Chapter 15
Late at night, the bright moon illuminated Sodam Village.
Tap.
With a light sound, a man arrived at the high mountain peak overlooking Sodam Village.
It was Yeo Un-hwi.
He had just returned from finishing his business in Sichuan.
But why had he stopped here briefly instead of going straight home?
"Hah..."
It was because he suddenly found himself lost in thought.
Yeo Un-hwi plopped down on a large boulder at the peak and stared blankly at the moon.
After the unbelievable event of regression occurred, Yeo Un-hwi had vowed to live this life for his wife and daughter, and to protect his family's happiness.
But that resolve was short-lived as he recalled the sudden death of his wife in his past life.
He learned there had been an unexpected plot behind that death, and that there was a separate mastermind behind that plot.
Now that he knew, he couldn't just sit idly by.
So he took revenge on those involved in that death in the most certain way possible.
'Tang Gu-hwi.'
The Young Master of the Sichuan Tang Family and the mastermind who orchestrated his wife's death.
He was trash beyond imagination, the worst of the worst.
Though it hadn't been his intention, Yeo Un-hwi had beaten the Black and White Twin Devils to death as they were plotting dirty deeds with Tang Gu-hwi, and in the end, he had destroyed Tang Gu-hwi's dantian.
In the end, Tang Gu-hwi became a cripple, neither dead nor truly alive.
A cripple, huh.
Would it have been better to kill him outright?
Yeo Un-hwi shook his head.
No.
Compared to the crimes Tang Gu-hwi had committed so far, and would have committed in the future, this was far too merciful a method.
As Tang Mu-jun had said, for someone like Tang Gu-hwi, losing everything he had enjoyed since birth, including his martial arts, and living out his days in misery would be more painful.
It was clear that the rest of Tang Gu-hwi's life would be nothing but hell now.
That was enough.
Now, unlike in his past life, a future where trash like Tang Gu-hwi became the Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Family would not come to pass.
Perhaps in this life, the Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Family would be,
'Tang Mu-jun.'
He had already seen it.
The life choices and path taken by the man who, despite his incredible talent, had not become the Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Family.
Many futures would change because of him from now on.
Yeo Un-hwi hoped those changes would be for the better.
In any case, he no longer needed to worry about that side of things.
'More importantly...'
Yeo Un-hwi quietly looked down at his own hands.
They were still more like the delicate hands of a scholar than those of someone with extraordinary martial arts.
But that wasn't what Yeo Un-hwi was looking at now.
'I've stained these hands with too much blood recently.'
At this rate, he was no different from when he had been the Blood Demon in his past life.
Of course, he didn't regret it.
Those were beings that absolutely had to die for the sake of his family and Sodam Village's peace.
If he had shown misguided mercy out of a reluctance to bloody his hands and suffered retaliation as a result, that would have been far more regrettable.
However,
'Even after doing all this, that happened to my wife.'
Yeo Un-hwi had sought out the Martial God's martial arts again to protect his family.
He had thoroughly uprooted anything that could harm his family even slightly and prevented it from coming anywhere near them.
And yet.
Despite going to such lengths...
Memories from his past and present lives flashed alternately through Yeo Un-hwi's mind.
His wife, poisoned.
His wife, her complexion worsening day by day, her body growing weaker.
His wife, meeting death without even knowing the cause, and Yul crying her eyes out.
Himself, left all alone.
And then... the raging flames and Yul.
Sigh.
Yeo Un-hwi's expression grew complicated.
Though it would never happen again, and he would make sure it never happened, just recalling those horrific memories from his past life weighed heavily on his heart.
Even with the Martial God's martial arts...
Was he still lacking? Was he?
Even now?
If so, what should he do?
Should he stain these hands with even more blood?
Would that allow him to protect his family more perfectly?
No, that wasn't the answer.
This much was enough.
He didn't want to face his beloved wife and daughter with hands stained by even more blood.
Hah.
Yeo Un-hwi shook his head as if to clear his cluttered mind and looked down at Sodam Village.
A chilly wind blew.
It was truly time to return now.
The lights were still on at home, so his wife must still be waiting.
'She should have gone to bed first, really.'
A wry smile spread across Yeo Un-hwi's lips without him realizing it.
All the worries that had been plaguing him until just moments ago vanished, if only for a moment.
Having a home to return to was truly a blessing.
Tap.
Once again, with a light footstep, Yeo Un-hwi's form vanished towards Sodam Village.
A few days later.
"Well, look who it is."
"Haha. Have you been well?"
"Didn't you say you were going to help out your cousin? You're just getting back now?"
"Don't even mention it. I'm never going to help that cousin again, even if he begs. It took a full two months just to get there and back."
"Didn't I try to stop you? I said, where are you going, it's so far. Tsk tsk."
At the entrance to Sodam Village.
Two men were chatting away excitedly as they welcomed back the village watchman who had returned after two months.
"Ah, I heard something on my way back. Have you heard about it?"
"Heard what?"
"Well, they say all the mountain bandits in this area have completely disappeared."
"Huh? That must be a false rumor. How many mountains are there around here, and how many strongholds in each of those mountains? How could all the bandits just disappear? Come on, that's nonsense."
"It's true, I tell you! They say even those strongholds are completely empty now. Everything else is still there, but all the people have just vanished, apparently."
"J-Just the people?"
"Yes, that's what they're saying."
The man who had been dismissing it as nonsense until now unconsciously swallowed hard.
Just imagining it sent chills down his spine.
"Well, that's quite strange indeed. Perhaps the Mountain God took pity on poor folk like us and decided to intervene? Telling those bandit bastards to stop fleecing us?"
"Hahaha. Now that's an idea. Well anyway, isn't it a good thing if the bandits are gone?"
"You're right. That's true. Hahaha!"
The men who had been standing there gossiping burst into laughter.
It had been giving them headaches how bandits had set up in every nearby mountain, harassing passing commoners and merchants.
Sodam Village, being so out of the way, had suffered less than other villages, but you'd run into bandits as soon as you walked a little ways out.
Moreover, each group of bandits was different. Some would let you go peacefully if you just handed over what you had, while others would rough you up for the fun of it even after taking your belongings.
And that was considered lucky.
If you ran into the truly vicious ones, you'd be lucky to escape with your life.
So how could they not be overjoyed to hear that those damned bandits had all vanished like a lie?
Just then, someone passed by and greeted them lightly.
He was carrying a small, adorable girl in his arms.
The man who had just returned to Sodam Village tilted his head in confusion.
"Who was that? I don't recognize him."
"What are you talking about? That's Yul's father."
Shocked by his friend's words, the man's eyes widened.
"Huh? Yul's father? Wait, wasn't Yul's father more... slender and fragile-looking? Like he'd fall over if you pushed him?"
"Was he?"
"I don't think his aura was like that either."
"Maybe he's been working out lately or something."
"Come on, people don't change that much from exercise."
"Alright, enough of this useless chatter. Let's go get some food."
"Ah, r-right... Let's do that."
But the man who had returned to Sodam Village after two months continued to look puzzled as he watched Yul's father walk away.
No matter how he thought about it, that wasn't the person he remembered.
"Can someone really change that much in two months just from working out? Really?"
Maybe... I should start exercising too.
For a moment, the man seriously considered it as he touched his protruding belly.
"Hey, aren't you coming?"
"Ah, I'm coming. I'm coming."
But that thought was short-lived as the man hurried after his friend who was complaining of hunger.
Before he knew it, the image of Yul's father who seemed like a different person had vanished from his mind.
Sodam Village was a peaceful place every day.
Though there had been a brief crisis when some thugs barged in not long ago, for some reason they quickly returned the money and never showed their faces again. Sodam Village soon regained its usual peacefulness.
Yeo Un-hwi smiled gently as he looked around the village carefully.
'...When we first left that place, everything seemed so hopeless, but arriving in this village, everything felt so good.'
The kind villagers who showed no hostility to newcomers.
The beautiful scenery that changed yet stayed the same through all four seasons.
Of course, every place had its cold, hot, and difficult moments.
But beyond all that, this village never seemed to run out of smiles.
That's what he loved about it.
'It's a good place. Truly.'
That's why he wanted to stay in this village for as long as possible.
However...
After pondering something for a long while, Yeo Un-hwi's face took on a look of firm resolve.
Just then,
"Daddy, I'm hungry."
His daughter Yul tugged on Yeo Un-hwi's hand and whined.
Yeo Un-hwi smiled and picked her up.
"Alright, Yul. Then let's hurry home and eat with Mommy."
"Okay, okay."
And so Yeo Un-hwi returned home, carrying Yul in his arms.
Before they knew it, dinner was over and night had fallen deep over Sodam Village.
"Mmm... hehe..."
Yul was talking in her sleep.
His wife Paeng Seo-yeon stroked Yul's hair gently.
Yul loved it when her mother stroked her hair.
Even when sleeping, she always stretched her head out towards her mother.
Watching Yul and his wife, Yeo Un-hwi smiled softly.
It was a peaceful night.
But,
"Honey."
As Paeng Seo-yeon looked at Yeo Un-hwi, he slowly began to speak about what he had been preparing to say.
It was something he had agonized over for days.
Of course, he already knew well how his wife would react.
A little while later,
"What? What are you saying..."
Paeng Seo-yeon's eyes widened as she heard what he had to say.
She seemed incredibly shocked.
It was something she never imagined her husband would say, as far as she knew him.
After a moment of silence,
Paeng Seo-yeon asked with a dazed expression.
"Are you serious right now? You want us to... return to Hebei?"
Yeo Un-hwi nodded at Paeng Seo-yeon's question.