Chapter 383
"Ugh!"
At Wei Yan-ho's irritated voice, Wei Jeong-han snapped back to his senses.
'What did I just see?'
He couldn't explain it in words. No, he couldn't even remember clearly what scene he had just witnessed. It seemed like he had seen something tremendous… but since it was something he had never heard of or seen before, he couldn't express what it was.
"...What did you just do?"
"I failed."
"Huh?"
"I said I failed."
Disappointment was evident on Wei Yan-ho's face.
'Failed? Failed?'
That?
Wei Jeong-han looked at Wei Yan-ho with eyes as if seeing some kind of monster.
'What kind of person is this?'
Everything he had been worried about until now felt pathetically trivial. Wei Yan-ho had already transcended far beyond the level he had been thinking of. Even though Wei Jeong-han knew that Wei Yan-ho wasn't like ordinary humans, he was so stunned that words wouldn't come out.
It felt awkward that such a person ate meals and slept like ordinary people.
"What, what were you trying to do that failed?"
"What do you mean? Swordwork."
"Swordwork?"
"Hmm, I don't know how to express it. It's just swinging a sword. However, I wanted to do several different sword techniques in just one strike, you could say?"
"Several sword techniques in one strike?"
"Yes. But it's not easy at all. Master would probably do it in one go, but it's strange."
"..."
Wei Jeong-han lost his words.
From beginning to end, there wasn't a single thing he could understand.
The one thing he could understand was...
"I don't know what you're talking about, but that's truly a very you-like idea."
"Huh?"
"Isn't it because you don't want to swing your sword twice, so you want to finish it in one go? Because it's bothersome?"
"...Huh? Does it work out that way?"
Wei Yan-ho's face became serious. It wasn't like he had started with that intention, but whether it had resulted in that way, or whether his nature of absolutely not wanting to waste stamina was leading him to this point, it was something worth pondering.
"Well, I'll figure it out someday."
"...Are you saying you can complete this?"
"I don't know. There's no one who's gone before me. If Master were here, he could simply judge whether this would work or not… but I'm not Master."
"Then are you saying you created this yourself?"
"Eh. That's also a bit ambiguous."
Wei Yan-ho scratched his head.
This was definitely an ambiguous case. He had seen this sword technique from Baek Mu-han. The problem was that the Baek Mu-han was the Baek Mu-han who appeared in his dreams.
Baek Mu-han's thoughts had dissipated. What remained was only his internal energy. In other words, the Baek Mu-han who appeared in the dream wasn't the real Baek Mu-han, but a Baek Mu-han created by Wei Yan-ho.
Then, couldn't this sword technique be said to have been created by Wei Yan-ho?
'But that feels a bit unsettling.'
He knew that Baek Mu-han wasn't the real Baek Mu-han, but it was also ambiguous to call it Wei Yan-ho's. It was probably closer to a part of Wei Yan-ho's subconscious thinking, 'Wouldn't Master be able to use this kind of sword technique too?' and materializing that simple imagination into form.
"...Ah, what does that matter anyway."
"Huh?"
"No. Well, who created it isn't really important. You could say there's a general concept of the completed martial art, but I can't be certain whether it will take that form when it's completed."
It was even questionable whether it would have a form at all.
Wei Jeong-han shook his head as if he couldn't understand at all.
"Anyway, it's a new martial art."
"That's how it turns out."
"Be careful."
"Huh?"
"Creating martial arts that don't exist is extremely difficult and dangerous work. It's one of the fastest ways to fall into Qi Deviation."
"It's fine. I'm not someone who tests a stone bridge before crossing it, but someone who builds a new bridge to cross."
"If that's the case, then it's fortunate."
Wei Jeong-han smiled a somewhat bitter smile.
It was because he felt that when it came to martial arts, there was nothing he could advise Wei Yan-ho about. No matter how much more he had experienced and seen, when it came to martial arts, the difference between him and Wei Yan-ho was too great.
Just because someone had been in the imperial palace for a long time didn't mean they could give advice to the emperor.
"Right. You'll handle that yourself. So what will you do?"
"Huh? About what?"
"Didn't you hear? The Righteous Martial Alliance is calling for you."
"Why?"
"I don't really know the reason."
"Hmm..."
Wei Yan-ho scratched his cheek.
"Well, I guess I have to go."
"Hm?"
"Why? Shouldn't I go?"
"No… you should go. You should go. It's just that you agreed to go so readily."
Wei Yan-ho puffed out his cheeks.
"You complain if I say I'll go! You complain if I say I won't go!"
"...Sorry."
Wei Yan-ho chuckled.
"There's nothing strange about it. The situation has come this far, so I can't be lazy. And I think this won't reach a conclusion no matter how much we rack our brains among ourselves. If that beggar puts his mind to it, we might get some kind of answer, but the beggar doesn't seem to be in his right mind either."
"Who's the crazy bastard!"
"I said you're not in your right mind."
"That's the same thing!"
"Words are different between 'eo' and 'ah'."
Peng Dao-ji pushed away Jang-il who was about to have a fit. If Wei Yan-ho and Jang-il had one thing in common, it was that they couldn't distinguish time and place.
Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue watching Jang-il being dragged away.
"I don't know why he's so clueless."
"Son."
"Yes?"
"Everyone else might be able to say that, but you shouldn't say such things."
"...Yes."
Wei Yan-ho, who had been seriously scolded, looked dejected.
"Anyway, I think I need to get some advice, and as you know, my head isn't particularly good."
"That's right."
"And the father who should be pondering together with me doesn't have a particularly sharp mind either."
"What, you rascal?"
"That's the truth."
"Got evidence?"
"I'm your son."
"...I acknowledge it."
Wei Jeong-han had no choice but to bow his head. The inescapable bonds of blood were tormenting him.
"Anyway, since it's a head that's there to be used, I should use it."
"Huh?"
"I mean Chu Ji-gaek."
"...Ah!"
"The person said to be the smartest in the world is personally calling to solve this situation, so there's no reason not to go."
"...That head probably isn't there for you to use?"
"Ah, heads get worse if you don't use them. So I have to help him use it."
"You're not the one to decide that?"
"It's a society where we help each other live."
"You have no intention of helping."
"Whose side are you on, Father?"
"...Of course I'm on your side."
Though emotionally he wanted to support Chu Ji-gaek.
"Let's go."
"R-right away?"
"The sooner the better. And..."
Wei Yan-ho turned his head to look into the distance. Wei Jeong-han could tell where Wei Yan-ho was looking. It was toward where Wei San-ho had gone, beyond where the Demonic Cult was.
"It'll get harder as time passes. It would be better to bring him back quickly before having all sorts of thoughts."
"Do you like nagging that much?"
"I hate nagging, but..."
Wei Yan-ho smiled gently.
"Even if I hate it, I have no choice but to like it because that's what brothers are."
* * *
Chu Ji-gaek was wearing an extremely bewildered expression.
'Is this something to talk about so easily?'
The father and son Wei Jeong-han and Wei Yan-ho sitting across from him were literally showing an attitude of "go ahead and split our bellies" with their boldness.
'No, and you guys shouldn't be so brazen.'
Chu Ji-gaek was someone who lacked confidence in martial arts. No, to be precise, his talent in martial arts was not inferior to others or even ahead, but his brain was dozens of times more outstanding than that.
The head that such a Chu Ji-gaek took pride in was now being jumbled up at will.
He heard something too tremendous too calmly, so no thoughts came to mind.
'These guys are always the problem!'
His head, which always maintained composure, had problems whenever the four characters "Guangdong Wei Family" entered it. Like foreign matter getting stuck in a well-functioning spinning wheel.
"So, so, Wei San-ho?"
"Yes."
"Son?"
"Yes."
"..."
Don't answer so matter-of-factly, you crazy bastard! What the hell did you do!
Chu Ji-gaek grabbed his head.
"This fucking lunatic."
Right, he had been thinking wrong from the beginning.
He had thought it was strange that someone like Wei Jeong-han had a son like Wei Yan-ho, but that wasn't strange at all. It turned out that Wei Jeong-han was several times more of a lunatic than Wei Yan-ho.
What?
The Great Demon Emperor's son?
So what about that?
Raise him?
"You should have raised a tiger instead, you crazy bastard! Arrrrghhhhh!"
Chu Ji-gaek jumped up from his seat, grabbed the inkstone on the table, and threw it at Wei Jeong-han with full force. He threw it so seriously that a tremendous sound of splitting air filled the room.
Still, being a father, Wei Yan-ho reached out and caught the inkstone that Chu Ji-gaek threw, placing it on the floor.
"Let's talk with words, with words!"
"Do I look like I'm in a state to talk with words! Hey, you crazy bastard! Is the Guangdong Wei Family an orphanage! A zoo? You couldn't find anything else to raise so you're raising the Mad Blood Demon's child?"
"W-well, what else could I do."
Chu Ji-gaek grabbed the back of his neck seeing Wei Jeong-han answer so nonchalantly.
"Guh, guh-euk."
Whether it was because his blood pressure shot up instantly, the back of his neck stiffened and his vision went white.
At that moment, Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue and said.
"Calm down, Grandfather. You're getting old."
'That, that bastard... '
Chu Ji-gaek collapsed into his seat with a thud. Thinking that if he had gotten just a little more excited, he would be facing the King of Hell right now, he felt goosebumps all over his body.
'If I want to live long, I shouldn't deal with these guys.'
Once this matter was over, he felt strongly that he should go hide in a distant place where those bastards couldn't find him. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't die a natural death.
"So you captured him?"
"Yes."
"So..."
Chu Ji-gaek was experiencing 'being at a loss for words' for the first time in his life. Had there ever been a time when he fumbled like this, unable to find words to say?
Looking at Wei Jeong-han with an expression of 'What can we do about what's already happened?' and Wei Yan-ho with a face saying 'Why don't you hurry up and talk about the main point instead of dragging this out?', he was now on the verge of tears from feeling wronged and bewildered.
'Damn bastards.'
Look at these guys who made things this way and show no sign of remorse.
"The situation is this serious and you're sticking your necks out stiffly! These bastards deserve to be beaten to death."
"Ah, no."
Wei Yan-ho said firmly.
"Hm?"
Wei Yan-ho answered with a stern face.
"I didn't know. I was victimized without knowing anything, so you could say I'm innocent. So if you're going to punish or beat someone to death, you just need to do it to Father."
"..."
"Judgment must always be accurate in any situation."
Looking at Wei Yan-ho speaking with a bright smile, Chu Ji-gaek also smiled back.
Then he shouted.
"Is anyone there! Take these bastards out right now and cut off their heads!"
"Hey hey! Calm down!"
"Kill them! Killlllllll them!"
Whatever the situation, Wei Yan-ho was still Wei Yan-ho.