[Chapter 2]
How much time had passed?
Bu Eunseol slowly opened his closed eyes.
For some reason, he felt a strange aura inside the Iron Coffin today.
It was a cold chill so intense that even Bu Eunseol, who had played the Corpse Game countless times, found it hard to bear.
"I want a Ceremonial Robe and a Peachwood Sword."
Recalling the image of a fine Ceremonial Robe and a Peachwood Sword, Bu Eunseol clenched his teeth once more.
Bu Janyang had never once broken a promise.
If he could endure until sunrise, he would surely be gifted the Ceremonial Robe and the Peachwood Sword.
"Ugh."
But as time passed, the chill seeped not just through his skin, but deep into his bones.
Chatter.
As his teeth chattered uncontrollably, Bu Eunseol clenched his fists.
'No!'
Unable to bear the surging cold, Bu Eunseol finally shut his eyes tight and pushed up the lid of the Iron Coffin.
At that moment, he saw an illusion of a lustrous Ceremonial Robe and a Peachwood Sword flying up into the sky.
'Haa.'
Bu Eunseol lowered his head and rose from the Iron Coffin.
—You rascal.
I knew you would!
The end of the Corpse Game was always his grandfather's voice, bursting into a hearty laugh.
But Bu Janyang's voice was nowhere to be heard.
'Why is it so quiet?'
Sensing that something was wrong, Bu Eunseol cautiously stepped outside.
"Grandfather!"
He called out loudly, but no reply came.
As he looked around the Great Peace Hall where the bodies were kept, Bu Eunseol blinked.
"Did the Mortuary Office call again?"
The Mortuary Office would summon Bu Janyang day or night, whenever a body of someone who died away from home came in.
Seeing that he was nowhere in sight, it was highly likely he had gone to the Mortuary Office.
"What the…"
With a disappointed expression, Bu Eunseol rubbed his eyes and was about to turn back to his room when,
"…!"
Bu Eunseol's body stiffened as he passed through the courtyard.
The urns stacked on one side of the courtyard were all shattered.
"Ah."
Bu Eunseol jumped and ran out with a broom.
The area near the urns was a complete mess, as if a storm had passed through.
Not only that, but the stone storage areas were etched with sharp, keen marks.
"What is this?"
As Bu Eunseol stared at the marks carved into the stone and reached out to touch them,
Chiiing.
A sharp metallic sound rang through the dawn sky.
If Bu Eunseol had been a master of the Martial World, he would have recognized it as the sound of Treasure Swords clashing.
But to Bu Eunseol, who knew nothing of such things, it sounded only like an ominous, strange noise.
"Grandfather."
Muttering lowly, Bu Eunseol walked out the main gate as if possessed.
As he walked toward the source of the sound, he saw a giant tree standing at the entrance to the village in the distance.
A brilliant full moon had risen above its branches, brightly illuminating the dark night path.
Chiiing.
This time, a shorter metallic sound echoed.
Feeling an even stranger sense of foreboding than before, Bu Eunseol began to run, out of breath.
Tatatatak.
After running for a good while, the faintly visible giant tree came into clear view.
And in front of it, a familiar shadow was crouched on the ground.
"Grandfather!"
Spotting the shadow, Bu Eunseol cried out in joy.
The shadow leaning against the tree in the settling darkness was none other than Bu Janyang.
"Grandfa…"
Bu Eunseol, who had been running with a smile.
But when he saw Bu Janyang's face reflected in the moonlight, he froze like ice.
The long eyes that had always gazed at him with kindness were now black, gaping holes.
The gaunt arm that always gently stroked his head had been severed below the shoulder.
The thin but broad back that had warmly carried him when he couldn't sleep now had its bones exposed, with dozens of Hidden Weapons stuck in it like the quills of a hedgehog.
Tuk, tuk, tuk.
Teardrops fell from his eyes, streamed down his cheeks, and dripped onto the ground.
At that moment,
"…Is that you, Seol-ah?"
Though unable to see, Bu Janyang sensed his grandson's presence and slowly opened his mouth.
"You rascal, I knew you would."
Jureureuk.
Tears flowing from his eyes completely blurred Bu Eunseol's vision.
Though his eyes were gone, Bu Janyang wore a benevolent smile, as if he could see the sight clearly.
"This old man must have surprised you, Seol-ah."
Even in the midst of wounds and pain so great he must have wished for death, Bu Janyang was only worried about startling Bu Eunseol.
"Grandfather…"
Choked with emotion, Bu Eunseol cautiously took one step after another and caressed Bu Janyang's cheeks.
"Grandfather… Grandfather."
"It's alright."
Bu Janyang smiled and moved his shoulders slightly.
He was probably trying to gently stroke the crying Bu Eunseol's head.
"Grandfather. Grandfather…"
"It's alright. It's alright."
Despite having no eyes, Bu Janyang looked straight at his grandson and smiled warmly.
"This old man thinks it's about time for him to leave."
"Who was it?"
A blood-red gleam, darker than blood, erupted from Bu Eunseol's eyes.
An intense killing intent, so thick it was hard to believe it came from a boy whose childishness had yet to fade, oozed from his entire body.
"Who was the person that did this to you!"
His desperate cry echoed through the night sky.
"This old man desires only one thing."
After a long silence, Bu Janyang spoke in a gentle voice.
"This old man doesn't need a burial, so use the Bone-Melting Mountain. So that not even a trace of my existence remains in this world."
Bu Eunseol shook his head.
Bone-Melting Mountain was the most potent poison in the world, capable of melting a corpse into a handful of liquid.
However, it was so difficult to make that a single drop of Bone-Melting Mountain was more expensive than a diamond the size of a red bean.
Bu Janyang, thinking of his own eventual death, had told Bu Eunseol where he had hidden the Bone-Melting Mountain.
"I won't!"
"Are you going to disobey this old man's words?"
"Revenge, I'll get revenge!"
"Seol-ah. If you do that… this old man won't be able to close his eyes in peace."
Bu Eunseol swallowed his tears and nodded.
"Then, I'll die too."
Bu Eunseol said, thick tears dripping down his face.
"If you go to the Netherworld, who will attend to you, Grandfather? Who will cook you noodles, and who will help you prepare the bodies?"
"Seol-ah."
"You always said the Netherworld is no different from this world, didn't you? I want to go to the Netherworld where you are."
For a moment, the corner of Bu Janyang's mouth quivered.
The Man in Black Robes had cruelly ensured that Bu Janyang would feel hellish pain until the moment his breath stopped.
Yet, the reason he could maintain a calm expression was due to his deep affection for Bu Eunseol.
"This old man always thought he could go peacefully…"
Tears of blood flowed from Bu Janyang's empty eye sockets.
He had thought his own life was more insignificant than a fallen leaf rolling on the street, but…
Leaving his beloved grandson behind was so agonizing he couldn't close his eyes.
"Seol-ah. This is this old man's final request."
Although he had no arms, Bu Janyang used his last ounce of strength to hug his grandson's body tightly.
"When I die, you must go far away."
Bu Janyang could not continue speaking.
Blood was pouring not only from his empty eye sockets, but also from his mouth, ears, and nose.
Bleeding from the Seven Orifices.
All the life force in his body was depleted, and the time for his last breath was approaching.
"Seol-ah."
Bu Janyang exhaled all his remaining life force to leave one last word.
"While we were together, I was so happy."
Thud.
Bu Janyang's face, which held a gentle smile, slowly drooped downward.
Watching this, Bu Eunseol quietly hugged his grandfather's body tightly.
And he rubbed his face endlessly against the cold chest.
* * *
On the Mortician's Table, made of chestnut wood, lay a skinny old man.
It was the body of Bu Janyang, who had breathed his last under the tree at the village entrance.
"Grandfather."
Bu Eunseol looked at his grandfather's body with a swollen face.
He had brought a cart and carefully moved his grandfather's body to the Mortician's Table at the Pyeongan Funeral House.
"Let's live happily in the Netherworld too."
Bu Janyang had wanted his beloved grandson to leave the village and live an ordinary life.
But Bu Eunseol could not do that.
Instead, he decided to prepare Bu Janyang's body for burial and then follow him.
Swoosh.
Bu Eunseol picked up a clean cloth from a large water bucket and began to wash his grandfather's body with great care.
As he moved his hands continuously, they suddenly paused.
As Bu Eunseol examined the wound on Bu Janyang's shoulder, his eyes turned red.
"Grandfather…"
The severed surface of the forearm was as clean as glass.
Even for the top master of the era, it would be impossible to simultaneously sever the two arms of a resisting person without a single error.
The only way to make it possible was to have the person extend their arms voluntarily.
"You were trying to protect me, weren't you?"
Bu Eunseol had figured out the cause of Bu Janyang's death.
To protect something more precious than his own life, his grandfather had willingly offered his arms.
"The culprit severed both arms… my grandfather's eyes… and his ligaments and muscles…"
Tears of blood flowed from the eyes of Bu Eunseol, who was holding the clean cloth.
The culprit had not only harmed Bu Janyang in the cruelest way possible, but also made him die in agony.
Flash.
A blood-red gleam once again appeared in Bu Eunseol's eyes.
He could not forgive this cruel murderer.
It felt like his anger would only be appeased if he found and tore the person to shreds.
"I have to find them."
Bu Eunseol began to carefully observe the scars left on Bu Janyang's body.
The techniques unleashed by martial artists are like their own faces.
Even if disciples who learned from the same master perform the same technique, the power and direction are vastly different.
"I can find them."
For years, Bu Eunseol had tirelessly studied the scars left on corpses with Bu Janyang.
Just by looking at the wounds left on a body, he could immediately grasp the situation the deceased was in, the stance they took, and what the opponent's fatal technique was.
"From top to bottom…"
As Bu Eunseol examined the severed surface on Bu Janyang's shoulder, the most bizarre sword technique in the world unfolded in his mind.
Surprisingly, the culprit had attacked from bottom to top to sever both arms.
Among the various sword techniques in the Martial World, upward-striking forms are rare.
Not only that, but the sword form that split the arms was changed midway to stab the eyes.
It was clearly a Demonic Path sword technique, not an Orthodox Sword Technique.
"But such a movement is impossible…"
No matter how bizarre a sword technique is, it is executed by a human body of flesh and blood.
Unless one could freely extend and contract their bones, swinging a sword in such a way would be impossible.
"No, it's possible."
For a moment, Bu Eunseol recalled something Bu Janyang had said.
—There are many Strange Arts in the Martial World.
Among them is something called Yogic Bone Art, which allows one to freely extend and contract their bones and muscles.
"Yogic Bone Art of the Western Regions."
The culprit was surely a master of the sword who had learned the Yogic Bone Art of the Western Regions.
This time, Bu Eunseol carefully examined Bu Janyang's back.
There, ninety-three different marks from Hidden Weapons remained.
"How can one throw ninety-three Hidden Weapons with one hand? Could it be the Thousand Petal Rain…."
Recalling the ultimate art of the Sichuan Dang Clan, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
Even the Dang Clan's Thousand Petal Rain, famed to be peerless in the world, could only throw a mere sixty-six Hidden Weapons.
"Was there an accomplice? No."
Shaking his head, Bu Eunseol's eyes flashed.
"They used a Hidden Weapon Device from Sahyang."
Sahyang.
Sahyang, which has long held its position as a Family of Assassins throughout the long history of the Martial World.
It is said that the place, home to numerous hidden weapon craftsmen, could create a device capable of firing hundreds of Hidden Weapons in a single shot.
"Furthermore, the symptoms of poisoning…"
The underside of Bu Janyang's tongue and the inside of the fingernails on his reattached arm were stained black.
This phenomenon occurs when one is poisoned by an extreme poison of the Poison of the Rotting Flesh and Blood Decay Type, which takes effect even with mere skin contact.
Bu Eunseol bit his lip.
"A person who has not only mastered the Yogic Bone Art of the Western Regions, a Strange Art from outside the Central Plains, but also possesses a Hidden Weapon Device from Sahyang, said to be peerless, and favors using poisons of the Rotting Flesh and Blood Decay type."
There could not be many such individuals in the Martial World.
Bu Eunseol cried out in a low voice.
"I will find you, no matter what."
-End of Chapter 2-