The Youngest Daughter of the Hebei Peng Clan Is a Truly a Very Famous Little Heavenly Demon - Chapter 15
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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15.
“Mother, Father. I wish to see the world together with my younger sibling Dori. Please stay healthy and well.”
“Tsk, why are you being so formal? Doa. If your brother becomes bothersome, just abandon him and travel alone.”
“Yes.”
Ju Sohui frowned and stroked her obedient daughter’s cheek.
‘When I sent Iya out, it wasn’t this difficult. I’m worried I might lose another precious child…’
Objectively, Dori was far stronger than her son who was merely at early peak level.
If peak level was an existence just beginning to shed human limitations, then transcendent was one who surpassed such peak masters. They could be called strong individuals who had crossed a certain barrier, beginning to walk the path of true superhumans capable of all sorts of miraculous feats.
Given that, her daughter wasn’t destined to die a miserable death somewhere.
Yet why did her heart ache so much, feeling as if it had a hole pierced through it? Ju Sohui was going mad from the pulse that couldn’t be controlled by reason.
“Haah.”
“Ah! M-Mother.”
In the end, she pulled her departing daughter into her arms. Unlike herself who surpassed most men, Dori was only slightly larger than an ordinary woman, and when actually embraced, she felt so small and delicate. Ju Sohui’s eyes welled up with tears at her breaking heart.
“Sending such a small and fragile child into the harsh martial world makes my heart unable to find peace. Couldn’t you wait until you reach the transformation realm?”
“Wait a moment, Mother.”
Peng, who had been soundly beaten by Dori for seven days and nights and was even bruised, protested in a bewildered tone.
“Our younger sibling isn’t fragile! We should be treating her as our elder sister…!”
“Be quiet.”
“Y-Yes.”
Squawk.
The eldest son, frightened of his mother, rubbed the back of his neck and lowered his head. His physique was so large that he looked like a moving Asiatic black bear, making Dori look at Peng with newfound curiosity.
“Yes, Doa. If you encounter any difficulties, don’t hesitate even for a moment and run to the nearest government office to present the Yellow Dragon Faction token. Even if you’re being chased by a transformation realm master, they won’t dare act recklessly at a government office, so it will serve as a spare life in urgent times.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, my adorable child…”
“Mother? The sun is setting?”
Clang!
Peng, who was hit by Ju Sohui’s fan, trembled. Ju Sohui finally stroked Dori’s face thoroughly and gave her kisses here and there.
“…This won’t do after all! I must keep you with me until you reach the transformation realm…!”
“M-Madam!”
Peng, who wanted to stroke his daughter but couldn’t approach carelessly since she was wary of adult men, and who also understood his worried wife’s heart, intervened while staying put.
“Doa will do well. Iya too, um, is a bit unreliable. But he knows the ways of the world well, doesn’t he?”
“That’s true.”
In the end, Ju Sohui gave in.
It was closer to never having intended to win from the beginning.
Since she herself had chosen the martial world after escaping the stifling Imperial Palace, she knew all too well that a cozy home could sometimes become a prison one wanted to escape from.
‘Yes. Parents should become a home their children want to return to, not shackles.’
Ju Sohui composed her expression.
Wiping away her tears, the master who had reached the transcendent realm instantly returned to a spotless, clean face without a trace of emotion. She hugged her daughter, who resembled her terribly, once more tightly, then suddenly took off the blue wave-patterned robe she always wore.
“Mother?”
“Wear this.”
The wave-patterned robe was a gift she had received from her master long ago.
Though only one remained and she had treasured it dearly, what could be precious when giving it to a child leaving her embrace?
She couldn’t pass it to her son Peng due to his exceptionally large frame, but it fit her daughter perfectly. After personally dressing Dori in the robe, she adjusted the clothing and said:
“Have a safe trip, Doa.”
Have a safe trip.
It was a whisper filled with her desperate affection, asking her to definitely return.
Dori felt that emotion too.
Just as she was getting used to it, another outpouring of earnest entreaty from a mother who had once lost a child.
Receiving that entreaty, Dori smiled very brightly and answered:
“Yes, Mother! I’ll be back!”
It was a more radiant smile than any she had shown before Ju Sohui.
That day, the ‘lost’ princess of the Peng Family, Dori,
Wearing Ju Sohui’s wave-patterned robe, stepped vigorously into the martial world together with her brother, Young Master Peng, the young patriarch.
* * *
“Whew, who would have thought such lawless mountain bandits would be entrenched in Hebei’s front yard!”
It had already been four days since we set out on our journey.
Peng and I still hadn’t managed to leave Hebei.
‘Because of these damn bandits.’
These weren’t even proper forest bandits, yet they had the audacity to pillage near the Peng Family of Hebei.
So it took a full day to pursue and eliminate them, and another full day to tie them up with rope and hand them over to the nearby government office.
“Y-Young Master Peng! Is the lady beside you… I mean, Lady Peng?”
As expected of a Hebei government office, there was someone who recognized our faces as soon as Peng and I arrived. Even the county magistrate who managed the entire county came and prostrated himself.
*County Magistrate: During the Ming period, an administrative position dispatched by the court to handle local administration.
‘Wow, she really was a princess.’
Being called ‘Princess’ by several officials who mistook me for Ju Sohui, I was newly amazed by her status.
Of course, she must be a fake princess, but receiving such treatment at the government office was another matter entirely. It was truly a tangible experience of ancient Chinese class system.
“Oh my! We’ve been troubled by bandits disrupting the passage of merchant groups and common people recently. We’re infinitely grateful that Young Master and Lady have resolved this so wisely. How about staying at my private residence tonight to recover your strength…”
But.
Hmm.
How should I put it.
‘Long-winded.’
Unlike me who quickly became bored, Peng seemed accustomed to it and nodded while dealing with the county magistrate.
“I appreciate the magistrate’s sentiment, but we have a long way to go, so I’ll decline! We’ll leave the remaining cleanup to the government office.”
“Of course!”
It was a very smooth refusal.
In any case.
Gold ingots were added to our already wealthy purse. It was a fortune that made the time spent earning money like a dog, eating only dried rations in the mountains for half a month, seem meaningless.
“Brother, you’re good at making excuses? When we don’t even have a particular destination.”
After leaving the government office, I spoke while increasing speed with lightness techniques.
Though I’d be faster traveling alone, I was going about half my usual speed to match Peng’s pace. Despite his massive frame, Peng skillfully muffled his footsteps while showing a puzzled expression.
“Huh? I wasn’t making excuses! Mother told us to send regards to the Dang Family, so we must hurry. Even traveling quickly, it’ll take at least a month to reach Sichuan.”
“Eh?”
This was news to me.
“You didn’t know?”
“Of course I wouldn’t know if you don’t tell me!”
“No, I thought Mother had naturally told you too.”
Hearing my reproach, Peng groaned, “Hmm.”
“But why the Dang Family of all places?”
“Hmm? Well, you wouldn’t know, Dori! Our maternal great-grandmother, the Empress Dowager, was originally from a branch family of the Dang Family.”
I really didn’t know.
While I gaped at yet another of Ju Sohui’s secrets that kept emerging no matter how much was revealed, Peng continued his explanation.
“The Dang Family has many members, so they’re quite distant from the direct line, but they seem to want to maintain good relations with the Peng Family as much as possible, often sending letters. So we also visit the Dang Family from time to time.”
Setting overload.
‘Imperial Court, Peng Family, Haenam Sect’s Grand Elder, and even the Dang Family of Sichuan?’
It was dizzying how many layers of birth secrets and connections were mixed together.
The hypothesis that Ju Sohui was fixed as the mother for all players became even more plausible. This level of backing couldn’t be explained unless she was the protagonist.
…Wait? Come to think of it.
‘Don’t protagonist mothers usually die?’
Having poured ten million won into the game, I had written silly posts like [Is this level of power OP?] on the community forums.
I recalled a day when posts tagged with [Story] were particularly heated.
[Story] What? Mom’s death?
[Story] Fuck, mother ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[Story] Are you crazy why is she dying damn
[Story] Give back our mom give back our mom give back our mom
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, the back of my neck feels cold.
The problem was that even though I was anxious, there was absolutely no way to confirm it.
‘I should have read the story…!’
My past of frantically hitting the skip button flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern. Peng was flustered by my strange behavior.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Brother! Someone at Hyeongyeong level usually… doesn’t die easily, right?”
The moment I asked, I realized it was quite a foolish question. In all of Zhongyuan, there were only ten masters called the Ten Great Masters of the Martial World at Hyeongyeong level, so naturally they wouldn’t die unless two of them fought to the death.
“Unless their lifespan runs out, that’s naturally the case! I hear that reaching the Hyeongyeong realm like Mother transcends human lifespan. Hmm! It’s my goal too. Mother is truly amazing.”
As expected, Peng gave the obvious answer.
…I can’t even tell him about this.
While I was internally clutching my head in worry, I suddenly thought of a decent hypothesis.
‘Ah. Could it be that Cheonma is the one who dies?’
When playing the Makyō route, you get the chance to become Cheonma’s adopted child.
A stepmother is still a mother, so maybe it’s Cheonma who dies?
‘This possibility seems high.’
I don’t know for sure, but just like how the demon king dies in fantasy stories, isn’t Cheonma also a villain who must die someday?
People being sad about it is because Cheonma’s character design is absolutely incredible. I didn’t press the adopted daughter button just because I was enchanted by the illustration for nothing.
“Ah~ I understand perfectly now.”
When I muttered in relief, Peng looked puzzled.
But before he could ask what I understood, while we were crossing mountain after mountain, a small village came into view.
“Brother! Let’s sleep there tonight!”
“Oh! That sounds good.”
With our purse full, it wouldn’t be difficult to arrange food and lodging for a day.
We landed lightly and stood at the entrance of the quiet village, catching hold of someone. It was a man in his mid-forties wearing thin hemp clothes.
“Excuse me, is there a room where my younger sibling and I could stay for a night? It’s getting dark and difficult to travel through the mountains when we discovered this village, so I’m asking! If it’s really difficult to provide a room, we’d be grateful even for just a meal. Of course, we’ll pay!”
“Haha, you must be martial artists.”
Even at the seven-foot giant’s booming voice, he showed no sign of fear at all. Instead, he answered with a very kind smile.
“How could I turn away guests when going out into the mountains at this hour would obviously be harsh? I’ve already sent my children away and live quietly with my wife, so there’s no need to receive payment for two young people staying one night. Just keep us company for a bit.”
“Ooh! Thank you!”
Moved by the warm rural hospitality, Peng smiled brightly.
‘…Huh?’
However.
Feeling a strange sense of unease, I sniffed the air.
‘I didn’t notice because the wild animal smell and wood scent were mixed together…’
Isn’t this the smell of blood?
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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