Chapter 12: Follow Only the Family (2)
Chapter 12: Follow Only the Family (2)
The moment I saw my grandfather, my mind went cold.
Damn it. I thought I had made it out alive, but it felt like I was still clamped firmly in a tiger’s jaws.
It was because the grandfather before me was 'smiling.'
Right now, the greatest figure of the Unorthodox Faction was quite fond of me.
Why? It was obvious. At the age of seven, I had cut down at least a dozen adults—armed warriors of the Black Path, no less—even if I couldn't remember the exact number.
There had likely never been a direct descendant who achieved such a feat until now.
‘I suppose… that’s true, right?’
But I couldn't let my guard down. This was the Hebei Peng Family.
These were the descendants of the madman who, during the chaotic transition from the Yuan to the Ming dynasty amidst the Red Turban Rebellion, shouted "Now's the time!" and launched a terrorist attack on the Shaolin Temple of Mount Song.
Regardless, my current situation was like standing on the edge of a thousand-foot cliff.
To solidify the favor my grandfather currently held for me, I had to choose my words very, very carefully from here on out.
My thoughts were organized in a flash.
I maintained a calm expression and pushed myself up from the bed.
Crack!
A sound that shouldn't come from a right arm echoed, but I ignored it.
Of course, I couldn't maintain a perfectly serene face.
I was in immense pain, suffering, exhausted, and weary—but I was the commendable youngest grandson, desperately trying to look composed to impress his grandfather.
That was the most appropriate positioning for me right now.
"Hmm."
For a moment, my grandfather’s expression mirrored that of a magic school headmaster who favored a specific dormitory.
He quickly hardened his expression and spoke in a dignified voice.
"If you have questions, ask."
"I thought… the conversation would start with something like… 'Are you awake? Are your injuries alright? Is there anywhere else that hurts?'"
"I can see that you are awake, I have seen your injuries, and it would be troublesome if you were in pain. You are my grandson, after all."
"Aha."
I tried a bit of light small talk, and the reaction wasn't bad.
I wondered if I was being a bit too cheeky, but then again, it’s normal for a seven-year-old to be cheeky.
Monkeys, mountain climbers, and children all try to climb whenever they see something high. There isn't much difference between the three.
I needed to pause and organize my thoughts.
Ask what you're curious about. On the surface, it seemed like a contextless command.
I was a boy who had just barely woken up after being critically injured and unconscious for ten days.
However, I had to focus on the fact that my opponent was an 'old man.'
As all old men tend to do, my grandfather had already decided on the 'answer' before asking the question.
It was inevitable.
Old men feel satisfied with their own still-sharp minds when a youth’s answer matches theirs, and they find life satisfaction in teaching the 'foolish' youth when the answers differ.
So, what question did my grandfather want to hear from me?
It wouldn't be information I couldn't possibly know. It had to be something within my knowledge.
What would he want to hear from a seven-year-old grandson?
A grandson who risked his life to rescue his fiancée and even killed adult men who practiced martial arts.
‘Hwa-yeong’s condition?’
That was a low-level answer. It wouldn't go beyond the scope of a chivalrous little kid.
Besides, I already knew the answer without asking. Right before I collapsed, I saw that Hwa-yeong was perfectly fine without a single scratch.
‘The martial arts level of the men I killed.’
That was a fairly sophisticated question for a child. It would remind him of the great deed I performed while simultaneously flattering the greatness of the Peng Family’s martial arts.
This was likely the flow of conversation my grandfather expected. It was a dialogue that could showcase the 'ferocity' of the Peng Family.
But the question of a reincarnator had to be different.
"Why was it me?"
"What do you mean?"
As expected, my grandfather was taken aback by my question.
It was a question without context. An intention that couldn't be deduced from his command to ask whatever I wanted. Yet, at the same time, it was clearly information I possessed.
"Why was I the one to be betrothed to the Little Heavenly Demon?"
"Are you complaining? You seem a bit too committed for someone who's just grumbling, considering you risked your life."
"Complaining? No, Grandfather. I am speaking about my place."
"Your place. Hmph…"
A faint disappointment flickered in my grandfather’s eyes.
The youngest grandson suffering under the pressure of the engagement with the Little Heavenly Demon.
To him, this was an act of ignoring the Peng Family’s backing and belittling oneself.
Since humility was never a virtue in his evaluation, my grandfather’s disappointment began to show more overtly.
However, I was still the prodigy who had killed adult men and returned at this age.
Furthermore, he was an old man who still held the memory of my first birthday party.
Time moves fast for the elderly.
Therefore, the expectations he held for me were still precariously balanced above his disappointment.
Thus, my grandfather would give me one last chance—in the direction I had steered this conversation.
"Why do you think it was you?"
Just like that.
And when someone throws such a hittable ball, a brilliant reincarnator-grandson must hit a home run.
"Setting aside the age difference, it would have been difficult for my eldest brother, as he must succeed the family."
"And?"
"The Peng Family has many enemies. My eldest brother, who is active in the Dragon Slaying Alliance, is in a position far too tempting for the family's enemies. He could fall at the hands of assassins at any time."
"Who would dare harm a direct descendant of the Peng Family?"
"Why, the very rabble who keep you from resting even at the age of eighty. Are there not countless villains lurking, waiting for your final years?"
"Hoh."
I hit the home run; now I had to run the bases.
"Therefore, if external enemies target my eldest brother, and if some… tragedy were to occur, my second brother would have to succeed the family. Thus, he is not suitable to be the fiancé of the Little Heavenly Demon, who must eventually be sent away as a son-in-law."
"Keep talking."
The disappointment vanished from my grandfather’s eyes.
Beneath it lay expectation and amusement. A thrilling diversion.
It goes without saying, but reincarnators are a breed specialized in meeting expectations.
"You have another brother above you. One who isn't much older than you and doesn't carry the burden of succession."
"Yes, that is why I asked. Why was it me, and not my brother, who was betrothed?"
"Did you think you lacked the qualification?"
"No, I thought I was more than qualified to remain in the family."
"…Hmph."
The fiancé of the Little Heavenly Demon—a position that could one day lead to becoming the Cult Leader. Even if not, it was a position where one could reign like a prince near the Heaven Mountains.
Even in the Sixth Heaven Esoteric Buddhism, which held the survival of the fittest as its creed, such a burden wouldn't fall on a son-in-law.
As long as one faithfully served as a bridge between the families, no duties would be given, while rights would be granted in overflowing abundance.
It was a future guaranteed to be superior to the life of any noble.
And I was calling that position trivial to his face.
I was asserting that staying as a mere branch member of the Peng Family was better.
If I had started with this, it would have ended as a child’s tantrum.
But I had established myself as the seven-year-old youngest grandson who had killed ten adult men alone to rescue the Little Heavenly Demon—a young genius who was surprising his grandfather with eloquence and insight far beyond his years.
Therefore, my words gained persuasive power.
It wasn't mere bravado; it carried the meaning that I truly considered being a branch member of the Peng Family better than being the son-in-law of the Demonic Cult.
It was the ultimate flattery that the Head of the Peng Family couldn't help but fall for.
True flattery reaches its peak when it is delivered 'nonchalantly' by someone who isn't even expected to flatter.
And no one would ever imagine that a mere seven-year-old could use such high-level flattery skills!
That is the power of a reincarnator.
In other words, I was my grandfather’s heart-striker.
"You do not want the engagement with the Little Heavenly Demon…? Ha, haha! For someone who says that, didn't you risk your life to save her?"
"If the Little Heavenly Demon were kidnapped before my eyes and I remained unscathed, would not the relationship between the Peng Family and the Demonic Cult have turned perilous?"
"Are you saying that rather than risking your life to save her, there was meaning in the fact that you were injured yourself?"
"Yes. The fact that the engagement proceeded means that an alliance between the Peng Family and the Demonic Cult was inevitable. My value as your fourth grandson would have been more effective if utilized in Beijing."
"In that case, Hyeon-hwi."
The way my grandfather addressed me changed.
From 'you brat' to 'you,' and from 'you' to 'Hyeon-hwi.' Success.
My grandfather’s heart was already being torn to shreds by his grandson, Peng Hyeon-hwi.
"Why do you think the Peng Family and the Demonic Cult had to join hands?"
"Is it because we have many enemies?"
"Rather, it is because we have no allies."
My grandfather let out a dry laugh and raised his voice.
"Bring the Go board."
There was a brief commotion beyond the threshold. I heard the servants waiting outside scurrying away in a hurry.
Soon, the door opened, and an attendant appeared with a Go board, placed it between my grandfather and me, and carefully withdrew.
"Do you know how to play Go?"
"Did not Confucius say that it is better to play Go than to do nothing at all?"
"Correct. If you wish to form ties with the government, it is better to learn Go. Excellent."
Aha, hospitality golf.
My grandfather chuckled and flicked his hand.
Nine black stones rose into the air on their own and settled onto the board.
Telekinesis. I didn't expect to see martial arts that looked so much like actual superpowers.
However, I made an effort not to show my amazement and smiled.
He liked a bold grandson, so I had to play the part.
"Nine stones is far too many. What will you do if you lose to your grandson?"
"Do you think you can defeat me even with a nine-stone handicap?"
"I will treat this not as a match, but as a lesson in martial arts."
"It is more than that. Treat this board as the Central Plains."
What did that mean?
Whether my grandfather was evaluating me higher and higher, his way of speaking was certainly not for a seven-year-old.
The board… don't think of it as a Go board. Think of it as the Central Plains…
The stones my grandfather held were white, and mine were black. Black and white… the Black Path and the Orthodox Faction?
"Are you going to teach me through the lens of the Righteous-Demonic War?"
"Haha! You dream big! Do you think you can even manage the entirety of the Black Path?"
"…!!"
I snapped my head up to look at my grandfather.
It was hard to read his expression behind that slanted smile, but the emotions in his eyes were…
Expectation, curiosity, amusement, and a slight hint of guilt.
That’s what it looked like.
I could see the same emotions seeping from my own eyes reflected in his.
Expectation, curiosity, amusement, and ecstasy.
The boundless ambition and greed that a bloodline of the Hebei Peng Family would naturally possess.
Unless my guess was wildly off… this was a test.
"I have three older brothers, Grandfather."
"Correct."
My grandfather finally broke into a deep smile.
I lacked the capacity to manage the entire Black Path yet.
However, he would check if I had the capacity to lead the Peng Family.
In other words, he was testing if I was material to enter the competition for the next… no, the one after the next Head of the Peng Family.
He was checking if I had the 'talent' to surpass the achievements, public favor, reputation, and time earned by my eldest and second brothers…!!
I swallowed hard and picked up a stone.
"In that case… a single match is cruel. Is your grandson not still young?"
"Weren't you the one who said nine stones wounded your pride?"
"I've become greedy now."
"Do not lust after what is not yet in your hands. But… yes, even if the opportunity isn't fair, there must be time to prove yourself."
"Let's do this."
My grandfather spoke as he placed a white stone with a clack.
"If you can achieve a draw against me in an even match before I step down from the position of Family Head, then yes."
Clack. Seeing my move, my grandfather smiled brightly.
"Then, your time may be proven."
"If the Family Head is decided by Go skills, my brothers won't stay quiet."
"If it were merely Go skills, they would. Bring the board to the Family Head’s quarters once every three months. Every time you answer my questions, I will oversee your martial arts training."
"I will do my best."
"Doing your best is not enough. You must be the best. That is the kind of place you are aiming for."
Clack. He didn't stop placing stones even as he spoke.
Though there was no time limit, neither my grandfather nor I hesitated in our moves.
As I had seen before, this world was a forest of blades and a mountain of swords.
No matter what position I held, a comfortable and cozy future would not be guaranteed automatically.
This was the medieval Martial World, a land where power preceded the law.
And I had ended up admiring the one standing at the very top.
‘I must be the best.’
My gaze met my grandfather’s.
He was looking at me with the same look in his eyes.
‘I will be the best. Without fail!’
The prestige of the Hebei Peng Family was mostly maintained by the existence of this old man.
So, his stance would be this:
It didn't matter who rose up in the next generation, as long as that person was the 'best.'
Whether it was the eldest grandson or the fourth, youngest grandson. It didn't matter who it was.
It was the arrogance of demanding only the best to sit in the seat of the Peng Family Head.
The Head of the greatest family of the Black Path looked down at his young grandson and smiled.
By thrusting me into a competition where being young couldn't remain a simple privilege.
At this moment, as I took my first step on that long race track, one could say my childhood had ended.
Because to be the only one to reach the finish line, I couldn't afford to just be a child.
—Clack.
And so,
A black stone took its place on the board.
If I had to evaluate that move, I’d call it the first step toward becoming the Head of the Hebei Peng Family.
And at this moment, the move I had hidden in the star point…
The move I couldn't tell my grandfather directly. Because it was still just a suspicion.
‘Eldest Brother!’
—Clack.
My trip to Beijing was induced by my eldest brother, and he was the one who decided the date and the accompanying personnel.
He even detailed the travel route under the pretext of my protection.
The Black Dragon Gang that kidnapped Hwa-yeong, and the unidentified cultist who tried to move them… there was a possibility that my eldest brother’s hand was involved somewhere along that line.
To summarize, my sibling relationships were now as follows:
My eldest brother smiled at me while attempting to sell me off to external forces.
My second and third brothers disliked me.
And all those brothers were people who had lived as the 'superstar grandsons' of this house for anywhere from several to over a dozen years longer than me.
—Clack!
In the midst of that, I couldn't survive just by being 'good.'
To be the youngest grandson who lived a peaceful, harmonious, and easy life, I had to put in that much effort.
Winning my grandfather’s favor. Taking charge of the family’s affairs. Learning stronger martial arts, and training longer and more intensely.
—Clack!!
Of course, it could all be my conjecture.
The information could have leaked from the Demonic Cult.
That was just as possible.
But deduction must always draw the best conclusion from the available information.
—Clack…!
I pressed the black stone onto the board and looked at my grandfather.
My grandfather immediately placed his next move and smiled at me.
"Your style is impatient."
"I will take that to heart."
"You must look far ahead. If you wish to run further."
"Do you truly wish for me to stand at the front?"
"As long as they are of my blood, anyone will do, provided they are at the front."
"If that's the case, I shall show you that I can stand at the front."
"Good."
That was the right answer.
My grandfather smiled with an expression that looked like he was awarding fifteen points to a specific dormitory.
*
Nine days had passed since we set out from the Hebei Peng Family toward the Heaven Mountains.
Im Hwa-yeong, who had been upset that she couldn't even say a proper goodbye, was unable to suppress her demonic energy upon hearing that the engagement was set to be broken.
"Aaaaah!!"
It started with a slip of the tongue from a maid.
A praise-filled mistake, saying that upon her return, she was scheduled for training to inherit the position of the Heavenly Demon.
The result of those words was now before Seo Wi-ryang’s eyes.
Crackle, crackle…!
In the middle of the blood-soaked cabin, a pitch-black energy was raging.
The long journey to Qinghai using the water transport of the Yellow River—this elegant vessel, provided solely for Im Hwa-yeong, had now become a scene from hell.
"Little Heavenly Demon!! Are you safe!"
"Ggggh—!!"
The moment he burst through the cabin door, the thick scent of blood wafted out.
His detection had been late. The assassins who had infiltrated the ship attacked the Little Heavenly Demon’s cabin as if they had scouted it in advance.
When he noticed and rushed over, what Seo Wi-ryang faced was the pale face of an assassin standing with his mouth agape toward him, and—
"You're late, Elder Seo."
Squelch! Amidst the spraying blood, a snow-white hand was mangling the body of the assassin who had been alive just moments ago.
Wrapped around that small hand was a vicious demonic energy that splattered in all directions.
"If this keeps up, I can't help but have suspicions."
There wasn't a single spot in the cabin untouched by blood.
Dismembered corpses filled the room.
In the midst of it, Seo Wi-ryang’s knees slowly buckled.
"I failed to notice in time, Little Heavenly Demon."
"Is that so?"
He immediately picked up an assassin’s corpse to quickly check its condition.
As he examined the assassin’s acupoints, Seo Wi-ryang couldn't hold back a sigh.
It wasn't of the White Lotus Cult; it was of the Demonic Cult.
"I will strictly identify and interrogate the spies within the Cult as soon as we return to the Heaven Mountains."
"Leave them be."
Im Hwa-yeong had changed. She no longer looked like a demonic person consumed by demonic energy, nor did she look like the child of that age who had been playing with the young master of the Peng Family for the past few months.
Crackle, zap!
The way she rummaged through the corpses while clutching the demonic energy that scattered like sparks in one hand was now closer to that of the Sixth Heaven Esoteric Buddhism… the Little Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
"I can just kill them every time they attack."
"Little Heavenly Demon."
"It's because I was weak that Hwi was put in danger."
Seo Wi-ryang avoided her gaze, unable to meet Im Hwa-yeong’s clear, sparkling eyes.
"Because I was foolishly dragged away, because I was captured, because I couldn't do anything… Hwi… got hurt."
"Little Heavenly Demon, no… Hwa-yeong…"
"Elder Seo, you said if I become the Heavenly Demon, I can do anything I want, right?"
Snap. With those words, the demonic energy went quiet.
What was revealed in its place was the face of a young girl, smiling brightly without a single wound.
"Then I'll do as you wish. I'll become the Heavenly Demon."
"It will… not be easy."
"At what age did the Heavenly Demon, my father, overcome the demonic energy?"
"…Fifteen."
"That was the fastest achievement among all the past Cult Leaders, wasn't it? Then, how long will it take for me to aim for my father’s seat?"
At an age when she should be counting days by 'ten nights' or 'a hundred nights.' At that young age, her perspective had already shifted.
She had grown too fast. She had awakened too late, and lost too quickly.
Seo Wi-ryang could read the shadow of Peng Hyeon-hwi within Im Hwa-yeong’s smile.
"Ten years. It's ten years. Elder Seo, I don't think I'll need any more than that."
These assassins were surely sent by the elders of the Cult who were aligned with her older siblings.
‘I was careless.’
Im Hwa-yeong’s maids were all carefully selected personnel who had been by her side since she was born.
But he had acted too carelessly, trusting only in that.
It was largely because he had been excited seeing Im Hwa-yeong’s condition as she gradually overcame the demonic energy at the Peng residence.
It was because he was intoxicated by the sensation of witnessing the birth of the world's strongest.
He shouldn't have been. He should have known that her condition could be reported back to the main Cult.
And that her older siblings would never welcome it.
He hadn't even expected them to act so urgently as to join hands with the White Lotus Cult.
Or the possibility that they would wish for Im Hwa-yeong’s death even if it meant ruining the marriage alliance with the Peng Family itself.
Now, everyone in the Heaven Mountains would know about the Little Heavenly Demon’s condition.
That was likely why assassins were infiltrating the ship.
"Hwi, just ten years. Wait for me for just ten years."
Im Hwa-yeong muttered as she watched the lights of Beijing fade into the distance.
It had only been a couple of months. In that short time since she first set foot in Huabei, the traces of a child had vanished from Im Hwa-yeong’s face.
Witnessing that brief, twisted childhood, Seo Wi-ryang could only sigh and step back.
"Next time, no matter where you are in the world, I will be the one to save you."
A blood-soaked voice hummed through the closing door of the guest room.
*
"Achoo!"
"Oh dear, have you caught a cold?"
"I think the chronic illness I developed because you were so late to save me is acting up. Ugh."
"Hardly."
Nang-rang thumped his chest at my words. I chuckled at the sight for a good while before continuing.
"It was my eldest brother, wasn't it?"
"Yes. Based on the circumstances, it is certain."
"This damn household, seriously."
I wasn't even angry anymore. Just because his youngest brother, ten years his junior, was getting engaged to the daughter of the Demonic Cult Leader, he resorted to underhanded plots to break the marriage alliance?
You’re officially stripped of your 'brother' status.
"What do you intend to do now?"
"Get revenge, obviously."
"Pardon...? But, Young Master...?"
"Who said I was going to go find him at night with a blade? I couldn't win even if I did. Not right now."
That kind of simple, brutish method was for the other idiots in the Peng Family. My role was a bit different.
Grandfather told me to look further ahead and run a longer race. He was right. A transmigrator's revenge needs to be special.
And as they say, a gentleman's revenge is not too late even after ten years.
So for now, I’ll be on my best behavior.
I’ll be the perfect, loyal member of the family.