My Dad Is the Strongest Under Heaven
Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Chapter 15. The Decision
Deep in the night, a radiant moon illuminated Sodam Village with clear brilliance.
A soft landing.
With that light sound, a man arrived atop the high mountain peak overlooking Sodam Village.
It was Yeo Woonhwi.
He had just returned after wrapping up affairs in Sichuan.
Yet, why had he stopped here instead of going straight home?
“Haah…”
It was because a flurry of thoughts had suddenly overwhelmed his mind.
Sinking down onto a large boulder atop the peak, Yeo Woonhwi gazed blankly up at the moon.
After the unbelievable miracle of regression occurred, Yeo Woonhwi had resolved to live this life for his wife and daughter, dedicating himself to protecting his family’s happiness.
But that quiet resolve had been shaken by the memory of his wife’s sudden death in his past life.
He had learned that an unexpected conspiracy lay behind her demise, and that a hidden mastermind pulled the strings.
Had he remained ignorant, things might have been different, but knowing the truth, he could not simply stand by.
And so, through the most definitive means, he had exacted vengeance upon those tied to her death.
‘Tang Guhwi.’
The Grand Young Master of the Sichuan Tang Clan, and the mastermind who had orchestrated his wife’s death.
He was scum among scum, vile beyond imagination.
Though it had not been entirely premeditated, Yeo Woonhwi had beaten to death the Black and White Twin Demons who plotted foul deeds alongside Tang Guhwi, and in the end, shattered Tang Guhwi’s dantian.
In the end, Tang Guhwi had been reduced to a ruined cripple, neither truly alive nor dead.
A cripple.
Would it have been better to just kill him?
“……”
Yeo Woonhwi shook his head.
No.
Death would have been far too merciful compared to the sins Tang Guhwi had committed, and those he would have committed in the future.
Just as Dang Mu-jun had said, for a creature like Tang Guhwi, losing everything he had enjoyed since birth—including his martial arts—and dragging out a wretched existence would be far more agonizing.
For Tang Guhwi, the entirety of his remaining days would undoubtedly be hell.
That was enough.
Unlike the past life, a future where trash like Tang Guhwi became the Patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Clan would never come to pass.
In this life, the Patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Clan would likely be—
‘Dang Mu-jun.’
He had already seen it.
He knew what kind of life the man who failed to become the Patriarch despite his astounding talent had chosen to live.
From now on, much of the future would shift because of him.
Yeo Woonhwi hoped with all his heart that it would be a change for the better.
In any case, he could put that matter out of his mind for good.
‘More importantly…’
Yeo Woonhwi quietly looked down at his own hands.
Rather than the hands of an exceptional martial master, they were fair and slender, still closer to those of a scholar.
Yet that was not what Yeo Woonhwi was staring at.
‘Lately, I have stained these hands with too much blood.’
At this rate, he was no different from his days as the Blood Demon in his previous life.
Not that he regretted his actions.
Those wretches had needed to die for the peace of his family and Sodam Village.
Showing clumsy mercy out of reluctance to spill blood would only bring retaliation—and that would have been far more regrettable.
And yet,
‘Even after going this far, such a tragedy befell my wife.’
Yeo Woonhwi had reclaimed the martial arts of the Martial God solely to protect his family.
Anything that posed even a speck of harm to his loved ones, he had rooted out completely, never letting them draw near.
And yet.
Even after doing all that…
Events of his past life and his present life flashed alternately through Yeo Woonhwi’s mind.
His wife, poisoned.
His wife, her complexion worsening by the day as her body struggled.
His wife meeting her death without ever knowing the cause, and Yul-i weeping uncontrollably.
Himself, left utterly alone.
And… the blazing flames, and Yul-i.
A weary breath escaped him.
Yeo Woonhwi’s expression grew deeply troubled.
It was something that would never happen again—something he would ensure would never happen—yet merely recalling those horrific memories from his past life weighed heavily upon his heart.
Even with the martial arts of the Martial God in his grasp.
Was it still not enough? Was he lacking?
Even now?
Then what must he do?
Must he stain these hands with even more blood?
Would that truly allow him to protect his family without fail?
“……”
No, that was not the answer.
This was already enough.
He did not wish to face his beloved wife and daughter with hands drenched in any more blood.
Letting out a long breath, Yeo Woonhwi shook his head as if to clear his tangled thoughts, then looked down at Sodam Village.
A chilly breeze swept past.
It was truly time to head back.
The light was on in the house, as if his wife were still waiting for him.
‘She should have just gone to sleep first…’
Before he knew it, a gentle, wry smile touched Yeo Woonhwi’s lips.
Everything that had tormented him moments ago vanished, if only for an instant.
Having a home to return to was truly a blessing.
A soft step.
Soon, with another light rustle of footsteps, Yeo Woonhwi’s figure vanished toward Sodam Village.
***
A few days later.
“Well, well, look who it is!”
“Haha. Have you been well?”
“Weren’t you off helping your cousin with some business? You only just got back?”
“Aie, don’t even get me started. I’m never going again, even if that cousin of mine begs for help. Coming and going took two whole months!”
“See, didn’t I tell you not to go? Wandering all the way out there. Tsk, tsk.”
At the entrance of Sodam Village.
Two men were chattering away enthusiastically, warmly welcoming back a neighborhood friend who had returned after two months away.
“Ah, I heard something on my way back. Have you heard the news by any chance?”
“What news?”
“They say all the bandits around these parts have been wiped clean off the map.”
“Eh? Must be an empty rumor. How many mountains are there around here, and how many bandit lairs sit on each one? Wiped out? Bah, stop talking nonsense.”
“I’m telling you, it’s true! They say every single stronghold is dead empty. Everything else was left behind, but all the people vanished without a trace.”
“O-only the people?”
“Yes, exactly!”
The man who had been scolding his friend for talking nonsense swallowed hard in spite of himself.
Just imagining it sent a chill down his spine.
“Well now, that’s bizarre. Did the mountain spirit take pity on folk like us and step in? So those bandit bastards would stop picking us clean?”
“Bwahaha! Now that actually makes sense. Well, whatever the reason, isn’t it a good thing the bandits are gone?”
“Right you are! Hahaha!”
The men standing there chattering burst into hearty laughter.
The bandits entrenched in the nearby mountains had been giving everyone headaches, constantly harassing passing commoners and merchants.
Although Sodam Village was so secluded that it suffered less than other villages, walking just a little way out meant frequently running straight into bandits.
Moreover, bandits came in all sorts; while some would let you go quietly if you surrendered what you had, others would throw punches just to teach you a lesson.
And even that was considered on the fortunate side.
If you ran into truly vicious ones, you would be lucky to escape with your life.
So how could they not welcome the news that those damned bandits had vanished as if by magic?
Just then, someone lightly greeted them and walked past.
Nestled snugly in his arms was a small, adorable little girl.
The man who had just returned to Sodam Village tilted his head in confusion.
“Wait, who’s that? Never seen that face before.”
“What are you talking about? That’s Yul-i’s father.”
Startled by his friend’s words, the man’s eyes went wide.
“Huh? Yul-i’s father? Wait, did he always look like that? Wasn’t he slender and frail, looking like he’d topple over if you tapped him?”
“Was he?”
“His presence felt completely different too, I’m sure of it.”
“Maybe he’s been exercising lately or something.”
“Come on, working out wouldn’t change a man—”
“Quit your babbling and let’s go get some food already.”
“Ah, r-right… let’s do that.”
Yet the man who had returned to Sodam Village after two months still tilted his head, watching the receding figure of Yul-i’s father.
No matter how he looked at it, that was not the man he remembered.
“Can a little exercise really change a person that much in just two months? Seriously?”
Maybe I should… start working out too.
For a moment, the man rubbed his sagging belly, contemplating the thought with utmost seriousness.
“Hey! You coming or what?”
“Ah, I’m coming, I’m coming!”
But that contemplation was short-lived; the man hurried along after his friend, who was complaining of hunger.
Before long, the transformed figure of Yul-i’s father faded entirely from his mind.
***
In Sodam Village, every day was peaceful.
Although ruffians had stormed in not long ago and brought a brief crisis, for reasons unknown they had promptly returned the money and never shown their faces again; Sodam Village had thus regained its usual tranquility.
Yeo Woonhwi took in the village with a gentle gaze and smiled faintly.
‘…Back when we first fled from that place, everything felt so bleak. But ever since arriving in this village, everything has been wonderful.’
The kind villagers, free of prejudice or hostility toward newcomers.
The beautiful scenery throughout the four seasons, unchanging yet endlessly diverse.
Though the cold, the heat, and the hardships of life were the same no matter where one lived.
Beyond all that, laughter never once left this village.
He loved that.
‘It’s a good place. Truly.’
And so, if possible, he had wanted to stay in this village for a very long time.
However…
After pondering deeply for a long while, Yeo Woonhwi soon wore a look of firm resolution.
Just then,
“Daddy, I’m hungry.”
His daughter, Yul-i, whined softly while tugging at his hand.
Yeo Woonhwi smiled and lifted his daughter into his arms.
“Alright, Yul-ah. Shall we hurry home and have dinner with Mommy?”
“Mm, mm!”
Holding Yul-i close in his embrace, Yeo Woonhwi headed back home.
Before they knew it, dinner was over and night had deepened over Sodam Village.
“Mmmph… hehe…”
Yul-i was murmuring in her sleep.
His wife, Peng Seoyeon, stroked Yul-i’s head.
Yul-i loved having her mother stroke her hair.
Even in her sleep, she would always lean her head toward her mother.
Watching Yul-i and his wife, Yeo Woonhwi smiled softly.
It was a peaceful night.
But,
“Dear.”
As Peng Seoyeon turned her gaze to him, Yeo Woonhwi slowly brought up the words he had prepared.
It was a matter he had wrestled with and turned over in his mind for days.
Of course, he already knew full well how his wife would react.
A moment later,
“Pardon? What do you mean by that…?”
Having just heard his words, Peng Seoyeon’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She appeared utterly astonished.
For as far as she knew, this was something her husband would never have proposed.
After a brief silence,
Peng Seoyeon asked with a stunned look.
“Are you truly serious? You want us to… return to Hebei?”
At Peng Seoyeon’s question, Yeo Woonhwi gave a quiet nod.
