did, strict and immaculate. Even on a day like today, when his only grandson stood before the world and told a story capable of causing an upheaval, he remained unruffled.

He was simply a grandfather conversing with his grandson the same way they always did.

“No, Grandpa. I said everything I wanted to say back there,” Baek Suryong answered placidly, watching the same sunset.

The peerless master who had been surrounded by the Nine Sects and overwhelmed them was nowhere to be found. In front of his maternal grandfather, even one of the Ten Supremes was just an ordinary young man.

Baek Suryong scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Honestly, I don’t know if I did the right thing.”

Baek Suryong chuckled.

He had revealed a secret he had kept to himself to more people than he could count, and half of it had been on pure impulse. Even he could not say for certain that it had been the right decision.

Was I too hasty? Will what happened today derail all my plans? My old trainees...what did they make of that story?

The Five Young Azure Dragons shuffled their feet as they filed in behind the Headmaster.

“What’s done is done. Why are you fretting over it? That isn’t like you,” Mae Geuklyom said nonchalantly as he poured more tea for his grandson, who was clearly overthinking things.

Warmth soaked into Baek Suryong’s hands through the cup. Meeting his grandfather’s eyes, he smiled awkwardly. “...I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”

After the commotion at the Heavenly Martial Festival died down and they returned to their quarters, Baek Suryong told Mae Geuklyom and Baek Muheun everything. He told them that he possessed memories from a previous life and that he mastered the Heaven Defying Divine Art. At least to his family, he wanted to share the whole, uncensored truth.

Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to mention the Blood Demon lurking within him. He told them only that he risked being consumed by his inner demons.

He braced himself for the worst, but when the long story finally ended, Mae Geuklyom’s reaction was so calm that he felt embarrassed.

He was proud of his grandson, and at the same time, felt sorry for him. He had always known that Baek Suryong shouldered a great burden, but only now did he understand why the young man lived so frantically, as if pursued by something.

“Indeed, you must have saved the murim in your previous life to be blessed with this many wonderful people in this one.”

He wasn’t surprised that Baek Muheun, who already knew most of the truth, nodded along.

What really caught him off guard was that Mae Geuklyom, a rigid old martial artist through and through, reacted no differently. The fact that his grandson had been a Blood Cult martial artist in a previous life did not faze him, nor did the fact that he had learned the Blood Demon’s martial arts.

The old man’s sheer nonchalance rattled Baek Suryong enough that he turned to Baek Muheun. “Did you tell him about this before?”

Yeo Min looked at him for a moment longer, then let out a small sigh.

“Do I look that crazy to you? Father-in-law would have called me a lunatic and tried to crack my skull open to see what was in it.” Baek Muheun snorted and rose from his seat. “Father-in-law, I’m going to settle the students down. Why don’t you talk with Suryong a while longer?”

“Go on, then.”

Baek Muheun left, and Mae Geuklyom stayed behind to talk with his grandson alone.

“You must be exhausted, Mr. Baek.

For the first time all evening, the old man frowned in displeasure. “You insolent whelp.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“How could you fell your father first instead of your grandfather?”

“...That’s the part I got wrong?”

He was proud of his grandson, and at the same time, felt sorry for him. He had always known that Baek Suryong shouldered a great burden, but only now did he understand why the young man lived so frantically, as if pursued by something.

“Of course! You got it very wrong. There’s an order to these things, yet you treat your own grandfather with such disregard. Did you think I would run off and report you to the Murim Alliance?”

“No, that’s not it...”

Mae Geuklyom’s face softened into a gentle smile. “Suryong, you’ve never fooled me for a moment.”

Baek Suryong’s shoulders quivered. His grandfather’s deep, old eyes had seen right through him, recognizing even his guilt toward the people around him. Suddenly, he felt ashamed for hiding the truth from his family and friends all this time.

Seeing his grandson’s discomfort, Mae Geuklyom spoke for all of them. “You don’t have to apologize to each of us individually, nor do you have to explain yourself. Who alive has no secrets? We all know that the people around us are all hiding something, yet nobody asks about it. At least, everyone you’ve met in this life cares enough about you not to dig around in your old wounds.”

Namgung Su shook his head in disdain. The ones who are seeing this have disappointed him.

“I understand,” Baek Suryong replied simply, unable to think of anything else to say.

For a while, he said nothing. Finally, he raised his head and smiled at his grandfather.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, “Hey, Hyonwon Kang!

“Still, the fewer people who know about the Heaven Defying Divine Art, the better, right?”

“Obviously, you brat! Are you trying to traumatize everyone around you?”

Yeo Min looked at him for a moment longer, then let out a small sigh.

Grandfather and grandson exchanged light banter, and at last, Baek Suryong’s usual smirk resurfaced. He looked more relaxed, like a man who had just set down a heavy burden, now that he no longer had to hide the truth from his family.

“Much better. I’ll be off, then.”

As he listened to his teacher talk about the Crazy Demon Hyonwon Hu, he found himself consumed by a fierce frustration and a tangled feeling in his chest that threatened to drive him mad.

“Already?”

Mae Geuklyom stood up without hesitation. Seeing his grandson’s face brighten was enough for him.

Namgung Su shook his head in disdain. The ones who are seeing this have disappointed him.

He was proud of his grandson, and at the same time, felt sorry for him. He had always known that Baek Suryong shouldered a great burden, but only now did he understand why the young man lived so frantically, as if pursued by something.

He squeezed Baek Suryong’s hand gently. “Everyone will wait as long as you need, so stop stressing yourself out. There will be plenty of time to think things through once the Heavenly Martial Festival ends.”

Baek Suryong nodded with a faint smile. “...Okay, Grandpa.”

Even after Mae Geuklyom left, visitor after visitor came to speak with him.