My Dad Is the Strongest Under Heaven
Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Chapter 35. Hidden Motives
“H-Hyung-nim!”
Gu Tae-san quickly stepped aside the moment Oh Chae-mu—the eldest brother figure and de facto brain of the White Wolf Troop—made his appearance.
“What is the meaning of this insolence before someone from the main family?”
“What? No, I—”
“Hold your tongue.”
“Yes, Hyung-nim.”
Gu Tae-san, who had been radiating such ferocious energy just moments ago, bowed his head before Oh Chae-mu without uttering another peep.
‘So, it is this man.’
Oh Chae-mu.
An expert who served as both the central pillar and the brains of the White Wolf Troop, many believed that without him, the troop would have been disbanded long ago.
It was well known that Peng Mugang held him in high esteem as well.
People often wondered why he was never appointed Captain of the White Wolf Troop.
In truth, Peng Mugang had offered him the position of Captain multiple times already.
Yet he had adamantly refused each time.
Claiming that one day, someone far more suited for the role would appear.
Whether he lacked the ambition for high status and renown that ordinary men possessed, he was, in any case, an undeniably peculiar man.
Hmmm.
In truth, the White Wolf Troop was an organization of great interest to Yeo Woonhwi.
That was why he had not refused when Peng Mugang commanded him to take charge of them.
In fact, he had welcomed it.
When he first resolved to return to the Peng Clan, he had actually forgotten that the White Wolf Troop was part of the family.
But this turn of events had jogged his memory.
To begin with, the White Wolf Troop in Yeo Woonhwi’s memories was nothing like this.
A band of wandering mercenaries sweeping across the Murim to wipe out villainous scoundrels.
That was the image of the White Wolf Troop he remembered.
As someone who had hunted down the heads of notorious villains under the name of the Blood Demon before his regression, he could not help but be drawn to their relentless path.
In truth, they were known by the name of the Red Wolf Troop rather than the White Wolf Troop back then, but it was widely known that their roots were once the White Wolf Troop, a martial squad that had represented the Peng Clan.
He remembered that they had made no deliberate effort to conceal that truth either.
And now, before they could leave the clan and become the Red Wolf Troop, Yeo Woonhwi had returned to the Peng Clan and taken command of them.
If this was fate, it was a peculiar one indeed.
He had wondered.
Why had warriors with such a fierce sense of righteous chivalry left the Peng Clan to wander as mercenaries under the name of the Red Wolf Troop?
But meeting them in person like this, he felt he finally understood.
These were not men who could be bound by the rigid discipline of an organization.
What he had witnessed on his way in did not resemble Orthodox martial artists belonging to a prestigious noble clan at all; they looked like a pack of savage wolves.
How could he not smile?
Wolves driven mad at the sight of injustice, their eyes blazing with righteousness and chivalry.
It felt like looking at a collection of contradictions that somehow fit together.
And the man before him radiated that very aura more than anyone else.
At first glance, he seemed like an exceptional master from a prominent clan, yet his gaze was fiercer than any other’s—imposing, tinged with arrogance, like a solitary, noble wolf.
‘No wonder they fell out of favor.’
How could ordinary members of a noble clan ever embrace people like this?
Even if Patriarch Peng Mugang accepted them, the people beneath him would never be able to tolerate them.
What they needed was someone capable of shielding their wild nature.
In that sense, Oh Chae-mu was certainly unfit to be Captain.
He would only reinforce the clan’s prejudices against the White Wolf Troop.
While his qualifications were more than enough, considering the circumstances within the Peng Clan, he was the last person who should ever become Captain.
Had Oh Chae-mu realized this himself?
Perhaps that was why he had persistently turned down every offer.
‘I see.’
As expected, you had to meet a person face-to-face to truly understand them.
“Allow me to offer my apologies first. Tae-san made a grave mistake.”
Yeo Woonhwi offered a smile instead of an answer.
“I unintentionally overheard your conversation on my way in, and I fully understand the purpose of your visit. Of course, if it is the Patriarch’s command, we must obey. I pay my respects to the Captain.”
Oh Chae-mu bowed his head with an obedient expression.
Yeo Woonhwi nodded in return.
“Thank you for saying so.”
“Not at all. I shall assemble the troop members immediately. Everyone ought to see the Captain’s face and offer their proper greetings.”
“Do so.”
When Yeo Woonhwi nodded, Oh Chae-mu swiftly gathered the members who were scattered throughout the estate.
Having heard whispers of why they were being summoned so abruptly, none of them looked pleased.
For no matter what anyone said, they truly considered Oh Chae-mu to be their Captain.
Thus, there was no way they would look kindly upon someone the main house had abruptly sent as their new Captain.
Especially a matrilocal son-in-law who had never even properly learned martial arts—in their eyes, he was nothing more than a pathetic, worthless burden.
No matter how much trouble they caused, the White Wolf Troop was still one of the martial squads representing the Peng Clan.
Yet to place such an incompetent fool over them as Captain… What an absurd insult.
Their loyalty and reverence for Patriarch Peng Mugang, which had remained unshaken under any circumstances, was curdling into boundless disappointment.
“It is good to meet you all. I am Yeo Woonhwi.”
All the members gathered in the small open yard within the rundown estate.
And before them stood Yeo Woonhwi, facing the crowd.
The hostility directed at Yeo Woonhwi was blatantly evident in their eyes and demeanor.
Their momentum was ferocious enough to make ordinary men’s knees buckle with fear.
Among them were the twin brothers he had encountered when he first arrived, as well as the woman who had smacked them over the head.
‘Their names were Gi-su, Gi-sang, and Do-gyeong, was it?’
In any case, judging by their expressions, their feelings were no different from the rest.
Yeo Woonhwi smiled internally.
‘They truly dislike me to no end.’
It made sense.
Perhaps he would have acted the exact same way if he were in their shoes.
Even so, he had no intention of stepping down quietly.
For one, it was a command from his father-in-law, and regardless of what they thought of him, he found the White Wolf Troop deeply intriguing.
Moreover, Yeo Woonhwi hoped that if possible, they would remain as the White Wolf Troop and serve as the sword of the Peng Clan, rather than breaking away as the Red Wolf Troop.
“Judging by your eyes, none of you seem particularly pleased to see me. However, I came here on the Patriarch’s orders, so glaring like that won’t make me pack up and leave. That is why, for however long we end up staying together, I hope we can get along. Though I cannot say how long that will be.”
His remarkably frank words caused slight surprise to flicker across their faces.
Still, that alone was not enough to suddenly mend the sour atmosphere.
Yeo Woonhwi continued speaking, entirely undaunted by their cold stares.
“And I have no intention of reigning over you or bossing you around. You don’t need to walk on eggshells around me—just carry on with your duties as you always have. That is all.”
With that, Yeo Woonhwi concluded his greeting.
After a perfunctory send-off, Yeo Woonhwi departed from the White Wolf Troop’s quarters. In the strange, lingering atmosphere he left in his wake, someone spoke up.
“Can we really take his words at face value?”
“As if. Not a chance.”
“By the way, Hyung-nim. Why on earth did you do that?”
“Do what?”
Despite Yeo Woonhwi’s reasonably decent introduction, it was only natural.
Yeo Woonhwi’s reputation within the White Wolf Troop remained far from favorable.
He had neither cowered like a mere scholar nor acted arrogantly beyond his station, but that very demeanor only made the White Wolf Troop more suspicious of him.
Amid that atmosphere, Gu Tae-san questioned Oh Chae-mu, who had remained quietly silent.
“I mean, why did you accept him? You should’ve just told him to cut the nonsense and chased him out from the start.”
“And then what? Did he look like someone who would simply back down?”
“…Ugh.”
He did not.
Yeo Woonhwi had not even batted an eye when Gu Tae-san smashed the wall with his fist.
It was baffling.
That was not a reaction a delicate scholar who had never learned martial arts in his life would ever show.
Even conceding that he might have just begun learning martial arts, it still made no sense.
Was he abnormally bold? Or what kind of backing was he relying on?
If it was solely because of his status as the son-in-law, his composure was far too extraordinary.
Oh Chae-mu had caught onto that much just by listening to the brief exchange between Gu Tae-san and Yeo Woonhwi from outside.
“Then what do you plan to do? Leave him be? Actually accept him as our Captain?”
“Of course not. If someone who knows nothing of martial arts sits above us, what happens to our reputation? That isn’t our way.”
They could never allow someone to take the seat of Captain of the White Wolf Troop simply because he was the family’s son-in-law.
It was not a seat Oh Chae-mu had turned down just to hand it over to a man like that.
Gu Tae-san looked at Oh Chae-mu with an inquisitive expression.
“So, do you have a plan?”
“Driving him out ourselves isn’t a wise move. We’ve already fallen out of favor with the main clan, and doing so would only make our situation worse. If we cause more trouble now, the Patriarch will undoubtedly be deeply disappointed.”
“Ah, so do you have a way or not?”
“Tsk, learn some patience. Always so hasty.”
“What can I do? I was born this way.”
When Gu Tae-san kept badgering him, Oh Chae-mu clicked his tongue.
The two were like blood brothers.
That was why Oh Chae-mu was the person Gu Tae-san felt most comfortable with, yet at the same time, the one he found most formidable and feared the most.
That was how deeply Gu Tae-san respected and followed Oh Chae-mu.
In their current situation, it was decidedly the former, which was why Gu Tae-san was pestering him without reservation.
Shaking his head at his younger brother, Oh Chae-mu finally revealed his scheme.
“We make him leave on his own.”
“On his own? How?”
“We just need to make him realize, ‘Ah! If I stay here, I won’t live to see old age!’”
At Oh Chae-mu’s words, the corners of Gu Tae-san’s mouth curled upward.
He had only thought of kicking him out by force; such a scheme had never even crossed his mind.
Oh Chae-mu continued.
“A mere scholar who thinks he hit the jackpot by becoming the son-in-law of the Hebei Peng Clan—one of the Five Great Clans—would never welcome such hardship. He’ll run straight back to the main house and beg for a different post.”
“Oh, I see!”
“Now then, go fetch the recent requests that have come in for our White Wolf Troop.”
Gu Tae-san’s face lit up with sheer excitement at his words.
That was the reason Oh Chae-mu had accepted Yeo Woonhwi so meekly.
And he did not doubt for a single second that his scheme would succeed.