Chapter 160: Hwangbo Hyeji (3)

An elder of the Namgung Clan and successor to the Divine Sword Geum Clan. One of the most famous martial artists in recent times, Heaven-reaching True Qi Lee Seojun.

The moment Hwangbo Seorin heard news of his visit, something came to mind.

Is this the Young Lord’s doing?

His words about it being time to let go of Hwangbo Hyeji.

Albeit being a truly impertinent statement, she couldn’t say much in response since the one who said it was the Young Lord of the Namgung Clan.

Regardless of her being a direct lineage of the Hwangbo Clan, she was well aware that her influence paled in comparison to his.

Her daughter Hwangbo Hyeji was currently holed up in her room, recovering from her injuries.

To avoid facing the Namgung’s Young Lord and Heaven-reaching True Qi alone, she enlisted Hwangbo Clan Elder Hwangbo Jun as backup.

That very Hwangbo Jun found this entire situation extremely distressing.

Even a bed of nails couldn’t pierce his skin, yet Hwangbo Seorin’s sharp aura made him restless.

Soon, the guests entered.

Namgung Myeong and Lee Seojun.

The moment Hwangbo Jun saw Seojun’s face, he sighed.

“Ugh.”

This was going to be bad, real bad.

What outrageous bullshit would that monster spout this time, someone who made no distinction between what should and shouldn’t be said?

Just how bleak would his own future be, having to deal with Hwangbo Seorin’s fury afterward?

“Damn it.”

“What did you say?”

“N-Nothing at all.”

Seojun confidently entered the reception room and cupped his fists.

“I am Lee Seojun, Elder of the Namgung Clan.”

At least he’s being courteous. Hwangbo Jun brightened and returned the courtesy.

“Welcome, Young Lord and Heaven-reaching True Qi. What brings you to our clan?”

Seojun looked at him strangely. Hwangbo Jun being courteous felt as out of place as Geum Chunbong being petite and busty.

“…I’m sure you know that our Young Lord and your family’s daughter maintain a rather good relationship.”

Seojun looked directly at Hwangbo Seorin as he continued.

“While I wish not to interfere too deeply in others’ family affairs… wouldn’t I know more about martial arts than you people?”

Hwangbo Seorin’s brow twitched. She glanced at Hwangbo Jun, but he offered no rebuttal.

Honestly, that bastard did know more about martial arts than Hwangbo Jun himself.

“However, there are certain things I’ve heard─ certain things I’ve seen with my own two eyes that I cannot help but comment on.”

“If you would grace us with your insights, I will listen attentively.”

At Hwangbo Seorin’s response, Seojun smiled with satisfaction.

“Do you happen to not have a mother?”

“…Pardon?”

“Just curious.”

“I do have a mother, but…”

“Yet you act this way? For what reason?”

Seojun stared blankly at Hwangbo Seorin. Her eyebrows trembled.

Is impertinence a family tradition of the Namgung Clan…?

To suddenly ask about her mother’s existence. It was unthinkable.

“I’m not sure… what you are trying to say.”

“I overheard the words you spoke to your daughter. Instead of worrying about the daughter who gave her all in a match, you lay blame upon her for defeat. Do you believe that makes sense?”

“A martial artist should inherently know defeat as disgrace. While you may learn from losses, on the battlefield, a moment of defeat is the difference between life and death.”

“So the Dragon Phoenix Tournament is a battlefield?”

“Train as if it’s real combat. Surely you know this.”

“No, have you actually been on a battlefield? I have.”

“That’s…”

As Hwangbo Seorin hesitated, Seojun clicked his tongue.

“If you have a mother, you should know what children want from their mothers. Is one warm word so difficult? Or perhaps you were raised getting beaten by your mother?”

Silence fell over the reception room.

Hwangbo Jun’s eyes shook frantically.

That crazy fucker. He was an idiot for expecting anything from that guy to be reasonable.

A single glance at Hwangbo Seorin showed her desperately trying to hold back her anger from rising. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh, causing thin streams of blood to flow

Now he had to step in.

If that lunatic said one more word, there would be real trouble.

“Wait…! Hold on, hold on. Aren’t your words a bit too harsh? Considering we’re both from the Sixteen Great Clans, to say such things…”

“Just shut up for a bit. I’m being serious here.”

“Are you looking for a fight now?”

“Try me.”

“Ugh…!”

Hwangbo Jun felt like he was going insane from frustration.

He sent desperate glances to the Namgung’s Young Lord standing a step behind, who, though seemingly flustered, appeared to trust Seojun.

You have to trust the right people.

Seojun said.

“Ha… I can’t stand this anymore. Listen here. Try thinking for once, will you? What do you gain by pressuring people like that?”

Hwangbo Seorin barely managing to suppress her anger, responded.

“I will handle my daughter’s education as I see fit.”

“Look, you’re just the Peak Realm. What the hell do you know about martial arts? Keep bearing down on her like that, and she won’t even touch the threshold of the Transcendent Realm.”

Seojun was frustrated in his own way.

He knew that how other families educated their children wasn’t really his business to interfere with.

But this wasn’t right.

It wouldn’t be surprising if his future sister-in-law fell into qi deviation and died coughing up blood if things were left as they were.

Watching Seojun beat his chest out of frustration, Hwangbo Seorin barely managed not to raise her voice as she asked.

“Then… are you saying I should just give up on my daughter? To let her be remembered as nothing but a failure?”

“What others think doesn’t matter. That would probably be better.”

“I’m speechless…”

Hwangbo Seorin exhaled in disbelief.

Watching her, Seojun said.

“Whatever. I’ll make you a proposal.”

This was actually the main point. His words earlier were just him half-venting.

How could he not get angry listening to what Hwangbo Seorin said to Hwangbo Hyeji?

“You’ll be in Henan until the Dragon Phoenix Tournament ends anyway.”

“…”

“I’ll be in charge of teaching Hwangbo Hyeji, so keep that in mind.”

He called it a proposal but it was more a declaration. Hwangbo Seorin glared at him silently.

Seojun smirked at her and gestured to Hwangbo Jun to read the room.

“…Seorin, shall we try just once. He may spout nonsense, but his skills are real. It could be an opportunity for little Hye.”

“…I will do as Uncle wishes.”

Hwangbo Seorin left only those words before storming out.

Hwangbo Jun sighed deeply.

“…Crazy bastard.”

“What.”

“If you keep spouting whatever comes to mind like that, you’ll face serious trouble someday.”

“I said whatever I wanted even to the Qilian Sect Leader.”

“…Crazy bastard.”

Instead, Seojun scolded Hwangbo Jun.

“You bastard, your grand-niece is in that state and you don’t even think to do something about it?”

“Before being my grand-niece, she is also my nephew’s daughter. The education of the child should be left to the parents.”

“Dumbass. Forget it. Just follow me.”

Though Hwangbo Jun’s eyes widened, Seojun walked away without saying any more to him. Then, passing by Namgung Myeong’s side, he patted his shoulder.

“Let’s go, little brother. In the end, this is something sister-in-law has to resolve herself.”

The group headed to Hwangbo Hyeji’s quarters.

Her faint presence could be felt through the tightly closed door.

Seojun gestured to Namgung Myeong instead of knocking, who nodded and stepped forward.

“Young Lady Hwangbo, this is Namgung Myeong.”

“…Young Expert Namgung?”

A cracked voice returned, dry, as if she had been crying her heart out.

After hesitating, Namgung Myeong asked.

“May I come in for a moment?”

“No… Please go back…”

Namgung Myeong looked at Seojun. His eyes seemed to ask what to do.

Seojun scratched his head.

“Hmm… Just barging into a woman’s room is a bit…”

“Surprising. I didn’t know even you had some common sense.”

Hwangbo Jun sighed deeply and waved his hand.

“I’ll go in for a moment. Wait here.”

Hwangbo Jun barged into his grand-niece’s room without permission.

Listening carefully, he seemed to be comforting Hwangbo Hyeji.

They seemed to have quite a good relationship, but he couldn’t understand why such a person had left Hwangbo Hyeji to reach this state.

After some time passed, she emerged from her room.

Though she had hastily tidied herself and her appearance was neat, her eyes were swollen from crying, making her look quite pitiful.

Moreover, the wounds from her match with Namgung Suah hadn’t fully healed yet. Seeing the torn wound at the corner of her mouth made his heart ache.

She reminds me of Chunbong…

Seeing Chunbong’s image overlap with Hwangbo Hyeji made his feelings very complicated.

Her complexion wasn’t good either, and the dark circles under her eyes suggested she had developed an inner demon.

How could a mother want her daughter to be in such a state?

People all thought differently, but Seojun had no desire to empathize with everyone.

No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t right.

Seojun looked at Hwangbo Hyeji and pondered.

With the child in that state, lecturing her now would only have negative effects.

“For now—Myeong, I’ll leave you two to talk for a bit.”

To reach higher realms, you must have confidence in yourself.

This doesn’t mean not to rely on anyone.

Even those who serve gods reach high realms, don’t they? Accepting others’ will doesn’t negatively affect one’s own realm.

However, one certainly needs to know their own will.

The Demonic Cult could serve as an example.

They worship Mara Pasun the object of their faith. While there might be exceptions, many of them probably had fanatical faith in the Demonic Immortal.

So how did they reach high realms like Transcendent or Unrestrained?

It’s necessary to understand the difference between Hwangbo Hyeji and them.

From Seojun’s perspective, Demonic Cult members didn’t doubt their faith. Even judging from what he’d heard, they would throw away their lives without hesitation according to Mara Pasun’s will.

In a way, that too was firm belief in oneself.

Faith meant belief. Conviction in oneself who believed in Mara Pasun.

So what about Hwangbo Hyeji?

She wanted to follow her mother’s will, but that was all. She didn’t completely agree with her mother’s will. She simply couldn’t say no when something was wrong, instead enduring it silently, holding it all inside.

“So what are you trying to say?”

At Hwangbo Jun’s question, Seojun answered.

“Hwangbo Hyeji needs to establish her own will. If she’s going to follow her mother’s will, she should follow blindly, or if not, she should be able to say what’s wrong is wrong.”

Without doing so, continuing like this could lead to a cheerful high-five with qi deviation and crossing the river to the afterlife.

“In conclusion, you’re saying you’ll work her hard.”

“What?”

“If she keeps struggling until her survival instincts kick in, won’t she discover her own will?”

He hoped Hwangbo Hyeji would reach a peaceful agreement with her inner self. Then she would realize: Ah, mother’s words aren’t everything.

Only then could she truly begin anew. Whether as a martial artist or as an adult.

That woman Hwangbo Seorin could watch Hwangbo Hyeji thrive on her own while she gets to enjoy her own dose of regret, exhaustion, and obsession.

If he poked at her from the side when the time came, he’d probably get some quite amusing reactions.

Because acknowledging that you’ve been wrong is always painful.

─But what if she still doesn’t understand even when the proof is right in front of her face?

Then she’d need to get a little beating. That’s when beating the shit out of her would be justified.