The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

Council of Elders.

The Grand Elder was receiving a report.

“We have gathered thirty more orphans in the name of the clan. Out of them, four are identified to have talent in martial arts.”

It was a report from the Outer Guardians who were in charge of public relations.

“We received a message from the Murim Alliance. It’s a letter from the Alliance Leader wishing for the Clan Head’s speedy recovery.”

The Inner Guardians respectfully presented the letter wrapped in silk. However, Grand Elder didn’t even bother to open the letter and just gazed out of the window.

With the Clan Head being incapacitated, all major and minor affairs of the clan were now decided by the Council of Elders. And among them, Grand Elder, Baek Young-ryeong, held the highest authority.

“Send a thank you note on my behalf.”

“Understood.”

Though elderly, with tears constantly flowing from her eyes and deep wrinkles on her face, Baek Young-ryeong’s voice still held strength.

On the wall behind her, a sword that could be considered the ancestral heirloom of the Baek Noble Clan was hung.

The Shooting Star Fang. A sword made of meteorite, true to its name, implied the fang of a meteor.

It was the sword of the Immortal Divine Sword, which could be considered a symbol of the Baek Noble Clan.

Baek Do-yeom, who was kneeling on one side, blankly stared at the Shooting Star Fang.

It was a beautiful sword.

The unique mystical light of the meteorite remained intact despite the passage of time. The ornate decoration seemed to reflect the lifetime preferences of the Immortal Divine Sword.

While the value of the sword itself, being made of a meteoric iron rarer than ten thousand year old cold iron, must have been immense, its symbolism was what mattered the most. The clan took care of this revered sword periodically.

“It seems like it’s been a while since the Shooting Star Fang was last maintained. Should we ask Firelight Forge Chief?”

In Jianghu, the clan’s smithy, Firelight Forge, was where renowned craftsmen gathered.

Elder Baek Do-yeom managed this Firelight Forge, and right now, beside him was the Firelight Forge Chief, Dae Kyung-rok. The clan’s top blacksmith, he was responsible for periodic maintenance of the Shooting Star Fang.

Grand Elder looked at the Firelight Forge Chief with a slight smile and murmured, “Is there really a need? Let it be.”

“…Yes.”

There was no reason to refuse such a thing. This was a first, so Baek Do-yeom wore a bewildered expression.

On the opposite side of Baek Do-yeom, Baek Seo-ok spoke up softly.

“Grand Elder, there’s something I’d like to discuss.”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s about Yi-gang.”

Baek Do-yeom cast a fleeting glare at Baek Seo-ok.

Baek Seo-ok was on the side pushing for Ha-jun to be the Young Clan Head.

“He still, in my opinion, lacks the qualifications.”

“…”

“He has certainly become more vicious over time. Promising to find time and identify the culprit.”

“Did it sound like an excuse to you?”

“Of course not.”

The tone was exceptionally sarcastic.

Baek Do-yeom, who was listening, widened his eyes in surprise. He knew his sister was blunt, but she was speaking to none other than Grand Elder.

“So, what do you propose?”

There was a subtle change in Grand Elder’s tone. However, Baek Seo-ok, seemingly unaware, continued, “We need to formally evaluate him. We need to assess if the boy has the qualities. If he lacks them, we teach; if he doesn’t have them at all, we should expel him.”

“You mean…”

“Since Ha-jun hasn’t risen from his position yet, perhaps wait a bit longer.”

A moment of silence followed.

Baek Seo-ok stared sharply at Grand Elder, who calmly met her gaze.

And then, Grand Elder gave a faint smile. Deep wrinkles marked her face.

“Seo-ok.”

An unexpected informal tone. Baek Seo-ok flinched for a moment.

“Your father, who was the Clan Head of two generations ago, may have seemed cold-hearted, but he was a stifling and frustrating child. That’s why I pushed him to be the Clan Head.”

“…Yes.”

“It seems he didn’t teach you well.”

Baek Do-yeom gaped. Baek Seo-ok was also taken aback. The elder with white hair was, in fact, Grand Elder, who was now smiling as she spoke those biting words.

“What do you mean…”

“Just because I stay here doesn’t mean I’m blind or deaf. Lately, you’ve been hanging out with Baek Myung-hak, Baek Jung, Baek Go-seon, and those guys.”

“…”

“They probably want to oppose Yi-gang becoming the Young Clan Head. They’ve been hanging on the previous Clan Head’s words since the old times.”

Baek Seo-ok’s face turned pale. It seemed Grand Elder had struck a nerve.

“I know your younger brother, the previous Clan Head, is still lurking and watching. When I die, he’ll surely seize the opportunity to return. He deeply disliked Yi-gang.”

“…”

“What a pity, even though he’s my own grandson.”

Baek Seo-ok’s usually calm demeanor crumbled. Grand Elder seemed to be aware of everything from behind the curtain.

Baek Do-yeom barely held back his laughter.

“Do-yeom, it’s not your place to laugh seeing your sister crumble.”

“Me? What?”

“Kid, making that dumb face when called – you’re just like your mother.”

Suddenly, sharp words rained down on Baek Do-yeom.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know that you’re in contact with Ryu-san’s in-laws?”

“Au-Aunt!”

“What do you plan to get from Beijing? Did they promise you some money in exchange for the Firelight Forge?”

“I swear it’s not like that!”

“They must think that my daughter died giving birth to Ha-jun. That’s why you’re supporting Yi-gang, isn’t it?”

Baek Do-yeom’s face flushed red and then turned pale.

At the same time, he felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew the old saying that old ginger was the spiciest, but he hadn’t expected her to know everything to this extent.

Both Baek Seo-ok and Baek Do-yeom bowed their heads deeply.

“I understand that you’re trying to shield me. You have your own family members to answer to. Just know your limits.”

The sound of Grand Elder standing up was heard.

“If the Clan Head has fallen, and you don’t want the clan to waver like before…”

Grand Elder left her sentence unfinished.

While others might not know, they were well aware of the life that Grand Elder, Baek Young-ryeong, had lived.

Authority wasn’t built over time alone. Even now, having lived over a hundred years, Baek Young-ryeong had accomplished feats that remain unyielding.

“If the clan falls, everything ends. Keep that in mind.”

The Baek Clan once faced the threat of extinction.

During a time when the Immortal Divine Sword perished, and even the Clan Head who should’ve led the clan died.

At that time, Baek Young-ryeong was just a girl not even in her twenties. Around her, the Baek Clan united strongly.

It’s widely known that the Baek Clan rose to the highest seat among the Seven Great Clans due to the Immortal Divine Sword. However, the reality was different.

The decline of the Baek Clan began right after the death of the Immortal Divine Sword.

The one who revived the failing clan to its current state of prosperity was none other than the very Baek Young-ryeong standing before them.

Knowing this, the elders could only lower their heads in respect.

With a cold gaze, Baek Young-ryeong looked down at her incapable grandnephew and grandniece. Using her cane for support, she turned away.

She stared intently at the meteorite sword, the Shooting Star Fang, symbolizing the Immortal Divine Sword.

‘Such a useless sword. I’d rather melt it down.’

No one would’ve imagined that the Grand Elder would have such thoughts.

“…Yi-gang will become the Young Clan Head.”

She addressed the elders.

“Arrange for a sword, made of cold iron, to be given to him.”

“Yes, Elder.”

The one who responded was the Firelight Forge Chief, quietly kneeling.

It’s a tradition to bestow a sword to a new Young Clan Head.

They probably had this in mind, but Baek Do-yeom and Baek Seo-ok remained silent.

“Phew.”

Yi-gang was submerged in hot water.

Being able to take such a bath every day was indeed a privilege of the affluent.

Yi-gang’s body was still lean. However, it was not as emaciated as it used to be. Without a doubt, muscles had formed on his physique.

Yet, along with that, there were bruises scattered across Yi-gang’s back.

「Anyone would think you’ve been in a street fight. To have such bruises from swordsmanship training…」

‘That’s because you teach so ruthlessly. And could you give me some space while I’m bathing?’

「Still a brat, aren’t you.」

The Immortal Divine Sword chuckled.

Yi-gang glanced at the Immortal Divine Sword for a moment but chose not to retort.

He enjoyed baths, but the reason he took them daily was to relieve the fatigue from his body.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t take a long bath today. He had somewhere to be.

‘It’s been six days, and I still haven’t mastered nine forms.’

「Did you think it would be easy? Just being able to mimic the form is an accomplishment in itself.」

For the past six days, Yi-gang trained relentlessly. He continued to do so even after realizing Baek Jin-tae’s true nature.

On the surface, nothing seemed to change. Only Yi-gang’s eyes had grown colder.

Yi-gang dressed up and set out. One common trait between him and Baek Jin-tae was that they never backed down from a challenge.

Yi-gang was heading towards Firelight Forge.

He received a message from the Council of Elders that morning. They were bestowing him with a cold iron sword, and he was to select one from Firelight Forge.

He was already planning on visiting Firelight Forge today, so it was fortuitous.

「Why suddenly give a cold iron sword now? What’s the significance?」

‘It’s tradition to grant the Young Clan Head a cold iron sword.’

「Tradition? There was no such tradition. Who originally created this Firelight Forge?」

Yi-gang and the Immortal Divine Sword arrived at Firelight Forge.

The Immortal Divine Sword gazed at Firelight Forge with a proud look.

「Long ago, after acquiring meteoric iron, they announced a search for craftsmen to forge a sword from it. Craftsmen from all over the central region, rare as unicorns, flocked here.」

Yi-gang looked taken aback. Ten thousand year old cold iron alone was treated as a treasure, let alone the highly coveted meteoric iron.

If one spread the news of possessing it around the neighborhood…

‘Didn’t more martial artists coveting the meteoric iron come than craftsmen?’

「Of course, they did. But I slaughtered them all.」

Very few blacksmiths could work with meteoric iron. That’s probably why Firelight Forge, having once forged a sword from meteoric iron, still held such prestige.

As Yi-gang stood in front of Firelight Forge, someone came out from within. It was a middle-aged blacksmith.

“Young Master Yi-gang.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve come to serve you. My name is Go Chil.”

Go Chil’s face was flushed red, and he was dripping with sweat. It appeared as though he had just come from doing some work.

His voice sounded raspy, like the grinding of metal. Perhaps he had inhaled the hot air produced from the process of forging.

“Your voice might be uncomfortable to hear.”

Yi-gang glanced at him, and Go Chil seemed to realize it.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I see. The interior of Firelight Forge is treacherous, so please be cautious.”

Go Chil’s tone sounded a tad curt.

「Blacksmiths live off their pride. Especially the swordsmiths, they are the most prideful and demanding.」

Even without the Immortal Divine Sword’s words, Yi-gang was well aware of this fact.

“It might be better to cover your face. The heat is intense.”

Saying so, Go Chil handed over a grubby piece of cloth. It looked like it was meant to wrap around one’s face.

Whether it was used by many before or not, it bore sweat stains and had a pungent smell.

Yi-gang handed it back.

“It’s alright. Aren’t you going in just like that?”

“You might regret it…”

Go Chil smirked, a bit rudely.

At that moment, he opened the stone door with his robust arm.

Whoooosh—

A blast of scorching heat rushed out from within. Without any hesitation, Go Chil stepped inside.

Yi-gang followed suit.

There were ventilation holes in the ceiling, but despite those, it was unbearably hot inside, hardly feeling like mid-winter.

It was said that the forge of Firelight Forge never went out, and it certainly lived up to its reputation.

「It’s scorching, isn’t it, Yi-gang?」

The Immortal Divine Sword chuckled. Being a soul, it remained unaffected by the heat, but Yi-gang was different.

The heat was so intense that even breathing was challenging. His face felt like it was burning, and without water, he would likely collapse from the heat.

‘It’s damn hot.’

Yet, Yi-gang’s expression remained unchanged.

Noticing this, Go Chil slightly opened his mouth in surprise, “Young Master Baek Young-il rushed out almost immediately…”

“It really is hot.”

“Yes…”

Although Go Chil looked slightly disappointed, Yi-gang didn’t reprimand him.

For those blacksmiths who hammer iron daily, how amusing must it be to watch the high and mighty struggling with the heat? Since Yi-gang remained calm, Go Chil’s disappointment was understandable.

Thud- Clank- Thud- Clank-

The sound of metal striking metal was almost deafening.

“Please forgive the smiths for not greeting you. If they stop working, the swords could be ruined.”

“I understand.”

Not a single person offered Yi-gang a greeting.

In fact, no one even spared him a glance.

「These are the blacksmiths who craft exceptional swords. As a swordsman, you should understand.」

The Immortal Divine Sword spoke with a proud expression.

「Forges capable of handling meteoric iron are rare. Throughout Xi’an, or even the entirety of Shaanxi Province, undoubtedly only Firelight Forge possesses this skill.」

It wasn’t an exaggeration. The swords displayed around the forge were incredibly beautiful.

The Shooting Star Fang, before it rusted, must have been very beautiful as well.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Yi-gang.

‘What if we melt this sword down and forge a new one?’

「Huh…?」

‘This sword feels a bit heavy for me. Since we’ve come this far, melting the Shooting Star Fang and forging a new sword might…’

「Um…」

‘Perhaps even our ancestor would be pleased, haha.’

「You, making such a bad joke. Hahahahah!」

The Immortal Divine Sword laughed heartily.

Yi-gang only responded with a sly smile and said nothing.

After walking for a while, the Immortal Divine Sword quietly approached Yi-gang.

「You’re joking, right?」

“…”

Yi-gang merely smiled.