Chapter 185
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Birds of a Feather (2)
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Taejin confessed the grueling training he'd disguised as a trip with his father. He just wanted to unburden his heart to someone, even once.
The regimen had been simple.
Sprints, cliff climbing, open-water swimming.
Pfft!
Hwangbo Jinun snorted in disbelief at Taejin's confession.
"That's not training—that's torture. Who the hell does nonsense like that? If you don't wanna tell me, just say so straight up."
"Knew you'd react like that."
Telling the truth only branded him a liar, leaving Taejin perpetually frustrated. Still, he didn't blame Jinun. His brother's response was perfectly reasonable. Anyone who bought this story would be the real lunatic.
"You better treat my little brother right. Or I'll come pay you a visit anytime."
"Someone might think you're all talk."
They'd pledged to wed at eighteen, once Taejin came of age. They could have married right away, but they'd agreed to ease the burden of an early union.
Parting from one's parents at too young an age brought real shock. Especially for a bride leaving her family home. Trips back to her parents' house wouldn't be easy after marriage. For now, they'd make it simple for her to come and go.
"I'll win the New Dragon Tournament at the Murim Alliance someday."
"Wishing you victory, brother."
"What're you talking about? You're entering too."
"Nah, I'm good."
"You running scared?"
"We can spar anytime at home. Come over to our place. I'll take you on as much as you want."
Hwangbo Jinun scowled at Taejin's utter lack of ambition. To claim his sister, a man needed matching renown. And Taejin was already near perfection. It made no sense to hide such skill.
"A crane among chickens, they say. The world won't bend to your whims."
"You're telling me."
Taejin wasn't belittling himself. He assessed his abilities coolly. Even now, few peers could match him. Yet he had no desire for heroic titles or grand nicknames.
'Damn, I really am my father's son.'
His father showed little interest in worldly affairs. Just look at how he shunned leaving home. But one couldn't ignore the world unless retreating to some isolated valley.
The Hwangbo family ties proved it. Blood bonds formed, you couldn't just turn away. Connections were terrifying like that. Few could sever them cleanly, like chopping with a blade. The closer the person, the harder.
'Is this what they call a warm heart?'
It was Taejin's dilemma as a son. But his father's usual conduct muddied the picture.
Hwangbo Se-ryeong arrived.
"Brother Jin, I'm coming with you this time."
"Better if you went separately."
"Don't even think of leaving me behind."
"You know that's not it."
"Don't worry, Father. I'll handle him."
The journey back wouldn't be smooth. Father wouldn't tamely accept a daughter-in-law.
But Se-ryeong wasn't speaking out of ignorance. Strange as it sounded, she and Father got along well.
"He wants to stop by Mount Tai first."
"Mount Tai? Why?"
"To fetch a Millennium Stone Ganoderma as a betrothal gift."
"Ah, got it."
Mount Tai, the eastern peak of the Five Great Mountains, was famed for its grandeur, heights, and abundance of spiritual beasts and herbs. Actually finding them was a pipe dream for most seekers.
Fortune favored only those fated for it. If anyone could snag them by sheer will, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would try.
"You don't mind?"
"Mind what?"
"Something's up again."
"It's Father."
He'd once abruptly declared a hunt for Azure Spirit Oil. When everyone said it was impossible, he'd stubbornly succeeded. He'd scour every inch of Mount Tai if needed.
'If he fails, Mount Tai might vanish.'
Father bowed to no mountain under heaven.
Still, rumors swirling in the Hwangbo family worried him. These matters were best handled in secret.
'Father, I just want a quiet life!'
The Mount Tai Pavilion was under reconstruction.
It was a foreseen collapse. The duel between Mujin and the War King had wrecked the building. A structure that had endured centuries lay half in ruins.
With the pavilion closed for repairs, Mujin headed to the Hwangbo family head's quarters.
There sat Hwangbo Gwan-hyeok with his two sons. The prior duel had drawn the curtain on their sparring. Mujin had offered rematches anytime, but they'd politely declined.
In exchange, he'd made a few requests. Beating people for favors might seem odd, but Mujin hadn't refused. He couldn't ignore his future father-in-law's desperate plea to avoid more beatings.
His heart had softened like this.
'He'd have kept getting thrashed otherwise.'
It was the War King's final ploy to end the spar. Mujin had shown no intent to stop. His casual waves and "no pressure" remarks had been infuriating.
"We spread the rumor as you asked, but what's the reason?"
"Living long teaches you human greed knows no bounds. Especially when it's within reach."
"Cryptic words."
"They won't give up easily."
Only then did Hwangbo Gwan-hyeok grasp Mujin's intent, furrowing his brow deeply. It was unwelcome trouble. Needless friction could arise.
"Is it truly necessary?"
"Unless you break your word, it can't be helped."
"Choose, then."
"Precisely."
Without knowing Mujin, it might seem reckless bravado.
His prowess needed no mention. He'd manhandled the realm's War King like a stray dog. Beyond strength, his peculiar temperament made reneging impossible. The choice was all but decided.
"You don't trust people."
"Only within limits I set. But if I grant trust, any betrayal falls on me."
Trusting others is hard. Some might think it simple. Yet cons preyed on the greedy daily.
Still, true trust was arduous. Scams fed on desire; real faith stemmed from selflessness. Even a shred of greed could snowball into distrust.
Mujin offered trust sparingly, bearing the consequences of his choices.
"Not so narrow-minded, then."
"Of course. They call me great-hearted."
"Heaven's Fortune Fist, was it?"
"Nothing beats luck in life."
It sounded petty literally, but few acted like Mujin. How many granted trust and shouldered the risk? And with the power to back it up.
-What a load of crap.
'Glad to have company.'
Mujin would ally with the Hwangbo family by marriage. His son approved, so no objections. But verification was essential. He needed to confirm their sincerity and any Demonic Cult ties.
The surest test was clashing martial arts. He'd used the Soul-Piercing Demonic Eye in the duel to probe their true intentions.
"Beware the coming dark currents."
"You truly believe such a force exists?"
"Recent events are just the tip of the iceberg."
"Hah! Blind as a bat."
The War King, proud knower of the jianghu, had missed the massive poison mushroom growing in the shadows. He'd ignored his son's tales from the teahouse. Dismissing it as petty squabbles, his complacency stung now.
"Even famed families and sects don't grasp their origins. No need for hard feelings. I learned only by chance encounter."
"Awfully cautious for mere happenstance."
"That's how dangerous they are."
Hwangbo Gwan-hyeok had felt Mujin's might to his bones. His sons, Hwangbo Jangcheon and Hwangbo Jangseong, too. Bluntly, Mujin wielded world-topping power.
No one save perhaps the Divine State Twenty-One Masters could lightly subdue the War King. Pure speculation.
Mujin's wariness hinted at grave peril.
"You suspected the main house."
"Frankly, excluding you, Father-in-law, and your two sons, I had to."
Thankfully, the Hwangbo pillars—the War King, family head, and Hundred Battle Fist—stood firm. Unified internally, unshakable. Head and elders in harmony.
"I'll step out briefly. Prepare accordingly."
"Go worry-free."
After Mujin left, the room hung heavy. Dark tides stirred to upend the world, unnoticed.
"Your thoughts?"
"Don't dismiss our in-law's words."
"You felt it too, family head?"
"Yes. We must reorganize, just in case."
A family head shouldn't say such. Most members were blood kin. It implied suspecting even them.
Yet as head, he must.
"No more counsel needed."
"Don't dodge out."
"Heh, infected by our in-law too?"
"Better curse me outright."
Hwangbo Jangcheon wanted ease for his father as head, but the family needed the War King.
Mujin ascended Mount Tai with his son.
Mount Tai, Shandong's mighty peak, boasted stunning vistas, but off-path areas were treacherous rock mazes. One misstep meant plummeting cliffs.
Normally, one would take the trails. But Mujin scaled sheer cliffs with Taejin. The dizzying ascent daunted even herbalists and hunters.
Risky, yes. But spiritual herbs wouldn't litter beaten paths. They demanded heaven's favor and mortal toil.
"Climbing well, my son."
"Impossible without Father's teachings. I strive only to emulate you."
Mujin smiled, pleased at the proper reply. His lessons bore fruit.