Chapter 96
Grandpa!"
Yul-i ran into the training ground, a place in the Peng Family used exclusively by the Family Head, with a bright smile on her face.
She then leaped into the arms of Peng Mugang, who had arrived before her.
"Whoa there. You'll fall. You have to be careful."
"Hehe! I won't fall!"
Yul-i said with a brave smile, despite panting heavily.
"You say you're fine, you little rascal."
But contrary to his scolding words, Peng Mugang also smiled benevolently as he looked at Yul-i.
After the recent incident, Yul-i had become much more diligent in her martial arts training.
It seemed she had quite enjoyed the feeling of flying through the sky in Peng Mugang's arms that day.
For Peng Mugang, this was a very welcome development.
Although,
"Grandpa! Can I fly today after training is over?!"
She did fluster Peng Mugang by asking this with sparkling eyes every lesson.
When he first heard that question, he had been so worried that she would lose interest and quit if he told her the truth.
But now, Peng Mugang had learned to answer evasively.
"Haha, if you train hard today, the day you can fly will come sooner. So let's work hard today, too."
"Okay!"
At Peng Mugang's words, Yul-i raised her wooden sword high and answered with great vigor.
Seeing his granddaughter like this was so adorable that Peng Mugang couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
Soon, the sound of Yul-i's spirited shouts echoed through the training ground.
The sky was exceptionally blue that day.
Many things had changed since Yul-i's kidnapping incident.
First and foremost, the Peng Family made a grand proclamation throughout the entire Hebei region.
The content was as follows: from now on, if anyone schemed to kidnap or abduct a child in the Hebei region, the Peng Family would personally step forward and ensure the execution of everyone involved.
It was a kind of warning.
A warning that if such a thing were to happen, it would not end as a simple crime, but would also make an enemy of the Peng Family.
At the chilling warning, everyone swallowed nervously.
The kidnapping of a child.
It was, of course, a crime that would anger both heaven and man.
But until now, even if one committed such an act, it ended with being chased and punished by the authorities.
But now, things were different.
If someone were to kidnap a child, they would be hunted by the Peng Family's warriors until the moment of their death, and in the end, they would die a painful death.
Wouldn't they just be handed over to the authorities if caught by the Peng Family?
No, for the Peng Family to make such a proclamation was as good as saying they had no intention of handing them over to the authorities.
They would be captured quietly and killed quietly.
From now on, at least in the Hebei region, no one would dare to kidnap a child, no matter how much money was involved.
Because nothing was more important than one's own life.
And that was ultimately what the Peng Family wanted.
Although it created an atmosphere of fear, it ultimately had the effect of preventing vicious crimes before they could happen.
The second thing that changed after Yul-i's incident was the person guarded by Jigeom, the leader of Peng Mugang's personal unit, the Black Dragon Unit.
"Pardon...?"
*Did I hear him correctly?*
For a moment, a look of clear bewilderment appeared on the usually expressionless face of Jigeom.
It was understandable, as what Jigeom had just heard was hard to believe.
To guard Little Miss Yul-i.
And not just anyone from the Black Dragon Unit, but he himself, the leader.
On top of that, he even received the additional order to guard her secretly, without anyone knowing, and with more care than he guarded the Family Head himself.
He couldn't help but be bewildered.
Jigeom had never considered any duty other than guarding the Family Head.
But his bewilderment was brief. Quickly composing his expression, Jigeom accepted the Family Head's command without another word.
It was the first time the Family Head had ordered him to guard someone else.
But because of that, Jigeom, who had watched Peng Mugang up close for a long time, understood better than anyone what was in his heart when he gave such an order.
Peng Mugang was a man who, despite not showing it outwardly, cherished and loved his family more than anyone.
It was only natural that he would love his only granddaughter more, not less.
And Jigeom knew that the reason he was given this order was because Peng Mugang trusted his abilities and him as a person more than anyone else.
That was why he was all the more loyal to Peng Mugang.
"Yes, Family Head. I will follow your command."
And so, Jigeom became Yul-i's shadow without anyone knowing.
Well, with the exception of just one person.
*'To assign that man to Yul-i. My father-in-law is really something. Haha.'*
Yeo Un-hwi, who had noticed the presence that had begun to linger around Yul-i at some point, let out a privately troubled laugh.
To assign the Family Head's personal guard to his granddaughter. Peng Mugang's love for his granddaughter was truly something else.
Of course, he was happy.
What parent wouldn't be happy to see their father-in-law dote on their daughter so much?
But Yeo Un-hwi felt that this wasn't something to be purely happy about.
What was the reason Peng Mugang's personal guard was now assigned to Yul-i?
To be honest, this incident had greatly surprised Yeo Un-hwi as well.
He thought he had been thorough in protecting his family, but who would have thought something would happen on the day Yul-i went to play at a friend's house?
He had truly never imagined it.
No, perhaps...
*'Have I become too complacent without even realizing it?'*
Yeo Un-hwi reflected on himself.
Perhaps he had become too relaxed recently.
No matter how many other busy matters had come up, the most important things to him were still his wife and daughter.
That fact would never change.
Because his wife and daughter were his reason for living, his everything.
And yet, he had almost lost the most important thing again.
To absurdly incompetent thugs, no less.
Fortunately, Yul-i was safe thanks to Peng Mugang...
A look of deep contemplation appeared on Yeo Un-hwi's face.
After this incident, many arrangements had been made for Yul-i.
The Peng Family had declared they would hunt down child kidnappers to the ends of the Central Plains, and Peng Mugang had even assigned the Family Head's personal guard to Yul-i.
And that wasn't all.
The men of the White Wolf Unit were secretly whispering amongst themselves, planning something for Yul-i, and even Peng Seo-jin was frequently approaching Yeo Un-hwi with various suggestions.
He was truly grateful.
But was it greed? A thought kept nagging at him that this wasn't enough. It was insufficient.
Something else was needed.
A way to surely protect and defend Yul-i if she ever found herself in danger alone again.
And so, Yeo Un-hwi pondered for days and nights on end.
But nothing came to mind.
It was the first time since his return that he had been so unable to find an answer.
Then, suddenly, the face of a certain man came to Yeo Un-hwi's mind.
Perhaps he would know something.
And so, the very next day.
"...Hmm. So that's what happened."
Jin So-baek, the Leader of Hao Sect, slowly nodded his head, then after thinking for a long while, he spoke again.
"In that case, something like the Guardian Mirror would be good."
"The Guardian Mirror?"
When Yeo Un-hwi asked, Jin So-baek nodded.
"Yes. It is a Divine Object that possesses the power to protect and defend its owner. I hear that once activated, its effect does not disappear until the user wishes it to. Isn't that incredible? That must be why it's called one of the Seven Great Treasures of Murim."
The Seven Great Treasures of Murim referred to artifacts that each possessed mysterious and wondrous powers.
Among them, the most famous were the Blade Emperor's Overlord Dragon Saber and the Spear Ghost's Water Dragon Spear.
The Guardian Mirror, was a Divine Object on par with them.
"Right, there was that."
*How could I have not thought of that?*
Yeo Un-hwi felt like he had finally found the answer.
But contrary to Yeo Un-hwi's brightened expression, Jin So-baek, who had been thinking for a moment longer, shook his head.
"My apologies. I misspoke. Please forget what I just said."
"Why?"
Yeo Un-hwi tilted his head.
*To say it and then tell me to forget it?*
No matter how he thought about it, there seemed to be nothing better.
"Because it is in the possession of the Phantom Divine Monarch."
"The Phantom Divine Monarch?"
"Yes. The Phantom Divine Monarch, one of the Ten Great Masters."
One of the Ten Great Masters.
The Ten Great Masters were the supreme masters ranked just below the Twelve Venerables of the World.
In other eras without the Twelve Venerables, the Ten Great Masters were, for the most part, the absolute rulers who represented the Murim.
In other words, in the current Murim, called a new golden age after the one a thousand years ago—which was known as the greatest period of upheaval and prosperity—they were absolute masters with almost no one to oppose them, save for the Twelve Venerables.
So Jin So-baek's words telling him to forget what he had said were perfectly understandable.
Who could possibly snatch that Divine Object from the hands of one of the Ten Great Masters?
If things got dicey, he could just use the Guardian Mirror.
The story of how even the Spear Ghost, one of the Twelve Venerables, had once failed to kill the Phantom Divine Monarch was quite famous.
Precisely because of that Guardian Mirror.
In other words, killing him was no easy task, even for one of the Twelve Venerables.
"Furthermore, the Phantom Divine Monarch's movements are so elusive that tracking his location is no easy feat."
"Oh. Is that so."
But despite this explanation, Yeo Un-hwi showed no signs of giving up.
On the contrary, he had a look of growing interest.
*Ha... haha.*
*Does this man have no fear?*
Even if he had defeated the absolute evil, the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon, the Phantom Divine Monarch was a figure a level above him.
*What on earth is this confidence?*
Jin So-baek hoped that one of Hao Sect's few precious clients and sources of income wouldn't do something to shorten his own life.
At that moment, Yeo Un-hwi looked at Jin So-baek with a mysterious smile.
"So you're saying it's not easy to track the movements of this Phantom Divine Monarch?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"Are you saying that even the great Hao Sect cannot find his location?"
"Yes. No... pardon?"
"So no matter how much I pay, it's beyond Hao Sect's abilities, is that it?"
"No, that's not the issue, what I mean is..."
"Hah, really! I came to Hao Sect because I heard you were the best in the world when it came to information, but if I'd known this, I would have gone to the Beggars' Union. I'm beyond disappointed..."
"What are you talking about!"
Jin So-baek, unable to hold it in any longer, burst out shouting.
Beggars' Union? The Beggars' Union!
Comparisons were what Jin So-baek hated most.
Jin So-baek, who usually rarely lost his composure, said while huffing and puffing.
"How dare you compare us to those damn beggars! In terms of information, our Hao Sect is far... no, a hundred years ahead of the Beggars' Union! How can you say such nonsense so casually?"
"Oh. Is that so?"
"Of course!"
"Then you can find the Phantom Divine Monarch's location anytime?"
"Hah. Of course. There is no information I cannot obtain if I set my mind to it. I can find a location like that in less than half a day, not even a full day."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Aha?"
As Yeo Un-hwi grinned, Jin So-baek finally realized his mistake.
He had fallen right into the trap.
"Well, then only one problem remains. I trust you know this part well, too. Tell me honestly."
"Tsk... what is it?"
As Yeo Un-hwi's face became utterly serious, Jin So-baek raised an eyebrow slightly.
*What kind of question could it be?*
"The Phantom Divine Monarch, is he a man of evil or a man of good?"
"Pardon? Well, that's of course..."
It wasn't a difficult question.
It was a question to which the entire world already knew the answer.
At Jin So-baek's answer, Yeo Un-hwi smiled brightly.
For some reason, that smile made Jin So-baek feel a chill run down his entire body.