Tang Yeon Shin’s gaze, as he looked at Baek Woo Jin bowing politely before him, was cold and expressionless.
It felt as if he were looking at a stone kicked to the side of the road.
Despite Baek Woo Jin’s bold choice of calling him “father-in-law”, Tang Yeon Shin acted as if the words were not even worth hearing. He turned instead to look at Tang Seon Yeong.
“What brings you all the way here?”
His tone was flat, without even the slightest inflection, which made Tang Seon Yeong flinch.
“I… I came to work on a team mission with Baek Woo Jin…”
Her answer carried a noticeable tremor.
Was it supposed to be this difficult to answer her own father? Baek Woo Jin found it hard to understand.
“Where is your escort, and why have you come alone?”
A hint of anger could be felt in his voice. He was clearly upset with Tang Je Woo for neglecting to report anything about her whereabouts.
“Tang Je Woo was badly injured during a sparring match. The physician said he would need around three months to rest and recuperate…”
“Hoho.”
A laugh that was devoid of any emotion slipped out.
“A sparring match, you say…”
Although he had assigned Tang Je Woo as a student at the Jeongmu Academy, his main intention was always to ensure Tang Seon Yeong’s protection. Tang Je Woo should have understood that well enough, so it was hard to believe that he’d been injured so badly in a mere sparring match that he couldn’t move for three whole months.
There’s something going on.
He was certain there was another reason behind Tang Je Woo’s condition.
Could it be that guy?
And he was also convinced that at the center of it all was Baek Woo Jin.
Children who had never caused trouble before often changed suddenly when outside influences came into play.
That kid must have filled her head with nonsense.
Whether he had done it by luring her in with his looks or something else, Baek Woo Jin had undoubtedly coaxed her out of her usual, quiet self, and led to all of this.
“So, you just dropped by on the way, while working on this mission?”
“That’s…”
In Tang Seon Yeong’s life, Tang Yeon Shin was both her father and a source of fear.
She knew that, to him, she was not a daughter but merely someone useful. And she understood that if she revealed her true reason for coming here, it would mean breaking away from the purpose he had assigned her.
She had no idea what kind of expression he would make or how he would react to her words since he had never once shown her a look of affection in her entire life.
And that made her all the more afraid. For humans, fear often arose from the unknown.
But…!
There were turning points in life.
Depending on how one faced those moments, even a life that seemed insignificant could suddenly become valuable, and a life of wealth could just as easily collapse in an instant.
She realized that this moment was a turning point in her own life that would never come again. Whatever words and choices she made here would determine whether she continued living as a caged bird or gained true freedom and spent her life by Baek Woo Jin’s side.
So this was a moment when she had to summon courage she didn’t have. Even if it meant ending up as a handful of poisoned ashes at her father’s hands because she was no longer useful, she had to speak her mind.
“It’s not… just a brief visit.”
She took the first step with her voice wavering out of control.
“What is it, then?”
The way he spoke was the main reason she had come to fear him. Those words that were tossed out with no hint of feeling even toward his own daughter repeatedly forced her to question the meaning of her own existence.
She had lived her whole life without being loved by anyone, so she had never dared to resist. The thought that if she lost even her usefulness, she might be cast aside by the family made her afraid of having nothing left.
So, while she dreamed of freedom, she had never dared to plan an escape. But now, she was different.
“I came here with this place as my destination all along. The mission was just an excuse.”
Now, Baek Woo Jin was by her side. That precious person who had come all the way to the Tang clan for her sake stood beside her. She had her faith on him.
“This place was your destination…?”
Those chilling eyes fixed on her with a clear, intense gaze.
“And like that man next to you said, did you really come to seek my permission for marriage?”
Tang Yeon Shin lifted his chin as if he dared her to say it outright. His expression brought back a faint feeling of fear in her. But she didn’t back down.
“Not right away, but it’s true that I came to tell you I want to see him with marriage in mind.”
His eyebrows rose. It was the slightest change in his expression, barely noticeable to most, but those who knew him would understand just how significant this shift was.
Tang Yeon Shin was genuinely displeased.
“Marriage, you say.”
The air around them began to shift rapidly.
Martial artists were fundamentally beings who had taken a step away from ordinary humanity. It was ridiculous to say that those who could shatter stone with their bare hands or slice steel with a sword were no different from other humans.
And the higher they climbed in the martial arts realm, the wider this gap grew. When martial artists finally reached the fabled pinnacle of power known as the “Transcendent State”,
That was when people would say they had truly surpassed human limitations. Because in that state, the range of what they could do transformed boundlessly.
Tang Yeon Shin was one of the few masters in the martial world who had reached the Transcendent State. Though he hadn’t attained the supreme rank of the “Three Sovereigns”, those at the utmost peak of the Transcendent State realm, he was counted among the “Eight Kings” just below them.
And now, this Transcendent State master was beginning to express his displeasure with sheer force.
“Hmm…”
A formless pressure followed. The energy that closed in on her from all directions was meant to force her to respond.
“It seems you’ve spent too much time outside. I should never have sent you to the Academy.”
He was telling that he could imprison her again somewhere in this house and take away even the faintest ray of light, whenever he wanted.
So she should quickly correct herself.
“It’s nice to love your daughter and all, but…”
The tense energy between them was abruptly interrupted as Baek Woo Jin stepped in.
The energy that had been solely focused on Tang Seon Yeong shifted onto him instead.
He felt as though his entire body was wrapped in iron weights, yet it wasn’t overwhelming enough that he couldn’t withstand it.
“But you really shouldn’t be using violence on your child, should you?”
Baek Woo Jin raised his hand and, as if grasping an invisible sword, made a gentle downward slash. At that, the force pressing down on him eased noticeably.
For the first time, a hint of curiosity flickered in Tang Yeon Shin’s otherwise impassive gaze.
“Hoo.”
Even if it wasn’t his full strength, the energy he emanated was unmistakably that of a master of Transcendent State.
The fact that this fierce energy could be cut off with a mere wave of a hand proved that the name “Divine Dragon” wasn’t just empty boasting.
“Very good.”
Contrary to the first mad dog impression he gave off, it was clear that he was an exceptional figure even among the leading talents of the Orthodox faction.
The dissipating energy began to swell within him once again, to a level incomparable to just moments ago.
“But it’s still not enough.”
An immense force poured down. It was directed entirely at Baek Woo Jin.
It felt like he was standing on a planet with several times the gravity of Earth. As if to force him to his knees, the energy crashed down on him like a waterfall, and his knees which were struggling to withstand it began to tremble.
“My apologies to you.”
Even the voice he spoke was brimming with energy. Each word etched itself into Baek Woo Jin’s ears, making a thin trickle of blood flow.
“My daughter’s betrothal is already decided.”
So then.
“Why don’t you quietly step back now?”
This was no mere suggestion or advice; it was a threat. The intent was clear. If he didn’t turn back now, he would be made to spill blood right there.
“B-Baek Woo Jin…!”
Behind him, Tang Seon Yeong called his name in a worried tone.
Her beloved was bleeding from his ears and his whole body was bearing that overwhelming pressure.
She couldn’t bear to watch him suffer any longer. If she apologized to Tang Yeon Shin now and drove Baek Woo Jin away, no worse would come of it.
It was just as she bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood, and got ready to utter the words she didn’t want to say.
“Would you like to make a bet with me?”
In the crushing pressure that made even breathing difficult, Baek Woo Jin opened his mouth to speak.
Tang Yeon Shin couldn’t hide his surprise at the sight.
How can a mere boy at the peak master level…?
The force Tang Yeon Shin was emitting had long since surpassed Baek Woo Jin’s level. It was impressive enough that he hadn’t collapsed to his knees under such intense pressure, but for him to speak on top of it was another matter entirely.
As Tang Yeon Shin clicked his tongue inwardly, Baek Woo Jin slowly lifted his head with great effort.
When his face finally came into view, he was wearing a confident smile.
“Let’s say the loser grants the winner’s wish.”
Even in that overpowering pressure that made lifting his head nearly impossible, Baek Woo Jin felt certain.
He didn’t know why, but the powerful Tang Yeon Shin seemed unable to exert his full strength.
It’s possible.
The wall was still high and thick, but it wasn’t so impenetrable as to make him feel like he was trying to shatter a stone with an egg.
And so he was sure he could take Tang Seon Yeong from Tang Yeon Shin’s grasp.
To provoke him further, Baek Woo Jin added with the most insolent expression he could muster,
“Oh, and if you’re too scared, you can just run away.”
Hiss!
Tang Yeon Shin’s once-languid face twisted into a scowl as fierce as a demon’s.
The effect of Baek Woo Jin’s childish taunt of “Scared, are you?” was more powerful than he could have anticipated.
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