Baek Yeoju was treating us to a sumptuous meal. Unlike her initial sharp demeanor, she showed a surprisingly affectionate and cheerful side at the dinner table.
"Now, now, everyone eat up! My daughter has returned after a long time, so I prepared this with all my heart!"
The table was filled with luxurious food, from glossy meat dishes to stews containing various medicinal herbs.
I picked up my chopsticks and took a bite. I could taste a much deeper and richer flavor than I expected.
"It's delicious."
"Right? I'm quite confident when it comes to cooking~!"
Baek Yeoju smiled proudly and happily raised her wine glass.
Just then-
"Mom... I... I'm pregnant!"
A sudden bombshell announcement burst forth.
Instantly, all movement at the table ceased.
The chopsticks clattered from Baek Yeoju's hand and fell.
"Pregnant...?"
"Yeah...."
Baek Miho blushed and gently stroked her belly. Her voice trembled slightly, but her expression was tinged with joy.
Baek Yeoju froze for a moment, then shot up from her seat.
"M-Me, a grandmother at this age...?! No, more than that, pregnant?!"
Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Then she suddenly approached Baek Miho and carefully embraced her.
"My daughter... is it true? Are you really carrying a baby?"
"Yeah... Hehe."
Baek Miho shyly smiled and nodded. Baek Yeoju blinked her eyes as if moved, then shouted.
"What kind of guy is the father?!"
Her gaze sharpened, flashing.
I calmly put down my chopsticks and lightly shrugged my shoulders.
"Naturally, it would be me."
"...What?! You're really the father?!"
Baek Yeoju threw her hands up and clutched her head.
"No, am I dreaming right now?! My daughter, already becoming a mother?!"
After floundering for a while, she asked Baek Miho again.
"Daughter, are you really okay? It's too sudden, isn't it?"
"Why are you more surprised, Mom? I'm fine! I'll be with Seoyun for a long, long time, and I'll raise the baby healthily!"
Baek Miho smiled happily and gently took my arm.
Baek Yeoju sighed deeply and plopped down into her seat.
"Haa... I'm really becoming a grandmother..."
She stared blankly into space for a while, then a small smile played on her lips and she chuckled.
"Then... I'll see my grandchild soon? Hohoho!"
She covered her face with one hand and laughed, then glared at me again.
"If you can't take responsibility, just know you're dead, okay?"
I chuckled and raised my glass.
"I wouldn't have started if I wasn't going to take responsibility."
At my words, Baek Yeoju was momentarily stunned, then burst into hearty laughter.
"Good! That's it! From today on, you're my son-in-law!"
And so, the boisterous meal continued.
After the meal, once things had calmed down a bit, we conversed with Baek Yeoju.
Baek Yeoju lightly swirled her wine glass and turned her gaze to me.
"So, what brings you here?"
At her question, I took a quiet breath.
It was time to bring up the main topic.
"I'd like you to protect these two here."
As soon as I spoke, Han Chaeyeon and Baek Miho looked at me with surprised expressions.
"Seoyun-a, what do you mean?"
"Right! Are you planning to leave us here?"
Confusion and anxiety were simultaneously present in their eyes. But I firmly nodded my head.
"That's right. Both of you are pregnant, and it's not right to overexert yourselves any further."
At these words, the two women couldn't part their lips, as if speechless.
Baek Miho, in particular, tightly closed her mouth and seemed to be thinking something.
"But...!"
Baek Miho tried to protest,
Baek Yeoju lightly raised her hand and stopped her from speaking.
"Quiet."
Instantly, it was as if the entire village had fallen silent.
Baek Miho and Han Chaeyeon also closed their mouths, and I waited for Baek Yeoju's reaction.
She quietly gazed at me and set down her wine glass.
Her gaze held not just simple playfulness, but a serious weight.
"So, son-in-law. Where do you plan to go, leaving these two women here?"
I answered without hesitation.
"I plan to go to the Canyon of Yokai Demons."
Instantly, Baek Yeoju's eyes shone coldly.
"...Are you perhaps a suicide candidate?"
I shook my head and calmly said,
"No, I am not."
At my answer, Baek Yeoju silently stared at me for a while.
Then she let out a deep sigh and rested her chin on her hand.
"Hmph... I've really taken in quite a troublesome fellow as my son-in-law. My daughter's path ahead will be clearly full of hardship."
She shook her head repeatedly while looking at Baek Miho. Then she looked at me again and asked with a serious expression,
"I'll ask you one thing. Do you have the confidence to return alive?"
I answered without hesitation.
"Of course."
Baek Yeoju examined my gaze, then let out a small chuckle.
"Good. If you're that determined, I won't stop you."
"But remember one thing."
She raised her wine glass and gave a meaningful smile.
"If you abandon my daughter and run away, I'll personally hunt you down and beat you to a pulp."
At her joking words, the atmosphere softened for a moment.
I chuckled softly and raised my glass.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"So, when do you plan to leave?"
"I plan to stay for at least two weeks."
"Understood. I'll give you a room; rest comfortably before you go."
"Thank you."
For several days, I stayed in Baekyo Village and focused on my martial arts training.
I found the quietest spot in the village and sat in a lotus position. Around me, bamboo leaves rustled in the wind, making soft sounds.
-Huu....
I took a deep breath. The energy spreading from my dantian began to flow through my body.
The essence I had accumulated so far circulated along the acupuncture points and meridians throughout my body. The energy flowing within me harmonized, gradually feeling refined.
While my internal energy grew rapidly by absorbing strong essence, a precise refining process was essential. If I couldn't control the energy, I could be engulfed by a backlash and even harm myself.
I operated my mental cultivation method, organizing the energy within my dantian. It was a process of suppressing the excessively rising yang energy and adjusting it to prevent it from running wild. For the battles I would face, more perfect control was necessary.
-Shhhwaaak...
A faint heat rose into the air.
True qi flowed through my body, heating up my blood vessels, and was refined even more meticulously.
With each exhale, I felt the circulation become more orderly. However, perhaps because it was an otherworld, the atmosphere itself was thickly spread with yokai energy.
For ordinary humans, the influence of yokai energy would make their essence unstable or scatter their energy. But for me, the yokai energy was naturally absorbed and even acted like a catalyst to boost my internal energy.
'Is this the influence of the Daoist Yin-Yang Manual?'
I muttered to myself, meticulously observing the flow of energy.
The yokai energy didn't linger around or leave impure traces within my body; instead, it was naturally absorbed as if it were a part of my internal energy.
The energy harmoniously circulated, and I felt my body becoming lighter and lighter.
My consciousness gradually cleared, and the true qi within my body was refined even more precisely.
After finishing my training, I slowly picked up the Bicheon Sword, which had been wrapped in black cloth and placed beside me.
I carefully began to unwrap the Demon-Sealing Cloth.
-Ziiiiing...!!
The moment the cloth was removed, the Bicheon Sword unleashed intense resistance. A sharp energy spreading from the blade shook the surrounding air. Like a living creature, it tried to push away my hand that sought to grasp it.
I chuckled and gripped the sword firmly.
"Tsk, still refusing me?"
-Wooooong...!
The sword trembled subtly and resisted. The resistance it showed as soon as it was freed from the Demon-Sealing Cloth was intense. I put more strength into the hand holding the sword and said,
"Anyway, if it's not me, there's no one else who can wield you."
I gripped the sword firmly, my sharp gaze fixed on the blade.
-Woooooong...!
The Bicheon Sword vibrated violently, and a rough and sharp energy burst forth from its blade. A fierce energy that seemed to cleave the wind and create a whirlwind began to wrap around my arm.
It was as if it was declaring, 'You are not worthy to wield me.' But I, without even an inch of wavering, gripped the sword even more strongly.
"If you don't obey willingly, I'll suppress you with force."
I drew up immense internal energy from my dantian.
Not to suppress the sword, but with the will to confront it head-on.
-Shwaaaaaak...!!
The Bicheon Sword resisted fiercely, and sharp waves of wind burst forth from its blade.
This intense resistance enveloped my body.
"Good... Let's see if you win, or if I win."
I drew up even stronger internal energy and infused it into the blade.
The blade paused for a moment, then immediately began to tremble even more violently.
-Kwaaang!!
Simultaneously, a storm-like wind exploded from the blade. A fierce, whirlwind-like wind engulfed the surroundings, sending pebbles from the ground flying.
Branches snapped, and I felt a pressure so strong it felt as if the very ground was shaking. But I narrowed my eyes and didn't retreat a single step.
Gripping the sword tightly in my hand, I confronted the Bicheon Sword head-on.
-Kwaaang!!
The storm raged.
The airflow unleashed by the Bicheon Sword enveloped me like a typhoon, and sharp, wind-like blades flew in all directions.
Even as intense pressure surged, I did not let go of the sword.
Instead, I drew up even stronger internal energy.
-Kwaaang!
The Bicheon Sword's resistance grew even fiercer. The wind bursting from the blade grew sharper and sharper.
"Still planning to be stubborn?"
I stared directly at the Bicheon Sword and drew my internal energy to its limit. The surging energy from my dantian flowed through my entire body.
-Ziiiiing!
The Bicheon Sword howled violently. But now, I could feel its resistance gradually weakening.
"Do you understand now? Who your master is."
Finally, the trembling of the blade began to subside. The storm-like wind gradually calmed down, then transformed into a gentle airflow.
-Woong....
The hum emanating from the Bicheon Sword also changed. It was a vibration as if it were submitting, unlike the fierce resistance from before.
I slowly raised the blade. There was no more resistance. Instead, it seemed to resonate with my energy.
"Now I finally have a sword I can properly use."
The feel of the sword in my fingertips changed. Instead of the sharp and cold sensation from before, a comfortable sensation, like an old companion, was conveyed.
The Bicheon Sword had finally acknowledged me as its master.
I swung the sword. The blade responded naturally to my movements, and I could feel the powerful strength contained within it.
I had now become the master of the Bicheon Sword in the true sense.
'Now, the preparations are complete.'
It was now time to depart for the Canyon of Yokai Demons.