Chapter 237. Within Ten Paces, You'll Find A Fragrant Flower (8)

He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry.

Ma-Ra was finally enjoying herself and even playing pranks, and that naturally made Woo-Moon happy. On the other hand, however, her fun was really making his life rather difficult right now.

"You pervert!" Si-Hyeon said, glaring at him.

Yeo-Seol also looked at him with anger. "What they say is right. Men are all beasts!"

"I-I told you, that's not true! Why won't you believe me?!"

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

The two of them snorted and turned their heads at the same time.

Because of the way they moved, Woo-Moon didn't notice that they were smiling as they turned their heads.

Then, they realized they’d forgotten something rather important and rushed to greet Dae-Woong.[1]

“Father-in-law, what a relief it is to see that you're okay."

"I-it's good to meet you, Father-in-law. My name is Ha Yeo-Seol."

Dae-Woong looked at Si-Hyeon, who had been his son's junior sister and was now his son's wife, with a pleased expression. Then, he looked at Yeo-Seol, who was just as pretty as Si-Hyeon or Ma-Ra, and felt even more pleased.

'Well, at least one of my sons is filial.'

[2]

"Good. It’s so nice to see you again, Si-Hyeon. And you said your name was Ha Yeo-Seol, right? I heard a lot about you from Woo-Moon. You’re just as cute and lovely as he says.”

“Oh?

Ehehe...

.”

Yeo-Seol glanced at Woo-Moon and smiled, seemingly grateful for the kind words. Her face was filled with happiness.

Woo-Moon, who had been smiling, suddenly made a sheepish expression.

"Speaking of that, Father, I have to apologize."

"Hmm? About what? What is it?"

"Because I got married without permission from you or Mother, and because I got married even though I couldn't find you."

Dae-Woong’s expression turned bitter. Indeed, thinking about it made him sad. However, he understood the general situation at hand—Si-Hyeon had to fulfill her duty as the Heavenly Demon—so he took a deep breath and shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind.

"Well, from what I heard, the wedding was interrupted before it ended. Isn't it fine if we just continue it now?"

Woo-Moon's eyes widened. That did in fact make some amount of sense.

"You know what, you’re right. How about we just start from the beginning?"

***

And that was what they did.

While some complained, saying that this was unreasonable and against etiquette, Dae-Woong, Woo-Moon, and their family completely ignored all of it.

What mattered most was their happiness. Their own happiness and satisfaction.

They cared nothing about etiquette or what other people thought. Who had the luxury to think about things like that?

Who knew when one of them would die?

Who knew whether Woo-Moon would emerge alive from his inevitable encounter with the Martial Heaven God?

And if he, the strongest of them, died... then everything would be over for everyone.

Nothing was more important than the present.

Although Woo-Moon’s mother wasn't there, he was happy that his father was able to attend. Now that he had his father's blessing, getting married held much more meaning.

***

After the dreamlike first night, the next morning came.

Woo-Moon carefully left the bedroom so as not to wake Si-Hyeon, who was sleeping soundly next to him, and headed to his father.

Fortunately, Dae-Woong was awake. No, to be exact, he had been up all night, unable to sleep.

He was alone in the training hall behind the manor, training.

"Father."

"Huh? Oh, you're here, son."

“Yes.”

Dae-Woong’s face was filled with worry. How could it not be? His wife, the mother of his children, was locked in a prison somewhere alone!

However, Dae-Woong forced a smile in front of his newlywed son.

"Brat. On days like today, you're supposed to stay by your wife's side until she wakes up. Well, I guess you still don't know much about married life, do you."

"... You said Mother is still there, right?"

Startled by Woo-Moon's sudden question, Dae-Woong shook his head from side to side, then sighed.

"Yes. I am really worried about her... Well, your mother would be so happy to hear the news of your and Si-Hyeon's marriage. She really would have wanted to be at your wedding."

Woo-Moon clenched his fists.

The hatred he felt toward Martial Heaven for turning his happy family into this mess was already bone-deep.

'Before I end it all, I have to save Mother and Gun-Ha first. That way, I can fight with peace of mind.'

He looked at Dae-Woong.

"Do you know where those bastards' headquarters is?"

Dae-Woong shook his head. He had thought about this for hours on end; however, no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't even begin to guess where it was.

"Both when they took me there and when they took me out, they knocked me out. I honestly have no idea."

Woo-Moon absolutely had to save his mother, but he didn't even know where to go. It was incredibly frustrating.

He felt a sigh escape his lips.

Although he had to save Jin-Jin and Gun-Ha even a day sooner if possible, there was nothing he could do.

'Just a little longer... Just wait a little longer, Mother. I'm sorry. I'll find you as quickly as possible. Until then...'

From that day on, the Righteous Faction of the

murim

, Heavenly Demon Cult, and the external hidden forces simultaneously began to scour the Central Plains thoroughly.

They had been searching anyway at Woo-Moon's request. But now that the influence of the supreme existence named Song Woo-Moon had grown stronger, and awareness of Martial Heaven spread throughout the

murim

, they began to search more deeply and actively than before.

***

Three days passed.

Woo-Moon was training alone, as always.

Before, he had only practiced martial arts for his joy and pleasure. Training was certainly hard, but he thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it, and he trained for sheer enjoyment.

Now, he was training for his family, for their survival.

How could it not feel different?

There was a lot for him to gain from it. After all, there was a difference between when he was training with a joyful heart because he enjoyed martial arts and when he was training desperately, forcing himself to keep going. The differences he felt between those two were a form of training of its own.

After training late into the night, Woo-Moon prepared to go to bed. By his side was Ma-Ra, dressed in the same flower gown as always.

Suddenly, as he looked at her, he felt a pang of pain in his heart.

The next morning, he went out as soon as the sun rose, bought a bundle of pretty clothes from the most popular store he could find in the city, and laid them out in front of Ma-Ra.

"What is this?"

Woo-Moon rubbed the tip of his nose as if embarrassed.

"It's a gift. Clothes for you. From now on, please wear these too."

Ma-Ra looked at the clothes for a moment. Then she calmly looked at Woo-Moon.

“No.”

Woo-Moon was taken aback.

"Why? You've been wearing that flower gown for too long. It's time to try other clothes, too..."

“No!”

Ma-Ra’s eyes showed a hint of anger. As her eyes flashed, Woo-Moon felt quite upset in turn.

He had been looking forward to seeing Ma-Ra excited since the morning and had imagined her pretty appearance in the new clothes. Seeing her response, he felt like an idiot.

"Hey, why are you reacting like this? I got these for you because I thought you’d like some more nice things. Don’t you like them?"

Ma-Ra looked away, avoiding Woo-Moon’s gaze.

“That’s... that's not the problem.”

“Then what is it?”

"This is the first pretty thing I've ever worn."

As she said that, Ma-Ra looked down at her gown. There was clear affection in her voice.

To her, this old gown held deep meaning. Not only was it something she herself had worn for years now, but it was a gift from a very important person.

Woo-Moon was also looking at her flower gown—the flower gown worn by Jin-Jin when she was young and passed down to Ma-Ra the day she’d joined the household.

'It looks... exactly the same. Even after all this time. There's no wear, and it doesn’t even have a stain, even after all the fierce battles we've been through.'

Ma-Ra had done everything to keep her flower gown pristine, even if she herself had to get hurt.

Woo-Moon realized just how much effort she had put into this, and his eyes turned red. He was both touched by her innocence and deeply sorry for the unfortunate childhood that made her cherish such an old flower gown to such a degree.

'But... now that she's grown up, it's time to say goodbye to it. Only then will she be able to grow mentally.'

Children cherished their first doll until it was completely worn out and could no longer be used to play. And parting with it was a moment of change in mentality—they’d become more mature.

Ma-Ra was exactly like those children right now. First doll, first pretty garment; the form was different, but the thoughts were the same.

Unable to hold back his sympathy and pity, Woo-Moon hugged Ma-Ra tightly.

Then, he swore to himself. He would protect this delicate girl from anything and everything, even if it meant giving up his life. He would show her more and help her feel more.

"Okay. I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I didn't understand your feelings properly. I... I was too careless. Please forgive me."

Ma-Ra wasn't being stubborn just because. This was not just the first present she’d ever received, but also a reminder of Jin-Jin’s love and care. How could she not be attached to it?

Now that he understood all of that, Woo-Moon shed a tear without realizing it.

At the same time, tears flowed from Ma-Ra’s eyes as well.

“We’re crybabies.”

Hearing Ma-Ra's blunt words, Woo-Moon laughed as he felt the tears flowing down his cheeks.

“Haha, hahahaha. Hahahahahahaha!”

“Idiot,” Ma-Ra said quietly as she rested her head on Woo-Moon’s solid chest.

The two of them stood there, unmoving, enjoying each other’s heartbeat and scent.

***

When he wasn't training, Woo-Moon spent most of his time instructing his two disciples and the Song Family guards, who could be considered his unofficial disciples. Besides that, he spent every moment with his three women.

"Alright, stop. Even though I told you to relax, you're still using too much strength. Loosen up a little. While having moderate tension can be helpful, being too tense is worse than not being tense enough. Keep reminding yourselves of that."

Woo-Moon was always strict in front of his disciples.

After diligently guiding his disciples, Woo-Moon walked over to the well for some water, filled a bucket, and drank. For some reason, having some fresh water from the well always made him feel good.

"It's been a while, Battalion Leader."

"Hmm?"

Woo-Moon raised his head, and the clear water dripped down his chin, flowing down his neck, soaking his clothes and dripping onto the ground.

He wiped the water dripping down with his sleeve and laughed.

“Ra Mi! It’s so good to see you! I heard you're now called the Sword Goddess of the South Sea. What a title! Your narcolepsy is all gone now, right?"

Her first love and her first pain.

Even though it still hurt, Ra Mi kept it tightly hidden in her heart and smiled.

"Yes. It's all thanks to you, Battalion Leader. Thank you so much.”

"No, I may have taught you something, but you’re the one who made the effort. You've even reached the Absolute realm. Congratulations."

"You're still the same, Battalion Leader. Ah... I'm really happy. I've always dreamed of having a real conversation with you without falling asleep in the middle of it."

"Yeah... It’s a lot easier for me too. It was pretty tough in the past, you know?"

The past.

Ra Mi chuckled as she recalled the events that had taken place during her time as part of the Wind Sword Squadron, fighting the Black Bull Gang. Thinking back now, she really felt nostalgic.

"Yes, yes. I know. Well... I know it's a little late, but I'm really grateful and sorry, Battalion Leader."

"Come on, don’t take it like that. We’re friends, aren’t we? Anyway, where have you been these past few days? I tried to come say hello but I couldn't find you at all."

Ra Mi was speechless for a moment but soon answered with a smile.

"There were a lot of injured people back at the Hainan Sword Sect, I was so busy taking care of them that I didn't even have time to close my eyes.[/ref]The original here is “not have time to

open

one’s eyes,” meaning that the time it takes to blink is too much time wasted.[/ref]

“Hehe, isn’t that good though? You’ve had your eyes closed for long enough.”

1. In Korean culture, you're expected to drop whatever you’re doing and greet your elders when they arrive,

especially

your parents-in-law. ☜

2. Filial piety dictates that one must get a good wife and have children. ☜