CLS-Chapter 428

Chapter 428:

Wei Jeong-han came to realize that a person could reproach another with just their gaze alone.

There was no other way to explain the looks that were now pouring down on him.

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

He understood that he needed to make some excuse, but what words could he possibly say in this situation?

Fortunately, noticing that his words had been cut off, Tang Cheon-gun spoke for him instead.

“…Did you really say such a thing?”

“Ah, no, I misspoke. What I meant was…”

Wei Jeong-han desperately began searching for an excuse.

“What on earth were you thinking when you said such a thing? Don’t you know your own son? Haven’t you learned anything despite suffering so much at his hands all this time?”

I have learned.

I’ve learned quite painfully.

But this case is a little different…

As Wei Jeong-han hemmed and hawed, Tang Cheon-gun clicked his tongue as if he understood perfectly.

“Well, I can see what happened. The Divine Strategy Master probably told you to go make some show of force.”

“…”

“And that bastard is just the right person for the job. Since he’s the type who would just hole up in his room and do nothing if left alone, you deliberately loosened his leash to let him cause some trouble?”

“I apologize.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. After all, we’re all moving with mutual purposes in mind. But…”

Tang Cheon-gun cracked his neck left and right.

“You certainly do like taking the long way around. If that’s what you wanted, you should have just asked Wei Yan-ho to help me directly. Is there anyone who knows Wei Yan-ho’s power better than I do? Have him help me regain full authority. Then I’ll give the Righteous Martial Alliance’s words top priority consideration.”

“Yes, Family Head. If I had known you thought so highly of Yan-ho, I wouldn’t have gone through such troublesome methods.”

‘This bastard, you can’t talk like that.’

Though he put it diplomatically, wasn’t he essentially saying that if he’d known Tang Cheon-gun was so afraid of Wei Yan-ho, he would have chosen a different path?

‘Like father, like son indeed.’

Tang Cheon-gun had made up his mind to cooperate fully with the Righteous Martial Alliance if this matter was resolved smoothly. Otherwise, that damn Divine Strategy Master might send those Wei family bastards to the Tang Family again.

Just facing these guys felt like his lifespan was shortening day by day.

“Right, that’s what I thought…”

Tang Cheon-gun tilted his head.

“But there’s still something I don’t understand. Was it really necessary to go as far as the Zhuge Family? If you wanted trouble, there was plenty he could have caused within the Tang Family. It’s not like that bastard would have the noble intention of not causing trouble in his own residence.”

“…You have a rather unfavorable view of my son’s basic character.”

“Think back to what you said to your son just a moment ago. I understand the feeling that only I can criticize my own child, but your child has already left your hands. It’s time to let go with a broader perspective.”

“Are you telling me to let him be criticized on a grand scale?”

“Ahem, is that how it sounds?”

Tang Cheon-gun played dumb slightly.

Wei Jeong-han felt sick inside, but he couldn’t get angry at Tang Cheon-gun. Whether by status or power, the two were no match for each other.

It was only because of that son of his that Wei Jeong-han could now speak with Tang Cheon-gun as an equal.

“Anyway, you don’t know the reason either?”

“No. Honestly, there’s probably no one who knows what’s inside that bastard’s head. There were two people who understood him somewhat, but one seems to be dead, and the other one…”

Wei Jeong-han let out a deep sigh.

“If only San-ho were here, it wouldn’t be this frustrating.”

“Cheer up.”

“Yes. I must stay strong.”

Wei Jeong-han shook his head.

“No matter how much we try to figure out what Yan-ho is thinking, we won’t reach a conclusion. He’s strangely tight-lipped, so if he doesn’t want to talk, he won’t speak even with a blade at his throat.”

“Isn’t it more that there’s no one brave enough to put a blade to that bastard’s throat?”

“That might be it too.”

Wei Jeong-han chuckled and opened his mouth.

“What’s the Zhuge Family’s reaction?”

“…That’s the problem.”

“Pardon?”

Tang Cheon-gun let out a deep sigh. Whenever Wei Yan-ho got involved in something, things always became a bit strange.

“If an intruder had broken in and turned their family upside down, they should be frantically searching for that intruder with fire in their eyes by now, but strangely, there’s no reaction at all.”

“You said there’s no reaction?”

“That’s right. Well, I can’t know all their internal affairs, so they might be plotting something separately. But from the outside, they don’t seem to be doing anything particular. Usually when something like this happens, they would have requested our cooperation too, but there’s no sign of that either.”

It was a mysterious matter.

The incident was enormous, yet strangely, its aftermath wasn’t visible. It was bizarre and more bizarre.

“With other sects, you could drag a couple of underlings and interrogate them to get the full story, but this Zhuge Family is a place where such cunning bastards gather that they absolutely won’t let slip any words that shouldn’t get out.”

“So in the end, we have nothing certain.”

“That’s right.”

Jang-il, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke up.

“May I ask one question?”

“Fox-Dog. What is it?”

“I’m having trouble finding the main point in this conversation. What exactly is the purpose of the discussion you two are having?”

“Hmm?”

“Is Wei Yan-ho causing trouble really such a big deal? Isn’t it something that happens all the time?”

“Tsk tsk.”

Annoyance appeared on Tang Cheon-gun’s face. Jang-il flinched at Tang Cheon-gun’s gaze, which looked at him as if he were pathetic.

“Fox-Dog, you’re still quite lacking. The Sect Leader must have great worries.”

“He does have great worries, but what am I not understanding?”

“Listen here, Fox-Dog.”

“Yes.”

“There are no stupid people among masters.”

“…Pardon?”

“I mean it literally. This is something you can know from experience. Among those called masters in the martial world, there isn’t a single stupid person. They’re all excessively clever.”

“Well, that’s…”

“It’s natural. Martial arts may start with the body, but later you learn with the mind. At first, you can get ahead with physical superiority, but as you ascend higher, wisdom becomes more important. In the end, those who are only physically gifted but mentally lacking hit a wall and can’t rise to higher levels. Conversely, those called supreme masters in the martial world all possess genius-level minds.”

“I understand what you’re saying.”

“What do you think about Wei Yan-ho?”

“Well…”

Jang-il closed his mouth.

If he said Wei Yan-ho was stupid, he’d probably get cursed at, but saying Wei Yan-ho was actually smart somehow felt unpleasant.

“He must be brilliant. More than we think.”

“Logic and circumstances say so, but I don’t want to acknowledge it.”

“Whether you acknowledge it or not isn’t important. What matters is that it’s the truth. Wei Yan-ho is lazy. Incredibly lazy. But that lazy person had a reason important enough to move his heavy body to push against the Zhuge Family.”

“Couldn’t it just be speculation? With that bastard, ‘I just felt like it’ would be convincing enough.”

“…That’s true too.”

“…”

Once again, cold air swept through the room.

“Ahem! Anyway!”

Tang Cheon-gun summarized the situation.

“Since it doesn’t seem like he just moved randomly, keep watching the situation.”

‘This old man, how did I end up hanging around with him so naturally?’

Jang-il couldn’t help but chuckle.

When he thought about it, it really was amazing.

Though as a person, he had no choice but to be part of the anti-Wei Yan-ho front, what was this naturalness?

If he had met Tang Cheon-gun just a year ago, Jang-il wouldn’t have dared to think of conversing with him. Not only because their positions were different, but he had never thought he could chat so casually with those belonging to the Heavenly Alliance.

It wasn’t only the Demonic Cult that united the martial world as one.

***

So Ryeo-gun looked at her sister with slightly dazed eyes.

‘Sister.’

She had closed and opened her eyes several times, but the sister before her eyes wasn’t disappearing. There had been a few similar cases before, but thinking it was a dream, when she closed and opened her eyes, she always disappeared…

So Ryeo-gun reached out and grasped her sister’s collar. It was a cautious touch, not daring to touch her body directly.

Then Wu-il turned her head and smiled gently.

“What’s wrong, Ryeo-gun? Are you hungry?”

Shake shake.

So Ryeo-gun shook her head and put strength into the hand gripping the collar.

‘This isn’t a dream.’

Her sister was right there before her eyes.

Her eyes kept getting misty.

After being taken hostage by the Zhuge Family, she too had undergone harsh training to become an intelligence agent.

The reason she could endure that training, which was hard for a young body to bear, was the hope that someday she could meet her sister again. And now, what she had only considered a dream had come true.

“Ryeo-gun.”

“Yes, sister.”

“It seems the Young Master will wake up soon, so could you go inside and bring the water bottle? I need to fill it with water.”

“Okay.”

So Ryeo-gun nodded and quietly turned around.

Though she didn’t want to be separated from her sister, she knew she had to help her. So Ryeo-gun carefully opened the door and hurried into the room with quick steps.

The room was luxurious.

It was naturally luxurious since it was the highest grade guest room of the Tang Family. On a bed pressed against one wall of that luxurious room, a large grub was currently curled up.

‘Benefactor!’

So Ryeo-gun quietly looked at the grub on the bed and then bowed her head deeply.

She knew too.

Though her sister had saved her, it was all thanks to this person that her sister could save her. If this man hadn’t confronted the Zhuge Family, So Ryeo-gun would never have been able to meet her sister again.

‘I must repay him.’

If you receive a favor, you must naturally repay it. So Ryeo-gun made a firm resolution to definitely repay this debt and scurried toward the water bottle placed in front of the bed.

So Ryeo-gun, who was about to pick up the water bottle, hesitated and turned her head to look at Wei Yan-ho on the bed.

He really was an amazing person.

His age didn’t seem much different from her sister’s, so how could he face that frightening Zhuge Family alone?

So Ryeo-gun stared at Wei Yan-ho for a long time with eyes that looked at some fascinating creature. But Wei Yan-ho, as if completely unaware of such presence, didn’t move at all while curled up like a ball.

‘Water bottle.’

So Ryeo-gun, remembering what she had come into the room for, turned her head again and picked up the water bottle. Then she turned around to leave the room.

At that moment, a half-sleepy voice came from behind her.

“That, that… give me some water, water.”

So Ryeo-gun was startled and turned around. Wei Yan-ho, who had awakened at some point, was looking at her while reaching out his hand.