Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 190: Shackles of the Past

Chapter 190: Shackles of the Past

TL: FoodieMonster007

"Grandpa, I'm going out for a bit," Baek Suryong said.

"Okay," Mae Geuklyom replied absentmindedly, seemingly uninterested in where his grandson was going at this late hour or who he was meeting.

Hearing his grandfather's dull response, Baek Suryong sighed softly. "Grandpa, are you feeling okay?"

"…Why are you still standing here instead of leaving?"

"Please don't get too hung up on what Dad said earlier. He was drunk."

Mae Geuklyom stared silently at his grandson's face. Those large, deep eyes… Why did they remind him so much of the concerned look on his late daughter's face?

Still looking disoriented, he began, "You too… Do you also…"

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Mae Geuklyom shook his head. "No, it's nothing. You said you were heading out? Go ahead."

"…Okay." Baek Suryong nodded solemnly.

Even though he was worried about his grandfather, who looked as pale as a ghost, he couldn't stay. After all, it wasn't just his grandfather he was worried about. Baek Muheun's expression when he'd left earlier had been disturbing as well.

[Meet me at the lake east of the academy tonight. I have something for you.]

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Also, what was that memory from earlier? Was it from the original Baek Suryong's childhood? Why would I have memories of someone else's past? I have to find out.

Baek Suryong couldn't quite say why, but somehow, he was sure that whatever Baek Muheun wanted to give him would contain the answers he desperately sought. If he didn't meet him tonight, though, his father might disappear before he ever got the chance.

"I'll be back soon, Grandpa," he said.

"…Just hurry up and go," Mae Geuklyom urged.

"……"

Sensing Baek Suryong's hesitation, Mae Geuklyom stood up and pushed him toward the main gate. Even though the old man had less than half of his usual strength, Baek Suryong couldn't bring himself to resist and quietly walked away.

Mae Geuklyom stared blankly at his grandson's figure until it disappeared completely, then muttered the words he couldn't say earlier, "Do you also resent me, Suryong?"

Fearing the answer, he's hesitated to voice the question out loud. Sighing, he turned around, but didn't feel like going back to his room. Instead, he sat on the porch and quietly looked up at the night sky.

A crescent moon hung above, gazing down indifferently at him.

"Where were you when Yakbing was dying? Why didn't you come to her funeral?"

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The resentment in Baek Muheun's eyes earlier had hurt more than the words.

"Was your pride more important than your daughter? Did you no longer care whether she lived or died because you'd already disowned her?"

He'd wanted to argue back, to berate the man, to say he didn't understand anything at all.

"Until her final breath, Yakbing waited for you, hoping to see you one last time. Where the hell were you?"

When he heard those words, he'd felt suffocated. Suddenly, the sword he had wielded all his life felt impossibly heavy, as if it weighed a thousand pounds. He could no longer lift it, let alone swing it.

"Do you think you have the right to blame me? You, who abandoned your daughter?"

There were many things he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out. They all felt like flimsy excuses and meaningless self-assurances.

Back then, he did nothing. No, he couldn't do anything.

"Do you really think I avoided you all this time because I was afraid of you? No, it's because I hate you."

"…I knew it," Mae Geuklyom murmured.

He was familiar with Baek Muheun's personality. Even in the days when he was a much stricter teacher, Baek Muheun had boldly stepped forward to ask him for Yakbing's hand in marriage. A man like that wouldn't be intimidated by an old man's sword.

"If you want to kill me, go ahead. Spill my blood all over the academy your daughter attended. I'm sure a heartless man like you wouldn't hesitate."

Each word pierced his heart like a dagger, poking holes in a heart he'd thought was as hard as stone.

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"Yakbing…"

As Mae Geuklyom closed his eyes, memories from over forty years ago flashed through his mind, vivid and clear, as if they had happened only yesterday.

His family had arranged a marriage for him, but feeling oppressed, he walked out a few months after the wedding night and wandered the murim, pursuing the ultimate in swordsmanship, meeting masters and seeking their teachings, and sharing drinks all night with kindred spirits.

It was not until three years later, when he returned home for the first time, that he saw her. He still clearly remembered the sight that greeted him the moment he opened the door.

A small figure hid behind her mother's skirt, eyeing him warily.

"He's your father. Greet him."

"Daddy?"

"You were pregnant? Why didn't you tell me…"

"I only found out shortly after you left."

"……"

His wife had surprised him with a tiny gift called his daughter. Mae Geuklyom was traumatized. To his horror, he had wandered outside for three years, unaware that he had a child.

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From that day on, he became a family man. Using sword training as an excuse, he quit wandering around and started looking for jobs to earn money. His efforts, however, went unrewarded, for his wife passed away five years later of stomach cancer.

That was when he learned how easily and cruelly the heavens could reach down and take someone away.

"Daddy… Are you going to leave me too?"

At his wife's funeral, his exhausted daughter had looked up at him with a pleading gaze. The little one had always been frail, and even the simple ceremony had left her completely drained.

"What are you saying? I won't leave you," he whispered, pulling her into a light embrace, though her body felt so delicate that he couldn't bring himself to hug her any tighter. "I'll never leave you, Yakbing, so don't leave me either, okay?"

"Okay. I will never leave you, Daddy."

Not long after, as Mae Geuklyom had secured a teaching job at the Azure Dragon Academy, the family settled down in Nanchang City.

"Dad! Can I attend the Azure Dragon Academy when I grow up? I heard many murim masters graduated from there."

"Hoho, of course you can! After all, aren't you my, the Sword Addict Mae Geuklyom's, daughter? You may lack physical strength, but that doesn't change the fact that you're naturally gifted in martial arts!"

Those were happy times. Although she became surprisingly mischievous as she grew up, Yakbing was fundamentally a kind child.

Thus, bound by a promise, Mae Geuklyom cherished his daughter like she was the world's most precious treasure, and as time passed, he started assuming that she would never leave his side for the rest of his life.

Perhaps that was why he felt so betrayed when one day, she brought a man home and said she wanted to marry him.

"Dad, I want to marry this man."

"Father-in-law! Please give us your blessing!"

"W-What did you say? How dare you…!"

In truth, rejecting Baek Muheun because he was the Handsome Prince was just an excuse. Even if the greatest master in the world had come to ask for his daughter's hand, he would have reacted the same way.

"Who are you calling your father-in-law? I'll kill you!"

Having lost his temper, Mae Geuklyom beat Baek Muheun to a pulp, leaving Mae Yakbing crying helplessly as she watched.

"How could you do this to me? How much longer do you think I have to live? If he dies, I'll die with him!"

"If you like him so much, then take him and get out of my sight. You're no daughter of mine anymore!"

That day, Mae Geuklyom disowned his daughter. He never saw her again.

The moment he received the first letter from her, he had torn it into pieces. After that, he began collecting each one without bothering to read a single word. It was only years later, when he finally sat down and read through the stack of letters, did he learn that not only had she given birth to a son, she was on her deathbed.

"My son looks like the perfect blend of me and my husband. When he grows up and enrolls in the Azure Dragon Academy, please teach him well, okay?"

If I had rushed over the moment I finished reading that letter, could I have seen my daughter one last time?

"I wanted to go. I wanted to go so badly… but I couldn't," he whispered.

What thoughts ran through Yakbing's mind in her last moments? Did she ever hope to reunite with the father who abandoned her?

"Are you going to leave me too?"

Her young voice kept echoing in his mind.

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Gazing up at the lonely moon in the starless sky, Mae Geuklyom murmured softly, "My child, I never wanted to leave you. Never…"

Like a white mist, the old man's sigh dissipated into the cold night of Jiangxi.

Suddenly, the voice of a young boy rang out from behind him. "Um… Headmaster?"

Mae Geuklyom turned around to see Wiji Cheon looking at him worriedly. "What is it?" he asked.

"You might catch a cold if you stay outside, so…"

"Hoho," Mae Geuklyom chuckled.

It was hard to believe that a martial artist as skilled as him could be brought down by a simple cold. However, even a master of his level was not protected from all illnesses, especially those of the heart.

Martial artists dedicated their lives to maintaining a delicate balance of qi. When they encountered emotional turmoil, this balance could be disrupted, causing their qi to flow unpredictably or even in reverse. This condition was known as qi deviation.

In fact, he himself had once experienced the devastating effects of qi deviation.

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Smiling kindly at Wiji Cheon, Mae Geuklyom said, "I'll be fine, so hurry up and go to bed. Don't you have to get up early for morning training tomorrow?"

Wiji Cheon hesitated. His grandfather was around the same age as Mae Geuklyom, and something in the old man's gloomy expression wouldn't let him walk away. "But…"

"Don't worry, I won't catch a cold," Mae Geuklyom insisted. "By the way, do you happen to know where Suryong keeps his alcohol?"

"Sorry? Alcohol?" Wiji Cheon's eyes widened in surprise. Mae Geuklyom was known for his strict self-discipline. It wasn't that he couldn't drink, but he seldom touched alcohol.

"I feel like I need a drink tonight," Mae Geuklyom explained.

"Oh, okay. I'll be right back."

A short while later, Wiji Cheon returned, carrying a tray with several bottles of wine and some snacks.

"This is from my grandfather's secret stash… Will this be okay?" he asked.

Mae Geuklyom nodded. "Thank you. You should go back now."

"Erm, if you don't mind, I could keep you company…"

"Are you saying you want to drink with me?" Mae Geuklyom chuckled, shaking a bottle lightly.

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Wiji Cheon's face flushed. "N-No, that's not what I meant…"

"Hoho, regardless, I appreciate the thought. Now, off you go."

Wiji Cheon bowed his head and scurried back to his bedroom.

After the boy left, the old swordsman poured himself some wine and began to drink in solitude. He rarely drank, but tonight, he felt he couldn't sleep without the aid of alcohol.

"Why didn't I go to her funeral? It's not that I didn't want to go, I couldn't," he muttered to himself.

Even now, he couldn't bring himself to tell Baek Muheun the real reason he hadn't gone to his daughter's funeral.

Suddenly, a gruff voice interrupted his reverie.

"What's this? An old man brooding all alone late at night?" a burly old man quipped, sitting down across from Mae Geuklyom. "Good evening. I'm Wiji Cheon's grandfather, Wiji Yeol. My grandson was whining so much about you that I was forced to come out and check on you myself."

"…Good evening to you too, sir. I'm Mae Geuklyom, Headmaster of the Azure Dragon Academy."

"I know. We've bumped into each other a few times, but this is the first time we're having a proper conversation."

Mae Geuklyom had known that Wiji Yeol was staying at the White Dragon Manor for some time. Still, this was the first time they were speaking to each other beyond the quick nods and brief greetings they exchanged in passing, since Wiji Yeol always left for the smithy early in the morning and returned long after sunset, leaving little time for even a casual chat.

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Extending a thick, callused hand, Wiji Yeol demanded, "Pour me a drink too."

"I'd prefer to drink alone…"

"That's my wine. Why should I need your permission to drink my own booze?"

"…Hoho." Hearing that, Mae Geuklyom had no choice but to pour the old blacksmith a drink.

For a while, the two elders sat quietly, sipping their wine.

Suddenly, Wiji Yeol said, "Right now, I'm working tirelessly to forge a legendary sword that will surpass the best one I've ever seen. I have a feeling that there will be good news soon."

"Why are you telling me this all of a sudden…?"

"Because I'm making that sword for Instructor Baek Suryong."

At the mention of his grandson's name, Mae Geuklyom's eyes lit up. He barely knew Wiji Yeol, and the alcohol dulled his qi perception, but even through the haze, he could sense it. This man was a master craftsman.

"It better be an amazing legendary sword," he said.

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Wiji Yeol laughed, "Of course! It'll even be able to cut through enhanced qi!"

"…Good luck with that," Mae Geuklyom said, even though he thought Wiji Yeol was exaggerating. Still, he couldn't criticize someone who was making a legendary sword for his grandson.

"Luck or no, I'll definitely succeed. I need to repay at least a bit of the favor I owe Mr. Baek."

"…A favor?"

"Haven't you heard? Instructor Baek Suryong saved my grandson's life…" Wiji Yeol told Mae Geuklyom about Wiji Cheon's situation, but since he couldn't mention anything related to the Blood Cult, he left that part out.

Mae Geuklyom's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my! To think that such a thing happened…"

"Now, tell me about yourself. What's bothering you so much that my grandson had to beg me to come out here at this ungodly hour?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," Mae Geuklyom said, shaking his head.

"You think you can just listen to my story and then run off without sharing yours? Not a chance. If you don't talk, I'll make you drink until you pass out," Wiji Yeol retorted.

"…You're quite persistent. Fine, I'll tell you, but don't blame me if it's boring."

Mae Geuklyom's lips curved into a faint smile as he launched into was a tale he would never have dreamed of sharing with his son-in-law or grandson. Maybe it was the simple comfort of sharing a drink with someone his own age again, or maybe he had just held it in for too long, but the dark past he'd kept buried poured out with surprising ease.

After listening quietly for a while, Wiji Yeol asked, "So…why couldn't you go to the funeral?"

"…Shortly after my daughter left home, I fell into qi deviation."

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"Oh dear!"

"I was so tormented by my inner demons that I wanted to slash people with my sword dozens of times a day. To suppress my murderous intent, I had no choice but to take up tea ceremonies and other similar peaceful activities to calm myself and strengthen my mental resilience. For several years, every single day of my life was fraught with peril, as if I were walking on a tightrope."

Mae Geuklyom stared down at his sword. Stripped of his only reason to live after his daughter's departure, he had wrestled with a dark desire to cut down the entire world. Only the faint traces she'd left scattered throughout the Azure Dragon Academy kept him in check. Every time his rage threatened to boil over, those silent reminders would pull him back just enough to stay his hand.

"If I had gone to my daughter's funeral, I would have murdered my son-in-law on the spot. I might even have killed little Suryong. So, I couldn't go. The risk was too great."

Wiji Yeol sighed, "Then…are you fully recovered now?"

"Thankfully, time has healed me. Well, my temper has gotten a tad bit worse over the years, but it's really nothing more than an old man's grumpiness… Hmm? Looks like we're out of wine."

Mae Geuklyom set his empty cup aside and looked up at the night sky. Moonlight caressed his white hair, casting shadows that seemed to deepen the wrinkles on his face.

"If you've truly recovered, then why don't you be honest with him now? Just apologize and tell him that you missed the funeral because you were suffering from qi deviation. If you keep bottling up your feelings like this, it won't be long before those inner demons of yours come crawling right back," Wiji Yeol snapped, frowning in disbelief.

"…What difference would it make now? It's already too late," Mae Geuklyom replied, his voice weary and filled with remorse.

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BAM!

Wiji Yeol slammed his fist on the ground. "Ahh, damn it! How pigheaded can you get?"

Startled, Mae Geuklyom exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

"Enough of this nonsense! Everyone has something they regret! What makes you think you're the only exception?"

"What do you know about me?"

"Nothing! But so what?" Wiji Yeol shouted, standing up abruptly. "Go reconcile with your son-in-law before you regret it even more, you stubborn old fart! Stop using age as an excuse, stop saying it's too late, swallow your pride and just be honest with him! Don't you get it yet? It's our obstinacy that's shackling you to your past!"

"Huh?" Mae Geuklyom stared at Wiji Yeol, eyes wide with disbelief.

When was the last time anyone dared to scold me this harshly? At my age and with my standing in the murim, this kind of situation should be unthinkable, and yet here I am, being openly rebuked and scolded by an old blacksmith.

Also, when was the last time I met someone so unrestrained, so blatantly indifferent to formalities and courtesy? Is this man truly a member of the orthodox?

Wiji Yeol's demeanor was so fierce that it made him question the man's origin, yet strangely, he felt the knot in his heart begin to unravel.

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Making a shooing gesture, Wiji Yeol urged, "Come on! Go already! Or should I first beat the stubbornness out of you?"

At Wiji Yeol's insistence, Mae Geuklyom rose to his feet with an expression like he was being chased away. It was absurd, but strangely enough, he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest.

Perhaps now, he could have a real talk with his troublesome son-in-law and say all the things he'd left unspoken for so long.

"Hohoho!" Letting out a hollow laugh, Mae Geuklyom clasped his hands in thanks to Wiji Yeol. "Thank you. Next time, allow me to buy you a drink in return for today's favor."

Wiji Yeol grinned. "Hmph, your face finally looks more alive. Anyway, do you know where to find your son-in-law?"

"I think I have an idea," Mae Geuklyom replied. Picking up his sword that had been lying haphazardly beside him and straightening his disheveled attire, his previously clouded expression sharpened again as he spoke, "Since tomorrow is my daughter's death anniversary, there's only one place he could be."

Using movement arts, Mae Geuklyom leapt smoothly over the wall of White Dragon Manor, vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Wiji Yeol waited until Mae Geuklyom was out of earshot, then groaned to himself, "Sheesh… Getting grownups to reconcile sure is tough."

CRACK! SQUELCH! CRACKLE!

A series of strange sounds echoed as Wiji Yeol's bones and muscles shifted, distorting his face. The old blacksmith's craggy features softened, and his sturdy frame melted into a tall, slender figure.

Finally, when the transformation was complete, the familiar face of Baek Suryong appeared—the same Baek Suryong that Mae Geuklyom assumed had already left the manor earlier.

Translator's Note: Enjoy! This is the longest Master Baek chapter yet.