Didn't You Know? She's Your Little Sister
Then he tilted his head in puzzlement.
Was that bastard really that bold? Another thought flashed through his mind. What if the Murim Alliance figured it out?
Gi Jangno asked with an impassive expression, though all sorts of wild imaginings raced through his head.
"Tell me the details of what happened."
"Truth be told, I couldn't get too close. The valley was thick with poisonous qi—if I'd gone any deeper, I'd have died."
"Poison?"
Won Seung's face suddenly popped into his mind, the one who'd claimed it was Dokgoe's poison cave. But Gi Jangno quickly dismissed it. He didn't even consider a trainee rebellion. With Sa Gyo-du and twelve instructors, plus the patrol and surveillance squads, what could those kids possibly do?
It must be that bastard Sa Gyo-du's doing, or maybe the righteous sects or the court came to wipe them out.
Gi Jangno drew his tentative conclusion, sent off a messenger bird to the mountain lord, and called an emergency elder meeting. The mountain lord's location was top secret, reachable only by messenger bird. The elders were always out on missions, so even an "emergency" meeting was scheduled for half a month later.
He needed to assess the situation in the meantime.
Gi Jangno led his subordinates straight to the Five Tigers Training Camp.
* * *
What do I even say? Can't exactly tell the truth.
If he said he'd been kidnapped to Jeokhyeolsan, his mother would tattle to his father, his father would pull strings with his disciple the emperor, and if the emperor sent troops to wipe out Jeokhyeolsan... would that be the end of it?
No way it'd go that smoothly. Even if the emperor dispatched court experts—and that was a big if—Jeokhyeolsan could just go underground. Meanwhile, his own identity would be exposed, and he'd gain nothing from it.
Won Seung paced in front of the annex at the Won Mansion in Soju, racking his brains.
After emerging from the mountains, he'd rested a few days before heading to Soju. Just in case, he'd taken a circuitous route, checking for tails constantly. He'd known about the annex here but had never visited; still, it hadn't been hard to find.
But now that he was here, he had no idea what to say.
Will Mom even recognize me?
Should he drop his pants to show the blue birthmark on his butt? That might've worked as a kid, but now? Thrusting his dusty ass in her face to prove he was her son would just get him labeled a pervert. And did she even know about the birthmark in the first place? Who knew.
The annex was inside the inner walls, well-guarded. Two patrolling guards spotted Won Seung and approached.
One of them asked, "What're you lurking around for? Show us your identity plaque."
You got your plaque at the office when you turned eighteen.
"Uh, I'm only sixteen?"
The guard eyed him up and down, frowning. "Where's your home?"
"Right here?"
Won Seung pointed at the annex, hoping to avoid trouble. He'd already slipped a few taels of silver to get past the inner gates without a pass.
The guard's face hardened. That was Won Guksa's annex.
"You sure about that?"
The guard scanned Won Seung again—plain clothes, no jewelry. To dodge any Jeokhyeolsan trackers, he'd dressed to blend in.
"Come with us."
They knocked on the annex's main gate.
Oh crap!
He hadn't expected to be escorted home by guards. If his mother didn't recognize him, he'd be in real trouble. Who knew crossing his own threshold would feel this precarious?
The side gate creaked open, and a man who looked like the gatekeeper peered at the guards.
"What's this about?"
"This kid says he's family here?"
The man glanced at Won Seung, puzzled. Before he could speak, Won Seung cut in.
"Tell them the one from Hwangdo is here."
After the gatekeeper went inside, his mother, I Su-hyang, emerged moments later.
Ah! Mom...
Ten years apart, but he recognized her instantly. The tearful mother-son reunion was at hand.
But her expression was... off. She looked him over like it was no big deal and said, "If you're here, come in already. What're you standing around for?"
"Uh, yeah."
Won Seung was stunned by the casual reunion, and the guards were thrown by the confirmation that he really was family.
"Our apologies. We'll be off."
The guards bowed to I Su-hyang and left.
Ah, the guards must've made her play it cool. If word got out I was back...
It'd cause problems. Now the real reunion can start. What do I say?
But his mother turned smoothly and led the way. "Follow me."
Hmm. Does she think I'm someone else?
Won Seung trailed her to the tearoom in the inner courtyard.
Thwack!
The moment they entered, fire exploded across his back.
"You little brat!"
He'd never known a mother's hand could sting like that.
* * *
His mother's welcome ended with that one smack on the back.
She didn't even ask where he'd been or what he'd been up to. Sipping tea, she bragged about the West Lake Dragon Well she'd brought from Hangzhou.
"Do you know how expensive this is? Especially this household blend—you can't buy it for money alone."
So this is Mom.
Won Seung was reminded anew that she was the carefree type. But still—ten years since seeing her son, and she thought one whack would suffice?
He grumbled, "Aren't you curious where your son suffered all this time?"
"As long as you're back safe, that's enough."
"You talk like you knew I'd return."
"Your maternal grandfather was a diviner in the Soju office. He said you'd come back after ten years. He even mentioned it was about time these past few days. Go pay your respects after tea."
"......"
Then it clicked—his grandfather had been a low-level official here, a diviner no less. But really? A random Soju diviner pinpointed his return down to the year?
This wasn't the homecoming he'd imagined. Where was the tearless drama, the heartfelt embrace?
His ten years of hardship felt so anticlimactic.
Won Seung put on a poignant face. "I suffered terribly. Nearly died several times."
"He said you'd live to a hundred."
She beamed innocently. No worries at all. Was she even hurt when I vanished?
"I heard you fell ill after I disappeared and came here to recover..."
"Hwangdo's too stuffy. I like it here. Thanks to you, I get to live comfortably back home. Your father's doing well there too, they say. Became a state preceptor."
The "Won Guksa annex" was actually her family home. Her father, I Yeok-go, had only the one daughter, so he'd handed over the estate early.
Ah... Won Seung felt deflated. Half a shichen pacing at the gate, and now he pitied himself for overthinking.
Speechless, he just drank his tea.
"Tea done? Time to see your grandfather."
He went to meet the man in question.
No need to go far—the garden behind the annex, where his grandparents were waiting.
Born in Soju but whisked to Hwangdo as an infant, this was his first time meeting them.
Grandfather was lean, grandmother plumpish, both radiating utter peace.
"Your grandson greets you."
"No need for formalities. Sit by your old grandpa."
As he sat, Grandfather took his hand and pressed some walnuts into it.
Yeah, that's how grandpas should be.
"You suffered. Your first ten years of hardship are over—great fortune awaits. Be cautious."
Eh? Great fortune, but be cautious?
"Great fortune brings great calamity. No calamity, no great fortune."
"What do you mean?"
"Speaking more would leak heaven's secrets. Can't have that—your old grandpa might get struck by lightning."
Ah... better not to say anything then.
"You said I'd live a full hundred years."
"Calamity can even cut short a fated lifespan."
Hmm. Words to go in one ear and out the other.
Grandmother chuckled. "Let your grandpa's words slide in one ear and out the other. Worry about every one, and you'll burst from stress."
After greetings, heading back to the inner courtyard, some kid blocked his path.
A pretty boy, five or six years old, eyed him curiously. "Are you my big brother?"
What situation is this?
Moments later.
Won Seung learned from his mother that he had a little sibling. The shocks kept coming; his jaw nearly dropped.
He eyed the kid glued to his mother's side. Didn't look much like him?
Could it be...?
His mother frowned at his glance. "What're you thinking? It got too quiet without you, so I told your father to visit."
Hmm. Dad came by and left a souvenir.
"This one's so sweet. You were such a handful. Makes it easier."
"Hey, what? What'd I do?"
"Don't you remember tying a lantern to a cat's tail and nearly burning the house down? Or dumping that powder in the well and turning everything upside down? I wondered if you really meant to kill us all."
The cat incident? Oh, right—attaching a lantern to the roof-sleeping stray for light was reckless. It freaked out, raced through the house, nearly set everything ablaze.
But the well poison? Total injustice. He'd bought immortality elixir from a street vendor and dumped it in...
"But isn't the kid a bit slow? Called me 'big brother' like it's normal for a boy."
The kid's eyes narrowed fiercely. Oho, feisty one.
"Didn't you know? She's your little sister. Name's Ji-hyang. Won Ji-hyang."
Won Seung stared blankly at Won Ji-hyang. Those glaring eyes...
"Ahaha. The boy's clothes threw me off."
Sweet? Doesn't seem like it.
Won Seung spent three days buying every street snack in town to appease his furious little sister.
* * *
Staying at the annex, Won Seung sorted his thoughts.
He couldn't linger in Soju long. If Jeokhyeolsan tracked him here, his family could get dragged in.
Sangyang was off-limits for now too.
Time to head to Hwangdo.
Set up a base there, scout Jeokhyeolsan's main stronghold.
That brought his identity to mind. He didn't want Joo Gunju or Seongwangbu knowing he was back. The household staff were holdovers from his grandfather's time, locals with no ties to the Hwangdo mansion. Muzzle them, and he'd still be "missing."
He told his mother, and she found it amusing.
"You take after your father. Loves secret games. But tell him the truth."
She joined in willingly, telling the staff he was a cousin from far away.
Won Ji-hyang was disappointed it wasn't her cousin but a distant one.
Next up: martial arts training. Killing Sa Gyo-du had been pure luck. Sober, the outcome could've flipped.
Hole up and train for a while!