Chapter 62

The warm sunlight poured into the garden of the Sima Family (司馬世家). There, Sima Family Head (Male) was spending a happy moment with his beloved wife, Jang Chunhwa, sipping tea.

“Do you remember when Cheon got hit by that cat that jumped over the wall?”

At Sima Family Head’s words, Chunhwa let out a deep sigh, recalling the incident.

“Of course, I remember. I can still vividly hear Cheon’s voice crying and looking for me.”

When Mantian was about three years old, a cat had jumped over the wall to hunt the prized koi fish Chunhwa had been raising in a shallow pond. Watching the scene, Mantian toddled over.

“Hey—you stray cat, how dare you touch my precious koi? Have you gone mad? Here, take this dried anchovy. Be satisfied with this, okay?”

…But while handing over the anchovy, Mantian accidentally tripped and stepped on the cat’s tail. The angry cat mercilessly scratched him, making him burst into tears.

“Waaah~ Mama! The crazy cat is attacking me! Save me, please!!”

Remembering that time, Chunhwa’s heart still sank. She stroked her chest with one hand and looked at the pond where she had removed the koi to prevent further cat incidents.

“That child is always like that. Why does he, with his frail body, always wander around meddling in things? He’s going to get hurt one day.”

“But isn’t it cute and admirable how he stood up to protect the koi his mother loved?”

“I don’t need that! I value Cheon a hundred, no, a thousand times more than some koi!”

Thinking of her mischievous son who always wandered around and got hurt, small teardrops formed in Chunhwa’s eyes.

“Really… is he eating well? Is he sleeping well? What if someone takes his cane and bullies him?”

Though Chunhwa usually scolded Mantian to study for the civil service exams, she didn’t actually want him to pass. She just wanted to keep her frail son at home, fearing he might get hurt outside.

Especially since Chunhwa felt an unnecessary guilt over Mantian’s leg, she was even more overprotective than Sima Family Head.

‘…I thought talking about Cheon would make her feel better. I must have said something unnecessary.’

Feeling guilty for his slip of the tongue, Sima Family Head wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulder and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

Suddenly, a servant approached and quietly informed them that Poong Baek (Male), the Merchant Leader Poong, had arrived to discuss business matters with Sima Family Head.

***

Poong Baek was currently the most important business figure to Sima Family Head. He was reporting on the heir’s progress.

“Since he doesn’t seem interested in business, he doesn’t actively seek to learn, but when taught, he takes it seriously. His personality isn’t arrogant, so he’s received good evaluations in the field.”

“It’s a shame he’s not interested, but it’s good that he’s serious about learning. For now, just teach him how the business operates.”

At Sima Family Head’s request, Poong Baek chuckled lightly and said, “He even ran away when I tried to teach him. But since you ordered to let him go if he wanted to travel, I sent him off. Is that really okay?”

To the valid question, Sima Family Head took a sip of warm tea and gazed into the air, letting out a lonely sigh.

“You have a daughter too, so you must know how quickly children grow up, right?”

Poong Baek didn’t understand why Sima Family Head brought this up, but as a parent, he deeply empathized.

The once adorable daughter, Poong Ran (Female), who used to follow him around saying, “Daddy, I love you!” and “Daddy, you’re the best!”, had now grown into a girl in love.

He had seen her plucking petals, saying, “He loves me,” “He loves me not,” and finally breaking the stem to force a “He loves me,” her cheeks flushed with relief.

‘It must be because I’m such a charming man. Unintentionally, my daughter has fallen for him~ Haha!’

The image of Mantian boldly breaking the flower stem and sweet-talking his daughter made Poong Baek clench his jaw.

If it weren’t for the fact that Mantian was the child of Sima Family Head, who had helped him settle in the Central Plains, he would have kicked him right then and there.

Since it wasn’t a question expecting an answer, Sima Family Head continued to share his thoughts.

“You know, when Mantian was born, I wondered if he might have some extraordinary abilities.”

“Well, he was born on a day when the heavens were obscured.”

A warmth filled Sima Family Head’s wolf-like amber eyes. Wolves are known for their strong paternal instincts.

“But no. As I raised him, I realized. Mantian is just an ordinary child born on a slightly unusual day when the heavens were obscured.”

He cried when the cat scratched him, cried when he fell chasing ducks. The image of his young son toddling over to secretly ask for snacks, tugging at his clothes, softened his usually stern face.

“Plus, with his limp, I thought I’d have to protect him for the rest of his life. But you know what…?”

A bittersweet yet proud smile formed.

“Before I knew it, he had grown up so much.”

After the Heavenly Demon God Sect’s invasion, Sima Family Head went up the mountain to check the warehouse that had caught fire. What he saw were traces of a fierce battle, a dead assassin with a burst heart, and the back of his grown-up son.

He didn’t run from a life-or-death duel. He faced it and won.

He was no longer the little boy crying for his mom and dad. He was no longer a weak child.

Sima Family Head took a sip of the now lukewarm tea, composed his emotions, and calmly spoke to Poong Baek, who had unwittingly listened to his parental pride.

“The reason I allowed Mantian to go meet that monster from the Jiegal Family is simple.”

A complex expression, mixing parental concern and the head of the family’s responsibility, appeared.

“Once this journey is over, he won’t be able to act freely for a while.”

Poong Baek finally understood Sima Family Head’s intentions.

“You mean…?”

Sima Family Head swallowed his tension and sighed.

“When Mantian returns, I’ll officially make him the heir. And…”

Allowing Mantian to travel wasn’t just for his beloved son’s sake but also for Sima Family Head himself.

“I plan to show him what the Sima Family is… what kind of person I am.”

Though it might be a somewhat softened explanation for his own comfort, it still required mental preparation.

A heavy silence filled the reception room due to the significant decision.

The Black-Clothed Man (黑衣人) really didn’t want to interrupt, but he had no choice but to break the silence and deliver an important report to Sima Family Head.

“Master, the young lady is preparing a carriage to go meet the Young Master at the Martial Alliance. What should we do?”

“…Huh? Why all of a sudden?”

At the valid question and the gazes directed at him, the Black-Clothed Man swallowed hard and honestly relayed what he had heard.

“She said that in her dream, a three-headed evil dragon kidnapped the Young Master… and she must go save him.”

At the absurd statement, Sima Family Head let out a tired sigh.

“…So, what’s the real reason?”

Clack—clack—

With quiet footsteps, Yeonghwa (Female) followed the Black-Clothed Man into the reception room and answered directly.

“There’s no ulterior motive. I just want to see my brother as his younger sister. Or—”

Yeonghwa looked at Sima Family Head with her alluring red eyes and gave a fake smile.

“Would it be better if I, as the Saintess of Baehwa Church, made a deal instead?”

***

The sparrows chirped in the private estate of the Jiegal Family (諸葛世家) located in the Martial Alliance.

Jiegal So-Bong (Unknown Gender), acting head of the Jiegal Family, blinked in disbelief at the decision of the family elder, Jiegal Yang (Unknown Gender), to not let Guhae (Female) participate in the upcoming Dragon and Phoenix Association (龍鳳支會).

“Elder… what do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. We can’t release a real dragon where minnows and sparrows are playing.”

Reacting to the word “sparrow,” Guhae, who had been quietly playing with her pet sparrows in the room, casually joined the conversation.

“…Playing with sparrows is fun.”

Chirp! Chirp-chirp! Chirp~!!

The two sparrows playing around Guhae chirped in agreement, and at the sight, Jiegal Yang frowned deeply.

“Playing with sparrows is fine, but stop feeding them so much. Are these sparrows or pigeons?”

Indeed, as Jiegal Yang said, Guhae’s two pet sparrows, Chirp-Bong and Chirp-Hwang, were larger than average and roundly plump.

It wasn’t just because they were overfed; Guhae had been giving them pieces of the elixir Jiegal Yang had given her to eat.

Regardless, Guhae, uninterested in the conversation between Jiegal Yang and So-Bong, gazed out the window at the unnecessarily clear blue sky.

She reached out her hand, but the sky remained unobscured.

…But it’s okay.

It’s not okay that Mantian isn’t here, but it’s still okay.

She had promised to visit Mantian with Jiegal Yang after the Dragon and Phoenix Association ended.

Her sea-blue eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Like the calm before a storm, she waited quietly.