Chapter 57: Father and Son (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: Father and Son (2)
"Father-in-law?"
At Sama Yeong’s sudden outburst, the expression of the Merciless Wind God, Jin Seong-baek, stiffened.
I was just as bewildered.
I had intended to speak with him quietly in private, but here we were, in front of the leaders of the Four Great Martial Sects and a massive crowd.
Lesser Conversation Sword clicked its tongue.
—Like father, like daughter. They both act before they think.
It seemed so. Looking at them now, the resemblance was undeniable.
But that wasn't the point.
Realizing she had blurted out the truth before I could tell him, Sama Yeong was flustered, not knowing what to do.
[I’m sorry, Young Master. I think I made a mistake.]
Sama Yeong sent me a message via Sound Transmission.
[...It’s alright.]
She was only trying to help; how could I blame her?
Jin Seong-baek, who had been staring at her with a hardened face, turned his gaze toward me.
His eyes were trembling, showing the depth of his shock.
Did he really not know?
Judging by his reaction, he had been completely oblivious.
Even after seeing the jade token of the Flying Moon Hero Sect and realizing I was Lady Ha’s son, the thought apparently hadn't crossed his mind.
Then again, my mother, who knew the whole truth, had passed away in silence.
It was a fact I only discovered myself after dying once and undergoing regression.
"Yeong-er."
Sama Chak called out to her. He shook his head with a scowl, as if scolding her.
He seemed to have grasped the situation and was telling her not to interfere further.
Jin Seong-baek, who had been staring at me in silence, finally spoke.
"...What is the meaning of this?"
He was demanding the truth.
This was no longer a situation where I could delay the inevitable.
"It is exactly as you heard."
"As I heard?"
"I only learned of this recently myself. My mother was already pregnant before she parted ways with you, Sect Leader."
—Straight to the point.
I couldn't reveal the whole story in front of everyone, so I only mentioned the essentials.
Upon hearing this, Jin Seong-baek’s body shuddered. He looked even more shaken than before.
"How could this be... All this time, I..."
He even stumbled back.
Seeing him like that stirred strange emotions within me.
When I first learned of his existence, my primary feelings were anger and resentment.
But after coming to Peerless Fortress and seeing him in person, I realized he was a completely different man than I had imagined.
Could a man with such a strong sense of responsibility truly have abandoned my mother and me? I had even begun to doubt it.
Seeing him so devastated now made my chest ache.
"Sect—"
Just as I was about to speak to him, someone cut in.
"Sect Leader Jin. What is the meaning of this?"
"...Sect Leader Gu Yang?"
The man who suddenly intervened was none other than Gu Yang-gyeong, the Sect Leader of the Seomgyeong Martial Sect.
I hadn't mentioned anything that should have been a problem for him. Why was he stepping in?
"Are you saying this young man is your son?"
"That is..."
"You must give a clear answer."
I frowned at his aggressive tone.
"What do you think you're doing?"
In response to my question, Gu Yang-gyeong gestured toward me and said, "No matter how I look at it, this lad seems to be barely past twenty. Unless we are mistaken, didn't Sect Leader Jin declare that he would never see anyone again after that incident?"
"Hmph. Now that you mention it..."
Wang Chuyi, the Sect Leader of the Sea King Fortress Sect, also looked at me as if he had realized something.
The crowd began to murmur. Most of them were middle-aged or older members of Peerless Fortress, rather than the younger generation.
Gu Yang-gyeong spoke to Jin Seong-baek, who was still reeling from the shock.
"Tell us, Sect Leader Jin. Is this young man the child of Ha Ryeong?"
My mother's name came from his lips. It seemed he knew her.
However, even with this pressure, there was no way Jin Seong-baek could give a coherent answer when he had only just learned the truth himself.
"Why do you remain silent!"
"Sect Leader Gu Yang..."
"I told you he didn't know! Why do you keep hounding him like that?"
Sama Yeong, who had been watching, shouted in anger.
Gu Yang-gyeong looked at her, furrowed his brows, and said, "You are spirited, just like your father. However, this is a matter of great importance to this fortress."
He didn't scold her harshly, likely out of respect for Sama Chak.
Gu Yang-gyeong then shouted so that everyone could hear.
"It doesn't matter whether Sect Leader Jin knew he had a son or not. If this young man is the child of Ha Ryeong from the Flying Moon Hero Sect—a woman who carried the blood of the Blood Cult—then Sect Leader Jin committed a grave crime twenty years ago by allowing a seed of the Blood Cult to escape!"
Ha!
What a piece of work.
I thought Peerless Fortress might finally unite after the incident with Mu Ak, the fake Tian Wuxing.
I never expected him to seize this opportunity to corner my father like this.
"Even if he is one of the leaders of the Four Great Martial Sects, this cannot be overlooked. This must be brought before the Council of Great Sect Leaders as a major agenda item!"
Gu Yang-gyeong was trying to sway public opinion right then and there.
I looked at my father.
He was still staring at me with trembling eyes, the shock yet to fade.
—Your father is about to be cornered.
The atmosphere was becoming ominous.
It seemed there were many within Peerless Fortress who harbored a deep hatred for the Blood Cult.
That was likely why they had gone so far as to join forces with the Martial Alliance to purge the Flying Moon Hero Sect back then.
This atmosphere began to make me angry.
When Jin Seong-baek failed to respond, Gu Yang-gyeong turned his gaze toward me.
He demanded, "You claimed Sect Leader Jin is your father. Then, reveal your mother's identity here and now!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and the warriors of the Seomgyeong Martial Sect surrounded the area, as if to ensure I couldn't escape.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Gu Yang-gyeong snorted at my question.
"Do you think you'll leave this place alive if you truly carry the blood of the Flying Moon Hero Sect?"
Energy began to radiate from Gu Yang-gyeong’s body. He looked ready to strike the moment his suspicions were confirmed.
I let out a deep sigh.
"Sigh."
It was because of people like this that my mother, my maternal grandfather, and the Flying Moon Hero Sect met such a tragic fate.
I couldn't suppress the rage boiling up inside me.
Unaware of this, Gu Yang-gyeong pressed me further.
"Speak at once!"
I scoffed and replied, "I have a question."
"Do not try to change the subject!"
"No. This is something everyone here at Peerless Fortress needs to hear."
"What?"
While he looked puzzled, I shouted at the top of my lungs so the entire assembly could hear.
"You claim the Flying Moon Hero Sect carries the blood of the Blood Cult. But twenty years ago, during the Great Orthodox-Evil War, did they ever advocate for or assist the Blood Cult?"
Silence fell over the crowd at my shout.
Of course they had to stay silent.
The Flying Moon Hero Sect had been purged solely to secure an alliance with the Martial Alliance.
Simply because they carried the blood of the Blood Demon.
Gu Yang-gyeong glared at me and roared, "You clearly don't understand how dangerous it is to be linked by blood to the Blood Cult—those wicked demons who tried to turn the Central Plains into a wasteland!"
"Answer my question!"
"You insolent brat!"
Enraged by my demand, Gu Yang-gyeong unleashed a palm technique.
However, I already knew he was circulating his internal power thanks to my Golden Eye.
I used my footwork to dodge his strike.
Swish-swish-swish!
"What?"
A look of surprise crossed Gu Yang-gyeong’s eyes when I easily evaded his palm.
Even if he was a master a level above me, I possessed martial prowess close to the peak of the Supreme Peak Realm once I opened my Middle Dantian.
If I prepared in advance, I wouldn't be hit by such an attack.
I increased the distance between us with my footwork and shouted for all to hear.
"You purged the Flying Moon Hero Sect just to ally with the Martial Alliance, and now you're making up ridiculous excuses!"
"You...!"
"Even if we concede that it was for the sake of the alliance back then, that alliance has been broken now! So what 'grave crime' are you talking about?"
My words were logically flawless, and the crowd began to murmur.
The reaction was particularly strong among the younger generation.
After all, unlike the Martial Alliance, Peerless Fortress was not an Orthodox faction. It was a neutral organization composed of those who purely pursued martial arts.
"You brat."
Gu Yang-gyeong glanced at someone, and it was Sama Chak.
Sama Chak was looking at me with a peculiar expression. It was almost as if...
—He looks interested.
It was quite different from the cold shoulder he had given me earlier.
Aware of Sama Chak’s gaze and the murmuring crowd, Gu Yang-gyeong shouted, "Are you trying to incite this fortress with your shallow logic? To think you'd use such petty tricks to survive. You are undoubtedly Ha Ryeong’s child!"
"And if I am her child, what is wrong with that?"
"Carrying the blood of the Blood Demon is a grave crime in itself!"
"Do not insult my mother!"
The moment those words left my mouth, I lunged at him.
I drew the Namcheon Iron Sword and swung it as if to take his head.
"Hmph!"
Gu Yang-gyeong tilted his head back, easily dodging the strike.
I used a changing tide to thrust at his chest, but Gu Yang-gyeong deflected the blade with a swift palm strike.
Clang!
After parrying the sword, Gu Yang-gyeong immediately closed in on my chest.
He reached out toward my face.
Just as I was about to leap back to evade—
Grab!
Someone seized Gu Yang-gyeong’s wrist.
It was none other than—
"Sect Leader Jin!"
It was the Merciless Wind God, Jin Seong-baek.
As Jin Seong-baek gripped his wrist, Gu Yang-gyeong snapped, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Sect Leader Gu Yang. If you try to lay another finger on this child, I will not forgive you."
"Are you confessing to your crimes—"
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
Before he could finish, Jin Seong-baek’s kicks struck his face, chest, and abdomen in rapid succession, like a gale.
"Urgh!"
Gu Yang-gyeong was sent flying back ten paces.
No matter how great his martial prowess was, his opponent was the Merciless Wind God, one of the Eight Great Masters.
There was no way he could have dodged at such close range.
"Jin Seong-baek... You truly..."
Blood trickled from Gu Yang-gyeong’s mouth, indicating internal injuries.
Ignoring him completely, Jin Seong-baek asked me in a low voice, "Are you truly the child of Ha Ryeong and me?"
His voice was trembling yet gentle.
I met his eyes and nodded.
Then, Jin Seong-baek spoke to me with a voice full of firm resolve.
"I am sorry. I will not blame you even if you resent me."
"Sect Leader..."
"But from this moment on, your father will protect you."
The moment I heard those words, my heart began to thud wildly.
I never imagined that the single word "father" could make my heart ache and race like this.
Without asking for any explanation or story, he accepted everything.
As if to shatter that moment of emotion, Gu Yang-gyeong shouted, "Jin Seong-baek! Are you really going to protect someone who carries the blood of the Flying Moon Hero Sect?"
Jin Seong-baek stepped forward and roared in a thunderous voice for all to hear.
"No one touches my son!"
It wasn't just a shout. The intense pressure contained within his voice momentarily overwhelmed the crowd, making them flinch.
Even Gu Yang-gyeong was momentarily speechless, unable to find his words.
However, he soon regained his composure and spoke with a much more cautious tone than before.
"Do you intend to make this entire fortress your enemy?"
"If that is what it takes. Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect!"
"Yes!!! Sect Leader!!!"
Rumble!
At Jin Seong-baek’s call, the warriors of the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect surged out from the crowd with a thunderous cry.
The leaders of each stream stood majestically behind Jin Seong-baek.
They stood in opposition to the warriors of the Seomgyeong Martial Sect, and it looked as if a war was about to break out at any second.
As the situation escalated, Gu Yang-gyeong’s eyes darted around. He looked at Wang Chuyi, the Sect Leader of the Sea King Fortress Sect, and shouted, "Sect Leader Wang! You saw what happened. Help me!"
Wang Chuyi shook his head and replied, "My sect will not involve itself in this matter."
Gu Yang-gyeong couldn't hide his bewilderment at the cold refusal.
I was also surprised.
Even if the Sea King Fortress Sect clashed with the Seomgyeong Martial Sect within Peerless Fortress, I expected they might help, given they had been at the forefront of eliminating the Flying Moon Hero Sect in the past.
But he had drawn a firm line.
—It’s probably because of your father.
That was likely it.
Stepping in recklessly could mean having to face one of the Eight Great Masters.
Observing the situation was the wiser choice.
"Tch."
Gu Yang-gyeong was at a loss as he saw that none of the other sect leaders were willing to step forward.
Then, the person he reached out to was none other than—
"Brother Sama."
It was the Moon Evil Sword, Sama Chak.
Gu Yang-gyeong pleaded with Sama Chak for help.
"Please help me. My martial arts are insufficient to face that man."
"This does not seem like a matter for an outsider like me to intervene in."
"How can you call yourself an outsider? Please, just suppress him. Are we not about to become in-laws, sworn brother?"
At Gu Yang-gyeong’s emphasis on being in-laws, a look of disappointment appeared in Sama Chak’s eyes.
It was plain for anyone to see.
Sama Chak stared at him for a moment before coldly shaking his head.
"I said I will not intervene."
"Brother Sama! Do you intend to forsake our prenatal betrothal?"
Gu Yang-gyeong was trying to use their formal agreement as leverage.
He was desperate to drag Sama Chak in, even if it was just to deal with my father.
If Sama Chak gave in to that justification, the situation could spiral out of control.
"If you help that man, Father, I will disown you and take the Young Master's side!"
At Sama Yeong’s words, Sama Chak looked at her with a grimace.
He let out a sigh and said, "It seems my only daughter will disown me the moment I try to push that prenatal betrothal."
"How can you let a matter decided by elders be—"
"If she disowns me, she is no longer my child. What would you have me do?"
Gu Yang-gyeong’s face contorted. He seemed deeply troubled that things weren't going his way.
"Are you truly going to abandon your sworn brother? Didn't you say we must uphold righteousness, Brother Sama?"
Sama Chak turned to Sama Yeong and said, "Gu Yang-gyeong is your father's sworn brother. Even if you like that lad, how can I so easily break a promise made to him?"
"Are you telling me to marry someone I don't even like?"
"You have a point. Then let us do this. Gu Yang-san, was it?"
Sama Chak suddenly called out to Gu Yang-san, who was standing behind his father.
"Y-Yes!"
"One of you has a prenatal betrothal, and the other is the man my daughter loves. No father can truly defeat his daughter, so I cannot decide everything on my own."
"T-Then?"
"I will give both of you a chance. However, now is not the time. Come to Bokan County in three days. I will test you to see who is worthy of being my son-in-law."
"Ah..."
"Is that 'ah' because you don't want to be my son-in-law?"
"N-No, sir!"
As Gu Yang-san answered reluctantly, Sama Chak turned his gaze toward me.
"I am disappointed in you, but for my daughter's sake, I will give you one last chance. Come to Bokan County in three days."
Bokan County was the village where my maternal grandfather lived.
His voice was much softer now; it seemed he truly intended to give me a chance.
I brought my hands together in a fist-and-palm salute.
"I understand."
"Hmph. Are you satisfied now?"
"Yes."
At Sama Chak’s words, Sama Yeong also backed down.
Sama Chak shook his head, looked back at Gu Yang-gyeong, and said, "Since neither of them is my son-in-law yet, I cannot take anyone's side. I hope you resolve this matter amicably, sworn brother. Let's go."
"Wait, Father!"
Whoosh!
With those words, Sama Chak scooped up Sama Yeong and used his Lightness Skill to vanish.
He clearly wanted no more part in this. It was a perfect exit.
On the other hand, once Sama Chak was gone, Gu Yang-gyeong was left in a difficult position.
My father, Jin Seong-baek, stepped forward and asked him, "Shall we settle this now?"
Gu Yang-gyeong, trembling with rage, barely managed to compose himself before speaking.
"Sect Leader Jin. This will not be forgotten."
"Anytime!"
Grit!
Grinding his teeth, Gu Yang-gyeong shouted, "We are returning to the Star Tower!"
"Loyalty!!!"
Led by him, Gu Yang-san and the warriors of the Seomgyeong Martial Sect withdrew all at once, like a receding tide.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the atmosphere, which had been on the verge of war, finally calmed.
This could have easily turned into a massive internal conflict within Peerless Fortress.
Once the warriors of the Seomgyeong Martial Sect had retreated, Jin Seong-baek turned his head toward me.
Ah!
His expression was incredibly tender.
He, who was known as the Merciless Wind God for his emotionless face, was looking at me like that.
It was then.
Rumble!
The warriors of the Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect suddenly surrounded us.
I was wondering what they were doing when all the warriors, including the stream leaders, simultaneously dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
Then, they shouted in a thunderous unison.
"The Wind Shadow Eight Streams Sect greets the Young Sect Leader!!!"