Miao Miao Noodle Shop's rooftop...
Heero sat below the tree with two kids sitting on the opposite of him. Kang Dong-Woo and his little sister, Kang Myung-Hee.
Kang Dong-Woo had a serious look and a strong determination could be seen from his eyes as he looked at Heero. As for Kang Myung-Hee, she looked pretty nervous as she had her head hung low.
As the two kids came, Heero did not join the interview. He was sure these two kids were looking for him. That was why he brought the two kids up here.
Heero did not immediately ask why the two kids came to him, but he scanned the things behind the two kids. The two kids brought four big pieces of luggage with them. With just the luggage, he could guess why the two kids came to him, but somehow he did not dare to ask the kids.
"So… what happened to you two?" Eventually, Heero had to ask. As an adult, he had to initiate the conversation, though he had guessed the big picture.
Kang Dong-Woo did not answer, but his response was a bit weird to Heero. Kang Dong-Woo stared at Heero with firm eyes for a moment before he rose from the seat. He moved to Heero's side with only a meter distance between them.
As Heero was still confused with Kang Dong-Woo's action, Kang Dong-Woo bowed down till his head reached the solid floor.
"Teacher Xing, please take me as your disciple!!!" Kang Dong-Woo yelled loudly.
Heero was certainly surprised, but the surprise did not stop here. The little Myung-Hee also wanted to follow his brother. She clumsily moved to her brother's side and yelled, "Me too!"
After yelling, Kang Myung-Hee wanted to kowtow just like her brother did. But Heero did not let the little girl do that as he immediately picked the little girl up.
'As I thought, there must be a problem with these two…' Heero sighed inwardly. Even though he wanted to stay away from trouble, he just did not have the heart to leave the two kids alone.
'At least, I have to listen to their story first before deciding what to do with the kids…'
In his hands, Kang Myung-Hee's body trembled for some reason. Then, he felt his shirt wet, the little girl was crying.
"Dong-Woo, stand up! Tell me what happened!" Heero changed his tone to the stern one to push Kang Dong-Woo. After that, he stroked the little girl's back gently to calm her.
*** ***
Ence Fort
The night in the Ence Fort was quite different than Star City. When the night came, the temperature dropped to five degrees celsius.
In the north wall, Musashi Hirata stood motionlessly as his gaze fell at the dungeon's gate. It had been only two days since he stayed here and he was very bored here. Moreover, the food here was unpalatable if he had to compare it with the food in the Xing District.
His boredom was the one bringing him here as he was tempted to enter the dungeon. He planned to sneak into the dungeon to release his boredom. He scanned the guards as he formulated a plan to sneak in.
"With me here, you will not be able to sneak into the dungeon"A calm voice resounded from the other side and the voice was familiar to Musashi Hirata.
Hirata pretended not to hear the voice as he kept looking at the dungeon's gate.
"If you are really that bored, what about having a sparring match with me to release your boredom?" Musashi Naizen continued despite being ignored.
Musashi Naizen was sure the man next to him was his little brother. Even though Musashi Hirata wore a wooden mask to cover his face, he recognized the sword. Not only that, the voice, even though Musashi Hirata tried to change his voice, but Musashi Naizen still could discern the voice belonged to his little brother after a few conversations.
"Heh, so the honorable Emperor Class Hero - Rank 7 wants to bully this nobody to relinquish his boredom?" Musashi Hirata responded with a self-deprecating tone. He also replied with his real voice as he knew that he had been found out, so there was no need to hide his identity anymore.
"Haah…" Musashi Naizen let out a sigh upon hearing his little brother's response, "You haven't changed… I don't know why you treat me like this, but you truly have to go home… Mother Hizuru truly missed you, without you, she looks so lonely…"
"No, I have changed. As for why I treated you like this, there's no need for you to worry. It's not your fault, but... it's because of my jealousy. However, now, it has become a habit and it's going to take some time for me to change. As for my mom…"
Musashi Hirata turned around to face his big brother, the pearl of the Musashi Clan.
"As for my mom, tell her to wait a little longer, I need a little more time and you, you have to be prepared when the time comes. At that time, it will be the day you will be defeated under my hand, and that day, I will bring my mom out from that hell!"
'Don't listen to what others say about you. There's no end to fulfilling people's expectations. Just do what you want to do, doing things that make you happy. In this regard, you are lacking compared to Zhou Yi.'
Heero's words rang in Musashi Hirata's mind once again. At that time, he still did not know the things he wanted to do, the things that would make him happy. But now, he had found it, it was to make his Mom happy.
It was his goal, but to achieve his goal, he had to take his mom out of Musashi Clan. It was the first step he had to take. Musashi Clan was akin to prison to his mom, though it was him who caused that.
For the first time, Musashi Naizen lost his bearing upon hearing his little brother's words. He was shocked by the declaration.
"But why? Why did you hate me that much?" Musashi Naizen lost his composure as he raised his voice.
Musashi Hirata shook his head, "I no longer hate you, but to achieve my goal, I have to defeat you! Don't you know that old man's disposition? He will not let me bring my mother out..."
Old Man in Musashi Hirata's mouth was his father, Musashi Kenzan, Emperor Class Hero - Rank 4. If he came back now, he was sure his old man would not let him bring his mother with him.
If his mother was happy staying within the clan, then he did not bother to bring her with him. But because of him, he and his mother were pretty isolated within the clan. As the direct descendant from the main clan, he failed to meet the clan's expectations.
Of course, he was not weak, but the clan put his big brother, Musashi Naizen as the standard. His feat could not be compared to the Musashi Naizen's brilliance.
So if he did not prove his worth, his old man would never allow him to take his mother out of the clan with him. Begging to his old man? There's no way that old man would comply at his beg, the result would be the opposite.
The old man did not like that kind of man, if you wanted something, then get it with your strength. Defeating his big brother was the best choice to get that old man's approval.
"Then stay? Why do you want to take Mother Hizuru out of the clan? Just what do you want to do? The clan will grant everything you and Mother Hizure want! There's no need to bring Mother Hizuru out of the clan, just what you can get outside the clan?" Musashi Naizen failed to understand his brother's train of thought.
One of the biggest and the oldest families in Star City, 'Musashi Clan'. The clan could fulfill everything the mother and son could wish for, wealth, fame, anything. At least, it was what Musashi Naizen thought.
"Hah, if it was me in the past, then I agree with you, but not anymore. Sun Zhou Yi taught me that many things will bring happiness besides wealth, fame, and status. My Master too..." Musashi Hirata's words trailed off as Xing District's lively atmosphere came into his mind.
He was sure the life in the Xing District would bring happiness to his mother. Even though his mother was Musashi Kenzan's wife was in fact an ordinary woman from the commerce region.
Musashi Hirata believed that his mother preferred to live in the Xing District rather than living in the clan.
"Your Master? Who's that person? He seems…" Musashi Naizen stopped halfway as he remembered when the Wyvern King was killed by the mysterious man.
"Don't worry, as long as you don't bother him, he won't bother you as well. My advice is... Don't provoke him no matter what, Never!" Having said that, Musashi Hirata turned around to leave the north wall.
He canceled his intention to sneak into the dungeon. He realized that it was impossible to sneak into the dungeon under Musashi Naizen's eyes.
"I know you mean good to me and I don't resent you too, don't take my words into the heart. It's just that Musashi Clan is not the right place for us, mother and son. Moreover, you no longer have to worry that I will grab the successor position of yours, Brother! It's a win-win situation for us."
Musashi Hirata added before he jumped down from the ten meters wall. Musashi Naizen's gaze was at his brother's silhouette which slowly vanished from his sight.
He stared at his brother's back with a complex look, but he indeed felt a big change within his brother. His brother now talked more than before, usually, his brother only spoke when he asked him about something.
Moreover, his answer was plain with only a few words. As he felt the change, a curiosity aroused inside him. Musashi Naizen was curious about what changed his brother.
'It seems I have to visit his new home and investigate that mysterious master as well…'
*** ***
Back in Xing District, Heero sat before a computer. He was writing for his new story while checking the Star Web from time to time.
Behind him, on the bed, Hong Yu was also checking the forum through her smartwatch. Tonight, he and Hong Yu were sleeping in their cozy cottage on the rooftop as they had to give their bedroom for Kang Dong-Woo and Kang Myung-Hee.
Remember about the two kids, Heero heaved a sigh as he massaged his forehead. The two kids ran away from their home and weirdly, their parents did not prevent the kids from running away. They also did not come to look for the kids during the afternoon.
"What's wrong?" Hong Yu asked while swinging her flawless long legs. She heard the sigh and wondered what her husband was thinking about.
"It's about Dong-Woo and Myung-Hee, what should I do about them?" Heero truthfully replied to what was in his mind.
As Heero brought the topic about two kids, Hong Yu immediately sat up and her lips formed a sweet smile.
"It's easy, let them stay here of course. If it's possible, we can adopt them as well. Myung-Hee is pretty, cute, and adorable. I don't mind adopting her as our first child." Her eyes sparkled and she seemed quite serious with her words.
'Hah, it's my fault to talk about this with her…'
The reason why the two kids ran away from their home was somewhat chaotic and quite absurd in Heero's eyes.
Kang Myung-Hee's father, Kang Yun-Cheol betrothed his four-year-old daughter away to Kim Family's offspring. Knowing this, Kang Dong-Woo was furious, he exploded and got into a big fight with his father.
The kids did not tell him in detail about the fight. The big fight should be only an argument, but the brother told him that he wanted to cut his ties with his family. That was why his wife could come up with an idea to adopt the kids.
As for why Kang Dong-Woo chose to come here, it was to be his disciple.
He wanted to get strong and be independent of his family. Kang Dong-Woo did not want to get back, he wanted to be strong enough to protect his sister from his own family which was quite weird to Heero.
As for why Heero did not take any action until now, it was not a simple matter. He did not want to meddle with other family affairs, but he also did not have the heart to leave the kids. He fell into another dilemma.