Looking at the inn keeper's face full of delight, Ji-Hyun is caught by surprise.
That grumpy old prick can smile like that, huh?
He then heads home, excited to show his mother what he has earned.
Upon reaching his house, he hears the sound of a muffled cry.
Mother!
He immediately takes out the knife from the scabbard and starts tiptoeing inside.
He opens the door slightly and sees a man with a wide back. His mother's voice comes from the front of the man.
Enraged by the scene, he holds back as he only has the element of surprise in his favor.
Slowly, he starts to creep up to the man, and after covering enough distance, he takes his arm up above his head and aims at the neck swing with all his might!
Suddenly, the man looks behind and seeing a knife coming for his head, he grabs it by hand.
****
Seeing the sun start to set, Mei-Lan takes down the dried clothes and heads inside the house.
She first categorizes everyone's clothes and starts folding them. After finishing, she heads to the kitchen to cook a meal for her son.
She starts cutting up pork she got from the market again today to celebrate his first day at work.
Although she is against him going to work and thinks that he should work in a smithy full of blades, she could not defeat him in the end.
Struggling to cut the meat, she thinks to herself.
That child! His tongue is sharper that this damn knife!
Knock, knock!
Hearing someone knock, she looks out the window to notice how late it is.
With a smile, she rushes to the door and pulls it open to look down for her soon, but instead , she sees a wide chest.
She turns up her head, "Sorry, who are you…?"
Recognizing the man in front of her, her eyes start to fill up with tears. With her throat now dry, she tries to speak, but words fail to come out of her mouth.
"Sorry for the long wait, Mei-Lan. I'm back."
Words still failing to come out of her mouth, she suddenly punches the man in his face. Again, again and again…
With a smile full of joy and eyes full of longing, "Still so fierce, are we?"
Calming down, she hugs the man, mustering all her strength as if she will never let him go again, "You bastard, what took you so long…"
Hugging each other, the two head inside the house. Settling down, neither let go.
"How have you been?" asks the man.
With a muffled voice, "How do you think, you runaway bastard!?"
"Sorry about that. I will never leave you again. Never. No matter what."
As they continue to find peace in each other's embrace, the man suddenly feels a killing intent. He turns around, seeing a knife aimed at him, he grabs it and tightens his fist to annihilate the one who ruined his long-awaited moment.
Seeing a child in front of him, he becomes enraged. A child! They have fallen so low to send a child!!
"Ji-Hyun, stop!"
***
Seeing the man grab onto the knife, he lets go of it and tightens his fists, striking the man's chin repeatedly when,
"Ji-Hyun, stop!!"
"He is your father!"
Hearing that, Ji-Hyun becomes stunned and looks at his mother.
The man shocked himself, looking at Mei-Lan,
Both of them uttered a single word, "Father?..."
Stunned, the two look at one another. Bai-tian begins to notice how the child trying to stab him looks just like his other children.
Comprehending the situation, Ji-Hyeon composes himself and withdraws his hand, "I apologize, sir, I misunderstood the situation."
Still shocked, "Oh... right, right, it's okay, you were just trying to protect your mother. Yes, it's okay, it's… okay."
Mei-lan, feeling the awkwardness that could be cut with a sword, tries to break the ice, "Since everyone is here, gather around the table. Let's eat."
Sitting at the table, Mei-Lan notices Ping-min side-eyeing Ji-Hyeon from time to time. "No need to stare so much. He is your son."
Caught off guard, "Oh no, no, I am not doubting you, it's just that I was not expecting to see… Well, him." Suddenly, his heart tightens as if a hand was gripping it as it gets filled with further guilt, "I… I am sorry. You had to look after a child as a single mother, even with your father's help. It must've been very hard. I am sorry."
"He has already passed away."
"What?! When?!"
"Around the time of Ji-Hyeon's 2nd birthday."
His head held down by the heavy weight of shame, he repeats, " I am sorry. I am so… so… sorry. I promise to you from this day no, this moment onwards, that I will not leave you again. NEVER."
Ji-Hyeon notices how his mother was moved by his supposed father's words. He felt the urge to curse at his father for all of Mei-Lan's suffering but chooses to hold back after seeing his mother's eyes tear up.
Right after everyone begins to carry their dishes to wash, Ping-Min begins to announce the reason for his return, "I came here to bring you to my home. Will you come, Mei-Lan?"
Mei-Lan begins to lose strength in her legs as she finally hears the words she wished to hear from the man for whom she waited for years for ignoring the words of those around her.
Mustering her strength, she replies, "Yes…"
***
As the sun rises, the now family starts to pack the few belongings they have. The three then head to the far end of the village to a graveyard full of graves with some piles of rocks around the corners.
Mei-Lan then points out a specific pile of rock, speaking in a low tone, "We could not afford a grave..."
"I see."
Ping-min then heads towards the grave and gets down on his knees with his forehead kissing the ground, "I am sorry, father-in-law. I am very very sorry. I made the one who deserves my everything suffer so much. I was not even aware of my own son's existence. I am sorry. Nothing I say will make up for what I have done but I will make sure that the same does not happen again. Never again. I will be giving your daughter and your grandson my everything as they deserve it."
Bidding farewell to the deceased, the family starts heading out of the village. While passing by the inn, Ji-Hyeon notices the inn is now empty. As they pass through the village's gate, they notice dozens upon dozens of warriors wearing a uniform with a sword having a scale as its hilt sewn on their left chest.
"Why are there people from the alliance here? Oh no! Is the village in trouble!"
Ji-Hyeon is surprised, as he had never before heard of this alliance. Right when he proceeds to ask his mother. A soldier from the battalion sees them and shouts, "Welcome back alliance leader! We are ready to depart!"
Hearing the soldier, Mei-Lan and Ji-Hyeon look around to see the alliance leader. "Goo,d let's head out right away."
Hearing Ping-Min speak, the two are silenced. Ping-Ming noticing the expression of the two smiles, "Come on let's go." Ping-Ming then starts heading towards the lavish carriage surrounded by the soldiers. The two, still in shock, follow him inside the carriage.
The carriage starts heading towards their destination with the eyes of the mother and son still stuck on the man sitting across them. Unable to hold her curiosity, Mei-Lan asks, "Who exactly are you?"
With a smile, Bai-Tian replies, "I am the current leader of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, Bai-Tian."
Hearing the soldier address him as such, Mei-Lan knew who he was, but hearing it from his mouth, she finally digested the information.
But what she felt was not joy knowing the man whom she loved was the alliance leader of the greatest faction of murim but despair as she knew just how prestigious the alliance was.
Bai-Tian, being the leader of the said allianc,e would definitely wed a poor washwoman from a remote village. But remembering Bai-Tian's words, she calms down, readying herself to even become a concubine or a servant to Bai-Tian if it meant staying with him for her love and a brighter future for her son.
Bai-Tia,n looking at Mei-Lan's expression changing from surprise to despair and now fulfillment, waits for her to speak up when Ji-Hyeo,n thinking the same thing, speaks up, "So after all that you said do you plan to have my mother as your concubine?!"
Surprised by the young boy's quick thinking and rage, Bai-Tian answers him, "No, I plan to marry her not as a concubine but as my wife. Officially. The wedding is set for 2 weeks later."
Taken aback by the answer, along with the decisive action, the two get silenced, not knowing what to say.