Chapter 108
Song Deok-jo.
He was an old man who served as the Grand Elder of the Peng Family. For a long time, he had always done his best silently in his duties, earning the trust of many.
Moreover, he was famous for rarely being surprised by anything, his face, which always wore a benevolent smile, almost never changing its expression.
Today, as always, he first checked on the health of the Peng Family Head, Peng Mugang, and the lady of the house, Dan Hee-young, before tending to the sick members of the family one by one.
In the midst of his work,
“Physician.”
Someone called out to him.
When he turned his head, he saw it was Yeo Un-hwi.
“Yes, what can I do for you?”
He asked with his usual kind smile.
With his generous nature, he was one of the few people who treated Yeo Un-hwi kindly and without discrimination from the moment he first arrived at the Peng Family.
For that reason, Yeo Un-hwi also held him in high regard.
“It’s nothing much. I just have something to give you.”
Smiling gently, Yeo Un-hwi held out a bundle he was carrying.
“I was hoping you could put this in the medicinal herb storage and make good use of it.”
“Pardon? The medicinal herb storage? Only properly selected ingredients can be placed there.”
Song Deok-jo wore a troubled expression.
Though he was a man who let most things slide, he was, as befitted a physician, quite strict when it came to managing the medicinal herb storage.
Above all, he couldn't easily agree, as he didn't know the identity of the herb Yeo Un-hwi was offering.
“Why don’t you take a look first, and then we can talk.”
It wasn't as if Yeo Un-hwi wouldn't know of such a situation. His feeling of awkwardness and puzzlement was brief; as Yeo Un-hwi smiled confidently, Song Deok-jo soon nodded his head.
“Yes, I’ll take a look first.”
And when he opened the bundle,
“*Gasp!*”
Song Deok-jo was so shocked he nearly lost his breath.
Anyone who knew Song Deok-jo for a long time would know.
In his entire life, an instance where his emotions were so clearly displayed on his face was something that had almost never happened.
“H-Heh, hehe, hehehe… I-I-I-Is this… the I-Ice Phoenix Herb, i-is it not?”
The estimated price alone was something an ordinary person couldn't even imagine, and on top of that, it was an herb so precious it couldn't be obtained even with money. And there it was.
What’s more, there was a whole bundle of it.
Faced with such an illogical and nonsensical situation, Song Deok-jo rubbed his eyes again and again.
But it was true.
Without a single fake among them, the many herbs filling the bundle were all Ice Phoenix Herbs.
In the decades since he had become the physician of the Peng Family, this was the first time he had ever witnessed such an unbelievable sight.
As Song Deok-jo-jo-jo stood there with a dazed expression, too shocked to think, Yeo Un-hwi asked again.
“This should be more than qualified to enter the medicinal herb storage, right?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. Yes! O-Of course!”
Forget qualifications; it was a situation where emptying the entire storage and making it a place solely for the Ice Phoenix Herbs wouldn't be enough.
“Then I’ll be counting on you.”
Entrusting this incredible task, Yeo Un-hwi turned as if nothing had happened and headed somewhere.
*My, what on earth is going on?*
Song Deok-jo still couldn't come to his senses.
Just then,
“What’s going on?”
The Eldest Young Master, Peng Seo-jin, appeared.
He had been passing by and approached after seeing the two of them talking.
He then looked back and forth between Yeo Un-hwi’s retreating back and Song Deok-jo’s face.
Song Deok-jo, who had been staring blankly at the Ice Phoenix Herbs he held in his arms, slowly turned his head and showed them to Peng Seo-jin.
“Eldest Young Master. This is the Ice Phoenix Herb.”
“Hmm? Ah, so this is the Ice Phoenix Herb I’ve only heard about. Haha. As expected, it looks different at a glance… yes... Ice Phoenix...? I-I-Ice Phoenix Herb? A-All of this?”
“Yes… He gave this to me and left.”
As Peng Seo-jin-jin looked at the bundle of Ice Phoenix Herbs in Song Deok-jo’s arms, his eyes widened before he burst into laughter, finding the situation absurd.
“Well, I’ll be. Just where on earth did he go this time?”
*Wait, no. Surely it couldn’t be there?*
“Brother-in-law! W-Wait a moment!”
Overcome by a sudden surge of curiosity, Peng Seo-jin ran after the retreating Yeo Un-hwi.
***
“The Commander is back!”
Yeo Un-hwi had returned.
After several days.
Though it had only been about three days, the members of the White Wolf Unit rushed over to greet his return, welcoming him as if they hadn't seen him in a long time.
Strangely, they felt a difference in their confidence and motivation when Yeo Un-hwi was present versus when he was absent.
As he was greeting each of the White Wolf Unit members, he suddenly noticed the brothers Gi-su and Gi-sang standing a step back, fidgeting.
Normally, they would have been the first to run up and act friendly, so their current appearance was unfamiliar to anyone who saw them.
Just then, Gi-sang, who had approached hesitantly, carefully opened his mouth.
“Sir, Commander. We have something to tell you.”
“Hmm, is that so? Do you need a private place?”
At Yeo Un-hwi-hwi-hwi’s question, the twin brothers glanced at each other and then shook their heads in unison.
“No. We’ll say it here. This will probably be our last day.”
“Last day?”
At the twin brothers’ words, the faces of the White Wolf Unit members hardened.
As they had worried, it seemed they were having strange thoughts again.
Do-gyeong, who was closer to them than anyone, scowled and looked at them.
“Hey. What on earth are you guys thinking? Are you kidding me right now? What, last day?”
She wasn't the only one.
The other White Wolf Unit members also began to chime in one by one.
They all knew better than anyone what the White Wolf Unit meant to Gi-su and Gi-sang, so they couldn't just stand by and watch the twin brothers make a foolish choice they would surely regret.
That sentiment flowed from their mouths in the form of incredibly harsh words.
“That’s right. Stop talking nonsense, you guys.”
“Is there even a place that would take in ferocious guys like you?”
But Gi-su and Gi-sang showed no signs of being swayed by their words.
Their faces showed they had firmly made up their minds.
“Alright. Alright. Everyone, quiet down.”
At Yeo Un-hwi-hwi-hwi’s words, the momentarily agitated White Wolf Unit members all fell silent.
“Gi-su, Gi-sang. Before I hear what you have to say, I have something to give you first.”
“Pardon? What is it…”
*Something to give them?*
The twin brothers, who had no idea what it could be, tilted their heads.
Soon, Yeo Un-hwi held out a small object wrapped in a luxurious bundle.
“This is?”
“Open it.”
Was it their imagination? Gi-su and Gi-sang felt a strange chill the moment they took it.
Soon, they opened the bundle, and an herb with a mysterious aura came into view.
“W-what… is this?”
Gi-su and Gi-sang snapped their heads up and looked at Yeo Un-hwi.
Yeo Un-hwi smirked and answered at that.
“What do you think it is? It’s the thing that will cure your mother’s illness.”
“Pardon? D-don’t tell me, i-is this… the I-I-Ice Phoenix Herb?”
Yeo Un-hwi nodded.
It was one he had set aside before giving the large bundle to Song Deok-jo.
The twin brothers’ hands, holding the bundle, began to tremble violently.
Right now, how Yeo Un-hwi knew about their mother’s illness is not very important to them.
*It’s the Ice Phoenix Herb!*
*How could this be here!*
Looking at the Ice Phoenix Herb held so casually in their hands, Gi-su and Gi-sang couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.
“H-how did you…”
“How else? It wasn’t on the market, so I went and bought it.”
“Pardon? Where did you go, may I ask?”
“Where else? The only place you can get it.”
Gi-su and Gi-sang’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
“T-the North Sea Ice Palace? No way… that’s not it, right?”
“Yeah. It is. Why? Is there a problem?”
As Gi-su and Gi-sang were thinking there was no way, Yeo Un-hwi nodded nonchalantly.
“You really… went to the North Sea? To get this?”
“I just said so, didn’t I?”
*The distance is so far from here in Hebei to there. That distance…*
Looking at him, everyone present wore a dazed expression for a moment.
If someone else had said it, they would have chided that person for lying, but this time was different.
Because the one telling the story was Yeo Un-hwi, the members of the White Wolf Unit got goosebumps, thinking it might actually be true.
*Is he really human? Not an immortal?*
*Just who have we come to serve as our Commander?*
The more they thought about it, the more astonishing it was, and a hollow laugh escaped them.
Suddenly, the twin brothers, who had been wearing the most shocked expressions, burst into loud laughter.
“Ha. Commander, you’re really something else. Hahahaha!”
“I know, right. You went all the way to the North Sea for us? Ahaha! This is crazy. Really!”
“Hey. You two, what kind of tone is that to use with the Commander…”
Do-gyeong, who was about to reprimand Gi-su and Gi-sang for their disrespectful words, stopped short.
And for good reason.
Tears were streaming endlessly from the twin brothers’ eyes.
“Thank you, really… thank you so much. Commander. *Sob, sob.*”
It’s not sad, it’s happy.
I’m so happy, but for some reason, the tears flowed so sorrowfully. When was the last time they had cried like this? No, had they ever?
With this, their mother would no longer be in pain, free from the worry that something might happen to her.
And they wouldn't have to leave the White Wolf Unit.
These two facts, along with the fact that Yeo Un-hwi had gone to that distant place to get this precious herb for them, made tears of gratitude flow endlessly.
This was the first time the members of the White Wolf Unit had ever seen the brothers Gi-su and Gi-sang cry like that.
They were all like family to one another.
And so, everyone was deeply moved by the kindness Yeo Un-hwi had shown the twin brothers. A few of them had misty eyes and wiped their noses.
Looking at Gi-su and Gi-sang, and then at each of the White Wolf Unit members, Yeo Un-hwi finally opened his mouth.
“Listen well. From now on, I plan to take proper responsibility for you all.”
At Yeo Un-hwi-hwi-hwi’s sudden words, the members of the White Wolf Unit tilted their heads.
*Take responsibility?*
“I’ve heard most of it. Not just about these two, but about all of your situations.”
Honestly, he had thought that being official warriors of the Peng Family meant they were living without any major problems.
But that wasn't the case.
They each had their own various problems to bear, and many had families to support.
There were things that gave them headaches, but they just hadn't shown it openly.
And for good reason: the White Wolf Unit was different from its very beginning.
It wasn't a place for those who were fundamentally skilled and had been prepared from a young age, but a place created by accepting wandering warriors or ronin who relied on their skills during the Turbulent Times, when the scent of blood never left their blades.
Since then, most of those who had joined the White Wolf Unit were of that kind.
There were unusual cases like Peng Do-hwan, but that was truly rare.
And so, on this occasion, Yeo Un-hwi had learned that they were being tormented by all sorts of things that the members of other Martial Force Units did not experience.
“You can handle most things on your own, but when you find yourselves with no answer, come to me. I’ll solve it for you.”
And so, he planned to make it so they could solely focus on training in their martial arts and their duties as the White Wolf Unit.