Chapter 297. A Battle Without Bells (1)
“Are you inside?”
“……You know I am, so stop asking and come in.”
“Very well.”
The door creaked open, revealing Yeon Wi’s figure.
Dang Gwan snorted derisively.
“The son comes to shake things up, and the father arrives to soothe them. What a perfectly matched pair of father and son.”
Yeon Wi tilted his head quizzically.
“What do you mean by that?”
Dang Gwan, who had been quietly studying his face, abruptly turned away.
“Never mind. Come and sit.”
“As you wish.”
A moment later, the two men sat facing each other across the low table.
Yeon Wi inhaled the aroma of the tea and smiled faintly.
“Did you brew this yourself?”
“With no servants around, I had no choice but to do it myself.”
“Where did you send the help?”
“Poison cultivation is fraught with peril. If they stayed in this building, they could die from poisoning.”
“A wise decision.”
Dang Gwan turned his head again.
“I just need someone to handle the chores after my training. Without them, I have to do it all myself.”
He truly is an honest man in his own way.
But that was fine.
Yeon Wi quite liked this change in Dang Gwan.
“That said, your tea-brewing skills seem quite refined.”
“……”
“If you hadn’t learned properly, you couldn’t draw out such a rich aroma in so short a time. The temperature is perfect, too.”
“What are you getting at?”
Yeon Wi asked slyly.
“Did you learn from your daughter?”
Dang Gwan furrowed his brow.
“If you’re just going to spout nonsense, leave now.”
“Haha, my apologies. I spoke out of turn.”
Yeon Wi moistened his throat with a sip of tea and continued.
“I heard you’re heading to Sichuan.”
He spoke in a natural, gentle tone that nonetheless carried an abrupt edge.
The corner of Dang Gwan’s mouth twitched upward.
“Who told you that?”
“Just rumors I’ve heard. But if it’s true, I thought I should at least say farewell.”
Dang Gwan’s eyes narrowed.
He silently scrutinized Yeon Wi’s face—it didn’t seem like a lie.
Not that this man would bother lying about something so trivial anyway.
Dang Gwan turned away.
“I’ve decided to postpone my return to Sichuan.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes widened.
“You’ve changed your mind?”
“Yes.”
“Haha, then I can delay my farewells.”
Dang Gwan gazed at him steadily, his voice tinged with faint puzzlement.
“You… are you truly the head of the Yeon family?”
“Hm? What do you mean by that?”
“The first time I saw you was at the Bonggong Council. Back then, you were certainly not like this.”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“Then, what sort of man was I?”
“Stubborn, curt, and blind to the currents of the times.”
“Hahaha.”
It was a cold, frank assessment.
And indeed, Dang Gwan had seen him that way.
“And now?”
“You’re different.”
“How so?”
Dang Gwan drank his tea without answering.
Yeon Wi had anticipated as much.
And even without hearing it, he knew better than anyone that he had changed.
Of course.
Yeon Wi reflected on his past self.
I’ve changed a great deal.
The weight of the family name, his late wife’s final words, the crushing duties—they had forged his rigid personality.
In a way, it had been a defense mechanism to protect himself.
Under such mental strain, he might have lost his sense of self without it.
But not anymore.
The change in his eldest son, the shifting world around him—he had witnessed it all.
As his son ventured into the martial world to meet the rapidly changing times, countless events had unfolded.
In that process, Yeon Wi had gained profound insight.
I can’t turn back time that’s already passed.
His deepest regret was failing to give his children proper love.
It pained him more than his wife’s death.
More than his powerlessness before the woman he loved more than his own life.
More than anything, he regretted neglecting the fruits of their love.
The moment he realized that, Yeon Wi was able to let go of everything.
To have no more regrets.
Yeon Wi spoke.
“I must apologize in advance for my ignorance of Sichuan’s affairs.”
“What is it?”
“Do you have a wife?”
He was asking if Dang Gwan had lost his wife first, as he had.
Dang Gwan shook his head.
“She passed ten years ago.”
“I see.”
Yeon Wi didn’t ask why she died.
It wouldn’t be pleasant to hear, and it would pain the teller as well.
But this was something he had to say.
“Did you love her?”
Dang Gwan scowled openly.
“What are you trying to say?”
“In this era of political marriages, I doubt you would wed a woman without affection.”
“You’re wrong. I was never swayed by sweet notions like romance or passion.”
Yeon Wi shook his head.
“Even if it was political, I believe a man like you would have cherished her.”
“……”
“Take good care of your children. They are the fruits of your love. As the most precious beings to you, let’s not create regrets before we die.”
Dang Gwan laughed coldly.
“Is giving lectures disguised as advice your hobby? I think I’ve heard something similar before.”
Yeon Wi gave a wry smile.
“My apologies. My regrets run deep, so these words slip out unbidden at times.”
“Hmph.”
Dang Gwan crossed his arms.
“Enough idle talk. Did you hear about it from your son?”
His tone dripped with sarcasm.
Yeon Wi tilted his head.
“My son? You mean Hojeong?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“He came begging me to run as a candidate for Alliance Leader.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes widened momentarily.
“When did this happen?”
“From this morning, he’s been hounding me like a pup desperate to relieve itself. You didn’t know?”
“I had no idea.”
Yeon Wi pondered briefly, then chuckled softly.
“That sounds just like him.”
Dang Gwan furrowed his brows.
“‘Just like him,’ you say… That’s an odd way to put it. You expected him to act this way?”
“If I hadn’t, I’d be shocked. But hearing it now, it makes sense. Hojeong would pull a move like that.”
Curiosity flickered across Yeon Wi’s face.
“So, how did you respond to his proposal?”
Yeon Wi met Dang Gwan’s silent gaze, and surprise soon colored his features.
“You accepted?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Yeon Hojeong making such a proposal was believable enough.
Of course, it wasn’t Yeon Wi’s way.
He preferred upright paths in martial arts or politics, unskilled in laying traps or striking with unexpected counters.
But what surprised him was Dang Gwan accepting it.
“You must know what Hojeong’s proposal means.”
“I do. He wants me to stand as Moyong Gun’s rival. Draw the man’s eyes here, topple him from the shadows, and install an Alliance Leader to his liking, right?”
Yeon Wi shook his head.
“There may be intent to curb Moyong Ga-ju’s ambitions, but not to seat someone to his personal taste.”
“There is.”
“……”
“That boy’s gaze was fixed with certainty on who should lead the martial alliance. That’s how I saw it, at least.”
Yeon Wi’s expression hardened.
“Who?”
“Even I don’t know that far. He wouldn’t tell me if I asked. If you’re so curious, ask your son yourself.”
Yeon Wi nodded.
“I will.”
Dang Gwan smacked his lips.
“Whatever the reason, I’ll run in the election. And I’ll lose, of course.”
He didn’t seem to believe he could win.
Yeon Wi nodded.
“Likely so.”
Setting aside Dang Gwan’s prestige or ability, the intimidation and fear inspired by the Sichuan Dang family were immense.
The head of such a clan as Alliance Leader?
Almost every righteous path martial artist would revolt.
Moreover, the deep-seated prejudices of the righteous martial world couldn’t be ignored.
To them, the Dang family—wielding poison and hidden weapons as primary arms—was viewed as poorly as the black path.
“The problem is, Moyong Gun won’t miss that.”
“True.”
“Your son must have foreseen that much. In other words, I become a useless figurehead.”
Dang Gwan tilted his head.
“I can’t fathom what he plans to do with a puppet like that.”
Having already decided, he seemed resigned to being a figurehead or whatever else.
He accepted knowing he’d lose, so he must have anticipated that much.
Yeon Wi shook his head as he watched him.
“You said our eldest sees you as Alliance Leader material.”
“So I did.”
“I know nothing of that. But one thing I do know.”
“……?”
“He won’t turn you into a mere puppet.”
A glint flashed in Dang Gwan’s eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“To win, our boy commits acts no ordinary man could imagine, all with calm composure. His greed for victory always stems from a greater righteousness, so I’ve watched patiently. But he’s done quite a few radical things along the way.”
“Hmph.”
“Yet he has his limits.”
“Limits?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“He won’t reduce someone to misery unless they’re proven a clear enemy—even if he uses them.”
Dang Gwan sneered.
“You see your son as far too virtuous. I’ve never met anyone as reckless as him.”
“He pushes boundaries, but suffers no great harm because he has his own lines he won’t cross.”
“Interesting.”
“And perhaps this thought crosses my mind as well.”
Yeon Wi’s face grew serious.
“He has no intention of making you Alliance Leader, but he plans to turn you into a heavyweight who wields immense influence in the alliance’s politics.”
“……!”
Dang Gwan’s expression stiffened.
“What makes you think that?”
“Only someone of that caliber can properly pressure Moyong Ga-ju.”
“……”
“And one more thing.”
A smile played on Yeon Wi’s lips.
“My son seems to think rather highly of your true nature.”
Dang Gwan spoke in disbelief.
“If that’s true, your son’s arrogance is unrivaled under heaven.”
“Why so?”
“To judge the head of the Dang family on a whim and plan to thrust him into the alliance’s core? That’s no ordinary hubris.”
“Yet that arrogant boy has toppled the Myeong family and shaken the martial world’s political landscape.”
“……!!”
Yeon Wi chuckled as he rose from his seat.
“Spare me a moment. There’s somewhere we should go together.”