Chapter: 372
When a storm was raging in Sega’s waiting room.
Gu Yangcheon must have been going through quite a troublesome situation.
“Look at how skinny you are. Are you eating?”
“Your clothes are not in good condition.”
“My older sister told me to eat well. If you don’t eat well, you won’t grow tall.”
“I’ll order you some good quality military uniforms separately, so take them with you.”
My head is spinning from all the talk coming from both sides.
Since there was still some time left before the meeting started, I decided to go out for a walk.
As soon as I came out, I ran into these two people.
“Brother. Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“… Why are you here, Sister? Aren’t you busy?”
I heard he was coming, but I didn’t know he would actually show up.
Someone chuckles at my question.
The one who laughed was my sister, Gu Hee-bi, also known as Geom-bong.
It was a face I hadn’t seen in about a year.
“You’re busy. I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to come here.”
“You didn’t have to do that. You should’ve taken good care of your precious time instead of wasting it.”
“Do you want to die?”
Gu Hee-bi spits out harsh words and messes up my hair roughly.
No, why did a disciplined warrior come all the way here? At the very least, he should’ve gone to Gu Yeonseo instead of me.
If not, I wonder why he came all this way.
Someone blocks Gu Hee-bi’s arm from messing with my hair.
It wasn’t me. It was Mrs. Mi who stopped it.
“There are so many people passing by here. How can you act so rudely? Did your mother teach you that?”
Gu Hee-bi flinches at Mrs. Mi’s rebuke.
“…sorry.”
“How can you treat your older brother so rudely?”
“I thought it was just cute….”
“Don’t make excuses.”
“Yes….”
Gu Hee-bi was unable to move at Mrs. Mi’s words.
It’s truly amazing.
That she can shrink back like that.
And then Mrs. Mi carefully touches my damaged hair.
Somehow, a comb appeared, and she was straightening my tangled hair.
“Because this is an important event, you must pay attention to your appearance.”
“…yes.”
“It’s good to train as a warrior, but I hope you realize you also need to polish your appearance to fit your position.”
“Sorry.”
I had to bite my tongue slightly at the icky feeling while my hair was being tidied.
Mrs. Mi is doing this because she thinks about the household’s reputation and the upper-class position.
I had to erase all those unnecessary thoughts.
“I’ll have someone send you some clothes later. Don’t forget to wear them.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Good.”
Once Mrs. Mi finally finished fixing my hair and tucked the comb away, she began sizing me up again.
I wondered if something was wrong.
After a meticulous inspection, Mrs. Mi sighed softly and asked.
“I heard a lot happened.”
“Not much, just a little.”
“Did you get hurt anywhere?”
“See… No, there isn’t any.”
I tried to speak casually, but I ended up choosing my words carefully.
It felt a bit tough to maintain my usual tone with Mrs. Mi.
“That’s fortunate.”
“…”
That probably isn’t a very meaningful statement.
I feel my heart getting a little tangled over those words.
Is it because I found out my mother is alive?
After pondering that, I asked Mrs. Mi, making sure to keep my emotions in check.
“…Mrs. Mi.”
“Yes.”
“Where is my father?”
“He went to the waiting room first. He said he had some things to arrange in advance.”
“Arranging something?”
What on earth is he trying to arrange? Is it work even here?
Well, in a way, this too could be considered work.
“Madam, is it alright if I don’t go?”
Like her father, Mrs. Mi attended from a higher social position.
There must be a separate waiting room for the upper class.
There was no need to stay outside.
Of course, I also don’t go inside the building.
At my words, Mrs. Mi’s expression cools a bit.
“If I go there, I’m sure it’ll just be full of greedy pigs. I don’t feel like mixing with them.”
“… Oh, I see.”
That was a much scarier statement than I expected.
I rubbed my slightly chilly arms and looked around.
“By the way, I don’t see Elder Il either?”
I’m pretty sure he said he’d come with us, but Elder Il wasn’t here.
When I voiced my confusion, Gu Hee-bi provided the answer.
“The elder said he had some business.”
“Business in Hanam?”
“I heard he was going to visit friends?”
“…?”
I found myself frowning at Gu Hee-bi’s words.
In this current situation, you’re not coming to see me, but rather visiting friends?
This old man really… does whatever he wants.
On a whim, I thought that Elder Il seemed the type to actually do that.
“By the way, I have friends in Hanam. Who could he mean…?”
As that thought crossed my mind, several names of people staying in Hanam popped up.
I thought it couldn’t be true, yet I had already found the answer within.
“Hmm.”
If my guess is correct, Elder Il might have gone to meet Paejon.
I knew the two had some ties to each other.
“That’s a bit tricky.”
When Paejon asks how he learned of his true identity, he sold out Elder Il.
I spilled that out, thinking I’d deal with it later.
If things went this way, if I messed up, Paejon might find out.
“Then what should I do?”
What the heck can be done now?
I felt like I was in for a world of trouble before, but now it seemed trouble was hitting early.
“Ugh… I’m done for.”
Strangely enough, when I surrendered, a calmness washed over me.
All I could do now was hope that Elder Il wouldn’t meet Paejon.
“Brother. What’s wrong? You look terrible. Are you hungry?”
“… Do you think I’m your sister? Does my expression look bad when I’m hungry?”
“Starting to swing punches with your mouth, are we? Is my little brother angry with me?”
“It’s just that I’m being honest about my feelings.”
“Right. And what about that over there?”
Gu Hee-bi points at someone with her finger.
When I look over, it’s Cheol Ji-seon, who had been standing off to the side, looking sheepish.
As Gu Hee-bi points, Cheol Ji-seon jumps a bit.
“What’s up with you? Why are you spying from over there?”
“Eek…!”
“Come here… kyaah!”
As Gu Hee-bi tries to call out as usual, Mrs. Mi accidentally steps on Gu Hee-bi’s foot.
While Gu Hee-bi groans in sudden pain, Mrs. Mi looks at Cheol Ji-seon and smiles gently.
“I’m sorry. My daughter hasn’t been raised well yet.”
“Oh, no… .”
“Yes. I heard you’re friends with my son?”
“Ah… yes. I’m Cheol Ji-seon from the Cheol family. I heard a lot about you.”
“Heard? What have I ever said….”
“Nice to meet you.”
Mrs. Mi speaks as I stumbled through my sentence.
“You said you were the Cheol Prince, right? Please, stay close to our child from now on.”
“Yes, yes…”
Cheol Ji-seon stammers, not sure how to respond to Mrs. Mi’s words.
Seemingly pleased with his reaction, Mrs. Mi nods.
Watching that interaction,
I suddenly wondered if my mother would have acted similarly if she had been present.
It was truly an unnecessary and uncomfortable sentiment.
“… After the meeting, I should definitely ask my father.”
If I return to the Gu Clan, I plan to ask.
Considering my father is now in Hanam, this would be a perfect opportunity to get answers.
I wanted to clarify the whereabouts of my mother, as well as the future of the Gu Yeonhwa Wheel Technique.
After thinking this over, I found myself being further teased by Gu Hee-bi.
Just then, a scrawny figure appears with news.
“They say the meeting will be starting soon.”
Upon hearing this, I stood up.
Cheol Ji-seon seemed to re-tension, trembling as if his earlier relaxed state had vanished.
Without a thought, I yanked him along.
Just as we were heading toward the hall.
“Yangcheon-ah.”
Mrs. Mi called out to me.
That shout caught me off guard.
It had been years since she had called my name.
“Yes…?”
“After this is over, do you plan to return to Sega?”
This time.
She asked if I would return to Sega immediately after the meeting. I hesitated for a moment.
Given the current situation, returning to Sega would make sense for many reasons.
However, there were still many matters I needed to take care of.
“No.”
My blunt refusal made Mrs. Mi knit her brows.
I winced at her expression.
I had my own matters to attend to.
It meant I needed to receive training from the Master, but at the same time, I had things to do.
This aspect had already been discussed with the Master.
“I don’t think I’ll be returning to Sega.”
“… So, you have somewhere else to go.”
“Yes.”
As I conjured an image of my destination, I told Mrs. Mi.
“Sichuan. I have some business there.”
Along with the White Horse Stone.
Sichuan, where the legends of Geumcheonyeon-ga originated.
I planned to head there directly after my appointments concluded.
Oh, right. There’s something I haven’t mentioned yet.
“Hey buddy. Did you hear what I just said?”
“Hmm? You’re going to Sichuan?”
“That’s right. I haven’t told you yet. You’re going too.”
“… Uh… wait, what did you just say?”
“Are you good with that? Great.”
It seemed Cheol Ji-seon was misunderstanding my words.
But it was already far too late.
The back mountain of Hanam.
Gu Ryun, the elder of the Gu family, known as Yeom Ah-kwon in the central plains, was now climbing the mountain.
“… these crazy guys.”
He gritted his teeth.
A massive old man wearing a devilish expression causes the nearby wild animals to flinch and flee.
Why does he have to climb this mountain to begin with?
In his hands, Gu Ryun carried an array of food.
“You’re making an old man run errands for food?”
If he were younger, he would have captured them and folded them like paper.
Such thoughts lingered as Gu Ryun reflected on the pressure of his current predicament.
This was all because of the wrong friends.
After hiking for a while, Gu Ryun finally spotted a cave that seemed to serve as his destination.
“… What is this place?”
As Gu Ryun surveyed the cave, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
It clearly appeared to be a man-made cave.
Everywhere he looked, there were traces of intense speculation.
On top of that, the energy felt oddly familiar.
This is…
‘Biju, is this the madman’s doing?’
Paejon, dubbed the Venerable.
His presence echoed throughout the cave.
Digging a cave with your bare hands?
‘They say he got younger, but has his brain gotten younger too?’
That could potentially be the case.
Gu Ryun was sure of one point.
Even in death, he would never resort to something like returning to the original state.
He’d rather live until he reached the wall than ever turn back.
Lately, he’d been contemplating living longer because of the joy he found in his grandson’s antics.
Recalling his friend’s foolishness, he subtly shook his head.
What Gu Ryun didn’t realize was this cave had actually been crafted by Gu Yangcheon, whom he treated like a grandson.
As he unknowingly followed the trail lit by torches, he gradually made his way deeper.
In the distance, he could see those rotten fools having a grand old time drinking.
Unlike his elderly appearance, one of them seemed to be in middle age.
While another looked like he might just have reached adulthood.
“You’re late, Gu Ryun.”
Paejon, spotting the approaching Gu Ryun, grins widely.
A glass was already grasped in his hand.
And there was another individual welcoming Gu Ryun, prompting him to toss all the food he carried in their direction, as if ordering them to accept it.
The man effortlessly catches the food and lays it out on the ground.
Once all the food was spread out.
“It’s been a while.”
The man nods at Gu Ryun with a cheerful greeting.
His white hair and white eyes indicated who he was.
He was none other than the Dark King.
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