A Farmer’s Wisdom
“……Sa Yeo-un?”
But the surprise lasted only a moment. At Son Jin-won’s words, Yeo U-hui let out a short, dismissive snort, as if the revelation were hardly worth the breath.
“You’d need someone of that caliber to pull a stunt like this. But so what? My nephew isn’t even one of the righteous. Is there some rule that says he can’t meet the daughter of the Thousand-Generation Profound Demon? I don’t see how that gives you the right to kidnap him.”
“We approached him with every courtesy at first. They were the ones who refused to cooperate.”
“And why should my nephew be obliged to cooperate with you? We take no side in anyone’s war. We have no duty to help you, and we certainly have no duty to be abducted. Understand that.”
Uiseon Suga walked the middle path, belonging neither to the righteous factions nor the demonic ones, so Yeo U-hui’s words were not wrong in the least.
“We have no desire to be dragged into your quarrels. Leave us alone. Did my nephew somehow harm you simply by meeting that demonic cultist’s daughter? He did not. Yet you struck first. Am I wrong? If I am, then go ahead and invent some excuse. I’d love to hear it.”
Go Ji-han and Gu Pyo felt a sharp twinge of guilt. She was right—they had been the ones to lay hands on Yoo Eunhyeon first.
They had assumed some deeper connection existed between Yoo Eunhyeon and Sa Yeo-un, but listening now, it was clear they had simply jumped to the wrong conclusion.
And they knew all too well how vital justification became in situations like this.
Son Jin-won, however, showed no intention of yielding.
“It is regrettable that unintended circumstances produced this result…… But what exactly do you propose? That we answer for consequences we never meant to create? Is that what you’re saying—in earnest?”
His voice had grown rough, then openly insolent. For a heartbeat Yeo U-hui’s mouth closed. Then she spoke again, clearly unwilling to back down.
“If it was an unintended mistake, an apology would suffice. Or are you saying you can’t even manage that? Is the neck of the Night-Specter True Dragon truly so stiff?”
“My apologies are not so cheap that I hand them out for things I did not do wrong.”
“Then what? We simply leave it at this?”
The two of them locked eyes, neither giving an inch, and the pressure in the air grew heavier by the second.
“We need not leave it at this, of course. But I trust you understand that the available solutions in a case like this are extremely limited.”
Son Jin-won no longer bothered to hide the fighting spirit rolling off him as he stared at Yeo U-hui. The formless energy thickened until the air itself seemed almost solid; breathing became a struggle, and not a soul present dared move.
Even the slightest shift felt as though it would draw that murderous intent down upon them all at once—and that was a fate everyone preferred to avoid.
“Um…… excuse me a moment.”
The one who stepped through that crushing aura was Yoo Eunhyeon. Not because the pressure failed to affect him. In truth he wanted no part of this at all, yet he had every reason to intervene.
This is hardly the time to stand around posturing. Yeo-un could catch up any second……
Nothing good would come of lingering here. Son Jin-won and the rest of Cheonmumaeng were hunting the Demonic Cult; if their attention stayed fixed on Sa Yeo-un, she would be too busy dealing with them to spare any effort tracking Yoo Eunhyeon himself.
“I’m the principal party here. You really shouldn’t leave me out of the conversation, should you?”
He was right. Yoo Eunhyeon was the greatest victim of the entire incident, yet they had faced off as though he did not exist, effectively ignoring him.
In the end Yeo U-hui, who stood on his side, was the first to withdraw her sword intent. Son Jin-won likewise regarded the young man who had walked straight through the pressure, released his own aura, and turned his gaze toward him.
“To cut straight to the conclusion—I hold no grudge against Cheonmumaeng.”
“No grudge? Truly? You needn’t worry about our feelings, you know.”
“I’m fine. At first I was furious, yes, but now I understand there were reasons for what happened. Unwanted misfortune is simply part of living. As a farmer, I’d rather focus on what comes next than cling to what’s already done.”
Having said that much, Yoo Eunhyeon glanced discreetly around. Every eye was still fixed on him, and a trace of that earlier charged excitement lingered in the air, so he pressed on.
“The thing that ruins a harvest more than anything is natural disaster. But analyzing why the disaster happened is a waste of time. I’m not talking about some grand notion of rising above the past. Farming is different every year, and people have no choice but to grow with the years…… So let’s just drop what already happened.”
All Yoo Eunhyeon had wanted was to escape as quickly as possible, so he had simply recited his own farming philosophy. Yet the moment the words left his mouth, the entire gathering fell silent.
Somehow the simple speech seemed to carry a profound, almost mystical weight.
“Auntie. I’ll offer the apology in your place. Leaving without a word was my fault too. Is that all right?”
“No. There’s no need for you to apologize, nephew. I didn’t lock you up, and when I gave you permission to go out I did so ready to take responsibility for the consequences.”
“Thank you, Auntie. Besides, there’s no reason to make enemies of Cheonmumaeng over this.”
“True enough. I can’t very well interfere with the ties you choose to form. Do as you like.”
Yeo U-hui’s expression had completely relaxed. Yoo Eunhyeon turned his head and looked at Son Jin-won. Unlike Yeo U-hui, with whom conversation was at least possible, this side worried him more.
Yet after tasting the young man’s words in silence for a moment, Son Jin-won’s face, though strange, did not look particularly dark.
“I’ll admit I’m surprised.”
Son Jin-won’s eyes widened as he regarded Yoo Eunhyeon with open astonishment—the look of a man who had just witnessed something that truly impressed him. The cause was almost certainly the speech itself.
“Surprised?”
“Yes. The courage to step into a situation like this. The will to settle it yourself. The wisdom and insight that convinced everyone present. I apologize for dismissing you earlier simply because you said you were a farmer.”
And so Son Jin-won—who moments before had been locked in a bitter argument with Yeo U-hui over the mere question of an apology—extended his hand to Yoo Eunhyeon and offered one of his own.
“It doesn’t really matter, but……”
Yoo Eunhyeon muttered as he took the offered hand and accepted the apology. Naturally he had no desire to grow friendly with this particular troublemaker.
Of all the people Master could have chosen, why this one…… Is he testing me? There can’t be any reason for that, can there?
Still, he had no wish to inflame the situation further. Even if the man’s personality was rotten, genuine sincerity could be felt in the apology itself.
“I’ll have to give Master’s words more serious thought.”
“Well…… I’m sure we’ll have another chance to meet, won’t we?”
“If you’re connected to Uiseon Suga, that seems likely. Next time, I hope you’ll speak more freely with me.”
Half-joking, Son Jin-won lightly clapped the shoulder of the young man whose hand he still held.
With the atmosphere now completely eased, Chae Eun-seol, Gong Si-hak, Go Ji-han, and Gu Pyo—who had been hanging back—let out quiet sighs of relief.
Chae Eun-seol and Gong Si-hak had no desire to create trouble with Cheonmumaeng, while Go Ji-han and Gu Pyo, having been the ones who actually abducted Yoo Eunhyeon, certainly preferred not to stand against Uiseon Suga without any justification.
“I don’t mind speaking freely now.”
“No need to drag things out, I suppose.”
Apparently pleased with the answer, Son Jin-won tightened his grip. His frame was small, and even compared to Yoo Eunhyeon’s farming-hardened hands his fingers were slender and fine-boned—yet the strength within them burned hot.
Eager to leave Jinan as soon as possible, Yoo Eunhyeon had wrapped the matter up swiftly, and Son Jin-won had not come merely to play. They parted with a promise of a later meeting, and just like that the confrontation ended.
With the situation settled, Yeo U-hui had nothing further to say. Together she and Yoo Eunhyeon returned at once to Uiryungak.
“Haa. I feel as though I’ve aged ten years.”
The moment they returned, Yeo U-hui let out a long breath and muttered. Looking thoroughly abashed, Yoo Eunhyeon spoke.
“I’m sorry. I seem to do nothing but cause trouble.”
“It’s not that. As I said a moment ago, you have nothing to apologize for, nephew.”
Yeo U-hui waved a hand as if to dismiss any blame. Watching them, Chae Eun-seol pursed her lips and gave a short laugh.
“We’re the ones who aged ten years. How is it that our Chief can still pick fights at her age?”
“So I was supposed to just back down right there?”
“Read the room before you charge in. Honestly, do you think you can beat the Night-Specter True Dragon?”
“I have no intention of losing.”
“And your actual odds?”
“……Fifty-fifty.”
“Really?”
“A little less.”
Listening carefully to their exchange, Yoo Eunhyeon asked cautiously,
“Is he really that strong?”
“Our Chief seems incapable of objective judgment at the moment, so allow me. A martial title in the jianghu isn’t handed out for free, and the Night-Specter True Dragon is one of the two chief disciples of the Dual Blade Twin Immortals. He’s also one of the three principal commanders of Cheonyadae—the single most powerful combat division in Cheonmumaeng—which puts him among the top ten masters of the entire alliance. Given his age, everyone expects him to enter the top five before long. In short, he’s one of the young dragons currently shaking the martial world.”
Chae Eun-seol delivered a lengthy explanation of Son Jin-won. When Yoo Eunhyeon glanced at Yeo U-hui, she simply nodded, confirming every word.
Wait—he’s that famous? Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten even this friendly with him……
Recalling Son Jin-won’s final manner, Yoo Eunhyeon felt a headache coming on and shook his head hard. Future problems could be left to his future self—an utterly irresponsible thought, but it would have to do for now.
“So what now? The plan was to leave today, wasn’t it? Don’t we still have things to wrap up?”
When Chae Eun-seol asked Yeo U-hui, the older woman turned her gaze to Yoo Eunhyeon instead of answering.
“Nephew, what do you want to do? If you’re still not feeling well we can stay another day.”
“I’m fine. As soon as you’re ready, Auntie, we can leave right away.”
“Hmm…… You seem rather impatient. Did something else happen besides the business with Cheonmumaeng?”
Finding his haste odd, Yeo U-hui pressed the question. Yoo Eunhyeon flinched, then shook his head.
“No. Nothing like that.”
It was a lie, of course. Yeo U-hui, sharp as ever after years of experience, and Chae Eun-seol as well both began to look at him with open suspicion.
Not so much doubting him as wanting to know the cause so they could ease his worry. In the end Yoo Eunhyeon had to invent a believable excuse.
“A-actually…… I just want to see Mother as soon as possible.”
“Is that all? Huhu…… Well, after being kidnapped by Cheonmumaeng, and after living alone farming on the mountain, I suppose a great deal has happened. All right! Then let’s move even faster.”
Fortunately the excuse worked. Yeo U-hui rose from her seat with a smile.
Chae Eun-seol also smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Of course, that left Yoo Eunhyeon looking rather foolish, but he could live with that.
Two nights after leaving Taiyuan.
They had traveled hard and at last reached Uiseon Suga. Under ordinary circumstances they would have spent two full nights on the road and arrived around noon the following day. But Yoo Eunhyeon’s claim that he missed his mother had clearly stirred something in Yeo U-hui; she set a grueling pace, and they arrived half a day early.
“We’re here. It’s nearly midnight, but there’s no need to worry anymore.”
Standing before the great plaque that read Uiseon Suga, Yeo U-hui turned to speak to him—yet Yoo Eunhyeon barely registered her words.
The estate was far larger than anything he had imagined.
Having never once seen a true martial clan compound in his life, he supposed the shock was only natural. Looking back, the sheer scale of Uiryungak should have prepared him, but it had not.
“Come, nephew.”
She gave his shoulder a firm pat, jolting him out of his daze, then turned without another word and strode toward the main gate of Uiseon Suga.