Chapter 199 : It Has to Be Done Properly. -01
Chapter 199: It Has to Be Done Properly. -01
Shangguan Bo’s pupils widened greatly.
At the same time, they shook violently from side to side.
He had assumed Ban Hojin had not yet returned, so hearing that he was already back startled him.
“Judging by your expression, it seems you are not particularly pleased.”
“Th, that cannot be. No, that is not the case, Abbot.”
Shangguan Bo hastily composed his expression.
But Damhyeon had already seen his reaction in full.
It was clearly not the response of someone relieved, and Damhyeon let out a faint inward chuckle.
“Of course, of course I intend to visit Young Hero Ban as well. I merely thought to offer my apology to you first, Abbot. However….”
“It seems you have forgotten what this poor monk said. Or are you pretending not to have heard it? The one you must apologize to is not me. And even if I were included, your priorities are mistaken.”
Damhyeon cut Shangguan Bo off mid-sentence.
It was far too obvious that he was trying to steer the conversation to suit his own intentions.
From Shangguan Bo’s standpoint, it was only natural, but to Damhyeon even that seemed contemptible.
“I am aware of that as well. Still, since I came to see you first, I wished to offer my apology. I also wanted to explain the full circumstances. If my thinking has offended you in any way, I sincerely apologize. To add, I truly did not know. Had I known Young Hero Ban had returned, I would have sent a letter in advance suggesting we meet together.”
Shangguan Bo lowered himself humbly.
He knew the entire situation was unfavorable to both himself and the Shangguan Family.
Though there was no direct evidence, the circumstances alone were enough to arouse suspicion, so he did not attempt any clumsy denial.
He admitted what he had to and lowered himself appropriately.
Now was the time to weather the storm.
One wrong move could mean the annihilation of his family, and Shangguan Bo was desperate.
“Then go.”
“…Pardon?”
“This poor monk will receive Hojin afterward.”
“Excuse me….”
At Damhyeon’s firm tone, which left not the slightest room for negotiation, Shangguan Bo swallowed dryly.
Then, putting on the most pitiful expression he could muster, he began again.
Elsewhere it might not matter, but this was Shaolin Temple.
It was a place that followed the will of the Greatly Compassionate Buddha, and Shangguan Bo clung to that thin thread of hope.
“Speak.”
“I know this is shameless of me to say. But please, think of it as saving a man’s life—could you not come with us? You know best, Abbot, that Young Hero Ban is still young. His emotions may overtake his reason. That is what worries me.”
“Is that not something the Family Head must bear himself?”
“Abbot….”
At Damhyeon’s immediate refusal, Shangguan Bo’s eyes shook violently.
He had not expected Damhyeon to respond this way.
No matter his mistake, he had not anticipated such coldness, and he was genuinely flustered.
“Ah, and there is something I wish to ask you, Family Head. What do you intend to do about the Young Lord?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Will you go to see Hojin alone? As I understand it, the origin of this entire matter lies with the Young Lord.”
“…If you wish, I will bring him along. So please, Abbot, also….”
“Go.”
Damhyeon cut him off once more.
As if he had no intention whatsoever of changing his initial decision.
At that unwavering stance, Shangguan Bo’s face turned pale.
He could tell there would be no reversal this time.
“…Understood.”
Realizing he had been cornered, Shangguan Bo bit his lower lip.
He had intended to resolve the situation quickly, but everything had gone awry.
Ban Hojin had returned to Songshan earlier than expected.
That fact irritated him to no end.
‘I moved with the utmost secrecy on purpose.’
Fearing that the Hao Sect might learn of his movements, Shangguan Bo had departed from the main house as discreetly as possible.
He knew well how deeply connected Ban Hojin was with the Hao Sect.
He had hoped to settle matters privately with Damhyeon, but in the end, he had failed.
‘If that idiot had just handled the job properly…!’
The more he thought about it, the more resentment surged within him.
Had Danwi simply carried out the commission correctly, it would never have come to this.
And the task entrusted to Danwi had not been solely for Shangguan Jeok’s benefit.
It would have benefited the Four Dragons buried beneath Ban Hojin as well, yet the other Prestigious Families had turned a blind eye to that greater cause, and that displeased Shangguan Bo.
‘If it had succeeded, they would have been the first to cheer.’
Though his chest burned and his head felt ready to burst into flames, Shangguan Bo barely regained his composure.
Now he had to appear as pitiful as possible.
To draw out Damhyeon’s sympathy.
To make him feel compassion.
“This poor monk will wait here.”
“I will return as quickly as possible.”
Unlike Damhyeon’s flat tone, Shangguan Bo deliberately inserted deep sighs between his words.
He wanted to appear as a father filled with regret for failing to raise his son properly.
Unfortunately, that intention failed.
No matter what expression Shangguan Bo made or what he said, Damhyeon showed no reaction whatsoever.
Creak.
Though disappointed inwardly, Shangguan Bo did not show it.
Maintaining the same demeanor throughout, he rose from his seat and left the Abbot’s Quarters.
Ban Hojin let out a short laugh at the sight of the father and son who had come unannounced.
It was an open, incredulous chuckle.
Yet despite Ban Hojin’s cold reception, neither dared protest.
“Please, sit.”
“…Thank you.”
Shangguan Jeok replied as he quickly studied Ban Hojin’s expression.
Despite their sudden arrival, Ban Hojin’s reaction was not as bad as expected.
They had feared he might fly into a rage and draw his sword immediately, but fortunately it had not gone that far.
In fact, as they had heard, he appeared indifferent to most things, and Shangguan Bo felt a quiet sense of relief.
“Why have you come?”
However, the moment Ban Hojin sat down and went straight to the point, they were caught off guard.
He did not even pour tea.
He was willing to meet them since they had come, but he had no intention of treating them as guests.
Shangguan Jeok seemed to realize this as well, and his face stiffened at once.
“I have heard you are rather impatient. It seems that rumor was true.”
“That is correct. I detest wasting time on meaningless matters.”
“Ahem! I believe you know why we have come. The Abbot may have sent word.”
“He did not.”
Ban Hojin answered briefly, his gaze lingering on Shangguan Jeok.
He had not expected Shangguan Jeok to come along.
Though Shangguan Jeok did not know it, Ban Hojin knew quite a great deal about him.
Which made the current situation rather interesting.
“The Abbot must have shown consideration.”
Shangguan Bo cautiously gauged Ban Hojin’s expression.
The first step seemed to have gone well, but it was far too early to relax.
Youth meant hot blood, and hot blood meant the situation could change in an instant.
Moreover, his son sat beside him with clear displeasure written across his face, which made Shangguan Bo uneasy.
‘At twenty-one, he is more a boy than a man. If handled well, perhaps this tangled thread may yet be unraveled.’
Shangguan Bo knew full well how formidable Ban Hojin was.
His fame under heaven was too resounding to ignore.
If anything, because of what they had done, the Shangguan Family had gathered more information about Ban Hojin than anyone else.
He had been deeply worried, yet now that they faced each other, he thought the matter might be resolved more easily than expected.
‘Besides, he knows nothing about what passed between me and Danwi.’
A cunning scheme surfaced in Shangguan Bo’s mind.
If Ban Hojin knew what had transpired between him and Danwi, he would never have remained quiet.
Rather than this subtle pressure, he would have stormed in openly and accused them of their crimes.
The fact that he had not meant that neither Ban Hojin nor Shaolin Temple possessed clear evidence or testimony.
“More than consideration, he trusts me. He knows what I will do. But your words are taking rather long.”
“…What?”
“Did you not come to apologize to me? Together with the Young Lord.”
A voice colder than ice pierced into the chests of Shangguan Bo and Shangguan Jeok.
At that blunt, unvarnished remark, Shangguan Bo forced an awkward smile.
The atmosphere had shifted in a single sentence, and he tried to lighten it.
“That is correct. Though it is late, we had our own circumstances. We truly did not expect a misunderstanding to grow this large. Is that not so?”
“…That is correct.”
Shangguan Bo nudged his son’s arm with his elbow.
In a voice barely louder than an ant’s, Shangguan Jeok replied.
“A misunderstanding.”
“We came to resolve that misunderstanding.”
“So not to apologize, but to resolve a misunderstanding?”
“Ahem! We intend to apologize as well. Regardless of our initial intent, the result was indeed our mistake.”
At Ban Hojin’s incredulous tone, Shangguan Bo hastily corrected himself.
Then he smiled warmly.
It was said that one could not spit on a smiling face.
Shangguan Bo continued, grinning affably.
“I say this with certainty—what you believe is a misunderstanding. We never made such a request to Danwi. We merely had a slight connection in the past, and because of that he visited our main house and we met. Then, by chance, your name came up, and Danwi grew curious about your reputation and visited Shaolin Temple. We never asked him to cripple you nor commissioned your death! This I swear! I said the same to the Abbot earlier!”
At first Shangguan Bo spoke as though wronged, but as he went on, his voice gradually rose.
As if declaring the innocence of himself and the Shangguan Family.
All the while, he subtly repeated the word “we.”
He was deliberately blurring responsibility so that the fault would not rest solely upon Shangguan Jeok.
‘Interesting.’
Ban Hojin did not miss it.
When Shangguan Bo casually brought Damhyeon into the matter as well, Ban Hojin let out a crooked smile.
At the same time, he thought how people truly never changed.
“So, how about we clear up the misunderstandings between us here and now? If you prefer, we may even move to the Abbot’s Quarters.”
Shangguan Bo studied Ban Hojin’s expression.
The crooked smile was growing deeper, and unease crept into his chest.
He wanted to relocate before Ban Hojin exploded.
To a place where Ban Hojin could not act recklessly.
“You insist on calling it a misunderstanding to the very end. A man nearly died because of that misunderstanding. Is it acceptable because he did not die? Then I suppose I may do the same.”
“Hahaha! Why such violent words? We did not come to fight. We came personally to apologize, did we not? Jeok and I.”
At Ban Hojin’s sharp tone, Shangguan Bo laughed exaggeratedly.
He would not allow the conversation to escalate.
“Then let us clarify one thing. Did you come to apologize, or to resolve a misunderstanding?”
“Mm!”
Faced with the demand to choose one, Shangguan Bo groaned softly.
Shangguan Jeok’s face stiffened further, if that were even possible.
Even with his father speaking, the situation had not improved at all.
Ban Hojin’s utter disregard for Jianghu etiquette slowly ignited anger within Shangguan Jeok.
“Family Head, do you truly believe I know nothing? I was the one who captured the Monster King.”
Brrrrr!