Even the Sword God Needs Paternity Leave

Chapter 20: Planted a Tree

Clack—I opened the inn's wooden window.

The fresh air of autumn morning chased away the remaining sleepiness.

We had left Oga Pharmacy yesterday and spent the night at a nearby inn.

Snoring sounds leaked from the right room's window.

This was Kwak Daebang.

From the left room's window, sleep-talking saying "I am the great Hero Yang" could be heard.

This was Yang Cheonjo.

"Oh?"

There's a master?

I thought someone was revealing themselves across the main road in front of the inn, but in an instant they had run to the opposite side.

A middle-aged female master with about 5 cheok stature (150cm).

Truly wind-like movement arts.

Just watching her run showed she was orthodox sect. It was obvious she used movement arts utilizing pure inner power.

For some reason she stopped and tilted her head, then soon increased her speed again.

Since she was an orthodox sect master, I wanted to help, but I needed to return home now.

With plans to stop by Madam Cheolseon and Master Dongpae's estate too, there was no time.

After waking Kwak Daebang and Yang Cheonjo to finish preparations and receiving the beef from Oga Pharmacy.

Oh Hungi hesitantly brought up a topic.

"Um, Ink Sword Hero, you're returning to Luoyang, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Since he hesitated again, I invited him to continue.

"Please make any request. Don't worry."

"Mm. Thank you. Actually, a physician named Jang Huigun in Luoyang had been getting medicine from our pharmacy, but contact suddenly cut off recently. There must be children receiving treatment from that physician."

"Such a thing happened? I'll look into it."

"Sorry to burden you with a request at the end."

Oga Pharmacy's medicines couldn't be easily obtained elsewhere.

That contact was cut off was suspicious.

Oh Hungi bowed his head again.

"Ink Sword Hero and companions. Thank you once more. I won't forget this grace."

Now, with this, Oga Pharmacy and Songshan County were done.

Now we just needed to leave.

However.

"Hiiiik!"

Yang Cheonjo made a strange sound.

"Yang Cheonjo, what's wrong?"

"U-ah-uh."

"Why?"

The kid whipped his head around to look straight into my eyes.

"Let's stay here just one more day before leaving. Please. Okay?"

"What on earth are you saying?"

Kwak Daebang tossed out a remark.

"Even if you feel good playing hero, still. When work is done, you leave."

"That's not it. I'm in mortal danger right now."

Looking at him, Yang Cheonjo's complexion was pure white. He'd been pale originally, but now it was severe.

'Mm?'

Glancing, glancing—even while making eye contact with me, he was side-eyeing somewhere.

Following the kid's gaze, there was.

"The female master I saw this morning?"

"What?"

"Yang Cheonjo, you wouldn't have seen her. That person ran past in front of the inn this morning."

"Aah. Just let her pass by."

Yang Cheonjo rubbed his hands together. Anxious signs flowed from his entire body.

And by this point, I could roughly guess.

"Is that person your mother?"

"Yes..."

The female master drew her thumb across her throat.

Keurluk—Yang Cheonjo burst into coughing.

"Kuk kuk."

"Keuhehehe."

"This isn't funny. If we go to a quiet place, mom will come. Let's quickly go somewhere with lots of people, hurry!"

Kwak Daebang and I made eye contact.

And then.

"Let's go!"

"Go!"

We immediately raised our movement arts and began running toward the county outskirts.

"Ah, where are you going!"

"Stay there alone!"

"Keuhehe!"

Yang Cheonjo couldn't bear to remain alone and earnestly chased after us.

The female master, Yang Cheonjo's mother, also followed leisurely.

After getting away from people like that.

Indeed, as Yang Cheonjo said, his mother approached in an instant.

Kwak Daebang and I scattered to both sides as if by agreement and stood at a distance.

"Ink Sword Hero? Brother Kwak? What are you doing right now? Please help me... Ah!"

Truly a master.

Cheonjo's mother extended her whip hand to grab Yang Cheonjo's neck in one motion and pressed him to the ground. Yang Cheonjo was practically crumpled.

His back was completely exposed.

Smaaack—from the crisp sound, I could feel Cheonjo's mother's hand skill.

"Ah! Mom! Ah!"

"This brat! Where did you! Steal mom's money! Leave home without a word!"

Oh right. That kid deserved to be hit.

Smack, smack, smack, smack—the sound echoed even more.

Unable to endure, Yang Cheonjo pulled his body away and raised his hands to defend.

"You're blocking? Blocking mom's palm technique?"

"Ah, stop hitting me, mom!"

A brief palm technique duel continued between mother and son.

"Oooh..."

"Isn't that excellent palm technique?"

Thinking about it, Yang Cheonjo had also attacked with palms rather than a staff when I first met him. He'd been confident having learned such palm technique.

"Ah! Ow!"

Naturally, the mother's palm technique was more skilled.

Rather, it provoked her anger.

Right? It wasn't just me whose hands went toward Yang Cheonjo.

Cheonjo's mother also beat the kid for quite a while.

Only after hitting him enough that even I watching became breathless did her hands slowly lower.

Mm, my thought is a bit different. He should be hit more.

"Mother! Do you know what Cheonjo did with that money?"

Cheonjo's mother abruptly raised her head to look at me.

She'd been so immersed in beating him that she hadn't paid attention to Kwak Daebang and me.

But if you heard my detailed report?

"He bought a necklace at the black market. He bought a grotesque necklace with human fingers attached and wore it around saying he'd look tough."

"Ink Sword Hero! Why are you doing this! Ah! Ow!"

Cheonjo's mother began beating Yang Cheonjo without asking or questioning.

"And he tried to enter a Black Path group without even knowing who the leader was."

"Ah! Ow! Mom, stop! Ink Sword Hero, why are you doing this!"

"That Black Path group tried to raid a pharmacy specializing in children's medicine. If not for me, he would have been involved in that work."

"Ah! No! I would have left as soon as I knew! Ink Sword Hero! Why are you doing this!"

Leave? Would that have been so easy? If things went wrong, he'd die trying to leave.

Before regression, I'd never heard Yang Cheonjo's name.

Even now his skills were decent and he had a mother who was a master. So he should have gained fame, but I'd never heard of him at all.

Of course, it might just be that I didn't know.

But there was also the possibility he lost his life at his first entry into jianghu.

That today's event of seeing his mother's face itself hadn't existed.

He deserved to be disciplined.

"Uh... uhk..."

Finally Yang Cheonjo lay on the ground after getting beaten.

I approached Cheonjo's mother and clasped my hands in greeting.

"By chance I witnessed Senior's excellent movement arts and palm technique. Junior Ink Sword Hero Jin Yeomyeong has broadened his knowledge."

"These are just skills learned while teaching a disobedient son. They're not worthy of praise from the renowned Ink Sword Hero."

Kwak Daebang also came to greet her.

"I am Flying Black Bear Kwak Daebang. I too have broadened my knowledge. Your palm technique is profound—may I know your alias?"

"I've rarely ventured into jianghu. An alias would be too much."

She said her palm technique was nothing special and she had no alias.

We didn't ask further.

Whether due to circumstances or personality, there were many jianghu people who didn't reveal themselves.

My own master had been a reclusive eccentric.

"Perhaps because you two were there, my son returned to my embrace like this without major incident. Thank you. If you have business in Bangga Village, please stop by. I'll host you."

Then she added as if resolved.

"If there's work where even these hands of mine are needed, please contact me. I'll help with all my strength."

For a reclusive master who didn't even reveal her alias to offer her assistance.

"I can only be grateful. I hope such a thing won't happen, but if by any chance it does, I'll presume upon you and ask for help."

Not knowing what might happen in the future, I didn't refuse.

"You're not planning to send Cheonjo out into jianghu yet?"

"He's such a lacking child."

"That is true."

Yang Cheonjo was listening to this conversation while sprawled on the ground.

I looked down at him from above.

"Cheonjo."

"This bastard..."

The kid's expression was distorted at the thought of being dragged away like this.

But would being dragged away be the end?

"You've already performed heroic deeds. How did it feel?"

"Heroic deeds?"

"Weren't you called a hero? Tell me how it felt."

"The feeling..."

The kid seemed mentally complex at the sudden question.

"It's fine. Answer simply."

"...It was good."

"What was good? Say it all."

"...The fighting was good."

"And?"

"People's reactions were good too... being thanked, receiving praise."

"Anything else?"

"That's about it."

Mm.

"Then what was best among those?"

"Best? They were all good."

"Pick just one."

After brief silence.

"Huh? It's not among what I just said?"

"That's fine. Say it."

"The best thing... just... thinking the kids would take medicine and get better..."

"Hahahaha."

"?"

The tension of fighting, the pleasure of defeating enemies, the feeling of victory when surviving, surrounding encouragement and praise.

All these things were good, but he said it was best because the kids would take medicine and get better.

I turned my head to look at Kwak Daebang. He too was smiling.

Our thoughts were the same.

White Path indeed.

"Yang Cheonjo, listen well to your mother. Train hard in martial arts. The world is vast but fate is mysterious—perhaps we'll have occasion to meet in jianghu someday."

Yang Cheonjo looked at me for a moment while lying down.

"Senior Ink Sword Hero, Senior Flying Black Bear."

He jumped up and clasped both hands.

"Thank you. I know well that if not for the Hero, great trouble would have occurred. I'll never forget these past two days."

He greeted quite properly.

"Hero Kwak, thank you too."

"Hehe, I'm fine."

After greeting Cheonjo's mother, Kwak Daebang and I departed.

Her eyes watching us seemed to have something to say, but it never came out.

After walking for some time and looking back, Yang Cheonjo and his mother had also disappeared from the spot.

"He's a sharp kid, so he must have gained enlightenment this time."

"Does it seem that way?"

The Black Path sprout I picked up on the road had now become a hero sprout.

I hoped he would accumulate more skill and experience under his mother and face the Demonic Cult's rampage.

"Let's go. Now we run straight to the estate. When we arrive, we'll smash through the gate."

"Let's do it!"

Yang Cheonjo's mother, Sang Jinhwa, walked with her son ahead of her.

He was quite a disobedient son. He hadn't been like this when young, but after turning fifteen, he'd often run wild as he pleased. A good son, but not an obedient son.

This time he'd left home the farthest.

He'd even fought with Black Path, they said.

On the road dragging such a kid home.

However, her son wasn't sullen or angry.

Rather, he was walking humming a tune.

"Cheonjo."

"Yes?"

"Want to talk about those two from earlier?"

"You mean the Ink Sword Hero and Flying Black Bear?"

"Yes. How was it seeing heroes directly?"

"First, the Ink Sword Hero—"

Her son rattled on telling stories about him.

He looked quite delighted.

'Ink Sword Hero... Could I tell that person about it?'

Sang Jinhwa's thoughts deepened.