Chapter 607

## Chapter 607. Encounter with the Lazy (2)

“The problem isn’t as simple as it seems.”

“Well, but…”

Wei Yanho shrugged.

“We already tried it once, shouldn’t it be fine?”

“Mmm…”

Wei Jeonghan didn’t seem very convinced.

Certainly, Wei Yanho’s words made sense.

In two aspects.

The reason why the Righteous Martial Alliance couldn’t confront Baekgeom Fortress and instead had to deal with the Demon Cult was because they hadn’t yet found a solution for the demonic plague, which was the demonic disease. But if they managed to discover a method to counteract it, the application of the Master of Divine Abilities’s skills would deepen even further.

And the person most likely to find that solution was precisely Wei Yanho.

“As we mentioned before…”

Wei Jeonghan stared at Wei Yanho as he spoke.

“It’s true that because of your experience with the Tang Family, you might be able to resolve this situation.”

“…That’s right.”

“But the odds are too low.”

Wei Jeonghan shook his head.

“We can’t afford to observe the situation as calmly as we did back then. Besides, the cause of the outbreak in the Tang Family was poison, wasn’t it?”

“Mmm…”

“But those affected in Hefei weren’t poisoned, but suffered convulsions from demonic energy. So they could be of different types.”

“I have certain reservations about that.”

Jegal Munin interjected.

“From a situational point of view, I don’t think two different plagues can appear simultaneously. One alone is enough to shake the martial world; it would be extremely unnatural.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“Furthermore, now that we know that Baekgeom Fortress is using this plague, it’s clear that it was created artificially.”

“Correct.”

“That’s why it makes less sense.”

“…Why? If it was created artificially, wouldn’t it be more beneficial to create multiple variants?”

“Because it’s not necessary.”

Jegal Munin was categorical.

“Its effectiveness was already demonstrated in Hefei. Baekgeom Fortress must have confirmed the power of the plague through tests. Why create another similar plague if they’ve already developed a perfect weapon against which there is no defense?”

Wei Jeonghan couldn’t help but nod.

Listening to him, Jegal Munin’s words made sense. From their perspective, there was no need to do something like that.

“So, what happened with the Tang Family?”

“The answer is simple. The Tang Family was also suffering from the same plague. If we investigate those who practiced the treasure of the Sword Emperor in the family, we would confirm it, but in any case, that’s what I think.”

“Are you saying that someone deliberately provoked their symptoms?”

“It could be, but…”

Jegal Munin shook his head.

“I don’t think that probability is high.”

“Then?”

“We must consider another possibility. If we assume that someone caused their convulsions, things don’t add up.”

“…Mmm?”

“They can’t completely control the convulsions. According to the situation, it seems that when they perceive certain energy from the Demon Arts, the internal demonic energy stirs and causes the outbreaks, but…”

Jegal Munin shrugged.

“Actually, talking about ‘energy’ is vague. Even those who practice Demon Arts can’t fully understand and control the nature of that energy.”

Wei Jeonghan tilted his head, confused. He didn’t understand it well.

“Think of it this way: if you created a martial technique that reacts to the ‘Divine Art Purple Cloud’ of Mount Hua, could you be sure that it wouldn’t react to other divine arts?”

“…No.”

“Exactly. Unless you brought all the martial arts in the world and tested them one by one, it would be impossible to determine.”

There are countless martial arts in the world.

In the martial world alone, there are more than ten thousand types. How could they verify them all?

“But we’re talking about Demon Arts. With the cooperation of the Demon Cult, it wouldn’t seem impossible, would it?”

“What if among the poisons of the Tang Family there was one with properties similar to demonic energy?”

“…”

Wei Jeonghan closed his mouth.

It was a bold assumption.

Nothing more than a conjecture.

But it was also true that that audacity fit perfectly.

“I understand… it could be possible.”

“Probably what happened in the Tang Family wasn’t in their plans. If the treasure of the Sword Emperor had spread throughout the martial world, that type of incident would have been inevitable.”

“Mmm, you’re right.”

“And that the treasure of the Sword Emperor spread throughout the martial world wasn’t their intention either.”

“…Sure.”

Who would have imagined that Wei Yanho would do something so crazy?

“So they couldn’t have foreseen that situation. Unless they were conducting a small test in the Tang Clan. In any case, I’m skeptical that two different plagues have spread simultaneously.”

Wei Jeonghan nodded.

If Jegal Munin was right, the situation had improved a bit.

If it was the same plague, it could be treated similarly.

But Wei Jeonghan couldn’t be completely happy.

That meant that Wei Yanho would have to take risks again. And this time, who knew what could happen?

‘I’ve become much weaker.’

The Wei Jeonghan of the past would never have thought that way.

Because justice implies sacrifice.

Maintaining justice without tolerating injustice is equivalent to ignoring personal benefits. With just closing your eyes for a moment, countless gains would be obtained. Ignoring them and maintaining justice is a form of sacrifice.

Telling children to comply with justice is like forcing them to live a life of sacrifice.

But now, when Wei Yanho is trying to truly fulfill justice, it is Wei Jeonghan himself who is worried.

‘I can no longer preach about justice even in death.’

In the past, when many abandoned justice to seek only their benefits, he criticized them and spat on them.

When he heard others say that they wanted to maintain justice but couldn’t because of reality, he felt repulsion.

Because that was Wei Jeonghan.

But now, he could finally understand them.

Because he had something to lose.

Perhaps there were those who could sacrifice their lives without thinking. Those who, for justice, could accept personal sacrifice with a smile.

But if the price of justice implied the suffering of the family, who could discuss it so easily?

The Wei Jeonghan of those days had nothing to lose.

He had no children or parents. Only a fiancée, and she could start a new life. That’s why he could practice justice without reservations.

If the Wei Jeonghan of then had been in the current situation, would he have been different from them?

If Wei Yanho weren’t so strong, if he couldn’t trust Wei Sanho…

Would he really have been able to sacrifice his life like straw in the wind, leaving behind only his wife and children?

“It seems you have a lot on your hands now.”

“Huh?”

Wei Yanho looked at him with bewildered eyes.

Seeing his expression, Wei Jeonghan smiled slightly.

“It doesn’t matter. Let’s go. If it’s what you want, we must go.”

People can weaken. They can waver.

But even if he had weakened, he couldn’t wish for his son to do so as well.

Because that would be holding him back.

Wei Jeonghan realized once again that he wasn’t a good father. When his son wanted to rest, he scolded him to move, but when he tried to live as he wished, he also worried.

‘The worst.’

Even so, he should be grateful that he had grown up so well.

Parents want their children to become outstanding people. But when the children surpass expectations so much that they no longer need their help, it’s natural to feel melancholic.

Wei Yanho had gone beyond that.

The son he only asked to behave like a human being had become too exceptional. Thanks to that, in the current martial world, there was no one who could replace him.

He had no choice but to take on dangerous tasks. He had no choice but to risk his life.

Wei Jeonghan pursed his lips tightly.

“So you’ll be leaving now?”

Jegal Munin also looked a bit worried.

‘It was too much.’

They had traveled non-stop.

An incident occurred in the Tang Family, then they went to the Demon Cult in Xinjiang. There they were chased, returned to the Central Plains, and fought against the Bishops. After all that, without a proper rest, they came here.

And now they had to move again for a new mission.

Even Jegal Munin felt that he had no energy left, how much more exhausted would Wei Yanho be?

“I wasn’t supposed to live Lazy…”

“Huh?”

Wei Yanho let out a deep sigh.

“It seems that in this time I have rested more than others in their entire lives. How is it that I have no time to rest?”

Jegal Munin looked at him with some compassion.

Undoubtedly, Wei Yanho was forcing himself too much. As he wasn’t someone used to this pace, his fatigue must have been greater than imaginable.

“That’s why…”

Wei Yanho’s eyes flashed.

“When this war is over, I won’t lift a finger. Seriously, if someone wakes me up even to eat, I’ll grab them and throw them into the Yangtze River.”

“But you must eat.”

“I won’t die.”

Wei Yanho shook his head from side to side.

“I must work like an ox and consider it karma. There’s no choice. I must resolve this quickly and end the war to bring my brother back.”

“…”

Wei Jeonghan pursed his lips tightly.

Thinking about it, it was obvious.

The reason why Wei Yanho, who used to act as if he would die if he wasn’t Lazy, was now moving on his own initiative.

Since Wei Sanho went to the Demon Cult, Wei Yanho seemed to have become another person.

“Yes, it must be so.”

“Anyway…”

Wei Yanho turned his head and looked into the distance.

“I’ll make them suffer a bit.”

A hint of bitterness.

And a bit of regret.

Those feelings, barely perceptible in his voice, hurt Wei Jeonghan.

Wei Yanho’s goal was now clear: to recover Wei Sanho. Compared to that absolute goal, the safety or crises of the martial world might not mean much.

At least for Wei Yanho.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

When Wei Yanho began to move, Wei Jeonghan followed him in silence.

‘But…’

As he watched Wei Yanho’s back walking with difficulty, he couldn’t help but worry about one thing.

A possibility among a thousand, among ten thousand.

What if Wei Sanho didn’t return?

What would happen then?

Wei Yanho was enduring all this to recover Wei Sanho. Could he really resist if that didn’t happen?

Wei Jeonghan bit his lips softly.

‘It’s thinking too much.’

Wei Sanho will return.

There’s no reason for him not to. They are family.

Wei Jeonghan looked up at the blue sky.

In that intense blue sky, he seemed to see a man looking at him from above.

‘Moku, old friend.’

His face looked extremely somber.

Although expressionless, his countenance was full of worry, so similar to Wei Sanho’s. Wei Jeonghan closed his eyes.

An entangled knot cannot be untied. Now it must only be cut.

‘Protect him, my son. And yours too.’

He believed that someday the moment would come when everyone would smile again. With that hope, Wei Jeonghan moved his feet, which refused to advance.