Chapter 68
Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: A Modest Family Meal
Following Moyong Gi, we arrived at the dining area, which turned out far more modest than I'd imagined.
I'd expected a crowd from the family, but it was just Moyong Hwan and Moyong Hui.
"Come on in and take a seat."
Moyong Hwan smiled from his place at the head of the table.
Meanwhile, Moyong Hui, seated beside him, kept her head bowed low without so much as a greeting.
The tips of her ears were bright red, like she was embarrassed.
'Did Father-in-law tell her about it?'
I had no idea how far their conversation had gone.
Once Cheon Woojin, Moyong Gi, and I had all sat down, Moyong Hwan spoke first.
"First off, you handled the Sagal Sect matter well."
Honestly, I couldn't care less about the Sagal Sect.
I'd already achieved everything I wanted from them.
But with Moyong Hui right there, I couldn't show it, so I pretended to be interested.
"How did you settle it?"
"Do you want all the details?"
"...No need. I'm sure Father-in-law made the right call."
It felt like the story would drag on, and I was already annoyed.
They probably just killed who needed killing and locked up the rest.
Moyong Hwan let out a hearty laugh.
"Well, that's not the important part anyway. Before we get to the real talk, do you have any questions?"
I had plenty.
Starting with what he'd discussed with Moyong Hui and how far they'd gotten.
But those were probably the main topics, so I set them aside and asked about what was bugging me right then.
"Why is the dinner so sparse?"
I wasn't talking about the food.
Sure, there wasn't much of it either, but the real issue was the lack of people.
'If it's going to be like this, why bother calling me to the Moyong estate?'
I'd assumed this would be my introduction to the family members.
At least a few elders or the retired patriarch would be here, I'd thought.
But including Cheon Woojin and me, it was just five people total.
Moyong Hwan's lips curved up at my question.
"Nothing's been decided yet, right? Too early to introduce you to everyone else."
"Why not, Father-in-law? We have our agreement."
If I lost, I'd become a live-in son-in-law. If I won, he'd give me his daughter.
What happened to that promise?
"Hmm, our agreement... What exactly was it again?"
"Well..."
I started to speak but hesitated.
It felt awkward saying it was the terms of our bet right in front of her.
"...You know better than I do, Father-in-law."
Moyong Hwan burst into another hearty laugh.
"True enough. I agreed to give you my daughter."
I could see Moyong Hui's shoulders twitch—she'd been keeping her head down the whole time.
But he continued as if nothing had happened.
"So, will you marry my daughter?"
I had to choose my words carefully here.
One slip, and I could get pierced through the nose.
'Can't just flat-out deny it, though.'
I'd been calling him Father-in-law this whole time; suddenly saying "Uh, maybe not..." wouldn't fly.
Luckily, I'd prepared a few responses for this exact question.
"Shouldn't we hear what the person involved—Moyong young lady—thinks?"
"Hui said she's fine with it."
Moyong Hui's shoulders twitched again.
She still hadn't lifted her head.
'Looks like they've talked more than I thought.'
But I'd anticipated this possibility too.
"Marriage isn't just about the couple's opinions, is it? It's a major matter between families, so we can't rush it."
"Hmm, so if the family approves, you'll do it?"
"You might not know, but I have an older brother. He's the one set to inherit the family, and he's still single. How could I go first?"
For the record, my brother got married after I was kicked out of the family.
Which meant at least five more years.
"Worried about your brother?"
"Plus, I don't have much to my name or any wealth. I'm scared I couldn't take responsibility for someone."
"The Moyong family can provide plenty for that."
"And I have ambitions in the jianghu, so settling down in one place right now would be tough."
"...Is that all?"
"I'm only in my early twenties, with so little experience..."
As I rattled off my prepared excuses, Moyong Hui finally raised her head and gave me an incredulous look.
Moyong Hwan waved his hand to cut me off.
"Enough, enough. Stop it. You're saying no, basically."
"Not no—just that it's too soon to decide."
The room grew icy at my shameless words.
Even Cheon Woojin next to me.
"Hui, did you see? This is the kind of guy he is. What do you think?"
"...I think I need more time to consider it too."
It felt like I'd burned through a ton of goodwill I'd built up, but this was a rite of passage I had to go through once.
Still, I trusted the foundation I'd laid.
'It won't hit rock bottom over something this minor.'
I gave Moyong Hui an awkward smile, and she huffed, turning her head away with a flick.
Pretty cute tantrum.
"Anyway, I get your stance. So what do you want to do?"
What did I want?
'Just the bedroom fun, obviously.'
Even being official lovers would cramp my style with other women.
The ideal was a clean setup where we indulged whenever we both wanted...
'Can't say that out loud.'
So I had to dress it up a bit.
"As you know, Father-in-law, Moyong young lady and I haven't known each other long. Wouldn't it be better to spend time close by and get to know each other slowly?"
Figure out our compatibility along the way.
But my words caught him off guard—Moyong Hwan raised an eyebrow.
"Spend time close by and get to know each other slowly? Hmm. How about staying at the Moyong estate for a while, then?"
"At the Moyong estate?"
"I'll assign you a room in the same building as Hui."
"Father?"
"Dad?"
Moyong Hui and Moyong Gi, who'd been listening, called out to Moyong Hwan in shock.
I was pretty stunned too.
'Same building?'
What did that mean?
It was tacit approval for bedroom visits.
"Of course, if a child comes along, you'll marry right away."
"Father!"
Moyong Hui shouted, her face red as a persimmon.
Moyong Gi next to her gaped in stunned silence.
'Our father-in-law is one bold guy.'
For the record, I didn't have to worry about accidental pregnancies.
Not that I was infertile—it was thanks to the Blissful Creation Art, a secretive dual cultivation technique.
When using the Blissful Creation Art, the energy in my semen prevented conception.
It wasn't written in the manual, but I'd confirmed it through experience.
'Otherwise, I'd have dozens of bastards by now.'
Anyway, it was a great offer for me.
But I had to shake my head.
"As I said, I have ambitions in the jianghu. Settling in one place is difficult."
How long was "for a while," anyway? I couldn't commit to staying here.
I had a slew of women to meet.
And I couldn't just sleep with Moyong Hui a few times and bolt like discarding a rag.
There was another issue too.
'Can't use the Blissful Creation Art in the Moyong estate.'
Her internal energy suddenly skyrocketing?
By an enormous amount?
They'd notice immediately.
Sure, the Blissful Creation Art wouldn't stay hidden forever, but I didn't plan to advertise it everywhere.
'Gotta keep it under wraps as long as possible.'
I couldn't let something like what happened with Ma Haryeong, the daughter of the Heavenly Demon, repeat.
Staying here wasn't a great option.
"Strange. Then how do you plan to stay close to Hui?"
Obviously, by traveling the jianghu together.
But Moyong Hwan couldn't truly be clueless about my intentions.
He was just pushing to keep me at the Moyong estate.
"Earlier, chatting with Brother Moyong Gi here, he said Moyong young lady leaving the family is a set course. We can move together then."
"Our young lady heir said that?"
Moyong Hwan shot a glance at Moyong Gi, who smiled sheepishly.
But it was brief.
He turned back to me with a calm expression.
"Well, that could be. But who knows if it'll be next year or the year after."
He clearly intended to pair me with his daughter, yet here he was dragging it out with nonsense.
I finally let out a deep sigh.
"What do you really want from me, Father-in-law?"
It couldn't just be trapping me as a live-in son-in-law.
He hadn't gone all-out when we fought earlier.
"What I want... Hui, young lady heir, step out for a bit."
The two looked a little flustered.
This didn't seem like something they'd discussed beforehand.
"You too, step out."
Moyong Hwan's gaze shifted to Cheon Woojin.
Cheon Woojin looked at me, face asking what to do.
I nodded roughly.
"Go wait outside."
With the three ushered out before the meal even ended, I stared straight at Moyong Hwan.
He put on a gravely serious face.
"Do you know of the Sama Clan?"
"...No?"
It was a name I'd never heard before in my life.