Since I'm about to die anyway, let's get this straight.
What the hell did I do so wrong?
The Great Killing Star of the World (天下大殺性).
That's how the Murim Alliance—those bastards I could chew up and still not be satisfied—branded me.
They said I was born with the Heavenly Killing Star.
They said this even before I was young enough to hold a blade.
This just meant they were determined to brand me the public enemy of the Murim and crush me to death.
In the end, I spent my entire life fighting those bastards while on the run.
But now, that damned fight is over.
A long spear has pierced my side, five arrows are embedded throughout my body, and my back is split open by a long, diagonal gash, blood pouring out.
Hwiiiiing.
The wind blowing against me reeks of blood.
A mountain of corpses, a sea of blood (屍山血海).
There's no one left unscathed around me.
Only corpses, their limbs torn to shreds, their forms unrecognizable.
Yes, I killed them all.
An old man steps through the corpses, approaching me.
The Murim Alliance Lord, his white beard grown down to his chest, wears an expression of pity.
But I know.
Inside that old bastard's benevolent mask, a hundred cunning serpents lie coiled.
"How can your methods be so cruel? At this rate, how can the departed rest in peace?"
"Cough, cough! Bullshit...! You're looking for dignity in a corpse? Once you're dead, it's all the same. Whether you die with a hole in your head or die with your limbs torn off, it's all the same. Ah, should I make both for you, old man? A special treat, since you're the Murim Alliance Lord."
As I sneered, covered in blood, the Alliance Lord gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"If not for your Chogyeon Pagongan (First-Sight Art-Breaking Eye), this would have ended long ago. The sacrifice of the innocent was great."
"What? Kuk, kuhahahaha!"
As I burst into wild laughter at the heavens, the Murim Alliance Lord stared blankly.
Only after a long moment did I stop laughing and roar.
"You're really spouting bullshit in spades, old bastard. If I didn't have the Chogyeon Pagongan in the first place, would you bastards have ever branded me the public enemy of the Murim?"
"My, what words that could cause misunderstanding. The reason you are being judged today is because of the slaughter you have committed thus far. The sin of murdering countless renowned experts of the Jianghu, starting with the Head of the Habuk Paeng Family long ago; the sin of inciting wicked men and disturbing the order of the Jianghu; the sin of abandoning Hyeobui (Righteousness) and..."
"Kekeuk. What fucking nonsense. Try covering the sky with your palm, Alliance Lord. You've got the cause and effect completely backward."
"As expected, you have no intention of repenting? But your campaign of slaughter ends today. You may have run wild, oblivious to the heights of the heavens, but now you must have realized that there is a heaven above the heavens."
"You gathered thousands of men just to kill me, and now you're spouting crap about 'heaven above heavens'."
I steadied my ragged breath and continued.
"The only martial artist I ever acknowledged... was Namgung Seon (南宮鮮). She was the first and the last."
"You mean that wench who forgot her duty after having an affair with you?"
"You despicable bastards. You used to praise her as the Cheonhajeillyong (The World's Number One Dragon), even though she was a woman. Now you flip your stance like turning over your palm. Kaak, ptui!"
The Alliance Lord sighed with a feigned look of pity.
"It is a lamentable affair for the Namgung Family as well. To lose such innate martial talent so vainly."
"I'm sick of your bullshit. Her dying of illness was surely because you bastards maliciously condemned her, causing her anger to fester and overwhelm her."
I ground my teeth and glared at the Alliance Lord.
Even if I died, I would take that old bastard with me as a companion to the afterlife.
But then, the Alliance Lord smiled as if he'd remembered something.
"Come to think of it, fate is truly cruel. They say the child that wench gave birth to died three days ago, didn't he? I received the urgent report today."
I, who had been focusing all my internal energy on my Yongcheon acupoint, flinched.
"What kind of bullshit is that now?"
"Hoh, you didn't know? That Namgung Seon had a son who inherited your blood."
What was he saying?
She had a child? My son?
That couldn't be.
My mind suddenly became chaotic, and the Alliance Lord flashed that same, nauseating smile.
"Aren't you all fated to meet in the afterlife soon anyway? Ask her for the details yourself. It will be a family reunion, after all."
"What dog-shit...!"
The moment I roared, the Alliance Lord's hand dropped.
A hand signal (手信號).
Swaaaaaaa.
In an instant, the shadow of death blotted out the sky.
Swiiish, thuk! Thuthuthuk...!
"Keok!"
Hard iron arrows pierced my entire body, including my heart.
Dammit...!
Sangje (Supreme God)! This can't be how it ends!
My son?
I had a son I'd never even seen?
And that son is already dead?
Let's ask again.
What the hell did I do so wrong?
Do I truly deserve this much divine punishment?
You should have at least let me see my son's face once!
Nimiral, Sangje! Heavens! Gods!
If you have any conscience, you should have given me one proper chance to live!
Dammit...
My body slowly tilts.
Kuung!
The hard ground strikes my face.
Jeobeok, jeobeok...
I can see the Alliance Lord's feet approaching my fallen form.
Soon, his vile smile, mask now removed, spreads blurrily before my eyes.
"In your next life, please be born as someone ordinary and perform only good deeds. Jin Cheonrang (眞天浪)."
1. 남궁세가라고? - 1. The Namgung Family, You Say?
Cold.
It's too cold.
So cold my teeth are chattering.
Did I fall into hell?
Well, having killed so many people in my life, I couldn't have expected to go to a good place.
"Still, this is just too cold."
Jin Cheonrang couldn't bear it and shot upright.
"Heok, heok, heok...!"
With his ragged breaths, something tumbled from his mouth.
"Ptui! Ptui!"
What is this? Rice?
It was too dark to see clearly, but from the texture in his mouth, it felt like grains of rice.
His body was wrapped tightly in hemp cloth.
Thankfully, as he moved, the hemp cloth slowly unwound.
Come to think of it, his ears and nostrils were also stuffed with cotton wads.
Jin Cheonrang pulled out the cotton and furrowed his brow.
What the hell is all this?
His grumbling was brief, as he trembled from the cold that felt like it would freeze his entire body.
Could this be the Palhanjiok (Eight Cold Hells) spoken of in Buddhism?
As time passed, his vision slowly adjusted to the darkness.
Let's see.
A small room.
Chunks of ice were piled in every corner.
He could see a doorframe, paper windows, and a ceiling.
It didn't look much different from what was common in the Jungwon (Central Plains).
So the afterlife has rooms, too.
Ah, if this is the afterlife, can I meet my son?
No.
There's no way my son would have fallen into hell.
Yes, my son, at least, shouldn't be in a hell like this.
Let's look again.
Incense has been lit.
Below the funeral bier, a single coffin lay waiting.
'This seems a bit strange for the afterlife.'
The coffin right in front of him, the hemp cloth binding his body, the cotton in his nose and mouth, the rice that filled his mouth.
Jin Cheonrang touched the rice he had just spat out.
"Could this be... Banham (ritual rice for the dead)?"
He could finally guess the situation.
'What? Are they in the middle of holding my funeral?'
To have completed the Yeomseup (ritual shrouding) and prepared the coffin meant at least three days had passed since death.
Then this must be just before the encoffining...
Was there someone who would hold a funeral for me?
Knowing that Alliance Lord bastard's personality, my head should be proudly displayed on the main gate of the Murim Alliance.
No, more importantly, how am I alive?
Just then, he heard murmuring sounds from outside the door, and soon two men entered, carrying an armful of hemp cloth.
"We've moved the coffin, so let's hurry. The sun will be up soon, let's get this over with."
"Hoo, our poor Gongja-nim (Young Master). It's been three days and almost no one has come to offer condolences. In the old days, the whole world would bow their heads at the name Namgung Family."
"Hey, none of that useless talk. He inherited the blood of the Great Killing Star, didn't he? Honestly, I'm scared we'll be harmed just for holding this funeral."
"Aigoo, no way. They'd still show respect for the dead... Heuaaaak!"
The man who was speaking shrieked and fell flat on his backside.
How could he not be terrified?
The corpse was sitting bolt upright, staring blankly at him.
The man next to him frowned.
"Hm? What's wrong all of a sudden? You look like you've seen a ghost or someth—Uwaaaak! A g-g-gho... uheueung..."
As soon as the man's eyes met Jin Cheonrang's, he foamed at the mouth and fainted.
Jin Cheonrang frowned and walked over.
"Hey. You."
"Hiiiik! Y-you, you evil spirit! G-get back! Get back, I say!"
The man, who had somehow managed not to faint, shouted, his face as pale as a sheet.
"I'm not an evil spirit or a vengeful ghost. Where is this place?"
"Wh-what?"
"I said, it seems I'm not dead after all. I asked, where is this place."
Only then did the man, with a baffled expression, look Jin Cheonrang up and down.
He was clearly a person with a physical form.
It was just bizarre that it was the body of one who was certainly dead.
The man gulped.
"A-are you... really the Gongja-nim?"
"Gongja...?"
"P-please excuse me for a moment...!"
With a trembling hand, the man felt Jin Cheonrang's foot.
He could definitely feel it.
Fumble, fumble.
Past the knee, past the thigh...
Wait. How high is that hand planning to go?
Jin Cheonrang slapped the hand away, and the man recoiled in terror.
"Heok! A-are you... r-r-really... alive?"
"Well, it seems so for now. I asked where this place is! You want me to hit you before you answer?"
At Jin Cheonrang's irritation, the man scrambled to his feet, suddenly dashed out, and screamed.
"My god! The Gongja-nim... has been resurrected! The Gongja-nim has come back to life!"
Left alone in the room, Jin Cheonrang stood blankly for a moment before sighing.
'These bastards... They could have at least answered my question!'
Anyway, do people normally get this skinny when they die?
He looked down at his limbs; he was skin and bones, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.
Just then, he saw a bronze mirror hanging on one wall and walked toward it.
Dawn must have been breaking, as bright light was seeping through the open crack in the door.
Jin Cheonrang, who had glanced indifferently at the mirror, was so startled he fell on his backside.
"Heok! Wh-what? Who is this?"
A strange face was reflected in the mirror.
But it was a youthful appearance that felt somehow familiar.
A neat and handsome face, but one that looked weak somewhere.
What? This isn't me.
Was he perhaps sixteen or seventeen?
It was then.
He sensed a presence, and the door flew open, revealing a woman in mourning clothes.
She was staring at Jin Cheonrang with an emotional face.
In that instant, Jin Cheonrang froze like stone.
'Namgung Seon...?'
No.
She looked very similar, but it wasn't her.
"Who are...?"
Jjaak!
In an instant, his cheek snapped to the side, and his vision flashed.
The world seemed to spin.
Wait, why did this crazy woman slap me as soon as she saw me!
Furious, Jin Cheonrang turned back, when—
Warak!
What now?
The woman suddenly pulled him into a fiery embrace.
He couldn't make sense of anything.
Only the sound of a pounding heart echoed in his ear.
He could clearly feel the woman's turbulent emotions.
Perhaps it was the warmth, but his own blazing anger subsided a little.
Finally, the woman spoke, her voice thick with emotion.
"Thank goodness. I don't know why... but thank goodness."
Her arms were trembling faintly.