Hwangbo Mujin Accepts His Son's Proposal
Hwangbo Jun hurried along the path to Mujingak, his feet moving with frantic urgency.
"Darling!"
His wife, Eon Garyeong, must have caught wind of the news as well. She was rushing toward them from a side path alongside their eldest daughter, Hwangbo Yerin. It seemed she had been with their daughter when the report reached her.
For a brief moment, Hwangbo Jun felt a flicker of irritation. He had only just learned of the intrusion himself—how had his wife already known and come running? The thought of how she had planted her own people throughout the clan, quietly pulling strings to control the family from the shadows, soured his mood. But this was hardly the time for such concerns.
'Whoever it is, they won't be spared.'
Whether they had entered by mistake or not, they had violated the forbidden zone without permission. He intended to strike them dead with a single blow. The fact that his father lay bedridden was an absolute secret that could never be allowed to leak out.
He briefly wondered if it might be an assassin, but shook his head. What fool of an assassin would dare infiltrate the chambers of the Patriarch of Tyranny, Hwangbo Mujin? Even the peerless Wumyeong Shintu, the shadow master who had once roamed the imperial palace as if it were his own backyard, had been caught by his father and beaten to death for his insolence. That story had spread far and wide. No assassin or thief would ever dare approach the Hwangbo Family Manor.
As Hwangbo Jun quickened his pace, Mujingak came into view. The building looked exactly as it always had, yet an inexplicable sense of unease gripped him. He threw open the main gate and stepped inside, heading straight for the inner chamber where his father resided. Just outside the closed door, a single maidservant stood with a nervous expression. She looked positively terrified.
When Hwangbo Jun approached with a face twisted in fury, the maidservant turned deathly pale and pressed herself against the wall. Without a word, he slammed the door open in a rage and stormed inside. His family followed close behind.
The room was dark, the lights extinguished. What little illumination filtered through the windows cast a faint glow on a figure standing in the center, his back turned to them.
A massive frame of six cheok (186cm). Broad shoulders and a back that radiated an eerie heat. Even standing still, the man emanated an overwhelming aura that warned all others to keep their distance. He resembled a colossal tiger crouched and ready to pounce.
The maidservant's fear suddenly made perfect sense. Even Hwangbo Jun, who had stepped into the Super Peak realm, felt himself shrinking back like an ordinary civilian suddenly confronted by a wild beast. This man was strong. Merely looking at his back, Hwangbo Jun instinctively knew he could never win. He couldn't even begin to gauge what realm this person had reached.
Was there anyone in the world besides his father who possessed such presence? Or perhaps... this man was even stronger than his father...!
"W-who... are you...?" A trembling voice escaped Hwangbo Jun's lips. The thought of striking the intruder dead with one blow had completely vanished.
The man slowly turned around.
"Hup...!"
The women nearby widened their eyes and covered their mouths. Even the proud and cold Eon Garyeong couldn't hide her shock. The man possessed a powerfully muscled frame—an ideal physique that looked both imposing and graceful. His chest was incredibly broad, his abs perfectly sculpted like rolling hills of muscle...
But what truly stunned Eon Garyeong was something else entirely.
The man's lower body. A massive cock stood proudly erect, soaring upward like a towering peak of the heavenly mountains. Its sheer size looked to be a full eight inches—twenty-five centimeters.
'Oh my... god...'
Could that truly belong to a human being? It was a colossal member the likes of which she had never seen. A thick vein bulged prominently along the shaft, surrounded by throbbing, rope-like blood vessels. Its grotesque, ferocious shape would have sent a virgin screaming in revulsion, but any woman who had known a man would find herself unable to look away.
"You've come."
The man fixed Hwangbo Jun with eyes brimming with absolute authority. An overwhelming energy surged around his towering frame, like a giant from myth. It was unmistakably the aura of the Patcheon-shingong.
Hwangbo Jun asked before he could stop himself, "F-f-father...? Is that... you?"
"Yes. I am Hwangbo Mujin."
"This... this is...!"
At those words, not only Hwangbo Jun but his entire family stood frozen in shock. If what he said was true... then Hwangbo Mujin had undergone banro-hwandong—the legendary rejuvenation. And that body. It was the pinnacle of martial perfection. Even the so-called Heavenly Martial Body spoken of in legends seemed inferior to the physique before them.
Hwangol-taltae. Not only had he regained his youth, but he had reconstructed his body as well. If that was true, they were witnessing the birth of a legend that would echo throughout the history of Murim.
"Clothes."
At Hwangbo Mujin's profound command, Jin Somi, the maidservant waiting outside, rushed in frantically. She opened the wardrobe with shaking hands and draped a magnificent red robe over his shoulders. Her entire body trembled. Having only recently entered service, this was her first time seeing Hwangbo Mujin in his right mind. It was terrifying. She could hardly believe this was the same old man who had waved his grotesque member at her and groaned pathetically just days ago.
Jin Somi had known the Hwangbo Clan walked the path of tyranny, but she had never truly understood what that meant until this moment. Now she understood perfectly. She even harbored the blasphemous thought that not even the emperor of ten thousand beings could stand in this man's way.
A short while later, Hwangbo Mujin sat at a lavish feast. An enormous table was covered with every delicacy imaginable. He occupied the seat of honor, with Hwangbo Jun and Eon Garyeong to his right, and his two granddaughters—Hwangbo Yerin and Hwangbo Ran—to his left. None of them dared touch the side dishes. They merely picked at their plain rice, stealing nervous glances.
"Um... Father."
When Hwangbo Mujin looked at his son, Hwangbo Jun's face was tight with tension, as if he were struggling to find the right words.
"It's just... now that you've regained your youth, Father, I'm concerned it may cause chaos within the clan. So... what if we announced that my son, who has been in closed-door cultivation, has finally emerged...?"
Hwangbo Jun had struck first, terrified that his now-vigorous and youthful father might demand the position of Family Head be returned to him. He had only obtained that seat after entering his forties. If it were taken back now, he would spend the rest of his life known only as the eldest son of the Patriarch of Tyranny. That could never be allowed to happen.
Hwangbo Mujin set down his chopsticks.
"Wasn't it about time for your son, Hwangbo Jeonghu, to emerge from closed-door training?"
"W-well... the truth is... my son didn't enter closed-door training back then. He... he died from a severe case of tetanus..."
Hwangbo Jun lowered his head as he spoke, his body shrinking in anticipation of the furious rebuke that was sure to come. But strangely, no roar of anger came. Hwangbo Mujin simply stared at him with unreadable eyes. Then his gaze shifted to his daughter-in-law.
"Daughter-in-law, what do you think?"
"Y-yes... Father, I also believe my husband's suggestion is reasonable. The world already praises you as the greatest under heaven... If news of your rejuvenation spreads, I worry it will only bring you endless trouble..."
"That's right, Father. Even now, countless martial artists beg for a single audience with you. Despite our claims that you've gone into seclusion, the requests keep coming. Perhaps it would be best if you lived comfortably by assuming my son's identity."
"You want me to impersonate my dead grandson, Hwangbo Jeonghu? KHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA!!"
Hwangbo Mujin's booming laughter filled the room. The shoulders of Hwangbo Yerin and Hwangbo Ran, who had been quietly picking at their rice with heads lowered, flinched violently. Even the usually wild and spoiled Hwangbo Ran kept her eyes glued to the table, rolling them nervously, too afraid to meet anyone's gaze. Her parents were no different. Hwangbo Jun's eyes trembled with unease as he looked at his father, while Eon Garyeong gripped her hands tightly beneath the table, unable to conceal her tension.
After laughing heartily, Hwangbo Mujin swept his gaze over his son and daughter-in-law. He wasn't ignorant of their true intentions. In fact, their motives were so transparent that it amused him. In any case, he no longer held even the slightest attachment to the clan.
"I see... How interesting. Hwangbo Jeonghu... I truly never expected such a suggestion. Hahaha!"
Seeing his father's smile, relief washed over Hwangbo Jun's face.
"R-right? Since you've regained your youth, Father, you should enjoy it to the fullest. Hahaha..."
"Yes, Father... If we keep it a secret among ourselves, no one will ever know. This might be the perfect chance for you to live truly free."
At Eon Garyeong's words, Hwangbo Mujin's laughter abruptly stopped. He stared at her intently.
"Freedom... freedom, you say. You won't regret those words, will you?"
"Oh my... Hoho, regret? Of course not~ If there's anything you wish to do, Father, you should do it all~ We're all on your side."
"Is that so? Very well. Since my body has grown young, my heart feels young as well. Living as Jeonghu doesn't sound so bad. Tomorrow, announce that Hwangbo Jeonghu has emerged from closed-door cultivation. Make it so that there is nowhere within the clan I cannot go. I've been lying in bed for so long that I'm itching to stretch my legs."
"Y-yes, Father!"
A wide grin split Hwangbo Jun's face from ear to ear. It seemed his father had given up any desire for the position of Family Head. That was all that mattered. No matter what his father did, as long as he remained the Family Head...!
A short while later, Hwangbo Mujin watched the backs of his departing family. His gaze lingered particularly on his eldest daughter-in-law, Eon Garyeong. Even in her modest robes, her voluptuous figure was impossible to hide. With every step, her large, plump buttocks swayed enticingly from side to side.
Freedom, freedom... Heh heh...
My dear Garyeong. You said I could do whatever I wanted? Did you speak those words knowing that it includes you as well? I clearly warned you not to regret it.
Hehehe... KHAHAHAHA!! Take that worthless clan if you want it. In exchange, I will take everything else.
Hwangbo Mujin had only regained his vitality after perfecting the Patcheon-shingong, but by then he had already lost much of his humanity. The greatest part of his mind was now occupied by lust and desire. The man who had devoted his entire life to martial cultivation in pursuit of strength had become someone for whom satisfying his carnal urges was now the most important thing in the world.
Those around him simply rejoiced that he no longer coveted the position of Family Head, completely unaware of the kind of man he had become. They had no idea what horrors awaited them in the days to come...