Chapter 657
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 657
Chapter Title: Keep This in Mind
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A woman whose face was covered with a silk veil stared at her daughter with stern eyes.
Yeon Da-hye's veil quivered ever so slightly.
It was because of her mother's gaze.
The mother and daughter, both veiled, looked at each other—but something was different.
The veils covering their faces were not the same.
The woman's veil was simple and neat, faithfully serving its purpose of concealing her face.
Even so, it was thin enough that one could discern her features if they looked closely.
Yeon Da-hye's veil, on the other hand, was adorned with all sorts of decorations and flashy ornaments, to the point where it was hard to tell if it was a veil or jewelry.
It was a rebellion against her own plain looks—dressing up the veil meant to hide her plainness with lavish embellishments.
And it was thick enough to completely obscure the view beyond.
At the very least, covering everything below her eyes with the veil made her look somewhat presentable to ordinary folk.
She figured the added decorations would make her face stand out even more.
Because her own face was so plain, she tried to hide it by decking out everything else.
"How dare you speak such rude words as 'lowborn' to a guest of the clan. Apologize to him."
It was a stern reprimand.
But Yeon Da-hye merely kept her head bowed, not even glancing toward the children.
Yu Wol-a let out a quiet sigh at the sight.
Even fierce glares did nothing to faze Yeon Da-hye.
Yeon Gong-hu and Yu Wol-a.
Despite the pressure from both sides, she held her ground steadfastly.
As if she was certain she wasn't in the wrong.
With no other choice, Yu Wol-a approached the two children who were still shedding tears and knelt down to their level.
"I'm so sorry. I'll apologize on that child's behalf. She wasn't like this when she was little... I'll give her a proper scolding. Please, young master and young lady, stop your tears. We're truly sorry."
Yu Wol-a wiped away the children's tears with a gentle voice, conveying her apology.
Yeon Da-hye watched the scene with clear displeasure.
At that moment.
"What happened here?"
Ha Mu-baek had arrived.
He wouldn't have simply left the children in Yeon Gong-hu's care without doing anything.
He had spread out his senses to keep watch over their movements.
When they hadn't stirred from their spot for a while, he had deployed his Heavenly Unity Net.
And Gong Hae-bin's soft sobs had drawn him out immediately.
"Ah, Corps Leader Ha. Well..."
Yeon Gong-hu faltered at Ha Mu-baek's sudden appearance.
He had already experienced the man's temperament back in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
He was cold and merciless when it came to things he had set his mind on.
Even if his personality was rotten, he was still Gong-hu's cousin and a son of the Yeon Clan.
That was why Yeon Gong-hu was so flustered.
"Master!"
"Master..."
Noticing Ha Mu-baek's arrival, the two children gave a slight bow toward Yu Wol-a before rushing straight to their master.
Yu Wol-a rose to her feet and looked at the newly arrived Ha Mu-baek.
A stranger to her, but surely a guest of the clan.
Seeing the traces of tears welling in the children's eyes, Ha Mu-baek asked again.
"What happened?"
To that question.
"I-It was because I felt sorry toward your parents..."
"I-It was scary..."
Gong Hae-bin and Gong Hae-jun gave completely different answers.
They were so utterly at odds that it only made it harder to guess what had transpired.
One child had suddenly apologized to their distant parents, while the other said they were scared.
Ha Mu-baek's gaze inevitably turned to Yeon Gong-hu.
He was the one they had entrusted the children to, after all.
"I-It was... I'm sorry, Corps Leader Ha."
Yeon Gong-hu bowed deeply in apology.
With his clear wrongdoing, he had to start with an apology.
Since Yeon Da-hye was direct lineage of the Yeon Clan, it was his fault as well.
Ha Mu-baek said nothing.
Because it wasn't an answer to his question.
Instead, he looked around.
He saw Yeon Da-hye, and Yu Wol-a.
And the two or three servants who had been tending the rear garden.
'What's so special about that woman?'
Yeon Da-hye recognized Ha Mu-baek as well.
Yesterday.
He was the one who had stood in her father's way.
The man who had forced the Yeon Clan's young master to back down.
Yet these lowly brats were calling that man their master.
Which meant they were ultimately his disciples.
Only then did she recall what Yeon Gong-hu had said moments ago.
'Do you even know who these children are... Was that what he meant?'
The realization that she had made some grave mistake finally dawned on her.
'Brother said he was a frightening man too... Ha Mu-baek, was it?'
Memories from yesterday began resurfacing one by one.
The name Ha Mu-baek wasn't entirely unfamiliar.
She vaguely remembered hearing clan members whisper it now and then.
But Yeon Da-hye didn't know the details of who he was.
After scanning the surroundings once, Ha Mu-baek's gaze returned to Yeon Gong-hu.
Under the immense pressure, Yeon Gong-hu broke into a cold sweat as he spoke.
He couldn't hide what had happened, nor could he lie.
The children just needed to calm down a bit, and they could tell everything themselves.
"My cousin Da-hye was gravely rude to the two children."
"Rude?"
Ha Mu-baek echoed the word and turned his gaze back to Yeon Da-hye.
Though her face was veiled, those eyes were familiar.
She was the woman who had glared venomously at Yeon Ha-min yesterday.
Yesterday, she had rushed over without a veil in the chaos, but today she had it on properly.
As Yeon Gong-hu bit his lip and prepared to continue.
"You must be the young master and young lady's master. Pleased to meet you. I am Yu Wol-a of the Yeon Clan, mother to that foolish child."
At the word "foolish," Yeon Da-hye started to protest but flinched and stopped at Ha Mu-baek's chilling gaze.
It was her reverse scale, born from deep-seated inferiority over her looks—being called "foolish."
Coming from her own mother's mouth, she nearly exploded but was halted by Ha Mu-baek's icy presence.
"Ha Mu-baek."
Ha Mu-baek responded politely to the courteous greeting.
Yu Wol-a's eyes trembled faintly.
"My daughter was terribly rude to your esteemed disciples. She called them lowborn and despised them. As her mother, I apologize for her misdeed."
Yu Wol-a bowed deeply as she offered her apology.
It was sincere from the heart.
Ha Mu-baek could sense her genuine remorse.
If he said that a proper apology required kneeling here, she would gladly drop to her knees and beg forgiveness.
He could see it in her eyes.
That was why.
He took a step back for now.
"Are you feeling better now?"
He asked the two children clinging to his legs.
"Yes."
"Y-Yes."
Small voices replied.
With their master there, it felt like the safest place in the world.
"There's no need to feel sorry toward your parents. They're the most precious people in the world to you."
Gong Hae-bin's eyes sparkled at Ha Mu-baek's words.
"To a child, their parents are the most precious. To parents, their children are."
Ha Mu-baek knelt to meet their eyes, patting their backs as he spoke.
The children nodded.
Ha Mu-baek rose again, his gaze shifting to Yeon Da-hye.
She flinched just from receiving it.
"If these children are lowborn, then their master—I—am lowborn as well."
The words were calm.
But their weight was anything but light.
Yeon Gong-hu's face drained of color.
"For the lady's sake, I'll let it slide this once... But insulting my disciples is the same as insulting me. There will be no next time. Keep that in mind."
Ha Mu-baek's voice, laced with killing intent, pierced Yeon Da-hye's ears.
Like the sound technique of a master practitioner.
Yeon Da-hye trembled like an aspen leaf.
She couldn't even muster her usual temper, just shaking in fear.
"G-Great hero..."
Shocked by her daughter's state, Yu Wol-a let out a pleading voice toward Ha Mu-baek.
"For the lady's sake, this is as far as it goes."
True to his word, Ha Mu-baek no longer looked at Yeon Da-hye.
"We'll be on our way."
With a light farewell.
But unlike the casual words, he paused and stared intently at Yu Wol-a.
"Thank you for your mercy."
Knowing no further punishment would come, Yu Wol-a bowed once more in gratitude, then tilted her head.
Ha Mu-baek was looking at her, and there was something peculiar in his gaze.
If one wished to see, her features were clear enough through the thin veil.
Yu Wol-a neither rejected nor took offense to his gaze.
If she had wanted to hide, she would have chosen an opaque veil.
The reason she wore the veil wasn't shame over her own appearance.
Rather, it was consideration for others, lest her looks discomfort them.
That was why the veil was slightly translucent.
To minimize displeasure from her face while allowing those who truly wished to see it to do so.
And the reactions from those who did were always the same.
Disgust or contempt at her ugly features, or pity if nothing else.
But Ha Mu-baek's gaze held neither.
It was puzzlement and regret.
"Is something wrong...?"
She asked cautiously.
"No. My apologies."
With that, Ha Mu-baek took the children and turned away.
Heading to Jin Na-yeon's quarters.
The three left in the rear garden, along with the servants.
The air felt like a horrific storm had just passed, even though nothing major had happened.
"Gong-hu."
"Yes? Aunt?"
Yeon Gong-hu, who had been staring blankly at Ha Mu-baek's retreating figure, turned at Yu Wol-a's call.
He had been lost in awe at the technique Ha Mu-baek had just used—infusing killing intent into his voice.
'If he layered even more of that killing intent onto Lion's Roar...'
Such thoughts raced through his mind.
"He truly is terrifying. Far beyond the rumors."
Yeon Gong-hu nodded slightly in agreement with Yu Wol-a.
"The rumors downplay it too much, even accounting for exaggeration."
"Just who is that man?"
Finally shaking off the lingering killing intent, Yeon Da-hye snapped irritably.
Everyone but her seemed to know who he was.
"Ha Mu-baek. Believed to be the strongest in the world."
Yu Wol-a answered calmly, but her words startled both Yeon Gong-hu and Yeon Da-hye.
Yeon Da-hye at the content itself.
Yeon Gong-hu at how much more she seemed to know than he did.
"I've never met him face-to-face before, but I hope nothing comes of this."
Yu Wol-a spoke with worry.
"I didn't realize you knew so much, Aunt."
Yu Wol-a smiled faintly beneath her veil at Yeon Gong-hu's words.
"Merchants must always keep their ears open to the world's tidings."
She then turned to Yeon Da-hye.
"Do you have any idea how close you came to disaster today? If Great Hero Ha were truly angered, no one in the clan could stop him."
"Th-The strongest in the world? H-Him?"
Yeon Da-hye muttered in disbelief, but she didn't argue.
Her mother had never been wrong in anything she'd said since she was born.
Her face twisted in fury.
Ha Mu-baek was the man Yeon Ha-min had brought with her.
How could that lowborn wench bring someone like him?
"How the hell did that bitch... Did she strip or something...?"
The moment the words left her lips.
Slap!
Before Yu Wol-a could intervene, Yeon Gong-hu slapped Yeon Da-hye across the cheek.
Her veil shook violently, briefly revealing her face before covering it again.
"Wh-What the... h-hell...?"
Stunned, Yeon Da-hye glared at Yeon Gong-hu with rage-filled eyes.