A horrific scene unfolded in the front courtyard of the Seong Family Manor.
Though it was said to be the grandest estate in the region, in truth, it was merely the modest holding of a local notable in a remote area.
Moreover, since the Seong Family Manor was located quite close to the government office, they did not employ many armed escorts.
Perhaps because of this, the skills of their guards were far from impressive.
In stark contrast, the band of bandits that attacked the manor were all highly skilled in martial arts, and their numbers exceeded a hundred.
Yet, Seong Moong, the lord of the manor, did not panic.
In fact, he was a disciple of the Jindo Sect, an exceptional craftsman and an expert in mechanisms and formations.
When he first established the manor, he had installed various mechanical traps and formations to fend off external enemies.
"This can't be."
However, Seong Moong’s calm expression soon turned to shock.
Despite the bandits’ invasion, not a single mechanism or formation had activated.
It turned out that all the mechanical devices and formations installed in the manor had been sabotaged.
And the culprit was none other than Gyo Cheonak, the martial arts instructor who had joined the manor a year ago.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Seong Moong, who had been subdued with his pressure points sealed and was lying in the courtyard, roared in fury.
The bandits, moving as stealthily as assassins, had scaled the manor’s walls and mercilessly slaughtered the guards and household members. They had subdued the survivors by sealing their pressure points and forced them to kneel as if they were heinous criminals.
But what truly drove him to the edge of rage was the fact that Gyo Cheonak, the martial arts instructor, was the leader of these bandits.
"I treated you with sincerity all this time. Why would you commit such a heinous act?"
"The lord has done no wrong," Gyo Cheonak said, glancing at the subdued household members before pointing at Seong Suryeo. "The fault lies with her."
"Suryeo? What could Suryeo have done?"
"For a year, she pretended to flirt with me, but she never truly cared for me." The leisurely expression on Gyo Cheonak’s face twisted into something grotesque. "I tried to live honestly, to become a new person! But in the end, she only saw me as a convenient martial arts instructor!"
Seong Moong’s jaw dropped.
He had thought Gyo Cheonak to be a refined and skilled martial arts instructor.
But now, it was clear—this man was a lunatic who couldn’t distinguish delusion from reality.
"What’s the point of saying all this?" Shaking his head, Gyo Cheonak raised his blood-stained blade and sighed. "I’ll have to quickly behead everyone in the manor, and as for your precious daughter, I’ll toy with her for a while before handing her over to my men."
At those words, Seong Moong’s face paled.
Ordinary bandits would typically steal valuables and flee.
But Gyo Cheonak was a madman who took infinite pleasure in cruelly killing people rather than taking their wealth.
"You’ve said enough. Farewell."
As Gyo Cheonak raised his bloodied blade to strike Seong Moong’s neck, a sound broke the silence.
Thud, thud.
Suddenly, the quiet courtyard of the manor was filled with the sound of soft footsteps.
Turning around, they saw a beggar with disheveled hair and a face covered in burn scars slowly approaching.
It was Mumu.
"You?" Gyo Cheonak exclaimed in surprise.
The Seong Family Manor was not only close to the government office but also near a village.
Because of this, he had attacked the manor with utmost secrecy, subduing everyone and locking the gates.
Yet, this hideous beggar had appeared out of nowhere?
‘This guy? Could he be a martial artist hiding his true identity?’
His insolent tone and strange calmness had always grated on Gyo Cheonak’s nerves.
But he had never sensed any trace of inner energy from him. He had even checked Mumu’s pressure points several times, but found nothing.
Could this man be a martial arts master skilled enough to deliberately conceal his prowess?
Swish.
At that moment, one of Gyo Cheonak’s subordinates, who had been hiding atop the manor’s pavilion, stealthily approached Mumu from behind.
Seeing this, Gyo Cheonak nodded and said, "So, you’re a hidden master, aren’t you?"
In a low voice, Mumu replied, "Give up. The government soldiers are already on their way to the manor."
Gyo Cheonak raised an eyebrow.
If that were true, they would need to flee immediately.
"…!" Noticing Gyo Cheonak’s gaze fixed behind him, Mumu quickly turned.
At that moment, the subordinate leaped from the pavilion, his blade grazing Mumu’s neck and slicing deeply into his arm.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed as Mumu’s body hit the ground.
"Hahaha!" Watching this, Gyo Cheonak burst into laughter.
Seeing Mumu’s slow and clumsy dodge, he realized this man was no martial arts master—just an ordinary person with sharp instincts and agile movements.
The subordinate, realizing this as well, swung his blade relentlessly without fear.
Slash!
Mumu, struck in the arm and leg, collapsed on the spot.
"What a pathetic fool," Gyo Cheonak sneered, looking down at Mumu with a smirk. "You didn’t even report to the authorities, yet you rushed here, all sweaty and desperate?"
"Why do you think I came here alone?" Mumu said calmly.
Gyo Cheonak’s eyebrows shot up.
"Are you talking about that fat beggar you’re always with?"
"Who knows."
"Boss, we found another one here."
At that moment, one of the subordinates guarding the manor dragged in a chubby beggar.
It was Fatso.
"Mumu, I’m sorry. I was worried about you and followed, but…" Fatso trailed off.
‘Damn it,’ Mumu thought, inwardly cursing.
He had come to the manor, despite having no skills, driven by a surge of anger.
But his real purpose was to buy time until Fatso could report to the authorities and bring soldiers.
Yet, in his fear, Fatso had blurted out the one thing he shouldn’t have.
"Hahaha," Gyo Cheonak laughed, quick to catch on. "So, that fat fool didn’t go to the authorities after all."
Snorting, he coldly ordered his men, "Hurry up and gather the manor’s treasures. Prepare to leave."
As his men nodded and scattered, Gyo Cheonak looked down at Mumu with a grin.
This was the moment he felt the greatest thrill in his banditry.
Taking treasure was one thing, but he relished cutting down terrified people even more.
"A beggar like you, always acting so high and mighty, huh?" He raised his blade, but Mumu’s expression remained unchanged.
"Oh, is that how it is?"
Gyo Cheonak had killed countless civilians.
And sometimes, he had encountered fearless warriors who didn’t fear death.
But even those brave souls couldn’t withstand one thing: the suffering of those they cared about.
"I know your kind well."
Flash!
As Gyo Cheonak’s blade gleamed in the air, thud, Fatso’s right ear fell to the ground, blood gushing out.
"Argh!" Fatso screamed in agony, staring at his severed ear.
"I’ll keep cutting off this fat pig’s ears and fingers until you beg for mercy," Gyo Cheonak declared.
"Just kill me!" Mumu shouted.
"You still don’t get it."
Flash!
Another gleam of the blade, and Fatso’s left ear fell to the ground.
"Ugh."
The pain was dizzying, but Fatso clenched his teeth, refusing to scream further.
He knew that his cries would only torment Mumu more.
"These beggars have some loyalty. How touching," Gyo Cheonak sneered, turning to his men. "Chain that one up and douse him in oil."
His men pulled out oil pouches used for setting fires and began pouring them over Fatso’s body.
Cackling, Gyo Cheonak said, "Let’s see if you can keep that expression while this pig roasts."
"Let him live," Mumu pleaded, falling to his knees and bowing his head. "Burn me instead, but don’t kill him."
"You’re still so arrogant."
"Please, spare him. I beg you."
"I’ll do anything. Please, spare him."
Thud, thud, thud!
As Mumu slammed his head against the ground, Gyo Cheonak grinned with satisfaction.
"Now that’s more like it."
Snap.
And with that, he lit a firestarter.
He had never intended to spare Fatso.
"Ugh."
Seeing the blazing firestarter, tears streamed from Mumu’s eyes.
"Please, I beg you," Mumu pleaded again, banging his head on the ground. "Don’t kill him."
"Look up."
As Mumu raised his head at Gyo Cheonak’s command, whoosh!, Gyo Cheonak threw the firestarter at Fatso with a laugh.
Swirl…
In that moment, Mumu’s eyes saw the firestarter spinning slowly through the air.
It flew, ever so gradually, toward the bound Fatso.
Whoosh!
The moment it touched him, flames erupted, and Fatso’s body became a massive fireball.
"I’m sorry," a gentle mother’s voice echoed in Mumu’s mind.
At the same time, the world turned white, and the surroundings began to shift.
Burned paviEmissaries appeared all around, and in front of him stood a beautiful middle-aged woman.
"I’m sorry," she said again.
Whoosh.
But her beautiful form suddenly burst into flames, like a candle.
"For leaving you with sad memories…"
With a sorrowful expression, the mother gazed at her child, then suddenly emitted a brilliant light from her skin.
Flash.
In an instant, she turned to ash and vanished.
As if she had never existed in this world.
"Aaah!" the child cried out, reaching forward.
But his body was frozen, unable to move toward her.
The scene changed again.
The child was cradled in his father’s arms, who was running like the wind.
"Forget everything," his father said, holding him tightly.
"You must survive."
Finally, inside a secret passage within the pavilion, the father embraced his child once more.
Using a forbidden technique of the martial world, he erased all the memories in his beloved child’s mind.
"Ugh."
But the moment he used the technique, a silver radiance burst from the child’s body.
It turned out that within the child’s body lay the mystical power of a lama who had reached the Heavenly Realm.
With no choice, the father poured immense energy into suppressing that power.
"If you ever learn martial arts, this technique will eventually break. I pray you never enter the martial world…"
Rumble.
A great resonance echoed in his mind, and the world turned black.
"So you were hiding in the snow."
Opening his eyes again, a warm voice greeted him.
As the darkness faded, a kind, gaunt old man smiled at him.
"From now on, your name is Eunseol."
Eunseol (隱雪)—Hidden in the Snow.
The old man didn’t say the child was freezing to death in the snow.
Instead, he described it as if the child was playing hide-and-seek, hidden in the snow.
It wasn’t pity for a dying child.
It was an expression of the old man’s heart, finding even that moment endearing.
The child loved that name.
Eunseol.
Taking the old man’s surname, Bu Eunseol.
My name is… Bu Eunseol.
Boom!
At that moment, a thunderous roar erupted from Mumu’s body, and a tremendous wave of energy began to swirl.
Roar!
The energy surged like a giant sword, piercing the heavens.
Hiss!
At the same time, a white frost emanated from Mumu’s left hand, instantly extinguishing the flames on Fatso’s body.
All this had unfolded in the blink of an eye, from the moment the firestarter touched Fatso.
Crack, snap.
As all his memories returned, the immense power sealed in his meridians and pressure points began to awaken.
Guided by his reawakened internal energy, it coursed through his meridians.
Buzz!
A brilliant silver light spread, and a new force began to bloom in his dantian.
The recovery of some memories had triggered the mystical power sealed in Bu Eunseol’s meridians.
Roar!
Though only a fraction, that power surged like a tidal wave, merging with the energy flowing through his meridians.
Crack.
At the same time, the burned skin on his face cracked like brittle pastry, rapidly returning to smooth, white skin.
His ordinary body transformed instantly into the realm of the Golden Body, and as his muscles and nerves realigned, another metamorphosis took place.
Flash!
When Bu Eunseol opened his eyes, a burst of light radiated from his body, soaring to the distant sky.
Spiritual Awakening.
As the mystical power within merged with his internal energy, his Ban-Geuk Method broke through to the sixth level.
Even a master of the Limitless Realm would now find it nearly impossible to strike at his spirit.
Shudder.
Gyo Cheonak, watching this, trembled like a leaf.
Though a skilled bandit, his martial prowess had only just reached the peak level.
Having always targeted civilians to avoid martial artists, when had he ever witnessed a master of such a realm?
How could the waves of energy from a human body soar to the heavens?
Hum.
Finally, Mumu—no, Bu Eunseol—turned to face Gyo Cheonak.
"I…"
Gyo Cheonak tried to speak, but no sound came from his mouth.
Drip, drip.
His body began to crumple like paper, his bones twisting.
It resembled the Heaven-Breaking Thunder Burst once used by Shim Wol.
But unlike that technique, which crushed a person instantly, this was slow, allowing the victim to savor the fear and pain of death.
"Ugh…"
Whoosh.
As his bones and muscles contorted completely, Gyo Cheonak’s body swayed like a paper figure.
"Aaah!"
His face, still intact, vividly expressed the hellish agony.
Crack, snap.
His grotesque form collapsed into a small ball and fell to the ground.
Whoosh!
At the same time, web-like strands of energy radiated from Bu Eunseol’s body, spreading in all directions.
Like living creatures, the strands turned every bandit in the manor into bloody pulp in an instant.
Thud.
Having dispatched the bandits with a single move, Bu Eunseol looked at Seong Moong and his household, still bound by sealed pressure points.
Pop.
With a mere glance, their pressure points were released, and their bodies felt light.
Looking at Seong Moong’s robes, Bu Eunseol said, "I’ll borrow some cloth."
Rip! Swirl!
As he extended his right hand, the fabric of Seong Moong’s sleeve unraveled into thin threads.
Float, swirl!
The threads flew to Fatso’s ears, who lay unconscious, and began stitching the severed ears back together.
"It might hurt a little, so bear with it."
Fatso, unconscious, couldn’t feel the pain.
Even so, Bu Eunseol carefully reattached both ears.
Then, placing his hand on Fatso’s sea of energy point, he began pouring in immense Ban-Geuk Energy.
Hum, hum.
The powerful, pure energy coursed through Fatso’s meridians, eventually piercing his hidden channels.
Float.
Fatso’s body rose into the air, and two white flowers bloomed from the crown of his head.
Meridian Awakening.
For martial artists, it doubled their power. For ordinary people, it granted a life free of illness.
Bu Eunseol spared no effort, not only healing Fatso’s body but also infusing him with immense energy.
"We’ll meet again soon." Looking at the sleeping Fatso, Bu Eunseol smiled.
As he prepared to use his movement technique, Seong Moong approached and bowed deeply. "Great hero, accept my gratitude."
The household members hurriedly bowed as well.
"If not for you…"
As Seong Moong began to express his thanks in a resonant voice, Bu Eunseol interrupted, "I only repaid a debt."
"A debt?"
"Thanks to your daughter, I never went hungry and ate well."
Looking at Seong Suryeo, Bu Eunseol gave a faint smile.
It wasn’t the smile of the ruthless heir of the demonic path, the Martial Soul Command Lord.
It was gratitude for her kindness to the gruff, grotesque beggar, Mumu.
"Mu… Mumu!" Seong Suryeo cried out instinctively.
Bu Eunseol nodded.
He was Bu Eunseol, but also Mumu.
He acknowledged that his brief life as a beggar was part of his existence, that the beggar was also him.
"Thank you, Lady Suryeo."
For the first time, Bu Eunseol called a woman’s name gently, smiling.
It wasn’t the cold heir of the demonic path, but the smile of a righteous master raised by his grandfather, Bu Zhanyang.
"Please, come back!" Seong Suryeo shouted, reaching out as he prepared to leave. "Just once, please visit again!"
Bu Eunseol smiled and unleashed his movement technique.
Boom!
As he soared into the sky, Seong Suryeo’s tears fell.
The sorrow of not being able to follow him was overwhelming.
"Suryeo," Seong Moong said, approaching her. "That man is no ordinary warrior."
He gently patted his tearful daughter’s shoulder.
"You must not stand in his way. Understand?"
Seong Suryeo shook her head, tears streaming, vowing that one day, she would see him again.
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