To be honest, Cheon Mubaeck thought that he would not be flustered no matter what happened.

And he really was.

Even when he saw the traces of poison that the Blood Demon Sect had spread. He was surprised, but not flustered. Even when he found out that the Blood Demon Valley was a remnant of the past Demonic Path, even when he witnessed the Bidaras, not at all.

It was a terrible imperturbability.

But that imperturbability was shaken, even if only slightly.

‘What, hyung-nim?’

He had no choice.

Cheon Mubaeck suppressed his bewildered feelings and looked at the scene in front of him.

“Are you hyung-nim? Are you Neung-heo hyung-nim?”

A much younger person. A respectable scholar who seemed to have no connection with Neung-heo was calling out to him with a tearful voice.

Neung-heo knew such a scholar?

Neung-heo’s face, who was looking at the young scholar, contorted in astonishment.

No, it was a very complex emotion that could not be seen as simple astonishment.

Cheon Mubaeck saw dozens, hundreds of colors of different saturations in his immortal eyes.

Joy, sadness, surprise, bewilderment, embarrassment, gladness, affection, all those emotions were jumbled together.

But the brightest halo of light was the affection contained in the gladness.

‘Hah.’

Cheon Mubaeck let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

No way. Is that right?

At the one assumption that came to mind, Cheon Mubaeck shook his head without realizing it.

Looking back and forth between the two people, their attire and atmosphere did not match at all.

No matter how much he looked, it was an awkwardness that did not match. But Cheon Mubaeck could see where the emotion that appeared on Neung-heo’s face came from.

It was very similar to the reaction when one met a family member who had been separated for a long time.

Neung-heo was silent for a long time, looking at the tearful young scholar.

How much time had passed?

The lips of the hesitant Neung-heo opened with great difficulty.

“By any chance, are you Gok? That little Gok?”

A violently trembling voice.

The young scholar broke down, crying.

“Yes, hyung-nim. It’s the youngest, Neunggok. Your youngest brother, Neunggok.”

“…Gok-ah.”

Looking at the completely unexpected mess, Cheon Mubaeck let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

My goodness.

“I’m seeing a family reunion here.”

It was Neung-heo’s family. And a real brother at that. That young scholar. He was the real younger brother of this man who was like a model of the Unorthodox Alliance.

Cheon Mubaeck’s head felt dizzy.

“This is the biggest twist I’ve ever experienced. Really.”

“…I agree.”

Zhuge Seola nodded her head slightly.

A family reunion in an unexpected place.

Yes, he must have a family. He would have. What was the big deal about meeting his family in his hometown?

But the problem was that the family’s attire was completely unexpected and something he had not thought of.

‘He’s a typical scholar.’

He was probably only three or four years older than Cheon Mubaeck. The young scholar who had burst into tears upon seeing Neung-heo was the model of a typical young Confucian scholar.

A pale face as if he had only read books without seeing the sun, and slender limbs and a small physique.

A model of weakness that was reminiscent of Cheon Mubaeck when he had first awakened.

Of course, Cheon Mubaeck at that time was more serious.

Anyway, that young scholar was Neung-heo’s younger brother.

“They don’t match. Really.”

“I agree.”

* * *

To get straight to the point, the two were blood brothers.

To be precise, they were half-brothers.

“…So, Neung-heo, you’re the eldest son of a scholar family?”

“I cut ties and ran away from home, so it’s just the past.”

Although Neung-heo said it as if it were nothing, Neunggok, who was next to him, stopped him as if he were shouting with a flushed face.

“Cut ties! Hyung-nim, how can you say that you can cut ties with your family so firmly! I remember it clearly. When you ran away from home, didn’t you leave, unable to hold back your tears?”

At the cry of Neunggok, who was grabbing his shoulder and crying, Neung-heo’s expression contorted strangely.

“You remember that? Gok, you were only five then?”

“Yes. That’s right. I was five then, and you were twenty-four, hyung-nim. I remember it clearly. At that time, before you secretly left at dawn, you hugged me tightly and said you would go and buy me something delicious. After leaving home for 18 years, you’ve only just returned.”

Neung-heo’s face contorted even more strangely.

“No, so you remember that? It was when you were five?”

“Yes. I remember.”

“…Vividly?”

At that, Neunggok’s eyes widened as if to say, what’s the problem?

“Of course I remember. I even remember you sitting me on your lap when I was three and teaching me the Thousand Character Classic.”

“No…”

Neung-heo hesitated as if to say something, and then sighed and nodded his head.

‘Well, Gok, that guy. He was smart. Since he was young.’

That’s why he had been able to run away from home.

Because he had thought that even if it wasn’t him, his younger brother could become a great scholar after his father.

At the sudden memory of the past, Neung-heo felt a stuffiness in his chest as if it were blocked.

“Well, anyway, that’s enough. You’ve grown up well. Gok-ah.”

“Hyung-nim, you’ve come back home now, right? Right?”

Neung-heo shook his head with a firm expression. A coldness that would not bleed even if pricked with a needle was contained in it.

“No. I came to Shandong by chance because I had something to do. After leaving home, I cut all ties. I will not be returning home.”

At Neung-heo’s firm words, Neunggok had a shocked expression. Only then did Neung-heo’s attire, which had been hidden by his gladness, come into view.

The numerous scars engraved on his face, the empty right shoulder where an arm should have been, and the one eye covered by an eyepatch, Neunggok’s eyes trembled.

“Hyung-nim… what kind of hardships have you been through?”

“I am a person of the martial world, a martial artist. The lawless swordsman that my father so detests, and a dirty member of the Unorthodox Alliance from the back alleys. Would my father let such a person into the house? My father, who had erased my name from the family register 20 years ago because our wills did not match?”

“No. Hyung-nim. Your name is still left in the family register as the eldest son. My father did not erase your name, believing that you would return.”

“…”

“I know you are disappointed in my father. But my father has also changed. After you left, he quit his government post and lived in seclusion, grieving every day.”

As if it were unexpected words, Neung-heo had a momentarily flustered expression.

His eyes reddened slightly, as if a slight shock and emotion had been transmitted.

But he tried to hide it and only expressed coldness on the outside.

‘They say there is no one without a past…’

Cheon Mubaeck, who had guessed his inner thoughts, clicked his tongue.

Since he had obtained the immortal eyes, the world looked very different. Because it was a great thing to be able to see the opponent’s emotions almost accurately, not just as a guess.

“That’s enough. It’s enough to have seen you grow up so well. I will not go home.”

Perhaps because he had read the firmness contained in the slightly stiff voice. Neunggok could not say anything more and just cried.

At the delicate appearance of his very different younger brother, Cheon Mubaeck let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

Where in the world was that Neung-heo’s younger brother?

‘Still, the outline of their faces seems to be similar.’

Although his lines were delicate, if you looked closely, you could see similar points. The bridge of the nose, the cheekbones. They were slightly similar in shape.

In any case, Cheon Mubaeck, who had roughly guessed the situation, cut into the conversation.

“What do you mean? If you’ve come this far, of course you should go home.”

“…Yes?”

At Cheon Mubaeck’s sudden words, Neung-heo had a dazed expression.

Cheon Mubaeck grinned and said.

“Let’s go. To your home.”

* * *

“I’m not going.”

Neung-heo refused firmly.

Only Cheon Mubaeck and Neung-heo were in the room. Zhuge Seola had gone into her room at the inn, and Neunggok had also left, saying he would wait.

Because of that, Cheon Mubaeck could talk in more detail.

“From what I’ve seen, it seems like there was some kind of discord…”

“It’s a family matter I don’t even want to remember. It’s just that my father and I didn’t get along, and I ran away from home.”

Cheon Mubaeck looked at Neung-heo quietly.

In fact, the fact that Neung-heo was from a scholar family was certainly embarrassing.

But if you thought about it carefully, there was certainly a strange corner.

‘For a member of the Unorthodox Alliance, not only did he know how to write, but he was also skilled at organizing documents.’

Considering the physiology of the martial world, it was a very strange thing.

Although it was not that all members of the Unorthodox Alliance were illiterate, the ability to organize documents as Cheon Mubaeck had ordered, and to summarize and extract the main points from them, was something that could not be seen as just a fighting member of the Unorthodox Alliance.

The same went for the management ability he had shown while running the Lotus Pavilion for a short time.

He was peculiar to be seen as just a sword-wielding member of the Unorthodox Alliance.

“So that’s why you made such a fuss when I spoke informally, bringing up the order of seniority. Well, how uncomfortable would it be for a young guy to speak informally in a family that has learned Confucianism?”

“Keung.”

Neung-heo crossed his arms and turned his gaze.

Cheon Mubaeck shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know the details, but are you going to live with your ties cut forever?”

“It’s not about forever, the ties were cut the moment I ran away from home.”

“Neung-heo. Don’t you know you’re conflicted right now?”

“Conflicted? Hah! Have you learned mind-reading now? What kind of nonsense…”

Although Neung-heo let out a sigh and shook his head, Cheon Mubaeck’s immortal eyes clearly saw his emotions.

Seeing the various colors of different saturations flashing, he was experiencing a severe internal conflict.

“Neung-heo. Just stop being a pain and go.”

“…”

Neung-heo’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s your scheme? Since when have you been so interested in a subordinate’s family affairs?”

“A scheme? How can I just pass by such a pitiful situation?”

At Cheon Mubaeck’s smooth words, Neung-heo let out a hollow laugh.

“Hah. You think I don’t know. You knew I was from a scholar family, so aren’t you thinking of trying to get involved in the World Debate?”

“Wow. Our Neung-heo, you’re quick-witted. Then the conversation will be quick. What are you doing? Not moving?”

“Wow, how can you speak so shamelessly without a single excuse?”

Cheon Mubaeck shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s a win-win situation. You’re happy to meet your family, and I’m happy to be able to solve this matter.”

“Hehe…”

“Think about it, Neung-heo. How long are you going to wait for the World Debate to end? As you said, shouldn’t we finish it quickly and go back to Henan to see the child being born?”

“…”

At Cheon Mubaeck’s persuasion, Neung-heo had a troubled expression.

But Cheon Mubaeck knew that what he had said was not persuasion.

‘It’s just an excuse.’

In Neung-heo’s heart, there was a clear desire to go home. But the 20 years of time, the distrust that had accumulated over that time, had become a solid wall that was not easily broken.

Here, Cheon Mubaeck’s persuasion was not persuasion. It was just to tilt the scale of his conflicted mind to one side. An excuse for Neung-heo to go home while hiding his desire to go home.

Neung-heo, after worrying for a long time, let out a heavy sigh and nodded his head.

“Damn it. Yes, let’s go. Let’s go.”

Cheon Mubaeck grinned.

At that smile, Neung-heo shot back with a very angry voice.

“Are you so happy to be trying to handle things by using a subordinate’s family affairs?”

“Of course not. I’m just happy that you’re meeting your family.”

“Hah. A passing dog would laugh.”

“No, this is real.”

When Cheon Mubaeck suddenly became serious and spoke seriously, Neung-heo flinched.

“You haven’t made any progress in your martial arts recently, have you?”

“Well… that’s right.”

“You’ve hit a wall.”

“Hey. How can I have already hit the wall to the realm of entering the divine?”

Cheon Mubaeck slowly shook his head.

“Even within the realm of the peak, there are numerous walls. You have to break those walls and break them again, and keep going over them to get to the brink of the realm of entering the divine. You’re standing in front of a wall right now.”

“…So, to break that wall, I have to meet my family?”

“A wall is connected to a heart demon, and a heart demon is usually connected to the root of the heart’s fire. Unless it’s a special case.”

“…”

“I didn’t know where your root of fire came from either. I thought it was the anger that had accumulated while living in the Unorthodox Alliance.”

At Cheon Mubaeck’s words, Neung-heo closed his mouth firmly.

He had also been feeling the wall recently.

He had felt impatient at his skills that were not improving.

Cheon Mubaeck looked at Neung-heo quietly.

‘Something you can always rest on, sometimes lean on when you’re tired, and something that will unconditionally protect you, support you, and stand tall no matter what happens.’

That was what he had felt while living numerous lives.

The path of martial arts was cruel, cold, and lonely. The race to the end, standing on a knife’s edge, was so precarious that you could be cut by the knife or fall under the blade at any time.

That itself was a heart demon. To get rid of such a heart demon, sometimes you needed an environment where you could lean your back and rest while walking a rough path.

That was why Cheon Mubaeck was trying so hard to protect the Azure Star Escort Agency and his family, the things within his fence.

And Neung-heo had no fence. He had no place to rest. Although there was Seolyeong, she could not soothe all his heart demons.

‘Perhaps… it could become a new fence.’

Of course.

‘I can also participate in the World Debate, it’s a win-win situation.’

In fact, that was also the real purpose.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep