My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 123

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 123. Granddaughter Love Competition
“The ninth Seed of Destruction has been completed.”
In some vast hall with the sky wide open above.
A man within it bowed his head to someone.
Small candles flickered throughout the hall.
In the sinister, wavering red flames, the interior of the hall was dimly visible.
A massive jade throne at the highest point, and beneath it six smaller seats.
The man continued his report to the one seated in the single occupied seat.
Was it his imagination?
This man’s voice was identical to the nameless voice that had echoed in Dang Guhwi’s mind shortly before he became crippled.
“This seed, unlike the others, will not take long to reach Bloom. I believe we may even witness the third stage—Full Bloom.”
“A Compatible Person?”
“No, that is not the case.”
“Then it is merely one more seed scattered among countless others on barren ground.”
“I apologize.”
“No matter. Still, the aura of Full Bloom is not without merit. See that it is harvested well.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“Hmm.”
The figure seated upon the throne rose slowly.
And gazed upward, toward the sky.
The black night sky was full of stars.
“The current of heaven has shifted greatly.”
Across his previously expressionless face, something subtle and ineffable crossed like a shadow.
“Because of this, our plan has been accelerated by decades.”
Yet that subtlety soon transformed into exultation.
“But this means that ‘He’ will soon be reborn in a new body.”
“Oh! At, at last!”
The man reporting trembled with fervent emotion.
“Sow more Seeds of Destruction until that day comes. Continue until we have secured the proper vessel—a Compatible Person.”
“Yes! I shall carry out your commands!”
The figure lowered his gaze from the heavens and returned to the throne.
His eyes shone with a bone-chilling blue light.
“In this age without Heavenly Martial, this time we shall finally realize all our designs.”
***
“Mm.”
Before news of Dang Guhwi’s condition had reached the Peng Estate.
Yul-i found herself in an extraordinarily awkward predicament.
It was one of the rare occasions when everyone sat down to dine together.
Peng Mugang and Peng Sejin had just returned from a long journey to attend a Five Great Clans gathering, and the Patriarch of the Hwang Bo Clan, Hwang Bo Gyun, had also come to visit the Peng Estate—all at Dan Hee-young’s suggestion.
The food was delicious, the atmosphere pleasant.
If not for the three grandfathers vying for Yul-i’s attention.
“Yul-i. Come here, over here.”
“Yul-i, dear. Your real grandfather has come after so long—won’t you share a meal with me?”
“Well now, I may be the eldest, but there’s nothing quite like sitting beside the Great-grandfather. Come, sit next to me.”
“Ugh…”
And so Yul-i found herself quite flustered by the three grandfathers’ efforts to pull her to their side.
“Grandfather, please. All of you should just eat. Yul-i is uncomfortable.”
At last Peng Seo-yeon stepped in, and only then did the three grandfathers compose themselves and begin to dine properly.
So Yul-i ended up sitting between Peng Seo-yeon and Yeo Un-hwi as always, enjoying the meal.
But one word from Peng Seo-yeon would hardly put an end to the grandfathers’ “Granddaughter Love Competition.”
Whenever Yul-i was away at Soweol Academy or at times when she was eating or sleeping elsewhere, they pursued her relentlessly.
“Now then, Yul-i. Shall we soar high together today?”
Peng Mugang drew forth his trump card to whisk Yul-i away, but Hwang Bo Gyun cut him off with a scoff.
“If memory serves, my Lightness Martial Arts surpassed yours since our youth. Step aside and hand her over. I’ll show Yul-i what true Lightness Martial Arts really means. She deserves that much. Indeed she does!”
Now Peng Mugang scoffed in turn.
“What nonsense. Since your youth, you’ve never been better at anything than me except Fist Technique! Are you truly lying right in front of my granddaughter?”
“Your granddaughter, you say! Yul-i is the granddaughter of all of us! After all, doesn’t she already call me Great-grandfather?”
“And since when are you the Great-grandfather?”
“Because I’m two years your senior, aren’t I? And now that I think of it, why don’t you address me as ‘senior’ anymore?”
“There he goes with the ‘senior’ talk. How many years have we been living like this? Now suddenly, when we’re all old, you’re going on about hierarchy?”
“As one grows older, one must observe such courtesies, brother.”
“If you don’t want me kicking your backside and tossing you out, you’ll keep that mouth shut.”
“Ugh. Rude as a tiger, that one is.”
“What was that? You bear?”
It was truly a childish squabble too trivial to take seriously.
While Peng Mugang and Hwang Bo Gyun bickered away with meaningless prattle, Gu Wang-pyo scooped up Yul-i with a grin.
“Yul-i. Come play with this grandfather instead of those scary old men over there. Haha.”
“Hold on! Elder Gu, what sort of trick are you pulling? Aren’t you supposed to be overseeing the Baeklang Dae training today?”
“The unit commander handles all that himself. Haha.”
“This won’t do. I’ll have to send the Baeklang Dae somewhere far away that needs help for a while.”
“Ahem. My health isn’t good, so I’ll have the unit commander go instead.”
“Ha. I’ve never met an elder as disobedient as you.”
“Hehe. Surely not, sir. What an unkind thing to suggest.”
In any case, amid the chaotic sparring between the grandfathers, Yul-i simply stood there with a vacant expression.
She didn’t need to compete for attention—she adored all her grandfathers.
Though she did prefer Peng Mugang above all others.
But she was too thoughtful to say so openly, lest the other grandfathers feel hurt.
Just then, Peng Seo-yeon, spotting the grandfathers squabbling over Yul-i in the garden, came rushing over.
How many days had this been going on?
These grandfathers really were refusing to listen to reason.
“Are you all really going to keep this up?”
It seemed high time for some proper intervention.
Peng Seo-yeon’s gaze turned first toward Gu Wang-pyo.
Gu Wang-pyo’s expression grew sheepish at once.
“Elder Gu! Stop bringing gift bundles. Yul-i’s manners are deteriorating. These things should be occasional.”
“You’re right… I understand.”
At that, Gu Wang-pyo’s face fell.
“Tsk. So that was it. Yul-i’s heart was swayed by material things. How can a person be so worldly?”
“Indeed.”
Peng Mugang and Hwang Bo Gyun clicked their tongues at the scolded Gu Wang-pyo.
But Peng Seo-yeon’s next scolding turned toward,
“And Patriarch Hwang Bo.”
“What? M-me?”
Hwang Bo Gyun, uncharacteristically, stammered his words.
Peng Seo-yeon pressed on without hesitation.
“Yes! Patriarch, you need to stop buying Yul-i Sweet Candy. She eats so much of it that she won’t eat her meals. Excessive snacking isn’t good for her health.”
“Mm. You’re right.”
“Tsk-tsk. Not even thinking of the child’s health, you lot. Have I really been keeping company with people who know no measure all this time?”
Peng Mugang let out a gleeful chuckle at the dejected Hwang Bo Gyun.
But Peng Seo-yeon’s lecture was far from over.
“And Father.”
“Me? Ah, no. Why would I…?”
“You’ve tossed Yul-i up in the air more than once or twice. Please keep that to a reasonable level. She’s so worked up she doesn’t know if she’s having fun or being frightened, and now she wets the bed every night.”
“…Yes. I understand. I’m sorry.”
And so, after Gu Wang-pyo and Hwang Bo Gyun, Peng Mugang too looked thoroughly subdued.
The old Peng Seo-yeon would never have imagined such a thing.
But when it came to anything involving Yul-i, whether one was a Patriarch of the Five Great Clans or the leader of the Murim League, there was nothing she wouldn’t say.
A mother was formidable.
“You all understand, yes? You must absolutely keep what I’ve just told you?”
They all nodded reluctantly, but their faces still bore that expression that said ‘But this is all for Yul-i, after all.’ At that, Peng Seo-yeon let out a long sigh and spoke.
“Being good to Yul-i isn’t just about that. She needs to learn that she can be happy with simple, small things. Her manners really are deteriorating. What, would you all be pleased if Yul-i became spoiled and ill-tempered?”
The three grandfathers paused for a moment, imagining the sight of a ‘crooked-faced, petulant, ill-mannered Yul-i.’
Though that would have its own charm, they had to admit. Still, the present version seemed far more lovable.
Yet even after Peng Seo-yeon said all this, the three grandfathers couldn’t quite grasp what small, simple thing should make Yul-i happy.
It was at that moment.
“Ah. There you are.”
It was Yeo Un-hwi, who had just finished training with the Baeklang Dae.
He’d spotted Peng Seo-yeon, Yul-i, and the three grandfathers gathered in the garden on his way back, and came over to join them.
“Papa!”
“Haha. Have you been playing well with your grandfathers?”
“Yes! That was fun!”
After bowing briefly to the three grandfathers, including Peng Mugang, Yeo Un-hwi lifted Yul-i into his arms with ease.
Peng Seo-yeon smiled and spoke up.
“Did training go well?”
“Oh, the same as always. Nothing special on my end. Here, for you.”
“What’s this?”
In Yeo Un-hwi’s hand were two flowers.
“I picked them on the way back because they were pretty. And here’s one for you too, Yul-i.”
“Oh! Flowers!”
Whenever Yeo Un-hwi brought flowers like this, Peng Seo-yeon would place them in a vase.
Whether the flowers were small or large, they carried his heart within them, and the moment Yul-i and Peng Seo-yeon received them, their faces brightened with a radiance that was impossible to miss.
The grandfathers scratched their heads at the sight.
There was something they understood and yet didn’t quite grasp.
But if the girls were that delighted by something as simple as a plucked flower, these grandfathers found themselves wondering whether they should uproot some magnificent tree instead.
How had they managed romance in their own days?
It seemed they were still far removed from understanding the happiness found in small, simple things.
Just then, watching Yul-i smile with such affection, Hwang Bo Gyun’s expression turned to one of amazement.
“You know, the more I see it, the more remarkable it is. How on earth could such a lovely granddaughter come from beneath such a fierce tiger of a Clan Patriarch?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Ha ha.”
Gu Wang-pyo nodded in agreement with Hwang Bo Gyun’s words.
Whether it was praise or mockery, one couldn’t quite tell.
Peng Mugang’s eyes narrowed.
“What?”
“True enough—Seo-yeon and Sejin are the same way. At least they take after their mother’s side.”
Whether Peng Mugang glared at him or not, the two old men chuckled to themselves, murmuring as they went.
Had those two always been this close?
He’d always thought they were distant with each other.
Peng Mugang felt all the more exhausted as Hwang Bo Gyun and Gu Wang-pyo grew unnecessarily friendly.
“That settles it. I’ve decided. I shall accept Yul-i as my daughter-in-law.”
At Hwang Bo Gyun’s sudden outburst, Peng Mugang let out a derisive snort.
“Talking nonsense about daughters-in-law. You haven’t even gotten your own son married yet, let alone had grandchildren.”
“Now, now, the paternal grandfather should remain quiet. This is a matter where the maternal grandfather’s opinion must also be heard. Let me see… Tell me, would you perhaps……”
Hwang Bo Gyun’s gaze turned toward Yeo Un-hwi.
Yeo Un-hwi answered awkwardly.
“Ah, my parents both passed away when I was very young.”
“…Ahem, ahem. I apologize.”
“It’s all right.”
It had been a long time ago.
Yet for some reason, Hwang Bo Gyun seemed to have inadvertently touched upon something he shouldn’t have, and he coughed awkwardly for a moment.
Then, as if struck by a sudden good idea, he spoke.
“Ah, then this will work. I shall become your father.”
“Pardon?”
“Then I would become Yul-i’s maternal grandfather, wouldn’t I?”
At such an absurd proposition, Yeo Un-hwi’s face went blank in a rare display of bewilderment.
Regardless, Hwang Bo Gyun glanced at Peng Mugang, then spoke with shameless confidence.
“Brother-in-law, I ask for your good relations going forward.”
………
Was this man truly mad?
It was a thought Peng Mugang had entertained before whenever he watched Hwang Bo Gyun joke, but today it reached its zenith.
By this point, he’d grown curious about the circumstances of the Hwang Bo Clan—matters he’d never cared about before.
Did things truly run smoothly there?
Even Gu Wang-pyo, looking as though he’d lost his patience, refrained from indulging this joke and let out a hollow laugh.
His expression suggested he wished someone would shut this madman up.
“Please, gentlemen, let’s stop saying such strange things.”
Peng Seo-yeon stepped in just in time.
Then, as if to drive the point home once more, she spoke firmly to the three grandfathers.
“I’m saying this one last time. From now on, please don’t give Yul-i excessive gifts like you have been. Do you understand?”
“But still! Even so……”
“Even so? What do you mean even so?”
When all three grandfathers reacted in unison, Peng Seo-yeon’s brow furrowed and they all flinched.
The day had finally come.
“If you keep going like this, what are you planning to do when it’s actually Yul-i’s birthday, hmm?”
“Huh?”
“What did you say?”
All three grandfathers tilted their heads in confusion.
Peng Seo-yeon answered as if they should have known better.
“Yes. Yul-i’s birthday is coming up soon.”
At those words, all three grandfathers’ eyes widened—especially Peng Mugang’s.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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