My Dad Is the Strongest Under Heaven
Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Chapter 18: There Will Be No Vengeance
A middle-aged man stared down quietly at something, green light glinting in his eyes.
It was his son, broken and crippled throughout his entire body, unable to move a single finger.
“So, my eldest orchestrated all of this? Together with the Black and White Twin Demons?”
“…Yes, Father.”
At the man’s words, Dang Mu-jun, who stood beside him, answered.
“Heh. It seems I truly raised my son wrong. Terribly wrong, at that.”
Poison Rain, Dang Jin-woo.
The current Patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Clan. Though he had entered seclusion a few years ago for a certain reason, he had been forced to emerge before his appointed time.
All because of his eldest son.
And the report he received contained things that were utterly beyond belief.
“To think he brought those subhuman vermin into the lands of Sichuan to conduct such vile business. Heh.”
“Father…….”
Dang Mu-jun could not bring himself to speak.
“And the man who reduced Guhwi to this state?”
“We lost him.”
Dang Mu-jun lowered his head, his expression dark with remorse.
It was born of shame.
Yet Dang Jin-woo did not see it that way.
“He is a man who broke through so many martial artists alone, tore the Black and White Twin Demons apart, and left Guhwi in this condition. Facing him on your own was beyond your abilities for now. You have no reason to hang your head.”
“However, I have dispatched trackers. Though we have yet to find any leads, soon…….”
“Cease it.”
“Pardon?”
At Dang Mu-jun’s words, Dang Jin-woo shook his head.
“Against a master of that caliber, unless you employ the Ten-Thousand Li Soul-Chasing Incense, tracking him will prove all but impossible.”
“Do you not intend to seek vengeance?”
“Vengeance?”
Dang Jin-woo let out a hollow laugh at his second son’s question.
“For the sake of what?”
Dang Jin-woo had received a full account of everything his eldest son had done, down to the last detail.
Every single act was an atrocity so heinous that, were he not his own flesh and blood, Dang Jin-woo would have taken his life with his own hands.
How could he speak of vengeance with his own mouth?
His son had sowed countless grudges with his own hands.
In the end, all of this was retribution.
“The Sichuan Tang Clan never forgets a debt, be it of gratitude or of vengeance.”
The famous adage that defined what manner of clan the Sichuan Tang Clan was flowed from Dang Jin-woo’s lips.
“Yet I believe the Sichuan Tang Clan of today must learn shame above all else, Mu-jun.”
A deep sigh escaped Dang Jin-woo.
“For someone to go to such lengths, he must harbor a harrowing grudge himself. Is that not so?”
“…….”
Beholding Dang Jin-woo’s despondent countenance, Dang Mu-jun could offer no reply.
“Therefore, there will be no vengeance.”
“Understood.”
“Worthless fool. I am truly ashamed. Utterly ashamed. Haha…….”
The Patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Clan shook his head and strode out of the room.
As though he would never set foot in this place again.
Dang Mu-jun followed behind him.
Soon, the only one left in the room was Tang Guhwi, reduced to a cripple.
Yet no one noticed.
That as he lay flat, entirely unable to move, his clenched fist was trembling ever so faintly.
“…Did you hear about that?”
“Hear about what?”
“I hear the Hebei Peng Clan’s might has been tremendous lately. They say they’re the foremost among the Five Great Clans right now.”
Hebei Province.
In a bustling tavern crowded with people, martial artists dining in one corner were chattering away.
“With the Tyrant Saber of Hebei as their Patriarch, wouldn’t that be only natural? He’s a man whose name was once put forward as a candidate for Alliance Leader of the Murim Alliance.”
“Besides, though his name isn’t currently listed among the Twelve Venerables of the World, rumors abound that should a seat open, it will belong to the Tyrant Saber of Hebei.”
“Come now, brother. With the Sovereign Sword of the Namgung Clan standing in plain sight, how could you say that seat belongs to the Tyrant Saber?”
“Look here, do we have a fool who still thinks the Sovereign Sword stands above the Tyrant Saber?”
“What? A fool?”
“Easy, quiet down, both of you. How could the likes of us know who is stronger or above the other? Everyone knows the two of them have traded victories back and forth since their youth. Unless we witness them clash in earnest now, no one can truly say. There’s no use bickering among ourselves.”
“Ahem. Well, that is true.”
“Regardless, it’s a fact that the Hebei Peng Clan’s influence has been immense lately. To the point where rumors are spreading that even the Murim Alliance is keeping the Peng Clan in check.”
“Come on, surely that can’t be true.”
“Ah, and speaking of which, this time…….”
As if they had never bickered at all, the men swiftly moved on to another topic and chatted excitedly.
And it was not just them.
Today, as always, more than a few people in the tavern were letting conversations bloom over various tales of the Murim.
The Hebei Peng Clan.
The overlord of Hebei, known as the Roaring Tiger.
Currently, a council was underway in the Patriarch’s Hall.
“…I do not believe we need to grant this request from the Murim Alliance.”
“Word has it that all the other clans have already given favorable responses. Are you suggesting we alone refuse?”
“Yet there is no reason for us to be swayed by the decisions of other clans.”
“Now is hardly the time to display such stubbornness!”
“Stubbornness? Did you just call it stubbornness?!”
Murmurs rose.
The Hebei Peng Clan was currently wrestling with a single troubling matter.
Watching the elders dispute whether each other’s opinions were right or wrong, a man spoke up.
“Enough.”
The figure seated upon the high seat broke his silence.
At his word, everyone fell quiet.
The clamorous Patriarch’s Hall instantly turned still.
A man of staggering presence, possessing a massive physique and piercing, hawk-like eyes.
He was none other than the current Patriarch of the Hebei Peng Clan, known as the Crouching Tiger of Hebei—the Tyrant Saber of Hebei, Peng Mugang.
“Jin.”
“Yes, Father.”
A handsome young man replied.
“What are your thoughts?”
At Peng Mugang’s question, the young man offered a faint smile.
After sweeping his gaze over the surrounding elders, he met Peng Mugang’s eyes and spoke.
“I believe our Peng Clan should grant the Murim Alliance’s demand swifter than anyone else.”
“And why is that?”
“What the Murim Alliance demands right now is nothing unreasonable. It is merely vigilance against the Outlying forces that once invaded the Murim long ago. Furthermore, their main force will remain separate; they only ask us to reinforce their auxiliary troops. It is a very reasonable request.”
Pausing briefly, the young man glanced at Peng Mugang’s quietly listening expression before continuing.
“Defending the Central Plains from foreign enemies is a natural duty for anyone whose roots lie in the Central Plains. Moreover, this troop deployment is for a short duration. I do not believe it is something over which we must agonize.”
“However, once we begin acceding to the Murim Alliance’s demands, they will only continue to make unreasonable requests in the future.”
One of the elders raised an objection.
To this, the young man answered without missing a beat.
“That is precisely why.”
“Pardon?”
“When it comes to thoroughly reasonable requests, it is vital to show that we accommodate them as much as possible. If we begin to antagonize them over matters like this, that is when they will truly start finding fault with us.”
“Mm.”
The elder who had raised the objection stepped back.
He then lent his ear to the young man’s words.
The others in the Patriarch’s Hall did the same.
“We must not allow our Peng Clan to be perceived by the world as blindly rejecting the Murim Alliance’s requests. Instead, we must imprint upon them the image of a Peng Clan that evaluates each matter on its merits before responding. That way, people will wonder: what reason did the Peng Clan have for rejecting a request when they do? And in time, those reasons will become the very justification that protects our clan.”
Looking toward Patriarch Peng Mugang, the young man continued.
“Thus, when it comes to a request like today’s, we must show that we respond swifter and more decisively than anyone else. For this is a battle of who can put forth a more convincing pretext and justification.”
“Hmph. Pretext and justification, is it?”
Peng Mugang stroked his chin, lost in thought for a moment.
The young man smiled faintly and added a word.
“For in the end, those are the most crucial elements along the Righteous path.”
“Splendid. You have already learned to see through such intricate power plays.”
“Not at all. I have merely laid bare what the esteemed elders here already know.”
Peng Mugang smiled with deep satisfaction as he looked upon his modestly answering son.
Everyone within the Patriarch’s Hall marveled in their hearts.
Grand Young Master Peng Seojin.
He possessed a discernment and composure unbefitting his youthful years.
Fitting indeed for one hailed as one of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes destined to lead the Murim in the future.
Once, the Peng Clan had also possessed a woman heralded alongside Peng Seojin as one of the Six Dragons and Four Phoenixes.
Though they were now called the Three Phoenixes rather than the Four.
And no one possessed the temerity to bring up that tale before the Patriarch.
For before Peng Mugang, that subject was nothing less than an untouchable reverse scale.
Just then—
“R-Report to the Patriarch!”
Commotion broke out outside, and the most veteran martial artist among the Peng Clan’s gatekeepers rushed hurriedly into the Patriarch’s Hall.
“What is the matter?”
“Y-Yes, w-well, that is…….”
The martial artist stammered.
Knowing well that he was not a man given to making a fuss or losing his composure under ordinary circumstances, confusion spread across Peng Mugang’s face.
At the same time, numerous thoughts flashed through his mind.
Had someone launched an attack? In broad daylight?
That made no sense. Then was it the Murim Alliance? If not even that, then what on earth?
In the meantime, Grand Young Master Peng Seojin stepped forward and spoke.
“Report properly what has occurred.”
“…The young miss has…….”
“What are you saying? Report clearly at once!”
“The young miss… Young Miss Peng Seoyeon has returned!”
At those words, the eyes of everyone in the Patriarch’s Hall went wide in utter shock.
A tremendous aura filled the Patriarch’s Hall with crushing weight.
In an instant, all present felt a suffocating pressure weighing down upon them.
Then, Peng Mugang spoke slowly.
“Say that again. Who did you say has returned?”
His face was frozen in absolute stiffness.
