My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 86

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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 86. A Letter Tube Arrives at the Peng Residence

Beijing, the emperor’s city, teemed with an endless press of humanity.
A man of striking bearing and open countenance had just emerged from one of the buildings.
Soon he rejoined those who had been waiting for him.
The group of three—two men and a woman—all possessed exceptional beauty.
Every passerby would turn to look back at them, without fail.
Yet beyond their striking appearance, something uncommon emanated from them, a presence that seemed to shimmer in the air around them.

“Did it go well?”
“Yeah. Though honestly, Father—I don’t know why he had to send me of all people. Couldn’t he have asked someone else?”

The man who had just returned from his errand was full of complaints, his voice heavy with discontent.
It was understandable enough.
The distance from where he lived to Beijing was considerable indeed.
Because of it, he’d ended up bringing along a friend he hadn’t seen in ages, and they’d come here together almost by accident.
Fortunately, the friend had nothing pressing to do and had readily joined him.
The man’s face had felt warm with embarrassment over it.
In any case, the source of all this trouble was his father, who had sent him on the errand in the first place.
What on earth was he thinking?
The other man, traveling with him, burst out laughing at the sight of him still grumbling even after the task was done.

“Maybe it was his way of broadening your horizons—two birds with one stone, as they say.”
“No, he definitely just enjoys watching me suffer.”

Despite his friend’s attempt to console him, the man shook his head firmly, clearly unconvinced.

“Come on, that can’t be right. You’re something else! Ha!”
“My father loves his jokes. You know that.”
“True enough, he does have a playful streak.”
The man nodded, as if conceding the point now that he heard it aloud.
Come to think of it, just remembering the pranks his friend’s father had played on them over the years was enough to make one shudder.
The business about broadening horizons was likely a cover story.
He’d probably sent him on this long errand simply out of curiosity—to see what kind of reaction it would provoke.
Just then, the woman of the group—the sole feminine presence among them—spoke up.
She was a beauty with keen, fierce eyes.

“So, what should we do now?”
“I’m not sure. What do you think?”
“If you don’t have any particular plans, why don’t we stay in Beijing a bit longer and enjoy ourselves while we’re here?”
“Enjoy ourselves? What’s there to do in Beijing besides drink and get into trouble?”
“Well, that’s fair enough.”
“But I really do want to stay and have some fun in Beijing.”
“Why did you have to follow along in the first place, then?”
“What? Do you think I came here for you?”
“Then who did you come for?”

At his remark, the woman’s expression turned fierce, and the other man who had made the quip laughed heartily, clearly amused.

“Anyway, what are we actually going to do?”
“Well, let’s get something to eat first. We haven’t had a proper meal all day.”
“Right, then. Let’s eat and figure out what to do next.”

They all nodded in agreement.
Soon they made their way to a well-known inn in Beijing.
Once they had taken their seats, a server approached quickly to take their order.

“Four bowls of thin noodles, one fragrant pork, and one East Slope pork, please.”
“Will you have any wine?”
“Yes—bring us a bottle of Bamboo Leaf Green.”
“Yes, I understand.”

The food arrived quickly after they’d placed their order.
True to its reputation as a famous establishment in a major city, the cuisine was quite excellent.
It occurred to her that this level of quality must be standard for any inn hoping to survive in such a place.
Though there were exceptions.
Some brave souls actually managed to run inns despite serving abysmal food.
No matter how much hunger was said to be the best sauce, places like that were harder to forgive the emptier your stomach grew.
In any case, fortunately for this group, the establishment’s cooking was excellent enough that they could eat without distraction.

“Phew! I’m stuffed.”
“We have to come back here next time. That braised pork belly was absolutely exquisite.”
“Right. The noodles were clean and delicious, and the fish in sour sauce was wonderful too. Really excellent.”

All of them wore expressions of genuine satisfaction.
All except one.

“Hmph… though I suppose we could’ve eaten somewhere with a better view. What is this? I was hoping for a nice atmosphere, some good food and drink. This is frustrating.”

Why start complaining now, when she’d eaten just as eagerly as the rest? She’d clearly devoured everything.
It seemed the woman had a habit of grumbling.

“Stop it already.”

One of the men, unable to hold back any longer, spoke up with a frown.

“Why do you have to sour the mood every single time? Hmm?”
“Did I say anything wrong?”

The man snapped as if he’d finally reached his limit, and the woman shot back without yielding.

“Come on, everyone just stop.”

Another man stepped in to stop his quarreling companions.

“Why keep going at it like that? People have their moods.”
“That’s why she acts like this—because you always let her.”
“Enough. Enough. Let’s not fight over dinner. Look, next time I’ll buy us a meal somewhere with a better view. How about that? Everyone satisfied?”
“Fine.”
“Oh, sure! I’ll make sure to order everything in sight. You’d better prepare yourself.”
“Yes, yes. As you say.”

Fortunately, the dispute fizzled out like that.
Now that dinner was more or less finished and there was still plenty of time left, they needed to figure out what to do next.
But nothing in particular came to mind.
Then it happened.

“Two bowls of noodles and one bamboo leaf green tea.”

A new customer had just taken a seat at the table next to theirs.

“That’s really something, isn’t it?”

But the moment the newcomer had sat down, one of their group brought up a topic.
At this sudden question, his companions exchanged puzzled glances and asked back.

“What are you talking about?”
“The Baekrang Corps.”
“Oh, you mean the Hebei Peng Clan’s unit?”

At the mention of the Hebei Peng Clan, those who had been deliberating fell still, their bodies tensing as one.
But deliberation was forgotten the moment they opened their mouths—they launched into chatter with unbridled enthusiasm.

“That’s right. Recently they beheaded that vicious demon, and they’re always suppressing bandits, doing all manner of good deeds, I hear.”
“The Hebei Peng Clan has always done good works, mind you.”
“Exactly! So that’s why fortune keeps finding them. Heaven itself is raining blessings down.”
“Hmm? Good fortune?”
“You haven’t heard? The eldest daughter of the Peng household has returned. It’s been a while now, hasn’t it?”
“Ah, one of the Six Dragons Four Peaks?”
“That’s ancient history by now. They call her one of the Six Dragons Three Peaks these days. In any case, the Peng household is riding a wave of acclaim! It’s good to hear about!”
“Indeed. It’s comforting to know such a place exists. I do wish other families would learn from their example.”
“My thoughts exactly. Ha!”

They did not know.
From the moment they had taken their seats and begun speaking, the men at the adjacent table had fallen silent, their ears pricked and listening to every word.
Not that they had meant to eavesdrop—the chatter simply carried to where they sat, and what could they do about it?
Soon the men exchanged glances among themselves, then broke into knowing grins.

“Should we pay a visit? It’s not far from here.”
“That sounds like a fine idea.”
“Ha! I’d heard she’d returned, but I’d completely forgotten about it. Ha!”
“No matter. Your memory’s never been your strong suit anyway. I understand.”
“What did you say?”
“Now, now—let’s send a letter tube ahead, shall we? If we show up unannounced, we’ll give them quite a shock.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.
It was the moment their destination was decided.
All of them save one, who frowned with a clear air of displeasure.
***

A soft exhale.

Beneath a sprawling tree where the breeze blew cool and gentle, a woman of radiant beauty stood alone, practicing her martial arts.
She was Peng Seoyeon, once counted among the Six Dragons Four Peaks, a prodigy among prodigies.
Of late, she had taken to training in her martial arts whenever time allowed.
Soon the wind began to spiral around her, growing denser and more deliberate.
Fallen petals caught in the vortex, dancing upward in a display as beautiful as a painting come to life.

“Hah! Wa!”

Watching from a distance, Yuli’s eyes grew wide as saucers as she beheld her mother’s practice.

‘No. This isn’t it. I’m still lacking.’

Yet unlike Yuli, whose eyes sparkled with wonder, Peng Seoyeon’s face bore the creases of doubt and worry.
Her body had grown stiff from the long months without training, and every movement felt rigid and constrained.
Techniques that once came naturally now felt clumsy and halting.
She had expected as much, but the realization stung nonetheless.
And yet.
What surprised her was that despite the years of inactivity, her health had actually improved beyond what it had been before.
Though she had done nothing deliberate to cause it.
The lingering cough that had plagued her was gone, along with the minor ailments that had dogged her steps.
When had it begun?
She wondered if it was simply the result of eating well and sleeping soundly since returning to the Peng household, yet something told her it had started even earlier than that.
Perhaps around the time she had decided to leave Sodam Village and return home.
But what had happened then?
Search as she might, nothing came to mind.
Lost in such idle ruminations, her thoughts scattered like clouds, Peng Seoyeon’s ears caught the soft sound of applause.

“Mother! That was amazing!”

It was Yuli.
At the sight of her daughter bouncing and laughing, Peng Seoyeon smiled softly.
Her mood lifted somewhat as she listened to the praise her daughter offered her.
Just then,

“Ha ha.”

Another figure emerged, clapping his hands.
It was Peng Sejin.

“Uncle!”

The moment Yuli spotted Peng Sejin, she scampered toward him and leaped into his arms.

“Our Yuli, have you been watching Mother’s training intently?”
“Yes! Mother is so amazing!”
“Ha ha. Uncle thinks so too.”

Peng Sejin, cradling Yuli, laughed as he approached his sister.

“Still as formidable as ever, I see.”
“Formidable? Only if I haven’t regressed.”

Peng Seoyeon shook her head at her brother’s words.
For some reason, her expression had turned quite serious.
Peng Sejin found that gravity in his sister oddly welcome.
It had been so long.
Such earnestness from Peng Seoyeon about martial arts—it was rare.
It brought back memories of those distant days when he and she had trained together often.
Such cherished recollections.
Yet from what he could see, Peng Seoyeon’s spirits seemed rather low.
He could guess at the reason well enough.
She must have neglected her martial practice for a long time.
And now that she was only just beginning again, how could she not feel the frustration of her body’s resistance?
Vexation, resentment, irritation—all were natural.
But Peng Sejin had faith in his sister.
Peng Seoyeon was the kind of person who grew steadier in the face of hardship, who overcame obstacles through sheer will and ultimately achieved what she set out to do.
Without question, she would succeed this time as well.

“But what brings you here?”

Peng Seoyeon found it strange that Peng Sejin would visit at this hour, when he must surely have been occupied with duties.

“Ah, the truth is I’ve come to deliver something to you.”

He set Yuli down and drew something from his robes.

“A letter tube that arrived at our Hebei Peng Clan a short while ago.”
“Hmm?”

Peng Sejin handed the letter tube to his sister.
As Peng Seoyeon took it and unfolded the letter within, her eyes widened in surprise.

“This is…”
“Yes. It seems those people are coming to see you.”

At her brother’s words, Peng Seoyeon broke into a bright smile.
The letter was news from old, cherished friends.

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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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