Chapter 129

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"Cheong-cheong, you need to eat. I heard from the maidservant that you haven't eaten all day."

Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon, who had immediately left the Baek Ri household, headed to a nearby inn. He first carefully washed the child, who was dirty with tears, sweat, and insect carcasses, while meticulously checking for any injuries on his body. Throughout this, Cheong-ra cried continuously, as if all the sorrow he had been suppressing until now had burst forth.

Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon skillfully dressed the child and held him in his arms to comfort him, as if he had handled children many times before. Then he tried to feed dinner to his nephew who had finally stopped crying, but Cheong-ra shook his head and avoided the spoon touching his mouth. After much effort, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon managed to feed him a few strands of noodles and a warm cup of tea.

"Since when has Yeong-hye... no, your mother been locking you in there? When did she start doing such terrible things to you?"

Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon asked with a sigh, but Cheong-ra, disliking the negative talk about his mother, kept his mouth shut and turned his head away sharply.

Although she often acted very frightening towards him, Cheong-ra knew well that his mother loved him. When he was even younger, she had been an infinitely loving and gentle mother. Although she would occasionally become deeply depressed, clutching a small piece of jewelry and calling for someone, she rarely scolded Cheong-ra back then.

The maidservants said that the man Baek Ri Yeong-hye had met during her wanderings was probably the problem. They whispered that returning pregnant with Cheong-ra after parting with that man of unknown background was likely the cause of Baek Ri Yeong-hye's madness.

Hearing this, Cheong-ra thought that since he had caused his mother trouble, he should endure the harsh scoldings he received now.

So he resented his uncle who had forcibly separated him from his mother. He resented him, but on the other hand, he felt strange. In the Baek Ri household, neither his grandfather, grandmother, nor the occasionally seen other uncles or maidservants had ever gotten angry like this and rescued him. His uncle was the first.

The next day, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon headed to Moon Lake Sect early in the morning with Cheong-ra. Throughout the journey, he never let Cheong-ra out of his arms. He bought sweet candies to feed him and explained about Moon Lake Sect.

"Everyone will welcome you. They'll become like your family from now on. There won't be any scary or difficult things like in the Baek Ri household. I promise, this uncle will always protect you."

Cheong-ra hardly believed Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon's words. The suddenly appeared uncle felt unfamiliar, he was sad to leave the Baek Ri household where he had lived all his life, and Moon Lake Sect just seemed scary. He only wanted to see Baek Ri Yeong-hye. He wanted to return to his mother, who must be crying because he was gone, and be held in her warm, soft embrace.

Cheong-ra hadn't spoken a single word since leaving the Baek Ri household, making Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon sweat profusely. As a result, by the time they arrived at Moon Lake Sect, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon looked as if he had lost weight. Oh Tae-ryeong, who came out to greet him, frowned upon seeing the pretty boy child in her disciple's arms.

"Disciple Baek, you said you were going to visit your family home, but did you start a family and have a child somewhere?"

"Haha, our Cheong-cheong does resemble me a lot, doesn't he? Cheong-cheong, say hello. This is your uncle's master."

Cheong-ra, who had been hoping all the way here that his uncle might turn back and return to the Baek Ri household, became even more frightened when he met eyes with the expressionless Oh Tae-ryeong, and burst into loud sobs right there.

"Why does the child cry so sorrowfully? Does he miss his mother?"

As Oh Tae-ryeong said this and patted his head, Cheong-ra stopped crying for a moment in surprise, then began wailing again. Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon moved forward, comforting Cheong-ra with practiced ease.

"Cheong-cheong seems to have a lot pent up in his heart, so he cries a lot."

Although he didn't speak in detail in front of the child, Oh Tae-ryeong well understood that her disciple had circumstances difficult to speak of. Otherwise, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon, who had left saying he would greet his parents after a long time, wouldn't suddenly bring his nephew child to the sect.

Cheong-ra's sorrowful crying stopped again, this time because disciples dressed in martial arts uniforms with wooden swords at their waists came rushing over, calling "Master, Master." The young disciples, not yet even twenty years old, quickly greeted Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon first. Then they were surprised to see Cheong-ra, who looked just like their martial uncle.

"Martial Uncle Baek, did you have a son?"

"How can you say the same thing as Master Oh when you're disciples? How could I have a son when I'm not even married? This is my nephew, Cheong-ra."

Cheong-ra's eyes also widened, as he had rarely seen anyone other than adults, let alone peers, having been confined to the annex while staying at the Baek Ri household. The tallest boy among them, with bright eyes, approached and greeted him cheerfully.

"Hello, Cheong-ra. I'm Gong Hyeok-rin."

"Cheong-ra, you're really pretty. I'm Song Geum-hye. Call me Sister Geum-hye."

The girl beside him also greeted with a lively voice. Cheong-ra, not knowing these would become his martial brothers and sisters, just buried his face in his uncle's chest, whimpering. Gong Hyeok-rin and Song Geum-hye just smiled, finding him cute even though he ignored them.

Thus, on the first day at Moon Lake Sect, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon explained the detailed circumstances to Oh Tae-ryeong and asked her to accept his nephew as a disciple. Looking pitifully at his nephew who had fallen asleep after crying from missing his mother, he lamented.

"After seeing that terrible sight, I don't think I'll ever be able to scold Cheong-cheong again. I can't understand how such a gentle and good child could have been treated so harshly for any wrongdoing. ...So Master, please take good care of our Cheong-ra."

At first, Oh Tae-ryeong showed reluctance, but because Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon earnestly pleaded, even bowing his head, she decided to accept Cheong-ra as a disciple.

A few days later, Cheong-ra, confused, performed the discipleship ceremony without knowing what it was, just as he was told. After bowing deeply three times each to the Great Ancestral Master (his master's master's master), the Ancestral Master (his master's master), and Oh Tae-ryeong, he also wrote a discipleship pledge (a small booklet with a determination to serve the master well, along with his name) in crooked handwriting as Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon quietly instructed him from the side.

"From today on, call me Master."

Oh Tae-ryeong said calmly while patting Cheong-ra's head. However, even after that, Cheong-ra never called Oh Tae-ryeong "Master." In fact, he hadn't spoken a word since arriving at Moon Lake Sect, worrying Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon.

But Oh Tae-ryeong, seemingly unconcerned, called her disciples, including Gong Hyeok-rin and Song Geum-hye, and told them to call Cheong-ra their martial brother.

Oh Tae-ryeong's disciples found their first junior martial sibling, who had suddenly appeared even though it wasn't the time for new disciples, curious and welcome. Being the nephew of Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon, the martial uncle closest to Oh Tae-ryeong, they already felt a sense of familiarity. They found Cheong-ra, who was docile and obedient despite not having spoken a word yet, and pretty-looking, very cute and cherished him.

Although he was surrounded by people who cared for him, Cheong-ra didn't adapt to Moon Lake Sect for a while. He didn't laugh like a child should and didn't play much, remaining depressed.

As a result, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon's eyes became dark with fatigue. It was hard to put his nephew to sleep, and even when he seemed to be sleeping, he would wake up from nightmares and cry loudly. For over a month, he carried Cheong-ra on his back all night. When Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon was barely able to close his eyes without even eating breakfast, Oh Tae-ryeong would take Cheong-ra, personally feed him, and teach him about Moon Lake Sect's history and rules.

"You must serve and follow this master like a parent. You must also respect the elders of the sect and get along well with your martial brothers and sisters. Do you understand?"

For Cheong-ra, an adult who was strict yet affectionate like Oh Tae-ryeong was a type he had never experienced before. It wasn't just Oh Tae-ryeong who was affectionate.

After finishing their training, the martial brothers and sisters would flock to Cheong-ra and eat lunch together. Then they would take him to Moon Lake Sect's training grounds, the safe foothills near the sect, and the lower village of Little Lake, playing with him well. Especially among them, Gong Hyeok-rin and Song Geum-hye took care of Cheong-ra like real siblings.

None of them locked Cheong-ra in a dark cellar or put him in a chest full of insects. Far from teasing him with insects, his martial brothers and sisters cleared them away whenever they saw them. Receiving such care, Cheong-ra gradually opened the tightly closed door of his heart.

When Cheong-ra shyly called out "Master, Uncle" in a small voice after three months, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon shed tears, forgetting his dignity, and was scolded by Oh Tae-ryeong.

"Indeed, you certainly couldn't have played the role of Cheong-ra's master. You would have spoiled the child completely."

Yet Oh Tae-ryeong, who had been deeply concerned about Cheong-ra in her heart, also subtly showed signs of joy. Even after that, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon's emotional struggles didn't end easily. Cheong-ra, who had started speaking, often revealed traces of the strange abuse he had suffered, bewildering his uncle.

"Uncle, I've been wondering, is it okay not to tie me up?"

"Huh? Cheong-cheong, what do you mean? Not tie you up?"

Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon, who was checking on his young nephew's bedding, was puzzled. Cheong-ra wiggled his fingers and said,

"If I'm not tied up when sleeping, my sleeping habits will get worse."

"What?"

"If I don't lie straight and sleep quietly, I look ugly when sleeping. So I need to be tied up like this. That's how I can sleep quietly. It's to develop good habits before I grow up."

Hearing that this young child's body had been tied up every night to prevent bad sleeping habits, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon was so shocked and angry that he momentarily lost his words. His heart ached, and after a moment of speechlessness, he forced a smile and said,

"Should uncle watch and see if our Cheong-cheong sleeps prettily or not?"

Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon watched with open eyes as his nephew slept freely, tossing and turning all night, and then told Cheong-ra when he woke up in the morning that he didn't have a single unsightly aspect, so he didn't need to sleep tied up anymore. Only then did Cheong-ra stop worrying about his sleeping habits.

In addition, Cheong-ra frequently checked and rechecked, anxiously asking if he looked ugly or unsightly. He couldn't stand getting even slightly dirty and changed clothes several times a day. Even after joining his fellow disciples who had entered the sect later, he kept checking his appearance while playing and training with them. Whenever this happened, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon would tell Cheong-ra,

"Even when our Cheong-cheong becomes a grandfather, he will surely look cute in this uncle's eyes."

He reassured him kindly with such words.

As one year passed, then two years, and time flowed on, Cheong-ra came to regard Moon Lake Sect as his home and family. Nevertheless, the memories of his childhood spent in the Baek Ri household had a strong influence on his entire life.

Although Cheong-ra's obsession with his appearance gradually improved, it never completely disappeared. His fear of insects also didn't easily go away. He still feared becoming ugly and insects more than anything in the world.

And now, without his knowledge, such a frightening thing was inside his body.