Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 955

It was a special night.

His master had appeared like smoke, bestowing an overwhelming grace, and then vanished like smoke as he had appeared.

That master had once again appeared out of nowhere, retrieving even the forgotten memories from the gaps in time, and was now showing his disciple his unreserved sincerity for the first and last time.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke of many things.

How he had lived his life, who he had formed connections with, what events he had experienced, how he had escaped danger, and ultimately, why he had lived the way he had.

Cheon In-Ryong listened to all of Yeon Ho-Jeong’s stories.

He wasn’t just listening out of obligation. Cheon In-Ryong genuinely rejoiced or grieved while listening to his disciple’s life story, sometimes marveling, and sometimes wearing a solemn expression.

It was inevitable.

Just as Cheon In-Ryong was a special connection to Yeon Ho-Jeong, Yeon Ho-Jeong was the most brilliant connection in Cheon In-Ryong’s life, spanning over three hundred years, and the benefactor who had guided him to enlightenment.

A relationship where each was special to the other. He had attained enlightenment and ascended, disappearing, but now he had returned to this world to share a conversation with his only disciple, and the special feeling was beyond words.

Thus, an hour had quickly passed.

Even after talking so much, there was still much to say. It was a connection that would leave one wanting more, even if they talked for a month or a year, not just an hour.

But Yeon Ho-Jeong knew.

The time had finally come.

The conversation with his master, which he had longed for, was so moving that it brought tears to his eyes, but he realized that the time had come to conclude this relationship.

“Master.”

“Yes.”

“Have you been happy, Master?”

Cheon In-Ryong looked up at the sky.

In the cool breeze, the clouds that had been scattered were gone, and the entire sky was filled with the splendor of the moon and stars.

“I was not happy. Not until I met you.”

“……”

“My life was always arduous. While no one in the world has lived a life of pure happiness, my life was a constant cycle of contemplation, reflection, and a new world brought about by enlightenment.”

“I understand.”

He was born with a gift from the heavens, a talent to see what ordinary people could not see and to conceive what they could not conceive.

While everyone around him leisurely walked and enjoyed the world, who could understand the loneliness of a genius who ran alone on the mountain path and reached the summit at a young age?

Moreover, his master had come down from that mountain only to realize that the world was an endless series of mountains.

To his master, who could not help but climb the mountain again in that despair, and who had embarked on a lonely pilgrimage, a life of over three hundred years must have been more of a curse than a blessing.

“But after meeting you, I realized. That I am not special.”

“……”

“Others were also looking up at the sky from their own cycles, waiting for their time to soar.”

Cheon In-Ryong smiled.

“Just like you.”

“Yes.”

“Whether I was in the Blood Cult, when I left the Blood Cult, or when I subdued the Blood Cult and wandered the world, I was never a person who strived for someone else.”

“But thanks to you, Master, countless people were saved.”

“It was all for my own sake. Rather, I used the Central Plains martial world [a term referring to the main region of China where martial arts flourished]. Even I could not face the Blood Cult alone, so I used them, saying that we should join forces to defeat them.”

“If our goals had been different, we would not have joined hands.”

“Of course, that’s right.”

He was a master who had transcended everything, but Yeon Ho-Jeong defended his master, worried that he might ruin his mood due to self-reproach.

Cheon In-Ryong shook his head.

“The important thing is that there was always only me in my life. I always saw the world through my own perspective, tried to achieve enlightenment alone, and tried to be satisfied with myself as I was.”

“……”

“But after meeting you, I changed. I could have continued to live in the world alone as I had until now, but I realized then that living together was the way to make life richer.”

Cheon In-Ryong burst into laughter.

“Before the joy of your existence, I was also very angry. I couldn’t understand why this guy was so dissatisfied and wouldn’t listen, why he was risking his life for vain things and abusing himself.”

“That’s right.”

“But as a master, I wanted to raise you properly. At the very least, I wanted you to live a life where you didn’t hate yourself.”

“……”

“And as I tried so hard, I realized. That I, who was giving you guidance, was the one who was staining my own life with hatred.”

Cheon In-Ryong stopped walking.

It was a place where the moonlight shone particularly brightly. The end of the hill where Yeon Ho-Jeong had first come to sit cross-legged and meditate.

“In the end, I was correcting myself while teaching you.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong also looked at the sky that his master was looking at.

The elegant moonlight, seeping into the darkness and illuminating the surroundings, was like his master’s teachings.

“Ho-Jeong.”

“Yes, Master.”

“You must be happy.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes trembled.

Cheon In-Ryong smiled and continued.

“Happiness is the most abundant power that humans can obtain. However, unfortunately, to feel that happiness, one must naturally experience unhappiness. Just as there is no shadow without light, the magnitude of happiness increases when one’s situation is not entirely good.”

“……”

“Therefore, to say be happy is to say live life properly.”

A life of only happiness does not exist. Because happiness is relative.

When my situation is difficult, when things don’t go my way.

When one is exhausted on the long journey of life, one sometimes falls.

However, those who struggle on the ground have the right to look up at the sky. They can look at the sky and gain the strength to overcome their current situation.

And so, a great happiness is given as a gift to those who have overcome hardship and adversity.

Just being free from hardship can bring joy, so how can one not say that this is a life full of happiness?

“Cry a lot, rejoice a lot. Struggle a lot, enjoy a lot. Life cannot be made up of only one value. That is, one cannot choose only one emotion and dye it in a single color.”

“Yes.”

“And you must also abandon the idea that your life does not exist until this war is over.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes.

“Master.”

“From the moment you first came into the world and faced death, and then returned to start your second, half-life, until this very moment, there has not been a single moment in your life that was worthless.”

“……”

“Every single one of those moments is like a jewel that adorns your life. If you want to live a proper life, you must embrace even the history in your memories that has stained your heart red and black.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong opened his eyes.

While fighting the Three Teachings [a reference to three major philosophical and religious schools of thought in China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism], he had never once felt like he was living his own life.

Every day was a day of turmoil. He repeated the cycle of killing and being killed to protect his people and to end the deep-seated grudges that had accumulated in the process.

And that fight had continued even after he had returned to the past.

Yeon Ho-Jeong had not placed those blood-soaked days on the bookshelf of his life.

‘Why was that?’

His thoughts deepened.

Why didn’t I consider those moments as my life? Was it because my master was by my side?

The answer came quickly.

‘Because I didn’t think I could endure it myself.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong was startled by his own weakness.

That’s right. He hated the moments filled with the war against the Three Teachings, as if they were encroaching on his life.

He had been excluding them because he thought that if he acknowledged them, nothing would be left of himself.

“But surprisingly.”

As if reading his disciple’s mind.

His master spoke with his eyes closed.

“You have never forgotten the brilliant connections that have emerged from those moments you turned away from.”

“……!!”

“You were also choosing your life. Just like me in the past.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes trembled greatly.

Cheon In-Ryong opened his eyes again. His face was filled with only a benevolent smile.

“A master is not just someone who teaches skills to a disciple. It is the master-disciple relationship to inherit all the knowledge of life, values, and even connections and farewells that have been gained.”

“……”

“Even so, as my disciple, you had so many similarities with me when I was young.”

“……”

“But now you must change. I hope that you will gain the enlightenment that this master gained in his later years, even a little earlier, and live a true life.”

“Master.”

“Since ancient times, it has been said that there is nothing more rewarding for a master than to have a disciple who surpasses him.”

Cheon In-Ryong patted Yeon Ho-Jeong’s shoulder.

“You are already faster than me. So you will be able to reclaim your life much faster than your master.”

“……!”

“Thank you for making me your master.”

It was hazy.

His heart was pounding. His vision was blurring rapidly.

Yeon Ho-Jeong realized. That the time had come to send his master away.

But he could not send him away with tears and regret, so he bowed his head and knelt.

A respectful nine-bow ceremony [a traditional form of deep bow in East Asian cultures, often used to show respect].

When Yeon Ho-Jeong rose again after bowing, his face was filled with a faint but bright smile.

“It was good to see you again.”

“It was for me too.”

“Although they are related to your family, Master, I think I will have to fight to the end for my people.”

Cheon In-Ryong burst into laughter.

“When have you not done so? Don’t worry and do as you wish.”

“Whenever the war with them ends……”

“Yes.”

“I will definitely build a tomb for you then.”

“What tomb for a master who has gained all the enlightenment thanks to you and is walking the path to ascension? However, if you are making it because you want to remember your incompetent master, then I will gladly come down to your tomb and talk with my disciple with a smile.”

“Please do so.”

“In the future, bring your child or disciple to your tomb and have them greet me.”

“Of course.”

“Yes.”

“Master.”

“Yes.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong could not hold back his tears.

“Thank you for making me your disciple.”

Cheon In-Ryong, who was smiling brightly, took a fist salute [a gesture of respect or greeting in martial arts].

A courtesy between equals, not between master and disciple.

Master Cheon In-Ryong had acknowledged his disciple Yeon Ho-Jeong as a true adult.

“Cheon In-Ryong, the twenty-fifth successor of the Four Deathly Arts, has now passed everything on to Yeon Ho-Jeong, the twenty-sixth successor. May the twenty-sixth successor, Yeon Ho-Jeong, cherish that history and choose a virtuous successor so that our light may be passed on to future generations.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong bowed his head, returning the fist salute.

How long had it been?

Slowly releasing his hands and raising his head, he saw that the place where his master had been was now filled only with scattered light and moonlight.

“Master.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked up at the sky, tears streaming down his face.

The light of his master, who was satisfied with everything and had scattered, circled in the air before spreading among the countless stars.

Yeon Ho-Jeong stood still in that spot, looking at the sky.

One day passed, and then two days passed, and Yeon Ho-Jeong did not move from that spot.