My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 47
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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 47. Peng Daohuan
“Master Peng! I’m so grateful for what you taught me last time. Thanks to you, I won a sparring match for the first time. Ha!”
“I’m back from leave, Master! My mother sends her thanks — she was truly grateful. And I mean it from the heart as well.”
“Master Peng. What you did for me last time, I really…”
Wherever Peng Daohuan walked through the compound, members of the Peng Clan approached him with smiles and greeted him warmly.
Anyone could see that they all held him in genuine affection.
It was hardly surprising.
He had always sought to help others, to fill the gaps in their abilities and understanding.
Though the brilliant prodigy Peng Seojin sometimes overshadowed him, the Peng Clan loved Peng Daohuan for who he was.
None doubted that he would become a figure of pride for the Hebei Peng Clan.
“Well, who do we have here.”
Peng Daohuan was strolling through a quiet garden when two figures appeared before him.
Men he hadn’t expected to see.
“Our heroes, the glory of the Peng Clan itself. Ha!”
His face lit up with genuine delight.
They were none other than O Chaemu and Gu Taesan.
He had spent considerable time with them since childhood in the Baekrang Division.
O Chaemu and Gu Taesan smiled widely in return.
The three of them had been on good terms for years.
“How have you been?”
“Same as always, I suppose.”
Peng Daohuan laughed openly.
“Anyway, I wanted to see you soon. Tell me — how did you manage something so extraordinary? I heard about it but could hardly believe it. You’re both truly impressive.”
He offered his praise with genuine admiration, shaking his head in wonder.
But then—
“Ha. Well, it just happened that way, I suppose.”
“We were lucky, that’s all.”
Odd.
O Chaemu and Gu Taesan smiled awkwardly at his words, not as he’d expected.
Peng Daohuan’s expression grew puzzled.
If these were the men he knew, they would be laughing heartily and boasting of their deeds.
Instead, their response felt strangely off.
“In any case, I’d like to arrange a drinking gathering soon to celebrate and hear the details of that day from you both. This is perfect timing. Shall we set a date now?”
“That sounds good! Ha!”
“But before that, there’s something I need to tell you. That’s why I came.”
O Chaemu’s expression turned serious in an instant.
“Yes? What is it?”
Peng Daohuan raised an eyebrow slightly, studying O Chaemu’s face.
“Don’t do it.”
“Don’t do what… exactly?”
“The clan leader’s order to become Major Leader of the Baekrang Division — both Elder and you refused it.”
“The time wasn’t right then.”
In truth, he had simply followed his father’s wishes at the time.
But things were different now.
Peng Daohuan’s expression seemed to say exactly that.
O Chaemu, watching him quietly, let out a short sigh.
If only Peng Daohuan had accepted the offer then, none of this trouble would have come to pass.
The offer of Major Leader had come to O Chaemu long before, and he had refused it entirely in hopes that Peng Daohuan — the former Major Leader’s disciple and the one who understood the Baekrang Division better than anyone — would accept the position instead.
But now the situation had changed. Changed very much indeed.
So the two men who knew Peng Gyeongho and Peng Daohuan better than most had come to give a warning beforehand.
He would move to become Major Leader, one way or another.
And who that target was, was painfully clear.
This wasn’t so much a warning as advice born of deep concern.
“In any case, don’t do anything. Don’t do anything at all. I’m telling you this because I care about you.”
“Hmm.”
Peng Daohuan couldn’t quite understand why O Chaemu and Gu Taesan had sought him out with such words.
What was going on? They didn’t seem inclined to explain now.
And even if they tried to stop him, he had a nature that demanded he pursue what his heart had decided upon.
So…
“I’m not sure what you two are thinking, but I’ll take it under consideration. I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. It was good to see you. We can arrange that drink another time.”
With nothing more to say, Peng Daohuan turned and walked away.
“He’s going to do it, then.”
“Mm.”
O Chaemu and Gu Taesan watched his departing figure and sighed heavily.
“Well, his pride could use a little knocking down.”
“I’m more worried his nose will actually break, not just get flattened.”
O Chaemu nodded in agreement with Gu Taesan’s words.
Hopefully it would end without going too far.
***
Several days passed.
Yeo Unhui continued his daily routine at a small, secluded Training Grounds within the Peng Clan, pretending to practice Martial Arts with Noh Ilbong.
Peng Seoyeon had watched from hiding for a couple of days, then stopped coming.
Yulli had grown too bored with it.
So amid those peaceful hours,
“I’m sorry, but I need to step away for a moment. Ugh.”
“Mm? What for?”
“Well, I, uh, my, my belly…”
“Ah, I see.”
Noh Ilbong hurried off, muttering something about needing the privy urgently.
The way he walked suggested it might take longer than a moment.
Yeo Unhui called out to the distant figure, telling him to take his time, then settled back and gazed quietly at the sky.
It was exceptionally clear—not a single cloud in sight.
A truly peaceful day.
Then it happened.
“Good day to you, Major Leader.”
Someone approached Yeo Unhui.
Turning his head slightly, he saw a confident man with sharp, refined features wearing an easy smile.
It was Peng Daohuan.
“At last we meet. I’ve heard much about you.”
He introduced himself briefly.
Peng Daohuan.
The name was familiar to Yeo Unhui.
“I heard you’ve begun training in Martial Arts—so it’s true.”
“News travels fast.”
“Well, it’s clan business, after all.”
Peng Daohuan smiled.
“Since we’ve happened to meet like this, I wondered if I might be of some help, though my skills are modest.”
“Mm? How so?”
“It’s important to gain varied experience. You’ve been focusing on basics, so I thought you might find it tedious—I merely meant to offer some variety.”
At his words, Yeo Unhui let out a soft laugh.
The man had a gift for tactful speech.
He knew how to put others at ease.
And Yeo Unhui was not unaware of Peng Daohuan’s true intentions in seeking him out.
He simply chose not to acknowledge them.
“Then what would you suggest?”
Yeo Unhui asked, playing innocent.
Peng Daohuan seized the opening and laid out what he’d prepared.
“True learning comes from real combat. The Baekrang Division is one of the Peng Clan’s three great martial forces. Whether you wish it or not, you’ll inevitably face increasingly difficult battles.”
“That’s true enough. Even with the bandits, things grew larger than I’d anticipated.”
“Moreover, as the Major Leader of the Baekrang Division, you must become accustomed to swift exchanges of blade and saber. Would it not be wise to engage in a brief sparring session with me?”
“A sparring match? Between us? Wouldn’t the difference in our abilities be too great? Would it truly be instructive?”
Peng Daohuan smiled at Yeo Unhui’s words.
“Of course, I don’t mean a serious bout where we each give our all. Rather, we’d exchange techniques lightly, and I would offer guidance on any shortcomings—that’s what I’m proposing.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“Ah, but if it’s too burdensome, there’s no need. I didn’t mean to impose.”
“No, let’s do it. The sparring match.”
“Excellent. Then let us begin.”
And soon the two stood facing each other.
“The Upper-tier Martial Arts of our Peng Clan mostly employ sabers. But lower-ranked warriors each choose between sword and saber based on what suits them best. The foundational techniques are usually learned this way.”
Peng Daohuan walked to a weapon rack on the side of the Training Grounds and picked up a wooden sword in one hand and a wooden saber in the other.
Then he lightly demonstrated one of the lower-tier martial arts that ordinary soldiers learned and used, employing a wooden sword.
“But that too has its limits. The Peng Clan’s signature martial arts are almost entirely saber techniques. Even with the same type of blade, there are differences depending on which weapon you use. Like this.”
As he spoke, Peng Daohuan deployed the same martial arts he’d shown before, this time with a wooden saber.
It was distinctly different from when he’d wielded the sword.
“Hmm.”
“If possible, I’d recommend learning the saber. Immediate progress is progress, certainly, but in the long view it’s far superior.”
Though before that, the real question was whether Yeo Unhui would persist in his training without giving up.
“I see.”
Yeo Unhui nodded at Peng Daohuan’s words.
“Now then, since you have the wooden saber, try performing a Downward Strike. I’ll observe.”
“Like this… is it?”
Yeo Unhui feigned awkwardness.
“That’s right.”
Peng Daohuan nodded as he watched Yeo Unhui swing the saber a few times.
“Ordinarily, a saber attacks with this kind of feeling. And one defends in this manner. Do you follow?”
“It’s difficult.”
“Ha! Everyone finds it so at first. Just think of yourself as grasping the sense of it for now. And whoever wields a weapon must never be at its mercy. You must maintain your center firmly. That’s the way. Next, I’ll teach you how to naturally defend against or evade incoming attacks. Well then, would you like to try attacking me?”
“What? Is that wise?”
Wait—who was worrying about whom here?
Peng Daohuan inwardly smirked at Yeo Unhui’s concern.
“Ha! You can be assured that no matter how hard you attack, I won’t be harmed.”
“Is that so? Hmm.”
Yeo Unhui glanced around.
Sensing with his Qi, he found no one nearby.
There were only the two of them in this place.
A faint smile played at Yeo Unhui’s lips.
He felt inclined to tease him a little.
He knew well enough that this man was no villain.
But his intentions now were far too transparent.
He was orchestrating what appeared to be a chance encounter, teaching martial arts while subtly demonstrating the gap in their martial prowess as warriors.
And on top of that, he was trying to make Yeo Unhui realize that he belonged more in the Baekrang Division.
Under ordinary circumstances, he would have dismissed it or ignored it.
But he couldn’t do so here—for this too was a remarkably interesting connection from Yeo Unhui’s perspective.
Before the regression, in the Baekrang Division—or rather, the Jeokrang Division—the Major Leader had been this man.
For reasons unknown, he had later left the Peng Clan and, under the name of the Jeokrang Division, hunted down villains—the Major Leader of the Jeokrang Division who bore the Peng surname.
That man was Peng Daohuan.
He didn’t know what circumstances had led them to leave the Peng Clan.
Perhaps he would learn someday, but he had no desire to pry into it.
Above all, their lives would be different now.
Yet perhaps because of his past-life memories, Yeo Unhui rather liked Peng Daohuan.
In other words, the current Major Leader of the Baekrang Division and the Major Leader from before the regression now stood face to face in this life.
Of course, only Yeo Unhui knew this fact.
‘This is amusing.’
For some reason, the impulse to tease him arose.
There were always certain people who brought out one’s mischievous side.
For Yeo Unhui, Peng Daohuan was such a person.
Let’s see what kind of reaction he shows.
In the meantime, Peng Daohuan urged the silent Yeo Unhui on.
“Attack quickly, if you please.”
“Fine. Mind yourself then.”
“Ha! Don’t worry, go ahead and attack with all your…….”
Boom.
Then it happened.
The air suddenly shuddered violently.
What…?
Peng Daohuan’s eyes began to shake severely.
Only then did he realize that something had gone terribly wrong.
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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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