Chapter 1157: Scorched World.

Hwaaahak–!!

Flames grazed my cheek. Surprised, my reaction was slow. Brushing off the force, I frowned.

‘Daughter?’

Did that woman just call herself a daughter? A daughter?

She also said she was this house’s daughter.

If I heard correctly, she definitely said that.

‘What is she talking about?’

Daughter? Before I could even understand what she was saying.

Kwaaaah-!

I dodged the flames here and there. The woman was busy attacking me with flames continuously.

‘Her cultivation level… is about Five Stars?’

The level of her Nine Flame Wheel Technique seemed to have reached Five Stars. It appears the cultivation she achieved and her martial arts proficiency are around that level.

Hwareureureuk–!!!

In that state, she was spewing out a considerable amount of flames all at once.

I could see her control over the firepower was quite outstanding, though.

‘It’s excessive.’

If you asked whether she possessed enough internal energy to spew out like that, her stats were slightly ambiguous. If she kept firing like that, probably not long from now-…

“Huk… huk…”

“…….”

It was as expected. The woman already seemed exhausted, busy panting continuously. Her energy was almost depleted.

“You… damn… bastard…”

As I watched her quietly, the woman looked at me with resentful eyes.

“Keep… just keep dodging… aren’t you… being unfair?”

“…Then should I just stand still and take it? That seems more unfair.”

“When I’m… shooting this hard… you could at least let me hit you…”

“What kind of selfish thing is that to say? You’ve got no conscience.”

“Ha…”

The woman panted for a while, then seeming to finally calm down, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. And then.

“But why are you speaking informally?”

She asked, clearing her throat. Hearing this, I chuckled.

“You started it. Weren’t you asking me to go off too?”

“Aha?”

The woman laughed at my answer.

“Then should I, like, show courtesy to an intruder?”

“Good then. I wasn’t planning on showing courtesy to someone who threw the first punch either. It’s easier if we both don’t have it.”

“Ha.”

The woman’s face contorted as if she was speechless at my words.

Hwareureuk.

“You’re really making me angry.”

Flames swirled around her grasp again.

“…As advice, it would be better if you didn’t.”

“Sorry.”

Kkwaak-!

The woman clenched her fist.

“I don’t usually listen to what others say.”

Kung-!

She lunged forward, kicking off the ground. Watching her, I scanned the area behind. Since I caused quite a commotion, a gatekeeper should appear.

Or perhaps.

‘Someone behind me will react first.’

Finishing my thoughts, I extended my leg. Tung-! The ground trembled slightly.

“Oht!?”

The shock of the tremor disrupted the woman’s stance. As her lower body collapsed sideways, her upper body fell simultaneously.

With that, I lunged forward a step. The woman came fully into my sight. The suddenly closed distance. Seeing this, the woman’s eyes widened like saucers.

Ignoring it, I reached out my hand. I grabbed her neck. I intended to rip it right off.

With that intent and emotion, I moved my hand swiftly.

“Stop-.”

Hwaaahwaaahwaaaa—-!!!

Kkwaak-!

A man. Gu Seongyeol appeared and grasped my wrist.

“Eok!”

The woman, whose stance had collapsed, slumped down right in front of me.

“…What the hell are you doing?”

Gu Seongyeol narrowed his eyes looking at me. Only then did I release the strength in my hand.

As the strength left my hand, Gu Seongyeol also withdrew his grip.

“It was my countermeasure.”

My grabbed wrist felt sore. It seemed he had gripped it quite strongly.

“Just now, you seemed intent on killing her. A countermeasure?”

“I figured you’d step in to stop me. If I didn’t do something like this, you would have noticed but wouldn’t have intervened, right?”

“…….”

Gu Seongyeol shut his mouth for a moment, but soon looked at me again and said,

“I distinctly told you to wait.”

“Ah. I apologize for that part.”

I said with a smirk.

“I’m the type who doesn’t really listen to what others say.”

I quoted what the woman had just told her.

“…Oh, my aching body…”

The woman who had fallen down slowly got up. She stood up with an awkward expression, rolling her eyes as she looked at Gu Seongyeol. At that gaze, Gu Seongyeol also looked calmly at the woman. As their eyes met, the woman asked.

“…Father. Will I be scolded?”

Father.

At that word, I clicked my tongue inwardly. It was something I’d expected since she mentioned ‘daughter’. It seemed my guess was correct after all.

‘…Did Father have a sister?’

The woman is of the Gu clan’s lineage. She seemed like a child of my grandfather. This means… she’s Father’s sister.

‘Was there such a person?’

Just like Jin Yeonryeong. I don’t know anything about that woman.

Just then.

“Gu Seon.”

Gu Seongyeol called the woman’s name. It seems her name is Gu Seon.

As expected, it was a name I’d never heard before.

“Yes…”

the woman answered hesitantly.

“What happened here?”

“No, well, you see…”

Seeming like he was giving her a chance to explain, Gu Seon immediately pointed at me.

“I rushed over when I heard Mother was hurt. But then this unknown guy was loitering around, causing trouble. So I figured he was an intruder and tried to take care of him.”

“Take care of him? You just started throwing punches right off the bat.”

As I interjected with a displeased look, Gu Seon shouted at me.

“Hey! Shut up!?”

“I have a mouth, why should I shut up? It’s my mouth, not yours!”

“This guy-!”

“Quiet!”

Gu Seongyeol cut them off, letting out a roar.

“Your mother can hear you. Don’t act rashly.”

“No… that person…”

“He’s a guest your older brother brought. Which means he’s not an intruder.”

“What? Older brother?”

At those words, Gu Seon’s expression changed drastically.

“That blockhead is back? When…?”

“It must have been while you were skipping training and went out.”

“Aha! I see!”

I didn’t know that! Gu Seon said that, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

“No… then you should have said something. If you had, I wouldn’t have done it.”

What is that?

“Are you blaming me now?”

“Rather than blaming, I’m just saying… maybe you’re also a little at fault…”

“That means it’s my fault. First, you shot flames at a guest without warning, and now you’re trying to blame me too.”

“When did I ever do that! You’re twisting my words!”

After just a few exchanges, it devolved into an argument. Ah, no matter how I looked at it, it was clear I was fundamentally incompatible with that person named Gu Seon.

“You…”

Just as they were about to fight again, Gu Seongyeol couldn’t hold back and was about to say something.

“Stop it, you two.”

“…….”

“…….”

At the intervening tone, they became as mute as if gagged by a ghost. These were the words spoken by Jin Yeonryeong, who was lying on the sickbed in the room behind the shattered gate.

“…Stop it.”

“…Madam.”

At those words, Gu Seongyeol looked at Jin Yeonryeong with worried eyes.

“Seon, you too. What kind of rudeness is this?”

“Oh, Mother… it’s not like that…”

“Apologize now.”

“What? Me…? No, but…”

“Don’t make excuses, just do it.”

As Jin Yeonryeong spoke sternly, Gu Seon flinched. Gu Seon, whose eyes had been darting around for a while, finally bit her lip hard as she looked at me.

And then.

“…Sorry.”

She offered an apology that looked incredibly humiliating for her pride.

“…Uh, okay.”

It felt wrong not to accept it here, so I took her words for now.

Doing so, Gu Seon seemed even more offended.

“Tsk…!”

She spat out words according to her temper and then vanished like an arrow.

“Seon-ah! Sigh…”

Watching Gu Seon like that, Jin Yeonryeong wiped her forehead with her hand.

“…When will she ever mature.”

Her tone conveyed considerable worry. After that, her gaze turned towards me.

“…You said you were Baek Yangcheon, the Young Hero, right?”

“Yes, Madam Jin.”

“…….”

“…….”

We stared at each other wordlessly for a moment. It was because I had nothing particular to say, and she was watching me intently, as if observing me.

‘It would be better to explain.’

Elder Il’s actions were an accident. I am not the Gu family head’s biological son. I thought it would be better to clarify that. As for the Blood Wheel Bead… Won’t Gu Seongyeol handle the explanation regarding that? It seems like things would go better this way.

‘It wouldn’t be strange if Jin Yeonryeong came to dislike me.’

Her husband’s son who suddenly appeared. How many people would like a child from a different mother?

‘Playing the role of a bastard son here too… seems unpleasant.’

I already had my fill of dealing with the awkwardness of being a bastard son over there. I didn’t want to go through that again here.

As I thought that and was about to speak to Jin Yeonryeong.

“Um, Madam. Actually, I-“

“…It must have been very hard for you?”

“…Yes?”

I froze upon hearing that. Because it was an unexpected statement.

“How hard it must have been for that young child…”

Jin Yeonryeong looked at me, her eyes reddening.

What is this…?

What’s with that reaction? I’m flustered.

“No. Madam…?”

“…I asked something terrible. Please forgive me…”

“…Yes, what… did you ask…?”

“When I asked about your parents… Young Hero Baek told me, didn’t he? That your father was alive.”

“…Ah, yes…”

My mother is alive too, but… it was just awkward to explain. I said that because my father was perfectly fine and alive.

The problem was.

“…Having lost his mother. And with the only father figure nowhere to be seen. How heartbroken he must have been.”

It seemed Jin Yeonryeong had misunderstood that part.

“…No, Madam. That’s not what I meant… In the first place, I… am not Gu family head’s child…”

“No. You are his child. Young Hero Baek… no, Young Master Baek, you have no reason to hesitate.”

“Madam… please just let me speak for a moment.”

“It doesn’t make sense that you can’t call your father ‘Father’… Young Master Baek. You must have many scars, but stay here from now on.”

“It’s not like that…”

What should I do? She seems to have misunderstood greatly, and we can’t even communicate. In Jin Yeonryeong’s eyes, I was already Gu Seongyeol’s son.

“…No wonder. I thought you looked more like our Cheol-un…”

“…….”

The resemblance in our features also seemed to have played a significant role.

Wait, but am I supposed to look like Gu Seongyeol?

“Do I look that scary…?”

“…I don’t think I look that fierce…”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

Gu Seongyeol and I looked at each other simultaneously.

…This old man?

Just as I was about to say more, dumbfounded.

“…What do you mean by that?”

“…!”

A heavy voice cut through the air. The gazes of everyone present turned towards one spot.

And there.

“Let go of me, you brute…! You’re just strong and ignorant!”

Gu Seon, caught in a large hand.

“…Those words you just said. What did they mean?”

Gu Cheol-un, who had dragged her over, was standing there. With an expression suggesting he had heard everything that was just said.