The Undefeatable Swordsman

Though Woo-Gang was crying out in frustration and his son-in-law spewing nonsense, the Palm Martial Emperor, Baek Sang-Woon, quietly waited for his daughter.

Sang-Woon knew that Song Dae-Woong would only believe him when his daughter came and testified to their relationship in person.

In fact, for the past year, Sang-Woon had been living in a village near Unhan to observe his daughter and her family. However, he was not able to muster the courage to come forward and greet his daughter.

During that time, Sang-Woon found out that his grandson was learning martial arts and saw Woo-Moon meet Jin Won-Myeong.

When Woo-Moon and Jin Won-Myeong fell into danger, Sang-Woon thought of stepping in, but he stayed on the sidelines when he saw Gyeong-Hong appear.

Later, when Woo-Moon left the inn to seek an adventure alone, Sang-Woon appeared “by coincidence” in front of his grandson and offered to help him.

Woo-Moon entered the inn after receiving Sang-Woon’s order. Ignoring the commotion, he went straight to Jin-Jin’s room.

It was late into the night, but the room was still lit. So as not to surprise his mother, Woo-Moon announced his arrival first before opening the door.

“Mother, it’s me, Woo-Moon.”

“Oh, Woo-Moon, you’re back. You didn’t get sick or injured, right?”

Baek Jin-Jin was sitting with her back against the wall and sewing. She looked sick and helpless.

“What are you making, mother?”

Jin-Jin hurriedly hid what she was sewing behind her.

“It’s nothing. Hmm, come closer so I can have a good look at you. Let me finally see and touch my proud son.”

Jin-Jin hurriedly hid what she had been sewing, but Woo-Moon, whose eyesight had improved after learning martial arts, saw what she had been making.

His weak and sickly mother was making a set of clothes for him.

Fighting back the tears that were welling up in his eyes, Woo-Moon gently shook his head and smiled.

“Mother, a guest has come, so please come out. I will help you walk.”

“A guest? Who are you talking about?”

Jin-Jin made a puzzled look.

Who could be such a special guest that her son saw the need to come into her room and help her get out to greet them?

“Please, come out. I’m sure you’ll be happy to see him.”

“Wait, who came...”

Though she was puzzled and confused, she still accepted her son’s support and shuffled across the room.

For whatever reason, Jin-Jin could feel her heart pounding.

‘Who could it be to make my son do this?’

While carefully supporting his mother, Woo-Moon circulated and transferred some of his qi into her.

Though he had been unable to do such a thing before, after meeting his grandfather and receiving the Martial Arts Foundation Manual, Woo-Moon had learned how to transfer qi to others. The Celestial Sect’s Forbidden Divine Art was the best among Daoist methods as a foundation for qi cultivation. Compared to other qi cultivation methods, the Forbidden Divine Art was very good at protecting and nourishing one’s body.

Jin-Jin felt a warm and cozy sensation on her wrist. Then, that sensation spread out throughout the rest of her body. She felt energy coursing through her body, a sensation that she had not felt in a long time and she had thought completely lost. Feeling this change, Jin-Jin was startled, and she quickly looked at Woo-Moon.

“Woo-Moon! Have you started practicing martial arts?”

“Yes, Mother.”

Woo-Moon could not help but think, ‘Grandfather was right. Mother learned martial arts.’

His mother would not have recognized the sensation and changes in her body if she did not know martial arts.

“Ah... oh my... I didn’t want my children to become murim people, but your little brother joined a sect, and now you...”

Her words were tinged with a feeling of regret.

Hearing her words, Woo-Moon felt even more certain that the Palm Martial Emperor was indeed his maternal grandfather.

“Mother, let’s have that conversation later. We have to greet our guest first.”

“Just who is it to make you...”

While speaking, Jin-Jin suddenly recalled a figure.

‘No way.’

Jin-Jin soon shook her head.

‘No, there’s no way. How would my father know that I’m here? I got rid of all the traces that could lead anyone to this place.’

However, in contrast to what she was thinking in her mind, her heart continued to beat loudly. She wondered why this was so.

The Palm Martial Emperor, Baek Sang-Woon, patiently waited for his daughter to appear in front of him. Though he could not see her, Sang-Woon recognized her familiar footsteps and breathing.

‘My dear daughter...’

He suddenly recalled the image of his daughter during her youth.

She smiled so carefree back then; her happiness, which shone through in her unadulterated smile, could not be compared to anyone...

Right then, Sang-Woon saw his daughter. At the same time, Jin-Jin saw her father patiently waiting at the front of the inn’s entrance.

“Ha! Now you see and understand, right? There’s no way that my wife can be your daughter! There’s almost no age gap!”

Though Dae-Woong yelled out, Jin-Jin and Sang-Woon did not hear him. Jin-Jin also did not register that her youngest son, Woo-Gang, had greeted her when she made her appearance.

“It’s been a long time, Jin-Jin,” Sang-Woon spoke in a forced, calm tone.

Tears welled up and filled Jin-Jin’s eyes to the point that she could not see clearly, and then she burst out crying.

“Dad...!”

Sang-Woon felt his heart ache. Even though he was an Absolute Master, all his power could not keep his knees from giving out after hearing his daughter call him “Dad,” a word that he hadn’t heard her use since childhood.

In truth, Jin-Jin was angry at her father. However, seeing him face-to-face, she could not get mad at him. Tears of joy flowed out from her eyes like a fountain.

“Dad, Father... Father!”

“Jin-Jin!”

Sang-Woon stepped forward and tightly embraced his daughter. While feeling happy to have finally met his daughter, Sang-Woon also felt a painful sense of heartache.

‘I’m sorry... because of me...’

His daughter’s physical condition was poor. She was so light that it seemed a gust of wind could blow her away. Sang-Woon felt a pain in his chest after sensing the extent of Jin-Jin’s internal injury, which had spread throughout her body, bones, and even to her heart.

“You’re so... so terrible. Were other things so important? Is freedom everything to you? Is that why you weren’t by Mother's side when she passed away and shunned us all this time?!” Jin-Jin cried out through her sobs.

“I’m sorry. Sorry, child. I... I can’t really say anything but sorry.”

There was something that Sang-Woon wanted to say; however, if he said that now, his daughter would just interpret his word as an excuse. Hence, Sang-Woon focused on gently tapping his daughter’s back and comforting her, helping her calm down.

“You’ve sustained internal injuries, so your body is weak. Calm your anger. It’s not good for you to get so worked up and angered.”

Hearing her father’s concerned words, Jin-Jin, who had almost stopped sobbing, broke out into tears once more.

“Father...”

While all this was going on, Dae-Woong dumbfoundedly watched from behind.

“Huh? Uhm...”

His mind was racing and filled with complicated thoughts. Based on his wife’s reaction, the person that he referred to as “guy” up till now seemed to be his wife’s actual father—in other words, his father-in-law.

‘Shoot, this is a huge problem. Shoot! Jin-Jin said she was an orphan, so I thought that was the truth.’

Baek Sang-Woon was his father-in-law!

Dae-Woong could not wrap his head around how his father-in-law looked younger than him, but at that moment, he recalled what his son Woo-Gang had stated earlier.

‘The Palm Martial Emperor? My father-in-law is the Palm Martial Emperor?’

While Dae-Woong was becoming increasingly distressed, Sang-Woon spoke up, “It would be nice to take some time to catch up, but your internal injuries are too severe. I need to start treatment on your injuries as soon as possible.”

Sang-Woon then turned to Dae-Woong and stated, “You, starting from today, close the inn’s doors and stop doing business for three days. I need peace and quiet to focus on treating your wife’s injuries, you understand, right?”

“Huh? Yes! Yes, Father!”

After Dae-Woong gave his nervous and tense reply, Sang-Woon turned to Woo-Moon and Woo-Gang.

“You two take turns standing guard while I work on treating your mother. You absolutely cannot let anyone near, got it?”

“Yes, Grandfather!”

Sang-Woon carefully lifted his daughter and carried her to her room. While carrying her, he took a more in-depth look into the state of his daughter’s internal injuries. It was as he had expected. She had been in a poor state anyway, and her worries and concerns had only exacerbated her injuries.

Jin-Jin soon spoke up in a weak voice, “Don’t worry... Father. I’m alright. My internal injuries have already gone beyond the point of recovery, so don’t concern yourself with...”

“I will hear none of it! Have you forgotten who your father is? I am the Palm Martial Emperor. They call me one of the Eight Heavenly Martial Emperors. Fixing some of my precious daughter’s internal injuries is easy.”

Before he entered into his daughter’s quarters, Sang-Woon abruptly stopped and turned around.

“Hey, Woo-Moon. Didn’t you receive something from the Night Spear Devil after you helped him?”

Sang-Woon spoke in his normal tone to Woo-Moon. He seemed to be comfortable with Woo-Moon, seeing as the latter was his grandson.

“Ah! Right.’

Woo-Moon had stashed the Night Spear Devil’s gift away in his pocket and had not given it a second thought, which was not surprising considering the shocking succession of events that had unfolded afterward.

Woo-Moon fished out the Night Spear Devil’s gift from his pocket.

“Hmm, I smell something familiar. Very familiar! Here, hand it to me.”

“Something smells familiar?”

Woo-Moon handed the gift, which was still wrapped up in cloth, over to Sang-Woon. Woo-Moon was puzzled as to why his grandfather, who had seemed anxious and pressed for time moments earlier, seemed so nonchalant and relaxed at the present moment.

With one hand, Sang-Woon expertly untied the knots of the cloth bag, and in the places that he could not reach, he utilized Spatial Manipulation to undo the knots. From the cloth bag, a medicine bottle containing a milky-colored liquid appeared.

“Oho! As I thought. Gyeong Hong, that rascal.... I knew it. Since his beloved son was saved, he gave you the most precious thing he had in his possession. Makes sense, since his son comes above all else. Hahaha.”

Seeing Sang-Woon’s elated expression, Woo-Moon could not help but become curious.

“What is that anyway?”

The reply came from Jin-Jin, “Pure Stalactite Milk... it’s Pure Stalactite Milk. Such a precious item...”

Though Woo-Moon did not know, a single drop of Pure Stalactite Milk could increase one’s qi to levels that could only be reached after thirty years of natural development, and if the liquid was used to reinforce one’s body, one could possibly obtain a Diamond Physique and Ten Thousand Poison Immunity; hence, the Pure Stalactite Milk was considered the highest-level nourishing medicine.

After opening the bottle and sniffing the contents, Sang-Woon could not help but frown, and his previous confidence deflated.

“Damn, it’s not pure Pure Stalactite Milk. Its level of spiritual qi is too low, and it’s been diluted with other medicinal ingredients, I’m guessing to enhance their overall result. Tsk. Too bad that the ingredient proportions are so off that only a single drop of this liquid can be given to a person in their entire lifetime. Any more than that and it’ll poison you.”

“What’s Pure Stalactite Milk? It’s that good? What happens if someone consumes two drops?”

“Your body can handle the effects of one drop, but if you take two drops or more, the internal balance in your body will be destroyed. Ultimately, you’ll lose your qi, your body will crumble apart, and you will die.”

“Ugh!”

Hearing such a terrifying explanation, Woo-Moon let out a muffled shout.

“Silly boy, in the end, even as it is, this concoction is a miracle. At the very least, it will restore thirty years’ worth of qi. Well, a potion like this doesn’t have any meaning for a person of my stature, but it’ll be a great benefit to you and others. Anyway, with this, your mother’s chance of recovering has increased dramatically.”

After saying these last words, Sang-Woon stepped inside Jin-Jin’s quarters. Having examined Jin-Jin, Sang-Woon found that her injuries were much more serious than he had initially expected.

‘If I knew things were so bad, I would have come out from hiding earlier. If I did that, her condition would have been a bit better...’

While Dae-Woong was posting a sign at the inn’s entrance stating that the inn would be closed for the next three days, Sang-Woon gently placed his palm on Jin-Jin’s back and started the treatment process.

The brothers decided to stand guard in twelve-hour shifts. Woo-Moon stood guard until lunchtime, while Woo-Gang stood guard until midnight.

Woo-Moon was a bit anxious as he stood guard, taking on the responsibility more seriously than any other thing he had done his entire life. At lunch, he then switched places with Woo-Gang and headed off to the Leebi Merchant Guild. On his way, Woo-Moon met many workers he was close with, and they greeted each other.

“Woo-Moon! Did you sleep well?”

“We haven’t seen each other for a day, but it feels like a year has passed. Hahaha.”

Woo-Moon replied with a bright expression. Woo-Moon did not forget to chat a bit with each of the workers. It seemed that all the workers were also heading to the Leebi Merchant Guild to obtain their share of the profit distribution.

Before entering the merchant guild’s building, Woo-Moon first went to the gatekeeper and asked, “I’ve come to pick up my share of the profit distribution from the latest merchant excursion. Where should I go?”

“Ah, young hero Song! The guild’s administrative official told me to let you know that you should go to the main administrative office. It seems they wanted to meet you in-person and give you your share.”

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