Peng Do-hwan

"Squad Leader Peng! Thank you so much for your advice last time. Thanks to you, I won my first sparring match. Haha."

"I'm back from leave, Squad Leader! My mother says she's truly grateful. I sincerely thank you as well."

"Squad Leader Peng. About your help last time..."

Whenever Peng Do-hwan walked down the street, people from the Peng Family would approach him with smiles and strike up conversations.

At a glance, it seemed everyone held great affection for Peng Do-hwan.

Perhaps this was only natural.

He was always trying to help others and fill in their shortcomings.

Though he was often overshadowed by the brilliant prodigy Peng Seo-jin, the Peng Family members still liked Peng Do-hwan.

Everyone had no doubt that Peng Do-hwan would become a figure who would bring glory to the Hebei Peng Family.

"My, who do we have here."

As Peng Do-hwan was walking through an empty garden, some men appeared before him.

"If it isn't the heroes who have brought glory to our Peng Family. Haha."

Peng Do-hwan's face lit up with delight.

They were none other than O Chae-mu and Gu Tae-san.

Since Peng Do-hwan had joined the White Wolf Unit from a young age, they had spent no small amount of time together.

O Chae-mu and Gu Tae-san also grinned broadly.

The three had been acquainted for some time.

"Have you been well?"

"Oh, you know. Same as always."

Peng Do-hwan laughed heartily.

"By the way, I've been wanting to meet you. How on earth did you accomplish such an incredible feat? I could hardly believe it when I heard. You're truly amazing."

Peng Do-hwan praised them sincerely, clicking his tongue in admiration.

But,

"Haha. Well, it just sort of happened that way."

"We got lucky, that's all."

Hm?

Strangely, O Chae-mu and Gu Tae-san only smiled awkwardly at his words.

Peng Do-hwan looked puzzled.

If it had been the men he knew, they would have laughed boisterously and bragged endlessly about such an accomplishment.

Instead, their reaction was oddly subdued.

"Well anyway, I was hoping we could get together for drinks soon to celebrate and hear the heroic tale in detail. Now that we've met like this, let's set a date."

"That sounds great! Haha!"

"Before that, we came here because we have something urgent to tell you."

O Chae-mu's face suddenly turned serious.

"Hm? What is it?"

Peng Do-hwan raised one eyebrow slightly as he looked at O Chae-mu.

"Don't do it."

"Don't do... what?"

"It was the Elder and you who rejected the Family Head's order to become commander of the White Wolf Unit."

"It wasn't the right time then."

In truth, he had simply followed his father's words, but that was beside the point.

And now was different from then.

Peng Do-hwan's face seemed to be saying as much.

O Chae-mu, who had been quietly observing Peng Do-hwan, let out a short sigh.

If only, if only Peng Do-hwan had accepted that offer earlier, things wouldn't be so troublesome now.

O Chae-mu had stubbornly refused the commander position that had been offered to him even before Peng Do-hwan, hoping that Peng Do-hwan, who was the former commander's top disciple and understood the White Wolf Unit better than anyone, would become the commander.

But now the situation had changed. Drastically so.

That's why the two men who knew Peng Gyeong-ho and Peng Do-hwan better than anyone had come to warn him in advance.

Because he would surely try to make moves to become the commander.

It was obvious who his target would be.

In truth, this was less of a warning and more of a concerned piece of advice.

"Anyway, whatever it is, don't do anything. I'm saying this for your own good."

"Hmm."

Peng Do-hwan couldn't quite understand why O Chae-mu and Gu Tae-san had come to tell him such things.

What could it be about? It didn't seem like they would answer if he asked now.

And he was the type of person who had to do what he set his mind to, regardless of their warnings.

So...

"Well, I don't quite understand what you two are thinking, but I'll keep it in mind. I have some business to attend to, so I'll be going now. It was good to see you. Let's set that drink date another time."

As if to say he had nothing more to discuss, Peng Do-hwan turned and walked away.

"He's going to do it."

"Mm."

O Chae-mu and Gu Tae-san sighed deeply as they watched Peng Do-hwan's retreating back.

"Well, he might need to get his nose flattened once."

"I'm worried it won't just be flattened, but broken."

O Chae-mu nodded in agreement with Gu Tae-san's words.

They could only hope it would end moderately.

A few days passed.

Yeo Un-hwi was still pretending to practice martial arts with No Il-bong every day in a small, relatively secluded training ground in the Peng Family compound.

Paeng Seo-yeon had secretly observed for two days but stopped coming after that.

Yul had been terribly bored, so she couldn't help it.

And so, as he was spending his time leisurely,

"I'm sorry, but I need to take care of some business for a moment. Urgh."

"Hm? What business?"

"Well, um, that is, my stomach..."

"Ah, I see."

Soon, No Il-bong hurriedly disappeared, saying he urgently needed to use the bathroom.

Judging by his gait, it might not be just a moment.

Yeo Un-hwi called out to the retreating No Il-bong to take his time, then sat down casually and gazed up at the sky.

The sky was incredibly clear. Not a single cloud in sight.

It was truly a peaceful day.

That's when,

"Hello, Commander."

Someone approached Yeo Un-hwi.

He turned his head slightly to see a man with clean-cut features and a confident smile standing there.

It was Peng Do-hwan.

"We finally meet. I've heard a lot about you."

He introduced himself briefly.

Peng Do-hwan.

It was a name Yeo Un-hwi knew.

"I heard you started learning martial arts. So it was true."

"Word travels fast."

"Haha. Well, it's all within the family after all."

Peng Do-hwan smiled.

"By the way, since we've met like this, I was wondering if I could be of help, though I may be lacking. What do you think?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"It's important to experience a variety of things. I thought you might be getting bored with just the basics, so I thought I'd offer."

Yeo Un-hwi chuckled at his words.

He certainly had a way with words.

He knew how to speak without offending people.

And Yeo Un-hwi wasn't unaware of why this man had come to see him.

He was simply pretending not to know.

"Then what should we do?"

Yeo Un-hwi asked, feigning ignorance.

Seizing the opportunity, Peng Do-hwan launched into his prepared speech.

"Real learning comes from practical experience. The White Wolf Unit is one of the three great martial forces representing the Peng Family. Whether you want it or not, you'll inevitably face dangerous battles constantly."

"I suppose so. Even during the recent bandit subjugation, things escalated more than I expected."

"Moreover, as the commander of such a unit, you need to quickly become accustomed to the swift exchange of blades. How about a brief sparring session with me?"

"Sparring... you and me? Wouldn't the skill gap be too great? Would that really be educational?"

Peng Do-hwan smiled at Yeo Un-hwi's words.

"Of course, I don't mean a proper match. Instead, we'll exchange moves lightly in the spirit of sparring, and I'll offer advice on areas that need improvement. That's what I mean."

"Hmm. Is that so?"

"Ah, if it's too burdensome, you don't have to. I didn't mean to pressure you."

"No, let's do it. That sparring."

"Oh, excellent. Well then."

Soon, the two stood facing each other.

"Most of the Peng Family's high-level martial arts use the saber. But lower-ranking warriors choose between sword and saber based on what suits them. Usually, they learn this martial art."

Peng Do-hwan went to the weapon rack in one corner of the training ground and picked up a wooden sword and a wooden saber, one in each hand.

He then lightly demonstrated one of the lower-level martial arts that ordinary warriors learn and use, first with the wooden sword.

"But even that has its limits. Most of the Peng Family's representative martial arts use the saber. Even among bladed weapons, there's a difference depending on which weapon you use. Like this."

As he spoke, Peng Do-hwan performed the same martial art he had just shown, but this time with the wooden saber.

It clearly had a different feel compared to when he used the sword.

"Hooh."

"I recommend learning the saber if possible. It's better not just for immediate achievement, but also in the long run."

Of course, the bigger question was whether Yeo Un-hwi would continue learning martial arts without giving up, but that went unsaid.

"I see."

Yeo Un-hwi nodded at Peng Do-hwan's words.

"Now then, since you're holding the wooden saber, try a downward strike. I'll observe."

"Like... this?"

Yeo Un-hwi pretended to be clumsy.

"That's right."

Peng Do-hwan nodded as Yeo Un-hwi swung the saber a few times.

"Typically, the saber is used to attack like this. And you defend like this. Do you get the general idea?"

"It's difficult."

"Haha! Everyone feels that way at first. For now, just think of it as getting a feel for it. And remember, no matter what weapon you're using, you must never let the weapon control you. You need to maintain a firm center. That's right. Now I'll show you how to naturally defend against or dodge incoming attacks. Go ahead, try attacking me."

"Hm? Will that be alright?"

Who was worrying about whom here?

Peng Do-hwan inwardly sneered at Yeo Un-hwi.

"Haha. No matter how hard you attack, I won't get hurt, so don't worry."

"Really? Hmm."

Yeo Un-hwi looked around.

Using his aura perception, he confirmed there was no one nearby.

It was just the two of them here.

A small smile played on Yeo Un-hwi's lips.

He felt like teasing him a bit.

He knew well that this man wasn't evil.

But his intentions were also painfully obvious.

He was trying to naturally disguise this as a chance encounter, teach some martial arts, and show Yeo Un-hwi the gap between them as martial artists.

On top of that, he wanted to make Yeo Un-hwi realize that he was more suited for the White Wolf Unit.

Normally, Yeo Un-hwi would have ignored this, but he couldn't.

This was also a truly interesting connection for Yeo Un-hwi.

Before his regression, this man had been the commander of the White Wolf Unit. No, the Red Wolf Unit.

For some reason, he had left the Peng Family and led the Red Wolf Unit, which hunted down evildoers under the Peng surname.

That commander was none other than Peng Do-hwan.

He didn't know exactly what circumstances had led them to leave the Peng Family.

He might find out someday, but he had no desire to forcibly uncover it.

Above all, their lives would be different now.

Perhaps because of his memories from his past life, Yeo Un-hwi quite liked Peng Do-hwan.

In other words, at this moment, the current commander of the White Wolf Unit in this life was facing the commander from before the regression.

Of course, only Yeo Un-hwi knew this fact.

'This is interesting.'

For some reason, he felt like teasing him a bit.

There are always certain people who particularly bring out one's mischievous side.

For Yeo Un-hwi, Peng Do-hwan was such a person.

Let's see what kind of reaction he'll show.

Meanwhile, Peng Do-hwan urged the still motionless Yeo Un-hwi.

"Go ahead and attack."

"Alright. Be careful then."

"Haha. Don't worry and attack with all your might..."

Kuung.

At that moment.

The air suddenly rippled violently.

Huh?

Peng Do-hwan's eyes began to shake fiercely.

Only then did he realize something had gone terribly wrong.