The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

Baek Jin-tae’s residence was located in the outer district.

Although he, the Red Dragon Corps Commander, rarely stayed at his own home, he still occupied an entire large building.

His relationship with his wife wasn’t good, so she returned to her family home, and his only son, Baek Young-il, was not in the Baek Clan but in the Murim Alliance.

Moreover, Baek Jin-tae did not keep any personal maids or servants. Thus, the large mansion was always desolate.

The house was chilly due to minimal heating. Baek Jin-tae always stayed there alone. After his return to the clan, only he and the members of the Red Dragon Corps frequented his house.

Among the Red Dragon Corps, the members of the First Corps were considered his confidants and escorted Baek Jin-tae. They resided in the annex.

Soryu was waiting for Baek Jin-tae in front of the gate.

A cold face and a long scar stretching across her cheek. An inscrutable expression.

Although she was not a member of the First Corps, she received Baek Jin-tae’s favor. Almost every time Baek Jin-tae went out, Soryu accompanied him.

“Haha, Soryu, you’re here.”

Baek Jin-tae came out with the members of the First Corps.

As Soryu naturally tried to join them, one of the First Corps members stopped her.

“You’re not accompanying us.”

“…”

Under the icy gaze of the First Corps member, Soryu glanced briefly at Baek Jin-tae.

“Take a break.”

Baek Jin-tae said with a faint smile.

“I will.”

Soryu respectfully retreated.

Leaving Soryu behind, Baek Jin-tae set off with the five members of the First Corp.

Soryu gazed at them as they departed.

There were often times like this when only his confidants accompanied him, excluding Soryu.

Even the much-favored Soryu did not know where he was heading.

The place Baek Jin-tae headed to was outside the clan.

Xi’an, especially beyond the city walls, to the outskirts.

Although no one in Xi’an would dare to stop the commander of the Red Dragon Corps, he changed his clothes to conceal his identity.

Only the closest of his confidants followed, and at some point, Baek Jin-tae moved alone. The members of the First Corp dispersed as if they weren’t part of his entourage.

Baek Jin-tae halted in front of a restaurant.

It was a very small, worn-out place that had even escaped the influence of the Low Down Sect.

Once he confirmed there were no watching eyes, Baek Jin-tae opened the door to the restaurant and entered.

With a laughing voice, “Come in, guest.”

There was no response, nor was there a host to greet him.

The dirty restaurant was devoid of any other visitors. However, the aroma of food wafted through.

Baek Jin-tae looked towards the kitchen. There, an elderly woman with a deeply bent back held an iron pot. She seemed to be cooking.

“Owner?”

The old woman didn’t even glance at Baek Jin-tae.

“Why don’t you answer? Heh heh.”

She simply continued cooking without a word.

It was at that moment Baek Jin-tae reached for the sword at his side.

“That old woman is deaf. Pay her no mind.”

Though there had been no sign of other visitors, someone appeared.

Drawing his sword, Baek Jin-tae pointed it at the newcomer.

Chaeang—

The one who emerged had his face concealed behind a mask. As Baek Jin-tae’s sword was aimed at his throat, the man raised both his hands, trembling slightly.

“Put away your sword…”

“Heh heh heh!”

Baek Jin-tae suddenly burst into loud laughter and swung his sword. The masked man looked horrified.

“Damn! Insane!”

The mask, which covered the man’s face, split open, narrowly grazing past the bridge of his nose.

“You arrogant brat. Ha!”

Baek Jin-tae kicked the man in the abdomen as he tried to retreat. The man tumbled onto the ground.

As he quickly tried to get up, Baek Jin-tae kicked him in the shin.

Ppeok!

The masked man spun in the air, landing headfirst. Then Baek Jin-tae swung his sword downward towards the man’s face.

Ka-gak—

Instead of piercing the man’s face, the sword embedded itself in the wooden floor next to him.

Baek Jin-tae squatted down in front of the man and chuckled.

“Do you take me for a fool? Ha. Did you think after such a pathetic act, we’d meet again and you’d say ‘long time no see’ and laugh?”

“…”

“Yes, it might be amusing, but kid, don’t assume just because I’ve heard you guys out, that I consider you allies.”

A sense of madness emanated from Baek Jin-tae as he held the sword hilt and laughed.

“Had you guys not broken the promise and suddenly attacked Yi-gang, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. Why so silent? Wet yourself, did you? Wearing masks and all.”

Baek Jin-tae, still laughing, yanked off the man’s mask. As the face was revealed, Baek Jin-tae’s smile widened even more.

The man’s face was distorted from burn scars. Furthermore, part of the bridge of his nose was sliced off.

“It’s merely because my appearance is quite striking that I covered it.”

“Hahaha. Indeed it is.”

When the man requested his mask back, Baek Jin-tae politely returned it.

“Please address me as the Sam-ho. I’d like to apologize once more for that incident.”

Despite having faced humiliation from Baek Jin-tae just moments ago, he remained composed.

“That incident was a unilateral decision by the Oh-ho. We obtained intelligence that there was a hidden chamber in that manor…”

“So, you paid off Big Tree House and bought the intel. Was it to brag around the neighborhood?”

“I am grateful that you erased the traces. Regardless, we did not find what we sought in that manor. Our plan remains unchanged.”

“You mentioned you were looking for a ring that the Immortal Divine Sword used to wear. No, was it a necklace?”

“What we need is the Immortal Divine Sword’s sword. We thought we could use that as a substitute. But you can forget about it. It was false information.”

Baek Jin-tae and the man called Sam-ho were having a startling conversation. This Sam-ho was from the very organization that had attacked Yi-gang. Moreover, Baek Jin-tae was aware of it.

It wasn’t just awareness; there was a transaction between them. A deal related to the meteorite sword that the Immortal Divine Sword used.

“The meteorite sword in the Council of Elders is not something I can lay my hands on yet.”

In reality, it was Yi-gang who had the Shooting Star Fang.

“Heuk-am has patience.”

“Yes, if your master is patient, then just wait quietly. Also, keep your subordinates in check.”

What Sam-ho desired was the Shooting Star Fang that the Immortal Divine Sword used. It seemed Baek Jin-tae had made some kind of agreement to hand it over in return for a certain payment.

Neither of them knew that the one in the Elders’ chamber was not the true Shooting Star Fang.

“Due to the unfortunate incident at Black Ghost Manor, things have turned out better. Please wait.”

“Unfortunate incident…”

Baek Jin-tae smirked.

Whether he smiled out of genuine joy or held some other intent, it was a smile inscrutable to others.

“Hand over the promised item. The one I got before has lost its effect.”

The reason Baek Jin-tae met with Sam-ho, and what he intended to receive in exchange for Shooting Star Fang was clear.

Sam-ho handed over a small vial.

“This drug is also made from a Treasure, so use it carefully.”

“This will undoubtedly cure my ailment, right?”

“Have you not felt its effects? However, it merely alleviates the symptoms. For a complete cure, you need the Treasure. I’ll provide it once I receive the meteorite sword.”

“I thought as much. Hehe.”

Baek Jin-tae pocketed the vial.

Then he walked towards the restaurant’s gate. Just as he seemed about to leave, Baek Jin-tae stopped abruptly at the door.

“I don’t know what you intend to do with the meteorite sword once you have it, but let me warn you…”

With a slight smile, he continued speaking, “After I seize the clan, it would be best if you stay out of Xi’an.”

Sam-ho nodded in agreement.

“I will.”

Baek Jin-tae exited the room.

He felt the weight of the vial in his pocket.

As he walked, First Corps warriors naturally joined him.

“Commander, is the task comple…”

“We’re leaving.”

Baek Jin-tae, laughed as if he were splitting apart. His longtime loyalists could differentiate between his types of laughter.

Now was not the time to thoughtlessly strike up a conversation.

He hastened his pace.

Until he returned to the clan and entered his residence, Baek Jin-tae chuckled to himself numerous times.

By the time he reached the gate, veins were bulging in his neck, and blood was trickling from his nose.

“Heh, hehe. Ensure that no one enters.”

“We will follow your command.”

The First Corps warriors had witnessed Baek Jin-tae’s behavior like this several times.

Leaving his subordinates behind, he entered the room alone.

Crossing the cold wooden floor, he forcefully closed the folding doors behind him as he entered his bedroom. He heavily sat down on the chair next to his bed.

Next to the chair was a wooden drawer.

With trembling hands, Baek Jin-tae touched the ornament on the drawer.

Click—

The metal ornament sunk in, revealing a hidden compartment on the side of the drawer.

What Baek Jin-tae pulled out from it was none other than a black mask.

The very mask worn by the man who had stabbed Ha-jun.

The weeping expression on the mask was in stark contrast to Baek Jin-tae’s smiling face.

“Hehe…”

Baek Jin-tae let out a laugh resembling a sob and turned the mask over.

Surprisingly, the backside of the mask was covered in numerous sharp silver pins. It didn’t seem like something one could wear on the face.

To put it another way, it looked almost like a torture device.

“This is the only way.”

Baek Jin-tae took out the vial and sprinkled the drug on the mask’s silver pins. In the process, he pricked his hand on one of the pins, leaving a mark, but he didn’t seem to care.

This was the price Baek Jin-tae had paid to a person named Heuk-am.

In exchange for handing over the heirloom and even accepting the act of killing his two nephews, he got what he desired.

Retrieving the power of the clan that Baek Ryu-san, his brother, held was all secondary.

What Baek Jin-tae wanted was something much simpler.

Without hesitation, he pressed the mask, embedded with hundreds of silver pins, onto his face.

Thunk—

The drug-coated silver pins dug deep into his face.

Blood streamed down.

With agonizing pain, as if his hair was standing on end, the energy from the mask and the drug surged electrifyingly through him.

His eyes, visible through the holes in the mask, turned blood-red.

Soon, Baek Jin-tae was able to retrieve what he had so desperately yearned for.

Drip, drip—

From beneath the mask, what unmistakably flowed was tears.

“Hehe, hic.”

What he yearned for were emotions he rightfully should have felt.

The tears and anger that the metal fragment in his head had stolen from him.

He reclaimed the tears he couldn’t shed even at the grave of his tragically deceased younger sister.

Baek Ryu-san recklessly proceeded with the operation at the risk of his younger sister’s safety and ultimately caused her death. Baek Jin-tae reclaimed the anger he should’ve rightfully directed towards his brother.

“Hehehe.”

Baek Jin-tae cried, feeling an unparalleled sense of exhilaration.

Every time he wore the mask, tears flowed. At this very moment, the usual foreign sensation he felt in his head vanished.

Moreover, the drug applied to the mask had even more astonishing effects.

Swish—

The blood streaming from his face reversed its flow.

The wounds healed cleanly. The cut on his hand also healed perfectly.

“Incredible.”

Was it called a holy medicine made from a Treasure? It truly had an otherworldly effect.

If he were to sprinkle this drug on the dying Baek Ha-jun, he would probably come back to life immediately.

The effects of the holy medicine were not over. Soon, an unbearable itchiness engulfed his mind. The metal fragment pressing against a part of Baek Jin-tae’s brain was experiencing the healing process.

Baek Jin-tae tightly gripped the armrest of his recliner.

Crack-!

The solid rosewood broke as if it were rotten wood.

At this moment, killing intent surged within him.

Baek Jin-tae reveled in the pure rage and killing intent he could now fully express.

No matter how he saw it, it wasn’t a bad deal.

If he could regain his complete sanity and dethrone his brother from the seat of Clan Head, Baek Jin-tae was willing to pay any price.

It’s just that what Heuk-am wanted in return seemed too fantastical.

“Shooting Star Fang… a mere meteorite sword.”

It was clear their group was not minor. Heuk-am was at least as powerful as a sect leader of the Nine Sects One Gang.

However, the reason such beings desired the meteorite sword, a mere 200-year-old sword, was beyond him.

When he found out, Baek Jin-tae couldn’t help but scoff.

“The spirit of the Immortal Divine Sword is bound to the meteorite sword. They plan to summon the Immortal Divine Sword through it.”

To Baek Jin-tae, with a piece of metal lodged in his brain, it sounded like-

“Insane bastards.”

-Absolutely mad.

Outside Baek Jin-tae’s residence, which was tightly guarded by the warriors of the First Corps—

Yi-gang arrived.

“Even if you claim to be the young master, you cannot enter now.”

A warrior of the First Corps coldly barred his way. This time, even for Yi-gang, breaking in like he did at the Council of Elders would be impossible.

However, Yi-gang did not choose to force his way in.

“I’ll wait here, right under this wall.”

“But sir…”

“I said I’ll wait. Are you going to drive me away?”

The warriors of the First Corps couldn’t stop Yi-gang from making that choice. They simply kept him in their sight from a distance.

Yi-gang sat down, leaning against the wall.

Next to him stood Soryu.

She used voice transmission, conscious of the First Corps warriors’ watchful eyes.

-As I informed you. The commander returned just a short while ago.

“I can’t use voice transmission. Just speak softly.”

Soryu glanced at the nonchalant Yi-gang.

She too had her doubts about Baek Jin-tae. Yi-gang became aware of this and had told Soryu to alert him if Baek Jin-tae acted suspiciously.

-But why do you keep sitting like that?

“I have my reasons.”

However, even after arriving, Yi-gang showed no intention of entering, simply sitting in front of the wall.

Spending time like this would only arouse suspicion from Baek Jin-tae. Soryu felt increasingly anxious deep down.

Suddenly, Yi-gang raised his head.

“What’s that?”

Casually, he mumbled.

To Soryu, it seemed like Yi-gang was staring into thin air, not uttering a word.

However, in reality, right in front of Yi-gang stood the Immortal Divine Sword.

‘Really?’

「Yes, why would I lie?」

The Immortal Divine Sword could only move about 30 steps away from its sword. The distance from this wall to Baek Jin-tae’s bedroom was more than sufficient.

With a somewhat incredulous tone, the Immortal Divine Sword recounted what it saw and heard from inside.

「Someone… someone seems to want to summon me.」

‘Huh?’

Yi-gang scrunched up his face, and the Immortal Divine Sword awkwardly scratched its head.