Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon

With Woon-seong’s permission, the Sage of the Bright Rock turned back to look at the children. 

“Haha. You little rascals. You kids look malnourished and untidy.”

It sounded like a reprimand, but his voice carried warmth. 

There were a lot of nagging adults, but it was the first time that the children felt this sort of love and care. 

Was it because of the genuine concern? 

The oldest of the children, the one who had tried to rob the Sage, replied: “We don’t have a choice. There’s no place for us to work or sleep. How can we possibly clean ourselves? Grandpa, people like you don’t understand us.”

It was an indelicate answer. 

The other person was a renowned martial artist, the leader of the Mount Hua Sect, not your grandpa!

Someone else might have gotten angry with the children. 

However,  Sage Myung smiled. 

He reached out. 

As the hands approached him, the oldest boy flinched and wrinkled his nose. 

The boy thought he was going to get it. 

Unlike his expectations, the Sage stroked his head. 

Then one by one, he patted each child on the head, dusting their clothes off while he was at it. 

“I see. You have a point. Your environment simply didn’t give you a choice.”

The sand and dirt piled up on their clothes soon disappeared. 

Their clothing was still old and raggedy, but the children looked better than before. 

Satisfied, the Sage smiled. “That’s a little better. You all looked like crows a moment ago.”

“You can make us clean like this, but it’s not going to change anything. We don’t have parents. Being clean for a day isn’t going to change anything!”

The others added agreements. 

“He’s right.”

“Nobody’s going to give us money if we look too clean.”

“That’s right. Being clean only makes it harder for us to beg for money.”

Hearing their cries, the Sage looked up at the sky, not even noticing that he had done so. 

These children… This harsh world makes them lose their innocence at such a young age and forces them to live dirty just to beg for money.

What a pitiful sight. 

To be honest, if I had the chance, I would like to take all these children back to Mount Hua. 

But that’s impossible…

There are many children like them all around the world. 

I can’t take them all in.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution. 

That was when Woon-seong suddenly asked from the side. “What are you planning to do?”

“Just watch. It will only take a bit.”

The Sage looked back at the children. He bowed his head, angling his body so that he could make eye contact with them. 

“Where’s the best dumpling place around here?” 

Suddenly asked about dumpling shops, the children tilted their heads in confusion. 

However, the Sage asked them again, not caring that they did not respond immediately. “You know at least that much, right?”

The youngest of the children piped up, “The meat dumpling at Wang’s Dumplings is the best.”

“Good. So that place has the best meat dumplings. This grandpa also likes meat dumplings. Eat them warm and you can enjoy the overflowing juices spreading into your mouth.”

The youngest child had already started to drool. 

He was not the only one. 

The other children also swallowed their saliva, thinking about some dumplings for dinner. 

The oldest shook his head, but even he did not seem to be able to shake off the temptation of dumplings completely. 

The best way to distract children — or gain their trust — was truly by offering them something good to eat.

“Now that your clothes are clean, we just need to clean your faces. If you come back with clean faces, this grandpa will buy each of you a meat dumpling at Wang’s Dumplings.”

“How can we believe you, old—“

Just as the oldest one was talking back, the youngest child interrupted him. 

“Then buy us large ones!”

“Of course! Large ones it is. How would the small ones possibly fill your stomachs?”

“Yay!”

The children cheered at his words. 

They could eat dumplings just by washing their faces, how lucky!

Only the oldest, who had been cut off in the middle of the sentence, muttered to himself.  “Ugh!”

Meanwhile, the other children were running to the stream to wash their faces. 

Only the oldest was left, alternately looking at the Sage and the children. 

“Are you not going?” asked the Sage. 

“It’s because I can’t trust what grandpa says!” the boy responded. Years on the streets had taught him not to trust adults, especially those being kind. But as he saw his brothers getting further and further away, he reluctantly ran to join them. 

Seeing him go, the Sage offered a sad smile. 

“Meat dumplings, huh… You seem quite familiar with such food for an ascetic.”

“Haha. We’re not monks. There’s no reason for us not to eat meat. We can eat and drink when it’s necessary. Taishang Laojun has never forbidden meat or alcohol.”

“Hmph.”

The Sage of the Bright Rock wasn’t wrong. 

The Mount Hua Sect was known as a sect of ascetics, but they weren’t actually monks. 

Just like others, they were free to eat meat or drink alcohol. 

“Now what? Is it over when you buy dumplings?”

The Sage replied with a bitter smile, “Take a good look.”

Woon-seong glanced at the Sage of the Bright Rock, who was watching the children disappear. 

Every time the wind blew, the empty sleeve of his robe would flutter. 

It looked strangely fitting. 

Like an actual ascetic who had overcome his physical limits.

I must be crazy. 

Why am I being so sentimental over a man that I will eventually be killing…?

Woon-seong could not help but feel upset. 

In the Sage who helped the homeless children, Woon-seong saw the image of Master Nok Yu-on saving the young him. 

A powerful martial artist helping a street rat. 

“A hero…” Woon-seong muttered under his breath. 

That was a phrase that anyone who grew up in Murim would have heard once or twice.

It may sound nice, but being a hero is about sacrificing one’s self to save others. 

To be a hero… 

Woon-seong’s master had already demonstrated what it meant to be a hero by sacrificing himself. 

It is not the way for an avenger like me. 

Woon-seong raison d’être was vengeance.

Therefore, it is not a life I can ever have. 

Suddenly, he doubted. 

But what about after my revenge?

After it’s over…

It was a question Woon-seong could not answer.

***

The children returned in less than fifteen minutes. 

Their faces were still wet, having no towels to dry off after rinsing in the stream. 

“Haha. You all look so neat and clean after washing like this.”

Although the clothes were worn out, no one would think of them as children who were living the life of a vagrant. 

“Hehe.”

“Tsk.” Although the oldest child had a rough look on his face, he still returned after washing his face. 

Seeing him, Sage Myung smiled. “As promised, this grandpa will buy you dumplings. Show me where Wang’s is.”

The children, who were still excited, walked on ahead. 

The Sage glanced at Woon-seong and said, “We’re not done yet, so why don’t we keep it simple?”

Wang’s Dumpling Stand was within a short distance, a few dozen meters past the corner of the alleyway they had been in. 

As the children said, it seemed to be the tastiest dumpling shop in the area. 

Even though it was after lunchtime, people were still waiting in line. 

The owner looked busy, unable to handle the crowd of guests. 

The children hesitated at the entrance of the stop. 

After seeing that, Sage Myung stood in line and called out to them. “Come here. You have to wait in line for dumplings.”

The children came walking up to him. They felt awkward as it was the first time they had ever stood in line to buy dumplings. 

The Sage smiled happily at them. 

After waiting for a while, it was soon their turn. 

“I’d like to order some dumplings.”

The Sage ordered king-sized dumplings, adding an order for himself and Woon-seong. 

“You’re just in time. We’re running out of dumplings, but we have just enough left for your order, sir.”

“Lucky indeed.”

It didn’t take long for the dumplings to arrive, and the children reached out to stuff their faces with piping hot dumplings. 

A rich juice flowed into their mouths. 

They were quite delicious. 

“Wow!” the children shouted. 

Even the oldest child was trembling, savoring the flavor of the dumplings. 

Seeing that, the Woon-seong felt that despite being street rats, the kids maintained the innocence of children.

“How much for the dumplings?”

“There are fourteen pieces of dumplings, two for each. By the way, are you an ascetic of the Mount Hua Sect?”

The owner’s gaze had turned to Sage Myung’s sleeve. It wasn’t difficult to recognize the plum blossom stitched onto it. 

Myung Am nodded. “That is correct…”

“Then I’ll make the dumplings half price. Instead, can you write me a talisman?”

The Sage hummed at the word ‘talisman’. He was not an expert in talismans, but he was taught some shaman arts. He had the ability to use a talisman to some extent. 

“Are you having some ghost problems in your store?”

The owner jumped and shook his head vigorously. “Ghosts? Oh, it’s nothing like that. It’s just that I’m having a hard time with my business, so I just want you to make a talisman for good luck.”

It seemed that business had been hard for a while. 

And there was a better way for the Sage to solve it. 

“Then wouldn’t finding someone to help you with your business be better than a talisman?”

“Anyone would think that, but no one is willing to work for long hours because it’s hard. I can’t hire people because they quit after a short while,” the owner responded, shaking his head. 

The Sage looked at the children. He contemplated the qualifications of the eldest. “What about this child?”

“This child…?”

“A child that lives nearby. He doesn’t have parents, but he has the duty to feed his siblings.”

Pickpockets were definitely a bad thing. 

“It’s a recommendation from you, sir, but can you trust an orphan?”

The faces of the children, hearing the word ‘orphan’, distorted.

The Sage smiled blankly and pulled money out of his pouch. 

Fifteen silver coins, much more than the dumplings were worth. 

“What is this money for?” the owner asked, glancing at the silver coins. 

“If you need a hand, don’t be prejudiced. I recommend you hire these children. The salary is three silver coins a month. I’ll pay you five months’ salary in advance, so why don’t you try it for five months?”

“Five months?”

The Sage nodded, continuing, “If the child does a good job, you can pay him a silver coin three times a month. If he doesn’t do a good job, you don’t have to pay him at all.”

“Hmm.” The owner tapped his chin. He had nothing to lose from this offer. Eventually, he nodded. “I accept.”

Now that the shop-owner had expressed permission, Myung Am laughed and looked at the oldest boy. 

Stroking the boy’s head, he said, “Well, what do you think? If you work here, you can feed your siblings. Plus, if you work well, you’ll still have a job after five months.”

For a child, three silver coins was an adequate salary. With it, the boy could feed his younger siblings proper meals. If he collected money little by little, he could save enough money to live in a house and avoid the cold wind. 

The boy glanced at the owner, wondering if he could really continue working there after five months. 

The owner nodded. 

Immediately, the boy confirmed, “I’ll do it.”

At the boy’s words, the Sage gave a satisfied look and gently touched the storefront with his palm. 

The storefront, which was made of wood, became smooth as if it had just been sand-papered down. 

It was a generous move, as it made the store look newer, but it was also a threat. 

The Sage tapped the wooden platform with his fingertips. “I’ll come around, so please take good care of them.”

The shop-owner bowed his head, though it was unknown if it was because of the threat.

“Of course.”