Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Novel - Chapter 492

Chapter 492 – The Lazy One Shudders (2)

To be honest, Baek Hoemyung wasn’t someone who particularly enjoyed the taste of tea.

Connoisseurs of the art of tea speak of perceiving the subtle nuances of flavor and losing themselves in its depth, but Baek Hoemyung preferred cold water over tea.

Perhaps it would be different with alcohol, but the tea ceremony simply didn’t resonate with his temperament.

Even so, there were times like this when he would sit in front of the tea and immerse himself in his thoughts.

He didn’t understand the flavors of tea, but he enjoyed its aroma.

The faint aroma of tea floating in the air had a calming effect on the human mind.

At least under normal circumstances.

Although he perceived the gentle aroma of the tea, Baek Hoemyung’s mind found no peace whatsoever. There was something in front of him more stimulating than the aroma of tea.

The presence that always challenged him.

His father, the elder known as the Lord of Baekgeom Fortress, was sitting across from him.

A breeze blew slightly.

A strand of his white hair, neatly combed, swayed in the wind. Even that detail seemed straight out of a painting.

“The wind is blowing.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Calm is good. But a world without wind would also be sad.”

“That’s right.”

“What do you think?”

Baek Hoemyung raised his head slightly.

“What do you mean…?”

“Do you think our actions will bring a new wind to the martial circles?”

Baek Hoemyung fell into a brief reflective silence.

What should he answer?

If another had asked the question, he would have answered with ease, but the words of the Lord of Baekgeom Fortress had a distinct weight.

“It won’t just be a wind.”

The elder raised his head to look at his son.

“The wind will not stop at being wind. Soon it will become a storm, a typhoon, that will purge the impurities. When the world looks at us again, they will face an inevitable typhoon.”

“Hmm.”

The elder nodded slightly.

With an expression that could be interpreted as approval or disapproval… a face impossible to read with certainty.

“Hoemyung.”

“Yes, Father.”

“You have your own age and judgment.”

“That’s true.”

“So I will ask you a question. Not as your father, but as the Patriarch and Leader of the Baek Clan to the Sub-Chief of the clan.”

Baek Hoemyung’s body tensed. The position of Sub-Chief of the Baek Clan still felt overwhelming to him. Even so, he maintained his composure and looked directly at his father.

“Ask me, please.”

“Do you think what we are doing is right?”

Baek Hoemyung closed his mouth.

He had not expected that question.

“Why do you ask that…?”

The elder offered a soft smile.

“I simply wanted to hear your opinion. It is not a test, nor am I looking for a specific answer. I just want to know.”

The elder turned his head to look at the horizon.

The wind was blowing.

“I have spent too much time alone with my thoughts.”

A hint of emptiness crept into his voice.

“My ideas have solidified, my determination has hardened. I have built an unbreakable wall in my chest. There were things to do, so I did them. I never doubted my actions. And now it is time to see the results. Upon realizing it, I became curious.”

“…”

“The wall that I have built is indestructible. But I didn’t stop to consider where I was raising it. I only hurried to lay the foundations. From such a tall and strong wall, the ground cannot be seen. I can see far, but not what is beneath my feet. That’s why I ask.”

He picked up his teacup.

The tea, already cold, seemed to boil on its own as he brought it to his lips to take a sip.

“Have I built my fortress in the right place? Perhaps I omitted considering whether this was the right place before starting?”

Baek Hoemyung looked at his father with new eyes.

A giant.

This man was a giant.

Not because he was his father. Even if they didn’t share blood, Baek Hoemyung would have respected and followed him. To his knowledge, there was no one greater in the martial circles.

Although he was his father, Baek Hoemyung had never seen him as such. This man was too vast to be contained in something as small as fatherhood.

And he didn’t regret it, it didn’t cause him sorrow. Giants have lives of giants.

And now, for the first time, that father was showing his vulnerability.

The wall that seemed immune to wind and erosion for a thousand years was now opening a door for him.

Baek Hoemyung reflected deeply.

After a long moment, he spoke.

“That you recognize my worth is an unparalleled honor. But I still don’t know if I am in a position to give you my opinion.”

Baek Hoemyung swallowed and continued.

“However, if you want my answer, I will give it. Father, this is what I think.”

He paused and closed his eyes. He knew the importance of this answer, that there could be no room for error… so he thought and rethought.

After meditating on it, his answer was this:

“I know what worries you. The world will be soaked in blood. Our power is immense, but the martial circles are too. There will inevitably be bloodshed. The innocent will suffer, the world will convulse. Is that what troubles you?”

The elder did not answer.

But his silence was answer enough.

“Father, resentment is never forgotten, but sometimes it must be forgotten. To pacify the world, someone must close their eyes. If we close our eyes and look away, the world will run its course in peace. But I ask:”

Baek Hoemyung’s eyes burned.

“Why must we be righteous?”

“…”

The gazes of father and son intertwined.

“Was Emperor Taizu righteous? Was Emperor Gaozu of Han righteous? In the end, justice is a judgment made by later generations. If we win, we will be righteous. If we lose, we will be unjust. Who will remember the reasons and circumstances?”

The elder nodded.

“Father, no! Patriarch!”

Baek Hoemyung spoke firmly.

“Baekgeom Fortress can forgive the world. It can offer benevolence to the world. But the Great Family of the Infinity Sword cannot forgive the world! And it will give it back. Are you the Leader of Baekgeom Fortress or the Patriarch of the Great Family of the Infinity Sword?”

“I…”

The elder replied without hesitation.

“I am the Patriarch of the Great Family of the Infinity Sword. Since I ascended to this position, since I inherited it from my father on his deathbed, I have never forgotten that fact.”

“Then why do you hesitate?”

“Yes, you are right.”

The elder’s face hardened.

He just wanted to confirm it. Not in his mind, but in the words of another.

Everyone needs to hear sometime that they are not wrong.

He knew that he was already riding the tiger and couldn’t get off, that’s why he needed to confirm it once more.

“The preparations?”

“Completed.”

“Yes, I understand. And those two?”

“They are motivated, they promised to fulfill their mission perfectly.”

“Of course.”

The elder smiled softly.

They had to.

“It’s too late to turn back. There is only forward.”

“Patriarch.”

It was no longer “father.” The elder noticed the difference.

Baek Hoemyung bowed his head and said:

“I dare not imagine the weight you carry on your shoulders. Nor the arduousness of the thorny path you have traveled. But I, no, everyone in the Great Family of the Infinity Sword, only follows in your wake.”

“Mmm.”

“Do not falter. Stand firm. Be our guide. And we will fight to the death for the glory of the Great Family of the Infinity Sword.”

The elder nodded.

“I have shown you weakness.”

“That’s not so.”

“I will not waver. I am unwavering. I have never wavered. It was just a confirmation.”

“I believe so.”

“The beginning?”

“Uncle will take care of it.”

“I see. That kid.”

“Yes.”

The elder looked at the horizon.

“Variables must be eliminated. The sky is capricious.”

“With uncle acting personally, that guy won’t be able to resist anymore. Starting with Sichuan, we will put the world in order.”

“It must be. Good, you may leave.”

“Yes. Then…”

Baek Hoemyung bowed deeply and withdrew with short steps. Only when he was out of the Patriarch’s sight did he let out a sigh.

‘Strange.’

He felt some discomfort.

His father was unwavering. He had confirmed it with his words, but he had also seen it for decades. Why say that now?

To assess if it was time to recognize Baek Hoemyung and pass him the leadership?

Impossible.

The right time would be after everything was over. He couldn’t cede the harvest of a lifetime to another. Then why ask that now?

Baek Hoemyung bit his lip.

‘I must stay alert.’

At this point, changes are unnecessary. If the Patriarch showed weakness, he had to compensate for it. Baek Hoemyung left the garden with a firm step.

“It has already begun.”

There is no turning back. No one will be able to stop them now.

In the garden pavilion that Baek Hoemyung had just left, the elder contemplated the sky.

The sky.

Yes, the sky.

He was fulfilling the mandate of heaven. The mandate to avenge the resentment of those who died unjustly.

How could he waver then?

Only one thing…

“Watch my back?”

Baek Hoemyung’s words were lodged in the elder’s chest.

A bitter smile froze on his lips.

“Oh Central Plains, Central Plains…! The time has come to pay for your sins. I have waited too long. And…”

The elder closed his eyes.

He heard it.

The sound of the wind.

The breeze that caressed him passed, and a new wind arrived.

“Infinity Sword…”

As if chasing an illusion, the elder reached out into the void. Grasping the air, he laughed melancholically.

“Infinity Sword, Infinity Sword… Hahaha, Infinity Sword…”

His hand traced an arc in the air.

As if dancing.

Like an old man drunk with emotion dancing clumsily, his hand caressed the void gently.

Whooosh!

The flowering garden split in two. But as if it were an illusion, it returned to normal.

The elder looked at his hand.

With a mixture of satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

“How far must I chase you? Infinity Sword, Infinity Sword…”

What the elder was chasing was a mystery that no one could decipher now.