My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 82

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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 82. The Reason Martial Arts Must Be Learned!?
“All members of the Peng Family Force Brigade have successfully completed their assigned support missions.”
“Well done. See that the Force Brigade receives appropriate rewards. Next.”
“…The amount they’re demanding in this transaction is excessive. However, from the Peng Family’s perspective, we find ourselves in a situation where we must expedite this deal immediately. The longer time passes, the greater our losses become. I’m uncertain how to proceed…….”
“Do not yield to their demands, even if it means taking a loss. Once we show ourselves willing to bend easily in negotiations, their demands will only grow more unreasonable as time goes on.”
“Then what should we—”
“First, prepare contingencies by discreetly identifying a few alternative trading partners. And if necessary, we can use this opportunity to switch to new merchants ourselves.”
“But they’ve been our trading partners for generations……”
“That’s precisely what they’re counting on to press their advantage. It’s time we showed them their assumptions are mistaken. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes. You speak wisdom, sir.”
“Next matter.”
In the Family Head’s Chamber of the Hebei Peng Clan.
Various matters—great and small, internal and external to the clan—were being addressed.
Some were mere reports, but others presented problems that were difficult or impossible to resolve cleanly.
Yet as always, Peng Mugang, the Clan Patriarch, showed no hesitation in handling any matter that came before him.
He was bolder and more decisive than anyone else.
He possessed his own unshakeable standards and absolute conviction in them.
The people of the Peng Family trusted and followed him for this reason.
So today too, Peng Mugang was moving through his day as Clan Patriarch with practiced efficiency.
As usual.
But no one knew.
That for the past several days, he had been preoccupied with something.
And today, he had made his decision.
“I’ll admit—for a moment there, I wondered if that rascal Yeo Un-hui might be the masked master who saved you.”
“Pfft! Cough! …What?”
In the Family Head’s Chamber.
Peng Sejin, who had been seated across from Peng Mugang enjoying tea, suddenly spat his drink at his father’s unexpected words.
It was fortunate the spray hadn’t hit his father’s face, but Peng Sejin’s expression showed genuine shock.
He’d noticed? When? How?
He coughed for a moment, then stared at Peng Mugang with wide eyes.
Peng Mugang nodded understandingly at his son’s violent reaction.
“Of course, I realize how unreasonable such a thought is.”
“…….”
“But the scent was far too similar.”
“Scent?”
“Yes. The smell I detected on that masked master and the smell coming from Yeo Un-hui—they were alike.”
“Ah, I see.”
He’d nearly forgotten.
That his father, Peng Mugang, possessed a sense of smell unimaginable to ordinary men.
Still, he couldn’t help but think it remarkable.
To identify and discern his opponent’s scent in such a chaotic, desperate moment—it was extraordinary.
Even though the man was his own father, Peng Sejin found himself in awe.
But he’d only suspected it?
Did he no longer believe it was Yeo Un-hui? Why?
As if to answer Peng Sejin’s unspoken confusion, Peng Mugang exhaled a deep sigh.
“I must have been mistaken.”
“Father?”
What did he mean by that?
“After all, it makes no sense. If that boy truly possessed martial arts of such caliber, why would he hide it? It’s not as though he’s mastered anything forbidden or problematic—no Demonic Arts or anything of that nature.”
In that moment, Peng Mugang recalled vividly.
During those brief exchanges with the unidentified master, he had sensed an extraordinarily pure Qi emanating from his opponent.
That Qi possessed a depth and purity unlike anything Peng Mugang had encountered in his entire life.
At the time, he had been too preoccupied saving Peng Sejin from danger to reflect on it, but as the hours passed, the memory of that Qi became ever sharper and more vivid in his mind.
Such an opponent deserved to remain unforgettable.
How could one possibly cultivate such Qi? What martial arts had this person mastered? These questions consumed Peng Mugang’s curiosity.
Once his thoughts reached that point, he became more certain than ever that Yeo Un-hui could not possibly be that person.
“I suppose I’m getting old. Mistaken in my sense of smell, no less.”
At the time of Peng Sejin’s rescue, that place—near the riverbank—had been saturated with the stench of fish and the mingled smells of the forest.
Adding to that, the iron smell of blood rising from dozens of corpses.
Even with Peng Mugang’s exceptional sense of smell, isolating and accurately identifying a single person’s scent in such conditions would have been extraordinarily difficult.
“Anyway, I’ve been remarkably foolish with my suspicions. Suspicions that make no sense whatsoever. Ha ha. Or rather, no.”
“Ah ha ha… Yes.”
Even now, the absurdity of it struck Peng Mugang, whose laughter rang hollow.
Peng Sejin, watching his father, found himself doing much the same—laughing without mirth.
It was as though they’d turned away with the answer nearly in hand. But he understood.
His father was colder than anyone in his judgment of people—yet when it came to his eldest daughter, that coldness did not hold.
And rightly so.
Though he remained taciturn and had never properly expressed the love he carried, Peng Seo-yeon was to Peng Mugang a daughter more precious and a source of greater pride than anyone else.
Thus, wherever he went, the moment her name came up, his lips would curl and his shoulders would rise with pride.
But when that very daughter caught the eye of some man, abandoned everything, and vanished without warning—only to slip back home after so long—how could his heart not churn? It was natural that such feelings would not easily settle.
Peng Sejin and Dan Hee-young, being of gentle enough temperament, had managed to smooth things over somehow, but Peng Mugang was not built for such ease.
If anything, he was stubborn—difficult, even.
So how could Yeo Un-hui appear anything but hateful and disagreeable in Peng Mugang’s eyes?
No matter what he did well, he would be criticized; even if his words rang true, they would be called wrong.
Yet it was remarkable that he’d come as close as he had to the answer.
“Anyway, setting that aside—Sejin.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I’ve resolved upon something recently. Would you care to hear it?”
“Of course. Whenever you wish.”
Peng Sejin nodded, and Peng Mugang spoke with a slight smile.
And at hearing this, Peng Sejin’s eyes widened.
“Pardon?”
***
“I’m sorry?”
Peng Seo-yeon, having just arrived at the Family Head’s Chamber in response to Peng Mugang’s summons, repeated his words with a startled expression.
“You wish to teach Yul martial arts?”
Peng Mugang nodded.
“What’s so surprising about it? You and Sejin both began learning martial arts at much the same age, so it’s hardly an unusual thing, is it? Besides, now that she’s begun her studies, wouldn’t it be good for her to start learning martial arts as well, at her own pace?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Peng Seo-yeon wore an expression of uncertainty.
“You’re right. I approve of Yul learning martial arts too.”
Dan Hee-young, who had come to the Family Head’s Chamber with Peng Seo-yeon, added her voice.
Yet Peng Mugang noticed Peng Seo-yeon’s hesitation and pressed her.
“Is there some problem?”
“Not a problem, exactly—but honestly, I’d prefer it if Yul learned martial arts only when she truly wants to.”
For Peng Seo-yeon, the Peng Family’s education, which she had once taken for granted, was something she didn’t wish to have forced upon her daughter.
Had she remained ignorant and lived only within the Peng household, she might never have thought such a thing—but she had spent no small amount of time outside the Peng Family after bearing Yul.
And through those years, her thoughts had changed considerably.
What she had once found natural no longer seemed so; what she had once failed to cherish had become infinitely precious.
Now all Peng Seo-yeon wished for was that Yul would grow up free, happy, and healthy.
She would teach the basics, but in all else, she meant to defer to Yul’s own choice.
She harbored no intention of demanding that her daughter become something or insisting she learn some particular skill.
Yet she hesitated to speak of this, fearing her father would issue stern disapproval and express his displeasure above all else.
And yet—
“You’re right. That would be the proper way.”
To her surprise, Peng Mugang nodded readily at her words.
From some point onward, Peng Mugang had begun to show a side of himself different from the fearsome, domineering father she had known all her life.
Particularly when it came to matters concerning Yul, he displayed a remarkable openness.
Perhaps this change had begun from the moment he met Yul.
It was a curious thing indeed.
While Peng Seo-yeon was still processing Peng Mugang’s unexpected response, he spoke again.
“Then let us ask Yul directly.”
“Pardon?”
“Why not call her here now and ask her, then let her decide? Don’t you agree?”
“I… suppose so?”
At her father’s words, Peng Seo-yeon found herself nodding without quite meaning to.
Yul was soon summoned to the Family Head’s Chamber.
Yeo Un-hui brought her in.
As the girl entered the room holding her father’s hand with a bright, clear face, Peng Mugang asked her a question.
Did she wish to learn martial arts? But it did not end there—as Yul asked back, “Martial arts?” Peng Mugang—
“Yul, if you learn Martial Arts, you see—”
Peng Mugang began laying out with tremendous fervor all the reasons why Yul ought to learn Martial Arts.
“Haha…….”
This wasn’t really asking for her opinion so much as mounting an all-out campaign of persuasion, was it?
In any case, the sight of Peng Mugang—curling and uncurling his enormous fingers with meticulous care as he kindly explained things to the tiny Yul, looking so earnest and incongruous—was nothing short of a spectacle.
Thanks to this, Peng Seo-yeon, Yeo Un-hui, Dan Hee-young, and Peng Sejin, all gathered in the room, couldn’t help but let out quiet laughs.
Peng Mugang’s explanation continued unabated.
“And if your body grows strong, you can live long and happy years with your family. Your strength will surpass that of others too.”
“What’s good about being stronger?”
“Then you can protect your friends, yes?”
“Wow! Really?”
“Of course! When bad people bother your friends, you can save them with your Martial Arts—how wonderful is that!”
“If I learn Martial Arts, can I protect Father and Mother too?”
“That’s right, isn’t it?”
“Then I will! I want to learn Martial Arts!”
“Oh! Do you really mean it?”
Peng Mugang’s face brightened at once.
Yul had agreed far more readily than he’d expected.
He’d thought it would take a bit longer to convince her.
But then—
“Grandfather!”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll learn Martial Arts and protect you too, Grandfather!”
“M-me?”
“Yes! I’ll protect Grandfather and Grandmother and Uncle and Mother and Father—I’ll protect all of you!”
Yul beamed up at her grandfather.
At his granddaughter’s words, Peng Mugang’s expression went blank.
Protect him, she said.
He had never heard such words from another soul before.
Having spent his whole life in the position of protecting others, her words struck him as utterly strange and new.
But whether the sentiment made sense or not hardly mattered—his heart was stirred in a way that felt nothing but good.
To protect him, she’d said…….
“Heh heh. Yes, thank you, my dear granddaughter.”
A tender, warm smile spread across Peng Mugang’s lips.
And watching that exchange, a contented smile bloomed on the faces of the family as well.
From the very next day, Yul began learning Martial Arts under Peng Mugang’s instruction.
She applied herself with more dedication than anyone would have guessed.
Driven by the determination to grow strong quickly so she could protect her grandfather and her family and her friends.
Of course, she still had a long, long road ahead before she could truly do so.

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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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