He had merely thrown a punch.
And yet a mountain had vanished, and flatland had been born.
The soldiers who had witnessed Jeok Wigang’s absurd divine might froze like stone statues.
Clatter—
Someone’s weapon fell and broke the silence.
At that sound, the soldiers snapped back to their senses with a start and threw the weapons they were holding onto the ground, as if they had touched something hideous.
“The mountain disappeared!”
“H-he’s a god! That man is a god!”
“Forgive us! Forgive us!”
“We truly did this without knowing! Forgive us!”
“Please set aside your wrath! O god!”
The generals had also lost all will to fight. They threw down their weapons, dismounted, and prostrated themselves.
With that, the rebellion was over.
Jeok Wigang ordered the generals.
“Gather the soldiers and have everyone assemble on that plain over there.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Before the generals could even issue orders, the soldiers were already sprinting frantically in the direction Jeok Wigang had pointed.
“The god told us to go that way!”
“Hurry!”
They looked like fanatics.
Watching them, Jeok Wigang grinned and said,
“See? Get rid of the head, and everything gets solved. I wonder if White Horse Heaven would quiet down too if I got rid of the Heaven Lord?”
“Rather than that, I think crushing them with overwhelming force in front of everyone would be more effective.”
“Hmm... I have no way of knowing how strong the Heaven Lord is... Nothing for it, then. I’ll just have to get stronger.”
Stronger than this?
Did he even need to be?
“You two need to get stronger with me. Don’t you think?”
“Us too?”
“Of course you need to get stronger. You said White Horse Heaven is full of people stronger than you. If you’re going to face those bastards, you need to get stronger.”
Son Gang and Ye Yahyeon looked at each other, then said,
“Poison is our main strength. It will be hard for us to get much stronger from here.”
At that, Jeok Wigang grinned and said,
“People get stronger when they come back from the dead.”
A chill ran down their spines.
What exactly did he mean by coming back from the dead?
Did he mean he would actually kill them?
Or did he mean he would put them through training painful enough to make them feel like they were dying?
It had to be the latter, right?
Then why did they feel that bone-chilling sensation that made it seem as if he really might kill them?
“We don’t have the right to refuse, do we?”
When Son Gang asked carefully, Jeok Wigang grinned and said,
“You can refuse.”
“Really? Then I refuse—”
“Whether you refuse or not, I’m going to do it. Well, if you don’t want to die, you’ll find some way to survive. Don’t you think?”
This bastard was worse than a demon...
“Fix your face.”
“Yes...”
Son Gang lowered his head.
Meanwhile, the soldiers had lined up in perfect rows and columns, and the generals stood rigidly before them, discipline drilled into every inch of their bodies.
Jeok Wigang moved to stand before them while muttering a mantra.
Then, as if there were invisible stairs in the air, he slowly walked upward.
The generals and soldiers watching him looked at Jeok Wigang with expressions of awe.
Once he had reached a height where every soldier could see him, he stopped and looked around in every direction.
He saw that every soldier was focused on him.
“I am Jeok Wigang, Grand Tutor Regent, who has come here by His Majesty’s command to correct your wrongdoing! His merciful Majesty labors day and night to create a world where you may live in peace, so how could you commit such an outrage against heaven and mankind!”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, the soldiers burst into tears and threw themselves flat on the ground.
“We were wrong!”
“Your Majesty! Forgive us!”
In an instant, it became a sea of sobbing.
“Silence!”
At Jeok Wigang’s shout, it became quiet again.
“This is not something tears can resolve! Crying will not erase the sin you committed against His Majesty!”
“Then what must we do?”
“Please tell us the way!”
“There is only one way. Return to your daily lives. And live each day remembering His Majesty’s grace. That is enough!”
“Th-that is all?”
“That is right. From now on, you will face a new world unlike the one you have known until now. In that world, everyone except His Majesty the Emperor will be equal. There will be no dividing people by status, and anyone will be able to do the work they wish to do.”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, the soldiers looked as if they could not believe it.
Could such a dreamlike world truly come?
Someone asked,
“W-will such a dreamlike world truly come?”
“We truly did not know His Majesty was trying to create such a world.”
“If I had known, I would never have followed those damn bastards into war!”
“How are we to cleanse this sin?”
“Yes. I know. That is why I said you bear no sin. But forgiveness is granted only once. If something like this happens again, there will be no forgiveness, so tell the people.”
“Yes!”
“Now go. Return to the place where your families are.”
At Jeok Wigang’s command, hundreds of thousands of soldiers bowed to the ground in unison and shouted,
“His Majesty the Emperor! Long live! Long live! Long live forever!”
Through their mouths, the Emperor’s character would spread across the entire Central Plains.
The people would think a great sage ruler without peer in the world had appeared, and they would try to protect the Emperor by any means they could.
The Emperor would gain the most powerful foundation of all—the hearts of the people.
“At last, it feels like my work is done.”
“I do not think you need to worry about the imperial family anymore.”
“White Horse Heaven will not be able to shake it recklessly either.”
“Right. I created the Eastern Depot and Western Depot so they would keep each other in check, so neither side will be able to dominate.”
“There is also the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
“And I’m here too.”
The most terrifying existence of all was right here.
Jeok Wigang muttered as he watched the troops scatter in every direction.
“Everyone’s going home. We should go too.”
“Yes.”
*****
Hunan, True Martial Sect.
Even while Jeok Wigang was away, the True Martial Sect was growing without pause.
And lately, the Gate Master of the True Martial Sect, Jeok Rihyeon, had one concern.
It was the matter of finding a spouse for Jeok Wiun, the Young Gate Master.
The reason he was troubled was Jeok Wigang.
With the eldest son still unmarried, sending off the second son first somehow left him feeling uneasy.
But he could not leave the heir who would lead the True Martial Sect alone forever either.
He needed to meet a spouse and continue the line as soon as possible.
“That brat said he was going to take the imperial examination, and now there’s no news. Whether he passed or failed, shouldn’t he at least send word?”
He wanted to discuss such an important matter with Jeok Wigang, but there had been no news from him at all, so he was worried.
The boy had a good head on his shoulders. If he shared this concern with him, he would likely give him some kind of answer.
But there was not a single word, and that worried him.
Since Taecheon was by his side, surely nothing too serious could have happened, but if an enemy stronger than Taecheon tried to harm him, he could still suffer.
Because he still did not know how strong Jeok Wigang was, he worried like this.
If he knew, would he sleep soundly with his legs stretched out?
He would not.
That was what a parent’s heart was.
“You heartless brat. Does he even know we’re worried about him?”
Why did he miss Jeok Wigang so much today of all days?
Jeok Rihyeon could only sigh.
“You were here?”
At Yu Hwayeon’s voice, Jeok Rihyeon greeted her with a smile.
“What brings you here?”
“You seemed unable to sleep last night, so I brought you some honey tea.”
“Thank you. As expected, you are the only one who thinks of me, my wife.”
“Oh, you... You are worried because of Wigang, aren’t you?”
“Haa. Why has that brat sent no word...?”
“They say no news is good news, don’t they?”
“Even so, should he not let us know whether he passed or failed?”
“What has gotten into you today? You know Wigang’s personality. Do you miss him that much?”
“Of course I do. What parent doesn’t miss their own child?”
Yu Hwayeon smiled.
Then she looked in the same direction and murmured,
“I miss him so much too. I wonder whether our son is eating properly.”
“That ungrateful brat. Making even his mother worry. When he comes back, I’ll smack his backside.”
Jeok Rihyeon put on a stern expression and made the threat, and Yu Hwayeon covered her mouth and laughed.
He spoke that way, but he had never once struck Jeok Wigang.
That was when it happened.
“Is my backside not going to survive today, Father?”
At the sudden sound of that beloved voice, Jeok Rihyeon’s head snapped around.
Before his eyes stood the son he had missed so much, Jeok Wigang.
“Y-you... You... A-are you really Wigang?”
“Yes. Your son, Jeok Wigang, has finally returned home.”
“Wigang! My son! Let me hold you!”
Jeok Rihyeon even used lightness art to rush over, then carefully embraced him as if afraid he might hurt him.
Feeling his ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) father’s heart in that embrace, Jeok Wigang’s own heart warmed.
Home really was the best.
Before coming in, Jeok Wigang had heard his parents’ entire conversation.
“I’m sorry for making you worry. I tried to contact you, but I had no chance to think about it.”
“Did something happen? You weren’t hurt anywhere, were you?”
As Jeok Rihyeon examined Jeok Wigang all over, Yu Hwayeon’s voice came from behind him.
“How long are you planning to keep him all to yourself? I want to hug our son too.”
“Ah? My apologies.”
When Jeok Rihyeon stepped aside, Yu Hwayeon opened her arms.
“Come here, my son.”
At Yu Hwayeon’s words, Jeok Wigang approached and hugged her tightly.
“I’m back, Mother.”
“Yes. Welcome home, my son.”
As expected, our home is the best.
In his mother’s warmth, Jeok Wigang realized it once again.
Jeok Rihyeon spotted Taecheon and said,
“You worked hard attending Wigang all this time. Rest well for now.”
“No. I am comfortable by the young master’s side.”
“Do as you like. By the way, who are those people?”
Jeok Rihyeon’s gaze fell on Son Gang, Ye Yahyeon, and Chu Sohwan.
“They are people I formed a master-servant relationship with during this journey. Greet my parents.”
At Jeok Wigang’s words, the three of them bowed politely.
“Greetings. My name is Son Gang.”
“I am Ye Yahyeon.”
“I am Chu Sohwan.”
At that, Jeok Rihyeon smiled and said,
“To think you share a bond with our son. What a welcome thing this is. We should not stand around like this. We must receive our guests, my wife.”
“Yes. It has been a while, so I should show my skill today. I will make the dishes our son likes too.”
At the words “the dishes our son likes,” Jeok Wigang’s eyes sparkled.
“Please make a lot. I truly missed your cooking, Mother.”
Yu Hwayeon seemed delighted by Jeok Wigang’s intense reaction and nodded with a smile.
“Yes. I will let my son eat as much as he wants, so wait for me.”
“Yes, Mother!”
The three men could not adjust to the sight of Jeok Wigang being so utterly obedient.
It was a side of him they had never seen even once.
Now they understood why Jeok Wigang had moved the way he had in the imperial palace for the sake of his family.
What if something happened to that family?
Then the world would meet a true demon.
A demon capable of destroying the world.
Gulp—
Thinking that, they realized just how dangerous a place the True Martial Sect was.
They also realized that they had to protect this place if they wanted to survive.
If they failed to protect it, that wrath would reach them first.
“By the way, Father. Are you going to marry Wiun off?”
“I should. He is the heir in name and fact, so it does look somewhat improper for him to remain alone.”
“That is true.”
“What about you? Do you have no thoughts on it?”
“No. I don’t really have any thoughts.”
“Still, you are the eldest in our family. Would it not be better for you to set an example? When you went to take the imperial examination, did you not meet any young woman you liked?”
“No.”
“Ah! What happened with the imperial examination?”