Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Proposal
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Paeng Jisan learned of the Dao King's condition from Jin Yeongho, who was always quick with the latest news.
He hated to admit it, but Jin Yeongho was more sociable than him and gathered information from various sources.
‘Well, since Jin Yeongho follows me anyway, it doesn't matter.’
He was already treating him like a subordinate.
The news he brought was shocking.
—The Dao King was ambushed and is in bad shape! Right after arriving at the Murim Alliance, he headed straight to the Medical Pavilion for treatment!
Who in the world would dare ambush the Dao King?
And for him to be in bad shape, no less?
Paeng Jisan happened to have no external missions at the time.
In the middle of training, he asked his instructor for permission and rushed to the Medical Pavilion.
His relationship with Medical Pavilion Leader Baek Yuseong wasn't good, but his father's well-being was more important.
It was because the Dao King stood so firmly that even the later-generation disciples at the Murim Academy watched his every move.
He had now reached Peak Realm himself, but he was still far from matching the Dao King's reputation.
Of course, he was also greatly worried about his father.
A servant stopped him upon arriving at the Medical Pavilion.
He wanted to barge in and check on his father's condition himself, but seeing Nangong Yurin on guard duty inside, he calmly asked the servant to relay a message.
A moment later.
His father emerged, looking relaxed after treatment.
Paeng Jisan felt relieved.
‘Hate to admit it, but his skills must be pretty good.’
His father looked better than he'd first heard.
Even if there was some exaggeration in the rumors, Yuseong's medical skills didn't seem half bad.
“Father! Are you alright?”
“No need to make a fuss. The treatment went well, so a few days of rest and I'll recover fine. Anyway…”
The Dao King eyed Paeng Jisan.
His aura was sharper than before, and his posture straighter.
“As expected, you've crossed the wall into Peak Realm. Excellent.”
“This child merely gave it his all.”
Paeng Jisan spotted a figure behind his father, who was praising him with a satisfied expression as a Peak Realm expert.
Baek Yuseong stood there with a displeased look.
His rival! (It was a misunderstanding.)
Seeing the man he was in a love triangle with over Nangong Yurin soured his mood.
He forced his gaze away.
As a child, he'd often struggled to contain his anger once fixated on something, but now at twenty-three, he felt his patience had grown and he'd matured.
He was confident he was no different from an ordinary person now.
At least until he heard his father's next words.
“Jisan, this is Physician Baek Yuseong, who treated me. Getting to know him will be a great help in the future, so greet him properly. You're not far apart in age, so it would be good if you got along like friends.”
Unlike Paeng Jisan, whose rebellious streak surged suddenly,
Yuseong didn't want to show any conflict with Paeng Jisan in front of the Dao King, whom he was meeting for the first time that day.
It wasn't easy to criticize someone's son to their face.
If Paeng Jisan just exchanged even a curt greeting here, things could pass smoothly.
However.
“…I can't do that.”
Paeng Jisan, his face twisted in fury, finally snapped.
“What did you say?”
The Dao King's voice carried clear displeasure.
Normally, Paeng Jisan would have shrunk back from the instinctive fear ingrained in his body,
But Nangong Yurin was watching from inside the Medical Pavilion.
He had no intention of bowing to the guy vying for her.
Wouldn't she think him unmanly for it?
“That bastard made Yurin cry! And that's not all… Anyway, I can't!”
He couldn't easily say that Yurin was ignoring him because of Baek Yuseong.
It hurt his pride.
That very attitude was unmanly.
He just needed to quickly reach Peak Realm himself, and it would all be resolved.
Then Nangong Yurin would look at him differently.
He might get a scolding from his father later, but he wouldn't yield, Paeng Jisan thought.
However.
There was something Paeng Jisan hadn't considered.
It was natural he hadn't thought of Nangong Yurin's feelings—she inwardly cursed Paeng Jisan and sighed as her tears became public knowledge.
He also hadn't considered the Dao King's face.
His son had defied him in front of numerous people.
The Dao King, who had simply wanted to introduce his son to Yuseong with good intentions, clenched his fist for the first time in ages.
He'd heard no major news about his accident-prone son for years and thought he'd matured a bit, but he was still such a brat.
Even if the support divisions were far inferior to the martial divisions, for his son—who hoped to join the Murim Alliance—to publicly clash with one of its division leaders.
‘It’s not as bad as a few years ago when he threw a tantrum right in my face about not wanting to marry the second daughter of the Jin family because she was ugly, but it’s still serious, isn’t it?’
The second daughter of the Jin family was known as quite a beauty in northern Hebei.
She was nowhere near ugly enough for such a remark.
But after seeing Nangong Yurin at the past Dragon-Phoenix Tournament, Paeng Jisan's standards had shot up.
If the Dao King hadn't been a famed Transformation Realm expert and hadn't sharply scolded him right there,
The long-standing ties between the Paeng family and the Jin family, both based in northern Hebei, might have cracked.
The marriage between Paeng Jisan and the Jin family's second daughter hadn't just cracked—it had shattered completely—but the bond between the families hadn't broken.
He'd taken a brief interest in a girl named Nangong Yurin, but first, he needed to make his son apologize to the Medical Pavilion Leader.
Since he'd caused a scene in front of warriors lined up for treatment, it needed cleaning up.
“You fool! Apologize to the Medical Pavilion Leader right now. How dare a mere Murim Academy cadet speak so rudely to a Murim Alliance Medical Pavilion Leader?!”
Usually, a stern shout like this would snap his son out of it.
But Paeng Jisan couldn't make rational judgments in front of Nangong Yurin, of all people.
“How can a grown man be told to bow to his rival? I absolutely won't!”
Rival?
‘Is there something I don't know?’
The Dao King's gaze swept over Baek Yuseong.
He was chuckling wryly.
His eyes then turned to Nangong Yurin.
She wore an expression of pity.
Only Paeng Jisan was fuming alone.
‘Is this all just his one-sided misunderstanding?’
He'd come to praise and encourage his son's achievements, but it seemed disciplining him took priority.
The moment he decided it was time for a good beating after so long.
“What's going on, Dao King?”
A heavy voice came from behind.
Turning, the Dao King saw an elderly man of slender build with piercing eyes.
His name was Baek Ri Danu.
Born into the minor Baek Ri Clan, he had risen to become the Murim Alliance Leader, a Transformation Realm expert.
But due to his humble origins, he was a figurehead with no real power beyond command of the Demon Subduing Division.
Of course, his background was precisely why he had been elected leader amid various interests—no great lineage would have allowed it.
And while he lacked real power, he certainly didn't lack authority.
At minimum, within the Murim Alliance, the Alliance Leader's influence far outstripped the Dao King's.
The Dao King quickly cupped his fists.
“Alliance Leader, it's been a while.”
“I rushed over hearing you'd been injured, but you look fine. Though there's some commotion.”
The Dao King waved his hands hastily.
“No, no commotion at all. I was just educating my son after so long. I was planning to pay my respects to you anyway, but you came all this way.”
The Alliance Leader's gaze flicked over Paeng Jisan.
He was grinding his teeth while glaring at Baek Yuseong.
“I see. I also wanted to ask about the group that ambushed you, so I came by. But it seems your son has words for the Medical Pavilion Leader?”
“Well…”
It seemed there was some awkward circumstance.
The Alliance Leader recalled that before Jeong Rip left on informal leave,
He had asked him to look after Yuseong in case of emergencies.
A request from Jeong Rip, who could provide strong backing within the Murim Alliance.
Knowing that, and with Yuseong involved, he couldn't stay out of it.
As the Alliance Leader subtly pressed, the Dao King's face reddened.
Paeng Jisan still showed no intention of apologizing to Yuseong.
Furious at having to apologize on behalf of his son, he had no choice as the one who'd raised him poorly.
“It seems my son has some misunderstanding with the Medical Pavilion Leader. I'll handle it. My apologies, Physician Baek. I'll apologize on his behalf, so please forgive him generously.”
Paeng Jisan could just get a beating as usual.
If Baek Yuseong accepted the apology, it could all blow over.
However.
Yuseong no longer wanted to tolerate Paeng Jisan's one-sided misunderstanding and hostility toward him.
He'd had plenty of chances to change, but he remained steadfast.
This was a perfect setup to lay the groundwork.
“There's no need for the Dao King to apologize. Isn't this something Paeng Gongzi and I can resolve by agreement? Leave it to me.”
“Oh, will you? If you two can settle it amicably, that's the best outcome. Then I'll step aside.”
Whether he'd taken Yuseong's words a certain way, the Dao King smiled brightly and withdrew.
‘He won't go back on his word.’
Yuseong stared straight at Paeng Jisan.
“Paeng Gongzi, is the proposal you made at the bookstore last time still valid?”
The proposal at the bookstore.
Paeng Jisan's eyes widened as he realized what Yuseong meant.
“You mean the one where we fight bare-handed without internal energy, and the loser cleanly gives up on Yurin?”
Even before the Alliance Leader, his speech had softened.
“…As I recall, the condition was for Nangong Guniang to receive an apology. But since we'll each set a condition anyway, if that's what you want, I'll go along. If you tell me to apologize, I'll do so as Paeng Gongzi instructs.
In exchange, if I win, Paeng Gongzi apologizes for all his past rudeness to me and returns to the Paeng family. That's my condition. Do you accept?”
His guess that some in the Murim Alliance already knew about his origins and past had helped him make this decision.
Yuseong didn't want to make enemies, but those who already were needed to be eliminated or pushed away.
From his experience with the Dao King, he seemed discerning despite his appearance, so it shouldn't be a problem.
It was a fair—no, to an outsider, an absurdly unfavorable—match for Yuseong.
But now, Yuseong had plenty of people to back him.
“What? Apologize? Return to the Paeng family?”
Paeng Jisan's eyebrows twitched, nostrils flaring.
Yuseong lifted only one corner of his mouth.
“What's wrong? Don't tell me you're not confident?”