Chapter 788: Control Your Strength.

What did I just hear?

‘I think he said ‘No Trespassing’….’

Iljangro was whistling and avoiding my gaze, but I was sure that’s what he said.

‘No Trespassing…?’

Whether it was ‘Entry Forbidden’.

Or ‘No Trespassing’.

The difference in words wasn’t important.

What mattered was that Iljangro was the one who’d been subjected to it.

‘Subjected to it by whom?’

Judging by his words, it seemed like the Martial Arts Alliance….

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand.

‘Why Iljangro?’

How did that old geezer end up subjected to something like that? That was the biggest problem for me.

Of course, he had a fiery temper, was a real pain in the ass, and was known as one of the most eccentric figures in the Gu family, possibly ranking first or second in eccentricity.

“Your expression is strange. Are you perhaps cursing me in your mind?”

“There’s no way.”

He was even quick-witted, but…

At the very least, he wasn’t the type of person who’d live a life committing sins.

‘…’

I paused for a moment as I recalled.

Was he really not…?

Memories from my childhood flashed back vividly.

“Kkuh…!”

“Yangcheon-ah?”

For a moment, I felt dizzy, almost blacking out.

It seemed to be because they were memories I didn’t want to recall.

I suddenly harbored a suspicion that maybe that old man might have.

But.

‘…Even so.’

Unless he caused some truly outrageous incident, the Alliance wouldn’t make such a decision.

Reaching the level of ‘No Trespassing’ meant…

‘It’s practically impossible unless they were classified as a heretical sect.’

For martial artists, it meant being a heretical sect.

For other organizations, it meant distrusting and avoiding the Alliance.

A ban on approaching a certain area by the Martial Arts Alliance carried such meaning.

‘Iljangro…?’

An elder of the Ming family, a righteous martial artist known as the ‘Fierce Fist,’ was subjected to a ‘No Trespassing’ request in Hanam?

What on earth could he have done to warrant that?

Furthermore, it was strange that despite being subjected to such a measure, he wasn’t classified as a heretical sect, and I hadn’t even heard a whisper about it.

“Iljangro-nim… What exactly did you mean just now?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What you just said.”

“So, what is it?”

“No, that you were forbidden from coming to Hanam…”

“What are you talking about?”

“…”

I see.

I nodded, observing Iljangro’s reaction.

‘He’s going to play dumb?’

As if intending to erase it completely, Iljangro began to feign ignorance.

Was I just going to let that slide?

“No, you just said it.”

Absolutely not.

As if determined to latch onto his words and get an answer, I tried to catch Iljangro’s trailing words.

“Iljangro-nim was banned from approaching by the Alliance…”

“Speaking of which, Yangcheon, I was suddenly curious. If you were to take the position of head of the family, what happens to becoming the young master?”

“…I might not be able to. Did something happen?”

“Right?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Hahaha-!”

“Hahaha….”

I quickly changed the subject I was about to bring up.

‘This damn old man….’

As expected, no one could beat Iljangro when it came to slyness.

Although he seemed to be ignoring it, Iljangro clearly knew what I was worried about.

He was warning me that if I pried unnecessarily, he would retaliate.

‘Damn it.’

Thanks to that, I had no choice but to shut my mouth.

Even after meeting him after so long, he was still a difficult person.

Thump. Thump.

His large hands repeatedly patted my shoulder.

“It’s good to see you seem to be doing well.”

“…I have a question, first.”

“Hm?”

“You said you were forbidden, but is it okay for you to be here…?”

I wouldn’t ask why he was forbidden, but I had to ask if it was okay for him to be here.

Wouldn’t this cause problems?

As I asked with concern.

“Hmm? Ah, hahaha-! If it’s about that, it’s fine.”

Iljangro answered with a hearty laugh.

“As long as we don’t get caught, it’s fine, isn’t it? Hahaha–!”

“…”

Hearing his answer, I immediately grabbed my forehead.

‘Damn it. That means it’s not fine at all.’

There was no answer. How could he be like that?

As we talked, frustration kept building up.

“Hoo….”

As I let out an uncontrollable sigh, I suddenly felt a pain in my back.

Thwack-!

“Oof!?”

“Tsk tsk, why does a young pup like you have so many worries to be sighing like that?”

“…”

It’s because of you.

I couldn’t say that, so I had to shake my head slightly.

Anyway.

“That’s… well, never mind for now…. So, did you really come to see me?”

The incident with the Hundred-Level Monster and the change in my moniker.

Did he really come because of that?

I asked, curious about it.

“Well, that wasn’t the main point, but it was a major reason.”

I felt a subtle sense of relief at Iljangro’s words.

While this was a reason to some extent, the main point was something else.

I focused on his words.

‘Yes, that makes sense.’

The distance from Shanxi to Hanam. And the time it took for the information to reach there.

Considering all that, it didn’t quite make sense for Iljangro to have come here immediately after hearing the news.

If one were to be precise, it might be possible.

‘Iljangro is, after all, a master of the Hua Realm.’

It wasn’t impossible if he ran at full speed.

Especially since Iljangro’s martial arts possessed the power to activate the body to its limits.

Considering this, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

‘…I hoped it wasn’t the case.’

I hoped Iljangro hadn’t gone to such lengths to come here.

That’s why I felt relieved by that answer.

“Do you know how surprised I was when I got here? You really startled an old man like me. You startled me.”

He ruffled my hair again.

It felt like there wasn’t even enough hair left to get messier.

“…Nothing much happened.”

“Nothing much happened?! You rascal…!”

“So why did you come? Tell me that first.”

As I cut him off, asking before the conversation could get longer, Iljangro frowned.

He was quite outstanding in terms of having a menacing appearance, so I was momentarily intimidated.

Was he going to get angry? Just as I was preparing to bolt, thinking he might.

“…It’s nothing much.”

Fortunately, Iljangro didn’t get angry. He spat out an explanation in a reluctant voice.

“There was an old man who insisted on coming along with me.”

“Yes?”

“That old geezer, who seems to have lost his marbles and wouldn’t even come out of his back room unless he was dying, insisted I needed to escort him or something.”

“…?”

The more I heard, the more my expression crumpled.

It was difficult to understand, no matter how much I tried.

So.

‘Someone insisted on coming along… and he was dragged along because he needed an escort?’

Iljangro?

Dragged along for such a role?

‘What kind of crazy talk is this.’

If this wasn’t crazy talk, what was it?

Iljangro was one of the few beings in the Gu family whom even my father couldn’t treat lightly.

Positionally, my father, the family head, was superior, but they were strictly in a relationship of mutual respect, not one of condescension.

Seeing as he lived a life causing chaos in his youth and still held the position of elder while bossing around me, his direct descendant, he clearly had a strong standing.

Iljangro, like that, came to Hanam acting as an escort?

“What are you talking about?”

“Anyway, instead of aging gracefully, he’s just getting more stubborn…. Tsk tsk tsk. That’s probably why my daughter dislikes him so much.”

“Elder-nim…?”

“Anyway, that’s how it is, so let’s go.”

“…What suddenly became what? And where are we going?”

Nothing had been resolved for me, yet Iljangro was suddenly trying to take me somewhere.

I instinctively tensed up, clearly indicating I wouldn’t go.

“Hm?”

“Not ‘Hm?’. Where are you suddenly trying to drag me?”

“Ah. It’s nothing much. That old man wanted to see you. Since we’re already here, wouldn’t it be good to pay him a visit?”

“Why are you saying that so casually, like we’re going out for a meal? I don’t even know who it is, why should I meet them…?”

From the context, it seemed like the person Iljangro brought along.

It was strange that he wanted to see me, and I saw no reason why I should go.

I already had a lot to do today.

I couldn’t even see my kids, so I didn’t have time to meet anyone else.

So, I intended to refuse.

“Hmm… You say you don’t know who it is. That’s true, but it’s a bit difficult to say you don’t know them at all.”

Iljangro said, stroking his beard.

“Strictly speaking, he is your grandfather.”

“…What?”

At those words, my expression crumpled completely.

The word ‘grandfather’ brought back recent memories that were far from pleasant.

---

The time was nearing midday, progressing into the bright afternoon.

Hanam.

Specifically, within an area managed by the Baekhwa Merchant Guild.

Someone was strolling along a path that looked like a gentle slope but was well-maintained.

There were two people, both women with long hair, and both were striking beauties.

One was a woman with jet-black hair tinged with a hint of red, constantly wearing an uncomfortable expression as if the current situation was quite bothersome.

The black-haired woman walking beside her seemed uninterested in her companion’s reaction, busy taking in the surrounding scenery.

As they walked for a short while.

Stop.

“…Why did they really call me?”

One of the women, Gu Huibi, spoke nervously.

“Really. Why did they really call me? Did I do something wrong? No… I hid the things I did wrong so they wouldn’t find out?”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Gu Huibi, reaching the peak of anxiety, repeatedly bit her fingernails.

Seeing Gu Huibi like that, the woman beside her grabbed her arm.

“Unni. You shouldn’t bite them.”

“…Oh, r-right.”

“Calm down.”

“…Unni is calming down well.”

“…No, I’m not…?”

Gu Huibi’s words were a lie.

The woman knew. Ever since she received the letter this morning, Gu Huibi’s face had been pale, trembling.

“R-really. Unni is fine.”

She tried to smile, but her downturned lips completely shattered any credibility.

“Mm.”

Even seeing that, the woman simply nodded.

If she said so, then it must be true. There was no need to ask further.

“I-I’m really fine… I’ll be fine. Or rather, I’ll probably be fine, right?”

“Should we go back home?”

“No… If I go home like this, I might die.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t Unni say it before?”

Gu Huibi touched her arm, as if getting goosebumps.

“…Unni has only two fears in the world, you know?”

Only two.

Gu Huibi feared only two things in the world, and one of them was…

“An angry mother.”

“Mother?”

“Yeah, Mother is really scary when she’s angry.”

Just imagining it was terrifying.

Even though her mother, Mi Hyoran, had never learned any martial arts, Gu Huibi always ended up like a drowned rat in front of her.

“…A while ago, I caused trouble once while playing with my brother.”

Brother. Her only younger brother.

Excitedly messing around together as if playing, they had fallen from a high place.

At the time, Gu Yangcheon had said it was scary and refused, but Gu Huibi pushed him, saying it would be fun…

“-N-Noona, this is too sca-scary… Aaaah-!”

I didn’t know it then.

Gu Huibi had always landed safely when falling from high places, so she believed Gu Yangcheon could too… that was her reasoning, but…

Unfortunately, Gu Yangcheon couldn’t.

As a result, he fell to the ground and got injured on his face.

It was a wound that would have left a scar if not treated promptly.

Fortunately, Gu Yangcheon received good treatment, and there were no subsequent issues…

‘…The problem was.’

It was their mother, Mi Hyoran.

Upon hearing the news, Mi Hyoran abandoned everything she was doing and returned to the Gu family residence.

Then, after examining the injured Gu Yangcheon and hearing the circumstances, she secretly summoned Gu Huibi.

‘…Ughhh….’

Gu Huibi shuddered, recalling that time.

That day was hell.

Gu Huibi learned that day what it meant to kill someone with words.

Not only did she hear a hundred to two hundred reasons why she shouldn’t have done it,

She received chilling warnings about what would happen if she ever did it again,

And how she lived for months being ‘educated’ on her lack of common sense.

Even the usually stoic family head had told her to stop.

Mi Hyoran, when enraged, was scarier than anything in the world.

That was Gu Huibi’s lifelong realization. Usually, when Mi Hyoran was angry.

‘…She would send a letter like this.’

Telling her to come to her, not the other way around. To come and get scolded.

She would summon her like this, as if telling her to prepare herself mentally.

Knowing that, Gu Huibi’s mind raced.

“…W-what could it be…?”

What trouble did I cause?

No, more precisely, which incident got discovered?

The more I thought about it, the more dizzy I became.

‘There are too many.’

I’ve caused far too much trouble.

Was it because I stomped on the groin of some unknown young master who was hitting on me?

Or was it because I happened to see a pot-bellied guild leader forcing himself on a servant and burned off all his hair? I heard that guild leader had some connection to the Baekhwa Merchant Guild.

If not that…

‘Did she find out I secretly sold the vase Mother cherished…?’

It’s not easy. It wasn’t just one thing, but several. Ah, maybe it wasn’t just one incident that was discovered…

‘All of them?’

If all of them were discovered, it’s truly a death sentence.

Should I just run away?

Yes, that would be the right thing to do.

Gu Huibi made up her mind and immediately turned to leave, but…

“Young Lady.”

“…”

Her aimless steps had already reached the destination, and the person who spotted her had already come out to greet her.

Seeing him, Gu Huibi managed a stiff smile.

“…It’s been a while.”

“Have you been well?”

“…Of course….”

“From now on, I will guide you.”

“Ah, but I think I left something behind. I was thinking of quickly going back for it…”

“Ah, is that so? The Guild Master is waiting. Since you seem to be a bit late, I was ordered to guide you here… but I suppose…”

“Let’s go.”

It seemed I couldn’t escape after all.

Gu Huibi’s expression turned pale, as if she were facing her demise.

With a heavy heart, she followed the guide.

Just like the path leading here, the interior of the residence was even better maintained.

It felt like a blessing for reaching the end of one’s life.

“Haha.”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing. Seeing the butterfly’s funny face made me chuckle.”

“Butterfly… you mean?”

“Yes.”

It was a strange answer, but the attendant didn’t pry further.

As they resumed walking, Gu Huibi suddenly glanced sideways.

White flower buds peeked out here and there amidst the bushes.

“…”

Gu Huibi’s gaze lingered on them for a moment.

The flowers, whose names she couldn’t even recall.

They weren’t Mi Hyoran’s favorite flowers, but they were the ones she grew the most.

Gu Huibi knew whose favorite flowers they were.

-As expected, our Huibi is pretty, so this suits you too. Yeonseo, come here too, won’t you?

The person who tucked a flower behind her ear with a touch that felt both warm and cold.

The flowers that person liked.

They were blooming everywhere in this residence.

Even though they had been removed from the Gu residence.

As she lost herself in thought, looking at those flowers.

“Young Lady?”

The attendant called out to Gu Huibi, and upon hearing it, she quickly turned her head.

“I’m coming now.”

As if shaking off her thoughts, Gu Huibi moved forward. However.

“…”

The black-haired woman who had been walking with her also quietly observed the flowers.

Even as Gu Huibi slowly moved away, she watched intently, as if memorizing the flowers.

“…”

She too turned her head again and followed Gu Huibi.

---

Finally, I was guided inside the residence.

The closer we got, the worse Gu Huibi’s expression became, but there was no other way.

The fact that the attendant had come meant Mi Hyoran was already involved.

Trying to escape now would only hurt Gu Huibi.

If I got caught later, I’d be scolded even more severely.

‘Right.’

If I’m going to get scolded anyway, it should be now.

Still, I’m her daughter. She wouldn’t kill me, surely. Thinking that, Gu Huibi nodded.

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

“Can’t you stay a little longer…?”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing… Never mind.”

I considered asking the attendant to stay, but it felt a bit pathetic, so I decided against it.

The bewildered attendant left.

In the somewhat desolate residence, Gu Huibi turned her head.

As always, it was a residence too tall and spacious for one person to live in.

This wasn’t the main house, but Mi Hyoran’s residences in various regions always felt like this.

Houses far too spacious for solitary living.

With many rooms, as if expecting someone to arrive.

Yet, given Mi Hyoran’s personality, she wouldn’t warmly invite or greet anyone, but all the places she lived had this feel.

When I was young, I just thought she liked houses like this.

As I grew older, my thoughts changed slightly.

Perhaps there was a reason.

Gu Huibi used to think that.

“…Where could Mother be?”

Gulp.

I swallowed dryly and looked around.

My expression was tense, as if I were going to face Yama.

Gu Huibi nervously scanned her surroundings.

Just then.

‘-…This…'”

‘-Mm!'”

Voices could be heard not far away.

‘Is that it.’

Gu Huibi moved towards the sound.

As if confirming it was the right direction, the voices grew clearer.

‘-I like this too-!'”

‘-Really? That’s fortunate.'”

‘-Yes!'”

‘-Here, try this one too.'”

‘-Mmm! It’s delicious!'”

‘-Huhu. You eat well.'”

‘Huh?’

Gu Huibi’s face slightly furrowed.

Something was strange.

‘There are two voices.’

Why were there two voices in a place where I heard only Mother would be?

Moreover, one voice belonged to a child.

The tone sounded particularly familiar, as if I’d heard it somewhere before.

Perhaps it was a voice that made one want to tease it relentlessly?

And the remaining voice…

‘-Oh my, you shouldn’t eat messily. Come here, I’ll wipe it for you.'”

‘-Mmm.'”

“…”

Although it clearly sounded like her mother’s voice, Gu Huibi couldn’t readily believe it.

‘What is this.’

She had never heard such a kind and gentle voice from her own mother.

Even the conversation itself.

Come here so I can wipe it for you?

‘Unbelievable.’

Her mother was the type to lecture about proper dining etiquette if anything was spilled.

And yet, she’s speaking like that?

No matter how I listened, it made no sense.

Hearing this, Gu Huibi took a trembling step forward.

‘-Guild Master, can I eat more of this?'”

‘-Of course, would you like something else?'”

‘-Yes! I like you, Guild Master-!'”

‘-I told you to call me something other than Guild Master.'”

‘-Ah. Right.'”

Gu Huibi had reached the door without realizing it.

She reached for the door with trembling hands.

Creak-!

The closed door soon opened.

At that moment.

“‘-I like you, Grandma-!'”

“‘-Yes, I like my grandson too…'”

Mi Hyoran, smiling while holding a child in the room, and Gu Huibi made eye contact.

“…”

“…”

A silence fell as they stared at each other without words.

For Gu Huibi, it was a hell of a different kind.