Sins of the Father
"Brother Bang...?"
At the woman's words, the surroundings fell dead silent.
The bustling noise vanished in an instant, replaced by a heavy, suffocating silence.
I rolled my eyes, scanning my surroundings.
I looked behind and beside me, but there was no one there.
Yet, the woman was staring intently at me.
"...Excuse me?"
With bewildered eyes, I pointed a finger at myself.
"Me...?"
"..."
I asked again, but no answer came.
The only thing I could feel was the lingering silence, and the only thing I could see was the woman, her eyes trembling as she stared at me.
She looked just as flustered as I felt.
'...Who is this lady?'
But surely, she couldn't be more bewildered than me.
This was the second time this year I had been utterly dumbfounded.
The first was when I met that damn old man, Yoo Chun-gil.
And this was the second.
'...Who is she?'
Calling me "Brother Bang" out of nowhere.
She clearly looked at least ten years older than me. What kind of nonsense was this?
'Ah, could it be...'
I stared at her, a thought crossing my mind.
'Has she gone senile?'
It was a terrible thing to think, but it seemed like the most likely explanation.
Though she didn't look old enough for that.
But how on earth did she know my surname?
'This is bad.'
I shifted my gaze slightly.
Every eye in the room was pinned on the two of us.
The Poison King's glare, in particular, was fierce.
Ah, did I just completely ruin this banquet right at the start?
As I nervously swallowed my saliva,
the Poison King, who had been glaring at me, turned his head toward the woman.
"Madam."
'Wow, crazy.'
My heart hammered against my ribs at his words.
Madam? Did the Poison King just call that woman his wife?
'If she's the Poison King's wife...'
She must be Pi Yeon-jin.
The eldest daughter of the Yeonryeon Merchant Group, a highly prominent merchant group in Sichuan.
I recalled hearing that she had two sons and a daughter.
And that in her youth, she was famous as one of Sichuan's greatest beauties.
'She certainly is.'
Setting aside her bizarre behavior, her appearance was undeniably striking.
I knew she had to be past forty, but she looked barely past thirty.
'Which means...'
I looked from Pi Yeon-jin to the other woman standing beside her.
She looked to be barely in her twenties... and moreover,
'She's beautiful.'
She was gorgeous.
Her long, straight hair framed a face with slightly sun-kissed skin that radiated vitality.
Her gentle smile carried a refreshing charm,
but the mysterious depth in her eyes, hinting at thoughts unknown, only added to her allure.
A woman who had inherited both Pi Yeon-jin's beauty and the Poison King's distinct aura.
The moment I saw her, her identity clicked in my mind.
'So that's the Poison Flower.'
The flower that bloomed holding poison.
The Poison Flower, Dang Ye-ran.
As the Poison King's daughter, she was the precious jewel of the Dang Clan.
My eyes lingered on her for a moment. I couldn't help it.
There was a strange vibe about her.
She shifted her gaze.
'!'
She turned her gaze toward me. Had she noticed me staring?
As our eyes locked, suddenly—
She beamed.
Dang Ye-ran offered me a soft smile.
It was as bright and radiant as a blooming flower.
Though slightly taken aback, I kept my composure and gave a polite nod.
It was an apology for staring.
Dang Ye-ran's eyes widened slightly in response.
I wondered why she looked so surprised, but before I could ponder further—
"...I apologize."
Pi Yeon-jin's voice broke the silence.
She seemed to have finally regained her composure, smoothing her posture.
"You bear such a striking resemblance to an old acquaintance of mine that I committed a grave discourtesy. Please forgive me."
An acquaintance.
But she had even blurted out my surname. Was that really just a coincidence?
"...Ah, no. It is quite alright."
Fortunately, she didn't seem to be completely out of her mind. I accepted her apology with an awkward smile.
Then,
"...However,"
Pi Yeon-jin continued, her eyes fixed on me.
"May I ask you something?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes."
Pi Yeon-jin inquired.
"Your name... is Young Master Bang Seong-yeon, correct?"
"That is correct."
"If I may... could I ask which family you belong to?"
"Pardon?"
A sudden chill ran down my spine.
Honestly, I should have realized it then. I should have caught on and lied.
"I am from the Yoryeong Bang family."
"..."
But I didn't. Why on earth did I do that?
I had no idea.
Pi Yeon-jin froze upon hearing my family's name.
Her eyes trembled violently, as if an earthquake were occurring within them.
"Ah... No... It couldn't..."
"...Madam? Are you alright?"
Concerned by her reaction, I spoke up, only for Pi Yeon-jin to suddenly step closer.
'What? Why is she—'
Grab!
Out of nowhere, she gripped my forearm tightly.
"...Young Master."
"Y-yes?"
"By any chance... what is your father's name...?"
"...My father?"
Did she mean that patriarch of ours, whom I was too embarrassed to even introduce to others?
Why was she suddenly asking about my father? And with such a desperate, frantic expression?
That was when the ominous feeling truly set in.
Because I finally remembered.
I remembered the reason why most women who approached me like this asked that question.
I should have realized it sooner, but it was already too late.
"...Why do you ask...?"
"...Please, tell me."
"..."
I stole a glance at the Poison King.
He was staring at us with his characteristically stoic eyes.
It might have been my imagination, but I could swear I felt a trace of killing intent in his gaze.
Damn it.
Swallowing hard, I answered Pi Yeon-jin.
Desperately praying that my suspicions were wrong.
"...His name is Bang Cheon-ho."
"..."
Upon hearing my reply, Pi Yeon-jin collapsed to the floor as if struck by lightning.
Oh, shit.
"Ah... Ah..."
She covered her mouth, letting out a soft, trembling sob.
"...M-Madam... What is wrong?!"
"...Brother... Brother Bang... Is it truly..."
"...Ah, damn it all."
Watching her reaction, I couldn't help but curse under my breath.
I knew it.
As always, that man who called himself my father had done it again.
'...Damn it. He really is utterly useless to my life.'
I swallowed my curses, thinking of my father, whose only redeeming quality was his handsome face.
There were three men in the Bang family.
Among them, though I was slightly less handsome than my older brother,
I was often told that I was the spitting image of my father.
And the women who reacted like this upon seeing me almost always had the same reasons.
They had fallen for my father in their youth.
They mistakenly believed they had shared a passionate romance with him.
Or...
'They still loved him.'
Whatever the reason, it was equally annoying.
But if possible,
'...I really hope it isn't the last one.'
Because if it was,
this place might very well become my grave.
The Poison King was glaring at me.
As if he wanted to tear me apart right then and there.
The event, officially called a welcoming banquet, had an atmosphere far too disastrous to be called a celebration.
How could it not be a disaster? Not only had the matriarch of the clan grabbed a young man and teared up,
but she had also looked at him with a gaze filled with deep, aching longing.
Fortunately, Pi Yeon-jin quickly composed herself and restored her expression and posture,
but the damage was already done.
The situation had deteriorated far too much to salvage the mood.
Even so, the banquet was not called off.
Simply because the host and master of the house did not permit it.
Normally, anyone would have flipped the tables out of sheer anger after such a scene.
But the Poison King did not.
Which only made it more agonizing for me.
"Ugh..."
Stepping outside, I finally let out the sigh I had been holding in.
"I almost got indigestion."
Actually, I might already have it.
My stomach felt bloated and heavy.
"Are you alright?"
Cheon Ui-jin asked, looking at me with concern.
"...Yes, I'm fine. If worst comes to worst, I'll just prick my finger."
"...Prick your finger?"
Cheon Ui-jin asked, clearly confused by the expression.
Ah, right.
'Do they not do that here?'
In my past life, whenever I had indigestion, my grandmother would prick my finger to let out the bad blood.
Every time she did, my sister would look at us with bizarre eyes.
When I told her it helped relieve the indigestion, she said she wanted to try it too.
'...And then she drew a sword to my finger, which led to a massive fight.'
Though calling it a fight was generous—in reality, I just got beaten up.
That psycho was a bitch even our father couldn't handle.
'...Ugh.'
I shuddered at the sudden memory of her face.
"It's just a folk remedy."
I brushed it off with a chuckle. There was no point in explaining.
The three of us walked together.
After walking in silence for a bit, Cheon Ui-jin turned to Do-hyeong.
"Senior Brother, what should we do now?"
We had delivered the Man-wol to the Dang Clan, and the Poison King had confirmed they would repair it.
So what was left? Do-hyeong replied with his usual expressionless face.
"We wait."
"Until the repair of the Man-wol is complete?"
"Yes."
"...We will have to stay in Sichuan for quite some time, then."
Do-hyeong nodded.
I didn't know how they would repair the Man-wol, but repairing a sword wasn't something done in a day or two.
Given the state of the Man-wol, it would easily take at least a few days.
It would be absurd to return to Cheongwol Gate only to come back here to retrieve it.
So we would likely have to stay until the repairs were finished.
'Just how long do we have to stay here?'
I had no idea how much time we would have to spend at the Dang Clan.
'Hmm...'
I scratched my cheek.
I wanted to return as quickly as possible.
'...And looking at the situation, it seems like I should get out of here as fast as I can.'
I felt like I was sitting on a bed of needles.
Between the Heaven-Destroying Palace bastards we ran into on the way,
and the Secret Vault of the Poison Sovereign they had mentioned.
It was obvious that something was about to happen—or perhaps, something was already underway.
And on top of that,
'Madam Pi is the biggest problem.'
Pi Yeon-jin collapsing at the mention of my father, the Poison King watching her,
and me.
'...Wow...'
Just thinking back to that moment made my hands tremble.
'Just what kind of life did you lead, Father?'
My father came to mind.
Out of three hundred and sixty-five days a year, he had women trouble for at least three hundred of them.
And because of that, I had been caught in the crossfire countless times.
My father was a rotten man who didn't just trade on his looks, but indulged in them to excess.
'...To think he was involved with the matriarch of the Dang Clan of all people.'
I didn't want to know what had happened, and I felt like I shouldn't know.
But,
'...Honestly, I can already see it clearly without even trying.'
I could guess the story just by looking.
I only hoped I was wrong.
'No wonder.'
The things my father had said about Sichuan sounded completely different to me now.
He had warned me that Sichuan was a dangerous place and that I must never get involved with the Dang Clan.
'...Could it be...'
Was Pi Yeon-jin the reason?
Because the woman he had flirted with happened to be the matriarch of the Dang Clan?
Knowing that, had he warned me to stay away?
'No, surely not.'
He couldn't be that crazy.
I desperately hoped so, but...
'...'
Somehow, it felt like I was spot on.
My father was, in fact, a madman.
"...Fuck."
How does he manage to cause only shitty situations? As I let out a curse like a sigh, Cheon Ui-jin flinched.
"...Young Master Bang?"
"Ah, sorry. My stomach is just acting up."
"Would you like to go back and rest first?"
"No, it's fine. They've accommodated us, so I should do what I came to do."
Right. I should go.
We were currently heading to the training ground the Dang Clan had provided for us.
Knowing that our stay wouldn't be short, they had graciously set aside a space for our exclusive use.
If there was one regret,
'It's that the old man isn't here right now.'
It was the fact that Yoo Chun-gil wasn't around while I trained.
I usually got a better feel for things when he watched and guided me.
But ever since we arrived in Sichuan, he kept disappearing to who-knows-where.
Thanks to that, I had to train alone. Of course, it wasn't entirely bad.
Just a bit disappointing.
"Young Master Bang."
"Yes?"
"Would you like to spar...?"
"Ah."
I nodded at Cheon Ui-jin's question.
"Let's do it."
"Ah!"
Cheon Ui-jin beamed at my response.
Was sparring really that exciting to him?
I couldn't understand it.
After defeating Cheon Ui-jin last time, we had sparred a few more times on our way to Sichuan.
I had won those matches too.
Partly due to the power of the Moon Eye, and partly because of the changes I felt after defeating the young Yoo Chun-gil in that illusion.
'But it's not like I'm completely dominating him.'
I could feel Cheon Ui-jin growing stronger day by day.
It was a bit funny for me, who used to be weaker than him, to talk about growth,
but it was the truth.
Cheon Ui-jin was getting stronger by the day.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with him.
'I hope I don't get exposed at this rate.'
I worried that he might realize I wasn't actually that strong.
Even so, I kept sparring.
The reason was simple.
'It's actually fun.'
It was more enjoyable than I expected.
Swinging the sword, putting myself in those razor-thin situations.
I used to curse martial artists, saying none of them were sane,
but now I felt like I was slowly becoming one of them.
I clenched and unclenched my stiff hands as I walked.
Just thinking about sparring made my body tense up with anticipation.
As I loosened up my muscles and walked along the path,
"Bang Seong-yeon."
Do-hyeong suddenly spoke to me.
"Yes, Senior?"
I looked at Do-hyeong. He seemed to be contemplating something as he stared at me.
It looked like he had something to say.
I waited for him to speak. After a brief moment,
"For this spar—"
Just as Do-hyeong was about to say something—
—!
Clack!
Do-hyeong abruptly cut himself off and gripped his sword.
A blue aura flared from the tips of his body.
"Who goes there?"
As Do-hyeong spoke with a chilling gaze, Cheon Ui-jin belatedly grabbed his own sword.
For the record, I couldn't even react in time, so I just stood there blankly.
'Is someone there?'
Following Do-hyeong's gaze, I scanned the trees.
"...Oh my."
Someone stepped out from the shadows with an embarrassed expression.
It was a familiar face.
Naturally, since I had just seen her moments ago.
"Young Lady..."
Do-hyeong frowned as he looked at her.
At that, the woman—
"I've been caught. How embarrassing."
The Poison Flower, Dang Ye-ran, smiled.