Chapter 191
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Twisted Fate (3)
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-Looks like he has no intention of ever sending her off to marry.
‘Well now, if you're going to be my son-in-law, you ought to at least withstand ten of your father-in-law's strikes. If you can't even manage that, you're not worth keeping around!’
-If she can't get married even after turning a hundred, that'll be a sight.
‘Eighty at the most would still be fine.’
-That's cheating!
What's age got to do with love anyway? And even at a hundred, Mijoo will still be beautiful. The Demon King couldn't understand the heart of parents who cherished their child.
Putting the banter with the Demon King aside for now, with the distance doubled...
“......When the hell does this training end?”
“When you get as strong as me.”
“......Just kill us instead!”
“I did say I'd grant the wish of anyone who wants to die.”
“It's the wish of the living!”
Yukchil and Taejin seemed to have adapted to the training... or rather, given up on it, though Mujin chalked it up to his imagination.
Namgung Yeonhwa remained as bold and vibrant as ever, even during training. Her unyielding spirit was truly impressive. If she'd been born a man, she could have easily become a great general.
That said, there was no need to give up just because she was a woman. There was no law saying a woman couldn't become empress.
“Why isn't she running?”
“A father-in-law's love for his daughter-in-law.”
Where does it say that?!
Huangbo Seoryeong was exempt from the sprinting. Mujin floated leisurely through the air using Void Grasp. Seeing the admiration in her eyes—convinced that a true father-in-law had to be at least this capable—filled him with satisfaction.
Drift!
Especially since it was a functional Void Grasp that perfectly supported her waist and spine. It was a comfortable flight even for long journeys. Not all Void Grasps were created equal. It had to be Mujin's signature version.
“Spouting nothing but bullshit and nonsense!”
“Did you stuff a rag in your mouth or something? That's why I'm asking—how the hell did you earn the title Great Lotus Flower with that temper?”
“......I've got a great personality!”
Great Lotus Flower. It wasn't just taken from her name. Doesn't it sound just like a symbol of serenity? And yet, looking at Namgung Yeonhwa with veins bulging in her eyes, nothing about Great Lotus came to mind.
“Someone with a great personality doesn't roar at me like a lion every time.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“Mine, maybe?”
“Put your hand on your heart and think about it.”
“Nope, not me.”
“That's exactly it! You keep flipping people inside out!”
Mujin just shrugged it off. Warriors going through growing pains could get a little twisted sometimes.
He just had to straighten her out again.
“I was going to reward your diligence with some Millennium Stone Moss, but if you're not interested, oh well.”
“No way something like that exi...... Oh, it does.”
What Mujin held wasn't some insignificant moss one might overlook. He'd boasted to the Fist King about going to find Millennium Stone Moss, but never actually shown it off. Humiliating the Shandong Jang family had been satisfaction enough.
“Great Lotus doesn't need it. My son already ate his share. Want some?”
“I offer my life in service!”
“Wait! I was gonna train hard too!”
“......?”
With that, she bolted off.
Mujin was slightly surprised by Great Lotus's shameless speed. Compared to the future Fist Queen, it was hard to believe they were the same age.
“......Damn it!”
Yukchil, who'd been eyeing the elixir, finally spat curses and dashed after her.
Taejin had been gone for a while already.
Mujin occasionally launched Crescent Blade Gales to adjust their course. Naturally, he had no idea where they were going. The Demon King grumbled but pointed the way.
Swish!
The flung crescent qi sliced through any obstacles. If it was a path, they followed it; if not, they carved one.
‘Picked the right one, huh.’
Huangbo Seoryeong, relying on the functional Void Grasp, was utterly fascinated. Honestly, it went beyond fascination—the more she watched, the more amazing her father-in-law seemed. Though her own martial prowess was lacking, as a scion of a martial clan, her eye for talent was sharper than most. Her father-in-law's strength surpassed that of any contemporary hegemon, worthy of being called the greatest of past and present.
‘Even so, I never thought Grandpa would lose.’
Her grandfather had always been kind to her, but the Fist King's reputation was no joke. The Huangbo family could claim dominance in Shandong because of him. Hearing that such a man had been utterly defeated had left her stunned.
‘But what's even more surprising are the people around him.’
Jin Rang's martial arts, upon reuniting, were astonishing. He'd effortlessly brought the clan's top disciples to their knees. It was a level of strength no peer could match. She could still picture her brother's dumbfounded face after vowing revenge post-Little Dragon Tournament.
And everyone around him was incredibly strong. Even Yukchil of the Beggars' Sect, who got beaten daily like a punching bag, ranked high. Especially his lightness skill—it was prodigy-level, fit for a master. Hard to believe someone that young could be so fast.
Though it looked like he was flailing just to stay alive.
And most shocking of all was Sister Namgung Yeonhwa. As the Sword Emperor's granddaughter and the face of the Namgung family, her achievements had already reached the transcendent realm. Few women had reached the same heights with fists, not even swords.
‘He really has a gift for teaching.’
All his students were extraordinary, surpassing worldly expectations.
“They've turned into interesting people.”
“Have they?”
“They wouldn't have changed without meeting you, Father.”
“Hm, true enough. So, do you believe in fate as some elusive beast?”
“Fate's nothing special. Good or bad luck today is fate, rain or snow is fate. In the end, one day you might stumble into fortune and become a hero—or a fiend.”
“Choice is key, then.”
“More precisely, fate begins with attraction.”
“Indeed.”
The Peerless Beauty of Sacred Mountains, Huangbo Seoryeong.
In the time apart, her poise had grown another level. Like a warrior attaining ascension, her insight had deepened like a great river.
Yet Mujin didn't fully agree. As with all things, wanting something didn't make it happen. They simply advanced because they willed it.
Enough pie-in-the-sky talk. His daughter-in-law was sharp, but her questions weren't yielding answers.
“Still, shouldn't you at least be able to fend for yourself?”
“I trust only you, Father.”
“Tch, doesn't work.”
“If you push me too hard, I'll tell Mother. You might prioritize her over me, but it could still sway you a bit, right?”
Gasp!
Now he saw why they called her the Bewitching Beauty of Sacred Mountains. Unpredictable like a cat. Yet one thing was clear: she pierced to the core, reading hearts like a ghost.
-A true master of tactics.
‘She flatters my mood while leaving me no escape.’
If she'd come on strong, he'd push back, but Huangbo Seoryeong navigated the gap flawlessly.
-Clever.
‘It's not because Yujin's number one that I'm smiling. I'm totally cool about it.’
-Not something to say with your mouth to your ear.
‘Don't poke. It won't work.’
Just as he couldn't see his own face, the Demon King needed a mirror for Mujin's. No reason to shoot himself in the foot.
Ah, his mouth was indeed ear-to-ear.
What could he do? It felt good.
“Your goal is the shadow factions, right?”
“Sharp as ever. How'd you know?”
“It's weird for someone like you to start gathering people.”
“I need your strength. Will you join hands with me?”
“Jin's the one who'd get jealous.”
His son or not, Mujin could see Taejin's future: dancing in the palm of Huangbo Seoryeong's hand.
-You sold your son.
‘Life under a wife's thumb is the best. You'd know if you'd lived as husband and wife.’
-Plenty of women.
‘The ones you dragged in.’
-Many came to me willingly.
That, he conceded.
One thing for sure: the Demon King's looks were flower-boy pretty. Slender build opposite his title, creating a dissonant charm.
Still a Demon King.
Women throwing themselves at him were insane. He wouldn't change—not that any held such naive hope for him.
-One did change me, a little.
‘What? There was one?’
-What do you take me for?
‘A cold-blooded Demon King who gets thorns in his mouth without daily kills. Total opposite of me.’
-You've killed more than me!
‘Killed who deserved it. Not rampaging blood-mad like you.’
-Wasn't my will.
‘Idiot.’
-(Crackle).
The Demon King didn't retort to Mujin's jab. Unspoken: a woman had given him free will. Not some famed heroine, though.
-She was incredible.
‘That good?’
-In that department.
‘Better than nothing.’
-Exceptional.
Love could align harmonies, but some were born for it. Experience mattered, but lucking into a skilled partner was fortune. Though skill might come with emotional baggage.
‘Very important.’
-Agreed.
Life would teach them.
Looks...... important.
Figure...... important.
Wealth...... important.
Avoid eye contact with deniers. Hypocrites, all.
Temper, though, could be fixed over time. Mujin and the Demon King had never met an unfixable one.
‘Yujin was a heavenly fairy from the start.’
-Got it.
‘Smart too.’
-Enough.
‘And great cook.’
-Wanna fight?
‘What can't our girl do perfectly?’
-Die!
Thinking of Yujin always fired Mujin up. Being apart too long was torture. Morning proofs of vitality were wearing thin. He had to hurry back.
“Mother must be thrilled.”
“Huh?”
“You're thinking of her, right?”
“How'd you know?”
“You look so happy.”
Huangbo Seoryeong found her father-in-law's reaction amusing, yet envied her mother-in-law. How proud to make someone happy just by existing? She wished to be that for Jin.
While at the Huangbo estate, Mujin answered Seoryeong's questions earnestly. She was to handle tactics as the sect's strategist. She needed to know the family's forces.
So he asked.
“Have you thought about our sect's path forward?”
“You're nine-tenths of our power, Father. It's decided.”
“How so?”
“How else? Defensive warfare.”
“Aren't you overworking your father-in-law?”
Mujin grimaced at her strategy but couldn't deny it. It pierced through all their past blunders with keen insight. No underestimating this one.
“But you're not the type to use others as meat shields.”
“......True. I'm not that guy.”
Mujin resolved to watch his words around his daughter-in-law.
-Spot on.
‘Butt out.’