My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 17

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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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Episode 17. May Peace Reign Forever
Baekgeommun.
It was a faction of the Righteous Path renowned throughout Zhongyuan, known for valuing consultation and cooperation.
Above all, the Master of Baekgeommun was celebrated by many for leading efforts to aid the poor and destitute in the region.
And yet…….
It was deep in the night.
“Cough—hack—hack.”
“Ugh—hhhh…….”
Now Baekgeommun lay in complete ruin.
Countless of its warriors sprawled across the floor, blood streaming from their bodies, their anguished moans filling the air.
What in the world was happening here?
Crash!
The grand doors of Baekgeommun’s central hall—a display of classical elegance and magnificence—were torn clean off in what resembled an explosion.
Through the billowing dust kicked up by the blast, a solitary man stepped forward.
Thud. Thud.
His footsteps came slow yet inexorable, each one a study in dread.
“Ju Do-gyun, Master of Baekgeommun.”
“W-who—who—who are you? What are—”
A bearded man with long, neatly groomed whiskers drew his sword with trembling hands, his robes hanging askew.
On the large bed behind him huddled young girls, still in the bloom of youth, their bodies trembling.
There appeared to be at least five of them.
The masked man who had visited Baekgeommun in the dead of night fixed him with eyes that gleamed with purpose.
“Ha! Who would have imagined it? You wore the mask of a righteous man, pretending to live for virtue and integrity, while in truth you were a filthy Lustful Demon committing every abomination behind closed doors.”
“D-dare you! Do you know where you are? Do you think you’ll survive this?”
“What do I have to fear from you? Should I fear those heretical dogs of Tarak Cheon you’ve allied with?”
“Wh-what are you saying!”
It was a transaction no one else was meant to know about.
Yet hearing this man speak of it so matter-of-factly, Ju Do-gyun staggered backward in shock, his voice rising to a shout.
The masked man’s eyes widened in response.
“Ah, were you perhaps hoping for their help? Too bad for you—I cut down every last one of those vermin before coming here.”
“Wh-what? Don’t lie! There are so many warriors in Tarak Cheon—you alone couldn’t possibly—”
“What? Did you just confess to joining hands with Tarak Cheon?”
“Ugh.”
Realizing he’d walked straight into the trap, Ju Do-gyun faltered and took a step back.
As if to close the distance he’d created, the man advanced toward him with unhurried steps.
This man was Yeo Un-hwi.
Why was he committing this slaughter?
The reason was that he knew a truth no one else knew.
And more than that—he knew what would happen in the future.
Baekgeommun and Tarak Cheon.
Through their conspiracy, a small rural village called Sodam Village near this region would burn to ash years from now.
And on that day, Yeo Un-hwi would lose his daughter, Yul-i.
As the number of women they’d abducted and murdered grew, these two organizations had spread rumors to mislead and deceive the Murim Alliance, which had begun investigating the disappearances—they blamed it all on a Lustful Demon hiding in Sodam Village.
Before the Murim Alliance could even verify the truth of these rumors, Baekgeommun and Tarak Cheon conspired to burn Sodam Village to the ground, framing it as an unavoidable tragedy in their efforts to capture the demon.
As a result, every innocent soul in Sodam Village died that night.
A tiny village in the most remote corner of Zhongyuan simply vanished at the hands of these worthless Murim scum, for no reason at all.
This was the truth that Yeo Un-hwi from his past life, consumed by vengeance after Yul-i’s death, had uncovered through his investigation into the real cause of her murder.
And so the enemies of Sodam Village and of Yul-i now stood directly before him.
“Whether what I’ve said is true or false doesn’t really matter anymore.”
“Wh-what do you—”
“After tonight, Baekgeommun will vanish from the Murim as well.”
The masked man smiled coldly.
Despite the mask concealing his face, Ju Do-gyun felt certain he was smiling.
For the first time since taking his position, Ju Do-gyun felt goosebumps rise across his skin from sheer terror.
This man seemed far more frightening than death itself.
Trembling, Ju Do-gyun stared into the man’s eyes.
Within those wide, round eyes burned a terrible killing intent, fierce and consuming.
Only then did Ju Do-gyun understand that the man before him was no mere assassin sent by another.
Nor was he someone driven by simple justice.
The emotion burning in this man’s heart was vengeance and wrath.
“No, no! Don’t—don’t come near me, you bastard!”
Ju Do-gyun thrashed his sword with convulsive desperation.
But the masked man deflected the blade with contemptuous ease, then backhanded him across the face with brutal force.
A wet, sickening crunch.
He flew backward and crashed into the wall with a thunderous impact.
Shattered teeth scattered from Ju Do-gyun’s mouth like broken pottery.
Half his face had caved in under that single blow.
Pain—horrible, consuming pain—flooded through him.
“Agh… agh…”
“Tut, tut. You shouldn’t whimper just yet. This has only begun.”
Ju Do-gyun cradled his face, his eyes rolling wildly.
This man was a master. Truly exceptional.
Incomprehensibly so.
He’d sensed it already—when the man had single-handedly razed Baekgeommun and then strolled into his quarters as though nothing had happened. But this man was far beyond what Ju Do-gyun had imagined.
Perhaps the rumors were true: that he had annihilated Tarak Cheon alone.
And if they were, then Ju Do-gyun had nowhere left to hide.
How had such a monster appeared out of nowhere?
The masked man—Yeo Un-hwi—drew closer with deliberate slowness.
“No matter what you try, it will never be enough. So I’d advise against harboring any thoughts of an easy death today. I have no intention of granting you one.”
“No… no, this can’t be…”
Ju Do-gyun’s mouth moved frantically, racing to bite down on his own tongue.
He feared death, yes—but the thought of drowning in agony before finally succumbing was worse. Far worse.
That fear drove him toward something he’d never contemplated before: taking his own life.
But—
Click. Click.
Yeo Un-hwi’s fingers were faster.
A flick of his wrist sent a wind blade that froze Ju Do-gyun’s entire body in place.
“Foolish. Utterly foolish.”
A strangled gasp escaped him.
“Now, then. Let me show you what true hell looks like.”
“No… no… nooooo!”
Yeo Un-hwi’s hand descended slowly toward Ju Do-gyun’s face.
A phantom scent of sulfur seemed to rise from his palm.
That was the last coherent memory Ju Do-gyun would retain.
Now came the agony. The endless agony.
This was work only Yeo Un-hwi could do.
For the souls of Sodam Village’s people, who had died in such wretchedness in their past lives.
And for the living of Sodam Village in this lifetime, whom he would walk beside from now on.
That night.
Many masters of the Zheng family fell.
All at the hands of a single masked man.
***
Several days later.
“I can’t believe this is really happening.”
Sodam Village, once so peacefully quiet, now echoed with voices thick with sorrow.
Tears pooled in the eyes of every villager.
“You’re really leaving us? Yul-i’s family?”
“Where could you possibly be going that’s worth leaving in such a hurry? Stay a little longer, won’t you?”
“Please don’t go. This place is perfect. Why would you ever leave?”
Before them stood Yul-i’s family, their belongings bundled and bound, ready to depart.
“I’m so sorry. Truly. Hopefully we’ll see each other again someday. Thank you all for everything.”
“Ah, don’t say that. We’ve been so grateful to have you here. Isn’t that right?”
“Of course. Your lovely wife, and sweet little Yul-i, and your clever self—how much peace of mind you’ve brought us all.”
Yeo Un-hwi smiled at the villagers who had come to see them off.
They were truly good people.
Sodam Village was where he and Peng Seo-yeon had finally arrived after fleeing Hebei and enduring countless hardships.
Yeo Un-hwi often reflected on how fortunate and how grateful he was that he and Peng Seo-yeon had found Sodam Village.
In his past life, all his happiest memories with his wife and Yul-i had been made right here, in this village.
So naturally, Sodam Village held a place in his heart that nothing else could touch.
And that was why, even after making the decision to return to Hebei, he had moved so carefully, so deliberately.
He had driven out all the bandits roaming these lands and ensured they would never set foot here again.
The Yeo Un-hwi those villagers had witnessed that day must have been terror incarnate.
And years later, he had personally dealt with the two factions that would have burned Sodam Village to ash.
As far as he knew, there were no threats left to endanger Sodam Village.
All that effort was purely an expression of Yeo Un-hwi’s care and gift to the people of Sodam Village.
Though no one would ever know of it, that hardly mattered.
“Then travel safely, all of you.”
The Village Chief offered a smile.
He too could not help but carry a bittersweet expression.
He was the elder who had first cared for Yeo Un-hwi and Peng Seo-yeon like family when they had newly arrived in Sodam Village.
“Yes, sir. Then Yul-i, you should pay your respects.”
Yul-i, who had been standing blank-faced and bewildered, bowed halfway at her mother’s words.
“Farewell to you.”
The villagers too gazed upon Yul-i with affection.
All of them smiled wistfully and spoke their piece.
“Oh my, our pretty Yul-i. How does she give her greetings so prettily? Yes, go well, dear Yul-i.”
“Stay healthy always, Yul-i. We’ll miss you.”
“Yul-i. Auntie will buy you lots of sweets next time we meet…….”
“Goodness, even Yul-i isn’t crying, so why are we? Getting emotional in our old age.”
“That’s right. I’m being silly. Silly indeed.”
Laughter rippled through them.
“Well, you have a long road ahead. Best you be on your way.”
“Yes. Then. Stay well, all of you.”
Peng Seo-yeon, cradling Yul-i, and Yeo Un-hwi, laden with their belongings, offered their final farewells.
And so Yul-i’s family departed Sodam Village.
After walking for some time, Yeo Un-hwi turned to look back.
In the distance, the people of Sodam Village were still waving their hands.
Should he ever hear that something had befallen Sodam Village, he resolved to rush back without hesitation.
But for now, this was parting.
May they all forever know happiness, and may Sodam Village forever dwell in peace.
Yeo Un-hwi wished this sincerely, and soon turned his steps toward Hebei.
It was a new beginning.

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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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