At Jeok Rihyeon’s question, Jeok Wigang gave a small snort.
“You sure took your time asking.”
Ordinarily, someone would have asked first whether he had passed the examination.
But Jeok Rihyeon had not.
He had been more worried about his son’s safety, so he was only asking now.
“I passed.”
“Oh! Really? As expected of my son! I knew you could do it!”
“Thank you for believing in me.”
“Ha ha ha! Of course! My son should be good enough to take first place.”
“Yes. I did take first place.”
“R-really? You actually took first place?”
“Yes.”
“As I understand it, the Emperor personally grants an office to the top scorer. Did you meet His Majesty as well?”
“Of course. Just as you know, His Majesty personally bestowed an office upon me.”
“Oh! How admirable! Then what office did you receive? What rank?”
“I’ll tell you when everyone is together. Otherwise, I’ll have to say it all again later.”
“Is that so?”
“There are other things I need to tell you too.”
“More things?”
“Yes.”
Jeok Rihyeon wanted to hear it immediately, but he decided to endure it. It would be better to hear it together and have everyone celebrate.
“I should prepare rooms for the guests.”
“Yes. Please arrange good rooms for them. They will be living here from now on.”
“Living here? You are not returning to the Imperial Capital?”
“No.”
“But you said you had made a name for yourself. Did His Majesty not personally grant you an office?”
“He did.”
“Then why are you saying you will not return? Surely you were not appointed county magistrate here?”
“No, not that. I’ll explain everything later.”
“You truly know how to leave a person hanging.”
Jeok Rihyeon withdrew with obvious reluctance.
Then Jeok Wigang called out to him.
“Father.”
“Hm? What? Are you going to tell me?”
“No. You should prepare the best room in the house too.”
“Why? For you? Your room has already been cleaned.”
“No. Someone more important is coming.”
“Someone more important?”
Jeok Rihyeon tilted his head.
Just then, a subordinate came sprinting toward them.
“G-Gate Master!”
“You are about to collapse. Slow down.”
“T-There is trouble!”
“Why? What happened? Did someone attack us?”
“Th-that is...”
“That?”
“Th-the Heavenly Martial Emperor has arrived!”
At the subordinate’s words, Jeok Rihyeon froze.
“What... what are you talking about? Why would he come here? Did you drink too much again last night? I keep telling you to control your drinking—”
“No! I did not drink a single drop last night! It is true! The Heavenly Martial Emperor is waiting at the main gate right now!”
“Really?”
“Yes! Really! Please go see for yourself.”
Jeok Rihyeon stared blankly at Jeok Wigang.
“Go see. It should be Grandfather.”
“Huh? How do you know?”
“Because I told him I would be coming home around this time.”
“Huh? Are you saying you have been in contact with Father?”
“Yes.”
Jeok Rihyeon could not make sense of any of it.
With a dazed expression, he told the subordinate,
“L-let us go see first.”
Then he turned to Jeok Wigang.
“You come too.”
*****
Jeok Rihyeon hurried to the main gate and stared in disbelief at the man standing there.
“F-Father?”
“You brat. When you heard that I had arrived, you should have run out immediately. Why were you dawdling?”
“A-are you really my father?”
SMACK—
“Urgh!”
He had not even seen him move.
Jeok Mugun had clearly been standing far away.
Yet somehow, he was now right in front of him, having given him a sharp knuckle rap on the head.
“Well? Does it feel real now?”
“Yes...”
“You made it, Grandfather.”
At Jeok Wigang’s greeting, Jeok Mugun frowned.
“You brat. If you were going to summon your grandfather, should you not have been waiting outside the gate?”
“How was I supposed to wait when I did not know when you would arrive?”
“Then you should have met me and come together.”
“Come on. With your lightness art, you got here in no time.”
“Even so, is coming alone the same as coming together with everyone?”
“You did not come empty-handed, did you?”
“Ahem! Naturally not.”
Jeok Rihyeon, who had been listening to their exchange, looked thoroughly confused.
Judging by the flow of their conversation, they were clearly not merely acquainted.
“When did the two of you become so close?”
“This brat stopped by while on his way to the imperial examination. We became close then.”
Jeok Rihyeon looked at Jeok Wigang.
“You did not say a single word to your father...”
“At the time, the relationship between you two was not good. If I had told you I was going, you would have stopped me and worried.”
“That is true, but...”
“Grandfather has agreed to acknowledge you as his son.”
“What?”
“Right, Grandfather?”
“Ahem. Yes.”
At Jeok Mugun’s words, Jeok Rihyeon asked with an expression of utter disbelief,
“Is that... truly so?”
“Yes. This brat is right. From now on, I will recognize you as the Gate Master of the True Martial Sect and publicly declare to the world that you are my son.”
“Why so suddenly?”
“This brat said he would not meet me if I did not reconcile with you. So I had to bend.”
“What?”
What in the world was this supposed to mean?
Jeok Wigang had moved him simply by threatening not to see him?
Did that make any sense?
“Thinking back, I cannot say I did nothing excessively cruel. At the time, I was too obsessed with becoming strong. I am sorry.”
“Are you not now?”
“I realized that it is all meaningless. No matter how hard you bust your ass trying, there are things you simply cannot do.”
As he said that, he looked at Jeok Wigang.
Why was he looking at Jeok Wigang?
“Why are you looking at him while saying that? That boy is intelligent, but he has a body incapable of learning martial arts.”
“I know.”
“You know? And you still like Wigang?”
“I do. I like him more than anyone in the world. If he wanted it, I could hand Heavenly Martial Castle over to him right now.”
Jeok Wigang answered without the slightest hesitation.
“I said I would think about it. I never said I would accept it.”
“Tch! Can you not just take it? Are you determined not to let this grandfather live in peace?”
“You are still in your prime. Besides, who in the Central Plains could defeat you?”
“That would be you—”
“Alright, let us stop here and talk after we eat.”
Jeok Wigang quickly cut him off and brought the conversation to an end.
Jeok Rihyeon looked at him suspiciously.
“You... There is something going on, is there not?”
“A lot of things.”
“A lot?”
“Yes. Take a Heart-Calming Pill before you listen to me later.”
“A Heart-Calming Pill?”
“Yes.”
“Is it really that shocking?”
“Probably?”
Jeok Rihyeon looked at Jeok Mugun.
“Listen to him. I was incredibly shocked too.”
“Even you?”
“Yes. You brat, are you discriminating? Why did you not give me one?”
“Come on. If I had given you a Heart-Calming Pill then, you would have flown into a rage and asked whether I was making fun of you.”
“Hmph. That is true.”
“Haa... What in the world are you all talking about?”
“I will explain later, so please arrange Grandfather’s quarters first.”
“How long are you planning to stay?”
“As long as possible?”
“As long as possible? How long is that?”
“What? Do you want me gone quickly?”
“N-no!”
Jeok Rihyeon waved his hands and even shook his head.
The hurt in Jeok Mugun’s heart eased at the sight.
“I will stay for a reasonable while and leave, so do not worry.”
“I am sorry, Father. I was too flustered and spoke carelessly. You may stay for the rest of your life. My wish was to serve you.”
At Jeok Rihyeon’s words, Jeok Mugun smiled warmly.
To think he had cast aside such a kind son merely because he was weak.
He felt ashamed.
“No. I am sorry too. I came because I want to be a father now, even if it is late. Do not hate me too much.”
“Hate you? I have never once hated or resented you.”
“Thank you for thinking that way.”
“Wait here. I will clear out my room and have it prepared at once.”
“Huh? Ah, there is no need to go that far—”
But before Jeok Mugun could stop him, Jeok Rihyeon was already running away in the distance.
“Honestly...”
“Father seems very happy. Thank you for granting my request, Grandfather.”
“You brat? I should be thanking you. Did you not mend the relationship between father and son? I owe you more than one debt of gratitude.”
“Come on. Family does not owe each other debts. There is no such thing, Grandfather.”
“Is that so? Still, gratitude is gratitude. So? What about becoming the master of Heavenly Martial Castle?”
“No.”
“You heartless brat.”
“I will think about it as positively as I can.”
“Really? Truly?”
“Yes.”
“Ha ha ha! Good! Very good!”
He had gone from saying that it was absolutely impossible, to saying he would think about it, to saying he would think about it positively.
That was an enormous step forward.
Jeok Mugun laughed heartily, then noticed Ye Yahyeon.
His laughter stopped.
Tilting his head, he asked,
“Have we... met somewhere before? Why does your face look so familiar?”
Of course it would not be familiar.
Jeok Mugun had never seen Ye Yahyeon in his current appearance.
Ye Yahyeon concealed his cold sweat and replied,
“Ha ha. That is impossible. If you have been to the imperial palace, there is a chance we may have passed each other.”
“The imperial palace?”
“I am the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
“Oh? The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Forgive my discourtesy.”
“It is nothing. You must be mistaking me for someone who resembles me.”
“That must be it. Still, it is strange. You really do look alike.”
Even as he apologized, Jeok Mugun kept studying Ye Yahyeon.
Jeok Wigang asked casually,
“Who does he resemble?”
“Hm? You would not know even if I told you.”
“Tell me. Maybe I know him.”
“Could that be? There used to be the Four Divine Demons. One of them was remarkably skilled with poison. For some reason, he reminds me of that man.”
Was it instinct born from age?
That uncanny intuition sent a chill down Jeok Wigang’s spine, and a laugh escaped him without his realizing it.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It is nothing.”
“There is something, is there not?”
He could not hide it forever.
“Let us talk after dinner.”
“You expect me to wait until then? Do you want me to die of curiosity?”
“Come on. You will not die over something like that. Do not worry.”
Then Jeok Wigang turned and walked away.
“You brat! Tell me before you leave! What kind of grandson starts telling a story, then walks away halfway through?”
Jeok Mugun hurried after Jeok Wigang.
Watching them go, Ye Yahyeon let out a sigh.
“Damn it. How did he know? That old man is still uncanny as ever.”
At Ye Yahyeon’s words, Son Gang asked,
“What? You know each other?”
“That old man is the monster who subdued our Four Divine Demons.”
“Really?”
“I swore I would take revenge the next time we met, and I trained desperately...”
“That is perfect, then. You can spar with him later.”
Ye Yahyeon stared at him in alarm.
“Do you want to watch someone die?”
“Come on. Big Brother will understand a simple spar. Would it not be a waste? All the time you spent trying to defeat him.”
That was true.
“If you cannot bring it up, I will casually mention it later.”
“...Would you?”
Son Gang grinned and nodded.
“Once the Heavenly Martial Emperor learns your identity, he will probably want to fight you too.”
“Probably.”
“Perfect. Settle it once and for all. Big Brother is here, so neither of you will kill the other. You can fight without holding back.”
“Will Big Brother really allow it?”
Taecheon, who had been quietly listening, spoke.
“Young Master will permit it. But you must steel yourselves. If he does not like how the fight goes, Young Master will not let it slide.”
He would not let it slide?
“Should I just not do it?”
To Ye Yahyeon, Jeok Wigang’s nagging was more frightening than the outcome of the duel.