Chapter 71
Eventually, Father spoke in a subdued tone.
"......I understand."
It was surprisingly straightforward acceptance from a father who despised lies.
Soon, he asked, "Ri-yeon, can you check my meridians as well?"
"Yes!"
I'd already examined them once. Just as it was known that Father's skills were evenly matched with Uncle Namgung Wan's, it was impossible to determine superiority in their inner energy. While the Namgung Clan warriors all had a reddish hue, Father's was a pale white tinged with blue.
As I gazed at his meridians in a trance, I belatedly looked up at Father's face. His eyes held discomfort. It snapped me awake like a bucket of cold water.
Of course.
No martial artist would be pleased to have someone peering into their body and inner strength.
I bowed my head. "S-Sorry. I won't look at yours anymore, Father."
"No, no. I was just a bit uneasy. It's an ability that's not fully understood, after all."
His words calmed my startled heart. It had truly dropped into my stomach.
Still, I need to be more careful from now on.
Father, who seemed lost in thought, broached the subject. "Ri-yeon, I understand you want to keep that ability hidden. But wouldn't it be good to tell Wan?"
"Why?"
"Honestly, I know next to nothing about the Manshin-ui. I've heard it's connected to the Namgung Clan, so he should know more than I do."
"If that's the case, sure!"
The Baek Ri Clan was what I wanted to hide it from most anyway.
Grandmother, Great-Uncle, Aunt. And my cousins.
Better to keep them off guard.
Though Grandmother and Great-Uncle kept Father in check, they never openly opposed him. Grandfather unwaveringly supported Great-Uncle, and Father's attitude showed no interest whatsoever in the clan head position.
Father never meddled in clan affairs, obsessively so. Before even becoming an adult, once he had the strength to protect himself, he took a single sword and ventured into the jianghu. Until he secured a position in the Murim Alliance, he wandered the world, aiding the weak and fighting evildoers.
Even as his fame grew, he never returned to the clan. He ignored Grandfather's suggestions that it was time to marry.
While personal martial prowess was crucial for becoming clan head, the existence of an heir was equally vital. Several marriage proposals came, but Father rejected them all. Even those who secretly supported him had no choice but to give up.
Then one day, Father brought home a young child, claiming her as his daughter. He even registered her in the Baek Ri household registry, granting her the Baek Ri surname.
The vice clan head position wasn't set in stone yet. What if the child Father brought had talent like his?
To them, it would have been terrifying.
So they crushed her before even checking her potential. They drove me into qi deviation.
With Father away, it was their chance.
I was just a child learning the basics of inner cultivation when they cunningly egged me on. They tempted me with spirit elixirs, saying one would make me strong in an instant.
But for a child whose foundations weren't solid, spirit elixirs were a straight path to qi deviation.
It was strange that a street beggar like me even coveted them in the first place.
I didn't even know what spirit elixirs were. Or what qi deviation meant.
Yet suddenly, I craved them and obtained one.
Even so, they were blood kin. Father could never have anticipated such despicable tactics.
Someday, I'll...
Ah!
Something I'd forgotten flashed into my mind. I shot to my feet and tugged Father's hand.
"Father! Hurry! To my chambers, quick!"
He tilted his head. "It's late. We'll go tomorrow."
"No! I have something to show you today!"
The azure spirit oil! I couldn't wait to show it to Father. Just imagining it made my heart pound.
How much will he love it?
As I stomped my feet urging him, Father stood with a helpless sigh.
"What on earth is it?"
"You'll see when we get there!"
I led Father running through the Namgung Clan estate. We ran and ran and ran some more.
Ugh, this place is huge!
I stopped, panting. How far had we come? In the dark, distances were hard to judge.
Father let out a soft breath, glanced around, and scooped me up.
Mm, yes. This sense of security.
It had been so long. I naturally wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Which way?"
"This way!"
"It's late. Keep your voice down."
Father dashed swiftly using lightness skill in the direction I pointed.
We could hop roofs or scale walls and be there in no time.
But we absolutely couldn't stray from the permitted paths. In a murim clan where enemy attacks could come anytime, deadly formations lined the off-path areas, ready to strike intruders. The Baek Ri Clan was the same.
Father, who had been flying along with lightness skill, suddenly slowed to a calm walk.
Why'd he stop?
Soon, we encountered a patrolling Namgung warrior. The alert guard relaxed upon seeing Father and released his sword hilt, cupping his fists.
"Greetings, Great Hero Baek Ri. Pardon my rudeness, but what brings you out at this hour?"
"Ri-yeon wanted to return to her chambers, so we came out."
"Hello."
I greeted from Father's arms.
"Ah, we heard the young lady left the Healing Pavilion today. Do you know the way? Shall I guide you?"
"No need. I can't trouble you."
"Understood. But please, do not stray from the path."
The warrior resumed his patrol.
Once his presence faded into the distance, I burst into the laughter I'd been holding back.
"Don't laugh. Who do you think this is for?"
With a sigh, Father resumed lightness skill. I buried my face in the nape of his neck and laughed openly.
"Ahahaha."
"Quiet."
"Heuk, hik, hup."
I bit my lip to stifle it, but it didn't work well. Father clicked his tongue and sped past several buildings in an instant. We encountered two more patrolling warriors, and each time, Father's steps naturally slowed.
Soon, my chambers came into view.
"There it is!"
Father kicked off the ground toward it but halted abruptly. The sudden motion was smooth enough that I felt no jolt in his arms.
This is lightness skill.
Unlike my admiration, Father's face was tense as he set me down.
Someone's there.
It rang in my head like a sudden voice. Father's transmission.
A sword was already silently drawn in his hand.
"This is my daughter's chambers. Who might this elder be?"
"Daughter? Then you must be Baek Ri-gang."
The peaceful atmosphere shattered in an instant, replaced by a razor-sharp tension so thick even breaths were hushed. The moonlit courtyard, shrouded in clouds, was pitch black to normal eyes.
But through my golden eyes, it was different. I saw blazing red inner energy.
I shouted urgently. "Father, it's the Heavenly Mountain Salt Lord!"
"Heavenly Mountain Salt Lord?"
As Father echoed in surprise, the sharp killing intent poised to lunge vanished.
"Tch, no fun. I wasn't planning to show myself, but that brat ruined it."
The Heavenly Mountain Salt Lord—Yahul—clicked his tongue in annoyance, shoving aside what he held and clasping his hands behind his back.
I cried out hastily. "Yahul! Are you okay?"
A coughing fit was followed by a faint, "I'm fine."
Why did this old man keep barging into my chambers causing trouble? And he'd even had the azure spirit oil taken from him—there was only one left, which I planned to give to Father. But we'd run into him first!
Now it'd look like I'd deliberately hidden it from Father!
Father spoke respectfully. "Greetings, Senior. Forgive me for not paying respects first."
But he didn't sheathe his drawn sword.
"However, I must ask what brings you to my daughter's chambers."
"You know who I am, yet you won't lower your sword. Impressive."
Only Yahul calmed his killing intent; Father's grew even sharper.
Was he planning to fight? I'd told him the identity precisely to prevent that!
Heh heh. Who knows.
Well, Father wouldn't go down easily. The moment they clashed even once, it'd wake every Namgung warrior. If anything, Yahul was the one in danger.
He'll have to read the room and drag Yahul away.