Chapter 576

**Chapter 576: The Lazy One Bids Farewell (1)**

“……”

“……”

Master and disciple stared at each other.

Although their appearances hadn’t changed, their expressions were slightly different. Wei Yanho watched Baek Muhan with bewilderment, while Baek Muhan looked at him indifferently.

“Didn’t you say I could surpass you?”

“I did.”

“And that I was capable of doing it?”

“Exactly.”

Wei Yanho burst into shouts.

“Then why are you saying I can’t now?! At least be consistent! How am I supposed to keep up with you when…?”

PAK!

A loud impact echoed, and Wei Yanho rolled on the ground once again.

His learning ability was exasperatingly null.

“Disciple.”

“Yes!”

Wei Yanho jumped up and sat in a formal position.

When Baek Muhan’s voice turned cold, one should never contradict him. It was the direct path to hell. The usual Baek Muhan was already unbearable, but the angry Baek Muhan was a hundred times worse.

“You’ve grown a lot. Shouting at your master like that.”

“I lost my head for a moment, Master.”

“Beatings are good for regaining sanity.”

“I will discipline myself, Master.”

“Tss.”

Baek Muhan clicked his tongue.

This damn disciple was getting more cunning every time.

“You asked me if you could surpass me.”

“Yes.”

“Do you think you could?”

“……”

Wei Yanho pursed his lips.

“Do you want me to be honest?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Being honest…”

He paused, even though he already knew the answer. Still, he had to pretend to think about it.

“…I don’t think I have the remotest chance.”

“You know well.”

“……”

Wei Yanho looked at him with an expressionless face. This man had a gift for making any word sound irritating.

“If I can’t, you said I could!”

“I did.”

“Then why are you changing your mind now?”

“Because you gave up.”

“…What?”

“I showed you the possibility, but you abandoned it.”

“Are you referring to imitating you?”

“You know well.”

Baek Muhan shrugged.

“One who imitates can never surpass the creator.”

“But I’m getting stronger right now.”

“Because imitating is easy.”

Creating something from scratch versus following what someone else already did. It was obvious which was easier.

“If you had stayed on your original path, you wouldn’t have come as far as you have now. But in the future, you would have been even stronger.”

“But we don’t have time now.”

“And what did I say? That’s a fact.”

“That wasn’t your tone.”

“Sure it was.”

“Come on, it’s obvious you’re annoyed!”

“This brat?”

“……”

Wei Yanho closed his mouth and lowered his head. One more step and he would receive a memorable beating.

“Tss.”

Baek Muhan clicked his tongue at his dejected expression.

“Don’t get like that. It’s not like there’s no possibility at all.”

“Really?”

“Even a worm can become a dragon.”

Basically, no.

Even his metaphors were…

“Of course, it won’t be easy. But, do you know who I am? I didn’t rule out the possibility of you doing this nonsense. I had already foreseen it…”

“Yes!”

“Actually, the problem is…”

“Yes!”

“That you are dumber than I thought.”

“……”

Wei Yanho’s eyes trembled.

Up and down, up and down… A real push and pull.

“By this point, you should be stronger. But you haven’t progressed as I expected. I knew your understanding was limited, but this… You’re harder than a rock. Ugh.”

“Wow, insulting me directly to my face!”

“The truth should not be hidden.”

“Do you want me to tell you why you have no friends?”

“Because I’m too awesome?”

“……”

He had no answer.

Wei Yanho opened his mouth with a bitter expression.

“But I almost made it this time.”

“Almost?”

“…Well, not ‘almost,’ but something similar.”

“Similar?”

Better to shut up.

No matter what he said, he couldn’t overcome that mocking look.

“Was I wielding the sword with that clumsiness?”

“Oh, please!”

Wei Yanho burst out.

“A little encouragement wouldn’t hurt anyone!”

“True. You shouldn’t just use the whip, you also have to praise.”

“Oh?”

“But first you have to do something praiseworthy. Do you want me to congratulate you for having a human face?”

“…”

It was better to give up.

“How noisy. Sit here, disciple.”

Wei Yanho sat down with a grumpy expression.

“Your expression.”

“……”

“Come on, smile!”

Wei Yanho twisted his lips into a forced smile.

Wei Yanho’s fame now resonated throughout the world. Although the Righteous Martial Alliance and the Beggar Sect had intentionally spread rumors, the achievements that supported them were real.

Sooner or later, those rumors would have spread without their help. It was just a little faster.

Soon, everyone would be talking about Wei Yanho. Soon, everyone would praise him.

But in the end, it didn’t matter.

It didn’t matter how strong he became or how much fame he obtained. Before Baek Muhan, Wei Yanho was still a young disciple with a head perfect for beatings.

“You have become strong.”

“Huh?”

“It’s the truth. You are getting stronger.”

Those unexpected words only increased his suspicion. His master never praised him. He was someone who enjoyed dragging the self-esteem of others to the ground and trampling on it.

But what followed left him bewildered.

“Then why are you so scared?”

“…What?”

“I mean, why are you so nervous?”

It was a somewhat vulgar question.

But he couldn’t deny it.

*Am I really scared now?*

Only then could Wei Yanho see his situation clearly.

Although he rested in a comfortable bed and his body reposed, his mind found no peace.

“Master.”

“Tell me.”

“Will I be able to do it?”

“Mmm.”

Wei Yanho expressed his thoughts honestly.

“The truth is that I am a little scared. I thought about the war in an abstract way, but… now that it’s here, I realize that it’s not something so simple.”

Baek Muhan looked at him with compassion.

The challenges that Wei Yanho faced were inevitable for anyone in the current martial world.

But it was too heavy a burden for someone so young.

*This kid…*

Had anyone Wei Yanho’s age carried so much in the past?

At his age, Baek Muhan was just beginning to stretch his legs in his clan. He was perhaps stronger than Wei Yanho, but he had never carried so much responsibility.

It was unfortunate.

“Does it weigh on you?”

“It’s not so much the weight…”

Wei Yanho sighed.

“I felt it again this time. If I hadn’t stopped them, everyone in Luoyang would have died.”

“That’s right.”

“I made it this time. Because I’m strong. Maybe next time I can do something too. But how long will I be able to keep stopping them?”

Baek Muhan nodded.

He understood what Wei Yanho meant.

“You can’t win forever. The more you win, the stronger the enemies become. They will know that I am strong and will look for other ways. Eventually, there will come a time when I can’t take it anymore. Then…”

Wei Yanho lowered his head slightly.

“Dying is no big deal. It’s inevitable. But it’s not just about me.”

“It’s no big deal?”

“No. Actually, I don’t want to die, Master.”

Wei Yanho looked up at Baek Muhan. His unsteady eyes focused on him.

“Will I be able to do it?”

Baek Muhan reached out and placed his hand on Wei Yanho’s head.

“Yanho.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t carry weights that you can’t bear.”

His voice was soft.

“You always tend to assume too much responsibility. But that is not your burden.”

“If I don’t do it, no one else can.”

“That no one else can doesn’t mean you should.”

“But everyone will die!”

“You think so?”

Baek Muhan smiled.

“I was like you too.”

“…You?”

Wei Yanho opened his eyes wide. It was strange to hear those words from his master, who always reprimanded him.

“Everyone seemed incompetent to me. I believed that if I didn’t do it, no one else could. And in part, it was true.”

“It’s just you.”

It was understandable.

Even Wei Yanho, praised by the world, was treated as useless by Baek Muhan. How would the other martial artists of his time look in his eyes?

“I couldn’t trust anyone in my clan. They seemed too inept to me. Even my father and my grandfather. That’s why I only trusted myself. I created my own style, I did everything alone. Do you know what the result was?”

“You became invincible.”

“No. I became lonely.”

“……”

Baek Muhan spoke bitterly.

“I couldn’t connect with anyone in my clan. In the end, I was almost kicked out. That was my last time.”

“Who would dare to kick you out?!”

Wei Yanho was furious, but Baek Muhan pressed his head.

“You don’t need strength to kick someone out. When you no longer have a place, you only have to leave.”

Wei Yanho puffed out his cheeks.

Baek Muhan was the worst master. But only Wei Yanho could insult him. No one else would dare to disrespect him.

Who would dare to reject this great martial artist, this incomparable master?

“Again with the strength, again!”

Wei Yanho relaxed his body.

Baek Muhan shook his head slightly and let out a laugh.

“Disciple.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I regret it.”

Wei Yanho looked up at him.

Regret.

It was a word that didn’t fit with Baek Muhan.

“I reached unparalleled heights in the martial arts. I climbed and climbed until there was no more height. And do you know what I was left with?”

“The glory of being the greatest?”

He couldn’t think of anything else.

“Or posthumous praise?”

Baek Muhan shook his head. Slowly and heavily.

“That makes no sense. For a human, the only thing that matters is life. What good is praise where I am not?”

“Master…”

“That’s why…”

Speaking firmly, he said:

“You must not be like me. Follow a different path. That is your duty as my disciple. You must surpass me by following a different route.”

At those words full of warmth, Wei Yanho’s eyes welled up.

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