Chapter 458

Chapter 458
## Chapter 458. Seeds of Evil (6)

—

With the passing of the days, his visions turned increasingly precise. Manifestations that had initially seemed like blurry illusions gradually coalesced into distinct, unmistakable imagery.

[*“The Sect Leader…… h-hurry and hide…… Keu-heok—”*]

Before long, they bore the weight of absolute reality.

“Heo-uk, heo-uk, heo-uk.”

Snapping his eyelids open, the young boy drew ragged, desperate breaths. His gaze darted frantically across his surroundings. By a stroke of fortune, the moon remained unobscured by the drifting clouds. The ancestral courtyard had not been consumed by a raging inferno. No agonizing shrieks of dying kinsmen echoed through the air.

‘It was just a dream…… nothing but a dark omen of a dream…….’

Though his terror intensified alongside these unnatural visions, he forced his racing pulse to steady on every occasion. Consolidating internal serenity is the absolute foundation of all martial cultivation. He desperately wished to live up to the grand prospects of his cherished guardians and the elders of his lineage.

“Goodness, Young Master, how has your attire become so completely drenched in sweat…… let us change you out of it at once.”

“Do not worry. I have only worn this robe for a single day.”

“I cannot permit such laxity. A person of standing must always keep their presentation and garments immaculate to maintain an undistracted mind for their duties.”

Despite his attempts to spare the young maidservant from extra labor, she adopted a stern, mock-scolding expression and replaced his garments with gentle, deeply affectionate movements. Well aware of her grueling routine—trekking to the mountain stream every alternate day to scrub laundry by hand—he pulled a slender, polished chest from his storage drawer.

“This is for you.”

“Pardon?”

Gazing at the small chest inlaid with fine jade, the young maidservant froze in place.

“I requested Old Man Song to procure it from the markets. They say all the fairest maidens utilize this jade-pin powder.”

“Even I have heard tales of jade-pin powder. However…… this is an immensely costly item.”

“Have you not arranged to go flower-viewing alongside Seok-ho?”

“What?! How could you possibly be aware of that?”

The young boy caught himself, hesitating for a heartbeat before fabricating a clumsy justification.

“……Geum Dae-ju has been whispering the tale to anyone who will listen.”

Geum Dae-ju was a notorious gossip within the compound walls. Because the man spoke so excessively that he could never recall his own words, he served as the perfect scapegoat for moments like this.

“Goodness gracious! I explicitly implored him to keep it entirely confidential.”

“Adorn yourself with it when you attend the flower-viewing. It looked quite beautiful.”

“Pardon? What did?”

Realizing his slip of the tongue, the boy quickly shook his head to correct himself.

“The, the jade-pin powder, I mean. It looked excellent.”

Keeping a vigil over the moon each night turned into a fixed routine. It was because on the night of the full moon in his visions, thick clouds had veiled the sky just as the tragedy unfolded. As the silver orb slowly transitioned from a crescent to a waning sliver, the knot of dread in his chest tightened.

“Seok-ho has pledged himself to marry Jo-ryeong?”

He caught this startling piece of news from the maidservant as she vigorously scrubbed the floors, her lips turned down in a pout.

‘How can this be?’

In the vivid premonition that had played behind his eyelids, Seok-ho had been sharing bright, affectionate smiles with this very maidservant.

“That girl Jo-ryeong, the way she throws her smiles so loosely at every man, hmph! And he is a fool for not seeing right through it……”

There had been rare occasions where the specific details of his dreams manifested slightly differently, but never had an event failed to occur entirely. While he felt a pang of sympathy for the maiden’s wounded heart, a sudden spark of relief kindled within him. This divergence meant there was a chance that the horrific fate he foresaw might not be absolute.

“Take heart. A person’s destined companion is surely waiting somewhere out there.”

“I have never once viewed that man as my destined companion!”

Strengthening his resolve with such thoughts, he pushed through his daily routines, yet as the moon swelled toward fullness, the underlying terror refused to dissipate. It reached a point where the boy could no longer comprehend the depths of his own internal panic.

“You appear to have abandoned sleep entirely of late?”

Encountering his father and mother during a midnight stroll, the pair observed their son with deeply troubled countenances.

“Is there a heavy burden weighing upon your mind?”

“……N-No, it is nothing at all.”

“Brilliant and perceptive though you may be, you have not reached the years required to shoulder every burden in isolation. At times like these, it is the mark of true wisdom to confide in an elder and unburden your spirit.”

Moved by his father’s gentle gaze and reassuring words, the child hesitantly revealed the nature of his nocturnal visions for the very first time.

“Hehe, so it was such a whimsical anxiety after all.”

“I deeply apologize for causing unnecessary worry.”

The parents, who were accustomed only to a son mature beyond his years, found themselves heartened by this display of vulnerability. It is, after all, the quiet longing of any parent to see their young child seek comfort from them. A broad, calloused palm brushed tenderly over the boy’s hair.

“Such fears are common to anyone navigating their early years.”

“Is that truly so?”

“Why, even your father spent his childhood nights terrified that a mountain tiger would leap from the shadows and snatch him away.”

“…….”

Still, perhaps the comparison to a tiger was a bit too juvenile.

“The grand authority of the Martial Alliance stands more formidable than ever before, the Jianghu remains perfectly tranquil, and the realm enjoys an era of unprecedented peace. Our sacred obligation is to preserve this harmony and safeguard the livelihoods of the common folk.”

The father offered comfort tailored to what he believed was a child’s understanding.

“Therefore, you have absolutely no reason to harbor fear.”

The young boy immediately grasped the underlying comfort his father intended to provide.

“My gratitude, Father.”

Just as his sire asserted, such a catastrophe was a practical impossibility. He began to view himself as cowardly and lacking fortitude for trembling over mere phantoms of the mind. He ceased his nightly vigils of the moon. He constant whispered to himself that the visions defied reality. The night terrors and cold sweats faded from his bed, and he dedicated himself entirely to his daily studies and duties.

Until the night the moon achieved perfect fullness.

“……Heu-eu-uk.”

“For what reason are you weeping?”

“S-Seok-ho informed me…… he claimed he could never take me as a wife because I am a woman given to wasteful indulgence……. I only utilized that jade-pin powder because I wished to appear lovely in his eyes.”

Though she had previously feigned indifference toward the man, it was evident her heart had been deeply invested.

“……I am deeply sorry.”

A wave of remorse washed over him, believing his well-meaning gift had triggered this misfortune.

“No. You bear no blame, Young Master. It was the very first token of kindness I have ever received in my existence.”

He buried himself in his routines to block out the unease. And then, the night of the full moon arrived.

“Y-Young Master!!!”

A sea of devouring flames tore through the ancestral pavilions of the family. Human beings perished amidst agonizing, blood-curdling shrieks.

[*“The Sect Leader…… h-hurry and hide…… Keu-heok—”*]

Precisely as foretold in the vision, the maidservant was covered in blood. The very girl who had relentlessly insisted on pristine appearance and spotless garments was now painting her own robes a horrific crimson with her life force.

“Do not panic. Beneath the floorboards…… there is a concealed chamber beneath the floorboards……”

He watched the bleeding maiden stumble desperately toward the exit. Beyond that threshold, she would be intercepted by the marauders.

“……Master! Young Master!”

Jolting back to the brutal reality, he saw the maidservant, blood staining the corners of her mouth, gesturing frantically toward a concealed hatch that had been thrown open.

“Get inside. H-Hurry—”

Yet, an inconsistency struck him.

“Why…… why are you not descending with me?”

“Do not waste thought on me. I possess an alternate route of escape.”

It was a blatant deception. The mechanism could only be secured and hidden from the exterior. Consequently, she could never join him inside. And the fate that awaited her upon triggering that mechanism from the outside was something he already knew.

“Then I…… I shall remain by your side.”

“Young Master!!”

Gripped by an unnatural desperation, the child gazed blankly at her. The maidservant, despite flinching from the agonizing pain tearing through her broken form, forced a radiant, loving smile.

“Fear nothing…… all will be well.”

“…….”

Though he recognized the utter falsehood of her reassurance, the words died in his throat. Her pale, trembling hand offered one final caress to his head.

“When this nightmare concludes, let us journey to see the blossoms. I shall adorn myself with the jade-pin powder you bestowed upon me…… once again.”

The intense, pleading earnestness in her eyes begged him to play along, to pretend he remained ignorant of her sacrifice. Because the boy possessed far too sharp an intellect, he remained silent, honoring her final wish.

“Young Master…… I beg of you, please do not let my name fade from your memory.”

“…….”

The suffocating heat of the inferno billowed through the narrowing gap of the hatch.

“So-ah…… So-ah! You must hold onto my name forever.”

Without waiting for his confirmation.

*Tang—*

She sealed the heavy barrier.

*Ku-gung—*

Moments later, the heavy grinding of the hidden gears reverberated through the stone, and the chaotic sounds of the slaughter began to recede into the distance.

*Aaaak—*

Accompanied by what seemed like the echoed phantom of So-ah’s final scream, the subterranean vault plunged into absolute, suffocating stillness.

He lost all track of the hours spent confined within that sensory void where light and sound ceased to exist. His lack of terror was driven not merely by an inherent maturity, but because the pitch-black environment was far from empty. The boy witnessed crystal-clear projections dancing in the dark, experiencing the gruesome reality repeatedly.

He harbored no anxiety about facing death at the hands of the slaughterers. In the unyielding visions etched into his mind, his survival was an absolute certainty.

“…….”

Simultaneously, a dark part of him wished the premonition would prove false. For his survival to be guaranteed meant every single member of his bloodline had to be wiped out. He quietly wished…… that he could simply perish in the dark.

*Cheol-keok—*

Yet with brutal precision, the events of his visions manifested into the tangible world. As the locking mechanism disengaged, a sliver of blinding illumination cut through the gloom. Staring into the light, the boy spoke in tandem with the world outside.

“There is a survivor here.”

“There is a survivor here.”

With an unblinking, hollow stare, he echoed the exact syllables drifting down to him.

“Bring him quickly.”

“Bring him quickly.”

The inevitable had transpired. And its occurrence signified that he was bound to witness the exact despair he had already endured in his mind.

“…….”

The grand structures had been reduced to smoldering mounds of soot and ash. The blood that painted every surface had coagulated into dark, crusty stains, marking the passage of time. His parents, his kinsmen, and the loyal retainers lay scattered, their lifeless countenances frozen in expressions of sheer fury.

“Fool! How could you carelessly guide the child through such horror!”

As a harsh reprimand was hurled at the warrior who had thoughtlessly exposed the sole survivor to the carpet of corpses, the man quickly reached out to shield the boy’s eyes.

“Come along, look away from this grim sight……”

However, the child smoothly slipped past the reaching hand and stepped forward. He needed to verify the final details he had observed while trapped in the vault.

“W-What……”

The warrior stood frozen, staring at his empty palm as if struck by an illusion, while the child advanced toward a specific gathering point. He walked directly toward an area where martial artists clad in identical, solemn robes had congregated.

“Ruthless monsters……”

“What drove them to inflict such horrific mutilation on this particular woman……”

“Judging by her garments, she was merely a common servant girl……”

The child slipped past the perimeter of adults. Surprised by the sudden intrusion of the boy, several martial artists moved to intercept him.

“Uh-oh!”
“Restrain him!”
“Oh?”

Utilizing flawless, uncanny footwork, the child evaded every grasping hand and pressed deeper into the circle.

“What in the world is happening……”

“Who is that boy?”

“The solitary survivor of the lineage.”

“Heo…… I had heard rumors of his supernatural perception. But to think his movements possess such refinement……”

“Quickly, someone secure the child.”

Desperate to shield the young boy from the gruesome spectacle, the crowd reached out once more.

“Hold your hands.”

Cheong-su Jin-in stepped forward, raising an arm to halt them.

“……*Sa-suk-nim*.”

“Observe the boy. There are no tears upon his face.”

“…….”

The child finally stood over the fallen maiden. He looked upon her. The agonizing marks of systematic torture were laid bare. The woman had passed from the world with a gentle smile resting upon her lips, despite enduring a degree of agony that would break the most hardened warriors. The horrific tableau he had scrutinized within the dark vault was replicated down to the finest detail.

“Is this woman known to you, child?”

The boy offered no response to the query posed by Cheong-su Jin-in. His focus was entirely anchored to her mangled hands, from which every single nail had been brutally ripped away.

“Child……!”

He began to gently pry open her stiffened, locked fingers. He needed to discover what treasure she had guarded with her life until her final breath. He needed to confirm the solitary detail that the darkness had hidden from him.

*Tuk—*

“…….”

From her loosening grip, a small, jade-inlaid wooden chest slipped out and rolled against the earth. In that precise instant.

“Ah…… ah……”

The mask of absolute detachment the boy had maintained shattered completely.

“Ah…… So-ah, So-ah…… Ahhh…… Aaaaaargh!”

Though he believed he had drained his reservoir of grief while trapped in the stone chamber, he let loose a shattering wail, entirely submerged by a torrential ocean of sorrow.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Under the crushing weight of his grief, the child collapsed into unconsciousness.

Memories of a distant past he believed had been locked away long ago suddenly rushed to the forefront of his mind. Was this resurgence triggered by the disorienting effects of the labyrinthine formation? Yong So-ah, realizing he had failed to locate the critical Gate of Life, converged his massive store of internal energy toward the weakest structural point and brought his blade down with absolute finality.

*Kwa-khwang!*

A section of the formidable Eight Directions Stone Heaven Gold Lock Formation shattered into fragments. His gaze drifted naturally toward the tip of the weapon that had forced the breach. It was not a blade that could be dulled by a standard barrier within a maze. What drew his attention was the smear of dark, coagulated crimson clinging to the steel.

‘Jin So-un.’

The lingering trace left behind by Jin So-un, who had charged ahead without regard for his own fracturing physical vessel. It was an anomaly. His internal martial state, which was meant to remain as undisturbed as a frozen lake—perpendicularly aligned with the state of ‘Clear Mirror and Still Water’ (*Myeong-gyeong-ji-su*)—became chaotic whenever he crossed paths with Jin So-un. He felt as though tempestuous waves were churning, a violent gale was tearing through his spirit, and the cosmos itself was being rearranged.

‘For what reason?’

Jin So-un had sprinted directly toward the Geon-cheong Hall, leaving an apex threat like himself unchecked at his rear. That retreating figure invoked a highly unorthodox sensation. By all conventional logic, it was the reckless display of a desperate fugitive exposing his back to a predator. Yet, it carried no hint of degradation or shame. Instead, that vulnerable, exposed silhouette resembled a hedgehog bristling with lethal quills. It projected a silent, lethal warning that any who dared interfere would pay a catastrophic price.

What prize could possibly compel that man to cast his existence into the fire with such utter desperation? Perplexingly, staring at that retreating form caused unfamiliar sentiments to surge within him. For the first time in his memory, he found himself analyzing his own psychological state and questioning the motivations of another human being.

“…….”

However, the current circumstances left no room for philosophical contemplation.

“Gu Song-baek.”

There remained an existence that required immediate eradication. Though the fiend remained hidden from his sight, Gu Song-baek was entirely visible. Thus, the threat posed by Gu Song-baek was far more immediate and tangible.

*Peo-peo-peong!*

The corruptive, fiendish energy in the air grew increasingly dense.

“I must accelerate my pace.”

Dispatching Gu Song-baek and purging the fiend would require a considerable expenditure of time. At the very minimum, he needed to end Gu Song-baek’s life while Jin So-un kept the fiend occupied. The profound energy circulating through Yong So-ah’s fist condensed into an infinitesimal point, compressing tighter and tighter.

*Ping—*

The concentrated beam of energy erupted outward, perforating through five successive stone barriers in the blink of an eye.

*Wa-reu-reuk.*

Yong So-ah’s silhouette blurred, riding the shockwave through the freshly ruined barriers like a sudden tempest.

When the young boy next opened his eyes, he found himself resting within an unfamiliar bedchamber. Cheong-su Jin-in, who had remained at his side fearing the boy would panic upon waking in strange surroundings, was rendered speechless by the child’s opening inquiry.

“Is this the domain of the Wudang Sect?”

“Ho-oh……”

Maintaining perfect mental stability after being pulled from the ruins of a slaughtered clan was a marvelous feat in its own right. Yet, the boy possessed knowledge that no living soul had shared with him. The master could not suppress his profound intrigue regarding the child.

“By what means did you discern this?”

“I simply…… perceived it.”

“Is that so?”

As Cheong-su Jin-in stared in quiet astonishment, the boy dropped to his knees.

“I request permission to enter your tutelage as a disciple.”

It was an expected turn of events.

“Is your heart seeking the path of vengeance?”

“I shall not offer a deceitful answer.”

“Remarkable audacity.”

Young though he was, the boy was the sole survivor of a horrific purge. How could his internal thoughts differ from any other soul forged in the fires of such tragedy? Yet, while he empathized deeply with the child’s pain, he could not readily welcome a disciple whose heart was consumed entirely by a vendetta. If a cultivator merely sharpens their steel for retribution without even knowing the identity of their foes, they are guaranteed to succumb to a destructive Heart Demon. Just as the master resolved to offer a stern reprimand before granting him a place.

“If your intention is to lecture me on morality, I shall take my leave and journey to the Shaolin Sect.”

“What did you say?!”

The unexpected counter left the seasoned master momentarily speechless. It was as though the boy had read the trajectory of his thoughts perfectly. Cheong-su Jin-in tilted his head, studying the child.

“And what shall you do if the masters of Shaolin turn you away on the same grounds?”

“Then I shall redirect my steps toward the Mount Hua Sect.”

“Do you truly believe such esteemed orthodox factions will readily harbor your hatred?”

“I am merely stating that platitudes and empty doctrines will never pacify the vengeance I carry.”

Despite surviving a horrific massacre, the child displayed no visible signs of wild fury. The vendetta was firmly rooted, yet he remained unnaturally composed. It forced one to wonder if this could truly be the internal world of a child who had not yet crossed his tenth year. After a brief period of intense deliberation, the master reached a swift conclusion. It would be a source of eternal remorse if a prodigy possessing such supernatural perception were allowed to fall into the hands of Shaolin.

“Very well. I shall abstain from hollow moralizing.”

Cheong-su Jin-in cut straight to the point. Thus, the young boy was initiated into the order, receiving the Wudang dharma name of ‘Hyeon-cheong.’

From that day forward, the boy never again averted his gaze from the truths laid bare before him. His Dragon Eyes remained imperfect and fragmented. Yet, the absolute reality of his ‘experiences’ overrode any skepticism regarding that imperfection. The events his eyes foresaw occasionally shifted in the fine details, and the full picture was not always revealed, sometimes manifesting in twisted variations—but they were occurrences anchored to fate.

Because he knew his talent was incomplete, he had once willfully ignored his visions. Yet that ignored premonition had manifested as an inescapable reality, delivering an absolute despair. To turn one’s back on the inevitable is to guarantee an encounter with pure ruin.

Therefore, in the present, even the most fractured vision could no longer be brushed aside as a meaningless dream. One must never deceive themselves with false optimism.

“Yong So-ah. The Master requests your presence.”

To shield oneself from despair, one must look directly into the path ahead.

“……*Hyeon-yeong Sa-hyeong*. Why do you persist in addressing me as Yong So-ah? Is my dharma name not Hyeon-cheong?”

“Everyone…… addresses you as such. From our Master to the Grandmaster himself. Why, does it bring you discomfort?”

The child renewed his internal oath never again to flee from the paths revealed to his sight.

“No……”

And he anchored his heart once more.

“For through that name, I believe I shall hold fast to the memory of someone who mattered.”

The parting smile he had witnessed on that fateful day was something he would carry within his soul forever.