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Six months had already passed since he began hiding in the mountains.
At this moment, Yu Jinsan had removed his shirt and was warming up.
The muscles in his back, straight and curvaceous, were rippling. The finely toned muscles in his arms and shoulders wriggled like earthworms.
He had transformed his body to such an extent that it was hard to believe it belonged to an old man.
As soon as he finished preparing, he lifted his feet off the ground.
Thump!
He was incredibly steady as he hung from the tree branch with both hands.
He couldn’t afford to waste even a moment.
Inhaling deeply, he began his usual workout.
“One! Two! Three!”
His head went up and down over the tree branch repeatedly.
The veins on both of his arms were swelling as if they were about to burst. He was not only subjecting his body to excruciating strain but his mind as well.
The people who killed his family were traitors. Expectedly, facing the Murim Alliance by himself was akin to hitting a boulder with a pebble.
But even if it were a mountain instead of a boulder, he had no intention of stopping.
‘I will undoubtedly bring you down, even if it takes a million strikes.’
After a moment, he exhaled a triumphant shout.
“Two hundred and twenty!”
He had definitely attained his goal. This was a number he couldn’t reach without utilizing his internal qi.
He lifted his legs again and placed them on the tree branch.
It was time for another abdominal exercise.
He hung upside down like a bat and continued to sway his upper body from side to side.
“One! Two! Three!”
He had lost track of the time he had spent exercising.
Before he knew it, he was shouting out ‘three hundred.’
“Uwaaa.”
His granddaughter was calling out to him. Upon reflection, he realized it was time to feed her.
Yu Jinsan landed on the ground and ran toward his granddaughter.
“So, you’re awake, kiddo! Grandpa will feed you in a bit. Just hold on a moment.”
There was some leftover milk that he had boiled the night before, after milking Geumsun.
He placed it in a slim bamboo container, adding an empty blade of grass inside. When he held it at a tilt, the child would suck on it herself.
Yu Jinsan handed the bamboo container with the grass to his granddaughter.
He still had leftover rabbit meat from the previous night. Even though it wasn’t delectable, consuming meat was crucial for muscle growth.
He was just about to take a bite when…
Tuk!
It was the sound of Yu Seol dropping the bamboo mug.
“You need to eat well to grow up healthy, right? Hurry up and eat.”
He attempted to hand it to her, but the child was not prepared to catch it.
It felt strange since she had never done this before.
When he tried to force it on her, she began crying anxiously.
“Uwaaa!!!!”
It seemed she didn’t want milk anymore.
“Phew. Your attitude is precisely like your father’s.”
He offered her the rabbit meat just in case. The child smiled as though she hadn’t been crying moments ago.
“Heee~”
It was quite flustering.
“Do you want this? But how can you eat this when you only have a few teeth?”
She only had four upper and lower teeth, each the size of a grain of rice.
However, the child kept gesturing for the rabbit meat.
“If you want to eat, just call me Grandpa. Grand. Pa.”
At that moment, the child began to laugh and mutter something.
“Grapa!”
“What? What did you just say?”
He could hardly believe his ears.
As a child born with a remarkable body possessing five excellent senses, he had assumed that her cognitive abilities and development would be exceptional as well.
But he hadn’t expected her to start learning a language so soon.
At that moment, he heard her again.
“Grapa!”
Yu Jinsan’s eyes welled up. It seemed as if all the hardships he had endured were suddenly worthwhile.
The only thing bothering him was that she was calling him ‘Grapa’ instead of ‘Grandpa.’
It seemed like she remembered him babbling that word and was now mimicking it. Regardless, he brushed away his tears with his sleeve and reached for the pot.
He used the frost-kissed carrots and pumpkins that he had found scattered across the fields of a nearby village. He decided to make porridge for the first time.
He gathered the necessary ingredients, mixed them together with rabbit meat, cleaned them, and boiled them.
He naturally started humming.
“My granddaughter~ wants to eat~ delicious food~”
As it was his first time preparing this nutritious meal, he made it with great care.
He looked extra happy while crouched in front of the bonfire. It was hard to imagine him as an old man nearing the end of his life.
When the thick porridge was ready, he scooped a spoonful to taste it. It was when he brought the spoon to his mouth that Yu Jinsan’s movement abruptly stopped.
Soon after, his hand holding the spoon started trembling. Gradually, his entire body began to shake.
“Kuaaak!!!”
An agonized scream echoed throughout the mountains as Yu Jinsan collapsed, his whole body convulsing.
It was painful. It was as if every part of his brain was being fragmented, as if every part of his body was being hacked apart.
“…Euk.“
He never grew accustomed to the recurring bouts of pain.
‘I must endure! I must live for Yu Seol!’
He gritted his teeth, fighting against his unconsciousness. He managed to pop a pain-relieving pill into his mouth.
The excruciating pain gradually subsided after about 30 minutes.
His body felt completely drained. He was unable to move even an inch.
“Phew…”
Eventually, he mustered enough strength to stand and check on Yu Seol’s food.
As he had feared, the porridge had dried out and been burned.
“Damn it!”
He felt like lashing out, but he held himself back.
After cleaning up, he began cooking from scratch. Luckily, he had enough ingredients left.
“Grapa!”
It seemed she was hungry and urging him to move faster.
“Oh my, it’s ready. Let’s eat.”
His granddaughter’s large eyes were wide open, saliva already dripping from her mouth.
When he took the spoon and blew on it, she instinctively opened her mouth.
The scene was so endearing that Yu Jinsan couldn’t help but smile.
“Ah~”
This was the little girl’s first taste of porridge. With each mouthful, she clapped her hands and cooed in delight.
The sight of her happy expression excited Yu Jinsan, prompting him to continue feeding her.
However, after an hour, his expression hardened.
Seeing this, Yu Seol became frightened and started to cry.
“Uwaaa! Uwaaa!”
However, he had no time to comfort the child.
What he had been worried about was now happening. No, in fact, this was something he had been hoping for.
Quickly, he blanketed the child and reached for the spear resting in the corner.
‘I definitely left him there… but could he be alive?’
He could sense a faint trace of killing intent in the atmosphere that disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
Looking around, he was met with silence. His opponent wasn’t someone he could handle easily. And if he doesn’t deal with them now, things could get ugly.
After contemplating for a moment, Yu Jinsan let out a hearty laugh.
“Hehe. For a beast, you’re pretty young. I can already see where you’re hiding, and your crouched position reminds me of a rat.”
He planted the handle of the spear on the floor and knelt on one knee as he gently stroked his granddaughter’s head with his left hand and said,
“Let’s see then. Your hiding skills are poor… Seeing an old man trembling in fear ought to entice a skilled warrior.”
Contrary to his words, their hiding skills were impressive. In fact, it was impossible to pinpoint from which direction this intent was coming.
If it were a 2nd level assassin, he would have already discovered their location. However, this was a 1st level assassin. Even the faintest sign of life couldn’t be detected unless they were lucky.
‘I need to finish this in one strike.’
If he had been a bit younger, he would have handled the situation with ease. After all, wasn’t he the most skilled spear warrior in Shaanxi?
No one in his family could even begin to compare to him. But times had changed.
Though he had somewhat improved his stamina, his body was no longer as flexible as it used to be. Should the fight drag on, he would be the one at a disadvantage.
Despite his internal thoughts, unrelated words came from Yu Jinsan’s mouth.
“Uhchuchu! Was my child frightened? He’s such a timid 3rd level assassin. There’s nothing to worry about. Should I spar with this man who equals me in age? Let’s observe him from over there and then proceed. Uhchuchuchu!”
At that, his granddaughter, Yu Seol, started to laugh and applaud.
“Uhchuchu.”
It was a taunt so powerful that it could even irk the self-esteem of a hardened assassin.
His ridicule was clearly audible to them all.
Suddenly, an overbearing aura of death surged from a nearby tree. At last, they began to move.
The movement was as swift and deadly as a hawk in flight. At the same time, the corners of Yu Jinsan’s mouth curled up into a smile.
‘Caught you, you scoundrel!’
And with that, he quickly lunged at the encroaching shadow.
Whoosh!
The wide-open blanket of Yu Seol obstructed the view of the assassin. Immediately, a chilly glimmer of light flashed in and began to tear the blanket apart.
Rip!
In an instant, a cold gust swept through the gap in the blanket.
Yu family’s spear technique, first form, Supreme Spear technique.
It was a sharp spear technique so swift that it could strike the opponent with lightning speed.
Swish!
The spear’s tip sliced through the air, stirring up a whirlwind.
Simultaneously, a ray of light pierced through the front of the oncoming figure.
Puak!
“Kuak!”
The man covered in a black mask was impaled on the spear like a skewer.
Yu Jinsan, supporting the spear with one hand, flung him off.
Thud!
The body of the assassin fell limply to the ground.
“Hurry up and tell me who sent all of you!”
“…”
Although he shouted in desperation, he knew it was futile. The dying assassin stared blankly into the sky.
Yu Jinsan understood the situation clearly. This assassin wasn’t the type to spill secrets, even under torture.
So, he bent down and began to search the assassin for any useful items.
The small blade the assassin carried seemed especially valuable.
Then he rummaged through the assassin’s clothes, hoping to find more items.
“Ha, ha, ha! Incredible!”
He managed to find two coins.
A single silver coin was enough for a family to survive for three months. So, finding these coins felt like striking gold.
He continued his search, but unfortunately, he didn’t find anything else.
“Where else could I find such a neat haul?”
Yu Jinsan removed the assassin’s black mask, as there was no point in wasting anything.
He wrapped the spear with the mask, and suddenly, the lethal weapon resembled an ordinary walking staff.
He knew he couldn’t linger any longer in that place, so he began to prepare to leave.
‘Where to now?’
He found himself at a loss for a safe destination.
If this lone assassin managed to track him down, there was impending danger from the other assassins.
He had to move.
If the assassin failed to return to their group, it would only increase the danger aimed at him.
“Uwaaa.”
His granddaughter tugged at his clothes, begging to be held. Even without her plea, he had already planned to leave immediately.
“Let’s find a more secure place.”
He walked aimlessly towards the north. His steps followed through the mountain pass, tracing a trail for some time.
Half a day passed as he walked, rested, and walked again. Just as fatigue began to set in, he came upon a village.
‘I suppose I’ll have to halt here.’
In order to effectively hide and ensure survival, he needed to gather food and clothing. Moreover, he needed supplies to raise his granddaughter.
Yu Jinsan’s destination was the village center.
The place was bustling with street vendors, their stalls arrayed in tidy rows.
“Oh my, it seems you’re out for a walk with your granddaughter. The child is so pretty.”
The store owner said.
The old man approached quietly and picked up a bamboo hat.
“I’ll take one of these.”
He needed the bamboo hat to obscure his face. After that, he swiftly packed the items he needed into a sack and paid for them.
He moved about the place, taking whatever he wanted.
His actions lacked any hesitation. He achieved his goal in the shortest amount of time and resumed walking.
‘Nothing good comes from lingering too long.’
Contrary to his intentions, his steps soon halted.
He stopped in front of a particular guesthouse. This was because the animated voices from inside seemed too conspicuous.
And their topic was shocking.
“What? The Byeok clan has been attacked and wiped out? Who on earth is spreading such a rumor?”
“How should I know? They say that the entire family was found dead overnight. Only one person survived.”
“One? Who is it?”
“They say the child’s body cannot be found. Perhaps a beast took the child.”
“Are there really people in this world who would kill a child? Now that I think about it, the Yu family in Shaanxi province was also targeted. Could it be the same attacker?”
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