Chapter 387: Have You Eaten Yet (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 387: Have You Eaten Yet (2)
“You seem to be alright.”
“…Yes.”
My father appeared exactly as he had yesterday. Except for one small difference: his back was turned to me.
“Why are you facing away?”
“No reason.”
“Is my face that amusing?”
“…Of course not.”
So he turned around because of my face.
I wondered just how bad it looked, if even Father—of all people—couldn’t contain his laughter.
Not only that, but why didn’t that Sleeping Dragon bastard say anything when he saw me like this?
That guy is the more troublesome one, I swear.
Gu Huibi had burst out laughing the moment she saw me, and even Father couldn’t look me in the eye for long without stifling a laugh. But that bastard Woo Hyuk saw me from the very beginning and didn’t say a word.
He did it on purpose, didn’t he?
He must have kept quiet just so I’d be made a fool of. With him, there was no doubt.
For now, I needed to focus on Father, so I decided to ask him a few questions.
“For you to train in a place like this… did something happen?”
Father never trained outside of the Gu Clan. A private training ground had been built specifically for the Clan Lord within our estate. We didn’t cross paths often because of it, but I still knew he never practiced elsewhere.
“I trained for a while. I found it difficult to sleep.”
“You say ‘a while,’ but it seems you’ve been at it for quite some time.”
I could tell from the residual heat still hanging in the air. It had lingered for a long time.
He couldn’t sleep, huh? Did he stay up all night?
Just as I began to wonder why…
“Third child.”
“Yes.”
“Where did you learn that power?”
“…”
Father cut straight to the chase. Instead of asking if I’d eaten breakfast or slept well, he went directly for the heart of the matter. For a moment, I felt a powerful pressure.
Though this is more like him. It suited Father’s character.
“My power?”
“Yes.”
“What power are you referring to?”
I considered playing dumb, but…
“The Heaven Destruction Art.”
“…”
I fell silent when Father named the technique so casually.
“It was the martial art of the Dishonored Venerable.”
“…I see.”
I had started channeling my inner qi for it, but he’d knocked me out before I could even use it. How had Father noticed? Did he sense it the moment I began gathering my qi?
“So you’ve managed to contain two Mind Arts within your body.”
“It… happened somehow.”
Technically, I had four or five different things inside me, but revealing that would do me no good, so I kept it to myself.
Then, Father finally turned to face me.
“You are fine despite housing two Mind Arts. You must be something special.”
Rather than asking why, he was searching for an explanation.
“Uh… yes. It just worked after I tried hard enough.”
“Did the Dishonored Venerable suggest it?”
“No, not at all. I was the one who stubbornly begged him to teach me. I couldn’t afford to discard my clan’s art.”
“…Hmm.”
Father didn’t seem entirely satisfied with my answer, but I had told the truth. I truly couldn’t abandon my clan’s martial art, and I had been stubborn about it.
“My Lord.”
“Speak.”
“Did you knock me out yesterday because I tried to use a second Mind Art?”
I wondered if he’d stopped me because he thought my body would explode.
“Yes.”
Father confirmed it. Fair enough. To most people, a martial artist attempting to use another Mind Art would look like a suicide attempt.
As I awkwardly averted my gaze, Father asked another question.
“When did you start learning it?”
“It’s only been a few months.”
“In that case, the Dishonored Venerable must currently be in Henan, correct?”
“…”
Damn, had I said too much? Just as I grew cautious, Father continued.
“Since it is your decision, I will not say much more. You may learn it, so long as it causes no harm to your body.”
“…Understood.”
“If you happen to see him after this, inform him that I would like to meet him soon.”
“Understood.”
I doubted the Dishonored Venerable would be thrilled by the news, but what could I do? I was already caught.
Quietly sighing, I spoke to Father again.
“Erm… My Lord.”
“Speak.”
“Does this mean our deal is off?”
At my question, Father looked at me with a strange expression.
Yesterday’s fight was meant to earn me information about my mother’s whereabouts, but I lost the bet by failing to land a single blow on him. Even knowing that, I had to ask again.
Nothing good comes from playing fair anyway. I have to try everything I can.
In times like these, I was grateful for my shameless personality.
“You are taking this more lightly than I expected.”
“…Ahem.”
He was basically calling me a sore loser who couldn’t accept defeat. Even I found it embarrassing, but I couldn’t let it end like this. Besides, I had an excuse—which was why I’d asked in the first place.
“My Lord. You clearly stated yesterday that you would use only one hand.”
“…”
Father’s eyebrows twitched slightly at my words. His reaction told me he knew exactly what I meant. After all, I had seen it clearly in that moment.
“But then, why did you use your right arm?”
“…”
The hand he’d used to strike my face yesterday… had been his right arm.
“I’m correct, aren’t I?”
Father remained silent. His serious expression was intimidating, but I detected a hint of panic within it.
“That means I won the bet, right?”
“…”
He said nothing. Father was trying to play it off as if he didn’t know, but I wasn’t about to let this go. I was better than anyone at picking up on people’s actions—how could I have missed this?
When our fight began, Father had placed one hand behind his back. It was definitely his right hand.
He may have knocked me out, but since he used his right hand, it still meant I had won.
As I stared at him, waiting for a response, he finally spoke.
“I’m not sure what you are talking about.”
“Woah.”
I couldn’t help but voice my surprise. I never thought I’d see the day Father would pull something like this.
“You’re really going to do this?”
“However, since you seem so disappointed, I shall grant you another chance.”
“What do you mean? I’m not disappointed at all.”
Was he really going to pretend it never happened? To be frank, I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.
As I looked at him, speechless, I laughed inwardly. The fact that he’d gone this far and was acting like this could only mean one thing…
“…So you really don’t want to send me to that place.”
“I said as much from the beginning.”
“Even so, I must go. I’ll go there, no matter what it takes.”
“…”
“I’ll break through even if you try to stop me.”
I had to go, whatever the cost. I couldn’t handle the Celestial Sword’s soul inside me on my own. I needed to find her to learn more about myself. Even if Father stood in my way, I had no choice.
I spoke with determination. After a moment of silence, Father replied.
“Fine.”
“Huh?”
Did he just say ‘fine’? My spirits lifted at the unexpected answer, but…
“I will allow you to go, since you wish to so desperately. But on one condition.”
I frowned at his words.
“Are we going to fight again?”
I couldn’t defeat him now. Yesterday’s fight had made that perfectly clear. It might have been possible if I were at the level I’d reached in my past life, but in my current state, I couldn’t even touch my father. It would take a long time to return to that former peak.
“It’s not a fight.”
“Then what is it?”
“What is the current rank of your Gu Flame Wheel Art?”
“It has reached the 7th rank.”
More precisely, it was at the beginning stage of the Seventh Star. My Gu Flame Wheel Art had ascended when I reached the Fusion Realm.
“Reach the 9th rank. Only then will I tell you where she is.”
“…The 9th rank?”
“Yes.”
The 9th rank was the level I had attained in my past life. He was telling me I needed to return to my former peak.
I suppose it’s a little different, though.
In my past life, I had focused more on strengthening my Demonic Qi than my martial arts. If I dedicated myself to its development now, I would likely reach the 9th rank much faster.
That part was fine, but one thing puzzled me.
“May I ask… why you specified the 9th rank?”
His condition was oddly precise.
Father answered without hesitation.
“Only then will you be able to survive in that place.”
“…”
I was left speechless. I didn’t know how dangerous that place was for him to set such a high bar, but his serious expression told me he wouldn’t change his mind.
So this is all I could get by calling him out on his cheating, huh?
Even though he’d used both hands in the end, I knew the fight had only happened due to Father’s generosity. This compromise was the best I would get.
The 9th rank, huh…
I only had two more ranks to climb, but advancement would only grow more difficult from here.
“…Understood. I will ask you again once I reach the Ninth Star.”
I had no other choice but to accept. Though I agreed to his condition, I still planned to seek out other methods to reach that level as quickly as possible.
Father nodded.
Then…
“…”
“…”
With our conversation concluded, an awkward silence fell between us. It was uncomfortable.
Just as I wondered whether to make a run for it or ask another question…
“Third child.”
Father spoke first, surprising me.
“Yes.”
“Have you eaten yet?”
“…”
The question took me aback. I’d heard this somewhere before…
Where was it?
After a moment’s thought, I remembered.
It’s what I always say.
I always used this phrase when I had nothing else to say, when I wanted to check if someone was okay, or if they were skipping meals.
“I… haven’t eaten yet.”
“I see.”
Father walked past me and spoke shortly after.
“Then we shall go eat. Follow me.”
“…”
For a moment, I stared at his retreating back. It felt like the first time I’d ever heard such words from him.
He was simply asking me to have breakfast with him, right?
Turning over his possible meanings in my head, I carefully began to follow.
“…Yes, Father.”
Father’s shoulders flinched slightly when I called him that. I wondered if it was the wrong thing to say, but he didn’t utter a word.
After that, silence fell between us once again, as it always did.
But this time, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable like before.
It was a very strange feeling.