Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: The Bastard Son's Return
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Danri Clan headquarters, patriarch's chamber.
A middle-aged man sat in the chair within the patriarch's chamber.
It was none other than Danri Mae, the patriarch of the Danri Clan. A groan escaped his lips.
"Hoooh..."
It wasn't pain in his body or mind.
Yet he clutched his throbbing head, unable to do anything but sigh at the dire situation facing his clan.
"Our territory is being encroached upon day by day."
In truth, the rivalry with the Gusa Sect had a long history.
From the moment an unorthodox sect had been established in the same region, it was a problem everyone could foresee. But until now, it hadn't escalated to this level.
The reason was simple.
The Danri Clan occupied the sunlit highlands, while the Gusa Sect lurked in the shadowed depths, each respecting their own domains without overstepping.
But recently, the situation had changed dramatically.
'If you're going to stay in the shadows, stay there to the end. Why poke your head out now?'
The Gusa Sect, which had schemed in the underworld, began openly striding through the streets by day, expanding its influence.
They even mercilessly smashed shops under the Danri Clan's protection and showed no hesitation in clashing directly with the main household.
As if they had been preparing for this all along.
'Their accumulated power has surpassed our expectations.'
Having avoided major clashes for so long, the Danri Clan had underestimated their strength and failed to gauge it properly.
Thus, even after the confrontations began and the clan responded to their provocations as best it could, they kept getting pushed back.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Danri Mae drummed his fingers on the desk, furrowing his brow.
"No way to break through this... what should we do?"
If only his sons had stepped up properly, his worries would have eased.
But contrary to his hopes, all four sons—from the eldest to the fourth—had their shortcomings, none satisfying him.
In the ongoing battles with the Gusa Sect, the young masters either avoided fights or returned defeated.
As a result, despite all the sons reaching adulthood, the Danri Clan had yet to name a young clan heir and kept delaying the decision.
As he nursed his headache amid these troubles, a servant spoke from outside.
"Patriarch, the reconnaissance captain has returned and requests an audience."
"Let him in."
Danri Mae, who had permitted entry to the chamber, immediately changed his mind.
"No, I'll go out to him."
His mind was already cluttered; this was a chance to clear his head, even if just for a moment outside.
Thus, leaving the chamber and heading to the courtyard, Danri Mae met the waiting reconnaissance captain.
"You're back."
Danri Jong's clothes were torn, his face marked with several wounds.
It was clear he had returned from another grueling fight.
"You've had a hard time."
Looking at him with pity, Danri Mae's gaze shifted beyond his shoulder.
"Hm?"
Only now did he notice the man hadn't come alone.
Behind him stood about a dozen men. Their attire and demeanor suggested they weren't his subordinates.
"Who are they?"
At Danri Mae's question, Danri Jong flinched.
How should he explain this?
How could he describe him?
Collecting his thoughts, Danri Jong cautiously spoke.
"Well..."
At that moment.
"It's been a long time."
Danri Hyang stepped forward and spoke.
Bowing his head slightly, he continued in a sharp tone.
"Father."
"...What?"
The utterly unexpected words made Danri Mae's eyes widen.
He whipped his head toward Danri Jong, who averted his gaze as if he knew something.
Seeing this, Danri Mae turned back and stared piercingly.
Then, overlaying the face calling him father, he recognized a familiar visage.
In disbelief, Danri Mae stammered.
"Could it be... Hyang?"
"Yes."
Danri Hyang nodded, and Danri Mae's mouth fell open.
"Impossible!"
Over a decade ago.
There had been a patriarch's illegitimate son born from a night's folly.
An child unwelcome, shunned by the current wife's glares and the servants' pointing fingers.
Danri Mae knew but had turned a blind eye.
As the boy offered no benefit and represented a past he wished to erase.
Perhaps because of that.
Receiving no help from anyone, Danri Hyang had been driven out young and left the clan.
The vanished boy left no trace anywhere after, so Danri Mae assumed he had perished somewhere.
"Where have you been all this time? And who are these people?"
Danri Mae eyed the dozen warriors around Danri Hyang.
Danri Hyang responded to his questions with a faint smile.
"All these years, I've wandered aimlessly through lands beyond Shaanxi Province, living as a drifter. Even after leaving the main house, I diligently trained in martial arts and became a wandering swordsman, visiting various clans."
"A wanderer's life..."
"Through that wandering life, like-minded individuals banded together in a group called the Joyous Dragon Society. These are all fellow wanderers who joined it with me."
Glancing sidelong at them, Danri Mae asked him again.
"Then why return to the main house now?"
"We were originally en route to Gansu Province on a commission. Passing through this area, we happened to hear rumors about the situation in Dankyeong."
"Rumors?"
"Yes. Word spread through Shaanxi that the Danri Clan was being pushed back by the Gusa Sect and facing hardship."
At those words, Danri Mae froze like a statue.
Even outsiders knew of their current plight?
At this rate, the clan's reputation would plummet in no time.
As he made a dismayed face, Danri Hyang continued.
"Though estranged for so long, blood ties are blood ties. Hearing the main house was in trouble, I pondered how to help. But I was mid-commission and couldn't recklessly withdraw."
"But how..."
"Then, the society leader made the decision."
"Society leader?"
As he scanned the men behind, a handsome man stepped forward.
His deep eyes seemed to swallow one in darkness just by looking.
"I am Hyeok Mulin, leader of the Joyous Dragon Society."
Hyeok Mulin nodded, and Danri Hyang went on.
"The leader broke our promise and refunded the client's advance to cancel the commission. The entire Joyous Dragon Society has come to Dankyeong to aid the Danri Clan."
Staring at Hyeok Mulin, Danri Mae swallowed hard at the inexplicable pressure and said,
"Thank you for your help."
"No big deal. We came only to protect our society's family."
"Is that so."
Stung by the words "protect family," Danri Mae sighed deeply and looked at Danri Hyang.
A child the clan had abandoned.
Yet that child had grown and returned with aid to defend the clan.
"I'm sorry... and thankful."
Bow.
Danri Hyang replied with a slight nod.
Having heard the full story, Danri Mae instructed a servant.
"Hey, you. Precious guests have arrived. Provide them quarters and a meal."
"Yes. This way, please."
The servant led the way, and the Joyous Dragon Society soon vanished from sight.
Now only Danri Mae and Danri Jong remained in the courtyard.
Danri Mae gazed at the society's retreating figures and asked,
"Reconnaissance captain."
"Speak."
"How did you encounter them?"
"Well..."
Danri Jong recounted in detail his predicament and the crisis.
Absorbing it quietly, Danri Mae hummed thoughtfully before speaking.
"The circumstances seem natural, but something feels off."
Would someone return so readily to aid a clan that once cast him out?
They appeared to help the main house, yet doubt lingered in his heart.
Still, with every hand needed now, he couldn't turn them away.
"Incorporate them into the main house reconnaissance unit. Watch their actions closely when they head into the streets."
"Understood."
Doubt still smoldering in his eyes, Danri Mae's gaze burned coldly.
And so.
Time passed, and clashes large and small between the Danri Clan and Gusa Sect continued.
Glance.
In these ongoing battles, Danri Jong focused on monitoring the Joyous Dragon Society's movements.
He reported back to the patriarch.
"No suspicious behavior observed from them at all."
"Really?"
"Yes. They eagerly smashed the Gusa Sect at the forefront instead. Moreover, each member's skills exceeded expectations, leading to major victories in most battles they joined."
"...Is that so."
After several such reports, Danri Mae finally relaxed.
"Then we've nothing to lose."
Not only had his returned son brought experts to bolster them, but each one charged ahead, crushing enemies.
With a pleased expression, he rescinded the order.
"Stop the surveillance now. Treat them with even greater courtesy as guests of the main house."
To him, the returned Danri Hyang now felt like an invaluable treasure beyond measure.
Gusa Sect.
A massive commotion echoed through the sect leader's hall at its center.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
Sounds of furniture, walls, and floors shattering rang out, but not a single sect member turned toward it.
At the epicenter stood a hulking middle-aged man—Gusa Sect Leader Hu Dun—on the verge of madness.
"Huff. Huff. Huff."
Having vented his rage by smashing everything around, Hu Dun breathed heavily.
"We were so close to finishing it!"
For years, he had plotted to seize the entire Dankyeong region under the Gusa Sect's control.
Training his followers aggressively and building strength, he invaded Danri Clan territory and surged ahead in one go.
As expected, the Danri Clan was caught flat-footed, and he predicted it wouldn't take long to bring them down.
But recently, everything flipped.
Because of the reinforcements that appeared like the wind.
'What? A band of wanderers?'
When he first heard the report, Hu Dun doubted his ears.
The tide turning because a few wanderers joined?
He dismissed it as coincidence, certain they wouldn't dent the war situation.
But he was wrong.
The one-sided battles had completely reversed.
The wanderers led the charge on the battlefield, and now the ones being pushed were the Gusa Sect, not the Danri Clan.
'Filthy righteous bastards, calling in reinforcements like cowards.'
Ptooey!
Grinding his teeth, Hu Dun spat at the Danri Clan's treachery.
Of course, his spit only hit the floor of the sect leader's hall.
He strode to a corner and gripped a massive sword.
"This won't do."
Hu Dun no longer trusted sending his underlings.
All useless trash.
Incapable of killing even one properly.
So tomorrow.
"I'll go myself and lop off every one of those wanderers' heads."
Gazing at his reflection in the gleaming blade, Hu Dun licked his lips.
Not a drop of blood stained it, yet it reeked of acrid blood scent.