"Huh?"

Returning to the Tang Family, Cheonyeong couldn't hide his bewilderment.

"Welcome."

The baby in the swaddling clothes held by Sanghui, who came out to greet him respectfully.

"You, don't tell me?"

"It happened."

"…"

At Sanghui's bashful smile, a bright smile spread across Cheonyeong's lips.

"Would you like to hold him?"

"…Uh-huh."

Cheonyeong took the swaddling clothes, no, the baby, that Sanghui offered with trembling hands.

Small.

Fearing the newborn might catch a cold, Cheonyeong held him warmly in his arms.

She didn't have to come out to greet him…

An indescribable emotion welled up in him as he looked at the baby's face, smiling brightly at him.

The first child of the Tang Family.

Though not related by blood, he was his most precious nephew and the child who would become the future of the Tang Family.

The one who would lead the era after his own generation had passed.

"Oh! What about Yongcheon?"

"I haven't told him yet."

"Huh? Why? Are you trying to surprise him?"

"No. If I tell him, he'll probably get anxious and come even if I tell him not to. That wouldn't be right, would it? It's a newly established branch."

"No, but Yongcheon will be disappointed when he finds out later."

"Even if he's disappointed, it can't be helped. He's working hard to create a Tang Family where our child, no, our children, can live comfortably in the future. It will be a great source of pride later on."

"Still."

"I'll take care of it. And right now, Sister Seoryeong is helping a lot, so it's fine."

A true heroine.

A woman's heart would want to call her husband and be congratulated after giving birth.

"Lord."

"Hm?"

"We haven't named him yet."

"Ah…"

"He's the first boy. Please give him a name, Lord. As his uncle."

"…"

At Sanghui's words, Cheonyeong looked at the baby.

A boy.

"…Seongchan."

"Pardon?"

"Seong for 'to achieve' and Chan for 'to shine'."

Cheonyeong said with a smile.

There was no need to think deeply.

The moment he saw the baby's sparkling eyes, that name came to mind.

"Tang Seongchan, that's nice. I'll do that."

Sanghui smiled brightly and nodded.

"Let's go inside for now. The baby will get cold."

"Yes."

* * *

After sending Sanghui back to her quarters, Cheonyeong went to the Samyang Hall with a proud heart.

Because the person he had invited to protect the Tang Family was waiting there.

But as soon as he entered the Samyang Hall, it wasn't the expected welcome that greeted him, but pointing fingers and loud shouts.

"Do you have a brain or not!"

"…"

"You invited me along with that damn horse-faced bastard? Do you know how annoyed I've been, having to face a man I don't even want to see for days while waiting for you!"

"Immeasurable Buddha. I am not at ease either. I have been patiently enduring for the past few days because it was a request from none other than Lord Tang, but this invitation is truly disappointing."

Il-woo, along with his Daoist title, expressed his displeasure.

Having been yelled at out of the blue, the proud feeling he had from seeing Sanghui's son quickly soured.

It wasn't a few days, just two.

The time they had stayed together at the Tang Family after arriving earlier than him.

"No, you didn't even share a room, so why are you both like this?"

"What? Why would I share a room with that bastard! I don't even want to breathe the same air as him!"

"Immeasurable Buddha… The thought alone is horrifying. To be in the same room as such a person."

He was just giving an example, but their reactions were excessive.

Why were the people called the Three Western Sovereigns so narrow-minded?

"What, you bastard! Is this Daoist crazy? 'Such a person'! 'Such a person'!?"

"I meant nothing by it."

"Shut up, you bastard! Your eyes clearly weren't saying that!"

"Tsk, tsk, look at that. His personality is still like that even at his age."

"You bastard! I let you be, thinking of Lord Tang's face! I'll have to tear your mouth apart right now."

"I won't refuse. Anytime…"

As Maeng Segwang went on a rampage, Sword Immortal Changlim grabbed his Songmun Ancient Sword with a cold gaze.

He looked ready to start a sword fight right away.

One man was respected by the unorthodox faction even after retiring from the front lines, and the other was a Daoist called 'Immortal' for his praised virtues.

Hah, when met separately, there were no more serious adults than them…

What Two Giants of Sichuan?

Meeting like this, they were no different from children.

"You two, please calm down for now."

"Hmph! Do I look like I can calm down now?"

"That is correct. It is to the point where the Dao I have cultivated my entire life feels meaningless."

Cheonyeong tried to stop them, but the two were tense without backing down in the slightest.

They were even confronting each other with Cheonyeong in the center.

"Hah, this is really frustrating. How can the people who hold Sichuan in the palm of their hands have no dignity?"

"What?"

"Immeasurable Buddha."

"What do you mean, what? And what's with the Daoist title? Do you want to become such a spectacle?"

"…"

When Cheonyeong pointed out the servants giggling around them as if it were pathetic, Maeng Segwang and Il-woo shut their mouths with expressions full of displeasure.

"And do you two have to be so far apart?"

"Hmph!"

"This is still too close, Lord Tang."

Maeng Segwang crossed his arms and whipped his head away, and Il-woo expressed his will not to move an inch closer.

Cheonyeong, who was staring at them, sighed.

"This is troublesome."

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, troublesome? It is I who am troubled because of Lord Tang."

Cheonyeong stared intently at the two who had each spoken a word.

It was not easy to fill the deep-rooted chasm between the righteous and unorthodox.

And they weren't people who would listen just because he told them to.

The two of them had to protect the Tang Family from the assassins from now on, but if they were at odds like this, they would fight each other before they could even join forces.

In the end, he had no choice but to come on strong and shut them up.

"Hmm, would you both just like to go back?"

"What? You invited people over and now you're joking?"

"What do you mean by that?"

Towards the two who were glaring at him, Cheonyeong frowned and said.

"You're fighting like this, so what can I do? But, I hope you remember."

"Remember?"

"What do you mean?"

Cheonyeong slowly stood up, looked at Il-woo, and said.

"I risked my life in Green Blue Sect."

"…"

"If I hadn't stopped it then, the firecrackers would have exploded and many of those who attended the Craftsmen's Guild would have died, right?"

"I am always grateful for what happened then."

"I know, I know very well. That's why you told me. That Green Blue Sect would not forget the Tang Family's help."

"That is correct."

"But, it seems you weren't sincere."

"What?"

"I didn't ask for any favor, I just invited you, but you're getting angry like this because you don't like the guest. As the host, wouldn't I be very uncomfortable? It makes me wonder if this is how Green Blue Sect repays a debt of gratitude."

When Cheonyeong spoke, openly showing his displeasure, Il-woo, who had been blinking, immediately made a troubled face.

"L-Lord Tang. It's not like that."

"What do you mean, it's not like that? Look, Tang boy. That's how different the inside and outside of those Daoists are. They only look polished and pretend to be good on the outside, but on the inside, they're no different from ungrateful bastards. Yes!"

At the sight of Maeng Segwang, who jumped in and spat out direct insults, Il-woo glared but couldn't say anything.

Because it seemed as if Green Blue Sect had become a beast that didn't even know gratitude, just as Cheonyeong had said.

But this time, Cheonyeong looked at Maeng Segwang and said.

"Elder."

"What is it?"

"I only invited you, Elder, but you brought your daughter along?"

"Ah, that's…"

"She used debt as an excuse, but I could clearly feel her inner thoughts."

At Cheonyeong's words, Maeng Segwang scratched his head.

"Hahat, it seems that girl couldn't hide her feelings properly. What can I do? Don't they say that poverty and love cannot be hidden? That child, she has you in her heart. If you keep her by your side and watch over her…"

"Why should I?"

"Huh?"

"They say you can guess the child by looking at the parent."

"…"

"I can tell just by looking. No understanding, stubborn, speaks rudely to others, judges only by the distinction between righteous and unorthodox…"

Cheonyeong's words were endless.

There were so many, he began to list his shortcomings one after another.

This was troublesome.

Didn't he know his daughter's heart?

Suddenly, he had become the one blocking his daughter's path.

"Sinister…"

As he continued to list his shortcomings, Maeng Segwang spoke to Il-woo.

"Changlim!"

"…?"

"What are you doing? Move it!"

"Ah!"

At Maeng Segwang's words, Il-woo quickly picked up the table and moved it towards Cheonyeong.

In the uncomfortable atmosphere, only the wine cups went back and forth.

Although they were sitting together, no one spoke.

"Are you going to keep this up?"

"…"

"…"

"Hah, let's stop this. I'm going to get indigestion from drinking. If you're so uncomfortable, you can both just go back."

"Ahem."

"No, didn't we sit together as you wished?"

"What's the point of gathering? You two are just glaring at each other!"

At Cheonyeong's words, the two giants frowned deeply and grumbled in a way that was unbecoming of their age.

"You don't know, that's why. It's a big deal for the two of us to be sitting in one place like this. It's something that would surprise anyone in the martial world."

"That is correct. We have been looking at each other like a cow looks at a chicken for years, so how can the awkwardness disappear overnight?"

It seemed their hearts were in sync at times like this.

It wasn't that he didn't know their feelings, but it was still not enough.

He had to pack up and go to the Qilian Mountains as soon as possible, so what was he to do if the two of them were bickering like this?

It seemed a stronger measure was needed.

"I don't know about chickens or cows or whatever, so just go back."

As Cheonyeong roughly put down his wine cup and stood up, Il-woo and Maeng Segwang urgently grabbed his sleeve.

"Lord Tang."

"Hey! This man! Why are you doing this again?"

"What do you mean, why? Changlim can take Seongyeon, who will be arriving soon, and go to Green Blue Mountain. And Elder can pay off all your debts and go to the Black Heaven Gate with your daughter."

"…"

"And don't even think about setting foot in Ganyang land again. From now on, I won't think of either of you as guests."

"What?"

"No, what do you mean by that?"

"Then, do I have to receive people who come and just fight as guests? Not a chance. In the land of the Tang Family, at least in my house, I have no intention of tolerating fights over the distinction between righteous and unorthodox."

At Cheonyeong's firm attitude, Il-woo and Maeng Segwang rolled their eyes and couldn't hide their troubled expressions.

If they left like this, people would say.

That Green Blue Sect was a place that received grace and turned its back.

Also, Maeng Segwang would lose the man he had secretly marked as a son-in-law.

Of course, would the two men, who had been praised as giants, have been wary of Tang Cheonyeong for such a trivial matter?

What was truly important was the aura of Tang Cheonyeong that was subtly felt.

It was clearly different from before.

How could Il-woo and Maeng Segwang not know?

Because it was a path they had already walked, they could more than guess the realm of the one who followed behind.

Tang Cheonyeong had already set foot in a realm where he could stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

The great hope of Sichuan had finally achieved ascension and become a dragon.

No, not just a dragon.

Unlike them, who were growing old, he was at the age of a young man with endless possibilities, so he was no different from a dragon's wish-granting jewel.

If he were just a man who was good on his own, they wouldn't have even been interested.

People gathered around Tang Cheonyeong.

He had the successor who would become the master of the Beggars' Sect as a friend, was close with the River Lord who was mentioned as the master of the Yangtze River, and was a man who could freely trade with the tribes of the adjacent Yunnan province.

He drew people in like a lodestone.

Was that all?

The expansion of his influence was like a raging wave.

He had established a base in Sichuan and taken Chengdu, then quickly took control of the forces on the waterway connected to the Yangtze River, and now he had taken Dongting Lake in the distant Hunan province.

If things continued like this, there was no telling how big his influence would become.

A new era was coming.

Just as the back waves of the Yangtze River push the front waves, he, who had pushed them aside, might become the mainstream.

At that moment, the same thought came to Il-woo and Maeng Segwang's minds.

The master of Sichuan.

Tang Cheonyeong was a man worthy of rising to that position.

(End of Chapter)