Chapter 297: A Fight Without a Bell (1)
“Are you inside?”
“……Do not ask when you already know the answer; just come in.”
“I understand.”
Creeeeak.
The door opened, and Yeon Wi revealed himself.
Tang Kwan snorted.
“The son comes to shake things up, and the father comes to soothem. You are truly a well-matched father and son.”
Yeon Wi tilted his head.
“What do you mean by that?”
Tang Kwan, who had been silently examining his face, suddenly turned his head away.
“Never mind. Come and sit.”
“Let us do that.”
A moment later, the two men sat facing each other across a tea table.
Yeon Wi, smelling the aroma of the tea, smiled.
“Is this tea you brewed yourself?”
“Since there are no subordinates, I had no choice but to brew it myself.”
“Where did you send the servants?”
“Training in Poison Art carries many risks. If they stayed inside this building, they might have been poisoned and died.”
“You did well.”
Tang Kwan turned his head.
“I only needed someone to handle the chores after the training was finished. If those fellows are not here, I have to do it myself.”
He was truly an honest person.
But it was fine. Yeon Wi truly liked this change in Tang Kwan.
“By the way, your tea-brewing skills seem to have improved.”
“…….”
“If you had not learned, you would not have been able to draw out such a rich aroma in such a short time. The temperature is also appropriate.”
“What is it you want to say?”
Yeon Wi asked subtly.
“Did you learn from your daughter?”
Tang Kwan frowned.
“If you are going to say useless things, then leave at once.”
“Haha, I am sorry. I said something unnecessary.”
Yeon Wi, who moistened his throat with a sip of tea, continued speaking.
“I heard that you are going to Sichuan.”
In a natural and soft tone, he said something that could not help but feel abrupt.
The corners of Tang Kwan’s mouth curled up.
“Who said that?”
“I merely heard a rumor. However, if you are truly going, I thought I should at least say goodbye.”
Tang Kwan’s eyes narrowed.
As he silently examined Yeon Wi’s face, it did not seem like a lie. Then again, he was not the type of person for whom lying about such a thing would have much meaning.
Tang Kwan turned his head.
“I decided to postpone my return to Sichuan.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes widened.
“Did you change your mind?”
“I did.”
“Haha, then I can delay my farewell until later.”
Tang Kwan, who was staring at Yeon Wi, asked in a voice filled with a bit of wonder.
“Are you truly the Clan Head of the Yeon Clan?”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
“The first time I saw you was at the Peak Offering Assembly. At that time, you were certainly not this kind of person.”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“Then, what kind of person was I?”
“Frustrating, blunt, and someone who could not read the trends of the times.”
“Hahaha.”
It was a cold and honest evaluation. In fact, Tang Kwan had seen Yeon Wi as such a person.
“It seems I am different now?”
“You are.”
“How do you think I have changed?”
Tang Kwan drank his tea without answering.
Yeon Wi also guessed that he would not speak. And even without hearing his words, he himself knew better than anyone else that he had changed.
‘Indeed.’
Yeon Wi recalled himself from the past.
‘I have changed a lot.’
Due to the value of the family name, the last will of his deceased wife, and the heavy workload, he had developed a particularly rigid personality.
In a way, it was close to a defense mechanism for him to protect himself. Because he was so mentally pushed, he would have found it difficult to maintain his sense of self if he had not done so.
But that was not the case now.
He saw the change in his eldest son, and he saw the world changing.
In accordance with the rapidly changing world, his son went out into the Murim, and countless things had happened since then.
In the process, Yeon Wi also gained a great realization.
‘I cannot turn back the time that has already passed.’
The thing he regretted the most until now was that he had not been able to give proper love to his children.
Something even more regrettable than when his wife died. He regretted not taking good care of the fruit born of his love with that woman more than the time he was helpless before the death of the woman he loved more than his own life.
The moment he realized that, Yeon Wi was able to let go of everything. It was so that he would not regret any more.
Yeon Wi opened his mouth.
“I ask for your understanding in advance, as I am not very familiar with the situation in Sichuan.”
“What are you saying?”
“Do you happen to have a wife?”
He was asking if his wife had passed away before him, just like his own.
Tang Kwan shook his head.
“She left ten years ago.”
“I see.”
Yeon Wi did not ask why his wife had died. It was not a story that would be good to hear, and it would be a difficult task for the speaker as well.
However, he definitely wanted to say this.
“Did you love the deceased?”
Tang Kwan frowned openly.
“What do you want to say?”
“Although arranged marriages are common in this era, in my opinion, I do not think the Clan Head would have held a marriage with a woman for whom you had no affection.”
“You are wrong. I have never been captivated by sweet emotions like romantic feelings.”
Yeon Wi shook his head.
“Even if it were an arranged marriage, if it were the Clan Head I see, I think you would have sufficiently cared for the deceased.”
“…….”
“Be good to your children. Your children are the fruit of your love with the person you loved. As they are more precious beings than anyone else to the Clan Head, let us not create any more things to regret before we die.”
Tang Kwan laughed coldly.
“Is teaching under the guise of advice your hobby? I think I heard similar words before.”
Yeon Wi gave a bitter smile.
“I am sorry. My regret is deep, so I once in a while say these words without realizing it.”
“Hmph.”
Tang Kwan crossed his arms.
“Let us stop the useless talk here. Did you hear it from your son?”
It was a tone clearly tinged with sarcasm.
Yeon Wi tilted his head.
“If you mean my son, do you mean Ho-jeong?”
“I do.”
“Did something happen?”
“He asked me to run as a candidate for the Alliance Leader election.”
In an instant, Yeon Wi’s eyes widened.
“When on earth did he do that?”
“He came to me since the morning, like a puppy that needed to defecate, and said so. Did you not know?”
“I did not know.”
Yeon Wi, who had been lost in thought for a moment, soon chuckled.
“It is just like him.”
Tang Kwan knit his brows.
“Just like him…… That is a quite strange thing to say. Did you know your son would act like that?”
“I was surprised because I did not know he would act like that. However, now that I have heard it, I understand. If it is Ho-jeong, he is capable of throwing such a response.”
Curiosity appeared on Yeon Wi’s face.
“So, how did the Clan Head accept that proposal?”
Yeon Wi, who was looking at Tang Kwan who was looking at him without answering, soon had his face colored with surprise.
“You gave your permission?”
“I did.”
“W-Why?”
If it were Yeon Ho-jeong, it was a proposal he might make.
Of course, it was not Yeon Wi’s way. He adhered to being fair and square as much as possible, whether in martial arts or politics, and was not skilled in methods such as setting the stage or dealing an unexpected counterattack.
However, the surprising thing was the fact that Tang Kwan had accepted the proposal.
“The Clan Head must also know. What the meaning of Ho-jeong’s proposal is.”
“I know. It must mean to stand as a rival to Murong Jun. It means to focus Murong Jun’s attention here, destroy him from the shadows, and establish an Alliance Leader who suits his taste, does it not?”
Yeon Wi shook his head.
“There may be an intention to restrain the ambitions of Clan Head Murong, but there will be no intention to establish an Alliance Leader who suits his taste.”
“There is.”
“…….”
“That fellow’s eyes were chasing after someone with conviction of who should become the Murim Alliance Leader. At least, that is how I saw it.”
Yeon Wi’s face hardened.
“Who is that?”
“I do not know that far either. It does not seem like he would tell me even if I asked. If you are truly curious, ask your son yourself.”
Yeon Wi nodded his head.
“I understand.”
Tang Kwan smacked his lips.
“Whatever the reason, I will run in the election. And I will lose.”
It seemed that he himself did not think that he would win the Alliance Leader election.
Yeon Wi nodded his head.
“That will probably be the case.”
Leaving aside Tang Kwan’s reputation or ability, the sense of pressure and fear given by the Sichuan Tang Clan was truly great.
The head of such a family becoming the Murim Alliance Leader? Although he did not know, almost all the people of the Orthodox would rise up.
Furthermore, the fixed ideas unique to the Orthodox Murim could not be ignored either. To them, the Tang Clan, which used poison and hidden weapons as their primary weapons, had an impression so bad that it was comparable to the Unorthodox.
“The problem is, it is not as if Murong Jun would not know that.”
“That is true.”
“Naturally, your son would have also looked that far. In other words, it means I will become a scarecrow that is of no use whatsoever.”
Tang Kwan tilted his head.
“I do not know what he intends to do by setting up such a scarecrow.”
Since he had already made his choice, his will to accept whether he became a scarecrow or whatever could be seen. Then again, since he accepted while knowing he would lose the election, he probably expected that much as well.
Yeon Wi, who was staring at Tang Kwan, shook his head.
“The Clan Head said that my eldest son has someone in mind for the position of Alliance Leader.”
“I did.”
“I know nothing about that part. However, I know this one thing.”
“……?”
“At least, he will not make you into a scarecrow.”
Tang Kwan’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“What do you mean by that?”
“My eldest son is a fellow who, for the sake of winning, calmly commits acts that an ordinary person could not even imagine. However, because there is always a Great Cause at the root of his greed for that victory, I am still watching him, but he has committed quite a few radical acts.”
“Hmph.”
“However, my eldest son has a line.”
“A line?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“If it is someone who has not been identified as a clear enemy, he does not make them miserable even if he uses them.”
Tang Kwan sneered.
“It seems you see your son as only being too kind. In all my life, I have never seen a fellow as reckless as your son.”
“He is reckless, but the reason he has not suffered great damage because of it is because there is a line he has thought of in his own way.”
“Interesting.”
“And, perhaps I also have this thought.”
Yeon Wi’s face became serious.
“Although he has no intention of making you the Alliance Leader, he has the thought of making you a giant who can exercise powerful influence in the political arena of the Alliance.”
“……!”
Tang Kwan’s face hardened.
“How did you come to have such a thought?”
“Because only a giant of that degree can properly pressure Clan Head Murong.”
“…….”
“And one more thing.”
A smile appeared around Yeon Wi’s mouth.
“It seems my son has seen your nature, the nature of the person you are, as being quite decent in his own way.”
Tang Kwan said as if it were absurd.
“If that is true, your son’s arrogance can be said to be truly the greatest under heaven.”
“Why is that?”
“Not only did he evaluate the Clan Head of the Tang Clan as he pleased, but he even thought of making me the center of the Alliance. He is not just ordinarily arrogant.”
“Because of that arrogant fellow, prestigious families are collapsing and the landscape of Murim politics is being shaken.”
“……!!”
Yeon Wi smiled and stood up from his seat.
“Please give me some of your time. There is a place I would like to go with you.”