Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 339: Moon Yul

TL: FoodieMonster007

Artist Pung Wol lowered the brush he held and looked at the painting he had just completed. Two people were featured in the painting, the Ice Moon Goddess and the young man who claimed to be her disciple.

Although Baek Suryong had performed the sword dance alone, he had unconsciously painted the Ice Moon Goddess opposite him, as if she were there dancing with him.

I painted her without even realizing it.

Under the soft moonlight, snowflakes scattered around the two dancers, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty.

Also, in the painting, the Ice Moon Goddess Eun Yerin remained beautiful and noble, with eyes for only one person.

"So you saw the same thing I did," Geomno, who had approached Artist Pung Wol quietly, remarked as he looked at the painting.

"…Anyone who knew Eun Yerin would surely have recalled her from that sword dance just now."

The two old men gazed at the painting with mixed emotions. Memories they had thought long faded resurfaced in their minds.

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A long time ago, on the day they had first met the Ice Moon Goddess Eun Yerin. She, who was always annoyed by the flies constantly buzzing around her, had sighed with a totally exasperated expression upon seeing them.

"Did you two also fall for my beauty and come to confess? I refuse in advance, so get lost while I'm still being nice."

"What the hell?"

"Hey, fight me!"

"…Huh?"

However, it was Eun Yerin who was instead bewildered by the two of them. At the time, Artist Pung Wol was a young painter mad about painting, and Geomno was a young martial artist mad about martial arts.

They were different from the other men who had approached Eun Yerin because they were captivated by her beauty.

"I thought I'd try painting a martial artist from the North Sea Ice Palace since you guys are a rare sight here, but your personality seems quite awful."

"Personality doesn't matter as long as she's strong. So fight me!"

"…What in the world?"

Not long later, the three eccentrics, each peculiar in their own unique way, became close friends and often spent time together.

Then ome day, Eun Yerin, who always treated men as coldly as ice, brought along a frail scholar and introduced him as her lover.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Moon Yul. I've heard that you two are Yerin's best friends. Please take good care of me."

"……"

"……"

Initially, the two men had thought that Moon Yul was a martial artist so extraordinary that he appeared ordinary, but he turned out to be a very ordinary scholar.

So why on earth was Eun Yerin, who remained aloof even before the most good-looking rich young masters, acting coquettish in front of a mere frail scholar?

"Eun Yerin. Why are you suddenly acting like a graceful lady?"

"Yeah, why is your voice different from usual? Did you eat poison?"

"???" Moon Yul, who knew nothing about how his new girlfriend usually behaved, blinked in confusion and smiled innocently.

Eun Yerin, on the other hand, glared at her friends with a murderous expression and warned telepathically, [You guys wanna die?]

"Pfft…"

"Kukuku…"

The two old men chuckled simultaneously. Thanks to the painting before them, they could reminisce the good old times, even if just for a moment.

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"Whew…" Baek Suryong finished catching his breath and opened his eyes.

The two old men approached him with apologetic expressions.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding. Are your internal injuries okay?" Artist Pung Wol asked.

"I'm fine." Baek Suryong nodded. He had coughed up a little blood, but the internal injuries weren't severe.

From their words, he understood that the two old men suspected the Blood Cult was the reason Eun Yerin had disappeared. In such a situation, if someone suddenly appeared claiming to be her disciple, that was certainly grounds for suspicion.

Looking at Artist Pung Wol, Baek Suryong reminded, "So, the answer to my question…"

"Follow me. I'll explain everything on the way."

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"I will go ahead and prepare," Geomno said, then used his movement arts and zoomed off.

Artist Pung Wol watched him for a moment before turning back to Baek Suryong. "It will take some time, so let's walk for a bit."

"…Okay."

As the two took a stroll along an autumn forest path covered in fallen leaves, the scenery changed from night back to day. Despite the intense battle, it seemed thay the sorcery formation still encompassed the entire manor.

"…Did you witness her final moments?" Artist Pung Wol asked.

Baek Suryong nodded. "Until the very end, she always pined for her lover."

Artist Pung Wol came to a halt, looked up at the sky and sighed. "First, let's get one thing straight. I am not Moon Yul."

"…Is that so?" Baek Suryong muttered. He had held a slight hope that perhaps Moon Yul had learned sorcery and operated under the alias Artist Pung Wol, but it seemed that it was just an empty wish.

Damn it, Moon Yul must be dead…

Baek Suryong sighed, about to give up, when Artist Pung Wol added, "Moon Yul is staying here with us. Geomno is waking him up right now."

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"…He's alive?"

Artist Pung Wol nodded, but his expression was bitter. "He's still breathing, at least."

Baek Suryong looked at him in confusion. Something about his choice of words sounded peculiar.

Artist Pung Wol explained, "Moon Yul has been frail since a young age. He didn't have a specific illness, but he was born with a weak constitution and is prone to catching ilnesses."

The scenery of the path they walked gradually changed. The path covered in fallen leaves became a white path covered in snow, and the two men left footprints on the softly piled snow.

"The Ice Moon Goddess wanted to make her lover healthy in the hopes that they could grow old together. As you know, murim masters have very long lifespans."

Baek Suryong nodded in understanding. A peerless master like the Ice Moon Goddess could easily live for well over a century. If the person they loved wasn't beside them, however, what meaning would such a long life hold?

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"One day, she excitedly told me that she heard rumors about the Divine Physician's whereabouts."

"……"

From here on, it was a story Baek Suryong was familiar with.

The Blood Cult had been watching the Ice Moon Goddess ever since she emerged into the murim. They, who were looking for an opportunity to steal the greatest Ice Arts, learned that she had a secret lover who was very sickly, and that she was searching for a way to make him healthy.

"The unknown source of that rumor made me uneasy, so I tried to persuade her not to go, but…"

"Nine out of ten rumors in the murim are nonsense. It might be a trap!"

"If there's even a one-in-ten chance, it's worth investigating."

"You stubborn fool… Fine. Who can bend your will?"

"Just watch over him until I return. I'll be back as quickly as possible."

After that day, however, Artist Pung Wol never saw the Ice Moon Goddess again.

"She probably didn't want to worry him, so the wicked woman lied to Moon Yul, saying she was going out for a few days. What was I supposed to do if she never came back?"

The scenery surrounding them changed increasingly rapidly. The passage of the seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, unfolded repeatedly, as if to illustrate the fleeting years the friends had shared, devoid of purpose or significance.

"Moon Yul waited for her here all that time, never uttering a single complaint. During that time, he learned both painting and sorcery from me. That period lasted over ten years."

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"Ten years…"

"When she returns, I will show her a healthier version of myself."

Whenever the sorcery training became too strenuous, Moon Yul would say that with a pale face. He never asked a single word about the Ice Moon Goddess, as if he knew why she had left.

"Those were very chaotic times. The Blood Cult's power had significantly weakened due to internal strife, and the orthodox murim was assembling forces to finish them off… In the midst of all that, one day, Moon Yul suddenly disappeared." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

"…What?" Baek Suryong exclaimed in surprise.

*The man who had waited patiently for ten years disappeared without a word? …Wait a minute! Wasn't that shortly after Master Eun's death? Did he sense something when she passed?

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"I distributed portraits of Moon Yul and searched high and low, but I couldn't find him since that troublesome fellow used a human skin mask. Sigh, he could have at least said something before going…"

"Didn't you say earlier that he was here?" Baek Suryong asked.

Artist Pung Wol nodded sadly. "Yes, because twenty years after he up and left, he returned, barely clinging to life, loaded onto the freight wagon of an escort agency as it traveled to Xi'an."

"……"

"It was a stroke of heavenly luck. The head of that escort agency happened to be an acquaintance of mine and remembered the portrait I distributed years ago. The sorcery Moon Yul learned from me probably helped a little too."

Moon Yul, who had wandered alone searching for his lover for decades, finally returned to Xi'an.

The returned Moon Yul, however, was no longer the man he used to be.

"Try to understand if Moon Yul's reaction isn't what you expect. Too much time has passed."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll know when you see him."

The scenery stopped changing.

Baek Suryong sensed Geomno and a stranger's aura from afar.

This is…

In front of a small detached building at the back of the manor stood an old man leaning on a cane. His aura was so faint, it wouldn't be strange if it flickered out at any moment.

"The old man you see over there is Moon Yul."

"……"

Geomno was supporting the old man by his side.

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Spotting Artist Pung Wol, Moon Yul smiled brightly. "Hyung-nim."

Baek Suryong could hardly believe his eyes. Moon Yul's smile was so pure it was hard to believe it belonged to an old man. He wore glasses, perhaps due to poor eyesight, but even with age, he exuded the calm, gentle atmosphere characteristic of a scholar who loved books.

"I heard a guest was coming, so I hurried to get up. You should have told me beforehand." Moon Yul turned to look at Baek Suryong. "Are you Yerin's friend?"

"…My name is Baek Suryong." Unsure how to respond, Baek Suryong performed a clasped hands greeting.

The response that came back, however, caught him completely off guard.

"Oh dear. Yerin has stepped out for a moment. She should return before sunset, so please wait here a bit."

"…Pardon?" Baek Suryong asked, bewildered.

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Artist Pung Wol whispered telepathically, [It's dementia. He's not quite right in the head.]

"……"

[His time stopped sixty years ago. He believes his lover will come when night falls, and when tomorrow comes, he forgets what happened today. He waits endlessly. Even if you tell him she's dead… he won't believe you.]

Baek Suryong was speechless. He had only thought about whether Master Eun's lover was dead or alive, and had never imagined a situation like this.

Would it be better not to tell him that she's dead?

He briefly considered it, but ultimately, he decided to convey the truth. Even if Moon Yul didn't believe him or blamed him, he had a duty to deliver Master Eun's last words.

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Baek Suryong reached out and took Moon Yul's thin hand. "Elder. I have something to tell you."

Moon Yul, surprised, tried to pull his hand away. "Elder? You seem about the same age as me, so why are you making such a bad joke…"

VWOOOOM!

Suddenly, the White Ice Bangles on both their wrists began to glow pure white and resonate. Within seconds, a clear, cool energy enveloped the two.

Baek Suryong blinked in shock. He had not anticipated this.

"Ah…" Clarity slowly returned to Moon Yul's hazy eyes.

It was a temporary phenomenon. A miracle created when the pair of White Ice Bangles, separated for so long, sensed and resonated with each other.

"…Did Yerin send you here?" Moon Yul asked, vitality returning to his eyes as he stared at the White Ice Bangle on Baek Suryong's left hand.

"Moon Yul! Have you regained your senses!"

"How…?"

Artist Pung Wol and Geomno stared at Moon Yul in astonishment, and Moon Yul grinned back at them.

Confirming that Moon Yul was now of sound mind, Baek Suryong clasped his hands together in greeting again. "I am her disciple. I came here to deliver her last words."

"…Finally. I was waiting for this" Moon Yul replied calmly, neither flustered nor surprised.

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As expected. He already knew that something had happened to her.

Baek Suryong conveyed Master Eun's last words sincerely, "She asked you not to wait for her any longer. She would go first now and wait for you there, so you should take your time before going to meet her."

"……"

"She missed you right up until her last breath. She desperately wanted to return here, to your side."

Moon Yul smiled silently.

To Baek Suryong's surprise, however, the smile of a man who had waited decades for his lover wasn't sad but radiant.

"Can you tell me more about Yerin? I want to know how you met and what you talked about," Moon Yul asked.

"That's…" For a moment, Baek Suryong regretted not being able to tell him everything truthfully. Since Moon Yul was Master Eun's lover, he didn't want to fabricate a story to hide the uncomfortable facts.

I've already said too much.

Moreover, Artist Pung Wol and Geomno were listening. Although they were retired from the murim and uninterested in its affairs, there were still secrets that should never be revealed to the world.

"My apologies. This is all I can say."

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"If it is too difficult to speak directly, then…" Moon Yul carefully extended his hand. "Would you allow me to meet the Yerin in your memories?"

"Pardon?"

"It's a type of sorcery. Don't worry, it won't cause you any harm."

"No, Moon Yul! You can't use that spell!" Artist Pung Wol exclaimed in horror.

Moon Yul shook his head gently. "Hyung-nim, this is my last wish. Please allow me this bit of stubbornness."

"You…!" Artist Pung Wol cried out. Deep down, though, he knew that Moon Yul's current mental clarity was nothing more than terminal lucidity. His old friend had no reason to fear the consequences of using forbidden sorcery.

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Finally, Artist Pung Wol turned and walked away, sighing, "…Fine, do as you wish."

Geomno also nodded at Baek Suryong and left the room. "It seems like you won't take no for an answer, so I'll accept your decision.

"Thank you."

Moon Yul held out his right hand, which sported the White Ice Bangle, and Baek Suryong extended his left hand to meet it. The moment their palms touched, Moon Yul uttered a soft incantation.

FWOOOSH!

Baek Suryong felt his consciousness being sucked away, and the next moment, he regained consciousness in an unfamiliar place… No, it wasn't completely unfamiliar.

Isn't this place… the old bookstore where Master Eun's portrait was displayed?

The atmosphere in the bookstore back then was quite different from what it was now, but more importantly, a young Eun Yerin and Moon Yul were there, standing right in front of him.

Translator's Note: Sorry about the late chapter, but I was too jetlagged yesterday.