CLS-Chapter 426

Chapter 426:

Deureureureuk.

Wei Jeong-han’s face bore a refreshing feeling that hadn’t been there in quite some time.

“This is strange indeed.”

The task he was currently handling was by no means a simple one. Coming to what was essentially enemy territory to investigate bizarre incidents he had never seen before couldn’t possibly be easy.

The mental burden was indescribable, and the blade-like gazes piercing his back while he moved around for the investigation always kept him on edge.

But what was this refreshing feeling?

“Hmm…”

Wei Jeong-han twisted his neck several times. When he circulated his energy slightly, it flowed smoothly and surged explosively.

“Strange indeed.”

It was as if he had returned to the body of his youth.

“Did you cough, sir?”

The door to the adjacent room opened and Jang-il came out. Seeing Wei Jeong-han standing there, Jang-il bowed his head respectfully.

“Oh, yes. Did you sleep well last night…”

Wei Jeong-han looked at Jang-il’s face and closed his mouth. After staring blankly at Jang-il’s face for quite some time, Wei Jeong-han spoke in a displeased tone.

“You, did you perhaps catch and eat a dog somewhere? This is the Tang Family’s place. If you did something like that carelessly, it could cause problems.”

“Come now, don’t you know me better than that? I would never do such a thing.”

“Then why is your face so glossy?”

Suspicion appeared on Wei Jeong-han’s face.

Jang-il’s face had become so smooth and glossy that he could hardly be considered a beggar. Rather than a beggar, words like Buddha or jade boy would suit him better.

“Huh?”

Jang-il stroked his own face and chuckled.

“It seems sleeping soundly for once has even improved my skin.”

“Slept soundly?”

“Yes. Aren’t you feeling better as well, Great Hero?”

“Hm? How did you know?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Until now, who has been keeping you awake at night, and haven’t you been having nightmares worrying about what trouble that guy might cause? But since that guy has been quiet these past few days, naturally you can sleep like a baby.”

“That, that’s…”

Wei Jeong-han stammered.

Come to think of it, those words seemed right.

‘Damn it all.’

Wei Jeong-han couldn’t contain his rising absurdity. The reason he felt good for once was because Wei Yan-ho was being quiet.

‘So the tension of operating in enemy territory under so much scrutiny is less stressful than worrying about what trouble that kid might cause?’

Should this be considered Wei Yan-ho’s prestige?

“Ugh, he’s my own son but really…”

Wei Jeong-han shook his head vigorously. But no matter how much he tried to deny it, his body was honest. Wasn’t this refreshed body proof of that?

“When we first came to the Tang Family, I was truly trembling with worry about what trouble that guy might cause, but now that we’re actually here, I feel at ease. I even think it would be nice to live at the Tang Family for the rest of my life.”

Jang-il looked like he would chew and swallow even poisoned rice as long as Wei Yan-ho stayed quiet. While his feelings were understandable, it was also somewhat irritating.

“Still, it seems that guy knows how to read situations. Since he’s the one who caused such a ruckus even in the Imperial Palace, I naturally expected him to cause trouble here too, but he seems to know that this place is different from the Imperial Palace. I don’t know if he’s matured or gotten scared, but it’s truly curious.”

“Still, he’s my son, so I can’t very well badmouth my child in front of his father.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. You seemed to be agreeing so much…”

“Of course I agree.”

What bitterness this was.

To feel relief while badmouthing his own child with someone else. How bitter life could be.

Moreover…

“Hearing your words makes me uneasy.”

“Pardon?”

“Just as you said. Yan-ho has been quiet for a while now.”

“That’s right.”

“But that can’t be right.”

“…Pardon?”

Wei Jeong-han spoke decisively.

“He couldn’t have matured, and he couldn’t have gotten scared. He’s someone who will never mature in his lifetime, and he wasn’t born with any sense of fear to begin with.”

Hearing those words, uneasiness sprouted on Jang-il’s face.

“Surely not…”

“I should go check. Follow me.”

“Me too?”

“Of course.”

“…”

As Wei Jeong-han hardened his expression and headed downstairs with quick steps, Jang-il began following behind him like a cow being dragged to slaughter.

‘My big mouth.’

Jang-il was newly realizing that the mouth was the root of all evil.

“You cannot enter.”

Wei Jeong-han looked at the woman blocking Wei Yan-ho’s door with a strange expression.

“Uh, um…”

So then…

Wei Jeong-han stuck his head out and looked around, then fixed his gaze back on the door.

‘No matter how I look at it, this seems to be that guy’s quarters…’

The faces of the maids in that corner looking this way with bewildered expressions were also familiar. So this must be Wei Yan-ho’s room…

‘Then who is this woman?’

Why was a woman he had never seen before guarding Wei Yan-ho’s door?

Wei Jeong-han squeezed his eyes shut.

‘I should have known better.’

I should have realistic expectations.

It would be faster to hope for dogs to fly through the sky than to hope for Wei Yan-ho to behave quietly.

“Just what kind of creature is this bastard!”

Wei Jeong-han couldn’t contain his fury.

How could this lazy bastard with no equal under heaven be so diligent only when it came to causing trouble! If he’s going to be lazy, at least be consistently lazy! Why! Why is he only diligent at times like this!

His stomach felt like it was boiling.

Just as he was about to shout, Wei Jeong-han noticed strange eyes looking at him.

Behind the woman blocking his path, a small child peeked out their head.

“Uh…”

The shout that was about to burst from his mouth went right back in the moment he saw the child. Seeing those large, frightened eyes, he absolutely couldn’t bring himself to shout.

‘What’s this now?’

The woman was one thing. But what about this child?

Could it be…

“No, no! Absolutely not! What a terrible thing to say!”

The timing didn’t match. When that child was born, Wei Yan-ho was still a child himself, so what the hell!

Wei Jeong-han shook his head violently as if trying to shake off impious thoughts. Such a thing was absolutely impossible.

“Young lady, who exactly are you?”

In the end, Wei Jeong-han chose a direct approach. If you don’t know something, just ask.

“I am Young Hero Wei’s bodyguard.”

“…Bodyguard?”

“Yes.”

Wei Jeong-han’s pupils trembled like an earthquake.

“Listen here, young lady.”

“Yes.”

“Unlike my son, I am a reasonable person.”

“Pardon?”

Wei Jeong-han’s face flushed red.

“Why would that guy who couldn’t be scratched by a sword need a bodyguard!”

“…”

“And that’s not what I’m asking right now! I’ve never seen you even once, so why have you suddenly become my son’s bodyguard overnight and are now blocking me!”

“It would take long to explain.”

“Make it short then, short! I might die of frustration listening to it!”

Jang-il tried to calm Wei Jeong-han down.

“Please calm down, Great Hero.”

“Do I look calm right now?”

“Still, you must calm down. Haven’t you experienced this once or twice? This young lady is surely another victim of Wei Yan-ho, so what good would it do to get angry at such a person?”

“Grrrr…”

Wei Jeong-han repeatedly pounded his chest as if his insides were burning.

However, the one blocking Wei Jeong-han, namely Wu-il, shook her head firmly.

“That’s not right. I am someone who owes that person a debt of gratitude.”

Hearing Wu-il’s words, Jang-il clicked his tongue.

“Listen here, young lady.”

“Yes.”

“Usually everyone starts that way.”

“Pardon?”

Jang-il looked at Wu-il with pity and said,

“Though that guy goes around spreading chaos all over town, he doesn’t deliberately harm anyone. Usually it starts with good intentions, so everyone feels grateful. The problem is that those grateful feelings don’t last even seven days and nights.”

“…”

“I don’t know what the circumstances are, but if you want to live like a human being, forget about gratitude and everything else and run away quickly. You can’t live like a human staying next to that guy. Running away without looking back is the best option.”

Wu-il became like a mute who had eaten honey, staring at the two men.

“Well, that…”

Just as Wu-il was about to speak, urgent footsteps were heard from behind them.

“Hm?”

Wei Jeong-han turned his head to look at the person running toward them.

“What?”

Wei Jeong-han’s face hardened like stone.

The one running in stocking feet was none other than Tang Cheon-gun. Why would that gentleman, the head of the Tang Family and famous throughout the land, be running so urgently…

‘Well, why indeed.’

He already knew the reason. He was just curious about the more detailed circumstances.

And indeed, Tang Cheon-gun didn’t disappoint him.

“What on earth did you do!”

Cutting off the beginning and end and getting straight to the main point – what an admirable approach.

This was actually more comfortable.

“What do you mean?”

“There’s been… there’s been chaos, my friend.”

“What?”

Tang Cheon-gun glanced at Wei Yan-ho’s room and opened his mouth.

“Last night, a strange intruder broke into the Zhuge Family estate.”

“An intruder?”

The corners of Wei Jeong-han’s eyes trembled.

So, an intruder broke into the Zhuge Family estate. An intruder. So a ‘strange intruder.’

He was very curious about the identity of that intruder… no, well…

“What did they do after breaking in?”

“Well… I don’t know what their purpose was, but…”

“Yes.”

“They suddenly broke in, destroyed the Zhuge Family’s formations, and beat up everyone they came across.”

Now even his cheeks began to tremble.

“Beat them up?”

“That’s right. They didn’t kill anyone, just beat everyone up. Everyone they beat went flying like marbles…”

This was strange.

What was this sense of déjà vu?

It was definitely a story he was hearing for the first time, yet it felt like a story he had heard… no, seen many times before.

“And they also destroyed half of the Zhuge Family’s pavilions. That intruder did.”

Wei Jeong-han slowly turned his head.

Flinch.

The woman blocking the door cowered and lowered her head at Wei Jeong-han’s gaze.

‘Even if someone tried to make it obvious, they couldn’t make it this obvious.’

It would be less obvious to write ‘I was involved in that incident yesterday’ on her face and walk around with it.

“Is that so?”

Wei Jeong-han laughed emptily.

Right.

I should have known.

There was no way he would have stayed quiet.

“No matter how I think about it, that intruder…”

“…Yes, that intruder, that intruder… sigh, an intruder…”

Wei Jeong-han raised his hand and roughly rubbed his face.

Damn it all.

It was too sad that he couldn’t confidently shout ‘Why do you suspect my son first!’ at times like this. But no matter how much he thought about it, that intruder’s surname was probably Wei and his name was probably Yan-ho. No matter how much he thought about it.

“Grrrrr.”

Right.

Since the trouble was already caused, he should at least know the reason. That way he’d be a little less frustrated.

Having steeled his resolve, Wei Jeong-han looked at Wu-il.

“Do you have no intention of moving aside?”

“…I cannot.”

When the perfectly predictable response came back, Wei Jeong-han smiled gently.

Well, then there was no choice.

“Huuuuu.”

After taking a deep breath, Wei Jeong-han looked at Wu-il and said,

“Cover them.”

“…Pardon?”

“Cover the child’s ears. Their eardrums will burst.”

Realizing what Wei Jeong-han’s words meant, Wu-il quickly covered So-ryeo-gun’s ears with both hands. At the same time, blood vessels bulged in Wei Jeong-han’s neck, and a terrifying roar erupted.

“Get your ass out here right now, you damned bastard son!”

At Wei Jeong-han’s voice that put even a lion’s roar to shame, roof tiles from the pavilion came tumbling down to the ground.