Chapter 40: First-Rate Martial Artist Peng Hyeon-hwi (3)
Chapter 40: First-Rate Martial Artist Peng Hyeon-hwi (3)
The Family Head’s Pavilion was as desolate as ever.
Even though midsummer had arrived and the Beijing sun was blazing, the pavilion’s modest garden contained nothing but a few withered trees.
It seemed the land itself lacked auspicious energy.
As I headed toward the pavilion with that thought, the doors beneath the imposing plaque opened silently.
This wasn't an automatic door, nor was it opened by a servant.
Grandfather had sensed my approaching presence and opened the doors using Telekinesis.
As such, there were no sentries or guards at the Family Head’s Pavilion.
The only person permitted to reside within these walls was Peng Ik-jin, my grandfather. Entry was granted solely based on his sensory perception.
I walked through the interior of the pavilion, which felt as chilly as midwinter, and approached my grandfather, who was seated in a grand chair at the far end of the main room.
“I heard you summoned me.”
“The Hao Clan Leader sent me a very interesting letter.”
Grandfather got straight to the point and flicked his hand toward me.
A letter encased in a fine silk cover floated smoothly through the windless room and flew toward me.
My body jolted the moment I caught it. The old man had thrown it infused with True Qi.
I quickly steadied my trembling hand and gripped the letter.
“Is this something your grandson is permitted to read?”
“I wouldn't have given it to you otherwise. Read it.”
For starters, Grandfather seemed to be in a foul mood.
As I slowly unfolded the letter, I saw a text written in an exquisitely beautiful regular script.
Even to a man of letters, the calligraphy possessed immense grace. It was written in a single, unhesitating stroke.
And as for the content...
“Well?”
“It is... concise.”
If one stripped away the poetic flourishes typical of medieval China, the content boiled down to this:
When the Hao Clan Leader mentioned she would send a formal letter, I had expected something like this might happen.
She was, after all, the leader of one of the Ten Great Sects of the Black Dao, and her faction was fundamentally different from our family’s. It was unavoidable.
And from my grandfather’s perspective... well, it was hard to tell if he was pleased or enraged. Honestly, he was difficult to read.
“Had this been before you took Yang Jeok-yo’s head, it might have been different, but things have become complicated. The Council of Elders is insisting that your engagement be broken. Word is spreading that it would be a waste to send you away to another family.”
“I suppose so. Since Hwa-yeong is now the sole direct descendant of the Demonic Cult, I would inevitably have to go as a matrilocal son-in-law once the marriage is finalized.”
“The matter has become complex. We have prepared for this marriage alliance with the Demonic Cult for a long time, and the state of the Martial World has been growing increasingly perilous of late. One needs good companions when heading into calamity.”
Grandfather looked at me with a heavy expression.
Normally, we would have talked over a cup of tea and a game of Go, but the atmosphere didn't allow for that now.
“In the midst of this, if your future must be decided outside the family, it should be with the Demonic Cult, not the Hao Clan. The July Society is not a lot to be trusted. Furthermore, the movements of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance within the Sima Alliance are suspicious at this time.”
“I have incurred two debts to the Hao Clan Leader. According to the virtues of the Peng Family, must we not surely repay such kindness?”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Pardon?”
Grandfather’s expression was strange.
When I asked back, he let out a sigh and spoke.
“Do you think we are some Orthodox sect? ‘Repay kindness because you received it’?”
“No, but didn't you say we never forget a grudge? That... the matter of kindness and enmity...”
“That is a different story. Peng Ik-cheon taught you wrong. While our family rules state that a grudge must be settled in blood, as far as I know, there is no rule saying one must repay a kindness.”
“Oh.”
They really are psychopaths.
As I nodded blankly, lost for words, Grandfather let out a short laugh.
“I cannot send you to the Hao Clan. Besides, didn't you say you were aiming for this seat? Has your mind changed in the meantime?”
As he looked at me, his gaze held a hint of... what should I call it? Anxious anticipation.
It was a bit of an ambivalent feeling.
Grandfather would never 'just' hand over that seat to me.
He was the type of man who would make his grandsons compete until the moment his life ended.
It was because he believed the most capable person should lead the family.
Therefore, he wouldn't want to hand the family over to me without a struggle.
Yet, at the same time, he currently viewed me as the 'most capable.'
He believed I should rightfully lead the family, or at least make the attempt.
He was a man who had never let go of anything that fell into his hands.
He was someone who obsessively protected everything within his grasp, and as a result, he had built the Hebei Peng Family into what it was today.
Thus, he couldn't simply send away his most exceptional grandson, who was growing and accumulating great achievements.
“Well then, I shall now begin my presentation on why I must go to the Hao Clan.”
It was time for a 21st-century style pitch.
I straightened my back and looked directly at Grandfather.
*
Peng Ik-cheon, the Head of Sanyue Hall, was rarely this angry.
It was a solemn fury, entirely different from his usual bluntness or his cynical sneering at the elders.
“How dare they... How dare those dregs from Shanxi... those curs of the Martial Alliance...!!”
He felt this way even though he knew the matter was already settled.
Seong Chwi-san, who had personally delivered the report, had quickly made himself scarce and left the Peng Family estate. It was a wise move.
Cold energy seeped from the hands holding the report, causing the paper to crumple on its own and turn to powder at the edges.
His grip, strong enough to squeeze oil from a rock, trembled slightly.
However, as he reached the end of the report, his anger vanished as if it had never existed.
“Peng Hyeon-hwi executed Yang Jeok-yo?”
The report stated that even though he had sensed the entire plot beforehand, he had rushed to Pyeongseong alone.
It said he tracked down the missing Peng Family warrior, recovered the remains, and charged into the Divine Spear Yang Family for revenge.
What happened in between was unknown. It was only hinted that the Hao Clan was involved.
And the result was Yang Jeok-yo’s head and the fragmentation of the Orthodox sects in Shanxi.
This was the work of a boy who was a mere second-rate martial artist.
Even if he had crossed the threshold into the first-rate realm, it was a feat bordering on the impossible.
Impossible?
Well.
Peng Ik-cheon narrowed his eyes and thought.
At age seven, the boy had single-handedly annihilated a Black Path gang.
On that day, the number of warriors slaughtered by Peng Hyeon-hwi’s blade exceeded thirteen grown men.
Even if their martial prowess was only third-rate, he was only seven years old.
An ordinary seven-year-old boy couldn't even wring a chicken's neck.
A seven-year-old of the Peng Family might, if they handled themselves well, be able to harm a commoner.
But he had carried out a bloody massacre against grown men armed with weapons.
Even then, it was utterly bizarre.
At age ten, he had cut down the son of the Assassin Pavilion Leader right in front of the Hao Clan Leader.
That boy, the second son of the Pavilion Leader, was a second-rate warrior at the time and was said to have successfully utilized the internal energy of the Peak Realm for a brief moment through the use of an elixir.
The Sanyue Hall warrior who later investigated the scene said the same. The traces of Qi were identical to those of the Peak Realm.
In terms of understanding martial principles, experience in life-and-death duels, and the precision of internal energy supply and management...
He certainly couldn't have been called a Peak Realm master.
He would have been extremely immature and clumsy, and as a boy of barely ten, he should have been even more insignificant.
Yet, he had accomplished it at age ten.
Even if he had only achieved the Peak Realm in terms of internal energy itself, every single strike would have been a powerful blow capable of crushing flesh and bone.
And now he was seventeen.
The image the boy had shown in the meantime was...
It was strange.
His understanding of martial arts was impossibly precise.
He never forgot anything he heard once, and his ability to infer by combining fragmented information was outstanding.
To the point where, the moment he learned the Hunyuan Art and the Softening Blade, he realized the higher-level martial arts that served as their source on his own.
However, he was strangely stubborn.
He could never perform anything he hadn't personally rationalized.
That stubbornness had held back his own achievements.
Even though he should have progressed further, he hadn't attempted a realm beyond the second-rate.
He had mastered every martial principle that could be learned from the Hunyuan Thunderbolt Art.
In the realm of learning, he was peerless. But in the realm of embodiment, he had remained lacking.
That same boy had returned from his first journey into the world after beheading the head of a prestigious family.
Against a powerful warrior who had once challenged the Upper Dantian, in the heart of enemy territory, head-on, and with dignity.
How could he not be proud?
It was only natural for Peng Ik-cheon’s eyes to soften.
Just as he was pondering what he should give to this brilliant grandson...
He heard the news after arriving at the Family Head’s Pavilion upon his brother’s summons.
“What did you just say?”
“Hwi-ya will now study under the Hao Clan Leader.”
“Why on earth!! Why would you...! Have you perhaps finalized the succession? Brother. Hyeon-hwi is too great a talent to send away like this. Give him to me for three years—just three years. A boy like him wouldn't take longer than that to master the Soul-Stealing Blade!”
“I had no choice in the matter.”
“What do you mean by that!”
Peng Ik-jin looked at his shouting younger brother with a complex expression for a long time before shaking his head.
“He was quite persuasive.”
*
“Nangrang, I’m not leaving forever. Why are you packing so much? I won't even be able to carry it all.”
“But Young Master, how many people will there be to look after you out there? You’ve never done your own laundry in your life, and now you’re going on a long journey... What will become of the family’s dignity...”
“Aha, so you weren't worried about me.”
It was while Nangrang was packing a bag that looked like a full military rucksack.
Peng Jeon-gun was standing nearby with a grumpy face, constantly muttering something.
“No, I asked you how on earth you persuaded the Family Head.”
“Rational reasons, valid evidence, precise arguments, and sound logic and principles. There were no other reasons.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
Only after teasing Peng Jeon-gun for a while did Nangrang’s hands stop.
It seemed my nanny was also quite curious.
These people deserved to know.
At the very least, they were among the few allies who fell within the boundary of 'my people' in this family.
“From now on, I will publicly take on the role of a bridge connecting our family and the Hao Clan. I am being dispatched to the Hao Clan to study martial arts under the Clan Leader and to build a long-term alliance between the Peng Family and the Hao Clan. You can think of it as... a sort of dispatched warrior.”
- I will study under the Hao Clan Leader and fill the Peng Family’s Library with the Hao Clan’s martial arts.
- The secret techniques of the Peng Family are such that one can barely discuss mastery even after a lifetime of study. Do you think we have any need for the likes of the Hao Clan’s martial arts?
- Of course we don't. This is merely my answer to be presented to the Council of Elders.
“Furthermore, I intend to gain control over the information network of the entire Martial World through cooperation with the Hao Clan. As I see it, a chaotic era is approaching the current Martial World. This precarious balance cannot possibly last long, so for the sake of our family and the Dragon Slaying Alliance, we will need a broader perspective.”
- I will utilize the Hao Clan’s information network. Since the duty of Sanyue Hall is essentially the surveillance and checking of family members, using the Hao Clan will make it much easier to handle.
- The movements of the Peng Family’s members are limited to the Hebei region, and the information network Sanyue Hall has built in Hebei is not shallow. It may be because you haven't properly taken over Sanyue Hall’s duties yet, but the network the Hall Master spent his life building is second to none within Hebei, even compared to the Hao Clan.
- That is also to be expected. This is my answer to be presented to the Head of Sanyue Hall.
“In addition, my name has become too well-known. To the point where my brothers have begun to pay attention to my movements. As you know, Uncle Jeon-gun, my brothers are not the type to be merciful toward a future rival just because they aren't an immediate threat. But if I join the Hao Clan and become independent, my brothers will no longer try to keep me in check. I will have essentially become an outsider to the family.”
- If I officially become the Hao Clan Leader’s disciple, my brothers will no longer plot against me. You know this as well, Grandfather. This recent incident occurred because my second brother collaborated with the Martial Alliance, and in the past, my eldest brother joined hands with the White Lotus Cult.
- I know. Then do you also know why I do not restrict your actions?
- Yes, you consider schemes and plots to be virtues of a Family Head. Therefore, your grandson also intends to challenge your test and aim for the top spot. I plan to become the direct disciple of the Hao Clan Leader. I will pursue it quite seriously, so my brothers will also lower their guard against me.
Ah, that fellow clearly has no interest in succeeding as the Family Head. He’s fallen so far that he’s joining another sect just to find a way to survive.
I hope they think that way. I intend to do my best to make it look that way.
“In the meantime, I plan to secretly assist my third brother.”
- The third? You mean Hyeon-cheon?
- Yes, I mean the brother whom you... no, whom Father and the Council of Elders all cast aside, calling him incompetent.
- Why him?
- Because assuming we have to compete one-on-one, he is the easiest opponent.
“I will use the resources of Sanyue Hall to keep the Outer Hall, which my second brother controls, in check, and I will use the Hao Clan’s resources to control the Dragon Slaying Alliance, which my eldest brother controls. In the meantime, I plan to give my third brother—whom my other two brothers no longer even care about—tasks that will allow him to easily and quickly build a foundation.”
- My second brother made a mistake.
- A mistake?
- When he tried to plot against the Shanxi Martial World by collaborating with the Martial Alliance, he selected those from the Outer Hall’s martial forces who were expendable and dispatched them to Shanxi. That means—
“My second brother controls almost all the martial forces of the Outer Hall, but the Flying Tiger Pavilion is different.”
- It means they are the ones who do not support my second brother. He essentially tried to use 'killing with a borrowed knife' to easily eliminate those who opposed him, but conversely, it served to unite them and expose them. He ended up revealing to my eldest brother and me that there are still those in the Outer Hall who are not under his control.
“My third brother will be dispatched to the Flying Tiger Pavilion.”
- Please dispatch my third brother to the Flying Tiger Pavilion. I will personally lay the foundation for him to grow so that he can stand against my other two brothers.
“Starting with the Flying Tiger Pavilion, I will have him compete with my second brother among the martial forces of the Outer Hall.”
- Now, my eldest and second brothers will no longer have the luxury of even worrying about me.
“And when the time is ripe.”
- I.
“Will return.”
- Will become the Family Head.
Nangrang and Uncle Peng Jeon-gun stared at me with blank eyes.
Unlike when my grandfather heard this story.
- Let us assume all your schemes succeed.
- I will do my best.
- So, let us make an assumption, Hwi-ya.
Hwi-ya. Once again, the way he addressed me became exceedingly soft.
Grandfather’s eyes had now completely changed to those directed at a beloved grandson.
Was I not a grandson as dear and welcome as the tongue in his mouth?
As I bowed politely, Grandfather’s voice continued.
- If that plan to secretly support the third to check the second and first—and if possible, completely push them out—succeeds... couldn't you then be pushed out by the third instead? If his support base among the elders, his fame, and his honor all grow enough to overcome his two brothers, you, who have been an outsider for a long time, might not have an opportunity.
Was this a test?
Grandfather’s eyes were shining playfully.
If so, I had no choice but to answer like a possessor who always pleased his grandfather.
“Whatever the result, it will be a great blessing for the Peng Family.”
- What?
- Because, as you wished, Grandfather, the strongest person will become the Peng Family Head. When that day comes, if my third brother pushes me aside and takes Father’s place, wouldn't that mean he has become the strongest successor?
- Do you mean to say you will give up so easily? Is that all the will you possess?
Disappointment began to fill Grandfather’s eyes.
This was where the 'first-rate' grandson threw a curveball to create a contrast.
“Grandfather.”
- Speak.
“It is only right that the strongest direct descendant takes the position of Peng Family Head.”
- So what you are saying now is—
“No.”
I looked straight up at my grandfather and smiled.
“If my third brother can buy me that much time...”
The reflection of myself in Grandfather’s eyes felt unfamiliar.
I saw an expression I had never worn in my life.
A fierce smile, the kind a direct descendant of the Hebei Peng Family would wear.
“I am the strongest.”
And then, the same expression appeared on Grandfather’s face.
A fierce smile, the kind a direct descendant of the Hebei Peng Family would wear.
- You have learned well. Carry out your will.
The Family Head’s order was issued.
We, grandfather and grandson, looked at each other and burst into laughter like true warriors of the Peng Family before parting ways.
From the Bloodhound Asura Peng Ik-jin to the Mad Blood Saber Demon Peng Wi-cheon, and once again...
Now to me, the Beheading Blood Wolf Peng Hyeon-hwi.
The bloodline spanning three generations was this thick and persistent.