No Turning Back Now (2)

Suddenly, he was challenged to arm wrestling. There was no reason for him to waste energy when he had nothing to gain.

Yu Jinsan’s mouth, hidden behind the bamboo hat, opened for the first time.

“I guess we have to put something at risk then?”

Was it because he willingly agreed? Baek Gyu smiled even more broadly.

“If you defeat me, I will give you everything I can, except my head. In addition, I, Baek Gyu, will treat you as Hyung!”

It was a win-win situation, judging from the reactions around him; he didn’t seem like a person who would lie.

Yu Jinsan nodded and stood up, cradling his granddaughter with his left hand on his chest.

“Tell me what conditions you want.”

Baek Gyu’s answer came back immediately, as if he had already thought it through.

“If I win, you will join our Defeating Blade Clan. How does that sound?”

It was natural for a Clan Leader to want someone talented in their ranks. This must have been his intention from the start.

Yu Jinsan had no reason to refuse either. Even if he lost, it wasn’t the worst outcome.

“Fine.”

He sat across from Baek Gyu and placed his granddaughter on his left knee.

Perhaps because he had devoted himself to strength training for the past couple of years, his arms were muscular despite his age. The other man smiled as he rolled up his sleeves.

“Hahah! This is the first time I’ve been excited in a long time!”

Yu Jinsan silently held out his right hand.

If Baek Gyu had asked to spar, he would have refused, but arm wrestling, where internal qi was important, was a different matter.

He possessed a strength close to the best, a level that could not be easily compared with, except by those of absolute beings.

Once the preparations were complete, the referee raised and then lowered his hand.

“Start!”

At that moment, Yu Jinsan and Baek Gyu’s right arms swelled as if they were about to burst.

Gasps and exclamations surrounded them as they saw that there wasn’t an inch of movement.

“Isn’t this the first time the Clan Leader has looked so serious?”

“Well, it’s impossible to predict the outcome of this.”

“Isn’t it amazing that he’s older yet still so good?”

As they spoke, confusion enveloped both parties. Contrary to expectations, the opponent’s strength was not ordinary either.

Baek Gyu, with a red face, frowned, and Yu Jinsan, who wore a hat, gritted his teeth as well.

The match lasted longer than expected, and Yu Jinsan’s expression began to darken.

‘This is bad. He’s close to a Peak Master…’

A Peak Master referred to warriors who had reached a pinnacle of skill. Although they hadn’t broken through to the Grandmaster level, they were formidable enough to challenge the best.

He hadn’t expected this man to be so strong. If the match continued this way, Yu Jinsan, at a physical disadvantage, would lose.

‘This is bad. I need to find some way to turn this around.’

However, since the opponent had extensive experience in arm wrestling, no technique seemed likely to work. And it was while Yu Jinsan was deep in thought that something happened.

His granddaughter jumped onto the table.

He should have been concerned, but how could one ignore the presence of a skilled warrior?

Suddenly, his granddaughter’s tiny hand stroked Baek Gyu’s shiny bald head.

“Soft~ soft.”

Everyone was stunned by this.

Baek Gyu’s head was the one thing he was most sensitive about, a subject considered taboo to even mention.

“Huh?”

“Come down, child!”

Those around her tried to stop her, but to no avail.

Then, as the child opened her palm, something unbelievable occurred.

A chicken skewer which was on a table three tables flew into her hand. The child snatched it and began munching without hesitation.

“Moving Objects in Air?”

“…Wh-what is that?”

Those watching were astonished.

Baek Gyu’s mouth hung open, and his eyes shook with disbelief. The child, who appeared to be just 2 to 3 years old, had done something even he could not.

Seol shoved the leftover skewer into Baek Gyu’s mouth.

“Eat.”

Baek Gyu frowned at the gesture.

As he competed with Yu Jinsan, he was so shocked that his qi and blood made his face turn pale.

“Kua…”

He had never been so shocked like this before. He couldn’t speak, and the blood vessels in his body shook as if they would burst.

If the wrestling continued, he felt like his body would burn.

But this was a good chance for Yu Jinsan. He took advantage of the time when his opponent was having a tough time and unleashed his strength.

Ughhh!

Baek Gyu’s hand hit the table, signaling his defeat, but he sat there, stunned, with a skewer in his mouth, looking blankly at the child on the table.

Then the small child beside him asked with her wide, frog-like eyes.

“What?”

Baek Gyu was almost convinced he was hallucinating.

“…”

The atmosphere turned unusual.

Yu Jinsan sensed this and snatched the child up, then hit her on the butt.

Slap!

“You! Didn’t Grandpa tell you to be quiet?”

Due to his nature, Yu Jinsan rarely disciplined her, but now he felt he had no choice. In an instant, Yu Seol’s eyes filled with tears and spilled out. It didn’t hurt, but she was sad to be scolded by her grandpa.

“Ugh.”

The entire guesthouse fell silent, and only the sound of the child crying could be heard.

Yu Jinsan quickly hugged his granddaughter and patted her back, looking apologetically at those around them.

“My child has been rude, as she doesn’t know much. Since there was an interruption, do we call this a draw?”

But the silence persisted. As time passed, Yu Jinsan began to grow anxious.

Gulp!

At the sound of someone gulping, Baek Gyu came to his senses, and the skewer fell from his mouth.

“It is embarrassing, but a man’s word is worth a thousand gold. Whatever the reason, I lost, and that doesn’t change anything.”

Yu Jinsan liked this man. Contrary to his fierce appearance, he was loyal to his word.

Since there was nothing more to say, Yu Jinsan responded by nodding his head once.

At that moment, Baek Gyu stood up, lowered his body, and bowed.

“Hyung. I, Baek Gyu, will formally greet you.”

He could not believe the head of a clan would bow his head so easily. In a Justice Sect that valued pride over life, such an act was unthinkable.

He didn’t understand it, but why refuse it? He stood up and removed his bamboo hat.

“My name is Yu Jinsan.”

Was it because they thought he was older? There was confusion in Baek Gyu’s eyes.

But age never mattered to people in Kangho. He smiled brightly and said,

“Haha! Yes, Hyung! Tell me what you want. I, Baek Gyu, am a man who always keeps his word, so I will listen to anything, including requests for money.”

Yu Jinsan had already thought about it.

What he needed now was a safe place for the child to grow. He couldn’t always wander like this.

“We are being chased by the Murim Alliance due to the incident in Jinyang County, so we need a place to stay for a while. If there is an empty space on your clan’s land, would it be possible to accommodate us as guests?”

Baek Gyu’s eyes widened.

A guest was a distinguished member of a clan or family who provided guidance or financial support in exchange for lodging.

By the standards of power, having a person skilled in martial arts was a significant advantage.

And because this was exactly what Baek Gyu wanted, he welcomed the idea wholeheartedly.

“If that is the case, why didn’t you just say so? Someone like you is always welcome.”

“Thank you for accommodating me so readily. Wouldn’t I be a nuisance, though? I don’t think there would be peace if the Murim Alliance were to harm anyone because of me.”

“Don’t worry, Hyung. Because members of the alliance cannot enter Ho County according to the treaty. No one cares about the Justice Sect here.”

Fortunately, they weren’t different from the rumors; things were going as well as expected.

Now, all that remained was an explanation for what his granddaughter had done a little while ago.

Yu Jinsan picked up the child and then spoke carefully.

“And in case there was a misunderstanding, let me tell you, this child…”

It was then.

Baek Gyu raised his index finger as if to request silence. He then looked around at the people and spoke with a serious face.

“Hyungs of the guesthouse! How about we keep what happened here a secret?”

“Of course, Clan Leader. You know our loyalty.”

“No one will believe it even if we speak of it! We will only get treated like idiots.”

Yu Jinsan was relieved. He didn’t welcome increased attention to his granddaughter. The growing interest in his granddaughter wasn’t a pleasant matter.

Baek Gyu shouted, pounding his chest.

“Hahaha! Since I’m in a good mood today, I’ll pay for all the drinks in the guesthouse!”

Cheers erupted from all over the room.

“Haha! Server, come now! Bring me a bowl of bamboo leaf rice wine now!”

“One here, too!”

No one spoke of the child or the arm wrestling.

It was difficult to adapt to the free-spirited atmosphere of the Evil Sect, where they ate, drank, and spoke to their heart’s content. But when he was with them, he somehow felt at ease.

Soon, the atmosphere in the guesthouse was reaching its peak, and everyone was drunk. Baek Gyu paid for everything.

“Kuahaha! Isn’t today a great day, Hyung?”

“Of course. It is hard to remember a day better than today. Though I couldn’t join in the drinking due to my granddaughter, I enjoyed myself.”

Yu Jinsan had a few drinks out of courtesy, but he used his internal qi to neutralize the alcohol toxins, so he remained sober.

But Baek Hyu was drunk and staggered in the jovial atmosphere.

“Now then, let’s go, Hyung! I will take you on a tour of the house and show you what your place looks like.”

Yu Jinsan tied his sleeping granddaughter to his back and followed him.

“Thank you for understanding my position.”

“You’re speaking about that child? Actually, I almost fainted then. I shrugged it off because nothing good comes from talking, but I am really curious about what happened.”

“It isn’t difficult to tell. But I wasn’t sure if you would believe me.”

Baek Gyu tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.

“…?”

“Try holding the child’s hand.”

Yu Seol, who was on his back, was waving her hands to touch Baek Gyu’s bald head with sleepy eyes.

“Clean hair…”

“You kid. You’re the first one since my parents to have touched my head.”

Then he extended his finger toward the child’s hand. Her small hand wrapped itself around his finger.

Then, suddenly, Baek Gyu gasped.

“Huh?”

His drunkenness seemed to vanish, and he stood up straight. This was because he felt the concentrated qi within the child, seemingly without end.

And Yu Jinsan, who was watching this, chuckled as if he knew this would happen.

“What do you think about this?”

Baek Gyu was speechless, with a shocked look on his face.

“No way…?”

“As you guessed, Grandmaster.”