Chapter 57: Father and Son (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: Father and Son (1)
-This is bad, Woon-hwi. What are you going to do?
I had faced countless crises before, but never had a situation become this tangled.
Judging by the terrifyingly stiff expression on Sama Chak’s face and the way his gaze remained fixed on me, I could guess exactly what he was thinking.
Calm down.
Think.
I had to figure out a way to break through this situation.
-It doesn't look like words will solve this. His face says, "You’re looking at another woman while leaving my daughter behind?"
He didn't need to remind me.
My head felt like it was about to explode, but Sama Chak spoke first.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Ah...
He went straight to the point.
"My daughter, you say?"
His voice wasn't just cold; it was frigid. It felt as if a northern gale had swept down in the dead of winter, freezing everything in its path.
It seemed I had to explain this first.
The key was to remain absolutely unshaken.
"......I was caught in that man's trap and imprisoned in the underground jail."
"And?"
"While I was imprisoned..."
Before I could even finish, Sama Chak warned me.
"I hope there isn't a single shred of a lie in your words."
My heart began to thud violently.
His sheer presence alone was more overwhelming than anyone I had met so far.
Countless thoughts raced through my mind. What explanation could I give that would defend me while minimizing the lies?
-......Is there even such a thing?
I had to make one.
Otherwise, I didn't know when those iron beads rolling between Sama Chak’s fingers would fly straight into the bridge of my nose.
Just as I was about to continue, Jin Seong-baek stepped between me and Sama Chak.
"Why are you pressing him so hard?"
Judging by his aura, he seemed to be trying to protect me.
This, too, weighed on my mind in its own way. He clearly seemed to know my true identity. Was he stepping up like this because of his feelings for my mother?
"I believe I told you not to interfere in my business."
"This is not just your business."
It looked like another fight was about to break out.
I had to explain it myself. Hiding behind him would only provoke Sama Chak further.
I cautiously spoke up again.
"I appreciate the gesture, but please, let me handle this."
"Young Brother So?"
At my words, Jin Seong-baek frowned and looked at me. He seemed puzzled as to why I was refusing his help.
"Since I was the one who asked for permission to meet the daughter of the senior standing here, it is only right that I clear up the misunderstanding."
"......Was that true?"
"Yes. It is."
Jin Seong-baek must have doubted Sama Chak’s words.
Seeing him let out a faint groan, it was clear he wasn't pleased that I—whom he believed to be the scion of the Orthodox Yikyang So Family—was meeting the daughter of one of the Four Great Villains.
I respectfully performed a fist-and-palm salute toward Sama Chak and continued.
"When I was trapped in the underground prison, there was one other person imprisoned besides me."
Sama Chak crossed his arms and asked, "I assume that person was a woman?"
".....Yes."
"Continue."
"While escaping the prison, we were discovered by that man. The woman and I fought back, but his martial arts were so powerful that we were inevitably injured."
He would likely accept this part. Regardless of being a fake, the man was a master who had broken through the wall.
"At that time, to repay the debt of being freed from the prison, she hid the injured me and acted as a decoy to lure him away."
"Hmm."
Sama Chak’s eyes narrowed.
"She could have abandoned me and fled, but she sacrificed herself."
"A woman, yet she understands righteousness."
Unlike Sama Chak, Jin Seong-baek praised her attitude. If one didn't know her identity, anyone would have been impressed.
However, I had to convince Sama Chak.
"After hiding me, she was eventually captured by that man. To be honest, I hesitated because of his terrifyingly strong martial arts. But how could I leave a woman who sacrificed herself for me to die?"
"So you saved her?"
Now was the time to lie.
Baek Hye-hyang had already left Peerless Fortress. Since the fake Tian Wuxing had been inciting people by calling her a descendant of the Blood Demon, her appearing now would only cause trouble for Peerless Fortress.
-What are you going to say?
I’ll say she escaped before I arrived.
In any case, she had gotten out of her confinement on her own. It was better not to mention that we had actually met.
Just as I was about to open my mouth to say that...
[Which one of the two is it?]
I was momentarily dazed by Sama Chak’s sound transmission.
The sudden use of sound transmission was one thing, but what did he mean by "which one of the two"?
[I am asking if it is Baek Hye-hyang or Baek Ryeonha.]
'!?'
For a moment, I was speechless.
I never expected the names Baek Hye-hyang and Baek Ryeonha to come out of his mouth.
[Did you think I would know nothing?]
'........'
[To think a father would meet his daughter and not hear everything that has happened in the meantime... how foolish.]
Ah.......
I hadn't thought of that.
There was no way Sama Yeong would have stayed quiet while I was kidnapped by Sama Chak. She would have naturally told him everything to persuade her father.
Sama Chak gestured with his eyes toward the unconscious Mu Ak and spoke.
[That fellow claimed to have caught a descendant of the Blood Demon. If he was confident enough to boast about showing proof, it must be one of those two. I asked you which one.]
I had completely let my guard down.
The man before me was known to have the sharpest intellect among the Four Great Villains, rivaled only by Man Bak-ja of the Eight Great Masters. There was no way he lacked insight into the situation.
Making up a convenient excuse was out of the question now.
Furthermore, the fact that Sama Chak was speaking via sound transmission was a consideration to keep my identity from being revealed.
[Why do you not speak?]
[......It is Baek Hye-hyang.]
In the end, I told him the truth. If I gave a false explanation here, it would be revealed one way or another anyway.
At my transmission, Sama Chak’s expression became subtle.
After staring at me for a moment, Sama Chak sent another message.
[I heard that girl named Baek Hye-hyang is someone who could become your political rival. You tried to save such a woman?]
[......I could not leave her be because she sacrificed herself for me.]
[Are you saying it was to repay a debt?]
[I could not forgive myself if I let her die like that. It is not because I have any private feelings for her.]
I told him everything honestly.
At this, Sama Chak snorted and sent a transmission.
[How ridiculous. You saved a rival you must strike down with your own hands later out of 'morality'? And you dare claim you have no private feelings?]
[Senior. I am.....]
[Fine. If your words are true, then prove it.]
[Pardon?]
[Since you have repaid the debt, there should be no problem with killing that girl Baek Hye-hyang now, right? Bring me her head immediately.]
I couldn't answer Sama Chak’s completely unexpected demand.
Baek Hye-hyang had only just been freed. And he was telling me to bring him her head?
[If you are to compete for the position of the Blood Demon, what better opportunity is there than now? If you have no private feelings, what is there to be uncomfortable about?]
[Senior. Baek Hye-hyang is currently suffering from internal injuries and is not in her right mind. And to take her head immediately after saving her... that would be against all morality...]
[Are you lecturing me on morality now?]
[That is....]
[Ho. Fine. Then it is only right that I, too, uphold morality.]
[What do you mean by that?]
I couldn't understand what he was talking about, but Sama Chak suddenly looked at Gu Yang-myeong, the Sect Leader of the Seomgyeong Martial Sect.
"Brother Gu Yang. If I were to break the promise we made in our youth, I, your elder brother, would be acting against morality."
Wait, could it be?
"Do you still intend to fulfill our prenatal betrothal?"
"Then, are you accepting my son as your own?"
Gu Yang-myeong’s face brightened, unable to hide his joy.
"Senior!"
"Hmph!"
Sama Chak snorted at my shout and didn't even pretend to listen. I never imagined he would act like this.
"Where is your son?"
"San! Come here and greet your Uncle Sama—no, your father-in-law."
At Gu Yang-myeong’s call, a youth with thick eyelids who had been standing at a distance came running over hesitantly. He seemed terrified, knowing that Sama Chak was one of the Four Great Villains.
"Gu Yangsan offers his greetings to the Senior."
Looking at him, Sama Chak spoke.
"You take after your father with that sturdy frame; not bad at all. Since you are to be my son-in-law, I suppose I should pass down a martial art that suits you."
The moment he heard those words, Gu Yangsan’s face lit up, and he prostrated himself on the spot.
Even if he was one of the Four Great Villains, Sama Chak was an absolute master ranked among the top five of the Twelve Masters. It would be strange if the boy's head didn't spin at the prospect of receiving martial arts from such a man.
"Thank you! Senio—"
"Ahem! How can you call him that?"
At Gu Yang-myeong’s scolding, Gu Yangsan shouted with a voice full of vigor.
"Thank you, Father-in-law!"
I was dumbfounded by Sama Chak’s actions, which were proceeding with lightning speed. To counter my mention of morality in such a way...
I knew he was impulsive, but to act like this just because I didn't follow his will was truly too much.
For the first time, a sense of rebellion rose within me, stronger than my fear of him. Why couldn't he just tell me, as a father, to look only at Sama Yeong?
"Senior!"
"Hmph. I have nothing more to say to you."
It was right then.
"Father!"
A sharp cry rang out.
I turned my head toward that familiar voice.
A youth was stomping through the crowd, looking furious.
-Is that Sama Yeong?
It seemed so. I didn't know she had come here as well.
Sama Chak shook his head and said, "Did you come to spy on your father because you couldn't trust me?"
"Is that the problem right now? This man suddenly calls you 'Father-in-law,' and you expect me to just stand by and watch?"
"Hmph."
"I was a fool to trust you, Father. I was worried you might harm the Young Master, but are you really trying to tear us apart like this?"
Sama Yeong was so angry she was practically interrogating him.
I had intended to say something as well, but it had suddenly turned into a father-daughter spat, making it awkward for me to intervene.
Sama Chak clicked his tongue and gestured toward me with his eyes.
"That fellow kicked away his own opportunity. And I am merely trying to uphold morality."
"Since when did you care about morality, Father?"
"The one who brought up morality first was that fellow you hold so dear."
"Don't call him 'that fellow'! He's your future son-in-law!"
Sama Chak seemed momentarily speechless, perhaps seeing his daughter act this aggressively for the first time.
Jin Seong-baek, who was watching this scene, asked me in a low voice.
"Is that youth wearing the human skin mask that child?"
Her voice was unmistakably a woman's, but her face was that of a youth, so he must have been puzzled.
I nodded slightly.
In the meantime, Sama Chak seemed to have regained his composure, as he scolded Sama Yeong in a cold voice.
"You insolent girl. Who said I accepted him as my son-in-law?"
"You said you would if he endured in that place!"
"He did not complete the full term."
"The waterway burst and the cave was flooding! How was he supposed to complete the term? Were you telling him to die?"
"Do you truly intend to defy your father's will?"
"Must I follow your will unconditionally? Fine. You do as you wish, Father. I am also the daughter of the Moon Evil Sword, so I will do as I wish!"
Then, as if she had reached her limit, Sama Yeong suddenly grabbed the human skin mask on her face and tore it off.
Her beautiful face was revealed.
She was a beauty capable of toppling empires.
Gasps of admiration escaped from the mouths of the people around us. Even Gu Yangsan, who was prostrated before Sama Chak, couldn't take his eyes off her, looking like a man possessed.
"What do you think you're doing?"
At Sama Chak’s question, Sama Yeong gave a smirk and said, "This."
Sama Yeong turned around and walked toward us.
I thought she was coming to me, but the place she headed was none other than in front of her biological father, Jin Seong-baek.
Sama Yeong clasped her hands and prepared to bow.
Startled, I tried to stop her.
"Lady Sama! Wait—"
Before I could, Sama Yeong had already done it.
"Sama Yeong, your future daughter-in-law, offers her greetings to Father-in-law."
"Father-in-law?"
Jin Seong-baek’s expression stiffened at her sudden greeting.
Seeing his reaction, Sama Yeong looked puzzled and asked me in a low voice.
"Have you not told him yet?"
.......No.
I haven't even revealed that part yet.