Chapter 133

Chapter 133
Chapter 133

“Seol-ha, you mentioned you didn’t send a separate letter to Uncle, correct?”
“Senior Brother knows how it is too. If Father discovers I’ve slipped away, he’d immediately dispatch dozens of guards. There’s no way I could wander the streets freely with all that commotion.”
“That makes sense, but still.”
“Besides, he’d just pout about me skipping visits to the main estate. Such a pain.”
Thinking back on his conversation with Zhuge Seol-ha from just yesterday, Yang-hui wore a content smile.
The sweet little girl who used to shout, “I love you, Father!” without a second thought was long gone.
In her place stood Zhuge Seol-ha—slightly sassy, fiercely independent, and brimming with ambition.
‘Whose genes did she inherit to turn out like this… Ah, that’s practically insulting Master.’
Regardless.
Because of her, he could bring this grand puzzle together.
The reason he had left Zhuge Seol-ha behind in the first place was simple.
She needed to be right there on Yeongnak Street.

“Where is my daughter?!”

To pull the Zhuge Clan—one of the Five Great Clans of the realm—directly into this conflict.
Absolute perfection.

When it came to handling the White Righteousness Sect, he had three distinct paths.

First: Gradually grind them down over several years through financial dominance and political influence centered around Yeongnak Street.

Second: Steadily forge powerful alliances, such as with the Tang Clan, and leverage that collective might to eclipse the White Righteousness Sect.

Third: Stir up immediate chaos and use aggressive measures to eliminate the White Righteousness Sect as fast as humanly possible.

Yang-hui had chosen the third option.

It was undeniably the most efficient route for rapid gains, yet…

He genuinely wanted to see him.
He wanted to test the waters.
To understand a father’s true heart.

‘Up until now, I’ve operated almost entirely on the momentum of my past life.’

The pursuit of righteousness. The burning drive to elevate the clan to new heights.
Those were lessons ingrained in him by his father in a previous existence.

However, as the old saying goes, you can measure ten fathoms of deep water, but you can never gauge the depth of a person’s heart.

A great deal had changed compared to his past life. The sheer power and influence of the main estate alone were on an entirely different scale. It wouldn’t be shocking if his own calculations and his father’s true intentions clashed.

That precisely explained why he needed verification.

Was he steering the main household in the right direction?
Could he press forward without hesitation or lingering doubts?

And now, he had secured total certainty.

‘My only job is to elevate the main house into the greatest clan beneath the heavens. If I happen to wander off course, Father will set me straight. If my methods prove flawed, he’ll reprimand me just the same.’

There was no longer any need to agonize over their trajectory.

Even as the main estate expanded at a dizzying pace, his father’s steady leadership remained completely rock-solid.
A thoroughbred horse equipped with strong reins merely needs to run flat out.
That realization allowed him to charge ahead with even greater velocity.

‘Put simply, if I make a mess, Father cleans it up… Wait, that phrasing sounds a bit off.’

A quiet chuckle slipped past his lips.
Yang-hui turned his gaze toward his father, who was currently cleaning up the exact mess he had engineered.

“Brother Zhuge. What brings you all the way to Namchang?”
Regaining his composure, Baek Mu-ryang politely greeted the man who had just roared like an enraged lion moments prior.
“Ah, Brother. It has been far too long. Have you been keeping well?”
“Thanks to you, yes. But you mentioned looking for Seol-ha. Is she here with you?”
“Indeed. I dashed over the instant I received Yang-hui’s message.”

Only then did Baek Mu-ryang fully comprehend the final piece of the master plan his eldest son had crafted.

‘Hui, you really thought of everything.’

He had openly committed to standing firm on the side of justice.
Despite the clan being at a disadvantage, he had fully intended to lock horns directly with the White Righteousness Sect standing in their way.
Yet Yang-hui had anticipated even this exact turn of events and the ensuing fallout, setting up countermeasures in advance.

“Great Hero Zhuge Seon, I am Gong Mo-ga, leader of the White Righteousness Sect. Regarding the matters between our sect and the Baek Clan—”

Zhuge Seon cut the sect leader off mid-sentence without a second glance.
“Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a reunion with my brother? Wait your turn.”
“Brother, he is still a sect leader in his own right. Perhaps we should show a bit more courtesy.”
“Normally, yes, but on my journey here, I happened to pick up some interesting gossip about him.”
“You conducted an investigation?”
“How could I possibly ignore it after receiving Yang-hui’s letter?”
“What did it say?”
“It stated that the White Righteousness Sect had been mobilizing underworld thugs, ultimately placing Seol-ha in grave danger.”
“……Is Seol-ha actually staying in Namchang?”
“Weren’t you aware, Brother? I assumed you had already stepped in to protect her.”

Baek Mu-ryang and Zhuge Seon stared at each other in blank silence before simultaneously pivoting their heads toward Yang-hui.

Caught under the intense scrutiny of both his father and his uncle, Yang-hui quickly summoned up his childhood innocence and flashed an angelic, perfectly pure smile.

“Why are you both staring at me like that?”
“……We’ve been completely played.”
“……My apologies, Brother.”

Stepping forward, Yang-hui figured he owed them an explanation—or at least a very convincing defense.

“I didn’t lie! Seol-ha has been operating undercover as a rogue on Yeongnak Street, but those underworld trash recently cornered her.”

Technically speaking, he hadn’t lied at all.
Everything he said was entirely factual, at least for the moment.

“Hui. Why on earth didn’t you inform us that Seol-ha had descended the mountain?”
‘Well, that’s unexpected. I didn’t think they’d cross-examine me on this part.’
“She specifically begged me not to tell! I wanted to say something! And look, now I have!”

No lies detected this time either.
He had merely stretched the truth by a microscopic margin. A tiny, negligible fraction.
Besides, it left both his future sister-in-law and brother-in-law satisfied, didn’t it?

‘I’m definitely going to take a heavy thump on the back from Seol-ha later, but it’s a fair trade.’

If anything, wasn’t it that unfilial daughter’s own fault for sneaking down the mountain after all these years without notifying her own father?

While Yang-hui busily spun damage control, Zhuge Seon was quickly brought up to speed by Baek Mu-ryang.

“I have the general picture now. So the White Righteousness Sect was the root of the problem all along.”

Zhuge Seon cast a glacial glare toward the sect leader.
“Sect Leader. You chose to block the path of the Baek Clan. Do you intend to block this young master’s path as well?”

The sect leader found himself completely struck dumb.
While he desperately wanted to bar entry to Namchang, he lacked the capability to deal with the terrifying retaliation of the Dragon Among Men’s Zhuge Clan.

“My daughter was threatened by the criminal underworld of this city. If you dare stand in my way, I will not remain idle.”

Even their moral justification was airtight.
What logical excuse could anyone possibly offer to stop a father from rushing to his endangered daughter?

“……The White Righteousness Sect warmly welcomes the esteemed heroes of the Zhuge Clan.”
“I sincerely hope that welcome is genuine.”

Zhuge Seon brushed past the sect leader without breaking stride.
“Our intelligence division has uncovered numerous activities from your sect that utterly disgrace the righteous path. Using underworld factions for personal gain—we will settle that score shortly.”
“Young Master! Our sect has never once associated with underworld organizations!”
“Are you implying that our intelligence network is incompetent?”
“We will thoroughly investigate every single detail to ensure no misunderstandings occur. Please, wait—”

Cutting him off dismissively, Zhuge Seon leaped forward into the courtyard.
The elite warriors of the Zhuge Clan surged in right behind him.
Powerless to resist, the disciples of the White Righteousness Sect could only step aside.

“Father, let us move as well.”
“……Agreed.”

The White Righteousness Sect had initially used the excuse of keeping all outsiders out of their territory.
However, with the Zhuge Clan already roaming freely inside, they could no longer justify blocking the Baek Clan.
Stripped of their arguments and legitimacy, the Baek Clan marched into Namchang without spilling a single drop of blood.

“Yang-hui. Exactly where is Seol-ha?”
“Right this way, Uncle!”

Zhuge Seon gave a brisk nod, signaling his subordinates and Baek Mu-ryang to follow.
“Uprooting the local underworld is an urgent priority, but this brother must see his daughter first. Brother Mu-ryang, please take charge of the purge.”
“Understood.”
“Bring down the full force of our power, and take my men with you as well. Hwa-un.”

Stepping forward at his father’s call, Zhuge Seon’s eldest son, Zhuge Hwa-un, bowed his head.
‘Ah, right. Cousin Zhuge is here too. He has definitely shot up in height since the last time we met.’

Exchanging a quick nod of acknowledgment with Yang-hui, Zhuge Hwa-un spoke up.
“I shall lead our main estate warriors and match Uncle Baek’s pace step for step, Father.”
“Very well. Do that.”

Having issued his orders, Zhuge Seon dragged Yang-hui—along with A-du, who was clinging tightly like a small tail—and soared directly toward the Hundred Whites Tower.

Ting, ting—delicate, crystalline melodies drifted through the air.
Utterly bored on her own, Zhuge Seol-ha was casually plucking at her instrument.

“Seol-ha!”
“Eek, Father?!”

Before she could react, Zhuge Seon enveloped Zhuge Seol-ha in a massive, bone-crushing bear hug.
“Kyaaak! Father! Let go, kyaaak!”
“My precious Seol-haaa!”

Who in their right mind would ever look at Zhuge Seon—the formidable young master of the Dragon Among Men lineage—and picture this chaotic scene?
This precisely illustrated why fathers doting on their daughters always lost all composure.
Though, admittedly, it was entirely thanks to that weakness that this situation had unfolded.

“Why on earth didn’t you inform me! Do you have any idea how frantic your father has been?!”
“I know, I know, so please let go of me! Eek! Father! I am not a little child anymore!”
“In my eyes, you will always be small and endlessly precious!”
“I am not small!”

Pinioned securely within Zhuge Seon’s embrace, Zhuge Seol-ha shot Yang-hui a murderous glare sharp enough to chop wood.
‘This definitely isn’t going to end with just a single hit on the back, is it?’

Wisely deciding discretion was the better part of valor, Yang-hui turned his gaze away with an innocent whistle.
-Oh, really? You’re just going to look away?
-Senior Brother, I promise I will pay you back tenfold for this betrayal.
Tenfold? Seol-ha, your family name is Zhuge, not Tang.
And by standard Tang mathematics, getting paid back double should be more than enough, right?
Ah, whatever.
He would figure out how to survive the aftermath later.

Three full days elapsed.
That was the exact amount of time it took for the combined forces of the Baek and Zhuge Clans to completely cleanse and annihilate the unruly underworld syndicates.

Up on the top floor of the Hundred Whites Tower, Baek Mu-ryang cupped his fists together and bowed deeply to Zhuge Seon.
“Brother, you must forgive me. My son unhesitatingly used you as a pawn.”
“Haha, think nothing of it, Brother. If anything, Yang-hui simply accomplished what I should have done myself. He alerted me in place of my own absent-minded daughter.”

Zhuge Seon bore absolutely no lingering resentment.
Even if the White Righteousness Sect hadn’t stirred up trouble with the underworld, the moment he caught wind of the situation, he would have raced to Zhuge Seol-ha’s side anyway.

“As a young master of her standing, she requires proper escorts whenever she ventures out. Regardless of how the message arrived, that fundamental truth remains unchanged.”
“If you are going to be this generous about it, I can only express my deepest gratitude, Brother.”

Even so, Baek Mu-ryang had no intention of letting the matter close empty-handed.
“Please take every single piece of asset and property seized during the underworld purge.”
“There is no need for that, Brother.”
“I insist. The main estate has profited immensely thanks to your timely intervention. An older brother cannot afford to remain indebted to his kin.”
“Since you put it so firmly…… I will accept with appreciation.”

With internal clan affairs successfully resolved, their attention shifted entirely to the fate of the White Righteousness Sect.

“Brother. I have no intention of letting them off easily. Even if they attempt to plead ignorance, daring to threaten Seol-ha is a crime that cannot be forgiven.”
“Indeed…… Now that their clandestine ties to the underworld have been brought to light, strict punishment is mandatory. That is my firm stance as well.”

Thanks to the direct intervention of the Zhuge Clan, gathering concrete evidence proving that the White Righteousness Sect had incited the local underworld proved remarkably simple.
Armed with undeniable proof, they could easily bring in external allies like the Tang Clan to cement their position.
Thus, the final destiny of Namchang’s premier martial sect, the White Righteousness Sect, was effectively sealed.

‘By this point, that punk Gong Ya-hyeok must be sweating buckets, completely clueless about what to do.’

Standing quietly in the corner, Yang-hui let out a silent smirk as he watched the two elders converse.
‘Dismantling with my own two hands the very organization that once hired me as a wandering mercenary in my past life—it feels strangely satisfying.’

Just then, a sudden thought crossed his mind, sparking a lingering question.
Why had the actions of the White Righteousness Sect diverged so drastically from the events of his past life?
In his previous timeline, they had provoked the Upright Moon Sect with calculated cunning, ultimately bringing about their own ruin through a direct, head-on collision.
Though external circumstances—such as the passage of time—differed slightly.
‘Sect Leader Gong Ya-hyeok’s current decisions have simply been utterly foolish, there’s no doubt about that.’

Right at that moment.
A hesitant waiter stepped cautiously into the private guest room and made his way toward Yang-hui.
“Young Master. Someone is requesting an audience with you.”
“Speak.”
“It is a messenger from the White Righteousness Sect.”

There was zero reason to grant such a meeting.
“Issue an immediate rejection.”
“Um……”
“What is it?”
“They specifically stated that if you refuse, I must pass along a certain message.”
“What message?”

Yang-hui’s eyes widened in sudden surprise at the waiter’s whispered words.
‘What in the world is the meaning of this situation?’

Because the words he heard were something he should never, under any circumstances, have been told.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yang-hui turned on his heel, exited the room, and hurried downstairs.