Chapter 253
Chirp- chirp-.
Birds were chirping in my ears.
I wasn’t too bothered by the noise, but the beam of light seeping through the crack in the window was so blinding that I had no choice but to get up.
“…Oh.”
I stopped rubbing my eyes mid-blink and muttered.
It wasn’t the familiar sight of the front lines I usually saw.
It was my room, which I hadn’t seen in a long time.
“…I got startled for a moment.”
This room should have been one I was most accustomed to. Maybe I had gotten too used to sleeping outside.
Suddenly, a comfortable bed felt quite strange.
How long did I sleep?
I had fallen into a deep sleep intending to fully recover from my fatigue, and judging by how fresh I felt, it seemed to have worked.
I made an effort to get up.
Perhaps due to the sound of my movement, I sensed someone approaching immediately outside my door.
The presence arrived right in front of the door and carefully spoke up.
— Young Master, have you slept well?
“Yeah, I just woke up.”
— I will prepare your face wash. Should I also prepare a meal?
“Just something light, please. I’ll eat a proper meal after training.”
— Understood.
By her voice, I could tell it was Hongwa.
She worked hard on the front lines as an ordinary person, and despite likely overworking herself right after arriving, she was up and working early in the morning. It was truly admirable.
Should I give her a raise?
I wasn’t exactly sure how this part worked since it was usually handled by the clan, but I figured they’d probably raise her salary soon anyway. If not, I could always mention it later.
Once I quickly washed my face, I headed straight to the training ground.
Since I had to wash up again after training, I only gave my face a quick rinse.
Having taken a full day off, it was time to get moving again.
“…Tsk.”
As I was walking, I clicked my tongue at the presence I felt following me.
If there was one thing bothering me…
That guy, he’s really persistent.
He looked like a martial artist associated with Lady Mi.
I couldn’t make out his age from afar since he was wearing a mask, but he seemed to be a middle-aged man.
He also doesn’t seem like a professional ambusher.
Despite his experience, he felt somewhat clumsy at this, so he probably wasn’t an assassin or anything of that sort.
Though he had a similar chilly aura, he seemed more like a well-trained swordsman than an assassin.
I couldn’t fully grasp his abilities, but he was definitely at a high level.
Still, if you’re going to do it, do it properly.
He was quite bothersome.
I had told him yesterday that he was too noticeable, yet here he was, still pursuing me without listening.
But for now, I’ll let it slide since I don’t feel any malice from him.
Even so, it was a bit irksome.
After ignoring him, I finally arrived at the training ground, only to find the area already filled with heat.
Since this was a training ground exclusive to blood relatives, it had to be one of them using it.
…But this is too much?
The heat was excessive.
There was no one among the blood relatives I could think of who could produce this much heat.
If I had to pick someone, it would be Gu Huibi, but even that seemed extreme.
When I opened the door to find the source of the heat,
“Oh.”
“Ah?”
“I didn’t see you around, so I guess you just woke up.”
It was Gu Ryoon, now a muscular giant, exploding with energy as he had become the First Elder.
I couldn’t help but wear a dumbfounded expression at the absurd sight and asked him.
“…Why are you here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m training.”
“Yeah, but why are you doing it here?”
Technically, the First Elder could use this training ground, but having received the title of Elder, I figured he had his own place to train.
So, I was simply curious as to why he was training here.
The First Elder gave me an awkward smile at my question.
“I came looking for you, but this old man ended up training here… Hehe, I suppose I’m still young at heart, seeing how this place makes me want to move.”
“If you wanted to find me, you should have gone to my house instead of here…”
“Hah? You’re telling me, an old man, to come to you when I’m this age?”
“You just said you’re still young, so why did you…”
Just as I thought of arguing back, the First Elder’s fist flew toward me.
Swish!
I hurriedly tilted my head to the side to dodge him, but the First Elder’s thick arm quickly changed direction and struck the top of my head.
Wham!
“Ow…!”
What the hell.
That was some serious impact!
The pain was so intense it made my head spin momentarily.
“It seems you still speak rudely despite getting older.”
“Oh, seriously…!”
As I cradled my head in pain, the First Elder flicked his hand as if to brush it off and chuckled.
He must have recalled something funny.
But that smile was so bright it honestly scared me.
“…Why are you laughing like that?”
“This is fate.”
“Huh? What fate?”
Why did he have to say something so ominous?
“How about you spar with this old man for the first time in a while?”
“…For the first time? I’ve never sparred with you, Elder.”
“You used to spar with me occasionally when you were younger.”
“That was no sparring! That was one-sided torture!”
I remembered the times the First Elder would use sparring as an excuse to teach me when I didn’t listen back then.
Those memories had me running away whenever he approached for training.
“Building memories is important!”
“I just said I’m not doing it…!”
“Then how about I just beat you up one-sidedly instead?”
“…”
Oh boy.
Wasn’t he basically saying he wanted to beat me up?
“…Elder, you know this is abuse, right?”
“Abuse? Don’t say such terrifying words. This is just a lesson wrapped in love.”
He seemed dead serious about that.
I looked around to see if there was any possible escape route.
But can I really get away?
Seeing the determination in the First Elder’s eyes, which seemed to declare he wouldn’t let me escape, made me feel uncomfortable.
There’s only one escape route.
It was the door behind me. I was cornered.
Maybe I should just break through the wall?
Yeah, I’ll do that!
I was just about to channel my inner Qi to break through the wall when the First Elder sighed dramatically.
“…Yangcheon, you really are something else.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“While others struggle to get a lesson from the experienced, you immediately think about running away.”
I’ve been caught.
Ha, what a mess.
When did I get caught?
I thought my act and expressions were flawless.
“It’s pretty obvious when your face is giving it away.”
Huh? Did I accidentally spill my inner thoughts out loud?
“…Elder, do you happen to have mind-reading abilities now?”
Did he develop a new skill after aging?
“What a wild thought! I just wanted to see how much you’ve grown since it’s been so long. Tsk tsk.”
“As you can see, I’ve grown quite well on my own.”
“But you’re still quite small, aren’t you…?”
“Don’t you think you’re the one who’s huge…?”
This was the biggest mystery in the Gu Clan to me.
In a clan where most of the blood relatives had relatively smaller builds, why did Father and the First Elder have such physiques?
I seriously wanted to know.
Compared to those Hwangbo bastards… they don’t even lose!
If anything, the First Elder looked even bigger than them.
Especially considering his age, it was unbelievable that he maintained such a physique.
Since I recalled the time he was seriously injured last time, I figured that would explain his current state.
After blowing out a loud snort, the First Elder picked up an outfit he had tossed aside, dressed himself, and left with heavy footsteps.
It looked like he genuinely just came to see me.
“Oh, right.”
“Huh?”
Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the First Elder turned back toward me.
“I had something to give you.”
“…Why?”
My expression soured immediately upon hearing the First Elder’s words.
What was he planning to give me this time?
I looked at the item he was handing over and, as expected, found it to be something that complicated my life every time I accepted one of his gifts.
“…?”
What he handed to me was, surprisingly, a letter.
“Take it.”
“What is this?”
“Letters addressed to you.”
“…From you, Elder?”
“Yes, ideally, I was supposed to give this to you yesterday, but I’m a bit late.”
Oh, was this what he meant to tell me yesterday?
Letters addressed to me, specifically through the First Elder instead of the clan.
I didn’t know what it was about but pocketed the letters for now.
However, the way the First Elder’s eyes zeroed in on me changed surreptitiously, causing me slight discomfort.
“Oh, I also heard you met with Lady Mi.”
“…Uh, yeah.”
Since she had returned to the clan, this was expected.
“How was it?”
“How was what?”
The First Elder asked me how my visit with her was.
However, I didn’t quite understand what exactly he meant by that question.
How was what?
“I mean, how did you find Lady Mi after all this time?”
“Should I have felt something special? It was just a simple meeting.”
To be honest, I felt uncomfortable and pressured meeting her, but I certainly couldn’t voice that to the First Elder.
In my past life, I would probably have still harbored resentment toward her.
I hated her for the way she left the clan as if she couldn’t wait until my mother disappeared.
I also resented her for returning the moment I took the position of Young Lord.
At the time, I used my anger to shield myself from the fear of the situation, but looking back now, it was merely an embarrassing memory.
It was unnecessary to feel that way.
But it dawned upon me far too late.
“…I see, understood. Do take care of yourself.”
After registering my response, the First Elder gave my shoulder a rough pat before taking his leave.
He probably had more he wanted to say but forced himself to restrain.
What could it be?
There was a sense of disappointment in the First Elder’s gaze directed toward me.
There was no way I wouldn’t notice it; after all, I had experienced it countless times in my past life.
That gaze was also the most painful look directed at me.
Everyone who had died for me bore those very eyes.
Those memories stayed with me, haunting me from time to time, compelling me to fight against repeating the same mistakes in this lifetime.
After the First Elder left, I wrapped up my training without delay.
Having been wrestling with demons for a while, it felt refreshing to engage in proper training again.
I wiped the sweat off my clothes, asked Hongwa to prepare my face wash one more time, and after washing up, I quickly grabbed a bite to eat.
Once my stomach was satisfied, I was suddenly curious.
Where did everyone go?
It bothered me that the girls were nowhere to be found.
For some reason, Namgung Bi-ah hadn’t shown up today, even though she was usually here at random. Likewise, Moyong Hi-ah hadn’t been around either, and Gu Huibi normally dragged me for training around this time.
What’s going on?
I wasn’t saying it in the sense of feeling lonely.
I was simply feeling uneasy because they were unaccounted for.
“What the hell, this is making me anxious.”
With familiar faces missing, I started to unnerve myself, wondering if they were in trouble somewhere.
“Sigh…”
Without realizing it, I let out a sigh.
This meant I had accustomed myself to the presence of others.
Objectively speaking, that could be a good thing, but I wasn’t entirely sure.
If my aim was to change things in this lifetime, perhaps this was the right direction. But if I was supposed to shoulder everything alone, then I couldn’t deem this entirely positive.
After all, protecting more people also meant more burdens for me.
But even while contemplating this, I found myself chuckling unconsciously.
Who am I to even think about this?
It felt ridiculous trying to play the hero when I was just a loser.
I mean, it was silly to be so apprehensive just for missing one meal together.
If I’m worried, I can just go see them!
It was such a simple solution.
There was no reason to dwell since I could just go to them if they didn’t come to me.
With that in mind, I started moving my legs immediately.
After all, the only task remaining was to visit my father and catch up on future plans.
There was still the matter regarding the Hao Clan to discuss, but that could wait until I gauged the situation.
My steps hastened slightly.
I was headed to where Moyong Hi-ah was staying.
I had initially intended to see Namgung Bi-ah, but since Hoyong Hi-ah’s place was much closer, I decided to go there first. Moreover, I had to see her tomorrow anyway for a heat reduction, which felt like the perfect excuse.
I could simply visit Namgung Bi-ah after greeting Moyong Hi-ah.
What’s this?
While I walked, I suddenly noticed the presence that had been following me had completely vanished.
Did he give up and leave?
I wondered if he simply concealed his presence more but decided against checking.
If I couldn’t sense him, that was more agreeable for me.
When I approached the lodging of the Moyong Clan,
“Huh?”
“Oh.”
I spotted a familiar figure.
He wasn’t a member of the Moyong Clan, nor was he someone I recognized, but he was someone I felt I knew by presence rather than face.
“…Ah.”
He seemed to notice me as well, averted his gaze, but he evidently knew that I recognized him.
“Why are you here?”
I ventured to break the peculiar silence first.
He was the middle-aged man who had been tracking me.
He must have known I recognized him, thus possessing no excuse.
Though even if he had an excuse, I wouldn’t care to listen to it.
As I stared at him with some displeasure, he slightly bowed his head toward me.
“…I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“Yeah.”
He had indeed caused me inconvenience by following me around.
That’s understandable,
But why is this guy just standing by the entrance?
That was the question nagging me.
Why on earth was someone associated with Lady Mi lurking at this entrance?
The man stayed silent for a moment after hearing my inquiry.
It seemed like he was engaged in some sort of telepathic communication.
What’s going on here?
Was something happening inside?
Moyong Hi-ah must surely be in there. I had no reason to think Lady Mi would be reckless, but I needed to make sure nothing was amiss.
As that thought crossed my mind,
Crack.
I stretched my body, channeling my inner Qi to my Dantian.
Just as I was about to storm towards the man with my fortified body…
“…Inside.”
I halted my movements at his voice.
“I will lead you inside, Young Master.”
“…Really?”
“The Leader has instructed me to escort you.”
“The Leader…? Excuse me?”
At the mention of “the Leader,” confusion struck me immediately.
There was only one person in this context who would be addressed as “Leader.”
The real problem was why she was currently at the Moyong Clan’s place.
Following him, I stepped inside.
It felt strange being guided by someone not from the Moyong Clan to a location where they resided.
Slide.
The door to where Moyong Hi-ah must have been opened slowly, and to my internal astonishment, there she was.
It seemed my prediction was correct.
Inside the room sat Moyong Hi-ah, with a notably stern expression that I hadn’t seen from her before, alongside Lady Mi, who was sipping tea calmly.
Soon, Lady Mi’s distinct cold gaze landed on me.
“It’s good to see you.”
When Lady Mi addressed me in that unemotional tone, I couldn’t help but stare at her, utterly flabbergasted.
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