CLS-Chapter 180

Chapter 180

Wei San-ho was strong.

Eon-hyo had to acknowledge this fact. It was something he couldn’t help but acknowledge. Wasn’t Wei San-ho the one who had graduated as valedictorian from the Dormant Dragon Academy, breaking nearly every record since the academy’s founding?

It wasn’t just because he graduated as valedictorian—the instructors all acknowledged that among all those who had completed the Dormant Dragon Academy, he stood in an absolutely unparalleled position.

Wei San-ho was someone who had received evaluations that perhaps he was witnessing a once-in-a-generation genius in martial arts.

The next Greatest Under Heaven was naturally a foregone conclusion, and the question was simply when he would claim that title—Wei San-ho was the strongest rising star in history.

‘That was until Wei Yan-ho appeared.’

If Wei San-ho was a promising candidate, Wei Yan-ho was a martial artist who had already entered the stage where he could discuss being the Greatest Under Heaven.

Others might tell him to stop talking nonsense, but Eon-hyo, who had witnessed with his own two eyes the scene of Wei Yan-ho beating the Twin Demons of the Ghost Path like dogs, knew that this “nonsense” was the truth.

So he couldn’t understand those words.

No matter how much Wei San-ho was his younger brother, his martial prowess absolutely couldn’t match Wei Yan-ho’s.

Absolutely not! Even if the heavens collapsed!

But what was this about beating him up?

Wei Yan-ho’s reaction was strange too.

“B-Brother! I didn’t mean to do that!”

What?

It felt like watching a cat trembling in fear of a mouse, cowering in a corner.

Living in this world, such things could happen. It wouldn’t be strange if there were a few timid cats in the world who were afraid of mice.

But…

If that cat was normally one that didn’t know the meaning of fear, the situation became very strange.

Right now that is exactly the case.

Wei Yan-ho, who had treated instructors and military officers and everyone else like neighborhood friends, was looking at Wei San-ho and was not just cowering—he was breaking out in cold sweat.

“B-Brother!”

Wei San-ho strode toward Wei Yan-ho.

“No! I didn’t mean to do that!”

Wei Yan-ho desperately made excuses, but Wei San-ho seemed to have no intention of listening to those excuses.

“So what I’m saying is!”

Wei Yan-ho tried to convey something with gestures and movements, but human expression shines only when there’s someone willing to listen. No amount of eloquence means anything to someone who has no intention of listening at all.

Wei San-ho approached right up to Wei Yan-ho and looked down at him quietly.

“No, what I’m saying is!”

“You rotten brat!”

Thunk!

Wei San-ho’s fist mercilessly struck down on Wei Yan-ho’s head.

“Aaaahhh!”

Wei Yan-ho grabbed his head and slumped to the ground.

‘He got hit?’

Eon-hyo was so shocked his heart seemed to leap to his throat as he stared at Wei San-ho and Wei Yan-ho.

It wasn’t a fist loaded with much force. If he had wanted to dodge, he could have.

But why didn’t Wei Yan-ho dodge that fist?

“The situation!”

Thunk!

“Should be resolved!”

Thunk!

“Before you come home!”

Thunk!

“Where have you been wandering around!”

Thwack!

‘Is he nailing it in?’

“Ahhhhh!”

Wei Yan-ho flared up and shouted.

“I wrote a letter! I wrote a letter saying I had circumstances that prevented me from coming home!”

Thunk!

But the fist showed no mercy.

“Where do you get off raising your voice at your older brother?”

“Uuuuu…”

‘Did he become docile?’

It felt like witnessing something mystical.

It was like watching a fiercely rampaging beast meet its trainer and sit obediently in place, taking a beating with a switch.

Even though the beast could bite the trainer to death anytime it wanted, it was fascinating to see how well it obeyed.

“Honestly, why should I be getting beaten up!”

That’s right.

The beast wouldn’t keep taking a beating obediently forever!

“It’s because you left me behind! I kept telling you not to go! You said you’d be back soon, but you didn’t come back and left me behind, so I got caught in that heavy rain trying to find shelter, and that’s how this happened!”

“Where do you get off!”

Wei San-ho glared and raised his hand again.

“Eek!”

Wei Yan-ho covered his head with both hands and hunched over.

“I-I was wrong!”

No matter how strong he had become, it seemed the behavioral patterns drilled into him from childhood hadn’t disappeared.

But Wei San-ho didn’t hit Wei Yan-ho.

Squeeze!

Wei San-ho pulled the hunched-over Wei Yan-ho into a tight embrace.

“…I’m sorry.”

Wei Yan-ho’s body trembled.

These were words he had never heard even once. And words he had never once thought would come from Wei San-ho’s mouth.

“Why, why are you being so embarrassing?”

He tried to push his brother away awkwardly, but suddenly something wet touched his nape.

“…”

Wei Yan-ho, guessing what that wet thing was, let out a low sigh and said:

“…I was wrong, Brother. Even if it was raining, I should have stayed where you told me to stay.”

He thought he would find him.

To him, Wei San-ho was someone who could do anything. No matter where he went or how he was resting, he would surely find him.

He had been foolish and stupid.

“Welcome back.”

Feeling Wei San-ho’s hand patting his back, Wei Yan-ho felt an inexplicable warmth.

‘So this is what family was.’

It was a different kind of warmth from what he felt with his master.

Just as he was about to feel something tickling inside, a problem arose.

“Yan-hooooooo!”

“Huh?”

A voice calling him could be heard from far away.

“Oh, Mother!”

Wei Yan-ho’s head shot up. No matter how many years had passed, he couldn’t forget his mother’s voice!

“Motherrrrr!”

As Wei San-ho let him go, Wei Yan-ho turned his head this way and that, looking for the source of the voice. Han Sang-ah was running toward Wei Yan-ho, having climbed over the outer wall of the training ground.

“Mother!”

Wei Yan-ho spread his arms wide and ran toward Han Sang-ah.

It was his mother he was seeing after five years. How could he not be overjoyed?

“Mother, I missed you so…”

Han Sang-ah, who had approached like lightning, grabbed Wei Yan-ho’s cheeks with both hands and pressed them.

“Mmmother… dis huwts so much.”

“Oh my! My child! My child!”

Han Sang-ah was half out of her mind. After pressing Wei Yan-ho’s cheeks, stretching them, and turning his face this way and that, she pulled Wei Yan-ho into a tight embrace and patted his back thwack, thwack.

“Where have you been all this time! Where did you go!”

“…Mother, gently!”

Smack! Smack!

The sound of the back-patting grew increasingly violent.

“You rascal! Five years without a single word! You rascal!”

“Ah! Ow! Ah!”

With one hand she embraced him and stroked his head, while with the other hand she was beating his back like dried fish.

“Ah! Either hit me or be happy, pick one!”

Thunk!

Wei San-ho, who had been watching the situation from behind, mercilessly struck Wei Yan-ho’s head.

“Where do you get off being rude to Mother!”

“Uuuuhhhh.”

“Let me see, my child! Your face is badly hurt. How much must you have suffered to become this ugly!”

Mom… isn’t that an insult?

“You used to be as handsome as San-ho.”

That’s not true.

I was originally like a webfoot octopus compared to him.

It seemed her memories had become quite twisted during their time apart.

Wei Yan-ho clearly remembered the words that came from his mother’s mouth when he was just old enough to understand: “They’re both my children, so why do they look so different?”

Wei Yan-ho wasn’t ugly enough to be called ugly anywhere he went. No, objectively speaking, he had a face that deserved to be called handsome.

As long as he didn’t stand next to Wei San-ho.

Wei San-ho was just handsome, regardless of objectivity or subjectivity. Wasn’t he the epitome of masculine good looks?

“…This is making me feel emotional all over again.”

Streeetch.

Han Sang-ah grabbed and stretched Wei Yan-ho’s cheeks.

“Look at this lack of skin elasticity!”

If it stretches any more than that, it won’t be human anymore, Mom.

“Oh my, my child! How much hardship must you have endured to become so gaunt!”

He understood she was worried about him, but Wei Yan-ho had been getting a slightly unpleasant feeling since earlier.

“Tch.”

He was about to get annoyed, but feeling his mother’s hand stroking his back and his brother’s hand stroking his head, Wei Yan-ho stuck out his tongue and sighed.

‘I deserved that beating.’

With this kind of beating, he could take a thousand more.

No, maybe just a hundred.

…Just ten.

“How did you get all the way here?”

“I heard you were around the Martial Alliance area, so I dropped everything and came running.”

“Ah…”

He couldn’t understand exactly how she had gotten here, but it sounded like she had searched that hard for Wei Yan-ho. Come to think of it, hadn’t she been so enthusiastic in looking for him that she even posted a bounty with the Hao Clan?

“What about Father?”

“Your father is…”

Han Sang-ah tilted her head and looked back.

“Where did that man go?”

“Didn’t he come with you?”

Wei San-ho, who had come out first, also didn’t know where Wei Jeong-han was.

“I came running without looking back when I heard you were at the academy training ground, and I naturally thought he would follow.”

“Hmm…”

Wei San-ho and Han Sang-ah tilted their heads, but Wei Yan-ho didn’t particularly care.

‘I’ll see him soon anyway.’

Of course, he wanted to see his father too, but compared to his longing to see his mother, it was quite a paltry yearning.

“Anyway…”

As Wei Yan-ho was about to change the subject, something strange caught his eye.

“Isn’t that Father over there?”

“Your father?”

Han Sang-ah turned her head in the direction Wei Yan-ho was pointing.

“…Is, is that him?”

It was a strange answer, but from Han Sang-ah’s perspective, it was an unavoidable answer.

In that short time, the person had appeared with disheveled hair and half-torn clothes—how could she recognize him immediately?

“Your father… why does he look like that?”

“…”

Han Sang-ah and Wei San-ho stared at Wei Jeong-han with stunned faces.

“Kehehehe.”

And Wei Jeong-han was constantly letting out foolish laughter as he approached them.

“Wei Yan-hoooooo.”

“…”

With an ominous premonition, Wei Yan-ho slowly backed away. For a father-son reunion after five years, it was quite a bizarre scene.

“You rascallllll!”

Wei Jeong-han, filled with rage, began running toward Wei Yan-ho. Wei Yan-ho could only run away without understanding why.

“No! Why are you doing this!”

“Come here! A father and son meeting after five years should share some affection! Plenty of it!”

“That’s not the face of someone wanting to share affection!”

“Stop right there, you brat!”

Wei Jeong-han shouted, breathing fire from his mouth.

“You little rascal, you’d better know you’re dead if I catch you!”

Eon-hyo, who had been quietly watching the situation, smiled slightly and brushed his nose.

“What a mess.”

***

“So that’s how he ended up going home?”

“Home?”

At the Four Paths’ question, Guangqushen chuckled.

“Home, you say… Of course, Wei Yan-ho’s heart must have been desperate to return home. But it wasn’t a situation where he could return, was it? He thought his body was under a prohibition.”

“That’s right.”

“But what do you think? Even if there had been no prohibition, could he have returned home?”

“…Excuse me?”

Guangqushen tapped the ground with his finger.

“Don’t you understand?”

“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying…”

“The stories you’ve heard so far. Why weren’t these stories passed down.”

The Four Paths nodded.

Certainly, Guangqushen had said that Wei Yan-ho’s story wasn’t worth passing down to later generations. He said that Wei Yan-ho was too lazy and was human scum, so his story wasn’t worth telling.

Although the Wei Yan-ho he had heard about so far was lazy and human scum, but still quite an interesting person. He couldn’t see any reason why it couldn’t be passed down.

“The stories up to now are just the beginning. Now the real story will continue. Listen once and think about it—can this story really be passed down to later generations?”

The Four Paths stiffened his face without answering.