The Jinzhou Eon Clan, which had been shrouded in a subtle tension, was finally turned upside down.
It wasn't because Eon Ga-hye, who had disappeared without a word, had finally returned—even if she had come back having uncovered the Demonic Cult's schemes, even if she had become the one who took down a heavyweight like the Blood Flame Fist Demon.
"What?! You're saying she's to marry that simple-minded, uncouth son of the Paeng Clan?!"
"Ha! What's wrong with my son that you'd say such a thing?! …But Woo-jin. Is what you just said true?"
It was because the two Harmony Realm martial artists, who had been engaged in a subtle war of nerves, had finally begun to snarl at each other in earnest.
Of course, with people around and no real reason to fight to the death, neither drew their weapons nor released their Aura.
The atmosphere was simply murderous.
Harmony Realm martial artists often carry an aura similar to the very thing they have pursued their entire lives.
The scene before him felt closer to a house-sized great tiger and a massive ghost wreathed in enormous gwigi engaged in a heated argument.
Normally, fear would be the natural response. Yet through it all, Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye held each other's hands tightly.
Those two really had some nerve. That was no ordinary courage and resolve.
Well. His own situation wasn't all that different.
"So? Can you explain how this came to be, son-in-law?"
It wasn't quite hostility. Just a bit of pent-up frustration that had slipped out, given form by his Aura.
He understood. The man had only one daughter, and she had nearly died out there. And the son-in-law who had fortunately protected her kept sticking his head into danger day after day.
Even an absolute master of the Harmony Realm is still human, after all. They, too, sometimes fail to hold back their emotions and let them slip.
Still, that alone was enough to send a chill down one's spine, as if sticking one's head into the jaws of a snake dripping with venom.
Of course, a merely hostile atmosphere like this doesn't work on me. After all, I didn't even raise my sword against the Heavenly Demon, the undeniable number one of past and present. Well, I died immediately, but still.
"I believe there's a misunderstanding, father-in-law. It wasn't I who ran away—it was Tang So-wol. I was merely dragged into it."
"Young hero Cheon?!"
…What I mean is, I'm neither frightened by Tang Jincheon's anger nor trying to flee.
I'm simply unable to lie to my father-in-law as a son-in-law, so I'm only telling the truth.
"You've betrayed me, young hero Cheon…!"
"Betrayal, you say. That's an unpleasant word to hear. How could I possibly lie to a father-in-law who was worried about us and, knowingly or not, helped us so much? It's absolutely not because you said a moment ago over Voice Transmission that you'd be lenient if I spoke honestly."
"Father?! That's the same message you sent to me via Voice Transmission! This isn't even a cross-examination, what is this…!"
Tang So-wol covered her mouth with a slightly shocked expression. But I know, having watched her closely both before the regression and after, that she's only pretending to be shocked.
She's trying to soften Tang Jincheon's anger, weak as he is toward his daughter, even just a little.
Well, maybe calling it a scheme is too much. From the moment I brought it up, Tang So-wol must have roughly caught on to my intention, so it'd be more accurate to call it an improvised coordination.
But there was one thing we overlooked.
No matter how long I've spent by Tang So-wol's side when you add up the time before the regression, Tang Jincheon is family who's watched her since she was toddling around on all fours for twenty years.
Our shallow trick was seen through in an instant.
"Ha! Don't think you can just brush this aside so easily. They seem busy on their end, so it's best we have our own conversation over here. …Not that it's anything others need to hear."
"…"
"…"
Tang So-wol and I fell silent, our mouths sealed shut like we'd eaten honey. And then—
"W-well, we'll just step out for a moment, clan head."
"Kuhum hum. That would be best. Even family needs time to catch up."
Seizing the moment, Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin tried to slip away.
Of course, now that things had come to this, I had no intention of letting just the two of them escape.
"Father-in-law. Seol Ri-hyang was a great help to me in defeating the Blood Flame Fist Demon this time."
"And Sister Hwa-rin, while I was separated from young hero Cheon, she protected the two of us and was a great help in taking down the Demonic Cultists remaining in Hebei Province. Whatever story is told, she played a key role that's hard to leave out."
Tang So-wol, as if reading my thoughts, once again chimed in at just the right moment.
Of course, the reaction was dramatic.
"Cheon Hwi, you…!"
"Th-this time too, this lady…!"
Seol Ri-hyang trembled with a sense of betrayal, and Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been called away from an important conversation for the second time in a row, was shaking with indignation.
Right. Where did you think you were slipping off to alone? Since things have come to this, we should all be uncomfortable together.
Tang So-wol and I exchanged glances, giggling in satisfaction, when suddenly a deep sigh reached our ears.
"…Fine, then. Let's all just go together."
For some reason, the voice sounded deflated—far more subdued than just moments ago.
I didn't know why, but that was a relief.
***
The place I headed to with Tang Jincheon was my room.
There was no particular reason for it; at some point, my room had come to be treated as a sort of public good.
It was possible because the guest room provided by the Eon Clan was spacious.
For that reason, Tang Jincheon sat in the center first, and the others scurried to sit before him. A classic formation of children being scolded by an elder.
At this, Tang Jincheon asked with genuine bewilderment.
"Baekbal Nachal… no, Clan Head Seomun, why are you sitting there?"
"Huh, well, it just felt natural?"
Seomun Hwa-rin scratched the back of his head awkwardly and shuffled his seat off to the side.
Well, that made sense. In the pecking order of the martial world, the two of them were on similar footing. Both were martial artists of the Harmony Realm, and he was the head of a clan that, though fallen, had once been prominent.
"…Truly, why did you sit there, Senior Seomun Hwa-rin?"
When I asked, having thought it over and genuinely failing to understand, Seomun Hwa-rin waved his arms wildly and burst out in frustration.
"It's all because you keep treating me like a peer! The children of the Eon and Paeng Clans properly respected me as an elder, so why do you…"
"That's because Senior Seomun Hwa-rin would get depressed if he were actually treated like a real elder."
"Kuh…!"
Startled as if struck at his weak point, Seomun Hwa-rin quietly lowered the arms he had been waving about.
Well, I suppose that was one of the side effects of Rejuvenation, in a way.
It wasn't something I had experienced firsthand, but it was a side effect known to those in the know, so Tang Jincheon glossed over Seomun Hwa-rin's eccentric behavior and spoke up.
"At any rate, I'm glad you're safe."
"I was lucky."
"That's right. It's not just your usual modesty, son-in-law—you were truly lucky. Don't forget that."
Having said that, Tang Jincheon looked over me and Seol Ri-hyang's bodies. Seeing that neither of us had any serious injuries upon closer inspection, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Hoo. I had so much I wanted to say when I met you and So-wol. I thought a lot on the way here about where to begin… but it seems the first question was decided for me."
"What is it?"
"Please speak, Father."
"Why on earth did you run away? Did you think I wouldn't allow it? If you'd asked to go together, I wouldn't have stopped you. Do you have any idea how hard it was to make up a plausible story for the heads of the Paeng and Eon Clans…"
His voice was tinged with a mix of hurt and frustration. From the way he glanced to the side in the middle of his speech, it was clear this was a complaint laced with a small rebuke—that he had taken Seomun Hwa-rin along, yet kept it a secret from him.
Feeling a pang of guilt, Seomun Hwa-rin shot an intense look at me and Tang So-wol… but we had our own reasons that couldn't be helped.
"Father-in-law. The truth is, we didn't simply run away quietly without informing the elders of our clans because we happened to learn of the Demonic Cult's activities through Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye at the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering and found ourselves in agreement."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I couldn't stop thinking about the disturbance over the Spiritual Medicine in Hebei Province that you mentioned the other day. So, we kidnapped the two of them first and then interrogated them for the full details."
"…Did you just say kidnapped?"
"The information we got from them was more dangerous than we expected, and we also learned that the Demonic Cultists were already targeting Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye. We needed to move as discreetly and quickly as possible."
"Then it seems you could have informed me discreetly and quickly as well."
"You are too famous, Father-in-law. And you've already crushed one of the Demonic Cult's plans with the help of Haomun. Surely they must have noticed something suspicious."
"You may as well be a bit more honest."
"…Honestly, half of me thought you wouldn't permit us to go out, since we always end up causing trouble whenever we leave."
"You damned son-in-law."
"Ah, but the idea of treating it as running away and leaving only a letter behind before sneaking out—that was Tang So-wol's doing."
"You damned daughter."
After deliberating over whether to give each of them a smack on the head, Tang Jincheon let out a deep sigh—one of who knows how many by now.
"Huoo… I understand why you chose to scare people this way. No one could have known you'd run into the Blood Flame Fist Demon."
"There's something I need to tell you about that."
"Is it more important than how you brought down the Blood Flame Fist Demon? Both you and Miss Seol seem to have a noticeably different Aura about you now."
"That's important too, but after bringing down the Blood Flame Fist Demon, I found a letter."
With that, he handed over the letter he had been keeping carefully tucked in his bosom.
Tang Jincheon read it slowly, his expression gradually hardening, until by the time he finished, his face was completely blank.
Even though he was merely staring silently, the pressure he exuded was far more intense than before.
Tang Jincheon, letting his simmering anger show without any restraint, finally spoke.
"Is this letter true? Are you saying those Demonic Cult bastards have truly become man-eating ghosts?"
"At the very least, we believe it to be true."
"This is getting bigger and bigger. On the way back to Sichuan, I'll have to stop by Wuhang once more and see the Alliance Lord's face."
"Since we've already come as far as Wuhang, wouldn't it be fine to stop by Anhui Province before heading to Sichuan?"
"Is this sudden?"
"I've built a friendship with the young head of the Namgung Clan, and we agreed to have a sparring match whenever I had the chance to visit."
"If no exact date has been set, it seems it could be done another time."
"It's just that…"
I tried to explain, but Seomun Hwa-rin was a step ahead of me.
"Poison King. As I see it, what Hwi needs right now is a broader understanding of the sword."
"You say he needs a broader understanding of the sword?"
"You're right. Of course, the Tang Clan is also a fine family, and they surely possess a decent sword method of their own, and they wouldn't have spared any investment in him… but neither I nor you are swordsmen."
Seomun Hwa-rin said this, then continued in a slightly regretful tone.
"I did say I could offer the Seomun Clan's sword art if he wished, but he refused it, so he'll have to spar with another sword family instead. Only then will the Intent he just awakened grow greater and sharper."
"Did you just say Intent?"
"At least he's found a thread of it. Though it seems he can't fully control it on his own yet."
"But the Aura I feel from him has only grown slightly stronger."
"You know well enough that your son-in-law is not a martial artist who can be judged by appearances. I hear his internal energy is still lacking, so he continues to suffer from imbalance. Perhaps that's why you failed to notice."
"…"
Tang Jincheon looked at him with a mixture of admiration, astonishment, and a hint of guilt.
Cheon Hwi smiled and shook his head at him.
"I don't know about anything else, but my internal energy problem will be resolved soon."
"Most of the Spiritual Medicines made by the Tang Clan are laced with poison energy, so they'd be dangerous for you."
"So I've arranged to receive them from the Paeng Clan and the Eon Clan."
"???"
Tang Jincheon blinked blankly as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, and Cheon Hwi continued proudly.
"Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye promised to provide Spiritual Medicine as repayment for this incident. To be precise, they promised to speak to their respective clan heads about it… I am their lifesaver, after all, so wouldn't they see to it for the sake of saving face?"
"Hmm. I understand perfectly. So you agreed to receive Spiritual Medicine in exchange for saving the people you kidnapped."
"…When you put it that way, you make me sound like some vicious kidnapper."
Tang Jincheon, receiving my aggrieved look, finally seemed to let go of his frustration, a refreshing tone curling the corners of his mouth upward.
"I'm joking."
"…"
It's a joke, right?