Chapter 67
Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Brother's Request
"Then, I'll come see you later, Father-in-Law."
"Hmm…."
When I called him Father-in-Law, Moyong Hwan's face twisted into a subtle expression.
As if something about it rubbed him the wrong way.
But soon enough, he let out a deep sigh and nodded.
"Alright. We'll meet again this evening."
Moyong Hwan led the Moyong Family members out of Uiyeonru.
And, as expected, Moyong Hui was among them.
"Hui-ya, you come along too for now."
As I smiled at Moyong Hui, who kept stealing glances back at me while leaving, Cheon Woojin sidled up next to me.
"My lord, what on earth happened?"
"What do you mean? As you can see, everything went smoothly."
It had gone even smoother than expected.
Moyong Hwan—no, Father-in-Law—was quite flexible.
-He called himself a heroic lecher, didn't he? Looks like his daughter will have it rough.
He'd even given tacit approval for me to philander.
'That was permission, right?'
It wasn't just resignation, was it?
In any case, things had wrapped up nicely with Father-in-Law.
Moyong Hui, the person in question, was still around, but that could be sorted out in time.
As I envisioned my new future, Cheon Woojin tossed another question my way.
"Did you just spar with the Moyong Family head?"
"That's right."
"And you won, my lord?"
"Well... yeah, I suppose?"
Cheon Woojin looked puzzled at my lukewarm response.
But there was nothing for it.
'He never intended to go all out against me in the first place.'
Father-in-Law hadn't fought me at full strength.
Of course, I was confident I could've won even if he had, but the fact was he'd held back.
'He only used one sword, too.'
Moyong Hwan carried two swords.
His movements and habits screamed dual-wield specialist, yet he'd deliberately fought me with just one.
And even then, he was far stronger than Chu Munrak. The Five Great Families lived up to their name.
"Anyway, putting the fight aside... why did that happen all of a sudden?"
Come to think of it, Cheon Woojin didn't know about the Shadow Gate Sect.
'It's not weird that my subordinate doesn't know what even the Moyong Family knows.'
After a brief moment of thought, I decided to come clean.
Not the full details about Somwol or the Brothel Hall master, of course.
Just that I was on good terms with the Shadow Gate Sect, and Uiyeonru belonged to them.
Upon hearing the explanation, he furrowed his brow.
"Isn't the Shadow Gate Sect an unorthodox faction?"
"And?"
When I shot back indifferently, he quickly smoothed his expression.
He was sharp, that one.
"...I was just confirming. Well, with you as my lord, it's possible."
It felt like a backhanded compliment, but I was in a good mood today, so I let it slide.
The guy had been through enough.
As our conversation lulled, the Uiyeonru proprietor—who'd been anxiously watching—finally spoke up.
"So, Young Master Mok. What happens to us now?"
"Ah, Uiyeonru's all sorted too. Just keep operating as usual under the Moyong Family."
"...Is that really okay? Even though the Moyong Family head found out...?"
"Don't worry. It's all good."
Even with my firm assurance, the proprietor's face remained uneasy.
Watching her, I suddenly recalled my conversation with the Brothel Hall master before leaving Shanxi Province.
'I said I'd build power without discriminating between orthodox or unorthodox.'
And emphasized that they were the first.
Impressive foresight.
That future was already coming to pass, one piece at a time.
'Shadow Gate Sect, Eun Merchant Group, Moyong Family.'
And the Mok Family Clan to boot.
It was enough to call a proper faction now.
'Still not satisfied, though.'
I needed to bulk it up more.
It fell far short of what the Brothel Hall master had envisioned—and what I wanted.
"If you're that worried, contact the Brothel Hall master or Somwol and get their take."
"If you insist that much... I'll trust you, Young Master Mok."
I couldn't tell if she truly trusted me or just didn't want to contact them directly, but the proprietor nodded despite her anxiety.
Just as I thought I could finally rest, Cheon Woojin piped up again.
"By the way, my lord. Does this mean you'll marry Lady Moyong?"
"Marriage? Haven't thought that far."
"You were just calling the Moyong family head 'Father-in-Law'."
"It was just a figure of speech. How old do you think I am? Marriage is way too soon."
Sure, I might marry Moyong Hui someday, but not yet.
'Having a wife would make seducing new women harder.'
Sure, some women had a thing for married men, but how many could there be?
For the sake of my thriving romantic endeavors, marriage needed to be postponed as long as possible.
"So what happens to your relationship with Lady Moyong going forward?"
"Who knows. We'll see when the time comes."
In any case, marriage was far too early.
***
Cheon Woojin and I left Uiyeonru right on schedule.
Upon arriving at the Moyong Family estate, a familiar face awaited at the main gate.
'Huh? That guy?'
It was the senior gatekeeper who'd turned us away last time.
But his reaction was night and day.
"Ah, Young Master Mok! You're finally here. My deepest apologies for last time. Please, come in."
He bowed deeply and politely.
No trace of his previous irritation.
"Yeah. Keep up the good work."
I patted his shoulder like a superior and brushed past.
Inside the gate, someone was waiting for us.
At first, I thought he was a guide, but his martial prowess was too high for that.
'Peak realm at that age?'
He looked not yet thirty, yet he'd reached the peak.
Sure, Cheon Woojin and Moyong Hui were the same, but they were exceptions.
'Cheon Woojin's the Martial Emperor's only son, and Moyong Hui's the Sword Phoenix.'
Reaching that level before thirty meant he was on par with the Five Dragons and Five Phoenixes.
No ordinary person.
As I puzzled over him, our greeter flashed a bright smile.
"You must be Mok Jimyeong. Nice to meet you. I'm Moyong Ki."
'Moyong Ki?'
I recalled the info I'd read on the Moyong Family before.
Then it clicked who he was.
Moyong Hwan's son and the Moyong Family's young lord.
"Ah, Lady Moyong's brother?"
"Haha, that's a new one. Yes, I'm Hui-ya's big brother."
Even at my rude slip, he smiled affably.
Nothing like his gruff father.
'He takes after Big Bro Jicheon, actually.'
Stoic father, humane son.
And the firstborn, at that.
"Since we've met like this, may I call you Ming?"
I'd have refused anyone else, but as Moyong Hui's brother, I nodded reluctantly.
"Sure, whatever's comfortable."
"Then call me big brother, nice and easy. Haha."
The more we talked, the more he reminded me of Mok Jicheon.
It bred an odd sense of familiarity.
'Why's the young lord out here, though?'
He didn't need to come this far just to meet me.
We were headed to where the family heads gathered anyway.
Friendly chit-chat could wait till then.
Coming all the way here meant he had something specific to say.
Moyong Ki bantered about trivialities for a while before casually broaching the main topic.
"By the way, Ming, I hear your martial arts are exceptional…."
"Father-in-Law say that?"
"Father-in-Law...? Pfft-haha, already?"
He laughed heartily at my words before clearing his throat belatedly.
"Ahem, sorry. Not from Father, actually—from Division Leader Yoo. Said you've surpassed late-stage genius level."
"Eh, pretty much."
I responded flatly to the obvious compliment.
'He come to spar?'
Frankly, it sounded annoying.
Sparring was fun with equals; this gap would be boring.
Plus, I couldn't go all out on Moyong Hui's kin.
It'd end up as a light exchange.
As I debated siccing Cheon Woojin on him, words I hadn't expected came out.
"Take good care of our Hui. As you know, her strong sense of justice leads her into danger now and then. As her brother, I'm sick with worry every night."
Take care of Moyong Hui?
'That was his errand?'
Her justice-driven nature was indeed risky.
It was what got her killed, after all.
I nodded faintly, and he sighed in relief.
"I begged Father to bring her home from the Murim Alliance recently because I was so worried... but honestly, I still wonder if it was right. Can't keep her cooped up in the family forever."
Seemed her being dragged back from the Alliance was his doing.
'The more I see, the more he seems like Big Bro Jicheon.'
Mannerisms, speech, care for his sibling—all spot on.
"Her leaving the family someday is inevitable. So I'm counting on you, Ming. Can you protect our Hui?"
"Yeah, sure."
It was what I'd do anyway, no request needed.
But as I answered, something felt off.
'Did this guy care about his sister this much?'
Moyong Ki was the young lord, future family head.
Why hadn't I crossed paths with the Moyong Family during my Lecherous Demon days?
'Not even in the Lecherous Demon Subjugation Squad.'
If he truly was like Mok Jicheon, he'd have doted on Cheon Suyeon, Moyong Hui's daughter.
Yet the Moyong Family had stayed silent back then.
So, one of two things.
Either he wasn't family head then.
Or this personality was fake.
'Doesn't seem like acting.'
Then the family head must've been someone else….
'Did this guy die suddenly or something?'
For whatever reason, my eyes caught the two swords at his waist.