The Peng Patriarch's Question
“Hye-ryeong, Mok-gyeong. We have somewhere to go.”
“Yes?”
“Somewhere to go… you say?”
“That’s right.”
At my words, both of them tilted their heads at the same time. My statement must have come completely out of nowhere. Since this matter had largely been handled by me alone, it was only natural they wouldn’t know the details. I kindly named our destination.
“The Hebei Peng Clan.”
“The Hebei Peng Clan…?”
“You mean the Peng Clan?”
“We’ll head there while practicing our lightness skills.”
If we moved at full speed, we could reach the Peng Clan and return within half a month. I intended to make the trip as quickly as possible. If things went as they did in the original story, persuasion wouldn’t be too difficult anyway.
After all, the Peng Clan was a family full of muscle-brains.
“Uncle, are we really going?”
“If you have things to do, you don’t have to come along.”
There was no need to drag them along. It wasn’t like we were going on a trip.
“I’ll follow Uncle wherever you go!”
“I will accompany you as well, Benefactor.”
“If that’s the case, fine.”
I had already expected that neither of them would leave my side. While packing the items I had bought into my bag, I spoke.
“Be ready by tomorrow morning.”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
They had traveled more than once or twice, so they would prepare well on their own. I lit the lamp in the now-dark room, lay down on the bed, and closed my eyes.
“Uncle, it feels like traveling has gotten so much faster now that you’ve learned lightness skills too!”
“That’s a good thing.”
“It’s impressive that you’ve reached this level of skill even though it hasn’t been long since you learned lightness arts.”
Mok-gyeong looked at me with eyes full of admiration.
…Even if he praised me like that, my lightness skill was only around second-class to first-class level. I couldn’t even perform something like walking on snow without leaving footprints or flying over grass.
Dreaming of such feats was out of the question.
Lightness arts were originally meant to lighten the body, reduce the burden of long-distance travel, and increase speed. As one’s realm rose, such techniques became possible, but I hadn’t paid much attention to lightness itself.
If an ordinary martial artist’s lightness skill was like a horse galloping, mine was closer to a bull charging madly forward.
It lacked flexibility and finesse compared to other lightness arts. However, I could confidently say that when it came to breakthrough power, I was already at the top.
Even if I failed to control it and crashed into rocks or trees, I could simply smash through them and keep going.
“Uncle, are you sure you’re okay?”
“It’s nothing. I just ran into a boulder the size of a house.”
“Benefactor, most people die when they crash into rocks while using lightness skills.”
“Is that so?”
Would a martial artist really die just from hitting a rock?
These kids who always talked about smashing boulders with a single fist or cutting them with a single sword seemed rather fragile. I thought this as I smashed through an unknown tree and kept running.
Anyway, the journey proceeded smoothly in that manner.
Since we were heading straight for the Hebei Peng Clan, there was no time to get sidetracked. We ate and slept at inns whenever possible, and whenever trouble arose, we suppressed it with a few threats to keep problems to a minimum. It was truly a peaceful trip.
I wished every day could pass like this.
“Benefactor. We should arrive in Beijing soon.”
“Beijing, huh…”
Was this the capital of China in this era?
Since I had no knowledge of Chinese history, I couldn’t be certain.
At my words, Mok-gyeong smiled faintly and opened his mouth.
“It is the largest city in the Central Plains. It is also a city with deep history, having served as the capital for many dynasties that rose and fell in the Central Plains.”
“I see.”
“This is my first time in Beijing!”
Hye-ryeong flapped her arms excitedly, her eyes sparkling.
It was only natural for a country bumpkin visiting the big city to get excited.
Having seen plenty of dazzling cities in the modern world, I looked at Beijing with relatively calm eyes.
It was large and magnificent.
Enough that it wouldn’t lose to modern cities.
“Benefactor, you don’t seem very surprised by Beijing.”
“I’m surprised enough.”
I brushed it off appropriately and glanced at Hye-ryeong, who was making a fuss beside me.
She was flapping her arms even more vigorously than when using lightness skills. When our eyes met, she grinned broadly.
Why did she flap her arms even when using lightness skills? Was that how lightness arts were supposed to be used? Mok-gyeong was running like a ninja.
Unable to grasp what the proper form of lightness skill looked like, I alternated my gaze between the two.
Regardless of Hye-ryeong, Mok-gyeong spoke while staring at Beijing as if nailed to it.
“I came here once with my parents when I was young.”
When I looked at Mok-gyeong after his words that seemed to recall the past, he was gazing at Beijing with a wistful expression.
Childhood memories, huh.
I wondered if I had made him recall unpleasant memories. Feeling a bit worried, I placed my hand on his shoulder. Mok-gyeong flinched and looked up at me.
Was it my imagination, or did his face seem strangely red?
“U-uh, Benefactor. I’m fine.”
“We’re here with you.”
“Y-yes, yes, yes, yes…”
What was with him?
I couldn’t help but tilt my head at Mok-gyeong, who had lost his usual composure and was now flustered.
Why was he acting like that?
It must be because his heart was troubled.
Maybe receiving sympathy in this extremely male-dominated world wasn’t welcome to him.
Recalling the typical manly behavior that often appeared in the original story, I accepted it and removed my hand from his shoulder before looking at Hye-ryeong. More precisely, at Hye-ryeong, who was clinging to my arm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uncle, I’m tired.”
“You say something so shameless with a face that doesn’t look tired at all.”
“You’re supposed to just go along with it at times like this!”
To say that with her own mouth—so bold. I chuckled as I watched the audacious penguin puff out her cheeks.
She sure knew how to act cute.
“Alright, let’s get moving again. I don’t want to spend the night in the mountains.”
“I wouldn’t mind roughing it outdoors as long as I’m with Uncle.”
“I’d rather not. Mok-gyeong, let’s go.”
“Y-yes…”
I took the still-dazed Mok-gyeong with me and headed toward Beijing.
The Hebei Peng Clan.
Even in Beijing, they were a renowned family. I had heard that some of their members held official positions and received various benefits.
And they were a family full of muscle-brains.
I’ll say it again.
“…I don’t really want to go in.”
Even the guards looked like they reeked of sweat.
I sighed as I looked at the massive lumps of muscle that seemed ready to tear their clothes apart.
“Wow… Uncle, they’re a little smaller than you!”
“They feel more like bears than people.”
Brushing off their comments, I walked confidently toward the main gate of the Hebei Peng Clan.
The Peng Clan only acknowledged those who walked with confidence. If I showed weakness, they might turn us away at the gate.
“Who goes there?”
“I am a man named William. I have business with the Hebei Peng Clan and have come to visit.”
I lifted my bamboo hat. The guards who saw my face afterward looked at me with surprised expressions.
A familiar pattern.
“A Westerner?”
“Don’t tell me… the Lion Sword Hero?”
“Thanks for recognizing me. Is the clan head in the compound right now?”
“Yes. He should be training at the moment.”
I took out the letter Jegal Hyeon-sang had written from my robe and handed it to the guard.
“I’ve come from the Wuxia Alliance to meet Senior Thunderbolt Blade. Could you inform him that I’d like to request an audience?”
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
The guard immediately opened the gate and went inside. The remaining guard cleared his throat and alternated his gaze between me and Hye-ryeong and Mok-gyeong standing beside me.
So you’re a man too.
I noticed his gaze lingering on Hye-ryeong’s chest for a long time but didn’t bother to say anything.
Even if he were the Buddha himself, it would be impossible not to look at someone carrying two watermelons on their chest. It was an unavoidable force of nature.
A level comparable to a natural disaster.
While we were spending this awkward time, the guard poked his head through the gate and broke the silence.
“He says you may enter.”
…Finally, the Hebei Peng Clan.
We passed through the gate the guard had opened and arrived at the Peng Clan.
“When can we meet the clan head?”
“You can go straight to his quarters. It seems he has nothing else to do at the moment…”
That was fortunate.
Strike while the iron is hot—they said. If I could finish my business quickly, it would be good for me.
“You two wait in the guest room. I’ll finish my business quickly.”
“Have a good meeting!”
“I hope you complete your task well…”
I immediately headed toward the clan head’s quarters where he was said to be.
“Clan Head! The Lion Sword Hero, Sir Wi, has arrived.”
“Let him in!”
A voice like a tiger’s roar pierced through the door and struck my eardrums mercilessly.
What a straightforward voice.
I took off my shoes and opened the door.
And then I met eyes with the head of the Hebei Peng Clan…
“Young man, are you perhaps unmarried?”
What?
I froze at the sudden question thrown at me while I was looking over my own body with my eyes.