An Uninvited Guest at Dinner
The servant opened the door the moment I appeared.
As I stepped into the main hall, a space that felt both familiar and strangely foreign greeted my eyes.
Truly… this is new.
This was the place where I had endured my father’s contemptuous gaze and scoldings countless times.
Naturally, my mood was far from pleasant.
I forced my frown to smooth out and walked deeper into the hall.
“Hm? The youngest…?”
“What? Did the sun rise in the west? What brings you here?”
The hall already held guests who had arrived before me.
My eldest brother, the great young master of the Ju Family, Ju Seung-hyeok, and my eldest sister, Ju Seung-gyeong.
Born from the same mother, they were twins. By a mere moment’s difference, my eldest brother had become the older sibling.
True to the typical traits of twins, the two resembled each other greatly. Rather than inheriting our father’s bold, masculine features, they seemed to take more after our late second mother.
Of course, I had never met her.
By the time I was born, she had already left this world.
Regardless, since I had never once attended a gathering like this, their surprise at my appearance was even more pronounced.
“Come in,” my eldest brother greeted me with a warm smile.
A truly upright man.
Ju Seung-hyeok.
My half-brother, the one destined to become the next young master of the family.
Just like his kind smile suggested, he never lost his courtesy. He possessed a benevolent and generous nature.
Was that all?
A genius among geniuses who had received the expectations of every elder in the family since childhood.
Compared to me, whom even the family servants ignored, my eldest brother was truly one of the chosen prodigies.
“It has been a while, Brother.”
“……”
At my greeting, both Seung-hyeok and Seung-gyeong wore expressions of pure shock.
Hm? What’s so strange?
Their bizarre reactions made me furrow my brow and tilt my head.
Meanwhile, my eldest sister Seung-gyeong couldn’t even hide the violent trembling of her facial muscles. Her face turned deathly pale as she muttered,
“He’s gone mad. He’s finally lost it… haha… ha…”
Is a single greeting really that shocking?
Well, thinking back on my past self… her reaction wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
In my previous life, rather than greet anyone, I would flee the moment our eyes met.
“Haha, yes. Come, sit down. It really has been a long time, hasn’t it?”
As expected of my eldest brother.
Beyond his warm voice, genuine affection overflowed.
On the other hand…
“Are you still drunk?”
“……”
That damn eldest sister of mine glared with both eyes blazing and growled.
She was the type who looked like she wanted to devour me alive every time she saw me.
Well, there was nothing to gain from fighting back, so I simply ignored her.
I walked straight to an empty seat and sat down.
Originally, the other siblings should have been here as well, but like me, they found these gatherings uncomfortable.
What had they called it?
Different birth origins?
How ridiculous.
It was then that a servant slightly opened the door and announced,
“The Family Head has arrived.”
At the servant’s voice, both my brother and sister rose from their seats with stiff expressions.
Naturally, I stood up as well.
“We greet the Family Head.”
The Family Head, Ju Tae-sung.
He entered.
I calmly scanned the surroundings.
She didn’t come after all. As expected.
My mother, the official wife, was unwell and found it difficult to attend such occasions.
The person I was looking for was the third wife of the Family Head—Namgung I-hwa.
The reason she hadn’t come was likely the unique pride that came with her prestigious family background.
They never got along well, after all.
Her characteristically arrogant personality was enough to make even Father frown.
Had it not been for political reasons within the family, Father’s temperament would have never allowed him to take Namgung I-hwa as a wife.
In any case, as her name suggested, Namgung I-hwa carried the blood of the Namgung Family.
That haughty and arrogant woman had enjoyed throwing around the family’s name to intimidate those beneath her within the Ju Family.
Actually, this is for the best.
If she had been here, I wouldn’t have been able to taste the food properly.
It was fortunate she hadn’t come.
“Sit.”
Ju Tae-sung sat first, and at his command, the rest of the siblings sat down in unison.
He had just lifted his spoon when he looked at Seung-hyeok and spoke indifferently.
“The great young master has broken through to the fifth star.”
If the Ju-wall Divine Art was the basic internal cultivation method of the family, then the more advanced one was the Ju Heaven Divine Art.
It naturally produced a divine power that could not even be compared to the Ju-wall Divine Art.
Ju Seung-hyeok was a monster who had already reached the fifth star of that very technique.
He was an unprecedented genius with no equal among his peers.
“Congratulations, Brother.”
“Congratulations, Brother.”
Both Sister Seung-gyeong and I immediately bowed our heads in congratulations.
My eldest brother was known as the Sword Dragon among the current Five Dragons of the martial world.
Having inherited the prestige of the sword after Father, he was truly a blessing to the family.
He certainly possessed tremendous talent for martial arts.
I had no choice but to acknowledge my eldest brother’s martial prowess.
Ju Seung-hyeok had only just passed the age of thirty.
Reaching the fifth star of the Ju Heaven Divine Art at that age was an incredible feat.
Even Father, who was called the Sword Sovereign, had not yet reached the fifth star at the same age.
“Continue to devote yourself diligently.”
For that taciturn father to say such words, it spoke volumes.
“Thank you, Father.”
Ju Tae-sung slowly turned his gaze, and soon our eyes met.
For a brief moment, a strange light flashed in his eyes before vanishing.
It was an extremely short instant.
“Woo-jin.”
In that moment, all conversation at the table ceased.
Every gaze focused on me.
Those eyes were cold, heavy, and sharp—like a well-forged blade.
“I heard you spent another night at the brothel.”
The very air seemed to freeze.
“I feel it’s a waste of breath even to scold you.”
Damn it. The food I had been eating felt lodged in my throat.
I had nowhere to look.
If you were going to say that, you could have done it earlier this afternoon.
As expected, both my eldest brother and sister were looking back and forth between me and Father with anxious expressions.
The chopsticks they had been holding had long since been set down.
“Huu.”
Father let out a small sigh.
As expected, what I saw reflected in his eyes was the kind of disappointment that said this was only natural.
There was no point in feeling wronged.
This was all my own doing.
Because of everything I had done until now.
In the past, I would have kicked my chair over and run away by now.
It was laughable.
What was this?
I had never once reflected on myself and had only ever blamed others.
Was there anything more foolish?
“I apologize, Family Head. I will ensure… such a thing never happens again.”
“……!”
“……!”
At my single sentence, the atmosphere in the room completely changed.
I could even feel that the usually stoic Father was looking at me with a slightly surprised expression.
All I have to do is change. Starting from now.
I picked up my chopsticks with renewed vigor.
Whether the others stared at me with strange looks or not, the home-cooked meal I was eating after so long tasted like pure honey.
Within the familiar silence, the bleak dinner continued in quiet.
The atmosphere was hardly warm and harmonious.
After the meal, when Father told my eldest brother and sister to remain, they stayed in the hall while I left the place immediately.
Today I had only received another scolding, but strangely, it didn’t bother me.
No, in fact, I felt good.
It means he still has affection for me, enough to scold me.
I knew just how much attention Father had given me.
I glanced around carefully before slowly heading toward my residence.
Once inside, I quietly looked down at my forearm.
The goosebumps were still standing sharply on my skin.
What on earth was that?
I recalled the sensation that had prickled across my skin the moment I entered the hall before dinner.
My current cultivation was merely at the second star of the Ju-wall Divine Art.
Just how much had I neglected my training to only reach the second star at the age of fifteen?
Sister Seung-gyeong had already reached the twelfth star, the great perfection of the Ju-wall Divine Art, at my age.
The gap was enormous.
Still, the important point was that with only the second star of the Ju-wall Divine Art, I had sensed the killing intent of the Seungryongdae warriors…
That should be impossible.
Something had happened that my current mind could not comprehend.
The difference in martial prowess between the Seungryongdae warriors and my current level was like heaven and earth.
If they were the sky, I was the ground… no, I couldn’t even reach the ground. I was far beneath it.
Only when the gap was somewhat close could one even sense their killing intent.
“The only explanation is that this is a change brought about by my regression.”
For now, that was the only conclusion I could reach.
If not, it would mean I had suddenly gained a monstrous sense that defied all explanation.
It wasn’t as if I had attained enlightenment while drinking, after all.
“Huu.”
I shook off my thoughts and sat down.
Since I was at it, I decided to examine the state of my body first.
I sat in the lotus position, cupped my hands beneath my navel as if supporting a bowl, and began circulating the Ju-wall Divine Art while focusing my mind.
Woooong!
With a faint vibration, my lower dantian trembled.
Because I hadn’t performed qi circulation for so long, my body was filled to the brim with turbid qi.
First, I need to purge the turbid qi.
Like stubborn grime clinging to my meridians, the turbid qi had clumped together solidly.
It was the natural result of indulging in alcohol, meat, and women while neglecting my cultivation.
Kuuuung!
A heavy impact, as if my entire body were sinking, slammed into me.
The amount of turbid qi accumulated in my meridians was enormous.
Ugh, damn it.
With my weak inner energy, it seemed impossible to wash all of it away.
Is there no other choice?
I slowly opened my eyes.
With only the Ju-wall Divine Art, I couldn’t even touch the turbid qi inside my body.
It had clumped together tightly, tangled into a solid coil.
But did that mean there was no method?
No.
I was the one who had died together with the Cheonma after he was injured in my previous life.
Having reached such heights before, I knew of even greater techniques.
Dragon Heaven True Qi.
It was an overwhelming energy that could look down even upon the Ju Heaven Divine Art that my eldest brother cultivated.
One of the family’s supreme techniques, it was the highest-level method just below the Jade Heaven Descending Dragon Qi, which only the Family Head could learn.
Of course, it might draw the attention of the other elders, but there were ways to handle that.
The Ju-wall Divine Art also possesses quite a fierce nature.
All I had to do was raise the level of the Ju-wall Divine Art alongside it.
There was no better camouflage than the Ju-wall Divine Art.
Let’s begin.
I slightly curled my left hand and placed it beneath my navel.
Then I raised my right hand into a half-palm stance, holding it a distance away from my solar plexus.
It was the shape of a dragon holding a yeouiju in its mouth, ascending to heaven.
Kwarurung!
The moment I recited the incantation, my dantian began to shake violently.
I recalled the flow of true qi and drew the energy scattered throughout my meridians and entire body back into my dantian.
In the process, the accumulated turbid qi shattered into tiny pieces.
As expected.
I cheered inwardly.
No matter how solid the turbid qi was, it could not even raise its head before the Dragon Heaven True Qi.
It was then.
Kuuuung!
The nature of the smoothly flowing energy suddenly changed completely.
Along with an enormous shock, the flow of energy pouring into my dantian grew far more violent.
Huh?
Startled, I hurriedly tried to release the energy.
But instead of flowing out of my body, it continued surging in through my entire meridian system.
This was impossible.
Crazy… what the hell is…
My mind went blank.
My body trembled uncontrollably, and my bones felt like they were being crushed.
My meridians expanded violently, and the amount of energy rushing in between them increased exponentially.
First star. Second star.
It broke through to the third star in an instant, yet the energy continued to pour into my dantian without end.
Ddddddk.
My jaw shook on its own.
It was terrifying. Too terrifying.
The sensation of cold ice traveling through my bones made every nerve in my body stand on end.
Something had gone wrong.
This was not the Dragon Heaven True Qi.
Or rather, it was the Dragon Heaven True Qi, yet it possessed a nature that could not be called the Dragon Heaven True Qi.
What should I call this?
Yes, it was exactly like…
Cheonma.
The energy he possessed.
Demonic energy.
The heavy weight that surged in like a rising tide was unmistakably the presence of demonic energy.
The symbol of absolute terror that I could never forget began to pile up inside my body.