72 — Guards Of Hahu Sect. (3)

“My body cannot accept internal qi.”

“What do you mean? If Grandpa gives it to you, you should just say ‘thank you’ and take it.”

“My dantian is already full.”

The size of the dantian, which holds the internal qi, varied depending on age and strength, and it was also affected by the form of cultivation.

Therefore, it wasn’t possible to accumulate internal qi indefinitely. But to have a full dantian at such a young age? It was something nobody would believe.

“Our San is making Grandpa look like a fool.”

Yu Jinsan shook his head and decided to add to the lie Dong-gu had started.

“Master shared his cultivation techniques with me before he passed away from his injuries.”

Dong Woon-geol put Yu Jinsan down and looked puzzled. Perhaps he wanted to confirm whether what he was saying was indeed true.

His wrinkled hand gently held Jinsan’s pretty small hand.

Although it wasn’t possible to directly check the size of the dantian, there was a rough way to determine the level of internal qi.

The family head, who was gently channeling innate qi into Yu Jinsan’s body, was shocked.

“How can this be…?”

He was stunned.

Yu Jinsan had never neglected his internal qi cultivation until he was on his deathbed due to old age. Other family members, unaware of this, were curious.

“What happened?”

“Why are you so shocked?”

The family head spoke, the shock still evident on his face.

“His internal qi is over three times higher.”

Martial artists typically practice internal qi cultivation for an average of one hour a day, and by this standard, they accumulate about 60 years’ worth.

Then three times that? This was the amount that could be accumulated over 180 years, assuming an hour a day.

Sometimes, as rumors went, individuals with special constitutions could accumulate qi dozens of times faster, but generally, this was an unimaginable figure.

Surprised, Dong-gu craned his neck to the side and asked,

“Uh?”

“I guess the Sword Saint didn’t tell you. Even so, how can a father be this unsure of his own kids?”

“Th-that is…”

“Tsk, tsk. This worm gave birth to a dragon. How can you even handle this?”

Dong-gu suddenly felt looked down upon by his own father.

He gulped down the words he wanted to speak, and he couldn’t even get them out.

‘So father thinks he gave birth to a worm then?’

From the moment he met his exceptional grandson, his real son didn’t matter anymore.

Although he couldn’t help feeling sad, Dong-gu still felt happy to see his father so elated.

“Well, I will not live longer, so I don’t know if this is a good thing. I definitely want to pass on our arts to San.”

Passing on their skills wasn’t easy.

The person who teaches it would be in great pain, even to the point of death, and if even the slightest problem arises, both sides could fall into deviation, so one must have great determination.

Moreover, the efficiency wasn’t as good, as more than half of the qi would be lost during the process of transfer.

Therefore, it was a technique that wasn’t commonly followed, but in cases like now, where the rise and fall of a family depended on it, the entire story was different.

“It cannot be helped then…”

Dong Woon-geol raised one hand and interrupted.

“No. Whatever it takes, I want to pass down everything to my grandchildren.”

“But there is no way, right?”

“For now, let Dong-gu handle it. And in the future, when San is ready, make sure to pass it down to him.”

They were words that felt more than absurd and were unreasonable to comprehend.

If the internal qi of the old man were passed to Dong-gu, 85 percent would be lost in the process. Still, this man was firm.

The grandfather desired to pass on at least one thing to his grandson. He didn’t even care about his sons anymore.

“Father….”

In any case, Yu Jinsan intended for Dong-gu, the true heir of the family, to accumulate more internal qi.

Even if he didn’t gain much, it was of no consequence. Rather, it was because he was in a state more susceptible to enlightenment than to the quantity of internal qi.

At that moment, the voice of an old woman sounded.

“Do you only plan to pamper your grandson and teach him martial arts?”

An old woman with thick white hair approached, holding Yu Seol’s hand.

She was the younger sister of the family head and was known for her eloquence.

Dong Woon-geol quickly ran over and embraced Yu Seol.

“Is that even possible? Show me a child cuter than our granddaughter, if there is one!”

For the first time, the old man’s excitement peaked. Yet he was completely unaware that the child he saw as his granddaughter was also a warrior.

She was also responsible for bringing down Moyong Seong and making the leaders of the Justice Faction quiver.

---

Such turmoil ensued.

And Dong-gu left the manor with Yu Jinsan and Yu Seol.

Walking with the children on either side, he constantly surveyed his surroundings. When they reached a secluded spot, he whispered in a hushed tone.

“What even happened? Just how strong are you?”

He was still unsettled by the revelation. Since he had deceived his father, he needed to understand the situation.

But the child appeared just as bewildered, if not more so.

Hadn’t he suddenly turned away? Moreover, the kid wore a grave expression.

“Dong-gu.”

How dare this little child address him by name?

Dong-gu looked as if he had heard something absurd.

“Y-You shouldn’t call adults by their names!”

“Dong-gu. Do you still perceive me as a child?”

Confused, he glanced to the left, unsure of what to do.

He hoped Yu Seol would intervene, but instead of reprimanding her younger brother, she simply smiled.

“Wh-why are you both like this?”

He was taken aback by the response that followed.

“Since you came from Shaanxi, you must have heard about this, right? The Yin Yang Twin Monsters.”

“I am the Yin Monster.”

How could he be unaware of the Yin Yang Twin Monsters, who had wreaked havoc in Shaanxi? The fearsome duo, who had been declared wanted by the Murim Alliance.

“Wh-what…?”

He could not trust them easily. Therefore, he had no choice but to show him and make him feel it.

When Yu Jinsan sent a glance to the side, Yu Seol nodded and raised both hands. Then Dong-gu’s body floated up.

“U-ughhh!”

After wriggling in the air, he landed on the ground again and stumbled.

His face was pale and tired, and his eyes shook with what seemed to be a great psychological shock.

Yu Jinsan looked at Seol and turned.

“Hiding our strength was quite difficult for us. Our Seol is truly amazing.”

“Hehe. I am good at everything~.”

What was this situation?

It was as if the two had come to someone else’s family and pretended to be grandchildren.

Dong-gu couldn’t even organize his thoughts.

‘…H-how can this happen? What have I brought into my family?’

Yu Jinsan decided to reveal their identity because he thought that now was the right time.

“You do not have to be afraid of us.”

A feeling of fear crept into his heart slowly.

How could he not be scared? He had heard rumors that warriors from more than one sect had been attacked by these two.

“……”

If things continued like this, there would be no need for conversation. Yu Jinsan needed to reassure him.

“Now that I know everything about you, let me tell you about myself.”

He began to tell Dong-gu the truth about his situation honestly.

He was the Yu family’s elder and explained how he came to this place. The circumstances were consistent.

And it was a story with details that couldn’t be fabricated on the spot. Dong-gu had to acknowledge that.

Was his fear alleviated by the sight of him speaking in a friendly manner disguised as a child? Dong-gu’s breathing gradually stabilized.

“Perhaps your father’s age is similar to mine. Or maybe I am even older.”

“Yes, Elder… I really didn’t expect it at all.”

Yu Seol, who had been listening quietly, grinned beside him.

“Hehe. You got fooled, right?”

This innocent and pure smile—was it truly that of the girl who had made a name for herself in the Evil Faction? Dong-gu lowered his head and said,

“I really didn’t know, Grandma.”

“I am not a grandma~.”

It was understandable to be misled. Yu Jinsan stepped in to clarify.

“She is really 8 years old.”

“Uh, what?”

“It was a strange rumor, but I am the only one who aged backward. Seol is my granddaughter.”

The shocks seemed endless. The identity of the Yin Monster who defeated Moyong Seong was an 8-year-old girl? Were these two playing a trick on him?

He couldn’t believe it but decided to let them continue.

That wasn’t the most pressing issue at the moment.

“I was wondering… if we can keep this a secret for now? If my father finds out about your identities…”

“He will probably collapse. Don’t worry. I have no intention of revealing it, either.”

Since there was no longer any need to lie, Yu Jinsan spoke directly.

“Because you will help us in return.”

“You are a benefactor to my family. I am obligated to help you at all times, but what can someone like me even do?”

Had he not noticed before? Before he knew it, the height difference between them seemed to have increased a bit more.

“We are aware of the viciousness of Kangho, but I am ignorant of the situation in Hunan.”

“But…?”

“It means we need to gather information before we act. That way, we can make a plan. But with these bodies, there’s only so much we can do.”

Unless they revealed their identities, there was a limit to what they could accomplish with their small statures.

At the very least, it was impossible to do anything in the guesthouse, so they needed at least one person to act as their hands and feet. Dong-gu was going to be that person.

“But I have no means to collect information…”

“I don’t expect much either. First, please find out if there’s an information seller here and how we can contact them.”

The value of information in the vast Kangho was high.

Therefore, groups that bought and sold information also existed. Typically, there was the Beggars Union, but it wasn’t possible to take advantage of those who were members of the Murim Alliance.

“Yes. I can do that much.”

“Good. I will also check how many warriors are in the Hahu family. If something happens, I need to know if we can handle them.”

“I understand. Our family must already have information on them, so it shouldn’t be that difficult.”

Yu Jinsan nodded.

“Right, then let’s meet back here in two days. Just make some excuses at home.”

“Where are you going?”

“To a quiet place to relax. Since we have big days ahead, we need to prepare as well.”

According to his thoughts, the problem with the Hahu family wasn’t something that could be easily resolved. Unlike the head of the Dong family, they had power and strength, so Yu Jinsan had to prepare.

And most of all, it was because of his granddaughter, who was unable to stand still.

Was her blood already raging? She tugged at his sleeve.

“Hurry, Grandpa! Let’s go.”