Chapter 95
“One. Twooo.”
Peng Mugang, who had been smiling faintly as he listened to the clear voice of her granddaughter, slowly rose to his feet.
And his gaze fell upon the kidnappers.
“HIIIII!”
The kidnappers flinched and trembled.
The face that had been looking at his granddaughter with such benevolence was gone. Now, Peng Mugang’s face was utterly contorted with rage.
He had heard everything.
What these bastards’ objective was, and that they had intended to kill Yul-i when their plans went awry.
Men who would lay a hand on children and women were the kind of trash that Peng Mugang despised most.
Naturally, they had no right to live.
“W-Wait a minute. It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”
“Shut that mouth.”
The jaw of one of the kidnappers, who had been waving his hands and trying to make some excuse, was shattered.
As his jawbone broke, dislodged teeth spilled onto the ground.
“*Gack!*”
“*Hiiieek!*”
Seeing this, all the kidnappers tried to flee.
But Peng Mugang unleashed a Finger Wind, striking their Mute Acupoints and Demon Acupoints.
The kidnappers collapsed to the ground with heavy thuds.
Lying there, they couldn’t move a muscle, only their fearful eyes darting around.
Soon, Peng Mugang’s voice reached their ears.
“From now on, I will make you so afraid that you’ll dread remembering me even in hell.”
The time it took for Yul-i to count to ten was more than enough to deal with scum like this.
An immense killing intent erupted from his eyes.
*Crack. Crunch.*
Accompanied by horrifying sounds, the kidnappers slowly died at Peng Mugang’s hands, every bone in their bodies being crushed to pieces.
Peng Mugang even infused his internal qi into their bodies, twisting their Qi and making their muscles and bones move erratically, adding an extra layer of excruciating pain.
He was using a torture method derived from the Muscle-Splitting Bone-Breaking technique on them.
But they couldn't even scream.
He had sealed their acupressure points to prevent any sound from escaping.
And so, the kidnappers who had planned to make a fortune by abducting a rich family’s daughter met their end, writhing in the most horrific agony imaginable as they cried tears of blood.
“Niiine… Ten! Grandpa, I finished counting!”
Yul-i, having counted to ten, was about to turn her head.
At that moment, Peng Mugang’s large hand covered Yul-i’s eyes.
Not a single drop of blood stained his body as he held her.
“Grandpa?”
As Yul-i’s questioning voice sounded, Peng Mugang swiftly lifted his granddaughter into his arms and soared high into the sky.
Yul-i’s eyes widened.
“W-Woooow! Grandpa! We’re flying!”
“Haha! Do you like it?”
“Yes!”
“You little rascal. Hah hah! If you learn martial arts from Grandpa, this will be nothing for you.”
“Really? Wooow! I want to learn right away!”
“Alright. Alright! Haha!”
Peng Mugang laughed heartily, watching Yul-i, who had already forgotten the earlier incident and was smiling brightly.
He thought to himself.
He had to make Yul-i strong, and quickly.
Strong enough to protect herself in situations like this.
It would be good enough if she became at least as strong as he was now.
And so, the tiger that had been consumed by an immense rage was gone, replaced by a grandfather who simply doted on his granddaughter.
The only problem, if there was one, was his excessive ambition to make his granddaughter as strong as the Roaring Tiger of Hebei.
The story of Yul-i’s kidnapping spread quickly.
And as the tale became known, many within the Peng Family were enraged.
It was vile enough that they had tried to extort money by kidnapping a child, but the fact that they had tried to kill Yul-i after realizing their mistake was even worse.
Upon hearing the story, the members of the White Wolf Unit, as well as the many others who cherished Yul-i, ground their teeth, vowing to cut down those kidnappers with their own hands.
Then, hearing that the men had already met their end at Peng Mugang’s hands, they slammed the ground in frustration, lamenting the missed opportunity.
Each of them claimed they could have killed the men more painfully.
Still, the one small consolation was that those who discovered the bastards’ corpses said the kidnappers must have experienced every last bit of unimaginable, horrific pain before they died.
Amidst their boiling anger, it was truly a comforting piece of news.
But that didn't mean everyone’s minds were at ease.
After all, the Peng Family was not the only one left distressed by this incident.
“We are truly sorry for what has happened.”
After learning the full story of the incident.
Eun Su-a’s parents came to the Peng Family and apologized with all their hearts.
They too looked extremely haggard, as if they had suffered greatly from this incident.
It turned out that most of the perpetrators were people they had once employed.
Those rotten bastards, knowing that Eun Su-a’s family was wealthy, had plotted to kidnap her and make a fortune.
What was even more shocking was that people who had been working as guards at the house until very recently had colluded with them and aided the kidnappers.
They must have been promised a cut if the plan succeeded.
That was how they had been able to sneak into the building, abduct the child, and leave without a trace.
Just how many people had been mobilized to kidnap a single child?
They were all truly despicable human beings.
The mere thought of it sent shivers down one’s spine.
In the end, Eun Su-a’s parents had thoroughly investigated and had everyone involved in this incident captured and imprisoned.
Though it wasn't certain, they said it was unlikely any of them would survive unscathed.
In any case, Eun Su-a’s parents had come because they felt genuinely sorry that the Peng Family had suffered such a terrible ordeal because of their affairs.
“Yul-i. I’m sorry. *Waaaaah!*”
Eun Su-a, who had come to the Peng Family with her mother and father, finally burst into tears.
Her parents tried to calm her, but once her crying started, it couldn’t be easily stopped.
It was understandable. How sorry must she have felt, knowing that the friend she had invited over to become closer with had been kidnapped in her place and had nearly lost her life?
The thought that she might never have seen Yul-i again as a friend made the tears flow even more freely.
However,
“Su-a.”
Yul-i, who had been holding her mother’s hand, approached the crying Su-a and took her hand.
“Yul-i. *Hic, waaaah.*”
“Don’t cry. It’s okay.”
“B-But.”
“I’m perfectly fine. And this is all the bad misters’ fault. So why are you apologizing, you silly.”
“*Sniffle*, really?”
Yul-i nodded at Su-a’s question.
“So stop crying. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good girl, our Su-a.”
“Silly Yul-i. We’re the same age.”
“*Heehee.*”
Yul-i smiled brightly.
Then, Eun Su-a smiled back.
Seeing the two of them, the eyes of Su-a’s parents grew moist.
Likewise, Peng Seo-yeon, who was watching the children care for each other, spoke with a gentle smile.
“Su-a’s mother, and father. I feel the same way as Yul-i. This incident is by no means your fault. So please, don’t feel sorry anymore. There is nothing to apologize for.”
Of course, when she first heard the news about Yul-i from Peng Mugang, Peng Seo-yeon had been so shocked she had collapsed to the floor.
And in truth, her heart still hadn’t fully calmed down.
But even so, it was clear this was not Su-a’s family’s fault.
It was entirely the fault of the people who had intended to commit a crime. Why should the ones who were nearly victimized be at fault?
What had they done wrong?
So, Peng Seo-yeon had no intention of blaming them in the slightest.
And this was not just Peng Seo-yeon’s thought alone.
Peng Mugang and Dan Hee-young, and indeed the entire Peng Family, felt the same way she did.
Of course, Eun Su-a’s parents had not come out of fear of retaliation from the Peng Family.
They had come because they were genuinely sorry and saddened by the incident.
From Yul-i’s perspective, this incident was just a stroke of very bad luck.
If Peng Mugang hadn’t been there, it would have ended in a terrible tragedy.
It was truly fortunate.
The fact that Peng Mugang had been in that place.
On this day, Peng Mugang’s excessive love for his granddaughter had shone brightly.
And that was how Yul-i was able to return safely.
“Father, thank you.”
Sometime after Su-a’s family had left, only the family, including Yeo Un-hwi, remained in the Family Head's Hall.
Peng Seo-yeon looked at Peng Mugang and bowed her head slightly.
She tried to act composed, but her voice was trembling faintly.
It was the voice of someone barely holding back tears.
“Thank you so much. If you hadn’t been there, Father, what might have happened to Yul-i…”
The mere thought was horrifying.
She could no longer even imagine a life without Yul-i.
“Seo-yeon…”
She had tried so hard to hold it back.
Dan Hee-young gently comforted Peng Seo-yeon, who was now shedding tears.
Just then,
“Do not cry.”
Peng Mugang, who had been silently watching his crying daughter, spoke bluntly.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Peng Mugang.
But Peng Mugang paid no mind to the sudden attention and continued.
“And do not thank me.”
Words that could sound heartless flowed from his lips.
“Honey, why must you speak so harshly.”
Dan Hee-young looked at Peng Mugang as if pleading with him not to be like this, especially at a time like this.
Their daughter was crying and thanking him so earnestly, so why did he have to….
But the words that followed were a little different from what everyone had expected.
“There is no reason for me to hear such words from you.”
Peng Mugang said in a firm voice.
But was it a trick of the light?
Unlike his rigid words, his gaze was neither cold nor harsh.
It was Dan Hee-young who noticed it first.
“Honey…?”
“No, that’s right. What’s so great about a grandfather protecting his own granddaughter?”
“Father.”
“Seo-yeon. Listen well. This is a matter of course.”
A matter of course.
For some reason, Peng Mugang’s words made Peng Seo-yeon’s heart well up with emotion.
Perhaps it was because her father had never once expressed his feelings so openly before.
“Honey. You, really…”
Understanding what her husband was trying to say, Dan Hee-young’s eyes curved softly.
A gentle smile appeared on her lips.
Meanwhile, Peng Mugang conveyed his feelings with an incredibly serious face.
“So, as long as I have breath in my body, I, as Yul-i’s grandfather, will protect her. You, Yul-i, and also…”
Peng Mugang’s gaze shifted to Yeo Un-hwi, who was standing beside Peng Seo-yeon.
“All of you are my family. So do not thank me for something like this ever again.”
With those final words, Peng Mugang left the Family Head's Hall without a backward glance.
Perhaps he was embarrassed for having uncharacteristically poured out such sentimental words.
But for some reason, Peng Seo-yeon felt that Peng Mugang’s retreating figure was exceptionally warm today.
It was a moment when the great distance between the father and daughter had closed by a significant step.