Chapter 133
The Jinju Yeon Clan, which had been under a subtle tension for some time, was finally thrown into chaos.
Not because Yeon Ga-hye, who had vanished without a word, had returned.
Not even because she had returned after exposing a plot by the Demonic Cult.
And certainly not because she had become part of the group that defeated a major figure like the Bloodflame Fist Demon.
“What?! A marriage with that simple brute’s son from the Peng Clan?!”
“Ha! What’s so wrong with my son, huh?! But, Woojin... what you just said—was that true?!”
No, the real cause was that the two masters at the Flowering Stage, who had been quietly measuring each other, finally began to growl openly.
Of course, there were people around, and it wasn’t something worth a real fight, so neither drew weapons nor released their auras.
The atmosphere, however, was undeniably grim.
Masters who’ve reached the Flowering Stage often emanate a certain presence reflective of their lifelong pursuits. What the people nearby saw now felt less like an argument and more like a confrontation between a massive tiger and a ghost wreathed in terrifying Demonic Aura.
Normally, fear would be the natural response.
And yet, even amid that tension, Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye stood there tightly holding hands.
Those two... they really were something else. Their courage and resolve were far from ordinary.
Well, I guess we weren’t that different either.
“So? Can you explain what happened, son-in-law?”
It wasn’t animosity per se. Just a bit of pent-up frustration that had spilled out with a bit of force.
Understandable. His only daughter nearly died out there, and the son-in-law who saved her is constantly sticking his neck into danger.
Even a supreme master at the Flowering Stage is still human. He has feelings.
Sometimes, those feelings get the better of you.
Still, even that small burst of emotion was enough to make it feel like I’d stuck my head into the fanged jaws of a venomous snake.
Not that it works on me. After all, even the Heavenly Demon, hailed as the greatest of all, hadn’t drawn his sword on me.
Though, to be fair, he did die immediately afterward.
“I believe there’s been a misunderstanding, Father-in-law. It wasn’t me who ran away, but Tang Sowol. I was merely dragged into it.”
“Brother Cheon?!”
So no, I wasn’t scared or running from Tang Jincheon’s anger.
I just couldn’t bring myself to lie to my father-in-law as his son-in-law. I had to tell the truth.
“You’ve betrayed me, Brother Cheon...!”
“Betrayal? That’s a harsh word. How could I lie to Father-in-law, who was so worried and has helped us so much behind the scenes? Certainly not just because he said through sound transmission that he’d go easy on us if we were honest.”
“Father?! You told me the same thing via sound transmission! What kind of cross-examination is this...?!”
Tang Sowol covered her mouth with a slightly shocked expression.
But having watched her closely both before and after regression, I knew.
She was faking that surprise. She was trying to soften her father’s anger, even if just a little.
Though, maybe “scheming” isn’t the right word.
She probably picked up on my intent as soon as I spoke. So, “spontaneous teamwork” might be more accurate.
But we overlooked one thing.
No matter how much time I’d spent with Tang Sowol over multiple lives, Tang Jincheon had been her family for over twenty years—since she was a baby.
Our little trick was seen through instantly.
“Hah! So you think you can smooth things over like this? They look busy over there, so let’s have our talk separately. This isn’t something others need to hear.”
Tang Sowol and I clamped our mouths shut like mute idiots. And then—
“T-then we’ll excuse ourselves for a bit, Clan Head.”
“Kuheum. Yes, that’s best. Even family needs time to catch up.”
Taking the opportunity, Seol Lihyang and Seo Mun-Hwarin tried to sneak out quietly.
Naturally, I wasn’t about to let just the two of them get away.
“Father-in-law. Seol Lihyang was instrumental in helping us defeat the Bloodflame Fist Demon.”
“And Sister Harin stayed with me while I was separated from Brother Cheon. She protected me and helped wipe out the remaining Demonic Cult forces in Hubei. No matter what is discussed, both of them played vital roles.”
Whether she read my mind or not, Tang Sowol backed me up again, perfectly in sync.
And the response was... dramatic.
“Cheon Hwi, you...!”
“A-again, you’ve...!”
Seol Lihyang trembled from the sting of betrayal, and Seo Mun-Hwarin, clearly still bitter, twitched from being dragged into another serious conversation.
That’s right. You think you can slip away alone? No way. We’re all going to be uncomfortable together now.
As Sowol and I exchanged satisfied looks, we suddenly heard a deep sigh.
“Fine. Everyone, just come along.”
For some reason, his voice was softer now, less sharp than earlier.
I didn’t know why, but I was grateful for it.
The place Tang Jincheon led us to was... my room.
No special reason—my room had somehow become a sort of communal area.
The guest room given to me by the Yeon Clan was large enough for everyone.
So Tang Jincheon sat in the center, and the others gathered before him like children facing a stern elder.
Then he asked with genuine confusion:
“The White-Haired Rakshasa... no, why are you sitting there, Lady Seo Mun?”
“Uh... the flow of the conversation?”
Seo Mun-Hwarin awkwardly scratched her head and scooted over to the side.
Well, it made some sense. They’re both from powerful lineages and both Flowering Stage martial artists.
Though Seo Mun’s clan had fallen, she was once the head of a thriving house.
“Really, why were you sitting there, Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin?”
As I asked, honestly puzzled, she waved her arms in frustration.
“It’s because you keep treating me like a peer! The kids from the Peng and Yeon Clans show me proper respect, but you...!”
“That’s only because if we treated you like an actual elder, you’d get depressed.”
“Kuh...!?”
Flinching like I’d struck a nerve, she lowered her flailing arms quietly.
Well, I suppose that’s one of the side effects of Rejuvenation.
Even if I haven’t experienced it, everyone knows it messes with your self-image.
Tang Jincheon, understanding this, brushed it aside and finally spoke up.
“Anyway, I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“It was pure luck.”
“No. That’s not your usual humility talking—it really was luck. Don’t forget that.”
He looked over me and Seol Lihyang, checking carefully.
After confirming that neither of us had major injuries, he let out a sigh of relief.
“Huuu. There’s so much I wanted to say to you and Sowol. I even debated for a while what to bring up first...But in the end, the first question was obvious.”
“What is it?”
“Please, go ahead, Father.”
“Why did you run away in the first place? Did you think I wouldn’t approve? If you’d told me, I wouldn’t have stopped you. I had to come up with excuses to tell the Peng and Yeon clan heads... do you know how hard that was?”
A voice tinged with disappointment and frustration.
From the way he glanced to the side, he was probably thinking, “You brought Seo Mun-Hwarin but kept it secret from me?”
Seo Mun-Hwarin shot a sharp look at us, but... we had our reasons.
“Father-in-law. Actually, it wasn’t that we decided to sneak off without telling anyone after coincidentally hearing about the Demonic Cult from Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye at the Yongbong Gathering..."
“What do you mean?”
“Remember the strange medicinal incidents in Hubei you mentioned? They bothered me. So we kidnapped the two and interrogated them.”
“Did you just say... kidnapped?”
“The information we got turned out to be extremely dangerous. And we learned the cult was already targeting Woojin and Ga-hye. We had to act fast and discreetly.”
“Then you could’ve just discreetly and quickly told me.”
“You’re too well-known, Father-in-law. Plus, you already helped stop one of their plots with Hao Sect’s help. They probably got suspicious.”
“You could’ve just been honest.”
“Honestly? We figured you wouldn’t give permission since we always cause trouble every time we leave.”
“You damned son-in-law.”
“Oh, and the whole plan to leave a letter and sneak out while calling it a ‘runaway’—that was Tang Sowol’s idea.”
“You damned daughter.”
Should he hit us both or not? In the end, Tang Jincheon could only let out yet another deep sigh.
“Huuu... well, I understand why you did it now. No one expected you to encounter the Bloodflame Fist Demon.”
“Actually, about that—I have something to share.”
“More important than how you beat him?
Both you and Lady Seol feel like your presence has changed significantly.”
“That’s important too, but this is about something we found after defeating him.”
I stopped speaking and took out the letter from the Bloodflame Fist Demon, which I’d kept carefully tucked away.
Tang Jincheon read it slowly, his expression hardening as he went, until eventually, he became expressionless.
The pressure in the air grew heavy—far stronger than before.
And then, letting his killing intent flow freely, he spoke.
“Is this letter real? Are they really turning people into man-eating ghosts?”
“We believe it’s true.”
“This is escalating quickly. I’ll stop by Wuhuan again on my way back to Sichuan and meet the Alliance Leader.”
“Since you’ll already be in Wuhuan, would you mind stopping by Anhui before heading to Sichuan?”
“Why Anhui, all of a sudden?”
“I made a promise to have a sparring match with the Young Lord of the Namgung Clan.”
“If there’s no set date, can’t it wait?”
“Well, actually...”
Before I could answer, Seo Mun-Hwarin spoke up first.
“Poison King. From what I’ve seen, Hwi needs broader exposure to sword techniques right now.”
“Sword experience, you say?”
“Yes. The Tang Clan is a fine house with its own swordsmanship, and I’m sure they’ve trained him well, but...
You and I are not swordsmen.”
She continued with a somewhat regretful tone.
“I offered to teach him the Seo Mun Clan’s techniques, but he declined. So he should at least duel another swordsman. That way, the willpower he just awakened can grow sharper and stronger.”
“Did you say willpower?”
“He’s found the beginning of it. Though he can’t fully control it yet...”
“I only felt his presence get a bit stronger.”
“You know better than anyone that your son-in-law isn’t someone who can be judged by appearances. His internal energy is still unstable, so you probably missed it.”
Tang Jincheon looked at me, eyes filled with awe, surprise, and a touch of guilt.
I smiled and shook my head.
“Even if there’s still more to grow, the inner energy problem will be resolved soon.”
“Most Tang Clan elixirs contain poison. They’d be dangerous for you.”
“Which is why I arranged to receive them from the Peng and Yeon Clans.”
“???”
As Tang Jincheon blinked in confusion, I added proudly:
“As thanks for saving their lives, Peng Woojin and Yeon Ga-hye promised to request elixirs on my behalf from their clan heads. Since I’m technically their savior, they’ll probably oblige.”
“Hmm. I understand now. So you're saying... you kidnapped people, then saved them, and now you’re getting elixirs in return?”
“You make it sound like I’m some vicious criminal...”
Tang Jincheon finally relaxed, letting out a laugh as he raised the corners of his lips.
“I was joking.”
It was a joke, right?