Chapter 121
The two men changed locations.
Leaving the White Wolf Unit's quarters, they moved to Yeo Un-hwi's room and sat facing each other across a table.
"What brings you here?" Yeo Un-hwi spoke first.
They had met again yesterday after their encounter at the Peng Family during Peng Seo-yeon's duel. But they had only exchanged polite greetings before parting ways, and hadn't spoken much at the banquet either. So Yeo Un-hwi couldn't guess why Tang Mujun had come to see him.
No.
If he were to be precise, there was one reason.
A reason known only to Yeo Un-hwi.
But hiding that fact, Yeo Un-hwi greeted Tang Mujun with a friendly smile.
Tang Mujun also stared at Yeo Un-hwi with his characteristic genial smile.
Then suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and spoke.
I didn't expect to meet my brother's assassin again like this.
"Hmm?"
The one who crippled my brother, I mean.
*Kuuung.*
"Urgh!"
In that instant, Yeo Un-hwi's aura exploded outward, pressing down on Tang Mujun.
Tang Mujun bit his lip at the sudden, overwhelming pressure that constricted his breathing.
Yeo Un-hwi's aura sharpened like a honed blade, filling the entire room.
But others wouldn't notice. Yeo Un-hwi had completely covered the area around this room with his aura, preventing any sound or presence from escaping.
"How did you know?" Yeo Un-hwi asked in a low voice filled with killing intent.
Tang Mujun struggled to speak. Blood had beaded on his lip where he had bitten it.
I was just... lucky.
He first felt a sense of déjà vu when they met at the Pengs'.
The man who greeted him alongside Peng Seo-yeon's daughter was present.
Of course, he didn't notice at first.
But as they spoke two or three times, Tang Mujun felt a strange sensation from this man.
His instincts were telling him that he had definitely met this man somewhere before.
But no matter how much he thought about it, Tang Mujun couldn't recall where it had been.
And the second sense of déjà vu came just yesterday.
He met him again as the commander of the White Wolf Unit, which, unlike two years ago, was participating in the Five Great Families meeting instead of the White Martial Squad.
Unlike their first meeting, where he had been a gentle father in front of his daughter, Tang Mujun felt an even stronger sense of familiarity seeing him stand as the commander of the White Wolf Unit.
But he still couldn't figure out why he felt that way.
Then last night.
Tang Mujun realized why he kept feeling like he had met Yeo Un-hwi before.
When the Danmok Clan suddenly appeared and caused a commotion, Yeo Un-hwi's aura changed for just a brief moment.
It was such a fleeting instant that others wouldn't have noticed.
Even if they had noticed, the aura was sharp but subtle, and since the White Wolf Unit was also near where Yeo Un-hwi had been, they likely would have assumed it was one of the unit members.
But Tang Mujun was different.
He was able to notice immediately because he had encountered that aura before, and because he had been continuously puzzled by Yeo Un-hwi.
That the aura belonged to Yeo Un-hwi.
And who Yeo Un-hwi was.
Yeo Un-hwi chuckled after hearing Tang Mujun's explanation.
He wasn't annoyed or angered.
He just found it absurd and amusing that Tang Mujun had figured it out from that single 'sense of déjà vu'.
Indeed, he was a man of extraordinary innate senses and talent.
It wasn't for nothing that he was called the greatest genius in the history of the Tang Clan.
It was fortunate.
Such a man was a good person.
Naturally, Yeo Un-hwi thought of Tang Guhwi, who had originally been the heir of the Tang Clan.
Though they say you can know what is ten fathoms deep in water but not an inch into a person's heart, Yeo Un-hwi, who had already seen Tang Guhwi's future, knew all too well what kind of person he was.
So he thought it fortunate that Tang Guhwi didn't have Tang Mujun's talent.
If he had, it would have surely become a very troublesome matter.
"So what do you intend to do now?" Yeo Un-hwi asked Tang Mujun, still maintaining his imposing aura.
Tang Mujun closed his lips for a moment.
His face showed deep thought.
And then, what came out of his mouth was not an accusation against Yeo Un-hwi, but something unexpected.
First, I want to know. You said you had a grudge and took revenge. What exactly was that grudge?
What reason could you possibly have had to do such a thing?
Tang Mujun stared directly into the eyes of Yeo Un-hwi, Peng Seo-yeon's husband, as he asked.
Of course, he knew very well that his brother had been an irredeemable villain.
But what kind of grudge could have led to not only crippling him, but destroying his dantian, leaving him a complete invalid?
As a result, Tang Guhwi was now lying in bed, unable to even move a finger, let alone speak, living each day in agony where death would be preferable.
And along with all the evil deeds that came to light, Tang Guhwi had been stripped of his position as heir to the Tang Clan.
His life was essentially over from the moment his body was reduced to that state.
Do you really want to know?
I do.
Tang Mujun nodded.
Yeo Un-hwi let out a short sigh and slowly began to speak.
And soon, he told him in detail, without omitting anything, what Tang Guhwi had done.
As he listened to the story, Tang Mujun's expression changed moment by moment.
After hearing everything, Tang Mujun let out a hollow laugh.
He wanted to ask if it was really true.
But he didn't.
He felt certain that his brother was capable of committing such acts and worse.
To send an assassin to use that horrific poison, with the intention of making Peng Seo-yeon suffer and die slowly.
After hearing the reason from Yeo Un-hwi, he felt apologetic, if anything.
Tang Mujun lowered his gaze, unable to say anything more.
Yeo Un-hwi, who had been quietly watching Tang Mujun, asked.
Now it's my turn to ask. Now that you know my identity, what does the Tang Clan intend to do? Will you seek revenge?
The revenge of the Tang Clan was known to be cruel, persistent, and certain.
It wasn't for nothing that there was a saying that the Tang Clan repays kindness twofold and grudges tenfold.
That's why many martial artists feared making enemies of the Tang Clan.
But Tang Mujun shook his head without hesitation to Yeo Un-hwi's question.
No. The Tang Clan will do nothing about this matter.
Why?
Though it wasn't his place to ask, Yeo Un-hwi was curious and so he did.
This is because that is the will of my father, the head of the Tang Clan. It's true that the Tang Clan repays grudges tenfold. But before that happens.
Tang Mujun looked straight at Yeo Un-hwi as he spoke.
As if to say that not everyone in the Tang Clan was like his brother, Tang Guhwi.
At the very least, our family knows what shame is. If we couldn't distinguish between what deserves revenge and what doesn't, how would we be any different from the Demonic Alliance or the Demonic Cult?
Yeo Un-hwi nodded as if he understood.
Though he didn't say it out loud, the Tang Clan's choice was a good one.
Regardless of the ins and outs of the matter, if they had decided on revenge and had come at him, Yeo Un-hwi would have been prepared to show no mercy.
Moreover, since his identity had been exposed, if the Tang Clan had really come at him like that, he had even considered striking at the Tang Clan first.
With the power he possessed now, that wouldn't be difficult at all.
Tang Mujun had no idea that if the choice had been the opposite, it could have led to the annihilation of the Tang Clan.
*Sigh.*
Having learned all the facts and cleared the air about the Tang Clan's stance, Tang Mujun let out a hollow laugh.
The oppressive aura Yeo Un-hwi had been exuding had vanished as if washed away.
Well, I suppose I should say thanks. Because of that incident, I became the heir to the Tang Clan. Anyone watching might think I had commissioned the downfall of my brother.
The situation had turned out so advantageous for him that he couldn't deny such suspicions if they arose.
But what could he do?
Now that things had turned out this way, he could only do his best.
'Your fate turning out like this has saved many lives.'
Yeo Un-hwi, who already knew the terrible future where Tang Guhwi would become the master of the Tang Clan, thought it was for the best. No, it was an excellent outcome.
Though he hadn't calculated this from the beginning when he struck Tang Guhwi.
Silence fell.
After a while, Tang Mujun was the first to speak.
He let out a short sigh then said with a small smile.
Yes, that's how it is. Anyway, that's how things turned out. Though it seems I ended up appearing to threaten you somehow, I actually wanted to tell you that the Tang Clan no longer has any concerns.
In reality, it was Tang Mujun who had been threatened by force, but he was also the one who had abruptly brought up the topic first.
Then I'll be going now.
And Tang Mujun turned and left as if nothing had happened.
Yeo Un-hwi stared for a moment in the direction Tang Mujun had gone.
He was quite an interesting fellow.
Now that Tang Guhwi was no longer the master, he would never have to deal with the Tang Clan again.
Instead, he became curious.
What would the Tang Clan look like under Tang Mujun's leadership?
Yeo Un-hwi found himself quite looking forward to seeing that.
Afterwards, the Five Great Families gathering proceeded smoothly.
Compared to the first day, there were surprisingly few incidents.
The family heads' meetings continued every day from morning until the evening banquet.
The heirs of each family also attended the meetings from the second day.
As expected, Hwangbo Gyun complained endlessly about the boring meetings, and Hwangbo Cheonwoo was embarrassed by his father.
But despite that, Jegal Sung skillfully led the meetings with flexibility.
Thanks to that, they were able to produce several meaningful results within the meetings.
You said the commander of the White Wolf Unit is your son-in-law?
The meeting ended.
Namgung Hwan asked Peng Mugang as they walked side by side.
Peng Mugang looked at Namgung Hwan with a puzzled expression.
Yes? That's right. Why do you ask?
Hmm. He seems quite different from what I've heard.
Namgung Hwan had been quite impressed by Yeo Un-hwi's demeanor when he called the White Wolf Unit to the Family Head's Hall to express his gratitude.
He had thought it was some kind of mischievous prank to make someone who knew nothing of martial arts the commander of the White Wolf Unit, but after seeing him in person, he felt he understood why Peng Mugang had made such a decision.
Of course, all of that was a great misunderstanding.
Hmph. He's still just that good-for-nothing son-in-law. What of it?
Peng Mugang snorted at Namgung Hwan's words.
Namgung Hwan chuckled at Peng Mugang's reaction.
He thought Peng Mugang was pretending not to know out of embarrassment.
Anyway, the Five Great Families gathering continued on like that.
The evening banquets grew more sumptuous and splendid each day, and in contrast to the awkwardness of the first day, louder laughter could be heard on the second and third days.
After overcoming the initial awkwardness of not seeing each other for two years, as well as the joy of reunion and adjustment, the martial units of each family grew quite close over the course of those three days.
So much so that they all exchanged farewells with regretful expressions as they prepared to return to their respective families.
And so, the gathering at the Namgung Family, held after two years, came to a peaceful end.
Before long, Peng Mugang and the White Wolf Unit, having left the Namgung Family, arrived in Hebei.
Hmm. I feel stiff.
But a pleased smile hung on his lips.
Finally, they had returned to the Peng Family.
It was after a journey that felt short yet long at the same time.
This gathering had felt unusually long to him.
Every single day, his only thought had been to return quickly to the Peng Family and see his granddaughter, Yul-i.
Suddenly, Peng Mugang looked at the middle-aged man sitting next to him and grumbled.
By the way, why did you come along?
Me? I was bored, and it seems like there have been a lot of interesting things happening at the Peng Family lately, so I tagged along.
Hwangbo Gyun grinned shamelessly.
On the day the gathering ended, just as they were about to part ways, he suddenly changed his mind, gave Hwangbo Cheonwoo some vague instructions about what needed to be done upon returning, and climbed into the Peng Family's carriage.
But as if this weren't the first time such a thing had happened, Hwangbo Cheonwoo and the people of the Hwangbo Family just sighed deeply as they set off on their journey.
You really are a strange one. You know that?
That's the first time I've heard such a thing.
I'm sure others just don't dare say it to your face.
Hwangbo Gyun had always been like this, ever since he was young.
In all of Peng Mugang's life, there was no one as unpredictable as Hwangbo Gyun.
As Peng Mugang shook his head at Hwangbo Gyun, he soon stuck his head out the carriage window.
The buildings of the Peng Family were already in sight.
From what he could see, everyone had already come out to greet them.
His wife, Peng Seo-yeon, the old butler, and even the other martial units were all there together.
Among them, he could see Yul-i in the distance.
Peng Mugang's lips curled up involuntarily at the sight of his granddaughter.
Huh?
But Peng Mugang's head, which had been full of joy, gradually tilted.
Someone was holding Yul-i.
It was Elder Gu Wang-pyo.
'Wait, why is Elder Gu holding my Yul-i...'
Peng Mugang had a strong feeling that something had gone very wrong.