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Chapter 3: Prodigal Son
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Shirtless, with his left hand behind his back and a sword in his right, he aimed the blade at his midsection. He had been standing in that posture for so long that Yeon-wi's upper body was drenched in sweat.
The cold autumn breeze created a translucent haze around his body. His breathing was somewhat rough, but quiet.
"How did they seem to be getting along?"
"Pardon?"
"I asked how the two of them looked together."
Kang-yoon spoke honestly about what he had felt.
"It was only for a moment, so I couldn't tell for sure. However, the atmosphere didn't seem bad."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Yeon-wi, who had been staring at the tip of his sword for an hour, finally relaxed his stance.
Shhh.
The sound of the sword sliding into its scabbard was as smooth as a melody.
'He said he ordered it himself?'
Kang-yoon's report puzzled Yeon-wi.
The first son hated the second son to the point of loathing, treating him as if he didn't exist at all.
And Yeon-wi knew why the first son hated the second son.
But he'd confessed that he ordered it himself? Why would he?
"Anything else of note?"
"No, there weren't."
"I see."
Kang-yoon bowed sharply.
"I will summon the head of the Law Blade Pavilion."
"No need."
"Pardon?"
"I said there's no need to summon him."
Honest doubt clouded Kang-yoon's face, which had been as stiff as a wooden doll.
"Aren't you going to question the Second Young Master?"
Yeon-wi stared at Kang-yoon without a word.
Kang-yoon's complexion turned pale. Meeting the clan leader's gaze, he felt as if hundreds of swords were piercing his body.
"Leader Kang."
"Yes, yes!"
"Remember your rank."
"I am sorry!"
"You may leave."
Kang-yoon bowed deeply and retreated respectfully.
Yeon-wi looked up at the sky.
There wasn't a single cloud. The breeze was cool, and the sunlight was just right.
'Maybe it's not a big deal?'
At the ancestral rites, he was shocked to see the first son suddenly hug the second son.
It's easy to lie, but harder to fake actions. The first son, as he hugged the second son, was clearly overcome with emotion.
And Yeon-wi felt it too.
Yeon-wi felt unexplainable confusion at the sight of his first son, who had never approached his father like that before.
'Is he up to something?'
At eighteen, he was a grown man. If he weren't part of the martial world, he'd be married by now.
However, the first son had never shown any maturity. Even his own father didn't know what he was thinking.
Yeon-wi drew the sword from his waist and threw it onto the weapon rack.
Clang!
The rack shook violently. It looked like an ordinary longsword, but this specially made sword was a heavy sword weighing twenty geun (about 26 pounds).
"Wang-jeon."
"Yes, Clan Leader."
A faint voice echoed from the empty air.
"When are the Namgungs supposed to get here?"
"They said in about four days."
"Is someone from the Namgung family coming with them?"
"Yes, the youngest daughter of the Namgung Clan Leader. She's auditing classes at the academy where the Second Young Master studies."
"Is that so?"
He had no interest in the clan leader's daughter. But he'd heard that one of the Namgung Clan leaders was visiting. It was a rare honor to host such a distinguished guest.
"Tell the head of the Guest Hall to have everything ready for guests in two days."
"Understood."
A hint of fatigue flickered in Yeon-wi's otherwise impassive eyes.
At least, it didn't seem to be because of his sons.
Three days flew by.
He had a lot to think about and a lot to sort out. Even though it was a punishment, it was valuable time for Yeon-hojeong.
Yeon-hojeong, who had returned to his room, organized his thoughts.
"This is what I have to do: prepare and prevent."
The Yeon Clan will be destroyed in a year and five months.
And twenty years from now, the Saim Cult (Cult of Evil) will turn the Central Plains into hell.
Neither of these problems could be taken lightly. The Yeon Clan was his family, and the Saim Cult's rebellion would engulf the entire Central Plains. If he didn't stop the Saim Cult, his family would be in danger too.
The Saim Cult's first attack in the Central Plains was in Gangso Province (Jiangsu Province), where the Yeon Clan was located.
'There are two other enemies just as formidable as the Saim Cult. To head them off, I need to start preparing now.'
His head was spinning.
Yeon-hojeong took a few deep breaths to calm his mind and soon made a decision.
'Okay, enough. Forget the Saim Cult. The main family is what's important now.'
Now that he was back in the past, he could do things he couldn't before.
However, Yeon-hojeong did not set too many unnecessary goals. He was quick to figure out what was most important and what to do first.
What's important now is the family.
To protect the family?
Yeon-hojeong lightly slapped his cheek.
"First, I need to check my body."
Sitting cross-legged on the floor near the bed, he examined his body.
'As expected.'
He'd checked it several times in the Punishment Hall, but it was still disappointing.
'I don't even know where to start.'
Compared to others his age, his internal energy was considerable. Even Yeon Ji-pyeong, who was stronger than Yeon Ho-jeong, had less internal energy.
But, as always, quality mattered more than quantity.
'My Flying Swallow Heart Method (Biyun Shimbeop) is only at the seventh level?'
The Flying Swallow Heart Method was the basic heart method of the Byeoksan Yeon Clan. It wasn't a high-level technique, and it wasn't very powerful.
It was basic, yet he'd only reached the seventh level at eighteen.
Yeon-hojeong was inwardly bitter.
'I definitely wasn't gifted.'
To move on to the next technique, he needed to reach at least the ninth level of the Flying Swallow Heart Method.
Yeon-hojeong had barely reached the ninth level a few days before the family was destroyed. But Yeon Ji-pyeong had mastered it at sixteen.
That's how big the difference in their talent was.
Yeon-hojeong closed his eyes.
'The Flying Swallow Heart Method is nothing now. I might as well finish it off.'
Even after twenty-six years, he still remembered the gugyeol of the heart method perfectly.
He recited the verses of the heart method.
Swish, swish.
A faint haze rose from his cross-legged body.
The jingi (True Qi) wasn't visible yet. He had enough internal energy, but his body wasn't used to balgyeong.
But only for a moment.
Whoosh.
His dantian stirred.
Compared to when he was the Black Demon Emperor, his dantian, acupoints, meridians, and body were all crude. But he'd completely mastered the Flying Swallow Heart Method in his mind. He should be able to make it work.
A moment later.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A faint greenish-yellow glow mixed with the haze rising from his shoulders.
It was still faint and flickering.
Cold sweat broke out on Yeon-hojeong's forehead.
'It's not easy.'
But it wasn't impossible.
Flick!
His shoulder twitched.
Thump! Thud!
His arms twitched erratically, from his upper arms to his forearms.
The same was true for his cross-legged legs. Jingi was spreading to his limbs, gradually breaking through the blocked acupoints.
Another half hour passed.
A drop of sweat fell from Yeon-hojeong's nose with a thud.
Dark red blood trickled from his nose. The jingi had risen to his head, where many acupoints were clustered.
'Done.'
Yeon-hojeong smiled slightly.
'If I complete the final circulation.'
Buzz! Buzz!
A slightly brighter greenish-yellow haze radiated from his entire body.
"Hoo."
Yeon-hojeong took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and uncrossed his legs.
"I thought this would be easy, but it's tougher than I expected."
He stood up.
Yeon-hojeong clenched and unclenched his fists and nodded.
"That's a little better."
His body was the same, but his internal energy flowed differently, and many more acupoints were open. Now he had a foundation for learning real internal energy.
His progress was incredibly fast.
"Now things get serious."
Yeon-hojeong thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"I've already decided. No point in hesitating. Let's not waste any time."
After a quick bath and a change of clothes, he headed straight for the clan leader's chamber.
On his way, many people greeted Yeon-hojeong.
"Greetings, First Young Master."
"First Young Master."
Formal, courteous greetings.
But there was no real respect or deference in their greetings, though no disrespect either.
They were stiff and impassive, almost cold. Whatever they were thinking, their words and actions were perfectly proper.
'A rigid rule of law.'
He felt the atmosphere of the family anew.
He naturally compared it to the atmosphere of the Black Demon Fortress.
'The Yeon Clan was probably better than the Black Demon Fortress.'
In the long run, the Yeon Clan's atmosphere seemed better. It might be lacking in warmth, but at least the chain of command was clear.
But it was too rigid. That kind of atmosphere was bound to cause problems down the line.
'But that's not my problem right now.'
Soon, he stood in front of the clan leader's chamber.
Two gatekeepers (Gate Guards) guarded the entrance. They were middle-aged warriors, one with a sword and the other with a dao.
"Greetings, First Young Master. What brings you here?"
"I'm here to see my father."
The eyes of the gatekeeper with the sword twinkled.
The First Young Master had never come to see the clan leader on his own before.
"Did the clan leader give you any instructions we don't know about?"
"No, nothing like that."
"Then you can't go in."
Yeon-hojeong frowned.
"It's urgent. Tell him I'm here."
"I'm sorry. The clan leader gave strict orders not to let anyone in before noon."
"Strict orders?"
"I came at the wrong time. Can you just pass on a message for me?"
"Of course."
"Good. Just tell him this."
"Go ahead."
"Tell him I'm going to learn the Azure Silk True Incantation (Byeokrasinjeol) ahead of time."
The gatekeepers' eyes widened.
"What?"
"Didn't you hear me? Just tell him I'm going to learn the Azure Silk True Incantation."
Yeon-hojeong turned his back.
"We'll be on our way, then."
"H-hold on!"
"Yeah?"
"Did you just say the Azure Silk True Incantation?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
The gatekeepers gaped.
Yeon-hojeong frowned.
"You're not deaf, are you?"
"......"
"Make sure you tell him. So there's no confusion later."
Yeon-hojeong walked away, leaving the shocked gatekeepers behind. He suddenly saw a young boy.
"Ji-pyeong?"
"Huh? Brother, you're here?!"
"Yeah, I was just going to see Father."
Yeon Ji-pyeong looked at Yeon Ho-jeong, surprised.
In a family where everyone seemed to wear a mask, Yeon Ji-pyeong was the most genuine.
Yeon-hojeong couldn't help but smile.
"What are you doing here?"
"Just some things. What about you? Were you going to see Father too?"
Yeon Ji-pyeong pouted.
"I was looking for you, Brother. You weren't in your room."
"Me? Why?"
"I said I'd treat you to a meal. I even found a good place."
"Oh?"
Yeon-hojeong coughed, as if he'd just remembered.
"Well, we don't have to eat out. We can eat here..."
Yeon-hojeong couldn't finish. He saw Yeon Ji-pyeong's eyes welling up.
His mouth suddenly felt dry.
"How about we go out for a meal, then? Get some fresh air?"
Yeon Ji-pyeong's face lit up.
"Yes!"
Yeon Ji-pyeong, excited, led Yeon Ho-jeong toward the main gate, swaggering like a conquering general.
Yeon-hojeong sighed inwardly.
'Azure Silk True Incantation, you'll have to wait.'
