Vol. 1 Chapter 4.1

Lee Cheon-gang had stepped in because he was worried Yeon might explode. From what he could see, she had already been holding back quite a bit.

It seemed the young lady Hwangbo had some business with the old man.

The old man seemed to know it too. The problem was that he was deliberately provoking Yeon.

At this rate, things won’t go the way young lady Hwangbo intends.

That was why he’d lightly inserted himself. But the old man’s reaction was far more intense than he’d expected.

CRAAASH!

An enormous surge of energy came hurtling toward him. Cheon-gang hastily released his internal power. Taking a hit like that, forget going to the Baekha Escort Agency, he’d be stuck recuperating for ages.

BAM!

“Hnng…”

Cheon-gang groaned as he blocked the attack. He had retreated several steps, yet still couldn’t fully cancel out the impact. Which meant this wasn’t just some grumpy old man.

A master. An incredibly powerful one at that…

SWOOSH!

Before he could even finish the thought, the old man’s chain of attacks flew in. There were no special techniques, just punches, but they were extremely fast. Cheon-gang focused instantly and swung his hands like lightning.

WHAP WHAP BAM!

He deflected every one of the old man’s punches and subtly pulled back his right arm. He intended to turn the tables with a single powerful palm strike. But the old man didn’t miss even that tiny opening.

THUD!

“Guh!”

A side kick landed on his right abdomen, and Cheon-gang was pushed back again. The second time.

“Tsk tsk. Your head is full of nothing but attack, attack, attack. You can’t even see your own belly, exactly like a frog.”

The old man lightly withdrew his outstretched leg and continued.

“But you’re a frog of uncertain origin. Lee Clan? Where in the world is that?”

Just then, Yeon’s voice rang out.

“Grandfather! Stop it!”

“Can’t the girl stay out of this? This frog is itching to fight back, so what’s the-”

The old man’s thin lips curved into a bow. His small, taunting eyes narrowed even further.

“What do you say, brat? Am I wrong?”

At the old man’s provoking words, Cheon-gang’s gaze deepened. He glanced at Yeon.

“I’m fine.”

“Cheon-gang…”

Seeing her worried expression, Cheon-gang inwardly scoffed at himself.

It seems I haven’t earned young lady Hwangbo’s trust.

Finally, Cheon-gang raised his sword. It was still sheathed, but he had decided to use his main weapon.

“Heh heh, feel free to use a real sword!”

Seeing the old man’s ease, Cheon-gang slowly composed his mind. He admitted the old man was a rare master. Probably more than even most Clan Heads could handle.

But Cheon-gang was someone who couldn’t afford to lose easily here. For pride? Or because he was the young master of the greatest clan under heaven?

No. It’s not any of those shallow reasons.

In his heart, Cheon-gang recalled his true enemy. The ultimate foe of his life, the one who had ruined it. The irreconcilable enemy who was likely watching him from somewhere far, far away.

Until the day I meet that bastard again… I cannot afford to fall here, of all places.

Just thinking of that enemy made the deep-seated resentment in his chest stir.

Cold rage spread through his entire body. Cheon-gang channeled that chilling energy flowing through his veins entirely into his sword. He himself became a single, razor-sharp blade.

“Oh my.”

As the old man let out a small exclamation, Cheon-gang unleashed his true martial arts.

His pale face flushed with color, and the temperature of the surrounding air began to drop. It was a precursor to the Lee Clan’s unique martial art, the White Cloud Sword Technique.

Moisture condensed in the air, a mysterious sight. The old man muttered,

“The more I look, the stranger this frog becomes. What in the world is this bizarre martial art?”

“I’ll take your first move as a courtesy.”

“Hmph! Do as you please, brat.”

At the same time as his answer, Cheon-gang scattered his sword. A sword strike with a bizarre trajectory exploded toward the old man.

SHING!

“Hoooold on! Young master, stop!”

At the thunderous voice, almost a scream, Cheon-gang barely managed to stop his sword. It was an extremely close call, but the old man simply stared at the blade before his nose with curiosity.

Soon, someone approached, thudding against the ground. It was Hwangbo Jeong-gun.

“Elder! What is the meaning of this rudeness toward a guest who came to our clan? This young master is- Oof!”

Mid-sentence, Hwangbo Jeong-gun was kicked in the shin and jumped.

“So you finally show up after hiding somewhere?”

“Urgh… I had some matters to settle after returning from the martial arts gathering. I apologize, Elder.”

“The martial arts gathering?”

“Yes, Elder. I was just returning with Yeon. But Elder, what brings you here…?”

At that, Hwangbo Hong glanced briefly at Yeon, but that was all. He turned his anger toward Hwangbo Jeong-gun.

“What? Did I come somewhere I shouldn’t?”

“N-no, of course not, Elder. It’s just that you haven’t visited in so long.”

“Then hurry up and lead the way! I have something to say. Tch, and things were just getting interesting.”

Smacking his lips, Hwangbo Jeong-gun quickly escorted him away. He disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving everyone with no choice but to stare after him.

* * *

After the entire incident, Yeon sent the shaken Xiao-xiao back to her quarters and checked on Cheon-gang. Gong-yeo had quietly vanished along with Xiao-xiao.

“Cheon-gang, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Not at all.”

Seeing Cheon-gang’s calm demeanor, Yeon felt even more apologetic.

What is this because of Grandfather Hong! He’s way weirder than in the book!

Just as Yeon was fuming, Cheon-gang asked,

“Didn’t you have something to say to the elder?”

“Yes, I did. But not anymore.”

“It seemed important…”

“That’s true, but… Huh? How did you know?”

“You were holding back much more than usual, young lady Hwangbo.”

That was right. She had held back quite a lot. And even that would have exploded if Cheon-gang hadn’t stepped in.

Wait. If he hadn’t stepped in? Was he always like that? Something flashed in Yeon’s mind.

“Did you step in on purpose because of me?”

“…”

He didn’t answer, but Yeon knew what he meant.

“Why would you do that! Against that grumpy old man.”

“You were trying to ask something of the elder, weren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“Then it was better that I clashed with him instead. Though I didn’t expect him to attack me outright.”

“Ha.”

So he had this delicate side, too?

Of all the romance fantasy male leads out there, Yeon wasn’t usually into the sensitive type. They often lacked masculine charm.

But Cheon-gang gave off a strong, masculine scent. He wasn’t obsessively possessive like her favorite male lead, Elond, but he had his own unique brand of manliness.

You could say that, beneath his cold-looking exterior, he seems like he has an endless fire running through him.

She had a hunch that something extraordinary was hidden inside him, like the abs rippling beneath his neat white robe.

Oh great, now I’m imagining it. His six-pack.