Chapter 13….
Left alone, Gu Yang Chenkang sank into deep thought.
In his mind, the story he had heard from Elder Huang and the information Akasha had analyzed about the Golden Pagoda Manor quickly intersected, forming a vast, intricate picture.
“The Celestial Martial Emperor… the Great Martial Sutra… and the Changbo Map. A forgotten legend… If this is true, and if Dong Hyun-do of the Golden Pagoda Manor holds even a fragment of this secret…”
The weight of the secret pressed heavily on him, and his expression stiffened.
“Then the real reason Dong Hyun-do married Dong Yeon-hwa to Gu Yang-baek is probably this. From this declining family, what a person of the Five Great Wealthy Families could covet would likely be nothing other than the legendary ‘Changbo Map of the Celestial Martial Emperor.’”
The puzzle pieces that had been hazy as mist slowly fell into place, revealing the contours of a massive conspiracy.
“A thirteen-year-long operation to acquire the Changbo Map… Dong Hyun-do of the Golden Pagoda Manor—calling him obsessed would not be an exaggeration. It’s almost a paranoid level of fixation.”
Gu Yang Chenkang clicked his tongue lightly and quietly circulated the Supreme Martial Serenity Technique to recover his mind and body, exhausted from using nanobots.
Before sleeping, he had asked Akasha for one thing:
“Akasha, I have a request. Unless I specifically ask or in an emergency, please try not to read my private thoughts. I need at least some privacy. Don’t take it the wrong way.”
After a very slight delay, Akasha responded:
[Understood. I will respect the Doctor’s request and minimize access to private thoughts except during direct summons or detection of biological signal threats.]
The next morning, Gu Yang Chenkang headed to the main residence to offer his morning greetings to Gu Yang-baek.
[Doctor, your heart rate is slightly higher than usual. You seem tense.]
Gu Yang Chenkang let out a quiet chuckle.
“Considering the bombshell I’m about to drop today, this is still moderate.”
[Bombshell? Doctor, do you have a plan I don’t know about?]
“I’m going to make a very important announcement.”
Before Akasha could continue questioning, he entered the main hall.
Gu Yang Cheong-cheong spotted him, let out a short squeal, and ran forward to hug his waist tightly.
“Big brother!”
Gu Yang Chenkang smiled brightly and pinched her chubby cheeks.
‘Like mochi.’
Meanwhile, Gu Yang Cheon-gi tried to maintain his cold composure, but took the opportunity when Dong Yeon-hwa wasn’t looking to sneak a slight, teasing smile at Gu Yang Chenkang.
After formally greeting Gu Yang-baek and Dong Yeon-hwa, Gu Yang Chenkang spoke in a firm tone:
“Father, I have something to say. I would like Ha-jin hyung and Seol-a noona, who came from Golden Pagoda Manor yesterday, to join us for this.”
A look of puzzlement crossed Gu Yang-baek’s brow.
“Why would you call them so early? If you have something to say, telling me alone should suffice.”
“No, Father. It is something that must be said with everyone present.”
Gu Yang-baek paused at his son’s unusual tone, then ordered the servants to summon the Dong siblings.
Soon, the still-flamboyantly dressed Dong siblings entered the hall, their expressions puzzled.
All eyes focused on Gu Yang Chenkang as he slowly spoke. His voice was clear and firm, betraying no weakness.
“Father, Mother, elder brother, and elder sister. I, Gu Yang Chenkang, hereby completely renounce my right to succeed as the head of the Gu Yang family’s branch!”
For a moment, the air in the hall froze.
The silence was shattered by Gu Yang-baek’s roar:
“You brat! Are you out of your mind? What is this outrageous nonsense first thing in the morning!”
Gu Yang-baek’s face flushed red with anger, and even Dong Yeon-hwa, seated beside him, could not hide her shock.
The Dong siblings’ faces momentarily revealed excitement beneath their surprise, but they quickly exchanged glances and masked their expressions.
Gu Yang Cheon-gi glared with wide eyes, his face pale, while little Gu Yang Cheong-cheong looked utterly bewildered by the sudden commotion.
Gu Yang Chenkang continued calmly without backing down:
“This is not nonsense, Father. It is a conclusion I have reached after long and careful consideration. You know my health better than anyone, do you not? It is far more fitting for the healthy and capable Cheon-gi to inherit the branch head position, rather than someone like me, whose life is uncertain, for the future of the Gu Yang family.”
He scanned the room as he spoke:
“Is this not something everyone already knows? If I were officially appointed as branch head, the already difficult future of the family would become even more precarious. Outsiders would look down on a sickly branch head, and inside, anxiety would only grow.”
“Rubbish!”
“No, Father. A few days ago, an assassin came to kill me.”
The hall was struck with shock.
“An assassin! Who would try to kill you?” Gu Yang-baek shouted.
“I will explain in a separate setting.”
“Huh…”
Gu Yang Chenkang continued in a forceful voice:
“Father, if I step down as branch head and live quietly as an ordinary family member, no one will send assassins after me. My decision is for the sake of both myself and our family.”
His steadfastness seemed to weaken Gu Yang-baek’s anger slightly. He looked at his son with a complicated expression.
“…Is there truly no room for reconsideration?”
“There is none, Father. Please accept my decision and appoint Cheon-gi as branch head.”
Gu Yang-baek sighed deeply.
“…This is a serious family matter. I too need time to think.”
Gu Yang Chenkang noticed Dong Yeon-hwa’s eyes trembling slightly beside him. Her pale face showed the storm of complex emotions: deep sadness, relief, and an ineffable sense of worry. Yet, behind her mask-like expression, the emotions quickly vanished. Only Gu Yang Chenkang, who had been observing her all along, noticed this.
The morning greeting ended amidst the heavy atmosphere. The Dong siblings exchanged enigmatic smiles before returning to their quarters, while Gu Yang Cheon-gi and Gu Yang Cheong-cheong were led out by the servants.
Gu Yang Chenkang, however, remained in place.
Gu Yang-baek looked at him and asked:
“Gang-ah, do you have more to say?”
“Yes, Father. And to Mother as well.”
He turned to Dong Yeon-hwa:
“We need a space where no one else can hear, a place for just the three of us to speak.”
After a moment of consideration, Gu Yang-baek led Dong Yeon-hwa and Gu Yang Chenkang to his underground training chamber.
The chamber, located below ground, was sealed with one-foot-thick iron plates on all walls and doors, preventing any sound from escaping. About fifty pyeong in size, the room was divided into a sleeping area with a simple bed and a training space displaying all manner of martial weapons.
Curiously, a large painting hung on the wall of the sleeping area, an unusual combination with the training chamber.
Sitting in a chair, Gu Yang Chenkang looked first at Gu Yang-baek, then at his stepmother Dong Yeon-hwa, and spoke:
“You two have been hiding something from me, haven’t you?”
Both Gu Yang-baek and Dong Yeon-hwa looked simultaneously startled.
“What are you talking about, Gang-ah?”
“The night before last, an assassin sent by the Dong siblings tried to kill me.”
“What?”
Though Gu Yang-baek had heard about the assassin in the hall, he never imagined the Dong siblings would have been behind it. He was pale with shock. Dong Yeon-hwa could not hide her surprise at how Gu Yang Chenkang had learned of it.
Gu Yang Chenkang continued calmly:
“I thought deeply about why they wanted to kill me. No matter how I reasoned, there seemed to be only one explanation.”
Gu Yang-baek asked, his face tense:
“And that is?”
“If I died, Cheon-gi would become branch head. Someone desperately wanted that, and the Dong siblings carried it out to fulfill that desire.”
Gu Yang-baek’s expression hardened further.
“You mean… you’re saying… your mother is behind the Dong siblings?”
His voice mixed disappointment and anger.
“No,” Gu Yang Chenkang shook his head firmly.
Gu Yang-baek’s forehead wrinkled deeply.
“No?”
“Yes. I am certain Mother has nothing to do with this incident.”
Dong Yeon-hwa’s shoulders trembled slightly. She asked in a trembling voice, disbelief in her eyes:
“How… how can you be so sure?”
Gu Yang Chenkang looked at her steadily and answered without hesitation:
“Because Mother truly cares for me.”
“Ah…”
She could not have imagined such an answer. Tears welled up in her eyes. She hastily turned her head to hide them, but it was too late.
Gu Yang-baek asked:
“If your mother is not behind it, then whom do you suspect?”
“Golden Pagoda Manor.”
“Your father-in-law?”
“Yes.”
Gu Yang-baek’s expression darkened.
“Why would he target your life?”
“Because he wants to acquire something so badly that he would make Cheon-gi branch head to get it.”
Gu Yang-baek paled.
Gu Yang Chenkang continued:
“I was curious about what he wanted so badly that he would make Cheon-gi branch head. But as you know, our main family has no significant assets, and most martial techniques were lost in the Great Martial War.”
Gu Yang-baek remained silent. Gu Yang Chenkang pressed on:
“Then, recently, I stumbled upon the records of the first family head and some historical anecdotes, allowing me to form a hypothesis.”
Gu Yang-baek’s face turned as hard as stone.
“Father, as you know better than I, the legend mentions the ‘Changbo Map of the Celestial Martial Emperor.’”
Gu Yang-baek’s sharp gaze pierced his son.
“Do you think it’s in our main family?”
“What’s more important is that my maternal grandfather is after it.”
A low groan escaped Gu Yang-baek.
“Hmmm…”
Gu Yang Chenkang asked directly:
“I believe my maternal grandfather sent Mother to marry you to obtain the secret of the Changbo Map. Am I wrong?”
Gu Yang-baek did not answer, only sighed deeply and gestured for him to continue.
Gu Yang Chenkang nodded and continued:
“I am confident my hypothesis is correct. But there is one thing I could not understand.”
“And that is?”
“Why Mother has spared me. She has never been particularly warm to me, yet she never obstructed me from becoming branch head, nor did she attempt to kill me.”
Dong Yeon-hwa spoke in a trembling voice:
“Why would I want to harm you…”
“As a child, I did not understand Mother’s heart, which always puzzled me. Eventually, I realized that Mother truly cares for me. That is why she has delayed my grandfather-in-law’s plans with countless excuses.”
A heavy groan simultaneously escaped Gu Yang-baek and Dong Yeon-hwa.
Gu Yang Chenkang’s eyes shone as he asked:
“Father, does the main family truly possess the ‘Changbo Map of the Celestial Martial Emperor’?”
