Book 11 Chapter 2

Na Baek-cheon, the eight-unfilial-son

"Are you the child named Bi Ryuyeon?"

"Yes!"

Bi Ryuyeon answered without any hesitation.

Although it was a one-on-one private meeting with the great leader of the Murim Alliance, he showed no signs of being flustered or shaken.

Na Baek-cheon found Bi Ryuyeon, who was not intimidated in front of him, quite displeasing. In his usual state, he might have praised him as a 'spirited and dignified man.' Or he might have said, 'A true man should have that much spirit!'

However, when his precious "pearl in the palm," Na Yerim, was involved, he completely changed. Therefore, Na Baek-cheon's current evaluation of Bi Ryuyeon was as follows:

'Arrogant bastard!'

If Na Yerim had treated Bi Ryuyeon like a common stone on the street, Na Baek-cheon's feelings wouldn't have been like this. But his sharp paternal instinct sensed that Na Yerim clearly recognized Bi Ryuyeon as a presence. He felt like a father whose daughter had been stolen. So it was natural for him to find Bi Ryuyeon displeasing.

Even though Na Baek-cheon had heard Na Yerim's assurances that nothing had happened to her after her survival from the Demonic Cult's Fortress, he was not reassured at all. That's why he had called Bi Ryuyeon privately for a one-on-one meeting.

"You were lucky to have survived from the collapsed Demonic Cult's Fortress. I heard our Yerim received a lot of help."

"That's high praise."

"That might have been politeness from her, but thank you nonetheless!"

Na Baek-cheon said with a meaningful smile all over his face.

'Nonetheless?'

Bi Ryuyeon felt something prick his nerves for a moment. He sensed a hidden barb in the words. But that wasn't the end of it.

"They say your luck is so great it even overshadows your skills, and you're called the 'Heavenly Fortune Striking Gold,' aren't you? It seems you really benefited greatly from your rumored luck and fortune this time."

Na Baek-cheon emphasized the luck and fortune. In essence, the Murim Alliance leader was saying that his escape from the Demonic Cult's Fortress with Na Yerim was due to luck, not his own skill.

One corner of Bi Ryuyeon's mouth twitched. He was grinning. He never shied away from a fight once it started. This was true even if his opponent was the Murim Alliance leader of the world. As if he knew or didn't know Bi Ryuyeon's thoughts, Na Baek-cheon quickly got to the point.

"So, were there no incidents during those 44 days inside? Perhaps… it's improper for men and women to be alone, but surely there weren't any unfortunate incidents that would be shameful to speak of? Can I trust you?"

At that moment, an immense oppressive aura erupted from Na Baek-cheon's entire body. It was an immense pressure that would have caused respiratory distress even to a regular master. However, even in the face of such pressure, Bi Ryuyeon remained unfazed. Moreover, he did not hesitate to provoke him.

"There might have been, or there might not have been!"

It was an ambiguous yet meaningful statement. Especially Bi Ryuyeon's smile, which seemed to say, 'Yes, a lot happened. I just didn't tell you!' was the highlight of this provocation.

"Wh-what? What did you just say?"

Na Baek-cheon's face immediately stiffened. There were probably fewer than five people in the current martial world who could shake the Murim Alliance leader of the world with a single sentence.

"Ah! Did you perhaps not hear?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked with a sweet smile. That smile seemed to say to Na Baek-cheon's eyes:

'Well, you're getting on in years, so it's understandable you couldn't hear. I completely understand! I understand!'

Na Baek-cheon hated every single aspect of Bi Ryuyeon, from head to toe.

"To put it simply and so you can understand, what I'm saying is…"

Bi Ryuyeon began to go against the grain, with the leader of the orthodox martial arts world in front of him. His instinct clearly perceived this as a direct 'challenge.'

"No matter what happened, there's no need to tell you."

"Wh-what exactly does that mean?"

Unable to explode due to his pride and exercising immense self-control, Na Baek-cheon asked.

"Oh, how can I explain everything in detail? You know."

Bi Ryuyeon subtly twisted his body and blushed, an action full of symbolic meaning. He seemed to want to imitate a shy daffodil.

'Th-this bastard! What do I know!'

For Na Baek-cheon, who usually maintained a dignified and authoritative demeanor as the Murim Alliance leader, but who had become an eight-unfilial-son father, this was maddening.

"I don't know what misconception you have, but Yerim is not a woman that a boy like you dares to covet! I understand that you were captivated by her charm, like the thousands of people before you, but it's best to give up on a tree you can't climb. She has no interest in you. To her, you are less than a stone on the street. So, you should give up!"

However, Bi Ryuyeon felt no need to involve someone else's – even if he was someone's father and the Murim Alliance leader – original, extremely personal, and biased perspective in his relationship with Na Yerim. He was not an idiot who would be shaken by a third party's words, fail to confirm his own feelings, fall into despair alone, get hurt alone, and sob alone.

"How can you be so certain?"

"What?"

"You're not a mind reader, so how do you know what's in Yerim's heart?"

Bi Ryuyeon said in a clear voice.

"Ye, Yerim!"

Among the young people, no one dared to call her Yerim so familiarly in front of him. How dare he call Na Yerim intimately, as if she were his lover, in front of him! Bi Ryuyeon didn't stop there. He was not the type to keep his words inside.

"Is there something wrong with calling Yerim, Yerim? Murim Alliance Leader! Yerim is not your puppet doll. She is a living person with her own free will. Why don't you respect Yerim's free will? She doesn't act solely according to your will. So don't presume to know Yerim's heart. Only Yerim herself knows that."

Bi Ryuyeon's words were scathing.

"You, you bastard! You have quite the nerve to speak so brazenly in front of this old man."

An immense, intangible aura emanated from Na Baek-cheon's entire body, filled with rage. It was an aura that seemed capable of crushing everything in its vicinity in an instant. However, Bi Ryuyeon did not even flinch at the immense majesty. His expression seemed to say, 'Go ahead and try.' To Na Baek-cheon, Bi Ryuyeon's recklessness was simply baffling.

"Stop it!"

The door burst open, and a woman with a beautiful voice that filled the air entered. This beauty, as if carved from the very essence of beauty, was Na Yerim.

"Young Master Bi! And Father!"

Na Yerim looked at the two alternately. From the look in her eyes, it seemed she had heard everything from outside. Na Baek-cheon, perhaps embarrassed to show such an undignified demeanor in front of his daughter, feigned ignorance. Even he, one of the strongest swordsmen in the current martial world, was infinitely weak in front of his daughter.

"I heard everything from outside. Both of you, stop now."

Na Yerim's deep eyes turned to her father.

"Father!"

Na Yerim called to her father in a quiet voice.

"Why, why are you doing this?"

Na Baek-cheon's current appearance was so weak that the leaders of the Jeongcheon Alliance would have cried out if they saw it.

"Ryuyeon is my benefactor. So please, don't trouble him any further."

Na Baek-cheon's eyes widened in shock.

"Ry-Ryuyeon!"

Since the beginning of creation, no man had ever been called by Na Yerim with such a soft and familiar term. At first, she had called him Young Master Bi because he was in front of her father, but it seemed to have slipped out unconsciously as Na Yerim.

The shock Na Baek-cheon received at this time was indescribable. His daughter, who had a phobia of men, was calling a man's name familiarly and defending him in front of him…

The shock he received then was so great that he inadvertently let Bi Ryuyeon go, which was the mistake of a lifetime. Something had definitely happened! He should have pressed him further that day.

But the ship had already sailed.

"Grrr…"

Na Baek-cheon still seemed unable to suppress his anger when he thought of that day.

"I shouldn't have just let him go back then, even if my daughter tried to stop me. I should have taught him a stern lesson…"

Swish swish!

Majingga glanced around as if afraid someone might overhear their conversation, even though no one was there. The authority and dignity of the Murim Alliance leader, who governed the entire orthodox martial arts world, collapsed in an instant. Majingga had to prevent this matter from leaking out by any means necessary.

While he was almost perfect in all other matters, the leader became an eight-unfilial-son when it came to his daughter. Na Baek-cheon's actions were a great headache for Majingga.

'I understand he dotes on his only daughter, whom he got in his old age…'

Yes, he understood. How much must he have cherished her while raising her! Moreover, her cuteness and even mystique in her childhood were so magical that anyone would find it impossible not to dote on her.

'He has such vigor, a daughter at a hundred years old…'

He couldn't even imagine what that feeling was like. He felt a sense of challenge, as if he might try it himself someday, but that was for the distant future. In fact, he himself had a daughter in her twenties at the age of sixty. Of course, it couldn't be compared to Na Baek-cheon…

While Majingga was lost in his own thoughts, Na Baek-cheon, after expressing his anger, suddenly muttered with a sad expression.

"We just met, and yet we have to part again like this, Yerim…"

The leader was sobbing like a grown man. He seemed to miss his daughter, who had left for Huashan again so soon after their reunion.

"I have to find out that bastard's identity as soon as possible."

Na Baek-cheon still seemed unsettled.

"Yes! In fact, I was curious about that too."

There weren't many places in the current martial world that could raise such a disrespectful, ill-mannered, and audacious disciple. Moreover, places that could raise someone so confident and self-assured in front of the Murim Alliance leader, with the recklessness and audacity to occasionally grate on one's nerves, were even rarer.

Therefore, the problem was that there were no places that raised disciples so haphazardly. Furthermore, upon confirmation, his origins were unclear. The entrance application for the Cheonmu Academy did not list any sect or master.

Majingga even thought he must have managed to enroll with such ambiguous credentials. It was probably because of his guarantor. The person listed in Bi Ryuyeon's guarantor section was Yeom Do. That point was also highly unusual. Majingga could not deny that there were more than one or two suspicious points. It was truly a mystery, a complete unknown. There was no other explanation than that Bi Ryuyeon had suddenly appeared one day.

"Where did that child first appear, they said?"

"The first place his whereabouts were traced was the Jungyang Express Company located at the foot of Mount Emei."

When the name Jungyang Express Company came out of Majingga's mouth, Na Baek-cheon was greatly surprised and opened his mouth.

"Hoho, the Jungyang Express Company that is currently making a name for itself? After rapidly growing since two years ago, it is now said to be threatening the Jungwon Express Company, the largest express company in the martial world."

"Yes! That's correct. What's strange is that their sudden growth began after that child named Bi Ryuyeon appeared. That's what the timing suggests. It doesn't mean it actually happened…"

"Hmm… When coincidences overlap, they become destiny. We'll have to see if the crow's flight caused the pear to fall. By the way, have you still not found any trace of his previous whereabouts?"

"I apologize."

"For now, let's investigate centered around the Sichuan Jungyang Express Company."

"Yes! I'll send someone to Mount Emei. I'll send the God-Seeing Squad, masters of information gathering and tracking."

"Hoho~. The God-Seeing Squad?"

"Yes!"

The God-Seeing Squad was one of the most outstanding organizations within the Biyoungak. Originally, this kind of matter wouldn't warrant dispatching them due to its low priority, but considering Na Baek-cheon's words just now, they decided to send the God-Seeing Squad as a special measure.

"I can trust them, please do!"

"Rest assured. I hope the secret shadows bring good news…"

Even at this point, the two men had no idea that their subordinates were about to poke the sleeping tiger's whiskers.