Chapter 117
*Kuuuuung.*
The surrounding air grew impossibly heavy.
Peng Mugang, at the center of that aura, slowly rose from his seat and walked toward Danmok Cheol.
The pressure emanating from each and every step was truly immense.
It was not the aura of an ordinary man; it was as if a massive tiger the size of a house were snarling as it approached.
Before long, Peng Mugang’s eyes were gleaming with killing intent.
Danmok Cheol had touched upon a subject that should never have been mentioned in his presence—a line he should never have crossed.
To speak of laying waste to the Peng Family in his absence, to call his daughter, Peng Seo-yeon, a good-for-nothing wench... Peng Mugang had no reason to hold back.
His face contorting under the immense pressure, Danmok Cheol unknowingly swallowed his breath.
It was a wonder he didn’t step back.
*Peng Mugang… is this strong?*
Although Peng Mugang, along with a few others from the Five Great Families, had his name listed among the Ten Great Masters, he, too, had mastered the Danmok Clan’s prized Galaxy Meteor Sword Art to its peak.
The Galaxy Meteor Sword Art was one of the greatest sword arts known in the World of Martial Arts.
Having mastered such a sword art to its peak, Danmok Cheol had more than enough reason to be confident.
He believed the only reason he had not yet listed his name among the Ten Great Masters was simply that the opportunity had not presented itself.
Having thus regained his composure, Danmok Cheol prepared to draw his sword at any moment and glared at the approaching Peng Mugang.
‘Hmph, bring it on. Today, I will erase your name from the Ten Great Masters and carve the name of Danmok Cheol in its place!’
Just as a massive fight was about to break out of nowhere,
*Ssk.*
Someone stepped in front of Peng Mugang.
It was the Head of the Namgung Family, the Sword Emperor, Namgung Hwan.
Peng Mugang glared at Namgung Hwan and snarled fiercely.
“Move it.”
“Calm yourself for a moment. There is something we must make certain of first. For everyone’s sake.”
Despite Peng Mugang’s ferocious aura, Namgung Hwan’s demeanor remained unshaken.
The gazes of the two unyielding men clashed in mid-air for a moment.
And,
The one who backed down first was Peng Mugang.
Though his still-blazing gaze turned back to Danmok Cheol, he did not step forward any further.
He understood Namgung Hwan’s intention in blocking his path.
Though no words were exchanged, Namgung Hwan sensed that this was Peng Mugang’s form of concession and patience, and he wasted no time in questioning Danmok Cheol.
“Danmok Clan Head, is what you just told all of us true without a single falsehood?”
“What do you mean?”
Danmok Cheol, who had been fully prepared to fight, furrowed his brow at the sudden question and asked back.
“The part about the Peng Family forcing your daughter into a duel and using some kind of trick to make her lose.”
“Ha! The person involved, my daughter, said so herself, so isn’t it an obvious fact? Don’t tell me you’re saying my daughter is lying?!”
“I wonder. It seems the thoughts of those who were there are different.”
“What?”
At that moment, Tang Mujun and Hwangbo Cheonwoo, who had been watching with dumbfounded expressions, stepped forward.
“What the Danmok Family Head is claiming right now is not true.”
“That’s right. It was Hwaryeon who first insisted on the duel.”
“And the duel was conducted fairly, without any problems.”
“…What?”
Danmok Cheol glanced at his daughter, Danmok Hwaryeon.
However, Danmok Hwaryeon, the one who had caused this whole mess, looked as if she had been betrayed and trembled all over.
*How! How could this be!*
*To side with Peng Seo-yeon, who has been gone for so long!*
To her, the right and wrong of the matter were unimportant.
What was most important was how she felt.
Danmok Hwaryeon shouted, her eyes bloodshot.
“Father, don’t believe them! They all ganged up on me and shamed me!”
“Hwaryeon, what on earth are you talking about?”
Tang Mujun looked at Danmok Hwaryeon with an expression of utter disbelief.
He simply couldn’t understand.
Pride? Jealousy? No, whatever emotion it was, why go this far?
“I should be the one asking! How could you do this to me? How!”
Danmok Hwaryeon glared at Tang Mujun and Hwangbo Cheonwoo with a deeply wronged expression.
Anyone watching would have thought Tang Mujun and Hwangbo Cheonwoo were falsely accusing Danmok Hwaryeon.
Everything was about her.
In the past, Tang Mujun had seen that side of her as a mere trifle, but now, Danmok Hwaryeon looked like some kind of crazed monster.
“Enough! Stop it! Why is this even a debate in the first place! How could the Peng Family’s daughter, who neglected her martial arts after running off with a scholar long ago, possibly win a fair duel against my daughter, who has devoted herself to training every day! Do you think that makes any sense?!”
“Then, do you have proof that a trick was used?”
“Proof? No, if someone who can’t win wins a duel, then it’s obvious a trick was used!”
“So you’re saying… you have no proof?”
Namgung Hwan let out a deep sigh, and in an instant, his aura changed.
*Kuuung.*
“You have no proof, and it’s not the truth. Are you saying you came here to cause a scene based solely on your daughter’s story?
... Do you take us for fools?
Namgung Hwan’s aura erupted, seeming to dominate the entire area.
Impossibly sharp and chilling.
He wasn’t the only one.
The other family heads, who had been watching the situation quietly, stepped forward with cold, hardened faces.
“Haha. It seems he looked down on our Five Great Families quite a bit.”
“This is something we simply cannot let pass.”
“Indeed. Hearing it makes me quite annoyed.”
Even Jegal Sung, who would normally have tried to mediate, added his words with a cold gaze.
Right. If he were the type to properly investigate the circumstances in the first place, he wouldn’t have stormed into the Five Great Families’ assembly in such a frenzy over his daughter’s lie.
They knew he was hot-headed and arrogant, but to this extent?
There was no longer any reason to tolerate such a man.
“Ugh.”
Danmok Cheol, with a momentarily flustered face, staggered backward.
The aura released simultaneously by the heads of the Five Great Families was too much to bear.
Something was going differently than he had thought.
He had thought that if he revealed the injustice his daughter had suffered in front of everyone, they would naturally point their fingers at the Peng Family Head.
That was the flow of events he had expected.
But now, he was the one being pointed at.
Even worse, all the heads of the Five Great Families were showing hostility toward him.
But he couldn’t back down like this.
“Ha… ha! So you’re all in this together, is that it?! How truly absurd! The heads of the Five Great Families have no shame! How can you blindly side with that lowly daughter of the Peng Family without even discerning the clear facts of the situation!”
Danmok Cheol screamed in a final struggle.
But now, anyone could see it.
It had been revealed, clear as day, who was being ridiculously stubborn and throwing a tantrum.
Now, the justification was on their side.
That was precisely what Namgung Hwan had been aiming for when he briefly restrained Peng Mugang.
“I’ve been patient for a long time.”
Soon, Namgung Hwan stepped aside from in front of Peng Mugang and spoke.
At that, Peng Mugang, who had been holding back until then, stepped forward.
“You really are a lost cause.”
“You, you bastard? You bastard, you dare! Peng Family Head, are you really trying to have a go with… *Keoheok!*”
No one could react.
No one could stand against the attack of the massive tiger.
In an instant, Peng Mugang appeared before Danmok Cheol, grabbed his jaw with one hand, and lifted him up.
Grabbing Peng Mugang’s arm with both hands, Danmok Cheol flailed his feet in the air.
“Keo-eok! Keok!”
“You run your mouth quite well when left alone, don’t you? Huh?”
Danmok Cheol felt an incredible pressure, as if his jaw would be crushed in Peng Mugang’s hand.
“Heo-eok!”
Unable to be taken down like this, Danmok Cheol aimed a kick at Peng Mugang’s side.
But Peng Mugang caught the attack all too easily with one hand, then slammed his massive fist into Danmok Cheol’s side.
*Peeeeok!*
Danmok Cheol’s mouth flew wide open.
“Keoheo-eok!”
Soon, a terrible scream erupted from his mouth at a punch unlike any he had ever experienced.
‘This crazy tiger-like bastard!’
This wouldn’t do.
He knew he could never match Peng Mugang with his bare hands.
The greatest strength the Danmok Clan boasted was its sword art.
Danmok Cheol hurriedly tried to draw the sword at his waist.
But Peng Mugang was faster.
Sensing what Danmok Cheol was thinking, Peng Mugang ripped the entire scabbard from his waist and threw it aside.
Danmok Cheol’s face turned pale.
This was a situation he hadn’t anticipated.
“W-wait! Let me at least grab my sword……”
“Did you think I would have a gentlemanly duel with you? Not a chance. You should be grateful I waited this long. From now on, you’re going to get beaten by me until you die.”
“Th-this isn’t how things are—"
Soon, Peng Mugang revealed his overwhelming power, slamming his fists into Danmok Cheol’s face and body with all his might.
With each of those tremendous punches, Danmok Cheol let out a horrific scream.
“Kuaaaaaaak!”
He had thought they were at least on a similar level.
So he was confident that as long as the other heads of the Five Great Families didn’t gang up on him, he could handle Peng Mugang.
But that thought was a grave miscalculation.
The difference in power between him and Peng Mugang was far too great.
And so, the one-sided fight—no, beating—continued.
“I can overlook my son-in-law!”
*Peok! Peok! Peok!*
“But how dare you insult my daughter? And my granddaughter too? Huh?”
*Peok! Peeeeok! Peok! Peok!*
He wanted to wave his hands and say he had never insulted the granddaughter, but Peng Mugang’s fists were already mercilessly raining down on his face, so all he could do was scream.
“Keoheo-eok! St-stop… keu-eu-eu-eu……”
He knew it was pathetic, but Peng Mugang’s fists were just too painful.
And so, Danmok Cheol unknowingly flailed his hands and begged for mercy.
But such a thing could not quell the exploded fury of Peng Mugang.
“C-Clan Head……!”
It had all happened so quickly that the Danmok Clan warriors, who had failed to stop Peng Mugang, belatedly came to their senses and tried to block him.
“Ahem. What do you think you’re doing? Why don’t you put those swords down nicely?”
Not just the White Wolf Unit, but all the martial force units at the banquet revealed their sharp killing intent, drew their swords, and pressured the Danmok warriors.
“Keuk.”
Whether in numbers or skill, there was nothing they could do.
And it wasn’t just the Danmok Clan warriors who were flustered now.
“N-no……”
Danmok Hwaryeon.
Even she could do nothing but watch her father get beaten.
*‘Why, why did things turn out like this? How!’*
This wasn’t what she had imagined.
She had thought that if her father stepped forward like this, Peng Mugang, not wanting to talk about his shameful daughter in front of everyone, would apologize.
After all, it was known that even after Peng Seo-yeon’s return, their relationship was not very good.
And so, she had thought her lie, her stubbornness, would work.
But contrary to her expectations, Peng Mugang looked as if he would stop at nothing for Peng Seo-yeon.
As if he could not forgive anything in the world that insulted Peng Seo-yeon.
From that point on, everything went wrong.
*‘S-someone, help me!’*
Danmok Hwaryeon trembled all over and looked around.
But there was no one to help her.
The successors of the Five Great Families who knew her, including Peng Seo-jin, were all looking at her and her father with impossibly cold eyes.
Even Tang Mujun, who had always been kind to her.
Because none other than her and her father, Danmok Cheol, had brought all this upon themselves.
Their actions were too terrible, far too terrible.
“P-please… stop… stooooop!”
“Where do you get off whining! We’re just getting started!”
Peng Mugang’s beating showed no signs of stopping.
Danmok Cheol was becoming a bloody mess in Peng Mugang’s hands.
In the end, Danmok Hwaryeon fell to her knees.
And she slammed her head on the ground and shouted.
This was the only way left.
“I was wrong! Please, please stop it!”
In that moment, Peng Mugang’s fist stopped in its tracks.
His gaze turned to Danmok Hwaryeon.
“I-I was blinded by jealousy and shame! I lied. My father just believed me. Please, please forgive us.”
Danmok Hwaryeon apologized, tears and snot streaming down her face.
The surroundings fell silent in an instant.
And soon,
“…Tsk.”
Peng Mugang brushed off his hand that he had been using to beat Danmok Cheol.
He had lost the will to continue.
Well, Danmok Cheol was already a bloody mess and had just lost consciousness.
Considering what they had done, he wanted to beat Danmok Hwaryeon to a pulp as well, but Peng Mugang didn’t want to personally lay a hand on a young girl the same age as his own son and daughter.
“Take him and leave this place at once. And don’t ever let me see you again. Next time, I will not be so forgiving!”
“Y-Yes. Understood. Thank you.”
Danmok Hwaryeon bowed her head in greeting, then had the warriors support Danmok Cheol and fled the Namgung Family estate in a great hurry.
After the Danmok Clan had left, Hwangbo Gyun let out a hollow laugh.
“My, my. They really stirred things up before they left. By the way, couldn’t you have gone a little easier on him? You beat him half to death.”
“Hmph! If that brat hadn’t shed tears and begged, it wouldn’t have ended with just him half-dead.”
“Right. Right. You did well. You did well. Haha!”
But Peng Mugang’s face still showed that his anger had not subsided.
*How dare he insult my precious daughter in front of me.*
Just the thought of it made him grind his teeth.
“Now. Now. Let’s clean this up and continue the banquet. It feels awkward to go back in like this, so let’s all have a drink.”
As the good-natured Hwangbo Gyun smoothed over the atmosphere, Namgung Hwan and the other family heads also nodded and returned to their seats.
Then they took turns pouring a drink into the cup of the thoroughly incensed Peng Mugang.
Soon, the successors of each family also returned to their seats.
Peng Seo-jin’s eyes were still gleaming coldly.
He, too, had wanted to draw his sword and step forward, but since Peng Mugang had already acted, there was no need for him to do so.
He was relieved that Danmok Cheol, who had run his mouth so carelessly, had gotten what he deserved, but he was not at all pleased that he had been let go like that.
Well, it wasn’t as if there was anything more he could do.
‘The brother-in-law must be furious right now, too.’
He was probably thinking the same thing.
He was probably over there with the White Wolf Unit, so Peng Seo-jin thought he would go find him as soon as he could leave his seat.
In any case, because of those damn uninvited guests, the alcohol that had tasted so sweet just a moment ago now tasted bitter.
Meanwhile,
“Hya. It’s like a storm has just passed through.”
O Chae-mu, Gu Tae-san, and the other members of the White Wolf Unit clicked their tongues.
They, too, had been incredibly angered by the Danmok Family Head’s rude words.
What? What did he say about the Family Head and Lady Seo-yeon? Lowly and good-for-nothing?
If it were up to them, they too would have wanted to draw their weapons and charge, but since Peng Mugang had given the Danmok Family Head a thorough thrashing, there was no room for them to intervene.
It was satisfying to have smashed him to bits like that.
“Still, it’s a relief it ended well. Don’t you think?”
“Well, it’s a bit unsatisfying, but yes.”
“Still, that’s enough, isn’t it? What more can we do? Now, now! Everyone, let’s forget about those rude people and have a drink.”
“By the way, where’s the Commander?”
“Huh? He was here just a moment ago?”
Everyone looked around for Yeo Un-hwi, but he was nowhere to be found.
Everyone’s eyes widened.
“N-no way.”
It seemed that that was not nearly enough for someone.