Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 568

The Shadow Deepened (1)

How long has it been? Since I came to this place.

I couldn’t even remember well. It felt like about ten years, but even that wasn’t certain. Considering it was around the time my son’s upper lip started to get dark, it might have been a little over ten years.

Rustle.

I raised my head and looked around, and there were countless tombstones erected all around.

There were also many trees that looked thick and sturdy. The surfaces of the trees and tombstones were covered with countless wounds for reasons unknown.

‘It’s different from back then.’

Dang Ho thought. What a dark and gloomy place.

My father, one of the thirteen strongest figures in the martial world, was not originally of a dark nature.

The father Dang Ho remembered was strict but warm, strong like steel but also gentle, a typical image of fathers from the old days.

No, he was even more gentle than those fathers.

He was the kind of person who would always bring back delicious food when he returned from meetings with the heads of surrounding clans.

When my brother and I were training late into the night, we wouldn’t hesitate to run and hug our father when he came, laughing.

In the backyard under the moonlight, the three of us would eat delicious food and talk about the bright future of the family.

Of course, my brother and I were too young to discuss the future of a family. But Dang Ho liked those memories. It was a time when we didn’t know anything, but the love between parents and siblings was strong, a deep, bright, and heart-achingly joyful memory.

‘That’s how it was.’

Dang Ho closed his eyes.

‘There was a time like that.’

The youngest was too young to have such memories. He wasn’t even old enough to train late into the night in the first place.

‘That fellow is now a respectable head of a household.’

Thinking of his younger brother, Dang Ho suddenly thought.

‘If he had been born before me… no, if the age difference was only a year or two.’

The youngest’s character, talent, and outstanding skills.

‘Would Father have still passed the Clan Head position to my older brother?’

I don’t know. It’s something that cannot be known.

What was certain was that there would have been quite a bit of noise regarding the succession issue.

The youngest’s talent was that great. Just considering talent alone, he might be similar to or even greater than Dang Sang-ah, my older brother’s child.

That meant that two geniuses, admired by the greatest master in the history of the Dang family, had appeared in one era.

‘It’s a futile thought.’

What ifs are just what ifs.

History has already flowed, and time cannot be turned back.

Unable to escape the absolute flow of time, they could only focus on the present.

Dang Ho opened his eyes.

He took one step, then another, towards the area far away, surrounded by talismans painted with vermilion [a bright red pigment] and various forbidden ropes.

After a while.

In front of a huge cave that seemed to have sealed away a ghost, Dang Ho’s mouth opened.

“Father.”

There was no reply.

It was natural. This place, which looked like a cave, was not a real cave.

If you went straight into that cave, another stone wall would appear. If you passed through that stone wall, you would find a fairly large yard and a small house.

His father was living there.

The inside of the cave was long. It was even blocked by a stone wall. There was no way his voice would be heard if he called out in a whisper like this.

But Dang Ho believed. That his father had already sensed his presence.

‘Perhaps he knew even before I entered the area where those tombstones are visible.’

That was the power of a master of Seongcheon [a high level of martial arts mastery].

There was nothing impossible for a master of Seongcheon. And among the masters of Seongcheon, the sensory perception of the Dark King, who was considered the most dangerous, would be among the best.

Dang Ho, who had been standing still and looking inside the cave, opened his mouth again.

“Fath…”

“Ho-ah-nya.”

In an instant, Dang Ho felt his mouth go dry.

The voice was not coming from beyond the cave. The voice, which was heard vividly in his ear, transcending space, was so clear and natural as if the owner of the voice was speaking right next to him.

Shivers!

Goosebumps rose all over his body.

It was a telepathic transmission.

Telepathic transmission over this distance was difficult, but Dang Ho could somehow manage it as well.

The problem was the clarity of the voice and the naturalness of the tone.

How deep and vast must one’s inner energy be?

How delicate and outstanding must one’s inner energy control be to achieve such a clear telepathic transmission?

‘Terrifying!’

Just one telepathic transmission sent shivers down his spine.

Dang Ho lowered his head. He acted as if his father was in front of him, even though he couldn’t see him.

“Yes, it is I, Ho-ah.”

“…Yes.”

His father’s voice was deep.

It was impossible to judge whether it had strength or not. It was impossible to judge whether he was in a good or bad mood.

It was just endlessly deep. So deep that it was impossible to know even a sliver of his emotional state.

“It’s been a while.”

Dang Ho bit his lip.

“I have been remiss. Please forgive me.”

Silence fell.

After a while.

“After Gwan took the position of Clan Head, I confined myself here. Confinement means cutting off contact with the world, so you have only understood my intentions.”

“…”

“Do not worry about it.”

A lie.

Dang Ho knew. That his father had been teaching his older brother’s children here for a long time.

Even if they were estranged from their children, there was no grandfather who would dislike their grandchildren. His father was like that, and he poured all the love he had for his children into his grandchildren.

But his own children were not the object of that affection. His son, Yeo-seon, had never properly seen his grandfather’s face since he was a child.

Dang Ho understood that. Still, his older brother was the Clan Head. The Clan Head was the leader representing the family, and the Clan Head’s children had to represent the family in the next generation.

He had to pay more attention to those aspects. Dang Ho understood. No, he tried to understand.

“So.”

The voice coming from beyond the cave was still unwavering.

“It is good to hear your voice after a long time, but what brings you all the way here?”

Was he really happy?

Dang Ho found it difficult to judge. And that wasn’t an important issue.

Dang Ho knelt down and placed a bundle in front of him.

“I believe you are displeased with me for not showing my face all this time.”

“…”

“However… I wanted to deliver this.”

His father was not in front of him. He was far, far away.

But Dang Ho was certain. That his father was watching him now, watching this bundle.

“Today is Father’s birthday.”

“…”

“Father, you liked Geomnamchun [a type of wine] and pork, didn’t you?”

“…”

“I made it myself. I often made it for Yeo-seon, so it shouldn’t taste too bad.”

“…Yeo-seon, you say.”

Was it just his imagination?

Somehow, his father’s voice seemed a little subdued.

“Is Yeo-seon doing well?”

Dang Ho lowered his head.

“He says he has recently found a woman he likes. Learning is good, but he is already twenty-six, so if he has found someone to marry, it would be good to set a date soon.”

“Twenty-six… he has already become that old.”

“…”

“You must be going through a lot.”

In that instant, Dang Ho felt a lump in his throat.

It was nothing special. Besides, his father probably didn’t know what he was doing or how busy he was.

But why did that one sentence shake his heart so much?

After becoming mature, he was afraid of his father, who was becoming increasingly strict and cold, and couldn’t even easily speak to him. That father was now speaking to him in such a gentle tone, saying he had gone through a lot.

It felt strange. All sorts of emotions were surging up.

Dang Ho suppressed his emotions.

“Father.”

“Yes.”

“When… do you plan to come out?”

Again, silence fell.

Dang Ho waited. For his father’s voice to be heard.

How much time had passed?

“I am a relic.”

“…?”

“My existence can shake the family. That is why I have confined myself here.”

A lie!

Dang Ho knew why his father had confined himself here.

“There will be no benefit to the family if I step out.”

“Father.”

“I want to spend the rest of my life here.”

Dang Ho clenched his fist.

It was a statement he had longed to hear. At the same time, it was also a very sad statement.

His father was a man who always kept his word. If so, he would really spend the rest of his life here.

That was pleasing, and that was sad.

His mind was complicated.

Dang Ho lowered his head again.

“I will visit you often.”

“There is no need for that.”

“It is natural for a child to visit their parents.”

“We are members of the Dang family before we are parents and children. If you care about the family, do not seek me out anymore.”

“Father.”

“I will enjoy the wine and food you brought.”

Dang Ho closed his eyes.

Tears that fell dripped onto the floor.

Wiping his eyes, Dang Ho got up and bowed.

“May you live a long and healthy life.”

“Thank you.”

Dang Ho turned around.

In his tear-filled eyes, sadness and pity slowly disappeared.

Now, what was in his eyes was intense anger and ambition.

‘That’s it.’

This confirmed it.

His father would not care about family matters for the rest of his life. He was certain of that one thing, if nothing else.

Then that was enough. He no longer had to be mindful of his predecessor.

In moving forward with his plans, he could exclude the strongest warrior and greatest variable of the Dang family.

‘Now, all that’s left is to move forward.’

With that, Dang Ho left the place of confinement of the former Clan Head, the Full Moon Land.

How much time had passed?

Rustle.

No one knew where he had appeared from. It was a movement as if he were a ghost.

In front of the thick bundle, an old man appeared.

His clothes were shabby. If others saw him, they would think he was an old man who tilled the fields in the countryside.

On the other hand, his neatly arranged hair was tied tightly, and his well-groomed beard reached down to his chest.

His eyes were somewhat sharply torn, but because of the wrinkles around his eyes, his clear gaze, and his moderately distinct features, his impression did not seem strong. Rather, he even looked gentle and kind.

Average height, average build, and an appearance that was not particularly striking except for his hair and beard.

That was the appearance of Dang Hyeong, the former Clan Head of the Sichuan Dang family and the Dark King, who was considered the most dangerous master among the masters of Seongcheon.

Dang Hyeong quietly looked down at the bundle.

No, he looked down at the traces next to the bundle.

The ground was a little wet. It was the trace of tears that had been shed.

After looking at it for a long time, Dang Hyeong let out a soft sigh.

“…Is it joy, or sorrow?”

The sky was not clear today either. The moderately cloudy sky of Sichuan was somehow hard to get used to today. The wind was cold, and the air was humid.

Dang Hyeong picked up the bundle.

It was heavy. There was only one bottle of Geomnamchun, but there was a lot of meat compared to the wine.

Dang Hyeong took the bundle and went back into the cave.

His figure, walking while patting his lower back with one hand, was not like that of a master of Seongcheon, who was called a giant of the martial world.