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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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In the sun drenched garden of the Sima Estate,
Sima Bu and his beloved wife, Jang Chun hwa, were enjoying a peaceful afternoon tea.
“Do you remember that time Cheoni was attacked by a cat that climbed over the wall?” Sima Bu asked. Chun hwa sighed deeply at the memory.
“Of course, I remember. I can still hear Cheoni crying and calling for me.”
When Mancheon was three years old, a cat had climbed over the wall and tried to hunt one of Chun-hwa’s prized koi, which she kept in a small pond in the garden.
Mancheon, witnessing the scene, had toddled over, his staff tapping against the ground.
“Hey, you stray cat! How dare you try to harm a precious, pampered koi? Are you crazy? Here, have some dried anchovies. Be satisfied with these, refu.”
But he had stumbled while offering the anchovies, accidentally pinning the cat’s tail, and the enraged cat had retaliated with a flurry of furious swipes, leaving Mancheon wailing in tears.
“Waaaaah! Mama! The evil cat has gone crazy! Save me!”
Chun hwa, still shaken by the memory, clutched her chest and looked at the pond, now empty of koi, a precaution she had taken to prevent further feline incursions.
“He’s always like that. He’s not well, and yet he insists on running around, meddling in everything. And he always gets hurt.”
“But it was sweet and brave of him to try and protect your precious koi.”
“I don’t care about the koi! Cheoni is a hundred, a thousand times more precious to me!”
Tears welled up in Chun hwa’s eyes as she thought of her mischievous son, always running around and getting hurt, despite her best efforts to keep him safe.
“I hope… he’s eating well… and sleeping soundly… What if someone steals his staff and bullies him?”
While Chun hwa often scolded Mancheon and urged him to focus on his studies, she didn’t actually expect him to pass the imperial examinations.
It was simply an excuse to keep him safe, to prevent him from wandering around and getting hurt.
She was particularly protective of him, even more so than Sima Bu, due to her own insecurities about his disability.
‘I thought talking about Cheoni would cheer her up, but it seems I’ve only made things worse,’ Sima Bu thought, regretting his choice of topic. He put an arm around his wife’s shoulders and gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
A servant approached and announced a visitor.
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Feng Bai, the leader of the Feng Merchant Group, who had just returned from a successful business trip, was requesting a meeting with Sima Bu to discuss business matters.
Feng Bai was reporting on the progress of the project closest to Sima Bu’s heart:
the development of his heir.
“He doesn’t seem to have any interest in commerce, so he doesn’t actively seek out knowledge. However, he is a diligent student and quite receptive to instruction, so his performance in the field has been satisfactory.”
“While I’m disappointed by his lack of interest, I’m glad to hear he’s applying himself. For now, simply continue to familiarize him with the workings of the merchant business.”
Feng Bai chuckled softly at Sima Bu’s request, which was also a command.
“He ran away, though. You instructed me to allow him to travel as he pleased, so I didn’t stop him, but… are you sure that was wise?”
Sima Bu took a sip of his tea and, gazing into the distance, replied with a melancholic sigh.
“As a father yourself, you understand how quickly children grow, don’t you?”
Feng Bai wasn’t sure what Sima Bu meant, but he wholeheartedly agreed.
His own precious daughter, Feng Lan, who had once followed him around, showering him with affection, declaring, “I love Papa!”, “Papa is the best!”, was now showing signs of… romantic interest.
He had witnessed her plucking petals from a flower, her face serious, declaring, “He loves me,” or, “He’s just playing with me,” with each petal.
And finally, her hand trembling as she plucked the last petal, whispering, “He’s just playing with me,” then, snatching another flower and adding its petals to the pile, desperately trying to end on a positive note, “He loves me,” her cheeks flushed with relief.
‘I suppose my irresistible charm has inadvertently captivated her~ Haha!’
He gritted his teeth at the memory of Mancheon’s smug, self-satisfied smile as he plucked a cherry blossom branch and offered it to his daughter, his words dripping with honeyed charm.
If it weren’t for the fact that Mancheon was Sima Bu’s son, his savior who had allowed him to establish himself in the Central Plains, he would have kicked the boy senseless.
Sima Bu, not expecting a response, continued, sharing his thoughts.
“When Mancheon was born, I… had hoped he would possess some extraordinary ability.”
“Considering he was born on such an unusual day, with the sky darkened…”
A warmth softened Sima Bu’s usually predatory amber eyes. Wolves were fiercely protective of their young.
“But he wasn’t. As he grew, I realized… Cheoni was just an ordinary child, born on an unusual day.”
He remembered his son as a child, crying after being scratched by a cat, stumbling and wailing after chasing a duck, toddling over and tugging at his robes, begging for snacks. The memory softened his stern features.
“And he was crippled. I thought I would have to protect him for the rest of his life. But…”
A bittersweet, proud smile touched his lips.
“He’s grown stronger without me realizing.”
After the Heavenly Demon Sect attack, Sima Bu had gone to the mountains to assess the damage to the burned storehouse, and had found traces of a fierce battle, the corpse of an assassin with a shattered heart, and his son, standing amidst the carnage, a changed man.
He had faced a formidable opponent in a life or death duel, and had emerged victorious.
He was no longer a child, crying for his mother and father. He was no longer weak.
Sima Bu took a sip of his lukewarm tea, composing himself, then addressed Feng Bai, who had been unwittingly subjected to his parental musings.
“My reason for allowing Cheoni to visit the Jegal Estate was simple.”
His expression was a mix of parental affection and the shrewd calculation of a clan leader.
“Once this trip is over, he won’t have much freedom.”
Feng Bai finally understood Sima Bu’s intentions.
“You mean…?”
Sima Bu took a deep breath, his voice laced with a nervousness that was unusual for him.
“When Cheoni returns, I will formally name him my heir. And…”
He had allowed Mancheon to leave, not only out of love for his son, but also for his own purposes.
“I will teach him what it means to be a Sima… what kind of man I truly am.”
While he would undoubtedly sugarcoat the truth, it was still a difficult conversation he needed to prepare for.
A heavy silence filled the room.
The man in black, who would have preferred to remain silent, felt obligated to interrupt, delivering an important report.
“Master, the young mistress has requested a carriage to the Martial Alliance headquarters. She says she’s going to see the young master. What are your orders?”
“What? Why?”
The man in black swallowed nervously at Sima Bu’s sharp question and the weight of the gazes upon him, and honestly relayed what he had heard.
“She said… she dreamt that a three-headed dragon kidnapped the young master… and she has to save him.”
Sima Bu sighed wearily at the absurd explanation, then,
“What is she scheming?” he asked, turning to Yeonhwa, who had entered the room, her footsteps light and measured.
“I’m not scheming anything. I simply miss my older brother and want to see him. As his younger sister. Or would you prefer…”
Yeonhwa met Sima Bu’s gaze, her red eyes gleaming with a false warmth, a deceptive smile playing on her lips.
“that I make this request not as your adopted daughter, but as the saint of the Zoroastrian faith? A business proposition?”
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Within the Jegal Estate, located within the Martial Alliance headquarters, the sound of sparrows chirping filled the air.
Jegal Xiao feng, the acting head of the Jegal Clan, blinked in disbelief at Jegal Liang’s decision to withdraw Gwahae from the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
“But… Elder… why?”
“It’s simple. One cannot unleash a true dragon among minnows and sparrows.”
Gwahae, who had been quietly playing with her pet sparrows, looked up at the mention of “sparrows” and interjected.
“But… playing with sparrows is fun.”
-Chirp! Chirp-chirp! Tweet~!
Two of the sparrows chirping around Gwahae seemed to agree, and Jegal Liang frowned.
“Playing with sparrows is fine, but stop overfeeding them. Are those sparrows, or pigeons?”
Jegal Liang had a point. Gwahae’s two pet sparrows, Jjaek bong and Jjaek hwang, were unusually large and plump.
It wasn’t simply because she overfed them, she had been sharing the elixirs Jegal Liang had given her with her sparrows.
Gwahae, uninterested in their conversation, turned back to the window, gazing at the clear blue sky.
She reached out, her hand passing through the air. The sky remained stubbornly uncovered.
But… it was alright.
While she missed Mancheon, it was alright.
She had made plans with Jegal Liang to visit Mancheon on their way back from the Dragon Phoenix Gathering.
Her blue eyes, like the morning sea, sparkled with anticipation.
Like the calm before the storm, she waited.
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Let’s meet with your first master Gwahae🥹
Cute!