My Dad Is the Strongest Under Heaven
Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Episode 27. Yul-ah, Do You Like Uncle?
The next day.
“Seojin still hasn’t returned?”
Peng Mugang asked in return, looking at the middle-aged man who had come to see him at dawn.
The man was Ha Doyoung, the chief administrator overseeing the internal affairs of the Hebei Peng Clan, who had served the family for as many years as the gray in his hair suggested.
At Peng Mugang’s question, he answered with a worried face.
“Yes, Patriarch. He usually returns before a full day passes, but this is the first time he has done such a thing.”
“Haha. Well, is he not a fully grown man? Such things happen. I was even worse at Seojin’s age, Chief Ha.”
Peng Mugang laughed it off as if it were nothing of consequence.
“I am sure he will return on his own. He is more than capable of looking after himself. So put your worries to rest.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Though he answered so, Chief Ha could not shake the unease in his heart.
Certainly, just as Peng Mugang said, a grown man could spend a night away from home.
Yet Peng Seojin was someone who always returned to the main residence to sleep unless circumstances strictly demanded otherwise.
To the point that one would occasionally wonder, ‘Must he go that far?’
The fact that such a Grand Young Master had not returned for over a full day without sending any word or message continued to weigh on Chief Ha’s mind.
Still, since the Patriarch had told him not to fret, it seemed best to wait for now.
For unlike his worries, the Grand Young Master might well return as though nothing had happened.
And so, afternoon arrived.
A bright peel of laughter rang out.
Playing with her father, Yul-i beamed with a wide smile the entire time, full of delight.
Looking at his lovely daughter, Yeo Woonhwi also wore a pleasant smile.
Watching the scene with warm, content expressions, Peng Seoyeon and Dan Heeyoung shared tea and soft conversation.
It was a peaceful everyday life.
Though there was still a long road ahead before they could say they had fully adjusted in every way, they were savoring the happiness of daily life in this very moment.
Just then,
“Madam!”
“What is the matter?”
“T-That is… the G-Grand Young Master…!”
“Hm? What about our Seojin?”
Seeing the rigid face of the servant who had rushed over, Dan Heeyoung felt an ominous premonition.
Soon, as the words spilled from the servant’s mouth, Dan Heeyoung’s body swayed.
“Mother!”
Supporting Dan Heeyoung, Peng Seoyeon’s voice trembled with unbearable anxiety.
It was the moment their blissful ordinary days shattered.
Thus, the worry Chief Ha had harbored early on unfortunately did not end as mere unfounded anxiety.
The news came from a band of peddlers who had arrived at the Peng Clan estate just a moment ago.
In their hands was a bloodstained token of the Peng Clan.
It was an identification token that the warriors of the Peng Clan always carried on their persons.
Crafted so that if an unforeseen crisis ever occurred, they could hide or cast it nearby to somehow relay word back to the main family.
Embroidered faintly on the back of the token was an inscription promising a reward to anyone who brought it to the Peng Clan.
And so, the token had found its way back to the Peng estate.
Naturally, the Peng Clan was thrown into turmoil.
Each token differed in color, and this one was blue—the very token carried by the Grand Young Master’s personal bodyguards.
The peddlers added an explanation: along their usual route, a bridge connecting two cliffs had been severed, and while investigating the strange occurrence, they had discovered the token nearby.
Upon receiving the report, Patriarch Peng Mugang, his face hardened, dispatched warriors across the entire region they described to begin a search.
After half a day had passed, what the Peng Clan uncovered were traces of a battle fought in the dead of night and the hidden corpses of the bodyguards nearby.
Whether a blessing or a curse, Grand Young Master Peng Seojin was not among them.
Just what had happened?
For now, nothing could be known.
And at present, the foremost priority above all else was the life or death of Grand Young Master Peng Seojin.
“Who dares commit such an atrocity…?”
The atmosphere in the Patriarch’s Hall was exceedingly somber.
Given the gravity of the situation, no one dared to speak lightly.
Then, an elder of the Peng Clan finally burst out in fury.
“We must find those responsible for this deed and bring down retribution upon them!”
“That goes without saying. But before that, we must confirm the Grand Young Master’s survival.”
“What do you mean by that! He is surely alive!”
“That is not what I meant…”
In an instant, the Patriarch’s Hall fell into great commotion.
Amidst the clamor, Peng Mugang spoke.
“Now is not the time for us to squabble amongst ourselves.”
At his single remark, everyone fell silent.
Though usually appearing more hot-tempered than anyone, Peng Mugang was the type to become extraordinarily calm when a major crisis erupted.
This unexpected trait was one of the qualities that inspired deep trust and loyalty in his retainers.
In that sense, Peng Mugang was without question an exceptional leader.
Of course, his face was now somber beyond measure.
This concerned his own son, not anyone else.
How could his expression be bright?
He was doing his utmost to suppress his fury and remain composed.
“Everyone, spare your energy from useless bickering and focus entirely on finding Seojin! Do you understand?!”
“Yes, Patriarch!”
“Please rest a while.”
“I am fine, so you should rest, my child.”
Dan Heeyoung shook her head at Peng Seoyeon’s words.
Yet Peng Seoyeon could not possibly rest either.
How could they rest in peace when they did not even know whether their beloved son and brother was alive or dead?
No matter how hard they tried to calm themselves, tears welled continuously in their eyes.
“Mommy, Grandmother. Don’t cry.”
Perhaps pitying her grandmother and mother, little Yul-i kept dabbing away their tears with a small handkerchief.
“Yes. It’s all right, Yul-ah.”
Though they managed faint smiles, their faces remained filled with worry.
Yeo Woonhwi watched them quietly.
‘So that incident happened around this time.’
The tragedy that caused them such grief now.
Yeo Woonhwi already knew about the incident of Peng Seojin’s disappearance.
Though he had not known the exact timing.
Before his regression, while running wild with grief and madness after losing Peng Seoyeon and Yul-i, he had still paid close attention to news of the Hebei Peng Clan because of his wife.
Among them, the news regarding Peng Seojin had reached him long after the event had transpired.
That one day, the Grand Young Master of the Hebei Peng Clan was ambushed, went missing, and only barely managed to return much later.
And that from that ordeal, the Grand Young Master suffered severe injuries to one arm, losing his entire right arm and becoming one-armed.
Yeo Woonhwi remembered the ache in his heart upon hearing what had happened to his wife’s brother.
Even in those days when he was blinded by vengeance, tales of the Peng Clan had strangely lingered in his heart without conscious intent.
Since he knew Seojin would eventually return by his own power, he might have simply stood by without consequence, yet Yeo Woonhwi felt that this time, he had to intervene.
Peng Seojin had been the very first person to welcome him warmly without any reservation when he first arrived at the Peng Clan.
Therefore—
‘So that he may live a different life in this lifetime.’
Yeo Woonhwi resolved to step in.
Having made his decision with calm eyes, Yeo Woonhwi discreetly flicked his finger.
Soon, without even realizing it, Peng Seoyeon and Dan Heeyoung drifted into sleep.
“Ah? They fell asleep.”
Watching her mother and grandmother fall asleep in an instant, Yul-i spoke in wonder.
Yeo Woonhwi slowly rose, stroking his wife’s hair as he whispered softly.
Then, turning to his daughter, Yeo Woonhwi asked.
“Yul-ah. Do you like Uncle?”
“Yes. I like him very much! Uncle, Grandmother, and Grandfather too. Though not as much as Mommy and Daddy.”
“Is that so?”
“Then Daddy will have to go bring back the uncle Yul-i likes so much.”
“Can Uncle come back?”
“Of course. Daddy knows where he is.”
“Then Mommy and Grandmother won’t have to be sad anymore.”
Caressing the head of his daughter, who spoke only the sweetest words, Yeo Woonhwi stood up.
“Then stay here with Mommy and Grandmother. Daddy will be right back.”
“Yes! See you soon, Daddy.”
The moment he stepped out of the room, Yeo Woonhwi’s gaze sank coldly.
Just as he was about to set out to search for Peng Seojin—
Hm?
Yeo Woonhwi sensed a presence.
His gaze turned in that direction—atop the highest building in the Peng Clan estate.
Had it not been Yeo Woonhwi, no one would have easily detected it.
Even more so because the other person was intentionally concealing their qi.
That person was none other than Peng Mugang.
‘What is Father-in-law doing up there?’
With a puzzled expression, Yeo Woonhwi covertly watched him.
A peak master who had reached as high a realm as Peng Mugang could quickly tell whether someone was watching him.
Thus, Yeo Woonhwi concealed his presence even more flawlessly than Peng Mugang did.
The man on the roof did not sense Yeo Woonhwi’s presence in the slightest.
Soon—
“Hup.”
Peng Mugang’s eyes widened, and he vanished in a display of astonishing lightness technique.
It was evident he had set out personally to save Peng Seojin.
Since it concerned his own flesh and blood, he could no longer stand by idly.
And in truth, that was precisely how Peng Mugang felt.
He had remained at the estate until now to fulfill his duties as Patriarch, but seeing how matters were unfolding, he felt he could no longer remain still.
If this were something that could be resolved by dispatching warriors, he would have found him long ago.
Peng Mugang believed the time had come for him to step in.
Though it would surely not be easy, he was determined to find his son at all costs.
Yeo Woonhwi fully understood his feelings.
In fact, he rather admired seeing him step forward personally for his child.
Yet, after watching Peng Mugang take matters into his own hands, a sudden question arose in Yeo Woonhwi’s mind.
‘Wait. How did this happen?’
Judging by the situation, Peng Mugang must have set out in the exact same manner during Peng Seojin’s disappearance before the regression.
And yet, Peng Seojin lost an arm?
Moreover, he had heard that it took several more days before Peng Seojin returned to the Peng Clan.
That meant that although Peng Mugang had intervened directly, unexpectedly, he failed to find Peng Seojin right away.
Which suggested there was a strong possibility Peng Seojin was located somewhere much farther away from the scene than expected.
In any case, if he simply charged out blindly, he too would likely fail to locate Peng Seojin, just like Peng Mugang.
No matter that Yeo Woonhwi had inherited the power of the Martial God, at his current realm, extending his sensory perception across the entire region at once was out of reach.
That bordered on the divine realm, impossible for him at this very moment.
Perhaps if time passed and the depth of the martial arts inherited from the Martial God grew deeper—but for now, it was impossible.
Was there no other way, then?
No, there was one.
After a brief moment of thought, a faint smile played upon Yeo Woonhwi’s lips.
A method came to mind.
A way to find Peng Seojin as quickly as possible.
A detail he had momentarily overlooked while focusing solely on searching for Peng Seojin.
The fact that Yeo Woonhwi already knew the culprit behind this incident.
