Chapter 20

“…….”

“…….”

“Young Brother So.”

“Yes, Brother Gu.”

“It seems I’ll need a bit of time to prepare myself mentally.”

“One must strike while the iron is hot to claim the title of a true man. Keep dragging your feet like this, and you might just lose that precious thing between your legs.”

“…….”

Gu Ak was a man who, even when staring death in the face, would snarl with venomous defiance rather than cower in fear.

Yet right now, he was fidgeting like a dog that desperately needed to relieve itself.

Small wonder, really. He was on his way to do something he had never imagined doing in all his born days.

‘To live as a man of the Orthodox Faction… What in the world has my life come to?’

The difference between the Unorthodox Faction and the Orthodox Faction came down to a single distinction: whether one placed their own desires before propriety and righteousness.

On a grand scale, it meant blinding oneself with greed for wealth and preying upon the weak.

On a smaller scale, it was choosing to swallow one’s temper instead of lashing out the moment fury flared.

And while Gu Ak could perhaps manage the former, he had no confidence whatsoever in the latter.

“By the way, Young Brother So. The Clan Master of the Baek… your father. You gave him advance word, didn’t you?”

“…….”

Yang-hwi’s silence sent a chill of dread straight down Gu Ak’s spine.

Don’t tell me this brat…?

Instinct always had an uncanny knack for being dead right when it came to bad news.

And when they finally arrived at the Baek Manor,

Gu Ak’s foreboding proved all too real.

“Hwi, what madness is this? Blood Axe wishes to become a retainer of our house?”

Yang-hwi answered briskly,

without the slightest regard for Gu Ak’s state of mind.

“Yes, Father!”

“…Is this true, Blood Axe?”

“…….”

Gu Ak stared at Yang-hwi in stunned silence, then fired off a Sound Transmission.

-Young Brother Soooo!

-This wasn’t what we agreed on at allll!

Yang-hwi piped up with another cheerful reply.

“I said I’d bring him into our clan, but I never claimed I had obtained prior consent!”

Gu Ak fought with every fiber of his being against the urge to smack the back of that cheerfully bobbing head.

Meanwhile, Baek Mu-ryang let out a heavy sigh.

“It seems you truly did say you wished to join our house, Blood Axe. What has brought about such a change of heart?”

“…….”

The silence stretched, fraught with fierce inner turmoil.

At last, Gu Ak spoke.

“I will speak plainly, First in Dispensing Chivalry. No, Clan Master.”

When Gu Ak lifted his head, his gaze burned with unyielding resolve.

“I was born in the gutter of the Unorthodox Faction, and I have lived my whole life off the edge of a blade. Yet even a wretch like me has found something precious enough to discard everything else for.”

His eyes caught sight of Rangrang, who peered out at them from half-hidden behind a pavilion pillar.

“Rangrang is my beloved. She is the woman for whom I would cast away everything I have ever built. Therefore—”

Even if he took refuge in the Baek Manor, could he truly slip past the web of vendettas and murderous intent?

The Baek Manor was merely a minor martial house whose master had reached only the Second-Rate realm.

And yet.

Gu Ak’s gaze shifted toward the boy.

*Thud!* Gu Ak dropped to one knee.

“I beg of you, Clan Master. Accept this Gu as a retainer of the Baek Clan.”

“…….”

Baek Mu-ryang fell silent for a long, heavy span. He stared at the back of Gu Ak’s bowed head, looked over at Yang-hwi, and finally raised his eyes toward the heavens.

“This, too, must be destiny. Gu Ak, I accept you as a member of our house.”

“I will gladly render you the loyal service of a dog and horse, Clan Master.”

“No. There is no need for such subservience. I am well aware of your prowess, and you will be treated with full respect. However—”

Baek Mu-ryang cut himself off firmly, his expression hardening as he continued.

“The foremost virtue upheld by the laws of this house is chivalric righteousness. Blood Axe Gu Ak, you must wash away the stain of that cursed name. Thus, as your Clan Master, I command you: perform an act of chivalry each day until you earn the title of One Hero a Day.”

Dumbfounded shock flashed across Gu Ak’s face.

Perform chivalry? Every single day?

He had spent his entire life convinced that chivalry was nothing more than an ornate wrapper for sanctimonious fools.

Yet he promptly dropped back onto one knee and cupped his fists in salute.

“Loyalty! I shall obey the Clan Master’s command!”

Baek Mu-ryang stepped forward, personally taking Gu Ak by the hand and helping him to his feet.

“You are truly welcome here. I grant you the detached annex known as the Baek-ik Pavilion, and henceforth, I shall address you as Master of the Baek-ik Pavilion.”

“I offer my deepest gratitude for your benevolence, Clan Master.”

Watching the exchange, Yang-hwi wore a thoroughly satisfied grin.

Weighing every angle, he had calculated that bringing Gu Ak into the fold would yield immense profit, so he had taken the gamble—and it seemed to have paid off handsomely.

While the retainers’ eyes were riveted on Gu Ak, Yang-hwi slipped out of the manor unobserved.

‘Now, let’s see. He’s bound to be watching from somewhere.’

Scanning the surroundings, Yang-hwi spotted Yeo Un-jeok standing solitary atop the roof of the high pavilion where they had first crossed paths, and took to the air.

“Old man.”

“You have come.”

“You could have come inside the manor to watch up close, you know.”

The grand uproar stirred up alongside Yeo Un-jeok had annihilated the Cheongsa Gang, cleaved the Honggyo Gang in half, purged more than half the Black Path bands across E’an County, and delivered vast riches into the hands of the Baek Clan.

In short, the dust had settled, and bringing Yeo Un-jeok into the Baek Clan would no longer pose any trouble.

Yang-hwi gazed upon Yeo Un-jeok, the grandest prize laid out across the entire gambling board.

“Do you not wish to see your daughter? If you desire it, I will gladly lead the way.”

“…No. It is still too soon.”

Yang-hwi asked as he watched Yeo Un-jeok take a hesitant step back:

“There is no need to be afraid. Sister Rang will welcome you with open arms, and having you in her life will be an immense blessing.”

The gaze that had been fixed on the Baek Manor finally shifted. A sigh of wonder escaped Yeo Un-jeok’s lips.

“Haah. You truly are far beyond your years, Young Master So. To see through the deepest thoughts of a weathered old codger like me without batting an eye.”

“I hear that often.”

He understood Yeo Un-jeok’s feelings. The man surely wanted nothing more than to rush down, speak with his daughter, and take her hands in his this very second.

Yet when something is cherished so deeply and held so dear, it only becomes that much harder to approach.

‘Besides, the old man is a public enemy of the martial world.’

The moment his true identity came to light, disaster would fall not only upon him, but upon Rangrang as well.

He had never committed atrocities like the dogs of the Unorthodox Faction or the lunatics of the Demonic Path, and given how skillfully he had evaded capture all these years, it was unlikely to pose a serious issue.

After watching Yeo Un-jeok in quiet contemplation, Yang-hwi spoke up.

“Old man. Why not become a guest retainer of our house?”

“Hmm? Surely you know full well—I am a public enemy of the martial world.”

“Enter under a new identity, presenting yourself simply as Sister Rang’s father. Surely that is well within your abilities.”

“At the very least, you know who I truly am.”

A discovered secret could cease to be a secret at any moment, which was no different from handing one’s throat to the other party.

“Doesn’t that become meaningless the moment Sister Rang and Brother Gu are part of our house?”

“…There is truth in that.”

“In chatting with Sister Rang whenever I had the chance, I realized something. She carries a great deal of loneliness inside her. She needs family, Old man.”

Bringing Yeo Un-jeok into the house carried risks that eclipsed anything Gu Ak brought to the table.

Yet even with such a burden, Yeo Un-jeok had to be brought into the clan.

He held the key to accelerating the Baek Clan’s growth beyond measure.

“When you visit the clan, please use the alias Yeo Hyeok. Sister Rang will live as Yeo A-rang from now on, but you, Old man, must live as Yeo Hyeok. If you agree to this single condition, I will accept you as our guest retainer.”

Having spoken his piece, Yang-hwi read the sharp conflict churning within Yeo Un-jeok’s chest.

“A peaceful life alongside your daughter. Is that not what you desire?”

“…Indeed. I desire it so desperately that I would trade everything I possess. Which is why I must ask: what is it that you want in exchange, Young Master So?”

“It is simple. Forge two books for me.”

Yeo Un-jeok’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Young Master So. You have guessed the extent of my martial prowess, haven’t you?”

“Roughly, yes.”

Through instinct, deduction, and the weight of circumstances, he had already gauged it with remarkable precision.

How a man known as the Deer-to-Horse Transformer had attained such transcendent martial skill remained a mystery, but—

“And yet, forging a mere two books is sufficient?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

A tranquil warmth settled into Yeo Un-jeok’s worn, world-weary eyes.

“Come to think of it, I have not even properly thanked you.”

“I haven’t done anything that particularly warrants thanks.”

“You saved my daughter before the poison could claim her life. You lent your brilliant stratagems to a public enemy of the martial world. In the end, you even gave her a haven where she can live in peace with the man she loves. And now, you extend that grace to a sinner like me.”

Hm. Put that way, he certainly had piled up quite a few deeds worthy of gratitude.

Yet none of it had been done out of a desire for thanks.

Yang-hwi had merely pursued the values instilled in him since his past life—ideals that had now hardened into his creed.

With a healthy dose of self-interest tossed in to foster the rise of the Baek Clan, of course.

“Since an elder offers his thanks so earnestly, I have no choice but to accept. In return, I shall make my request as your token of gratitude: forge those two books for me. There is, however, one condition.”

“Speak.”

“You must age those two books so they appear to be ancient texts from some two centuries ago. But you must do so blindfolded, without reading a single word of the contents.”

“…Mhm.”

Yeo Un-jeok caught on immediately to what Yang-hwi was getting at.

“A martial art, then.”

Yang-hwi gave a crisp nod, the corners of his lips curving upward.

“In any event, I hold your weakness in my hands. Consider this my way of placing one of my own into yours.”

Having weathered the rivers and lakes of Jianghu for decades, Yeo Un-jeok grasped the weight of his words effortlessly.

“I swear upon my daughter’s life. I will never lay eyes upon the contents of those manuals.”

“Thank you. When, then, will you visit our manor?”

“Let us balance the ledger first. Those two books are payment for everything you have done for us thus far. What, then, do you ask in exchange for taking this old man in as a guest retainer?”

Yeo Un-jeok’s paramount duty was the forging of those two manuals. Truth be told, Yang-hwi expected little else from him.

After all, structuring one’s life around exploiting and squeezing every drop out of people was a rather pathetic way to live.

“Well, if you truly insist on balancing the accounts… simply lend a hand whenever you feel the situation calls for some strength.”

“Will that truly suffice?”

“Isn’t that what guest retainers are supposed to do anyway? Idle away the days in leisure and step forward only when needed.”

Amazingly enough, for the retainers of great martial clans, that was precisely all that was ever expected.

“Hahaha. Hahahaha.”

Yeo Un-jeok let out a rich chuckle tinged with a tangle of emotions.

Yang-hwi drew two books from his robes.

They were inscribed with the titles Sky-Covering Sword Manual and Harmonious Heavenly Dual Origin Art.

These were the secret manuals of two divine arts that he had penned in advance.

“When you arrive at the clan, I would like you to have aged these two books into ancient texts and bring them tucked inside your robes. You could call it our pretext for taking you in as a guest.”

Eyes shut tight, Yeo Un-jeok asked:

“Draw the line for me. If I am to work, how much am I permitted to see? And what condition should the preservation be in?”

“You may look at the titles, so go ahead and open your eyes. As for their state… hmm. ‘Fairly well-preserved’ should do the trick.”

Taking the manuals into his hands, Yeo Un-jeok read the two titles.

‘Sky-Covering Sword Manual. And Harmonious Heavenly Dual Origin Art.’

Given that the boy wanted them aged into ancient manuscripts, his aim was surely to bestow them upon the Baek Manor, requiring an excuse and a plausible cover.

Had this child created them himself, or did he possess a secret master whose authentic legacy he had inherited?

There was no telling which it was.

But one thing was certain.

‘He held my weakness. He bestowed upon me an even greater debt of grace. And now, he even places his own weakness in my hands.’

Measured against several decades of weathering the world, the young master standing before him was someone worthy of trust.

He was, moreover, a generational prodigy—a figure by whose side remaining could only bring immense fortune in the days to come.

“Young Master So.”

“Yes, Old man.”

Yeo Un-jeok bowed courteously to the scion of the house he would soon serve.

“I shall execute your command without a single flaw and pay my visit to the Baek Manor in seven days’ time.”

And so, Yang-hwi and the Baek Clan gained both Blood Axe Gu Ak and the Deer-to-Horse Transformer Yeo Un-jeok.