Book 16 Chapter 25

The Unfinished End… And a New Beginning

"Uh… How could this happen…"

The old man stood before the flames that greedily devoured everything, raging wildly.

The fire god was burning everything within its reach without a shred of mercy.

The flickering shadow of the flames dyed the old man's white beard and hair red, as if bathed in sunset. The shadow danced erratically according to the capricious whims of the seemingly temperamental flames.

Clatter!

Thump!

Two massive pillars supporting the main gate were coiled by two serpents of flame, their tongues flickering. The signboard hanging above the gate, where hellfire raged like a gateway to the underworld, crashed onto the stone floor, scattering red dust. There were no living beings beyond that fiery gate. The place, a banquet hall of destruction and slaughter, was turning to ashes along with the flames.

The old man's gaze fell to the signboard that had fallen on the ground, as if symbolizing the fate of this place. It was a magnificent signboard, adorned with fine calligraphy and decorations that seemed to reflect the prosperity this place once enjoyed, but now it was charred and covered in soot by the flames, with only the large characters barely legible. Within the flames of the signboard, more than half burnt away, were inscribed four characters:

Cheongryong Eun Jang (Blue Dragon Silver Hall)

The old man, clutching a scrap of paper in one hand, stared at it with a vacant expression. This scrap of paper, once called the "Absolute Pension Guarantee," had become useless trash overnight along with the flames. His living expenses, his drinking money, were burning away inside. It was the only "inheritance" his runaway disciple had gathered by any means and left behind. If all of that disappeared, what would he live on now? It was certain that this piece of paper, which should be renamed "Before Fire Destruction" instead of "Absolute," would offer no help. So, he had tried to claim the gold and silver treasures left in the Silver Hall as a customer's rightful property, but the villains behind it had already smuggled them away. When he arrived, instead of the smuggled treasures, the seal was burning, and about a hundred people were poking at corpses, tidying up under the guise of confirmation. Naturally, they did not welcome witnesses. Therefore, they rushed to silence the old man, and now they were sleeping a sleep from which they would never awaken, behind the old man. They had received the price for their crime, which had greatly affected the old man's drinking habits. However, that was not a problem for the old man at all right now. His path to survival was blocked. Not being able to taste new fine liquors with delicious appetizers the next day was indeed a significant issue.

"Should I try to find that rascal again…"

The old man mumbled in a low voice. He didn't know where he was, but if he searched aimlessly, he might find him. He held a few clues in his hand. Above all, he couldn't starve to death like this.

"Shall I go out into the martial world after a long time…"

The old man with white hair and beard threw the certificate he was holding into the flames. Then, leaving the Silver Hall, which was turning to ash, behind him, he took a step towards a new destination. It might have been a small step for the old man, but it was a step that could become a great footprint in the martial world.