146

Chapter 146 - The Crisis at the Daseogak - 6

The son of South Korea, the rogue of Joseon, and the illegitimate child of the Sacheondang family.

He had never heard the term "corner room Lu Bu," yet suddenly, he became the Lu Bu of a martial arts-based dating simulation game with not one, not two, but three fathers. Moreover, he was in the process of choosing the third father himself, making him the ultimate daddy-chosen Lu Bu.

If anyone who knew the Joseon rogue Kang Yoon Ho saw him now, they would probably remark sarcastically, "It must be nice to have two mothers."

Anyway, there's no one to speak the truth, so it doesn't matter.

Here in Hubei province in the middle of the Central Plains, far from Joseon, the relatives, whether they be those of the Joseon rogue or those of the courtesan, are all in the afterlife.

In the attic room that fell silent at the declaration from the sole son of the Sacheondang family,

I nonchalantly reached out to take the fire-veiled ring from the hand of the brothel owner. The ring, returning to its rightful place on my wrist, reflected a soft and natural light, as if it had always belonged there.

'Hwarin, you really need to manage your expressions.'

Hwarin's jaw is about to drop in shock. Hwarin, you shouldn't believe me, no matter how credible my words seem.

As I momentarily gazed at the fire-veiled ring, the brothel owner, having recovered from his surprise at the declaration, opened his mouth to speak to me.

"…Did you intend for all of this to happen?"

No, it's an improvisation.

"Sigh. You are the one who orchestrated this situation. Had you not threatened to sever my wrist, I would've had no mind to reveal the truth."

I replied to the brothel owner with an incredulous smile.

"Then why did you use the secret technique of the Dang family?"

"Haven't I already told you? It was for the sake of my friend, Dang Hwarin, who was also born an outcast of the clan and who has endured far worse suffering than I as she grew up."

"To reveal a great secret of the clan for such a trifling reason…"

Alright, alright. Since I'm changing the setup, I might as well add to the reasons.

"Of course, by bringing up the matter of my father, I did expect that he would come running. I wanted to see for myself the man that my mother used to praise to the heavens as a righteous hero."

"How dare you speak of the clan leader with such insolence!"

"Well, sadly, the righteous hero my mother praised didn't show up, instead, it was the man who tossed my pregnant mother onto the cold, hard ground all those years ago."

"…Tch, twenty years ago, your mother wasn't that swollen with you. She wore loose clothing, so it was impossible to tell."

The brothel owner, when mentioning the incident of abandoning the pregnant woman, clicked his tongue in apparent guilt. It seems he does have some conscience.

"Are you now recognizing that I am the son of the Dang clan's leader?"

Are you admitting to impregnating Hwarin twenty years ago?

"If your hair were purple, I might have acknowledged you. But you have black hair like that of a foreign barbarian, don't you?"

In the Sacheondang family, purple hair is a metric to gauge how deeply one carries the blood of the Dang lineage.

Considering that Dang Hwarin is a distant collateral relative—an outcast born to an outcast of that collateral line—her kinship is almost negligible, but her purple hair alone makes her easily accepted as a member of the clan.

"How can I help it if someone with Joseon blood is born with black hair? Hwarin is considered a relative, albeit a distant one related by many tens of removes, because of her purple hair. Meanwhile, am I to be continually treated as a barbarian because I bear black hair, despite carrying the blood of a clan leader?" 

I regret that I was given black hair—long, robust, strong, and untiring—instead of an improved social standing.

Thanks to the NTR concept, unfolding this logic is convenient.

"Do you actually believe the situation in front of you?"

I can't. How could I believe it? But what can I do about it? I have all the evidence and information proclaiming me the son of the Dang family leader.

With a smile like that of a young tiger that had patiently stalked its prey for a long time, I opened my mouth to speak.

"With all the evidence pointing towards me, what will you do? Of course, it saddens me greatly to hear of my half-brother's illness. However, does that not mean that it is now time to take me away?"

According to the courtesan's diary, the two had become intimate. The courtesan's son would have been the firstborn of the Dang clan leader.

"Now I see the one who should have been cut was not the wrist but the cunning and wily tongue. How dare an illegitimate child presume to call the clan leader's heir 'brother'!"

Right. In a world where even Hong Gil-dong, because he was a by-blow, could not call his legitimate brother 'brother nor his father 'father' and became the utmost unfilial thief (BRO-MAXIMUM), an outcast with no rights whatsoever would be even worse off.

But then again.

"That's correct. But isn't the situation quite amusing? If I go to the Sacheondang family now, I wonder if the clan leader will treat me as an illegitimate child or will acknowledge me as the eldest and only son of the grand Sacheondang family. I am truly curious. Aren't you, owner?"

I spoke like a young tiger that had finally bitten into the nape of its prey after a long wait.

"..."

The brothel owner's complexion darkened in an instant. Right, you too cannot be certain?

"Clan secrets? Dang clan technique? As you've said, let me bear the blame for it all. Go ahead and tell them that I admitted to all of it. I'd like to see for myself this man who is supposed to be my father. So, come, take me away now."

I replied confidently to the brothel owner, my smile unwavering, but he remained silent, his face still shaded in darkness.

----------

"Hand over the fire-veiled ring."

That was the brothel owner's first words after a moment of silence.

"Why should I hand this over?"

"If you give up the fire-veiled ring, I will do whatever I can to mitigate this incident."

Really? Well, that would be fine by me. I would be glad not to clean up this mess.

"And if you fail, someone will come to harvest my wrist."

But that's not going to happen.

"...I will do my best."

The brothel owner hesitated a bit before responding to my guess.

"There's nothing more meaningless than the best effort that doesn't yield results."

"Even if such a situation occurs, I will make amends. I give you my name that you will be spared from any worry about sustaining yourself for a lifetime."

"Ha ha. Really? I happen to be in quite a bit of debt from running this Daseogak."

I snorted derisively, like a landlord enjoying the absurd rantings of a tenant.

"I can arrange enough money to buy a building or two."

Wow. So a person in the position of a brothel owner can flex to that extent.

"Ha ha. With that amount, one could indeed live without ever worrying about money again."

"Will you hand it over?"

"But the calculation doesn't quite add up."

"Are you saying that the price of one wrist isn't enough?"

A wrist isn't for sale. Besides, other things are far too costly.

I raised my wrist to show the brothel owner while speaking out.

"Hahaha. Of course, it isn't. This fire-veiled ring is, in essence, the Sacheondang family. How could I possibly hand over the Sacheondang family itself?"

It's practically a blank check to take over the Sacheondang family—would I trade that for a mere building or two?

"This audaaaacity!"

"What is this? Coveting someone else's property while having the gall to accuse me."

"Vice-chief! Seize that rascal's fire-veiled ring! If he resists, you're free to cut off his wrist."

If you want the fire-veiled ring that badly, draw the sword yourself. The leader of an organization seems to keep delegating forceful tasks.

"Me?"

The vice-chief's voice, a perplexed 'Me?', made the brothel owner glare at him. Thinking about it, the vice-chief earlier called me 'young master' while trying to stop me.

Unlike the brothel owner, he doesn't seem to view me as an illegitimate child.

Looks like I could negotiate a free agency here.

'Maybe it's time to channel Kang Yoon Ho, the rogue of Joseon.'

After all, audacity is key in transfer negotiations.

"Hey, what's your name?"

I swiftly approached the vice-chief, who looked confusedly at the brothel owner, and asked him his name, with an insolent demeanor.

"What did you say?"

"Are this guy's ears blocked? Or is he just pretending not to hear? Hey! Can't you grasp the situation? I, the eldest son of the grand Sacheondang family, am asking you for your name!"

With an angry tone, I thumped my chest when saying 'I' and pointed at the vice-chief when saying 'you.'

"Da, Dangpa is my name."

The vice-chief's voice trembled as if caught by surprise.

"Right. Dangpa. How old are you?"

"30 years old."

He seems to have endured many hardships in life. He looks worn out beyond his years. At the age of thirty, one should stand firm, but let me shake you up quite a bit.

"Alright. 30-year-old Dangpa, listen carefully. It wouldn't matter to me if I were rejected as an illegitimate child by the Dang family given the current situation. But things don't seem to be heading that way, do they? If I were to become the future master of the Sacheondang family, would it benefit you to obey him now or to heed the words of me, the future master?"

"Vice-chief! Don't be swayed by this rogue's silver tongue—draw your sword!"

The vice-chief looked back and forth between me and the brothel owner.

"Dangpa. You seem to be eyeing both sides. Listen well."

I deliberately brought my face close to Dangpa's, creating a sense of intimidation.

"Yes? Yes!"

"If my wrist were to be severed here, I'd take it and head straight to the Sacheondang family. What will become of you then? You would be Dangpa, the man who cut off the wrist of the clan leader's illegitimate son. No! The wrist of the clan leader's only son."

Can you picture it? Gulp. Dangpa swallowed dryly, clearly imagining the scenario I described.

I grinned at the gulp-swallowing Dangpa, clapping my hands nonchalantly.

"People will be clapping loudly. Where, you ask? At your grave. I'll even carve a special epitaph for you: 'The warrior who severed the wrist of the son of the Sacheondang family leader.' How does that sound for an epitaph?"

Dangpa's pupils contracted sharply, and he shook his head vigorously from side to side. This guy's scared stiff.

"This insolent crrrreature!"

"Look, your brothel owner ended up drawing the sword himself."

"Yoon Ho!"

Hwarin was startled and stepped between the brothel owner and me. She can't handle this alone. The transfer negotiation needs to be completed.

I continued to look at the vice-chief as I spoke.

"Dangpa. What is the motto of the Sacheondang family?"

"'The Sacheondang family does not forget.'"

"That's right. I'm the person who carries the blood of the Sacheondang family the most potently in this entire world. I never forget both grudges and favors. But now, in this moment, that sword hanging from your belt. With that sword, what will you ensure that I won't forget?"

I jiggled the wrist holding the fire-veiled ring and then pointed at the brothel owner who had drawn his sword.

Between my wrist and the brothel owner.

Dangpa. Which will you choose with that sword?

The vice-chief made his decision quickly.

-----------------

"Brothel owner! The heir's time is over!"

"You wretch! Are you defying orders now?"

"Defiance? Rather, I am merely trying to stop brothel owner, who is committing acts of treason. Brothel owner. It's too late for the heir's treatment. The poison has spread throughout his body, and he will pass away soon, and even if he were to survive, he would be a cripple!"

"That's not for you to decide!"

"This is precisely the situation for you, brothel owner, not to decide!"

Ah, this transfer market is a success.

The brothel owner, vice-chief Dangpa, and Hwarin are locked in a three-way standoff, creating an attic room version of the Three Kingdoms division that is second to none.

Although the brothel owner's skills may be superior, in this situation it would be awkward to kill the vice-chief, or he himself might not be fully confident about having to wield his sword.

"The clan is already in turmoil. If you take that self-proclaimed bastard now, the clan could be split in two!"

"Even that is not for the brothel owner to decide! The only one to make that judgment is the grand master of the grand Sacheondang family himself!"

The two men continued their argument that seemed headed towards catastrophe. If things continue as they are, someone is bound to shed blood, regardless of who it is.

That would be quite inconvenient.

The three-way standoff in the attic. Breaking up this drawn-out confrontation should not be down to the Central Plains men's struggle for power, but to the barbarian invasion.

Clap clap.

"The current power versus the power of the future. Quite the spectacle."

I clapped my hands and spoke with a sarcastic tone towards the brothel owner.

"This ends now!"

"Let's bring this to an end and go down."

With an indifferent expression, I walked past the brothel owner and confidently towards the door of the attic room. Please. Don't wield that sword, brothel owner. It's terrifying.

Fortunately, the brothel owner simply watched with a dumbfounded look.

"What's your scheme?"

The scheme is wanting to stay alive.

"If you're not going to kill us all, the outcome is already decided. If we go down now, I'll graciously forget everything you've done in this room. Oh! While the Sacheondang family does not forget, I'll make a special exception and forget just for you."

The vice-chief was on my side.

Even if swords were drawn, as long as the brothel owner isn't the only survivor descending from here, my side of the story will be told. And then, even the brothel owner wouldn't be able to escape blame.

The situation was effectively resolved the moment the vice-chief took my side.

"Kuh…"

It's good to see that a seasoned detective understands quickly. I turned to look back as I opened the door of the attic room.

"Dangpa!"

"Yes? Yes!"

"You're remembered by me. You've earned an extra 10 points bonus."

I pointed my finger to my temple and then at Dangpa.

"Haha! Thank you very much!"

Dangpa smiled at this and, ignoring the brothel owner, approached me alongside Hwarin.

The brothel owner watched this with a look of resentment.

"Everything seems to be sorted now, let's head down!"

Positioning myself as their leader, I was the first to step onto the staircase of the attic room.

'I've eased one worry, but there's no turning back now.'

Kang Yoon Ho, the illegitimate son of the Sacheondang family head. No matter how it turns out, I have to play the part of the illegitimate child.

"Yoon Ho?"

As I paused on my way down and looked back, Hwarin called out to me with confusion in her voice. I ignored Hwarin's question and looked back.

The brothel owner was descending behind me, glaring unpleasantly.

'The brothel owner won't be the only one doubting me.'

Surrounded by the brothel organization, the members of the brothel are also likely to harbor suspicions.

Even with my confident attitude and the evidence that may convince them halfway, the other half will continue to doubt.

So, what to do?

'I need to use the method only I can.'

The method to eliminate the doubts of everyone in the brothel.

It's time to employ that tactic.