Book 10 Chapter 9

Fathers and Sons Should Be Close

- There should be closeness between father and son!

"I don't even know where I am…"

Im Sungjin walked forward, paying attention to his surroundings.

Since all light was blocked in every direction, there was a risk of bumping into rocks or tripping over roots if he wasn't careful.

Moreover, there might be traps somewhere. There is no greater fear than the fear of the unknown. The blocked information created countless imaginings in his mind. The more terrifying and chilling the imaginings, the heavier his steps became.

It wasn't easy for Im Sungjin to take even one step at a time.

A peculiar scent was making him feel hazy. He heard a sound near his ear. The sound, like many people murmuring, was probably some kind of scripture. But in his current situation, it was hard to even tell if it was a hallucination.

"What's going on?"

He felt a strange sense of relaxation. A languid feeling, as if he had been in a warm hot spring all day, enveloped his entire body. His hands and feet felt weak, and each step was arduous.

'I wish I could stop and rest for a moment…'

Such thoughts deeply dominated Im Sungjin's mind.

None of the participants truly knew the full effect of this subtle fragrance called 'Dreamy Soul-Dissolving Scent' (Monghwan Sohunhyang).

"Im Sungjin, what are you doing here?"

Suddenly, a giant, burly man appeared before him, covered in hair and with an immensely large body that cast a shadow all around.

"Father!"

Im Sungjin exclaimed, startled.

"At least you haven't forgotten your old man's face. Good boy!"

He had a stern face with thick, bristly caterpillar eyebrows and a dense beard. His entire body was covered in scars, and even his face bore several wounds. These scars were badges of honor, testifying to how hard he had worked.

"How did you get here?"

Im Sungjin couldn't suppress his still pounding heart. He had been told that something beyond common sense would happen, but this was truly cheating.

"Didn't you sever ties with me?"

Im Sungjin instinctively extended his iron rod and assumed a defensive stance.

"Who can stop a father from seeing his son's face? It's my will. I only do what I want!"

Now that he thought about it, that was indeed his damned personality. Seeing that uncontrollable, boiling-pot-like, reckless nature, he seemed to be his father. However, it still didn't feel real. Because it was impossible. If anyone knew, he knew what his family's business was, to the point of revulsion.

"You weren't captured, were you?"

He prayed that wasn't the case.

"Hmph! Who dares to capture me? There's no one in this world who can capture me!"

'There are many. They just don't bother.'

His father's profession was a notorious bandit. Moreover, he was a big shot who wouldn't even bother with petty acts like robbing passing travelers.

"No matter how much you deny it, you're my son!"

"Hmph! I'm no longer a bandit, I'm a righteous person. Don't make your son into a thief as you please. It will ruin my marriage prospects."

Im Sungjin shouted. His father's profession was a burden he couldn't escape.

"What's it to you, you brat? You dare defy your father? Once a bandit, always a bandit! Your origins don't change no matter how much you struggle! You can't deny the bandit blood flowing in your veins. No matter what anyone says, you are the son of Im Deokseong, the 'Wolf of the Raging Winds,' the leader of the seventy-two bandit strongholds of Green Forest!"

'Chongpyojah' refers to the leader of the seventy-two bandit strongholds. It can be considered another title for the chief.

'Damn it, this brings back unpleasant memories!'

Master of the 'Wolf of the Raging Winds' style! Leader of the seventy-two bandit strongholds of Green Forest!

God of the bandits, king of thieves!

No matter how much he struggled, the fact that he was his son was an undeniable truth. Perhaps because unpleasant memories suddenly surfaced, he had to frown.

'Hmph! A mountain bandit's spawn acting so arrogant.'

'No matter how many times a crow washes itself in water, it remains a crow and can never become a white heron.'

'No! No! I will become a righteous person!'

'Inheriting the blood of the bandits, you are a bandit forever! As an unorthodox cultivator, you can never become a righteous cultivator.'

These were memories he didn't want to recall again. All of that happened because of his damned father. However, without regard for Im Sungjin's sharp gaze, he spoke.

There was a similar standoff when he left the main stronghold. Im Sungjin remembered that day vividly.

"Where are you going, betraying your father? You are the successor to my legacy!"

"I refuse. I want to enter the Cheonmu Academy and pursue the ultimate of martial arts."

"You can never associate with them! Inherit my legacy here! You are the son of me, the Bandit King. Where are you going, abandoning your own territory?"

"Disown me from the family registry as you please. I must go my own way."

Im Sungjin retorted, not backing down.

"You unfilial brat! How dare you disobey your father?"

His blue saber, which had drunk the blood of countless people, emitted a 살기 (salgi - murderous intent) with a chilling blue light. However, Im Sungjin did not back down.

"Whether you're my father or not, I must leave here, even if it means fighting you."

He gripped his staff with both hands and took a stance.

"Huh? What's with the staff? Did you ever learn such a trivial martial art as staff fighting?"

His father, Im Deokseong, the leader of the Green Forest bandits, was a master of saber techniques. A weapon like a staff, which looked clumsy and was troublesome to kill people with, was something he had never learned. So, he was even more perplexed.

Im Sungjin did not answer the question but instead asserted his claim.

"Don't try to stop me. I will go my own way. I'm sick and tired of a life of thievery, stealing others' property and territory."

"Hey! Call it business! Protection business! Are you foolishly throwing away the position of king of the hundred thousand bandits? You are the son of me, the Bandit King, Im Deokseong!"

"I never thought this bloodline would become so hateful. Now, I'm leaving."

"Fine! Let's sever ties today! Those stubborn orthodox cultivators would never accept a bandit's son. Good luck!"

"No! I will become a righteous person! Aaaaaaah!"

Im Sungjin, in a frenzy, swung his iron rod fiercely and charged at his father.

'I thought our ties were severed that day…'

Yet, here he was, facing his father again.

"No matter what you say, I am not going back. That is not where I belong. My place is here, at Cheonmu Academy. No matter what you say, I will stay here."

Im Sungjin said resolutely. There was no room for compromise on this matter.

"Hmph! You talk too much. A bandit's son decides everything with a sword! If you want to assert your claim, defeat me. You might have gotten away that day by luck, but not today. I will prove that you are an undeniable child of the bandits. Come on! A crow can never become a white heron!"

"No! I am already a righteous person! I am not a thief like you! I am not! Aaaaaaaah!"

Once again, a frenzied Im Sungjin swung his iron rod and charged at Im Deokseong. An attack incomparably more powerful than that day unfolded from his hands.