Chapter 5

"Do you have a problem? What are you going to do about it? We'll see who really makes a fool of themselves!"

Until then, Hanje's father, who had been watching his son's expression, couldn't shake off his uneasy premonition.

"Hanje, what happened to you?"

Hanje's mother asked cautiously, her face full of hope.

Hanje couldn't say anything. Then, Eesan broke the silence with a sneer.

"I told you before, didn't I? You don't have the talent. Look, you just wasted your steps and ended up embarrassed. I passed the first test right away, but I clearly heard that you failed the next one, whatever it was, three times. You should have listened to me. The fourth uncle's son is probably stronger than you."

At this, the fourth uncle frowned.

"Eesan, although you have become a disciple of a sage, you are too rude. Whether my son has talent or not is none of your business."

Eesan glared coldly and said no more.

Hanje's father suddenly looked ten years older. He slumped into a chair, drained of all energy. Hanje's mother stood there, dazed for a long time.

"Hanje, is... is that true?"

Hanje bit his lower lip and knelt on the floor. After bowing his head several times, he finally spoke.

"Father, Mother, I am sorry for not becoming a sage's disciple. I will repay your kindness even if I have to die."

Hanje's mother ran to him, hugged him, and sobbed.

"Our son, it's okay. Don't be sad. Although you didn't become a sage's disciple, there will be another exam next year, won't there? Give up on that and don't even think of doing something foolish."

Hanje's father also regained his strength and looked at his son with a steady gaze. He wanted to run over and hug his son but held back and said,

"Hanje, don't think of doing anything foolish. I'm here. Trust me and go back and study. There will be another exam next year."

The relatives around them began to murmur. They kept their distance from Hanje's family as if they were just watching a spectacle, and started to say all sorts of things.

"Hanje, I always thought he wouldn't make it. How can you compare him to Eesan? He's a disgrace to the family."

Hanje's sixth uncle said mockingly.

"Right, I told you. Hanje, he was a liar from the start... His father couldn't succeed, so he tried to make his son succeed, but it all came out in the open. What can you do?"

The fifth uncle, who had been flattering Hanje's father until a moment ago, suddenly changed his expression and turned on him.

"Three of them went, but only Hanje failed the exam? He's the worst in the Lee family. I'm so embarrassed. I take back what I said about getting along with the second uncle's family. It almost caused a big problem."

Even among the women, such words were exchanged.

"A few days ago, I saw Hanje in the neighboring village. I said then that he looked dim-witted. How can you compare him to Eesan or Ehyun?"

Hanje's fifth aunt also mocked him.

"I always thought he wouldn't make it. Look at his parents. How could such a sage come from them? Eesan and Ehyun have real talent, but Hanje... His name doesn't even sound right."

The people present pointed at Hanje's family without a trace of sympathy, a stark contrast to their flattery just moments ago. The insults were so blatant that Hanje's parents turned pale.

Seeing this, Hanje clenched his fists. The mocking words he heard only fueled his anger and left deep scars in his heart.

Eesan's father, Eesanghoon, said with a seemingly indifferent face, as if secretly mocking,

"Second, didn't I tell you? To become a sage's disciple, you need the right connections. It's stricter than you think. If you're not as outstanding as my son, you don't even get a chance. It's just your bad luck. What will you do now that your son is so despondent?"

Hanje's father couldn't take it anymore and turned his head, glaring angrily and shouting,

"Shut up! I know you and the relatives colluded to take the property my father left me before he passed away! How dare you mock me? You're all the same! You flattered me just a moment ago, and now you mock me? You're not even human!"

Eesanghoon, enraged, retorted,

"What do you mean by bringing up the past? I gave you good advice, but you're angry with me because your son isn't talented. As the saying goes, the water below is clear only if the water above is clear. Your son is just like you!"

Hanje stood there, seemingly frozen, listening to all the insults and mockery. Each word that belittled him and his parents tore at his heart. He glared fiercely at the relatives around him, memorizing each of their faces.

"You! I'll kill you!"

Hanje's father, unable to control himself, picked up a chair from the floor, but the fourth uncle quickly stopped him and said quietly,

"Second brother, don't. I'm here. Trust me."

Then, the fourth uncle glared at Eesanghoon and said,

"Eldest brother, I can't stand this anymore. If you insult the second brother in front of me again, we're done."

Eesanghoon was taken aback, knowing the fourth brother's extensive connections. Then, the oldest uncle, the third grandfather, interjected,

"No, fourth. That's your fault. The second brother's son lacks talent. Hanje just isn't cut out for it. If the elders say so, you should know."

A letter

"Yes, fourth brother. Eesan is right. Your son, Jun, is better than Hanje. Whether he can become a sage is another matter."

Eesangjae's fifth brother chimed in, and Eesan, feeling superior, added,

"This is all because of their actions. We warned them, but they didn't listen, and now they're angry and throwing tantrums."

Ehyun, unable to bear it, tried to speak,

"Hanje..."

But his father glared fiercely, and Ehyun stopped.

Hanje's fourth uncle sighed and said quietly,

"If anyone talks about this again, I won't stand for it. Hanje just had bad luck. Let's end this here. Hanje, don't take it to heart. What if you're not a disciple of Dae San? I know many martial arts sects. I can talk to them, and you can go with Jun. I was planning to send Jun there anyway."

Eesan smirked and said,

"Hey, Hanje. Do as the fourth uncle says. I don't know if they'll accept you if you tell them you failed at Dae San."

Hanje, who had been silent until then, lifted his head, looked directly at Eesan, and said quietly,

"Eesan, listen carefully. No matter what happens, I will never forget what you and your father did to my family. I will repay this humiliation a hundred, a thousand times over."

Eesan, momentarily taken aback by Hanje's intensity, quickly resumed his mocking tone. However, the fourth uncle frowned and said to Eesan,

"You're just a little brat. I don't want to waste any more time on you. Stop your foolishness. How could Dae San accept such a person?"

Eesan's father, his face turning red with anger, shouted,

"How dare you!"

The people around them sneered at the scene.

Hanje's fourth uncle, finding it absurd, burst into laughter, then suddenly stopped and glared coldly at his eldest brother.

"What did you say? How dare you? How dare you?"

Eesangjae tried to calm his brother,

"Fourth, stop it. Think about your wife and children. There's no need to do this for me. I will remember your kindness for life. Let's go home with Hanje."

The fourth uncle glared fiercely at Eesan's father, then looked steadily at his second brother and nodded. Soon, Hanje's family and the fourth uncle left.

Even after a long carriage ride, Hanje could still hear the mocking voices of his relatives.

Hanje's father sighed. It would be a lie to say he wasn't disappointed. But even if Hanje didn't pass the sage's test, he was still his son.

"Hanje, don't worry. When I first left home, I was more desperate than you are now. But look, I've made it this far. There will be another exam next year, so let's go home and prepare. If you don't want to study, you can go with the fourth uncle."

Hanje's mother looked at her son with a tender gaze.

"Hanje, don't do anything foolish. I only have you. If anything happens to you, I can't live. Son, let's overcome this trial."

Seeing his mother's tears, Hanje nodded.

"Father, Mother, don't worry. I won't do anything foolish. I have my own thoughts. Don't worry too much."

Hanje's mother hugged her son tightly.

Thanks to his mother's warmth, Hanje felt his heart's wounds slowly healing.

It had been a tiring day. As fatigue set in, Hanje fell asleep in the swaying carriage, dreaming of becoming a sage and flying with his parents to the sky.

When Hanje finally woke up late at night, he looked around his familiar room and sighed. He opened his eyes wide and steeled his resolve.

"I won't give up on the path to becoming a sage. I will go back to Dae San. If they don't accept me as a disciple, I will keep looking for other sects where I can become a sage."

Hanje made up his mind, packed a simple bag, and left the house, leaving a letter behind.

"I won't give up on the path to becoming a sage. I will go back to Dae San. If they don't accept me as a disciple, I will keep looking for other sects where I can become a sage."

Hanje, with a firm resolve, shouldered his bag and left the village.

The bright moonlight illuminated the path, and the stars in the sky guided him on a deep night. Hanje thus set off, traveling far and wide.

★ ★ ★

Hanje continued walking east without stopping. By the seventh day, he had entered a deep mountain where even wild beasts rarely ventured. Taking careful steps, Hanje, as dawn approached, finally saw a familiar mountain peak shrouded in clouds in the distance.

Exhausted, Hanje sat down to rest and regain his strength. He then looked at the place where Dae San was located with a determined gaze.

Suddenly, he heard a rough breathing sound from behind. It was undoubtedly that of a wild beast.

The moment he turned his head, his face turned pale. A large white tiger was staring at him with fierce eyes.