Chapter 129
Dang Ye-eun instinctively fought the urge to draw her sword and instead quietly studied the man before her.
He was a peculiar-looking fellow.
Though clearly an old man, his taut, ruddy skin, small frame, and mischievous smile gave him an almost childlike appearance.
Dang Ye-eun bowed politely once more and asked him,
“Please forgive my ignorance, senior. I’m afraid I don’t know your honorable name. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask how I should address you?”
The old man with the rosy face chuckled playfully and replied,
“Honorable name? Just call me ‘big brother’!”
“…Excuse me?!”
Dang Ye-eun blinked in surprise at his request.
Seeing her hesitation, the old man grinned wider.
“I said, call me big brother! Then I’ll guide you to Brother Yang!”
Dang Ye-eun was thrown into confusion. She couldn’t tell if he was serious or joking.
Even if he was sincere, how could she possibly call such an old man “big brother”?
It was something she simply couldn’t bring herself to do.
So, she bowed again and said firmly,
“How could a young and inexperienced junior like me dare to speak so familiarly to a great senior? Please, I beg you to reconsider.”
The playful look vanished from the old man’s face, replaced by a scowl.
He began to threaten her with a pout.
“If I say it’s fine, then what’s rude about it? Speak up! If you don’t call me big brother, I won’t take you to Brother Yang! In fact, I’ll make sure you never find him!”
Dang Ye-eun’s head began to ache from the absurdity of it all.
She wasn’t a child, and yet this old man was throwing a childish tantrum.
But she couldn’t just give in to his demand.
She simply didn’t have the courage to call him “big brother.”
The old man’s face twisted into a full-blown pout as he shouted,
“Really not gonna do it? Fine! Don’t! Let’s see if you can find Brother Yang on your own!”
With that, he dashed off at an incredible speed, disappearing into the forest.
Dang Ye-eun stared blankly at the spot where he vanished.
The speed was so astonishing, she thought it might rival even Sunwoo Jin, the greatest master of divine arts she knew.
Once he was gone, she let out a relieved sigh.
“Phew…”
Her timid nature made dealing with such a wild character exhausting.
As she took a step forward absentmindedly, a memory suddenly surfaced—her and Sunwoo Jin performing the Qinghong Twin Swords technique, acting out the wild spirit of a monster.
Those carefree moments when they moved as they pleased, surprising everyone…
She stopped in her tracks.
‘Back then… I was so free and excited.’
She also recalled something Sunwoo Jin had said.
“Why does Miss Dang confine herself to the image of a wounded little girl?”
He had been right again.
There were parts of herself she hadn’t even realized existed.
And those parts were undeniably hers.
A thought struck her.
‘Maybe I’m still trapped inside that child I once was. That’s why I limit myself, telling myself I can’t do certain things.’
She thought about the old man again.
He was reckless and childish, yes, but at least he hadn’t harmed her despite his tantrums.
He wasn’t truly a villain.
‘So is there really any reason I can’t call him “big brother”? Just because it feels strange and embarrassing? Am I really going to give up the chance to meet Master Yang, who I need to see urgently, over something so trivial?’
No, that didn’t feel right.
If it were Sunwoo Jin, he wouldn’t hesitate.
Even if he failed, if the loss wasn’t great, he wouldn’t let the same doubts hold him back.
Dang Ye-eun bit her lip hard.
It was frustrating that she only realized this after the old man had disappeared.
But she told herself it wasn’t too late.
Her instincts told her he was still nearby.
Swallowing nervously, she mustered her courage and called out toward the forest.
“Bi-big… brother?”
Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
Clenching her teeth, she raised her voice a little.
“Big brother!”
At that moment, the old man suddenly appeared like a ghost, dropping down from the air.
Thud!
He landed lightly, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
In a teasing tone, he asked,
“What did you just say?”
Dang Ye-eun, momentarily startled by his sudden appearance, smiled softly and called out again in a sweet voice,
“Big brother?”
He burst into loud laughter, bouncing up and down.
“Ki-hahaha! Oh, this is wonderful! To hear ‘big brother’ from such a pretty girl! I can’t even remember the last time I felt this happy! Kyahaha!”
He shouted gleefully as he darted around the forest.
Dang Ye-eun’s head spun, trying to follow his erratic flight.
After a while, he swooped down beside her like a hawk.
Thud!
He asked,
“So, little sister, who is it you want to meet?”
His face beamed with joy, as if he’d just received a precious gift.
Dang Ye-eun chuckled softly and answered,
“I want to see Yang Munheon, Master Yang.”
“Brother Yang, huh? Got it!”
Without hesitation, he grabbed her wrist and shot upward through the trees.
The acceleration was so sudden she barely felt it.
Startled by the incredible speed, Dang Ye-eun couldn’t help but scream.
“Ahhh!”
But the old man paid no mind to her reaction, shouting excitedly,
“Let’s go! To Brother Yang!”
He was more energetic than any child she’d ever seen.
A short while later, Dang Ye-eun found herself standing beneath a massive tree in the heart of the forest.
The dizzying rush left her head spinning.
The small, ruddy-faced old man set her down and called out excitedly toward the tree,
“Brother Yang! Brother Yang! A guest has arrived! My little sister! Kyahaha!”
Dang Ye-eun quickly gathered herself and looked toward the tree.
Soon, two elderly men emerged slowly from behind it.
“Jung-ga, what nonsense are you spouting to Brother again today? You don’t have a little sister…”
The man in blue, walking behind, scolded with an annoyed expression.
But when he caught sight of Dang Ye-eun’s face, he froze in surprise.
“Huh?”
Dang Ye-eun wasn’t looking at him, though.
Her gaze was fixed on the white-haired old man walking ahead.
He was the very person she had come to find.
Years ago, he had stepped outside the Outer Dang Forest and, with just a passing piece of advice, had guided Dang Ye-eun to the pinnacle of her art.
A benefactor known to the world as one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the Realm—the White Crane Old Sword, Yang Munheon.
The man in blue scowled again.
“Jung-ga! How can such a young girl be your little sister?”
“Heh heh heh! Byeok-ga, I’ll prove it. Sister, call me again. Say ‘big brother,’ quickly!”
The two old men bickered loudly, but Dang Ye-eun paid them no mind.
She knelt slowly and greeted Yang Munheon.
“I am Dang Ye-eun, daughter of the Dang family, who once received your kindness. I now humbly pay my respects, Master Yang.”
The white-haired old man smiled warmly.
“It’s been a while, child. You’ve grown a lot since we last met. Both in martial skill and as a person. Well done.”
Dang Ye-eun felt her chest tighten with emotion.
She had assumed he wouldn’t remember her, but he did.
Not only that, he regarded her with a gentle smile, as if looking at his own granddaughter, acknowledging her growth.
It was a warmth she had never received from either her biological grandfather or father.
Yang Munheon’s kind eyes softened as he noticed the moisture in her eyes.
He asked slowly,
“So, what brings you here?”
Dang Ye-eun took a deep breath to steady herself.
Though grateful he remembered her, her mission was far from complete.
She spoke cautiously.
“I’ve come to ask a favor of you, Master.”
Yang Munheon smiled encouragingly, silently urging her to continue.
But Dang Ye-eun found herself unable to say what she had prepared.
Originally, she had planned to ask him to stop the arranged marriage.
As one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the Realm, he was a true powerhouse within the Dang family—someone even the family head, Dang Jeonghu, couldn’t easily oppose.
‘If he were to protect me, preventing the arranged marriage wouldn’t be difficult.’
The problem was that, as a retainer within the family, it wouldn’t be easy for him to go against the family head’s wishes.
He had no reason to protect her without some benefit.
So, if necessary, she was even willing to trade the secret technique of the Moonlit Sword Dance’s first form, “Flying Moon.”
It was a secret art passed down from her late master, the Absolute One of the previous generation.
If that was the case, then Yang Munheon—the famed White Crane Elder, one of the Six Supreme Masters of the Martial World—might hold the key to stepping further into the realm of the Absolute. That was what Dang Yeoeun believed.
“Master also said that once we pass it on to someone, it becomes our responsibility,” she recalled.
So, she reasoned that entrusting even just a single technique to Yang Munheon, renowned as a sage, would be perfectly acceptable.
After all, as a martial artist himself, Yang Munheon wouldn’t simply dismiss such a proposal.
But now, standing before him, Dang Yeoeun felt a different impulse stirring within her.
A desire to forge a bond with Yang Munheon that went beyond mere business.
Without thinking, she spoke aloud, baring her honest heart.
“I don’t want to be swept along by others anymore. I want to shape my life by my own will. Master, could you… perhaps help me?”
It was a reckless request.
She offered no price, no explanation of what she needed—just a plea for help.
Yet, somehow, she wanted to believe in the kindness of a person, not a transaction.
Before Yang Munheon could respond, an unexpected voice burst out.
“What?! Who dares to control my little sister’s life?! Who is it?! Don’t worry, sister! This big brother will help you!”
The speaker was the red-faced, stout old man who had brought Dang Yeoeun here.
It was not Yang Munheon, but this man who first answered her heart.
But then, a man in blue robes gave him a disdainful look and said,
“Do you even know what you’re getting into? The daughter of the Dang family talking about her own life like that—it’s obvious she’s going against the family head. Do you want to get kicked out of here? You were hiding here after causing trouble outside, weren’t you?”
Dang Yeoeun’s expression darkened at those words.
His warning was accurate.
Opposing the family head would bring trouble—not just for her, but for them all.
The red-faced old man exploded in anger.
“Hmph! The family head? Do you think Hong Haeah Jeungchil is afraid of some brat? I don’t need that! If they tell me to leave, I’ll leave! Trouble? Hah! That was ages ago! Sister, don’t worry! I’ll get you out of this cursed Dang family!”
The name Hong Haeah Jeungchil caught Dang Yeoeun’s attention.
She had definitely heard it before.
He was a legendary master who had shaken the martial world with his divine techniques, secret arts, and palm skills.
Also infamous for his wild pranks that had caused countless headaches.
She had heard he vanished from the martial world one day—but she hadn’t known he was here, in the Outer Forest.
The man in blue sighed deeply.
“You fool, do you realize what will happen if the Dang daughter runs away? She’ll spend her life hunted by the family, forced to hide. Do you think that’s what’s best for her? Even if you protect her while you’re alive, what will happen after you’re gone? Do you intend to let her be killed by her own kin?”
His words were painfully true.
Dang Yeoeun bit her lip hard, unable to deny the harsh reality.
Hong Haeah Jeungchil’s face twisted slightly, but he shouted back,
“She won’t die! As long as I’m alive, I’ll keep protecting her!”
The man in blue sighed again, exasperated.
At that moment, Yang Munheon finally spoke.
“Would you like me to become your sworn grandfather?”
Startled, Dang Yeoeun snapped her head up and stared at him.
“Pardon? What did you say…?”
Yang Munheon smiled warmly.
“If I become your grandfather, and you become my granddaughter, would that help you live your life by your own will?”
Dang Yeoeun’s eyes trembled like a storm-tossed sea.
She could hardly believe it.
Without asking for anything in return, he was offering his hand—an unimaginable, generous proposal.
Tears pricked at her eyes as she nodded and replied,
“Yes. Yes, that would be enough. Thank you. Truly, thank you, Master.”
Just then, Hong Haeah Jeungchil, who had been watching in a daze, suddenly burst out,
“No way! You want to make Yang hyung your grandfather? Then what about me?! Hey! Yang hyung! Then make me your grandchild too! Grandpa Yang!”
As Jeungchil shouted, the other old man sighed deeply once more.
Dang Yeoeun quietly bowed to Yang Munheon.
“Grandfather, your granddaughter Yeoeun greets you.”
Yang Munheon simply watched her bow with a warm, gentle gaze.