3rd. The inevitable path
Baek Mi-ju continued to talk as if that wasn’t enough.
“And since you’re slow to think and speak, it would be best if you didn’t speak at all. Do you understand?”
“……yes.”
In that moment, Baek Mi-ju’s fingers dug into Yeon-jeok-ha’s collarbone.
“evil.”
“Did I just tell you not to talk? Didn’t I?”
“Ah, do… … write… … this.”
Yeonjeokha answered with difficulty, twisting her upper body.
Baek Mi-ju’s face turned venomous, as if she didn’t like the sound.
“Huh? Are you surprised by what I’m saying? But you keep talking?”
“Ahhh…….”
Yeonjeokha, who had been rolling her eyes anxiously, shut her mouth tightly.
After a while, Baek Mi-ju’s hand fell.
“Now you understand what I say. You answer adults’ questions politely.”
“… … .”
The young Yeon-jeok couldn’t understand a single word her grandmother was saying.
I told him to speak well, but then he told me not to speak.
What should I do?
The more I thought about it, the more dizzy I felt like I was going to fall over. Yeonjeok ducked his head to keep from falling. Only then did his anxious heart calm down a little.
The third speaker, Yeon-seon Joo, chuckled at the sight of such a scene.
“Phew! This kid is really growing up. Grow up, grow up, grow up quickly~.”
“Foot!”
“haha!”
First, Yeonmu Baek and second, Yeonseung Baek also couldn’t hold back their laughter.
“Can’t you guys be quiet?”
Baek Mi-ju scolded the children in a solemn and stern voice.
The children’s laughter died down.
At that moment, a pleased smile appeared on the face of General Yeon Mu-dok, who was passing through the courtyard. Unlike the adult world, it seems that the half-sisters are getting along well. It is a good thing for the Yeon clan and for Waryongjang.
If the children fight each other, who will take care of the aftermath?
‘Yeah, just grow up like that.’
A servant ran from afar towards the smoke detector that was nodding.
When Yeonmu-dok looked closely, he saw that it was the servant he had placed at the entrance to the village.
Have the guests finally arrived?
Yeonmu-dok’s face hardened with tension.
“Have they come?”
“Yes, I came running when I saw the carriage entering the village, so you’ll see it soon!”
“Okay, go and do your job.”
“yes!”
The servant often disappeared somewhere at a leisurely pace.
Yeonmu-dok checked his attire again and moved to the main gate.
Before I knew it, the news had spread and a dragonfly had appeared in the front yard.
“Your Majesty, why are you here?”
“Since my brother is coming, I can’t just sit still.”
Yeonmu-dok approached Yeonmu-ryong, the main character, and stood shoulder to shoulder.
“If the King of Sword visits this time, just the rumor alone will make Luoyang bustle. Does Your Majesty still have no interest in martial arts?”
“Mudok-ah, I was the one who stopped you from coming six years ago. Do you think I’ll change my mind now?”
“But isn’t this opportunity too precious to just give up?”
“Haha, don’t you think it’s a waste?”
Yeonmu-ryong, who had been standing there with a vain smile on his face, looking up at the distant sky, suddenly began to recite a poem.
There are no people in the empty mountain (There are no people in the empty mountain)
I can only hear human voices.
The sunset enters deep into the forest
It shines again on the green moss.
This is a poem written by Wang You, a poet from the Tang Dynasty. Yanwudok, who had little knowledge of poetry, cautiously asked back when he heard that no one was visible.
“Your Majesty, are you still thinking about your deceased wife?”
“No, I just want you to know that everyone has a different path to take. Just because you learn martial arts doesn’t mean you have to live your whole life as a martial artist, right?”
“but…….”
Yeonmu-dok’s words trailed off.
It is because I feel sorry for the talents of my eldest son and cousin, Yeonmu-ryong.
He was the most outstanding talent among the Yeon clan. Even after he retired from the martial arts world, the Yeon clan was still keeping a close eye on his movements.
All of the Yeon clan, including himself, have only one wish: for Yeon Mu-ryong to shake off his past wounds and rise up to become a powerful martial arts family.
Unlike the Yeon clan’s wishes, Yeonmu-ryong watched the clouds drift by indifferently and muttered to himself.
‘Besides, my path has already been decided.’
After a while, the heavy sound of a four-horse chariot and twelve warriors echoed through the streets.
Yeonmu-dok hurriedly went out to the door.
The dragon that was walking behind him suddenly looked back.
A small and cozy Waryongjang came into view.
At that moment, Baek Mi-ju and the children came rushing out from the Woldongmun Gate leading to the inner quarters.
A complicated expression appeared on Yeonmu-ryong’s face.
Each person takes a different path.
People have to go down the path they want to go down or not.
Suddenly, I felt a tingling sensation in my nose, and soon my eyes started to get wet.
Yeonmu-ryong turned around, pressing the bridge of his nose with his finger.
My heart, which had been boiling like lava, soon cooled down.
The sound of people talking noisily could be heard from somewhere.
When I came back to reality and raised my head, I suddenly saw Namgung Byeok and his family.
Yeonmu-ryong took a deep breath and walked slowly to stand in front of Namgung Byeok.
“Brother, I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you first.”
“Haha! This guy, you should be talking like that with your mouth full of saliva. This is my wife and children.”
Namgung Byeok pointed to his wife and children with his hand.
“I have heard a lot from you, sir. This is Jang Ha-eun.”
Jang Ha-eun greeted him politely, unlike the mistress of the Shingeom family. She had become more humble after hearing the story about Yeonmu-ryong in the carriage.
“Uncle, my name is Namgung Cheon. And this kid is my younger brother and his name is Namgung Yeon.”
The eldest son, Namgungcheon, even took the opportunity to introduce his overly taciturn younger sister.
“Haha, Sister-in-law, it’s really nice to meet you. And it’s nice to see you too. You’ve grown up so well.”
It’s when Yeonmu-ryong is smiling.
Baek Mi-ju led the children forward.
“Oh my! Honey, are you not going to introduce me and the children?”
Yeonmu-ryong blushed as he belatedly realized his true situation.
“Oh! I was so happy that I forgot. Brother and sister-in-law. My wife and children.”
Baek Mi-ju took a step forward at Yeon Mu-ryong’s introduction.
“I’m late in greeting you because I brought the kids. Grandfather and brother. My name is Baek Mi-ju.”
Namgung Byeok and Jang Ha-eun also greeted Baek Mi-ju politely.
As the adults finished greeting each other, Baek Mi-ju gently pushed the back of Yeon Mu-baek, the eldest son.
“What are you doing without even saying hello?”
After the children from both families finished greeting each other, Yeonmu-ryong spoke with a somewhat tired expression.
“Brother and sister-in-law, please leave the children with the children and come inside.”
“Okay.”
Namgung Byeok called his son Namgung Cheon and gave him a light warning.
“You are the eldest brother, so take good care of your younger siblings.”
“Yes, don’t worry and talk.”
Namgungcheon pounded his chest as if asking me to leave it to him.
“I’m most worried about you. Take good care of yourself so no one gets hurt.”
Suddenly, Namgung Byeok’s eyes turned to the child standing alone on one side.
Yeonjeok-ha, who was only six years old, was curled up with an anxious expression on her face. Namgung Byeok thought that Yeonjeok-ha and Namgung Yeon had similar expressions.
Is it really true that children’s personalities have nothing to do with their parents’ love?
A sigh comes out on its own.
***
Yeonmu Baek, the eldest son of Yeonmu Ryong, was filled with a desire to go to Namgung Sega and learn martial arts. So he followed around Namgung Yeon, who was only eight years old, and tried his best to please her.
However, Yeonmu Baek’s plan ran into trouble from the start. Namgung Yeon didn’t say anything at all.
Moreover, her small and cute face was devoid of any emotion.
In the end, Yeonmu Baek couldn’t even hold out for half an hour and ended up raising his hands.
When the older brother Yeonmu Baek failed, the second son Yeon Seung Baek, who had been keeping an eye on things, stepped forward. Yeon Seung Baek liked Namgung Yeon, who had snow-white skin and delicate facial features.
So, unlike his brother who had a special purpose, he tried to become close with a pure heart. However, no matter how funny Yeon Seung-baek told the story, Namgung Yeon did not laugh.
Moreover, Namgung Yeon went one step further and moved without resting like a young horse.
It is by no means easy for a child of a mere Waryongjang to follow in the footsteps of Namgung Yeon, who has been trained in the martial arts of the Namgung Se family.
Yeon Seung-baek also gradually grew tired of Namgung Yeon, who showed no reaction. It felt like he was talking to a wall. Yeon Seung-baek’s innocence towards pretty things also crumbled before his physical strength.
Namgung Jeon felt secretly grateful when he saw the two brothers clinging to their younger brother. He even hoped that Namgung Yeon’s heart would open a little thanks to the two children’s efforts.
But that didn’t last long.
One child leaves, exhausted from the monologue, and another falls behind, pushed aside by Namgung Yeon’s physical strength.
Namgung Yeon, who was left alone, finally looked around Waryongjang with a relieved expression.
Namgungcheon felt sorry for his younger brother and tried to stay with him, but that didn’t work out either. Yeonseonju, now nine years old, was clinging to him like a shadow and wouldn’t let go.
“Brother, your nickname is Cheongun Sword, right? When you meet your enemy, you fight him and kill him?”
“Who, who said that?”
“Isn’t that what it says in the novels about knights?”
“A cow, in a novel?”
“yes.”
“Well, I guess so. I’m not sure.”
Namgungcheon answered dryly and turned his head here and there to look for his younger brother. However, Namgungyeon, who had been crouching in the corner of the training ground just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.
Of course, there were warriors guarding the Waryongjang, so I couldn’t go out of the manor alone, but I was still anxious.
But a little girl named Yeonseonju was so attached to him that he couldn’t go looking for her.
“No, please tell me a story about Kang-ho. Yes?”
‘Ugh… … I lost.’
In the end, Namgungcheon was caught by Yeonseonju and had to tell him everything he had experienced in the martial arts world.
By the time the story was over, the sun was slowly setting.
***
The young and fierce Waryongjang was scary.
My father was kind, but we didn’t spend much time together. Instead, I had to spend most of my time with my grandmother.
Yeonjeok still doesn’t know the difference between his mother and his aunt. But he knows that his aunt is a scary person. His aunt always scolded him, and every time she scolded him, he got hurt.
At some point, I started thinking about how to escape from Waryongjang.
Then, what I found was a hole in the annex.
Long ago, one of the guests staying in the annex of Waryongjang had a large dog. The hole in the annex leading to the outside was made by that dog.
The only people who know about it are the guest, the dog, and Yeonjeokha. The guest left last year with the dog. Since then, the hole in the dog has become Yeonjeokha’s.
Today, too, I stood in front of the hole in my neck.
The main and back gates leading to the outside are guarded by adults, so you can’t go out as you please.
But the hole is different.
There is no one to guard it, no one to block it. This small hole is completely mine.
I let out a long sigh of relief without even realizing it.
Whenever I wanted to escape from my grandmother’s eyes, I always came here.
My eyes, my legs, and my chest no longer trembled.
Wuxia,
