The Martial God with Psychic Powers

At Tianzhu Hall, Shin Do Pyeong glared sharply at Yeon Woo Jin and asked his aide,
“Is that him?”

“Yes, my lord.”
Shin Do Pyeong fixed his gaze on Yeon Woo Jin, scanning him from head to toe.
Nothing about him stood out.

He didn’t look particularly powerful.
And this was the one who struck Dowoon?
It had to be some sort of trick.

Maybe he’d used something like Scattering Qi Poison.
The thought that his naive, sheltered grandson had been subjected to something so underhanded sparked a sudden wave of irritation.
“Tch. That brat’s the one? Doesn’t look like much at all. Poor Dowoon, what a fool…”

It must’ve been a hallucination from being knocked around too hard.
“You. You’re the one who hit our Dowoon?”
“Yes.”

“And why?”
“Because he treated his senior like trash.”
“What exactly did you do to him?”

“I told you. I hit him.”
“You little—! I’m asking what you did before you hit him! Was it Scattering Qi Poison?”
“No. I just used my own strength…”

“So that’s how it is. Tie him up.”
“Yes, sir!”
Now bound to a chair in the center of Tianzhu Hall’s inner chamber, Yeon Woo Jin sat calmly.
“Tell the truth. Was it Scattering Qi Poison?”

“No. I beat him with my own hands—”
Crack!
His head snapped to the side from the blow.

A thin line of blood trickled from his lips.
“You’d do well to tell the truth.”
“Even when I tell the truth, you hit me.”

“Hah! What are you, fearless? Do you not understand the situation you’re in?”
“It’s not too late. Let me go and apologize. If you do that now, nothing else has to happen.”
“…What?”

“Hurry. You don’t have much time left. Apologize now.”
“This lunatic. There’s an old saying—mad dogs need to be beaten.”
Looking around, Shin Do Pyeong spotted something nearby and strode over to it.

A flail.
“Well, this’ll do just fine.”
Clank.

Flail in hand, Shin Do Pyeong walked back toward Yeon Woo Jin.
“Let me personally cure you of your delusions.”
“It’s too late now.”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”
“It’s too late to handle this quietly.”
“Don’t worry. No one will question what I do to you in here.”

“Really? I don’t think that’s true.”
“You are insane. Spouting nonsense even now…”
Just as Shin Do Pyeong raised the flail to strike—

“What do you think you’re doing?”
A chill swept through the entire chamber.
Every single person in the room went rigid with dread.

Shin Do Pyeong slowly turned around, his body trembling.
Standing there was someone who should not have been there.
“What’s going on here?”

At the sound of that voice, all the martial artists dropped to their knees.
“We pay our respects to the Lord of Mushincheon!”
Shin Do Pyeong followed suit, dropping into a full bow.

Cheonbaek’s face twisted with irritation as he spoke again—only to glance toward the man bound to the chair.
“I asked what the hell—”
His eyes locked onto the bound figure.

He’d only come because he was annoyed at someone making a ruckus near his office.
But now, seeing who was tied up—
His entire body froze, trembling.

Shin Do Pyeong was baffled.
Why was the Celestial Lord reacting like that?
Then came the answer.

“…Woo Jin?”
He’d spoken the boy’s name—accurately.
Oh no.

Could it be… they knew each other?
This just got very bad.
Still, Shin Do Pyeong thought he might be able to spin it.

Maybe call it a misunderstanding? Say things got out of hand?
With a sincere enough apology, they might be able to smooth it over—
But then—

“Grandfather…”
“Woo Jin!”
Cheonbaek rushed forward, inspecting Yeon Woo Jin’s face.

“You… you’re bleeding…”
“Grandfather.”

Rrrrumble—
A monstrous surge of power erupted from Cheonbaek’s body, shaking the entire Tianzhu Hall to its foundations.
An overwhelming pressure flooded the chamber.

“Guhk!”
Even the Lord of Tianzhu Hall had to grit his teeth in agony to endure it.
What… kind of relationship do they have, for him to be this enraged?

“What fucking bastard… dared lay a finger on Woo Jin’s face—my Woo Jin, who’s more precious to me than my own life.”
My Woo Jin?
Cheonbaek’s irises darkened, turning into obsidian voids as he stared down Shin Do Pyeong.

“Was it you? Are you the bastard who struck my grandson’s face?”
Grandson?!
He had bloodline kin?

Wait—Yeon… not Yeom? Then… it really was “Yeon”?!
“You realize what you’ve done, don’t you? You laid hands on my grandson. I’ll wipe the Shin Clan off the face of the earth—there won’t be a single beam or pillar left standing.”
Shin Do Pyeong couldn’t speak.

No one could stop the Celestial Lord of Mushincheon once he was enraged.
All he could do was close his eyes and accept his fate.
Then—

“Grandfather. That’s enough.”
Shin Do Pyeong assumed Yeon Woo Jin didn’t understand how temperamental his grandfather was.
But then—

“You’re bleeding, and you’re telling me to stop?”
“I let him hit me. I didn’t want to make a scene.”
Crack—

Yeon Woo Jin casually broke the silk cord restraints—crafted from Heaven Silkworm Thread—as if they were twine, and stood.
The wound on his face healed instantly.
“There. All better, right?”

But Cheonbaek’s expression didn’t ease in the slightest.
The fact that Woo Jin had been struck at all was what mattered.
“It still doesn’t change the fact that you were hit.”

At that, Yeon Woo Jin got an idea.
Put yourself in their shoes.
People only understand when they feel it themselves.

Maybe if Shin Do Pyeong experienced what he’d put Shin Dowoon through, it would sink in.
Grandfather, just play along with me a little, will you?
Tch. You want me to let that bastard live? He hit you!

It was a setup. I staged this whole thing to bring the Shin Clan under my command.
Cheonbaek blinked, surprised, then let out a quiet chuckle.
You little rascal… you’ve been slowly devouring everything I built with my own hands.

But his face showed nothing but pride.
All right. What do you want me to do?
Yeon Woo Jin laid out the plan for him in detail.

It was only a few seconds of psychic transmission, but for Shin Do Pyeong, it felt like an eternity.
Then Cheonbaek looked directly at him and spoke.
“First, let’s hear your side. Explain what happened.”

Still prostrated, Shin Do Pyeong confessed everything.
“So… your grandson was the one who made my grandson suffer?”
“I… I deserve death for my crimes!”

“Then die.”
There was nothing more to say.
He had committed a crime worthy of death.

But then—
“My grandson tells me to spare your clan.”
Just as he began to sink into despair, a rope of hope was thrown to him.

“But I won’t forgive so easily. The Shin Clan will survive… only if you swear fealty—swear to serve and obey Woo Jin from this day forward.”
For Shin Do Pyeong, there was no other choice.
“Tsk tsk. If your own grandson is precious, then maybe you should’ve realized that other people’s children are precious too. Did you really think you’d always be dealing with people beneath you?”

“I… I sincerely apologize.”
“So, what’s your decision? I’m busy. If you don’t answer quickly, I’ll just pay a visit to your clan myself.”
At the faintest motion from Yeon Cheon Baek, Shin Do Pyeong panicked and threw himself flat at Yeon Woo Jin’s feet.

“We will serve you! From this moment forward, the Shin Clan submits to Lord Yeon Woo Jin!”
At that, Yeon Woo Jin gently reached out and helped Shin Do ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Pyeong to his feet.
“I’ll be counting on you.”

“Y-yes, we will serve you with utmost devotion.”
“Then I assume I’m free to handle Shin Dowoon as I see fit?”
Shin Do Pyeong’s pupils quivered.

“Don’t worry. I plan to raise him properly.”
With that, Shin Do Pyeong exhaled in relief and bowed deeply.
“My foolish grandson… I entrust him to your care, my lord.”

“You mean your lord, you idiot!”
At Yeon Cheon Baek’s barked rebuke, Shin Do Pyeong corrected himself immediately.
“My lord!”

Only then did Yeon Cheon Baek smile in satisfaction and turn to Yeon Woo Jin.
“Frankly, I wanted to erase all of them… but handing them over to you will be more useful. So let’s call it settled.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.”

“Sigh… brat, do you know how close I came to a heart attack? Don’t ever pull something like this again.”
“I will. Though honestly, aren’t you worrying a bit too much? You do know what I’m capable of.”
“One must never let their guard down. Overconfidence leads to downfall.”

“Yes, Grandfather. I’ll keep your words in mind.”
“Haha! Oh, my boy! You’re too lovable for your own good!”
Yeon Cheon Baek pulled him into a tight embrace and showered him with affection.

To Shin Do Pyeong, it was maddening.
That warm, affectionate smile—one he had never once seen directed toward anyone in the Shin Clan—was pouring out without end.
This really was his biological grandson.

That was exactly how he used to look at Shin Dowoon.
Is this what others had felt?
In that moment, Shin Do Pyeong realized the weight of his own actions.

How deeply he had misled the Shin Clan—and how close he’d come to dragging it into ruin.
Thankfully, the ancestors must have been watching. They’d granted him a chance at revival.
Now, his duty was clear: to ensure everyone in the clan followed Yeon Woo Jin.

How do I convince the Clan Lord…?
Then it hit him—Shin Dowoon’s account of the Clan Lord’s strange behavior.
A shiver ran down his spine.

He… he’s already been visited.
There could be no other explanation.
Had the Clan Lord… really placed his faith in him?

What had he seen to earn that faith?
“You fools! I left my Woo Jin in your care, and this is how you handle it?!”
At Yeon Cheon Baek’s roar, three men appeared before him.

Shin Dowoon’s eyes bulged.
“No way… That’s the Deadly Sword Emperor! And the Infernal Blade Lord!”
To think that they had been guarding Yeon Woo Jin.

The very fact that the Celestial Lord had assigned such beings to him made his value clear.
Yeon Woo Jin stepped toward the dazed Shin Do Pyeong, still slumped on the ground.
“Gah!”

Seeing him approach, Shin Do Pyeong quickly threw himself back down.
He had to show absolute submission.
“I’m sorry I deceived you. I only pretended to be beaten… I sensed my grandfather approaching.”

He sensed him?
He hadn’t even felt it himself.
That meant…

He’s above me?
That was absurd.
And yet… why did it feel true?

Amidst his confusion, he heard Yeon Cheon Baek’s voice echo softly in his ear.
“Hahaha. You lot should be grateful our Woo Jin is kindhearted. If he were more like me… none of you would live to see tomorrow. When someone stronger than me goes on a rampage, even I can’t stop them.”
What did that mean?

Stronger than me…?
Stronger than the Celestial Lord of Mushincheon?
Everyone present felt their eyes stretch wide.

“Grandfather! Don’t say things like that!”
“Why not?”
“You’re ruining your reputation! I’ll erase everything you just said.”

“You plan to erase everyone’s memories?”
“Yes. I’m not ready to be seen by the world yet.”
Erase… memories?

What did that mean?
Then, Yeon Woo Jin raised a hand.
“All right, everyone. Look over here.”

As their eyes turned toward his hand, Yeon Cheon Baek quietly stepped beside Shin Do Pyeong.
“Not you. Look away. You need to remember. Remember who Woo Jin is. Remember his greatness.”
The moment Shin Do Pyeong turned his head—

Flash—!
A blinding burst of light, like a lightning strike.
Everyone stood frozen, dazed.

Yeon Cheon Baek leaned down and whispered.
“I haven’t forgiven you yet. I’ll be watching how you treat Woo Jin. Make sure you don’t disappoint.”
“Y-yes, understood.”

“Hahaha. Then serve him well from now on.”
With those final words, Yeon Cheon Baek disappeared from the chamber.
“I’ve got business to attend to. I’ll see you later, my boy.”

“Yes! I’ll see you at dinner!”
“Good! Hahaha!”
And just like that, Yeon Cheon Baek vanished.

To Shin Do Pyeong, it felt like waking from a violent, surreal dream.
But more than anything, he was curious—
Had their memories… really been erased?

A few moments later—
The aides were no longer recognizing Yeon Woo Jin.
“Clan Lord! When did you come out?”

“Is this man a guest of yours, my lord?”
They looked at Yeon Woo Jin, utterly unaware of who he was.
Shin Do Pyeong stood speechless.

He had never seen anything like this.
Their memories… were truly gone.
He gave Yeon Woo Jin a cautious glance, then turned to the aides.

“He’s an honored guest. Don’t act carelessly—get back to your duties.”
“Yes, sir!”
Once they’d gone, Shin Do Pyeong approached Yeon Woo Jin slowly.

“My lord… does the Clan Lord also know your true identity?”
“He does.”
So that was it.

That explained everything.
As expected… his guess had been correct.
Shin Do Pyeong accepted it then and there.

This was the Shin Clan’s destiny.
Thus, the Shin Clan—seventh-ranked under Mushincheon—became Yeon Woo Jin’s subordinate force.