My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 36

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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 36. We’ll manage as we go along
The Habei Peng Family received a constant stream of letters requesting aid from villages large and small scattered across the Habei region.
Of course, such matters ought rightfully to fall under the government’s purview, yet Peng Wuqiang, the family head of the Peng household, knew all too well that there were no shortage of places where the government’s reach fell short—or worse, where aid was deliberately withheld despite knowledge of the need.
Thus the Peng family naturally prioritized their own affairs first, but in ordinary times, the martial corps belonging to the Peng household would select from among the many letters of petition that arrived and attend to those chosen few.
They excluded those who possessed the means to hire warriors with coin or find alternative solutions.
For there were always others in far greater need and hardship.
That choice revealed much about the character of Peng Wuqiang, the current family head of the Habei Peng Family.
Thus the people of Habei spoke of the Habei Peng Family and their current head Peng Wuqiang without cease.
Though the Peng family could not solve every problem in all of Habei, their very actions inspired gratitude in countless hearts.
They were a hundred, a thousand times better than those who merely spoke of caring for the common people—hollow, performative words.
Thus the martial corps of the Peng family were always kept busy.
And this held true even for the Baekrang Corps, sequestered as they were at a manor some distance from the main estate.
Peng Wuqiang would not permit them to idle and feast in comfort simply because they were under confinement for past misdeeds.
And the members of the Baekrang Corps themselves found great purpose in such work, so they carried out their assignments with unfailing diligence.
This time was no different.
“Hmm.”
In the quarters of the Baekrang Corps commander.
Though modest, the room had been kept neat and orderly—and its occupant had changed.
A letter lay in the hands of Yeo Unhuei, who now dwelt here.
He was carefully examining the letter that had just been handed to him by O Chaemu.
Having finished reading, Yeo Unhuei’s gaze shifted toward O Chaemu.
“You’ll take this on?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“If we don’t go, no one will. As you can see, it’s clearly quite a perilous task.”
“What of the Baekho Corps and the Baekmu Corps?”
The Baekho Corps and Baekmu Corps were, along with the Baekrang Corps, the premier martial forces of the Peng family.
Or rather, since the Baekrang Corps had been ineffective for some time now, it would be fair to say those two corps represented the true strength of the family.
O Chaemu answered Yeo Unhuei’s question promptly.
“The Baekho Corps handles most of the main estate’s business and cannot afford prolonged absences. As for the Baekmu Corps, their commander, Elder Gu Taesan, has been in poor health of late, and they have not been able to undertake much external activity.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
Yeo Unhuei stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“So you’d willingly undertake dangerous work that no one else wishes to do?”
“We’ve always done so. If you find it displeasing, we could select something else instead?”
At O Chaemu’s words, Yeo Unhuei regarded him quietly for a moment, then shook his head.
“No. We’ll do this.”
“Understood. Then we’ll depart tomorrow at first light. You should prepare for an absence of several days.”
“Is it that far?”
“It’s a village deep within the forests at the far northwest of Habei. The journey alone will take considerable time.”
But Yeo Unhuei’s question had meant something different.
With his Lightness Skill, he could traverse from here to Sichuan in a matter of hours—a comment that had slipped out unbidden.
Unaware of this, O Chaemu silently clicked his tongue, thinking that Yeo Unhuei was already making excuses.
‘If he’s going to whine already, what will he be like later? Tsk.’
In his eyes, Yeo Unhuei remained nothing more than a pretty-faced, foolish scholar ignorant of the world’s realities, sustained only by pride.
Though somehow the beautiful and clever Peng Seoyeon had fallen for him, O Chaemu could not bring himself to respect Yeo Unhuei.
Indeed, he could not.
“In any case, very well. We depart tomorrow then.”
As Yeo Unhuei nodded, O Chaemu sneered inwardly.
He wondered how that confident, fearless expression would change in the days ahead.
O Chaemu found himself eager for tomorrow to arrive.
And this presumptuous scholar would soon come to feel the sting of his mistake in ever coming here.
‘You’ll see clearly just how different our world is from the peaceful life of scholarship you’ve always known.’
A cold smile crossed O Chaemu’s lips as he watched Yeo Unhuei depart from the room.
***
“Are you truly certain you’ll be all right?”
Peng Seoyeon’s face was etched with worry as she watched Yeo Unhuei prepare to leave early that morning.
“Ha! It’s not as if I’m marching off to war. Why such great concern?”
“Even so.”
Peng Seoyeon’s face remained clouded with worry.
She and Yul had not found life in the Peng household particularly difficult.
Yet somehow her husband’s life seemed more arduous than it had been in Sodam Village, and she found herself caught between apology and worry.
If only he’d learned martial arts, she wouldn’t be fretting like this.
Watching Peng Seoyeon in this state, Yeo Unhuei smiled with playful reassurance.
“The men accompanying me are the finest warriors of the Peng family—do you think I’d let myself fall into danger? I’m still the sole Uxorilocal Son-in-law of the Peng family, after all. Ha! So please, don’t worry yourself.”
“I understand. Please have a safe journey.”
Yeo Unhuei gave her a light embrace as she made herself nod, then caught sight of their daughter Yul sleeping soundly and smiled warmly at her face.
Soon after, he left the house.
……
Peng Seoyeon simply watched in silence as Yeo Unhuei’s figure receded into the distance.
***
“You’ve arrived.”
When Yeo Unhuei reached them, the Baekrang Corps had already finished their preparations and were waiting in the clearing.
“Am I very late?”
“Not at all. We simply happened to finish early.”
“Industrious lot. I’ll make sure to leave earlier next time as well.”
At Yeo Unhuei’s words, O Chaemu chuckled softly.
Truth be told, on any other occasion they would have dawdled far past their agreed time and not departed until around noon.
But this time, with the specific purpose of thoroughly duping Yeo Unhuei, they had all stirred themselves to rise early.
It was rather amusing.
Whether one was righteous, scheming, or outright evil, people showed their truest sincerity only when it came to fooling others.
This was precisely such a case.
Of course, O Chaemu made no mention of this fact.
Their true objective was to make Yeo Unhuei so fed up by this affair that he’d leave the Baekrang Corps of his own accord.
Whether or not Yeo Unhuei knew their scheme, he spoke again.
“Don’t mind me—proceed as you normally would. I intend to observe and learn how you conduct and handle your duties.”
“Yes, understood.”
That had been their plan anyway.
The whole point was to make Yeo Unhuei find everything uncomfortable and burdensome from start to finish.
Well, in any case, the road ahead was long.
Soon they mounted their horses and began to ride swiftly.
Toward a village nestled deep in the mountains that had sought their help.
How long had they ridden?
Already a full day had passed.
They pressed on diligently, stopping for rest and meals along the way.
‘Not bad at all.’
As they rode, Yeo Unhuei quietly observed the Baekrang Corps members one by one.
On the surface, they seemed no different from common vagabonds, but upon closer inspection, each one was a well-trained martial artist.
Yet it was also true that they fell short of what one might expect from warriors who would later gain renown as members of the Jikrang Corps, known for executing villains.
‘What could it be?’
There must have been some catalyst that led to their dramatic strengthening.
It was certainly no trivial matter.
People don’t change so dramatically without something substantial occurring.
Yeo Unhuei knew this better than anyone, whether it concerned character or martial prowess.
After all, few men had lived a life as dramatic as his.
For now, he had no way of knowing what event had transformed the Baekrang Corps before his regression.
What was certain, however, was that each of these men possessed exceptional Martial Bone and talent.
‘Compared to what I was before, nearly all of them are prodigies.’
Before his Physical Rebirth, Yeo Unhuei would have had almost no talent compared to these men.
He had been a scholar, his eyes fixed on books his whole life.
His body had been one that lacked physical exercise.
So it was fair to say he’d been below average—far below, in fact—compared even to ordinary people.
But everything changed after he obtained the fortune of the Martial God and underwent Physical Rebirth.
Yeo Unhuei’s current state, gradually absorbing all of the Martial God—the greatest being of all time—was of an entirely different dimension from before.
Physical Rebirth is the dream of all martial artists.
Yet Yeo Unhuei’s Physical Rebirth was of a completely different level than any ordinary rebirth, elevating him to the optimal conditions and finest state for learning and wielding martial arts.
In short, Yeo Unhuei had become the very body of the Martial God.
Moreover, with time passing, his martial cultivation had deepened, and the Heavenly Martial Divine Art had finally reached the fourth tier.
It was a realm incomparable to the days of the Blood Demon.
He could no longer even estimate how strong he had become.
What was certain was that in the current Martial World, there were not many beings capable of opposing him.
Naturally, Yeo Unhuei sensed the tension and his eyes, too, assessed his opponents with a keenness that set him apart from other masters.
For someone of his caliber, he perceived not just the strengths of each Baekrang Corps member, but their flaws stood out with crystalline clarity.
Still, apart from O Chaemu and Gu Taesan, there were perhaps five others of genuinely impressive quality.
The twin brothers Gisoo and Gisang were among them, as was Do Gyeong, who wielded a bow with skill.
Hmm.
In any case, once some time had passed and the moment was right, it seemed these people would benefit from his guidance.
Then they would achieve growth far beyond what they could accomplish now.
For masters of their caliber, a single insight was not merely one step forward—it sometimes propelled them a thousand leagues in a single bound.
But.
‘Not now.’
They were not yet his people.
Their relationship was only just beginning.
More than that, their feelings toward him leaned not toward favor but rather hostility—something close to enmity.
Though he had not knotted this tangle himself, he would need to unravel it, strand by strand.
Whether he cut through it all at once or slowly picked apart each knot remained to be seen.
For now, neither the method nor the path was clear.
‘One step at a time. There’s no hurry.’
Yeo Unhuei resolved to set aside his concern.
Haste only spoiled what might otherwise come to pass.
It was then.
The foremost rider drew his horse to a halt.
“We’ve arrived, sir! It’s just ahead!”
So it was that Yeo Unhuei and the Baekrang Corps, having ridden lost in thought, at last reached their destination.

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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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