“What do you mean? You say a child defeated a demon? I must be hearing things wrong!”
A demon (魔人).
Those are the Demonic Cult members who insidiously practice forbidden evil martial arts in the Martial Arts World. They endure the side effects of martial arts and pay a horrifying price, one that is hardly spoken of, to finally break the boundary and rise to mastery, which is why they’re commonly referred to as demons.
Even those martial artists who practice the martial arts of the Zheng Dynasty recommend teaming up rather than facing these demons alone, indicating just how much of a threat they are in today’s martial world.
But now a mere child, not even a martial artist, warded off a demon! It was utterly absurd to Zhuge Geuk, the head of the Zhuge family and a martial artist.
“It’s true; they’re saying the Demonic Cult sent a demon, and our martial artists caught it!”
Jang Young-young insisted, affirming the undeniable truth.
“Catching a demon isn’t like lounging around, dipping nachos in cheese sauce. How can a kid who barely crawls across a threshold catch a demon, for crying out loud?”
“Well, he’s our son-in-law.”
There was a hint of pride in the mother-in-law’s voice as she thought of her son-in-law.
“My wife…”
Zhuge Geuk was in disbelief; it was too absurd to accept, yet too confident to dismiss. He couldn’t figure out how to process such unbelievable news.
“Did you hear that your father-in-law collapsed?”
Jang Young-young inquired, still ignited with skepticism.
“Yes, I heard he collapsed from poison. And that damn fool’s story too.”
Just days ago, news of an assassination attempt on the head of the Man Geum battlefield had flown into the Zhuge family. It was accompanied by the shocking revelation that even the poisoned son-in-law had received a life-saving ring as a gift for his sixtieth birthday.
A son-in-law, indeed.
Our youngest daughter’s fiancé, no less.
Realizing that his youngest daughter wasn’t at her grandfather’s house but instead cohabitating with a black-haired kid, Zhuge Geuk felt his father’s fury echoing through the Head Family Hall.
“Your father collapsed, and you still don’t have all the details?”
Zhuge Geuk wrestled through the memories of a few days ago, trying to refocus on what his wife was saying about the collapsed father-in-law.
As a father, his daughter’s well-being was important, but right now, he needed to concentrate as a husband on the matters concerning his in-laws.
“Oh, I was just about to hear the report from Hyun-won Dae, who returned from the Man Geum Battlefield this morning…”
He hadn’t overlooked news about his father-in-law. He just hadn’t heard it since his wife had barged in.
“What about that poison? I heard a demon tried to kill your father!”
“What?! The Demonic cultists targeted my father-in-law?!”
Zhuge Geuk was taken aback by his wife’s news and had no choice but to inquire again. But there was more shocking information for the head of the Zhuge family.
“Is that really the reaction you’re having right now?! My sister’s only son, Yang Baik, was killed by a demon! Other nephews were killed by a demon too! Your in-laws were murdered by the cult!”
“I will summon Hyun-won Dae right now to get the full story.”
To hear that cultists had murdered his in-laws caught Zhuge Geuk off guard completely.
“What have you been doing all this time? The head of the Zhuge family no less! What have you been doing while the cultists were hunting my father?!”
His father had lost consciousness, and the nephews had died. Jang Young-young, taking a stand for her son-in-law, could not avoid resentment in her voice at this news.
Zhuge Geuk had a point to feel a bit wronged, considering that Yang Yang Hyeon was not next door to Wuhan.
A fast trip in a carriage took more than a week, so unless it was urgent news, it would take several days, regardless.
Besides, the one who solved the Man Geum battlefield crisis was Kang Yoon-ho.
By the time Zhuge Geuk received news from the Man Geum battlefield, Kang Yoon-ho had already completed the plan to capture Baek Myeon-ho-ri. After hastily sending someone, they found Baek Myeon-ho-ri already in binds.
When the Zhuge family’s martial artists finally rushed to the battlefield, Baek Myeon-ho-ri had already turned into mist. The Zhuge family could only take the black-haired troublemaker away, as they hadn’t even finished cleaning up the mess.
It wasn’t that they hadn’t had an opportunity to hear about the battlefield earlier; it was just that the shocking confession from their daughter had left Zhuge Geuk in a daze all morning.
“Wife, pl… please calm down.”
Zhuge Geuk looked at his teary-eyed wife, unsure of what to do.
Even if he had an excuse, he couldn’t voice it now.
As the head of the Zhuge family, seeing the cult running rampant in Hubei Province and causing huge trouble for his in-laws was a painful mistake.
He had nothing to say to his angry wife as a husband.
“Am I supposed to be calm? Our family collapsed in the heart of Wuhan due to a Demonic Cult! Am I supposed to be calm?!”
“I can dispatch people at any moment.”
“Forget it. Our son-in-law has already resolved everything! He caught the demon himself! He saved my father from almost dying! He secured the Man Geum battlefield that was nearly taken over by the cult!”
“That kid…?”
Zhuge Geuk couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the unexpected revelation.
Could it be that he personally caught the demon who caused chaos at the Man Geum battlefield? Zhuge Geuk suddenly realized the truth behind what his wife had just said.
“That kid? Did you just call him that?”
Jang Young-young smirked at her husband as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Honey, once again, I can never acknowledge him as my son-in-law…”
“What do you mean? That’s what you’re saying to the person who saved my father? The savior of your father-in-law?!!!”
Oops.
Zhuge Geuk realized his mistake as he saw his wife staring at him with wide eyes.
“Wife, that’s not what I meant…”
As a husband, he should have sided with his wife this time—after all, it was he who had solved the matter concerning her family.
However, the fire had already been ignited.
“The head of the Zhuge family should be thanking my son-in-law for saving him from the cult’s plot. Instead, you threw him into a dungeon? Why do you have to tell the whole world about it? The head of the Zhuge family couldn’t even protect his father-in-law! You should be grateful for the savior instead of imprisoning him! People are going to love it!”
A husband who couldn’t protect his in-laws.
A son-in-law who protected the in-laws and saved the father.
Struggling over the faults of one another, the tug-of-war between the couple instantly tipped in favor of the wife.
“Are you saying that Kang Yoon-ho really caught the demon by himself?”
“Do you think I would just make up nonsense?”
Despite some scattered resistance, Zhuge Geuk was quickly overpowered.
“De, dear. That’s not what I meant. Please, settle your anger.”
“My eldest sister wrote that! If it weren’t for him, everything would have been over! He’s a son-in-law too good to give away! Young-young is so jealous!”
“Did your sister really say that?”
The sister-in-law who would rarely praise someone! Zhuge Geuk remembered those times when he went to her family to seek permission to get married. She would say he looked untrustworthy, and he would get scolded.
Of course, that very scolding drove him to work harder, and he eventually earned his right to be the family’s head and won her endorsement.
But now she was praising him! Zhuge Geuk had no choice but to ask again in surprise.
“Those little punks in the martial arts world catch a few small-time thugs and claim they’re powerful while my son-in-law caught a demon! Yet you’re still going to ignore him?”
“Wife, if it’s true, it would be an astonishing feat. But marriage is a whole different matter… ”
He knew he was wrong. However, the topic of marriage was still something he had decided upon. Zhuge Geuk tried to re-establish the boundary clearly to avoid falling under his wife’s schemes.
“Fine. If you want to continue this way, then I have some thoughts too.”
Her body turned cold, indifferent to the boundaries Zhuge Geuk was setting.
“Wife! Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m off to nurse my father and our youngest daughter! After that, don’t you dare look for Young-young!”
“Please, calm down.”
Seeing his wife walk out, Zhuge Geuk stood there frozen in place, blocking the door, bewildered by this unfamiliar experience during their marriage.
“I’ll be gone for about 20 years to care for my youngest daughter. If you want to see your grandchild when they get married, you can come visit then. I’ll just let you see them from afar!”
“Wife!”
“I have nothing more to say.”
Hearing his wife’s final ultimatum, Zhuge Geuk could only let out a small sigh.
What was it about that black-haired punk that made his wife and daughter cause such a ruckus? His wife had this unyielding expression.
Having shifted from a father who had lost his daughter to a husband who couldn’t protect his in-laws, Zhuge Geuk was left with no choice but to think of Kang Yoon-ho once more.
That kid who snatched away his daughter.
Unexpectedly rising to become the successor of the Man Geum Battlefield, he victoriously reported that he had warded off a demon.
If he really caught the demon, it surely was an impressive achievement. If he also saved his father-in-law’s life and solved the in-laws’ problems, wouldn’t it be worth acknowledging at least once?
Many thoughts washed over Zhuge Geuk’s mind.
“… Understood.”
Of course, thinking only of his daughter still left a bitter taste in his heart.
But.
“Make sure to tell me clearly what you mean.”
“I’ll meet with that kid. No, with Kang Yoon-ho once more.”
Just like that, he had bent his resolve slightly.
