Chapter 2

As Yang-hwi was led toward Baek Manor by his father’s hand, he was finally able to face his current reality.

‘Heavenly Fate Reversal, Return to Righteous Flow, Return to Fulfill Desires.’

An unidentified voice had spoken from the heavens right after he was sent back through time.

The flow of reversing fate has altered the Heavenly Mandate, so one must correct the disrupted Heavenly Energy.

Had an order been handed down from a place like the Celestial Realm or Heavenly Realm?

For something like that, there was no other instruction besides Return to Fulfill Desires—to go back and do as he wished.

For now, it was a situation where he couldn’t figure out what on earth had happened.

Nevertheless, Yang-hwi wore a smile of delight.

He didn’t know how it happened or how it was possible, but…

‘One thing is certain: I’ve returned to the past.’

Unripe muscles. Small, thin, fern-like hands.

Yang-hwi’s body was so small and light that Baek Mu-ryang could run at full speed with him on his back.

Since he was eight years old when he was adopted into the Baek Clan, he had traveled back a whopping thirty years in time.

In other words, it was an opportunity.

And a tremendous one at that.

He had wandered the Jianghu for over a dozen years without coming across a single miraculous encounter.

Yet after dying, he was granted such a monumental fortunate encounter?

‘Thank you, Yuanshi Tianzun, Taishang Laojun.’

No, since it felt similar to reincarnation, should he be thanking the Buddha instead?

Whoever it was that had turned back time, he felt he should soon visit a Daoist master or a monk and make a lavish donation.

While Yang-hwi harbored such thoughts…

Baek Mu-ryang sprinted along the main road and arrived in Muju, specifically E’an County, where the Baek Clan was situated.

E’an County in Muju could not compare to Nanchang, the Chengdu of Jiangxi Province, but it was a city large enough to harbor dozens of sects, including the Baek Clan.

“We are here, Hwi-ya. I can see our main house in the distance.”

Located in the center of E’an County was a spacious manor—old, yet impeccably maintained.

Visible was the main gate, above which hung a plaque inscribed with four characters reading “Baek Clan.”

Unusually, instead of ordinary wood, it was built from sturdy Black Steel Wood and carved with tens, hundreds of clouds.

“The gate is peculiar, isn’t it? It was personally crafted and carved by the progenitor of our clan.”

He hadn’t been staring because it was peculiar.

He had merely fixed his gaze upon it because he remembered the fate that would befall that gate in a moment.

“I know.”

“Hmm? Have you been here before?”

“How could I not know? The beggars saved by the Baek Clan’s generosity number over several hundred, and I am one of them.”

It was no lie. Indeed, even before becoming an adopted son, Yang-hwi had begged for food at Baek Manor several times.

“Is that so? Then our fate was tied even before this. Come, let us go inside.”

There was no gatekeeper. The Baek Clan was not prosperous enough to employ a gatekeeper whose sole job was to stand idle when there were no guests.

Baek Mu-ryang opened the door himself and stepped inside.

“Wife! Manager Han! I have returned!”

As Baek Mu-ryang called out loudly, the door to the pavilion opened, and the servants walked out one after another.

One manager, Baek Mu-ryang’s wife, two children, and about a dozen servants.

These made up the entirety of the Baek Clan.

“Have you returned, Clan Head? Who is the child on your back?”

Baek Mu-ryang wore a slightly embarrassed smile.

It was because, even as the Clan Head, he had to utter words that would surely meet with considerable pushback.

However, Baek Mu-ryang had no intention of changing his mind, so he placed a hand on Yang-hwi’s shoulder and answered.

“He is the child who has become my son as of today. His name is Baek Yang-hwi!”

The eyes of the gathered servants widened, their gazes focusing on Yang-hwi, who was dressed in filthy, grimy rags.

Yang-hwi also looked wistfully at each and every one of the servants.

Mother Jeong In-hwa. Younger brother Baek Heon-so and younger sister Baek Yeon-yeon. Manager Han Seok-eon and the dozen or so servants.

Meanwhile, Han Seok-eon, who was in charge of the clan’s internal and external affairs as manager, asked a question on behalf of the servants.

“I ask you, Clan Head. By ‘son,’ do you mean you intend to officially adopt him?”

Baek Mu-ryang averted his eyes slightly and replied.

“That is correct, Manager Han.”

“…”

Manager Han wore a troubled expression.

His face seemed to say that the Clan Head’s compassion, which occasionally brought worries to the clan, had flared up in a strange direction once again.

Of course, Manager Han deeply respected Baek Mu-ryang and revered the authority of the Clan Head.

Therefore, he voiced his objection indirectly.

“Clan Head. If you intend to adopt him as a son rather than simply take care of him, shouldn’t you discuss it with the Clan Matriarch?”

Having spoken, Manager Han looked at Jeong In-hwa, the Clan Matriarch of the Baek Clan, Baek Mu-ryang’s companion and lady of the house.

Jeong In-hwa was wearing thick clothes despite it being midsummer, as if her health was poor.

“My husband must have, cough, his reasons.”

Jeong In-hwa smiled even as she coughed. As the old saying goes, husband and wife share a mind; Jeong In-hwa possessed a disposition similar to Baek Mu-ryang’s.

“Clan Matriarch! This is no matter to be smiling about!”

“Cough, on a joyous day when we gain another family member, surely we shouldn’t be crying, Manager Han?”

Manager Han’s face darkened in contrast to Baek Mu-ryang’s brightening expression.

However, Manager Han could not back down here.

As the manager, he had a duty to uphold the laws and dignity of the clan.

Manager Han let out a sigh and offered a Salutation of fists and palms to Baek Mu-ryang.

“As the Han Family, who has served as managers for hundreds of years in the Baek Clan that has endured for hundreds of years, I ask: Clan Head, is there a reason why you proclaimed the adoption of that child?”

“It is to provide succor.”

“I believe that every word and action of the Clan Head must be backed by righteous intent and proper justification. I understand your intent, but beyond taking him in as a servant, what is the justification for forging a bond of blood and kin?”

“That… the child’s eyes told me. His suffering lies in being a helpless orphan.”

“Then, rather than the Clan Head, someone else…”

Baek Mu-ryang responded, and Manager Han questioned again on behalf of everyone.

Yang-hwi silently watched and listened to the conversation that continued like that for a while.

‘It truly seems I have returned to the past. The fact that most of the servants do not welcome my adoption is just like my previous life.’

In truth, this was only natural. Baek Mu-ryang was no ordinary commoner, but the Clan Head of a house, small as it might be.

He even had his eldest son, Baek Heon-so, and his second daughter, Baek Yeon-yeon, under his care.

‘In my previous life… I just hid behind my father’s back and waited for him to resolve the situation. Even after that, all the servants were displeased with my presence for a long time.’

He couldn’t let things flow the exact same way as his previous life in this life.

Thinking so, he took a big step forward.

Naturally, it drew attention, and as Yang-hwi received everyone’s gazes, he formally performed a Salutation of fists and palms.

“An ancient tale says that the beginning of a bond starts with exchanging names, yet my introduction is late. I am I-nom-i, who has lived taking the sky as my roof and the grass as my bed.”

Yang-hwi offered a Salutation of fists and palms to Baek Mu-ryang once more before continuing.

“To someone like me, Great Hero Baek, First in Dispensing Chivalry, bestowed the name Yang-hwi. Therefore, please call me Yang-hwi. Manager Han, would you listen to my words for a moment?”

“Speak, Young Master.”

“Manager Han, you stated that I cannot become the Clan Head’s son because there is a lack of justification among righteousness and justification. Then, would it suffice if I create that justification?”

Manager Han wore a puzzled expression.

“Create a justification? How so?”

“How about bestowing a grace so grand that everyone in the Baek Clan will acknowledge it?”

Manager Han almost shouted in agreement and slapped his knee.

It was because, just as he was troubled over how to sway the Clan Head’s mind, it felt as though a lifeline had descended from the heavens.

‘He is a child with a sense of shame! How fortunate!’

“If it is such a justification, everyone in the clan will agree. Clan Head, let us do as he says.”

Baek Mu-ryang silently looked at Yang-hwi.

“Hwi-ya. Wanting to take you as my son was my own will. That means there is no need for you to read the room and decline.”

It seemed that not only Manager Han but Baek Mu-ryang as well assumed Yang-hwi had made such a proposal to politely decline the offer of adoption.

However, just like in his previous life, Yang-hwi intended to live as his father’s son in this life as well.

‘It should be about time for them to arrive. Ah, now.’

A commotion broke out outside, and suddenly the front gate of Baek Manor burst off its hinges.

Kwang!

Being sturdy Black Steel Wood, it did not shatter, but the gate panels were torn clean off the frame.

The ones who stepped through the now-empty entrance were a dozen Unorthodox Faction thugs and two men leading them.

‘Blood Axe Gu Ak. Black Ghost Bugaksin. Just like in my previous life.’

Blood Axe Gu Ak, the leader of the crowd, bellowed in a resonant voice.

“Baek Mu-ryang, First in Dispensing Chivalry! I have come to collect a blood debt!”

The gate of a clan symbolizes the dignity of the clan.

Though such a gate had been broken, Baek Mu-ryang hardened his face coldly instead of erupting in anger.

It was because the Qi Aura emitted by the two men standing at the very front was by no means inferior to his own.

“Are you Blood Axe Gu Ak?”

“It seems you have heard of my humble name. That is correct.”

“I have never crossed paths with the Honggyo Gang, so what is the meaning of this rudeness?”

“Rudeness? You made an enemy of the great Honggyo Gang, yet you didn’t even expect this level of treatment?”

Instantly, Baek Mu-ryang’s face turned rigid.

“What do you mean, made an enemy of the Honggyo Gang?”

The Honggyo Gang. An Unorthodox Faction sect boasting power formidable enough to be counted among the top three even in E’an County, Muju, where the Baek Clan was located.

It was a place that especially showed a strong tendency to aggressively expand its influence.

The reason they had suddenly raided Baek Manor was simple.

“The Naheuk Faction you wiped out today were under the banner of our gang! You know well what these words mean!”

Baek Mu-ryang let out a groan. The Naheuk Faction itself consisted of Third-rate lowlifes that he could wipe out on his own, but the Honggyo Gang was different.

Put simply, the total strength of the Baek Clan did not even amount to a tenth of the Honggyo Gang’s.

“I merely punished those who abandoned human morality. Do you know that the Naheuk Faction was engaging in human trafficking as well as selling drugs?”

“Whether they abandoned human morality or heavenly morality, they were under our gang’s banner! That means even if punishment were to be meted out, it must be done by our gang! You, First in Dispensing Chivalry, crossed the line.”

They weren’t wrong. If the Naheuk Faction truly had been under the Honggyo Gang, it meant he had launched a preemptive strike against them.

“I merely followed the Way of Chivalry. Having discovered those committing wrongdoing, how could I simply walk past?”

“Words truly fitting for the First in Dispensing Chivalry.”

As Gu Ak replied, Bugaksin, who was standing behind him in attendance, burst into laughter.

“First in Dispensing Chivalry! The rumors that you never pass by when witnessing injustice seem to have been true, puhahaha!”

“Restrain yourself, Aksin.”

“My apologies, Eldest Brother. Seeing that his dispensing of chivalry is truly first under heaven just as his nickname suggests, I simply couldn’t help it.”

Seeing Bugaksin shrug his shoulders and reply, Yang-hwi secretly gritted his teeth.

‘How dare that arrogant bastard.’

Baek Mu-ryang, First in Dispensing Chivalry. The Clan Head of the Baek Clan and a master of the Second-Rate.

The character *Shi* (施) held the meaning of “to show off” in addition to “to bestow.”

Bugaksin had just sarcastically implied that he was someone who merely showed off chivalry while his martial arts were nothing special.

‘I was deliberating on which method to choose, but this works out great. Black Ghost Bugaksin. You die today.’

With those thoughts, Yang-hwi performed an act that would have been impossible at this point in time prior to his regression.

“Inhaaale, exhaaale.”

With a single breath, he perceived the qi filling all four directions of heaven and earth.

At that moment, the world transformed. His Qi Perception had opened.

‘The lowlifes average ten years, Bugaksin about thirty years, and Gu Ak around forty years, huh.’

If others had known, it would have been earth-shattering news.

For even if one had good Qi Perception, estimating the size of another martial artist’s dantian without the help of special secret techniques was impossible.

A terrifyingly acute Qi Perception. It was one of the talents bestowed upon Yang-hwi by the heavens, which had given him nothing else.

‘In comparison, our main house… the servants all have lackluster internal energy, and only my father has thirty years of internal energy. As expected, we cannot defeat them with our main house’s current strength.’

It couldn’t be helped. To earn money to maintain the clan’s standing, they wouldn’t even have had enough time to practice martial arts.

Though it bore the name of a martial clan due to being one for generations, in reality, it was a humble clan that fell short of the name.

A Clan Head in the Second-Rate Realm, and most of the servants merely Third-rate—literally a Third-Rate Martial Clan.

That was precisely the Baek Clan, now more widely referred to by the title of Baek Manor.

‘On this day in my previous life, our main house suffered an indelible wound.’

On this day in his previous life, Baek Mu-ryang suffered an injury that required several months of recuperation, and the clan’s assets were even looted.

For the record, from the Honggyo Gang’s perspective, looting the meager clan assets was done solely to humiliate them.

It was an intention to spread a message to the surrounding chivalrous heroes never to touch any force under the Honggyo Gang’s banner again.

‘As if I would sit idly by and let my father and clan suffer that humiliation again.’

Fortunately, among the thirty years of memories Yang-hwi possessed, there were also details regarding the Honggyo Gang.

Among them was something he could put to use right away.

Yang-hwi quickly whispered to Baek Mu-ryang.

“Father.”

“Hwi-ya, stay still.”

“I have a scheme to evade this situation.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It is too long to explain, but I intend to use what I picked up while living with the Marketplace as my home.”

It was an urgent situation. Though it breached decorum, he ran forward immediately without waiting for permission.

Then, he offered a Salutation of fists and palms toward Gu Ak.

“Brother Gu! How are you?”

In an instant, a dumbfounded expression appeared on Gu Ak’s fierce face.

Not only Gu Ak, but everyone inside the manor felt bewildered.

“Brother… Gu…?”

For the record, Gu Ak was about twenty years older than Yang-hwi.