My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven [Novel] Chapter 140

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[Chapter 140] To Each Their Own Way

Evening came, and the banquet was held.

To be precise, even though it was called a banquet, Dokgo Yeong was the only one who shared the meal with the White Wolf Troop.

It was a relief, in a way.

They didn’t want to keep enduring the blatant hostility they had faced at the entrance while trying to eat.

If they had, they probably would have suffered indigestion on the spot.

However, naturally, eating with Dokgo Yeong wasn’t exactly comfortable, either.

No, it would be more accurate to say it was extremely uncomfortable.

Who on earth could feel at ease having a meal with one of the Twelve Venerables of the World?

On top of that…

“You there, try this dish. It’s absolutely incredible.”

“I can manage on my own, so please stop making this so uncomfortable.”

Listening to their conversation only made the discomfort ten times worse.

It was damn uncomfortable.

“I’m surprised you two haven’t tried to butt into that conversation,”

Dogyeong said jokingly to Gisu and Gisang.

“Where?”

“Over there.”

Dogyeong gestured with her head towardYeo Woonhwi and Dokgo Yeong.

At that, the twin brothers turned pale and shuddered.

“Sister. No matter how reckless we are, we know when to back off. We only have one life to live. Are we crazy? Why would we butt in and run our mouths over there?”

“Sometimes I feel like Sister Dogyeong thinks we’re completely empty-headed.”

“Sometimes? You really think it’s just sometimes? Aren’t you being a little too confident?”

The twin brothers didn’t ask any further.

Because they felt they’d only get their feelings hurt if they did.

However, the awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere was brief. Perhaps because Dokgo Yeong treated them so casually, or because they had started throwing back a few drinks, the White Wolf Troop soon began reveling loudly as usual.

Among them, the very guy who had been complaining about when they would return and how much he missed home was eating and drinking the most enthusiastically.

Uh-oh. He had even gone over and poured a drink for Dokgo Yeong… He was truly insane.

Judging by the looks in the eyes of Dogyeong and the brothers, Gisu and Gisang, they were definitely plotting to tease him mercilessly the next day once he sobered up.

Watching the White Wolf Troop act exactly as they always did, Yeo Woonhwi smiled and enjoyed the banquet until he was pleasantly full.

Leaving behind the White Wolf Troop, who had already started chugging straight from the bottles, Yeo Woonhwi stepped outside for a brief night stroll.

Having already been granted permission to wander freely at any time, except for a few restricted areas, there was no reason he couldn’t walk around.

His wandering steps eventually brought him to the edge of a pond shimmering beneath the moonlight.

Looking at the moon reflected on the tranquil surface of the water, Yeo Woonhwi suddenly thought of his family.

His wife and Yul were probably looking at the same moon.

Although his time at the Heretic Alliance hadn’t been as bad as he’d expected, he still wanted to return home as soon as possible.

Just as he was slowly enjoying the night air while thinking of Peng Seoyeon and Yul, Yeo Woonhwi’s eyes twitched.

“This is…”

It was a certain aura.

An aura that had left its trace a long time ago, so faint that it was on the verge of disappearing entirely.

And Yeo Woonhwi had recently felt an aura identical to this one.

Specifically, in Sichuan.

Yeo Woonhwi’s eyes gleamed coldly.

The next day.

Dokgo Yeong smiled and offered something to the White Wolf Troop, who had visited…or rather, been summoned to the Alliance Leader’s Hall early that morning.

Piled high upon a layer of soft, high-quality silk were gifts Dokgo Yeong had prepared for the White Wolf Troop.

However, every single one was something that would make anyone’s eyes widen in shock.

“Wow, my god.”

Unbelievably expensive, top-grade luminous pearls and all sorts of gold and silver treasures glittered before the White Wolf Troop’s eyes.

It wasn’t like he had robbed the Heretic Alliance’s treasury or anything. What if someone saw this?

Ah. Since the owner was the Black Martial Emperor himself, it probably didn’t matter.

However, the White Wolf Troop couldn’t simply accept all of it without question.

Because it was far too excessive.

Of course, from the perspective of the Black Martial Emperor, the leader of the Heretic Alliance, this was merely a small token of sincerity.

Even so, accepting it clumsily would likely make the entire affair look bad to outsiders.

Even though they had cleared things with the Murim Alliance beforehand, this event was unprecedented, meaning there were already quite a few people watching this meeting closely.

Therefore, it was only right for them to be even more careful with their actions.

A single mistake could potentially bring harm to the Hebei Peng Clan.

Fortunately, there was no one in the White Wolf Troop whose heart would be swayed by such things… Just as that thought crossed his mind, Yeo Woonhwi watched Dogyeong smack the backs of Gisu and Gisang’s heads as the brothers drooled and reached out for the luminous pearls.

Those two were the exception.

“Ha. Honestly.”

Dokgo Yeong clicked his tongue as he watched Yeo Woonhwi and the White Wolf Troop stubbornly refuse the gifts he was offering for free.

Anyone else would have gone half-mad and lunged at the treasures, but these people were waving their hands in refusal instead.

He thought he knew why.

Right. He had been short-sighted.

Everyone had their own positions to consider.

‘So that’s how it is. In that case…’

Shortly after, Dokgo Yeong made up his mind to order his subordinates to load a carriage with these items and dump them at the Peng Clan sooner or later.

If they refused to take them, he simply had to send them secretly.

He was the type of person who had to see things through once he made up his mind.

Despite these thoughts, he didn’t let a hint of them show on his face.

This was exactly what one would call the wisdom of age.

Still, he wanted to press something into their hands right this moment.

Unaware of the schemes he was plotting internally, Yeo Woonhwi shook his head at Dokgo Yeong, who was chuckling bitterly on the outside.

“I appreciate the thought, but we’ll only accept your sentiment. Just the sentiment.”

“Ahem! How can you only accept my sentiment? I consider that phrase to be the most wicked of all!”

Was that really something to get so angry about?

“Let’s see… Right. Then take this, at least.”

Soon, Dokgo Yeong pulled out a small box from among the pile of gifts.

He opened the box to show them.

Inside was an elixir pill. Its fragrant scent didn’t merely tickle the nose; it was so strong that it practically pierced it.

It looked incredibly precious just by looking at it.

No, was “precious” even enough to describe it?

Even the quantity had been perfectly prepared to match the exact number of members in the White Wolf Troop.

A quantity like this might even exceed the combined value of all the treasures laid out here.

Reading Yeo Woonhwi’s flustered expression, Dokgo Yeong let out a hearty laugh.

“How about it? Will you accept this? I went out of my way to prepare enough for all of you. Haha!”

No, this makes it even harder to accept…

However, upon glancing back, he saw that everyone’s eyes were glued to the elixirs. It seemed they were genuinely greedy for these, at least.

Soon, Yeo Woonhwi let out a deep sigh.

“Understood.”

When Yeo Woonhwi nodded, Dokgo Yeong wasn’t the only one whose face brightened.

Behind him, the members of the White Wolf Troop cheered as well.

Dokgo Yeong then personally handed the precious elixirs to every single member of the White Wolf Troop.

Was it really okay for them to accept something like this?

Everyone wore expressions of joy mixed with bewilderment.

Yeo Woonhwi looked at his troop members before expressing his gratitude to the Black Martial Emperor.

Then, he suddenly asked.

“Why are you treating us so well?”

“Hmm?”

Dokgo Yeong beamed at Yeo Woonhwi’s question.

“Why shouldn’t I?”

Yeo Woonhwi looked blank for a moment at those words.

“You already know. I even said it myself. You are all benefactors who lifted the burden from my shoulders.”

“You haven’t really said much about it, though.”

Despite spending quite a bit of time with Dokgo Yeong, the old man hadn’t really spoken about his younger sister. 

It wasn’t about demanding a serious or heavy expression of gratitude.

The Namgung Clan had shared stories of their youngest daughter with the White Wolf Troop, who had avenged her.

They had mourned, remembered, and comforted one another together.

Yet Dokgo Yeong had said absolutely nothing of the sort.

Rather than cry, he laughed; rather than reminisce about his sister, he wanted to hear more stories about the White Wolf Troop.

It definitely felt different from when they were with the Namgung Clan.

Staring at Yeo Woonhwi for a moment following the question, Dokgo Yeong suddenly smiled.

It was the same smile as before, yet somehow deeper.

“Well. What good would it do for you to know every detail about my sister? The only thing that matters is that you resolved the grudge of a child who was my family, whom I loved more than anyone else.”

Yeo Woonhwi’s eyes widened instantly at Dokgo Yeong’s words.

He saw it now. To each their own way.

The Namgung Clan remembered, embraced, and expressed gratitude to the White Wolf Troop in their own way, while Dokgo Yeong did so in his.

“I see. You are right.”

Yeo Woonhwi nodded, letting out a small chuckle.

Not long after, the White Wolf Troop left the Alliance Leader’s Hall.

However, someone was watching the White Wolf Troop’s retreating backs from a short distance away.

It was the Chief Tactician of the Heretic Alliance, Sama Ryang.

He had been closely observing the White Wolf Troop from the moment they arrived.

Of course, there had been no problems so far.

And there probably wouldn’t be any in the future, either.

After all, what could they possibly do here?

This was the Heretic Alliance, brimming with stellar masters who far surpassed the White Wolf Troop.

Yet, what was this strange feeling?

Sama Ryang couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that something was bound to happen whenever he looked at them.

Of course, he knew better than anyone that he was overthinking things.

‘Am I being too sensitive?’

It was then.

“So you were here.”

A fierce-looking, one-eyed middle-aged man appeared.

He was someone Sama Ryang was not pleased to see in the slightest.

The man was none other than the second-in-command of the Heretic Alliance, the Ghost-Eyed Demon Lord, Ma Seak.

He was one of the Ten Great Masters, a man brimming with more ambition than anyone else and someone who harbored a deep hatred for the Orthodox faction.

He was infamous for pulling all sorts of dirty tricks behind the scenes to get what he wanted and to eliminate any Orthodox members who caught his eye.

From the perspective of Chief Tactician Sama Ryang, Ma Seak was the most exhausting and uncontrollable individual in the entire Heretic Alliance.

Because of this, he also preferred to avoid running into Ma Seak whenever possible.