Chapter 674: A Stick is the Best Medicine for a Mad Dog
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 674: A Stick is the Best Medicine for a Mad Dog
"Dyah-haaa!"
Yeon-woo continued his adorable babbling.
"Haaa..."
"Oh my... goodness..."
"Aww, look at you."
Exclamations of wonder erupted from all around. Everyone was utterly captivated by Yeon-woo’s loveliness.
"How can he be this cute?"
Ok-ryeong spoke with a gentle smile.
"Doesn't he look exactly like his father?"
Un Ga-ryeo added, her own smile radiant. Seeing the child after so long felt like a warm spring breeze blowing through her heart.
"It’s amazing... he’s so tiny..."
Yorang, seeing a human baby for the first time, wore a look of pure fascination. The thought that such a small, wriggling creature would grow up big and strong filled her with a sense of mystery.
"May... May I hold him too?"
Kang Ha-yoon asked, her face flushing with shyness. Looking at Yeon-woo, maternal instincts she never knew she had were blooming rapidly.
"No... No. It is my turn. You may hold him after me."
Neung So-hwa spoke with a firm expression, as if any other suggestion was preposterous. Yeon-woo’s explosive cuteness had ignited an overwhelming desire in her to hold the child.
"Wait... just a moment... I want to hold him a little longer."
Tang Seo-yoon, who was currently cradling Yeon-woo, flatly refused. She was gripped by a greedy urge to monopolize this tiny, precious life.
"That’s not fair! I want to hold him too!"
Yorang raised her voice slightly, huffing at Tang Seo-yoon.
"I said I’m next!"
"You held him plenty earlier!"
"I want to hold him more!"
"Greedy!"
Soon, the two women began bickering back and forth. The others, ignoring the squabble, remained focused on Yeon-woo, observing his every move. Just looking at his face brought a natural sense of peace to their hearts.
After some time had passed...
"Then let’s ask the baby’s mother! Who should get to hold him!"
Yorang shouted, her voice rising.
"She is not here at the moment."
Neung So-hwa shook her head as she spoke.
"Then ask Sun-woo!"
"He is also not here."
"What?!"
Yorang blinked in confusion. She was baffled by the sudden disappearance of the two. Where could they have gone, leaving the baby behind?
"Where did they both go?" Yorang asked, her curiosity piqued.
"They said they had things to discuss privately and left."
"Where to?"
"To the training ground."
"The training ground!?"
Yorang’s confusion deepened. If they had things to discuss, shouldn't they have gone to a quiet pavilion or a secluded garden? Why would they head to a training ground that reeked of sweat? It made no sense to her.
"Hmm... It seems... they have matters that need to be settled somewhat... roughly."
Neung So-hwa spoke with a calm, composed expression.
"Roughly?"
Yorang still looked like she didn't understand. It didn't fit the common sense of the human world she had learned so far.
"Just accept it for now. You can hear the details from them later."
".........Ugh... fine."
Yorang nodded. She suspected Neung So-hwa knew something, but she didn't feel like prying. The backstory wasn't what mattered right now.
"Now it’s my turn!"
Yorang raised her voice again.
"No, it is mine!"
The room quickly returned to its boisterous state.
*
The Training Ground.
A man and a woman stood a short distance apart, silently staring at each other. Both wore incredibly complex expressions.
After a long silence...
"Do you know why I asked to come to the training ground?"
Bukgung Yeon, a woman as beautiful as pure white snow, finally spoke.
"..........To... beat me up?"
Sun-woo watched her with a nervous gaze.
"You know me well."
Bukgung Yeon replied with a cold smile.
Whoosh!
She began to slowly draw out her frost energy. The temperature in the surrounding area plummeted instantly.
".....I... I thought you’d forgiven me?"
Sun-woo asked, looking awkward. Their reunion hadn't been bad at all. The room had been a sea of tears, she had comforted him, and she had even named the child. It was a rather touching reunion.
Because of that, Sun-woo had hoped. He thought that, if things went well, he might be able to slide past the consequences.
"In your dreams."
But Bukgung Yeon’s response made it clear: his hopes were entirely misplaced. A touching reunion was one thing; anger was another.
"I’ve heard everything that happened while I was away."
"Ev... everything?"
"Yes. Sohwa was very thorough in telling me."
Bukgung Yeon let out a chilling smile.
"......Sohwa did...?"
Sun-woo turned pale. Knowing the upright Neung So-hwa, she likely told the truth without omitting a single detail. In other words, his colorful history with other women had been completely exposed.
"Yes. And I’ve reached a conclusion."
"....What kind?"
"That my dear husband must be out of his mind."
"Out of my mind? Me?"
"Yes. Otherwise, there’s no way you’d forget your pregnant wife and go around seducing five other women, right?"
"............."
Sun-woo fell silent at her bone-shattering words. He was a thousand times in the wrong.
"So, I’ve decided. As your wife, I must personally cure my husband’s madness."
Bukgung Yeon spoke with a gentle, terrifying smile.
"What... what are you going to do?"
"I’m going to beat you."
"Beat me!?"
"Yes. There’s an old saying in the North Sea... A stick is the best medicine for a mad dog."
"Is that... is that really a saying?" Sun-woo asked skeptically.
"Of course."
Bukgung Yeon replied with a bright smile.
Shiver.
Meeting that smile, Sun-woo felt a chill run down his spine. Her mouth was smiling brightly, but her eyes were not.
Whoosh!
A massive amount of frost energy began to gather in her hands, turning them bone-white.
"Sun-woo... I might... not be able to control my strength..."
She issued a warning.
"So... I want you to do your best. If you try to hold back or just take the hits out of guilt... you might actually die."
Her cold eyes flashed.
"We can't have our Yeon-woo growing up without a father, can we? So please, give it your all."
"If that’s the case... wouldn't it be better... to just... stop?"
"Unfortunately, I can't do that. This is my righteous anger toward a man who failed his duty as a husband and a father..."
Bukgung Yeon spoke calmly and immediately lunged toward Sun-woo.
Swish!
Seeing her move, Sun-woo instantly drew the Dragon Tail Soft Sword from his waist. The chilling sensation told him that if he didn't take this seriously, he really might die.
Boom!
Bukgung Yeon’s snow-white hand swung directly at Sun-woo. He quickly raised his sword to block the attack.
CRASH!
As her hand collided with the Dragon Tail Soft Sword, a thunderous roar erupted along with a massive shockwave.
"You’ve grown stronger. As your wife, I’m pleased."
Bukgung Yeon looked impressed. Sun-woo’s skill was leagues beyond what it had been before she left.
CRASH!
"Urgh... Yeon-ah... wait... just a second... listen to me!"
Sun-woo groaned under the weight of her heavy attacks. The force he was taking head-on was far beyond anything he had imagined.
"Whyyy? Let’s play some moooore!"
Ignoring him completely, Bukgung Yeon swung her hands with blinding speed.
BOOM! CRASH!
Soon, the training ground was filled with thunderous roars like exploding cannons and tremors that felt like an earthquake.
*
The vanguard of the Cheonmu Alliance sent to Sichuan had been annihilated.
This rumor began to spread like wildfire among the people of Chengdu. There were simply too many witnesses. Had it happened inside the Tang Clan estate, they might have been able to suppress the news. But the annihilation had occurred right at the Tang Clan’s main gate.
Witnesses were everywhere.
The rumor crossed the borders of Sichuan, reaching Shaanxi, Henan, Jiangxi, and even Shandong. Everyone who heard the news was struck with disbelief.
Who were the members of the Cheonmu Alliance vanguard? Were they not heroes who had set out to subjugate the Demonic Cult? How could such men be wiped out? And by a single person, no less?
People began to think: this was a direct challenge to the Cheonmu Alliance. Some even suspected the culprit was a high-ranking master of the Demonic Cult. Otherwise, there was no way the vanguard could have been decimated so easily.
The world’s attention turned to the Cheonmu Alliance, curious to see how they would respond to such a humiliation.
SLAM!
Lee Jae-won slammed his desk violently. An uncontrollable rage surged within him.
"Say that again! What happened to who?"
Lee Jae-won scanned the room with a murderous glare.
".......The men sent as the vanguard... have all... been wiped out..."
Zhuge Chan, terrified by the overwhelming pressure, spoke with a trembling voice.
"Damn it all!"
Lee Jae-won spat out a curse. In his extreme fury, he forgot even to maintain his facade. His own son, Lee Jae-sun, was part of that vanguard. How could he not be enraged when his son’s unit had been destroyed?
"Are they all dead?"
Lee Jae-won glared at him with bloodshot eyes.
"No... not quite. They are heavily injured, but fortunately... we received word that their lives are not in danger. They are currently... recuperating in the Tang Clan’s Medical Pavilion."
"............Phew."
Hearing Zhuge Chan’s words, Lee Jae-won’s anger subsided slightly. At least his son wasn't dead. Furthermore, the Tang Clan’s Medical Pavilion was trustworthy; their physicians were among the best in the Central Plains.
However, his anger didn't vanish completely. The vanguard was a group of heroes dispatched by the Alliance to fight the Demonic Cult. Attacking them was no different from declaring war on the Cheonmu Alliance itself.
How could he not be furious? Someone had dared to oppose the Cheonmu Alliance, the very sky of the Murim.
"Have you identified the culprit?"
Lee Jae-won glared sharply at Zhuge Chan.
"That... we haven't... been able to uncover their identity yet."
BANG!
"What on earth are the Biseon agents doing!? They eat the Alliance’s salary, yet they handle matters so incompetently!?"
Lee Jae-won roared, his eyes filled with fury.
"I will see that it is corrected," Zhuge Chan said, looking apologetic.
"Corrected? I don't want excuses, I want results!"
"......I am sorry!"
Lee Jae-won continued to berate Zhuge Chan. In truth, he knew it wasn't Zhuge Chan’s fault, nor the fault of the Biseon agents. How could mere spies uncover the identity of a master capable of suppressing five hundred men at once? It was absurd.
Nevertheless, Lee Jae-won didn't stop his tirade. He simply needed a target for his frustration—frustration over his beloved son being beaten by some unknown bastard and the honor of the Cheonmu Alliance being dragged through the mud.
"So you don't know his name, his age, or where he came from?"
Lee Jae-won continued his sarcastic interrogation, picking at every detail.
".....I am sorry.."
"And I suppose you don't know where he went after wiping out the vanguard?"
".........Regarding that... we have information."
"What!?"
Lee Jae-won asked in surprise. He hadn't expected them to know the culprit's whereabouts. Usually, when someone picked a fight with a massive organization like the Cheonmu Alliance, they vanished immediately to avoid pursuit.
Yet they knew where he was? What did that mean?
"Currently, the culprit... is said to be inside the Tang Clan estate."
"What!?"
Lee Jae-won asked again, stunned. This was entirely unexpected. Why would the culprit be in the Tang Clan?
"Did the Poison King capture him?"
"That doesn't seem to be the case. It’s said he entered of his own accord."
"And the Tang Clan has no reaction to this?"
"....There has been... no official announcement regarding the matter."
Zhuge Chan spoke with an awkward expression.
'...Look at these sons of bitches.'
Lee Jae-won’s face contorted with rage. He was incensed by the Tang Clan’s dog-like behavior. How could those who claimed to be blood allies handle things this way? They were clearly disrespecting the Cheonmu Alliance.
'Haa... I’ll have to sort out the hierarchy with these bastards soon.'
Lee Jae-won thought to himself. He would have to properly instill the concept of rank into the Tang Clan, who clearly didn't know their place.