Fateful Bonds (1)
It had been a while since the family gathered for a meal. Cheon-su had decided to stay until the branch office was fully established. There was also the matter of not wanting to reveal his past preparations just yet. He planned to disclose it only after studying at the branch and passing the imperial exams.
A few days earlier, his father had instructed the servants to prepare a special feast. The table was laden with a sumptuous array of mountain and sea delicacies. Well-aged meats marinated in rich seasonings whetted the appetite.
Rather than probing into recent events, Gu Seo-jin picked up his chopsticks. "Let's eat first."
"I'll dig in."
Cheon-woo savored each dish slowly, chewing thoroughly. Flavor mattered, but he prioritized foods that nourished his growing body. Even something as simple as eating properly was a discipline for a martial artist.
As the plates emptied, Cheon-ye, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, finally spoke up. Considering her impatient nature, she'd held back quite a bit. "Oppa, did you really become an Absolute Realm master?"
"I'm still far from Absolute Realm."
"I'm so upset! How could you hide it even from your cute, lovable little sister!"
"In exchange, you can start learning martial arts now. Mother has given her permission."
"...Really?"
Cheon-ye instinctively glanced at her mother, who nodded with feigned elegance. No matter what she'd done before, not only was permission denied, but even mentioning the word "martial" earned her a bruised back. She'd enlisted her eldest brother's help to persuade their mother, who favored the firstborn, but she never imagined it'd be approved so easily! As expected, her mom only cared about big bro. What an idiot.
Still, she'd gotten what she wanted. In this era, it was hard for a woman to learn martial arts unless she was from a martial clan. Cheon-ye had even considered becoming a nun to break free from such outdated discrimination. She'd memorized the Heart Sutra and Diamond Sutra until her eyes ached—for nothing.
"This is unfair! Why only me? Mom, how could you?"
"Permission revoked."
"Mom, I love you!"
"One more time."
"Mom, I love you!"
"That's my girl."
Even the wild Cheon-ye couldn't match her mother. It made sense—anyone could see Cheon-ye was her mother's daughter. Once Cheon-ye had experienced the world's ups and downs and matured, she'd be just like her.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you properly."
"For real? No take-backs later!"
"As I said before, I've never given up midway."
"I'm not saying it lightly either. I'll definitely become the world's greatest heroine!"
Cheon-woo didn't dismiss his sister's resolve. There was no law saying a woman couldn't be the best in the world. As long as she adhered to the Mireok Paedo, he could force martial arts into her until mastery.
Cheon-gi scoffed. "Can our little sis really endure it? I don't think she'll last a day."
"I'm not like you, Third Bro."
"Oh? So confident. Fine, if you quit midway, promise you'll strip naked and run three laps around the estate. If you can't promise that, quit now."
"Deal. But if I don't quit, what will you do for me?"
"Why should I? This isn't for my benefit."
Cheon-ye's delicate brows furrowed at her third brother's shameless refusal to risk anything. "You brats have no respect in front of your father!"
"You stay out of it."
"Yes, ma'am."
Gu Seo-jin was swiftly dismissed the moment he intervened. He shouldn't have said "yes." It was a clear display of the family's true hierarchy.
Oddly enough, it felt strange. His wife was formidable, but not to this extent. 'Did something happen?'
Her authority as the lady of the house had skyrocketed. Stumped for words, no other retort came to mind. But as the family head, he couldn't just sit idle. "My daughter, you shouldn't make such promises lightly."
"Quiet."
This damn woman kept at it! Fine, he knew she was beautiful. She still was. That's why he loved her. But ignoring her husband like this? She ought to show respect to her sky-like lord—but one look at her expression silenced him.
His instincts told him this wasn't mere playfulness. Jeok I-ryeong wasn't cutting him off lightly either. Her husband was a merchant, and her daughter was declaring her resolve as a martial artist. It needed to be settled firmly.
For a woman to strip and circle the estate was a humiliation worse than death. That's why it had to be done. Half-hearted resolve wouldn't survive the Forest of Swords. No one could predict the mishaps in the jianghu. For women, shameful incidents were commonplace. Even heroes weren't pure; that was mere fantasy.
To endure jianghu's filthy darkness and rise required ironclad mental fortitude. Living as a female martial artist without that resolve wasn't as romantic as it seemed. Better to quit early than witness filth and feel shame.
"The jianghu won't spare you for being a woman. Circling the estate naked might be a hundred times better. Still want to be a martial artist?"
"I'm not joking either. No matter the trials, I'll become one—a martial artist renowned across the world!"
"Good. If you quit midway, I'll strip you myself and kick you out. Your choice."
"That won't happen!"
Gu Seo-jin and Cheon-gi swallowed dryly at the mother-daughter duo's fierce determination. They'd pushed playfully, but this conclusion was unexpected. Too serious for father and son to interject.
'Honey, she's still our daughter.'
'It went as planned, but...'
Gu Seo-jin worried over his wife's harsh standards; Cheon-gi felt uneasy despite things aligning with his scheme.
"Cheon-gi, same goes for you. Quit midway, and I'll snap your legs. Got it?"
"...Yes, Mother!"
Cheon-gi couldn't call her "Mom" this time. He'd been forced to maturity, sensing the grandeur of a grandmaster in her. Yet his eldest brother's presence loomed even larger.
'Am I seeing things?'
Looking again, Big Bro was the same. Clack!
Cheon-woo set down his chopsticks and revealed the truth about his mother. He'd never intended to hide it. To avoid misunderstandings, they needed to know. "Mother has reached Hwagyeong."
"If you've trained, reaching Hwagyeong is... Huh?"
"...Hwagyeong?"
"The Hwagyeong after Transcendent?"
Even Transcendent masters were renowned in the martial world. Hwagyeong experts were rare across the continent. The family fell silent in shock.
It was public knowledge that his wife and their mother was a martial artist, but no one imagined Hwagyeong.
"Is it true, dear?"
"Mom, really?"
Even prestigious sects rarely had Hwagyeong masters. Who'd guess their family hid one?
"Thanks to our son, I reached Hwagyeong. From now on, hold your heads high anywhere. I'll have your backs."
"You're Hwagyeong!"
"Mom's Hwagyeong!"
Her bombshell stunned the family. They'd been fools in front of an otherworldly expert.
'Even a glancing hit would kill, right?'
'I'll be filial from now on!'
In the misty aura of Hwagyeong, husband and children naturally obeyed. Harmony made the family prosper—starting with Hwagyeong.
Cheon-woo visited his father's study. He needed to report the merchant caravan incidents and discuss forces targeting the group and countermeasures.
Gu Seo-jin shook his head. "No need for you to step in. Rest and recover from your fatigue."
"It's Bokho Merchant Group."
He revealed the group behind the interference. Even amid sorting spirit herbs and jewels, the rear guard had identified Hwajeong Merchant Group's backer via Beggar Clan channels.
Hm. Gu Seo-jin wasn't too surprised, having suspected one of the Three Great Merchant Groups. But he hadn't expected his son to uncover it. That changed things.
"What do you want to do?"
"My principle is Mireok Paedo."
Strange for the shut-in young master to have such a creed. Cleaning his room suited him better as a belief.
"Mireok Paedo? What does that mean?"
"Exactly as it sounds: evildoers pay with death."
"You don't mean killing the Bokho Merchant Group lord, do you?"
"If he's evil, he deserves dominance through destruction. But currently, justification is lacking."
"Good, you haven't lost your mind completely."
With Mom at Hwagyeong, a rampaging son would be trouble. Even Hwagyeong couldn't kill a merchant lord without ironclad justification everyone would nod to. Killing on mere instigation would draw condemnation and merchant ostracism.
'Annoying.'
Mireok Paedo didn't cling to justification. Preemptively eliminating fated evildoers was efficient. Condemnation? Irrelevant. As long as he perfected Mireok Paedo, the world's labels meant nothing.
Hah! In that sense, "Righteous Dragon" was refreshing. For upholding Mireok Paedo in peaceful times, his early epithets—Heaven-Slaying Demon, Blood Asura, Life-Death Blood, Blood Reaper—were far from righteous. Time revealed the dead's evils, cleansing his infamy, but few faced the Paewang squarely.
Who else will go to hell if not me?
Even "Greatest Demon Under Heaven" wouldn't faze him upon perfecting Mireok Paedo.
Weighing efficiency over justification was alien in this reality. Acting as in past loops would face constraints. He wasn't Paewang yet. Blind Mireok Paedo was problematic.
Gu Seo-jin eyed his son's enigmatic smile. "What's so amusing?"
"I never expected to be called Righteous Dragon."
"Becoming a dragon in the martial world is harder than plucking stars. The weight of 'Righteous Dragon' is no light matter. Whether it's fortune or calamity vexes me."
"It won't be calamity."
Cheon-woo proclaimed the Four Virtues and Family Harmony. If harm came to the Gu family, he'd eliminate it preemptively. Thus, matters with Bokho Merchant Group wouldn't end ambiguously.
"Touching Bokho Merchant Group will rile the Ami Sect, justification or not."
"Will they stop if we stand idle?"
Unable to refute, Gu Seo-jin sighed. We'd stop, but they wouldn't.