My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 26

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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 26. The Fall
“Ha ha ha!”
Laughter echoed from a room in an inn that was plainly furnished with considerable elegance.
“Thank you so much for coming all this way, Crown Prince.”
Peng Seo-jin was sharing a meal and drinks with several middle-aged merchants, his manner genuinely warm.
These were merchants of renown in Hebei—men who had conducted business with the Peng Clan for many years.
Of late, however, they had found themselves in considerable difficulty.
And it was Peng Seo-jin himself who had stepped forward to resolve their troubles.
This gathering tonight was arranged precisely to express their gratitude to him.
“Did you see how they all shut their mouths the moment our Crown Prince appeared? Those ruffians simply agreed to abandon their operations in Hebei! Ha ha!”
“When it was just us, they threw their weight around so brazenly, glaring at us like wild beasts.”
“Ah, don’t remind me—I even took a slap to the face from those dogs. But to see them tuck tail like that? It was deeply satisfying. Ha ha!”
“There’s a reason the Five Great Houses are the Five Great Houses. Truly, thanks to the Crown Prince, we feel far more secure. We cannot thank you enough.”
“It’s kind of you to say so. It was worth the journey. Ha ha.”
In truth, if these merchants had suffered, it would have reflected poorly on the Peng Clan as well.
But the current head of the Peng Clan, Peng Mu-gang, was not the sort to concern himself with such things.
His policy was simple: long-standing business partners or not, there was no need for him to personally intervene in their troubles.
Peng Seo-jin, however, saw matters differently.
To aid and abet injustice was wrong, certainly—but to help those suffering from injustice, to resolve their difficulties, seemed to him a necessary thing.
After all, when the Peng Clan needed aid, they might in turn receive it from these very people.
Thus Peng Seo-jin was gladly disposed toward occasions like this, where he could exchange views with merchants and render assistance.
This particular matter involved the tyranny of an organization called the Huang-geum-jang.
The Huang-geum-jang had been expanding rapidly across the Central Plains of late, and their reputation for ruthlessness was well-established—they pursued profit by any means necessary.
Peng Seo-jin had heard tales of their infamy in passing.
When word reached him that they were terrorizing merchants across Hebei with armed men at their backs, he had decided to intervene personally.
Fortunately, they had backed down with surprising compliance.
Though at the end, a man calling himself the Huang-geum-jang Master had left behind a parting remark—”We shall meet again, it seems”—laden with meaning.
This was precisely the sort of thing Peng Seo-jin had grown accustomed to hearing in such circumstances, so he had thought little of it.
Given their divergent philosophies, Peng Mu-gang, his father and the current clan head, did not view his son’s actions favorably.
Yet this vision of the Peng Clan was one that Peng Seo-jin hoped to realize when he inherited the family mantle and took its helm.
Though he was known as the Dragon of War for his prowess in battle, his natural compassion and warmth in all other respects inspired many to follow him.
In any case, that evening found him departing from his merchants’ company.

“I should take my leave now.”
“Yes, Crown Prince. Please, travel safely.”
As twilight settled and the sky darkened, he set out with his honor guard toward the Peng Clan residence, receiving the merchants’ farewells.
‘Ha ha. I did enjoy myself, perhaps a touch too much.’
With people he had known for so long, his guard naturally fell away, and the quality of the wine and food had lured him into a gentle intoxication—not enough to impair him, but enough to warm his senses pleasantly.
Ordinarily he would have burned away the alcohol with a pulse of Internal Energy, but for now he preferred to let it linger.
The night air was cool and crisp, a perfect complement to his contented mood.
His honor guard, too, had been lavishly entertained and moved along in good spirits.
They had ventured quite far today, and the journey back would require steady effort.
Though they could have lodged for the night, Peng Seo-jin preferred, absent pressing matters, to return to the main residence and sleep in his own quarters.
Tomorrow would bring its own duties and demands.
After some time on the road—how long, he could not have said—
Peng Seo-jin, gazing contentedly at the stars as he walked toward the Peng residence, felt his eyes narrow suddenly.
“Who goes there?”
The moment the words left his lips, his honor guard’s demeanor shifted. Their energy sharpened like drawn steel.
Whisper.
Figures bearing swords emerged from the darkness around them.
Peng Seo-jin’s face tightened.
They were not mere handfuls.
Nearly fifty of them, by his count.
Peng Seo-jin and all five of his honor guard burned away their alcohol with a sharp pulse of Internal Energy.
The cool night air, the pleasant haze of wine, the glimmer of stars—none of it could be savored anymore.
“Are you after me? Who are you? What is this?”
He held no illusions that they would answer straightforwardly, yet it was a question that had to be asked.
He found himself genuinely puzzled: what grudge, what provocation could move nearly fifty martial artists of considerable skill to appear on this dark road before him?
For the life of him, he could not recall having made such grave enemies.
Though, if he was honest with himself, there was one place his suspicions turned.
Could it be… was that what Bo meant?
The killers let out a cold laugh at Peng Seo-jin’s question.
“There’s no need to wonder about such things. You need only die quietly here, right now.”
Fifty armed men drew their blades and turned their murderous intent toward him all at once.
“Ha.”
Peng Seo-jin exhaled a bitter laugh.
He was strong, certainly.
Stronger than most of his generation.
Known as a prodigy from childhood, he had cultivated the Peng Clan’s finest martial arts early and thoroughly.
Moreover, when one belonged to the Five Great Houses, it was standard practice to lavish countless spiritual medicines and inner elixirs upon a family’s heir without restraint.
Thus Peng Seo-jin possessed formidable martial skill and internal energy.
Yet facing fifty men of marginally lesser ability arrayed before him with murder gleaming in their eyes was hardly a welcome prospect.
No—to be honest, this was an exceedingly dangerous situation.
Peng Seo-jin deliberately prolonged the conversation, feigning ease.
And as he did, he thought.
Charge straight in and fight?
No—that was madness. He might manage to cut down perhaps a dozen, no more, but far more blades would pierce his body in an instant.
No matter how he reckoned it, the conclusion was singular.
This fight was unwinnable. Unwinnable.
In such a moment, wisdom lay in focusing entirely on survival and escape.
There was no time to concern himself with a warrior’s pride.
One, two, three!
Peng Seo-jin quickly counted with his guards through eye contact, then unleashed a Palm Strike at the nearest man.
Thud!
One of the assassins, struck unexpectedly, spewed blood and collapsed.
That instant,
“Now! Run!”
Peng Seo-jin and his guards threw themselves toward the gap that had just opened in the circle of killers surrounding them.
But they moved with practiced precision and speed.
Their blades flashed in the moonlight.
And,
Splurch, splurch!
“Hack—!”
“Dae-myeong! Il-gang!”
Two of his guards fell to the assassins’ blades.
Peng Seo-jin cried out their names.
But even as they died, they screamed,
“Keep running, Crown Prince! You must survive!”
“Damn it!”
Spurred by his guards’ desperate cries, Peng Seo-jin could only run—and run harder.
He could not let their sacrifice mean nothing.
The night that had been so pleasant had turned to horror.
Every fiber of him screamed to turn and fight those cursed bastards to bloody pulp, but Peng Seo-jin knew better.
That would be a dog’s death.
Thud-thud-thud. Thud-thud-thud.
Had they prepared everything and simply waited, then?
He’d meant to strike quickly and flee, but the assassins had caught up almost immediately.
He would be captured within moments.
The three remaining guards turned and hurled themselves at the pursuing assassins.
“All of you!”
“Go, Crown Prince! We’ll hold them here!”
“Aaaaah! You bastards! You won’t stop me!”
But it did not take long before their bodies were shredded by countless weapons and fell broken to the ground.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
Peng Seo-jin pushed his Lightness Skill to its limits, running with desperate speed.
And then,
Whoooosh.
He reached the bridge spanning the chasm between two cliffs.
He glanced around. Was there nowhere else?
He saw nothing. Then there was no need to hesitate.
He sprinted across the bridge with all the strength he could muster, heading for the opposite side.
But then—
“I can’t make it!”
The assassins had already set up a position on the far side as well.
“Hah…….”
How many of them had come just to capture one person?
Peng Seo-jin could only shake his head in disbelief.
“Ha. Ha ha.”
Had it been a mistake to leave the compound today?
No. From the way these fools were acting, it was clear they’d been waiting for him to venture out whenever he pleased.
This meant that sooner or later, he would inevitably fall into their trap—whether today or any other day.
The assassins advanced slowly toward Peng Seo-jin from both sides of the bridge.
There was no escape route left. Was this the end?
The thought made everything go dark before Peng Seo-jin’s eyes.
Was this how he would die—so absurdly?
It was too pathetic.
But there was no other way…….
That was when it happened.
“……!”
Suddenly, the sound of water flowing beneath the bridge reached Peng Seo-jin’s ears.
He glanced down.
It was a long way down—the river below looked no bigger than a thread from this height.
There was no guarantee he would survive a fall from here.
But…….
“Is this my only way out?”
The assassins didn’t hear Peng Seo-jin’s muttered words; they grinned wickedly as they continued to close in.
“Come here. We need to kill you and bring back proof, so don’t make this difficult—”
But then one of the assassins, still smirking, caught sight of Peng Seo-jin’s face.
Something about his expression made his intentions suddenly clear.
That wasn’t the face of someone resigned to death.
Which meant…….
“If fate wills me to live, I’ll live. If fate wills me to die, I’ll die. But I won’t let my fate rest in your hands!”
Peng Seo-jin drew his sword.
He raised it high.
“This madman! Stop him!”
One of the assassins cried out in panic,
“It’s already too late!”
Crunch. Crunch.
Peng Seo-jin’s blade cleaved through the bridge with brutal precision.
And then—
Twang!
The bridge that had been taut and anchored came loose all at once, and the structure gave way.
In an instant, everyone on the bridge was plummeting into the void below.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
The assassins, who had never imagined such a turn of events, shrieked in horror as they fell past the cliff face.
“Ha. Damn.”
Through it all, Peng Seo-jin let out a bitter laugh.
Would he survive? He had no way of knowing.
But he didn’t want to die like this.
His body plunged deep into the river below the cliff with a splash.
That was all he could remember.

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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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