Chapter 78
“Please wait a moment, and I will bring my father.”
It was at that moment when Yoo Pyeong-hyeok was speaking while looking around Dang Jin-hyeon.
Bang!
The master of the Yoo family, Yoo Dae-seung, flung open the door to the reception room and entered.
Boisterous and straightforward by nature, the master had heard that a guest had arrived and, driven by curiosity, had come straight over.
“Father!”
Paeng Sim-yeong rose from her seat.
Her face showed clear signs of fluster, as if she were worried that the guest, Dang Jin-hyeon, might feel uncomfortable.
However, Yoo Dae-seung did not seem to care at all.
His gaze immediately fixed on Dang Jin-hyeon.
“I am Dang Jin-hyeon of the Sacheon Dang family. It is an honor to meet you, Senior.”
His greeting was polite and formal.
Naturally so. By the measure of martial arts seniority, Yoo Dae-seung was a far senior to Dang Jin-hyeon, equivalent to a master of great standing.
Yoo Dae-seung nodded.
“Welcome. I heard roughly what happened on your way here. You saved my grandson, didn’t you?”
“Technically, it wasn’t me who saved him—it was my daughter.”
“A daughter raised properly reflects the virtue of her parents! My deepest thanks. I am Yoo Dae-seung, master of Cheonhwa Mountain Estate.”
“It is a great honor to meet you.”
Dang Jin-hyeon’s words made Yoo Dae-seung laugh heartily.
“Hosting esteemed guests from the Dang family at Cheonhwa Mountain Estate is, naturally, an honor for us. How is your father?”
The master naturally took the seat of honor, and only then did Dang Jin-hyeon follow suit and sit down.
“He is well. We were returning from the Namgung family in Hapbi, and my father could not accompany us due to business.”
“The patriarch of the Namgung family was celebrating his eightieth birthday, wasn’t he? I received the martial arts invitation as well.”
“But you did not attend?”
“It’s troublesome to move about when old. But ignoring it would be impolite, so I plan to pay him a visit after the celebration.”
Yoo Dae-seung laughed again.
“So where are my reckless grandson and the young one who saved him from the pond?”
Yoo Pyeong-hyeok quickly answered.
“They went to see Cheon-yeong a short while ago.”
“Cheon-yeong?”
Yoo Dae-seung explained.
“Cheon-yeong is a spirit creature raised at Cheonhwa Mountain Estate. Its body stretches nine chok long—it’s an enormous creature!”
Dang Jin-hyeon frowned slightly.
He was not worried about Dang-bi. The snake hidden in Dang-bi’s sleeve was less than a chok long, but Cheon-yeong was a spirit far stronger than that.
“Yet that one does no study at all, spending all day clinging to a snake’s skin!”
Normally, one would not speak ill of one’s own family before outsiders, yet Yoo Dae-seung casually recounted Yoo Ja-heon’s habits.
“No wonder it fell into the pond!”
“I’ll make sure to advise him properly.”
“Oh, can you really change innate nature by advising? Leave him be. After falling into the pond a couple more times, he’ll come to his senses.”
He did not seem ashamed of his grandson’s lack of accomplishments, simply accepting it as it was.
Dang Jin-hyeon quietly nodded, observing the master.
“Indeed, he is a man of virtue.”
From just a few words, Dang Jin-hyeon understood why Cheonhwa Mountain Estate’s disciples were so loyal to their master.
Even if the grandson was slow to learn, the master was patient, and surely treated his disciples the same.
The atmosphere of the estate suddenly made sense.
“I’d like to see the children a bit, but they’re so focused on the snake that they haven’t come to see their grandfather?”
Yoo Dae-seung asked Yoo Pyeong-hyeok, who promptly instructed a disciple to bring the children.
The master nodded, satisfied, and then turned his gaze to Dang Jin-hyeon.
“So, the rumor in Akju is that the Dang family brought a small phoenix-like child. Is this the same phoenix who saved my grandson?”
“So the rumors spread so fast?”
“The peasants talk about nothing else all day! Since you were returning from the Namgung family, it must be that child?”
Dang Jin-hyeon nodded.
“Yes. That child is my daughter.”
“Ha ha ha, indeed! Even the rumors about the new owner of Ilpabi-do spread quickly in Akju…”
At that moment, Bang!
Someone burst through the door.
Startled, Dang Jin-hyeon, Yoo Dae-seung, Paeng Sim-yeong, and Yoo Pyeong-hyeok all turned to look.
“Grandfather!”
There stood the very boy who had fallen into the pond and spent all day clutching snake skin—Yoo Ja-heon.
His face flushed, he panted as he looked at Dang Jin-hyeon.
Only then did he seem to realize he had been impolite, standing there with his mouth open.
Shortly after, a small hand appeared, closing the door behind it.
Then it opened the door again, entering and bowing politely.
“Hello, Master.”
It was Dang-bi.
Only then did Yoo Ja-heon follow suit, bowing awkwardly behind her.
“Sorry for coming in so abruptly.”
Dang Jin-hyeon looked at the two children and smiled quietly.
He couldn’t help but feel proud as he watched his daughter enter properly after Ja-heon had hastily opened and closed the door.
Yet…
‘She didn’t ask if it was okay to come in.’
Dang-bi had simply closed and reopened the door without permission, but she had made an effort to be polite, which earned her points in Dang Jin-hyeon’s eyes.
Somewhat softened, he said:
“This is Dang-bi of the Sacheon Dang family.”
“Yes! This is the little phoenix who saved my grandson!”
“The little phoenix…”
“Sit here for now.”
He gestured to Dang Jin-hyeon’s side.
As Dang-bi prepared to sit beside him, Yoo Ja-heon, face still flushed, spoke up.
“Grandfather, this is more important! Dang-sojeo found this!”
He shouted, handing an old key to Yoo Dae-seung.
It was a key marked with the symbol of Cheonhwa Mountain Estate.
“This…?”
Yoo Dae-seung frowned as he took it.
He examined the old key carefully from every angle.
Yoo Pyeong-hyeok and Paeng Sim-yeong craned their necks to get a look.
“A key marked with our Yoo family’s symbol…?”
“I’ve never seen anything like this. What could it open?”
Both murmured in wonder.
Dang Jin-hyeon looked at the old key and then back at Dang-bi.
“Bi-a, did you find this?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“….”
She couldn’t say she had taken it from the snake’s throat. Her father would surely scold her for putting her hand in such a place.
‘And it still smells a bit…’
She had rubbed her hands clean after retrieving it, but the faint odor lingered. She chose to avoid the question.
After a long silence, Yoo Dae-seung spoke softly.
“I think I know what this key opens.”
Dang-bi’s face brightened instantly.
The master looked at her and said:
“You really found this, child?”
“Yes, I found it by chance.”
“Where?”
Ah, the same question again.
Dang Jin-hyeon’s eyes met hers—there was no escaping.
Just as she prepared to answer…
“Dang-sojeo took it from Cheon-yeong’s throat! It was stuck in there. That’s why it couldn’t eat. As soon as I removed it, it went hunting!”
She blurted it out confidently.
Dang Jin-hyeon raised his eyebrows at the explanation, and she subtly averted her eyes.
“From Cheon-yeong’s throat…?”
Yoo Dae-seung muttered blankly, then suddenly rose.
“I think I know what this key opens. Everyone, follow me.”
His face flushed with excitement.
“Now?”
When asked, he nodded without hesitation.
The adults rose, somewhat taken aback.
The young disciples of Cheonhwa Mountain Estate were already thrilled, and Dang-bi too was curious about the key’s purpose, so she rose silently.
The master turned to Dang-bi:
“If my guess is correct, meeting you today is my destiny.”
