Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 161

Mount Yeongryunsan, situated in the Deep Realm, was a dimly lit mountainside where the sun never rose. However, once a day, the thick mist would clear, and soft blue moonlight would bathe the entire mountain. Wei Zhongqi called this phenomenon, which lasted for about six hours, as the morning.

Upon waking, Wei Zhongqi walked directly to the yard and stood before a spot marked with an “X.” The corners of his lips turned up, and he couldn’t help but hum a tune. Since returning home to Mount Yeongryunsan after meeting the Heavenly Demon himself, Wei Zhongqi’s top priority was brewing bamboo leaf liquor called Jukyeopcheong.

After graduating at the bottom of his class at the Black Assassin Academy, Wei Zhongqi occasionally received private lessons from Do-Jun and was sometimes gifted this liquor, which was immensely popular among both men and women in the Central Plains. The Heavenly Demon, Lee Do-Jun, seemed to particularly enjoy pairing Jukyeopcheong with Dragon Well tea.

“Today marks exactly one month,” Wei Zhongqi said to no one in particular.

The bamboo leaves, white chrysanthemums, and other medicinal herbs had been steeping in Fenjiu—a type of sorghum liquor—in a cool place for a month. This process allowed the liquor to mature into a refreshing, smooth drink with a clean aftertaste.

Today was the day it would be ready.

He carefully dug into the ground with his fingers. Although he could have used his internal energy to release sword qi and cut through the earth, he chose to dig with his hands to avoid damaging the precious Jukyeopcheong. This wasn’t just for anyone; it was a drink meant to be shared with the person he respected the most.

“Let’s see... The Book of Transfer...”

The artifact that allowed travel to Earth, where Do-Jun resided. However, Wei Zhongqi realized he didn’t have a single page of it left. Thanks to a certain foolish Transcendent who had repeatedly borrowed them and casually traveled back and forth to Earth as if it were his backyard to retrieve his precious Gungnir, none remained.

Wei Zhongqi sighed deeply.

He had lent out more than eight pages of the Book of Transfer to that man. He vowed never to lend another until he got those eight pages back.

To obtain more pages, he would have to visit the Land of Despair.

“Please wait just a little longer, Heavenly Demon.”

Wei Zhongqi hung the Jukyeopcheong from a pine branch in the yard. The breeze would keep it cool. He then hurried toward the Land of Despair.

***

“Wei Zhongqiiii!” A man’s voice echoed across Mount Yeongryunsan.

With just three leaps from the mountain’s base, Kiriel arrived at Wei Zhongqi’s dwelling. He opened the door and looked around. He held ten pieces of parchment in his hand—his reflection paper meant for Do-Jun. He wanted Wei Zhongqi to review them one last time before heading to Earth.

“Tsk. He’s not home, huh?”

He debated whether to wait for Wei Zhongqi to return, but then, his gaze landed on something dangling from a branch. It was a gourd bottle. He approached, opened it with a pop, and sniffed the contents. The strong smell of alcohol made him grimace, but nevertheless, he took a sip.

“Not bad,” Kiriel commented.

Although not particularly fond of drinking himself, even he could tell immediately that this was high-quality liquor.

***

That evening, 9 PM.

Do-Jun sat alone in the empty office. He was working overtime tonight, not because there was a lot of work, but simply because he wanted to take some time to review the overall status of the Fissures under his jurisdiction. The Fissure Management Division had over forty employees, making it one of the larger divisions. Sitting in the spacious office by himself during overtime felt oddly lonely.

I should get going, he thought.

There were about eighty more Fissures to review, but they weren’t urgent.

Do-Jun usually felt rushed to get home right after work, but since he had already told Yoon-Hee that he would be working late, he figured he could take his time tonight.

***

On his way home, Do-Jun halted when he spotted a convenience store. It had been some time since he last drank, and there hadn’t been any company dinners recently. He considered having a drink for the first time in a while. Though he didn’t get drunk, there was a unique atmosphere that came with savoring a drink.

He decided to buy a bottle of soju from the store. Just then, a small Fissure appeared before him, and out came a familiar figure. Upon meeting Do-Jun’s eye, Kiriel flinched slightly.

Holding a bundle of parchment and a gourd bottle, he spoke in a solemn tone. “I-I’ve finished my reflection paper.”

Do-Jun smiled faintly in response.

Kiriel handed him the gourd bottle as he added, “And this...”

Do-Jun accepted it, turning it over in his hands. Through the slightly opened cap, he caught a familiar aroma.

“Is this...?”

***

Sizzle!

Beef and bell peppers were sautéing in a frying pan as Yoon-Hee glanced at the table and chairs set up on the balcony. To be precise, she was looking at Do-Jun and his guest sitting there. According to Karsiel, the guest was a Transcendent from the Core, someone renowned even in the Deep Realm—the deepest part of the Core.

“Then, Siel, isn’t that guy an enemy?” Yoon-Hee asked, remembering that Behemoth Guild was currently raiding the Core.

Their ultimate goal was to eliminate the Deep Realm, the deepest layer of the Core—a goal that was widely known due to the official statements issued by the Hunter’s Bureau. Yet, here was a guest from the Deep Realm itself, which struck her as odd.

“I’m not sure. According to Anne, all demons and Transcendents are evil and dangerous, targets to be eliminated,” Karsiel replied.

“But he seems nice, doesn’t he?” Yoon-Hee asked, puzzled at the timid behavior of the man sitting with Do-Jun.

“Uh, well... That might only apply when he’s around Master.”

Yoon-Hee and Karsiel stared at Kiriel, who sat rigidly opposite Do-Jun.

***

As the lid popped off with a bright sound, the strong scent of alcohol wafted through the air. Kiriel stood slightly from his seat and poured a drink into Do-Jun’s cup with both hands. Taking the gourd from Kiriel, Do-Jun reciprocated by pouring him a drink.

Yoon-Hee entered from the balcony, holding a plate of stir-fried beef that she set on the table. “Here, please enjoy it with your drinks.”

“Thanks, Yoon-Hee.” Do-Jun smiled warmly.

At that moment, Byeol peeked her head out, propping herself up on the edge of the table.

“Ah, we meet again, daughter of the king of Earth,” Kiriel said to Byeol.

Hearing that, Yoon-Hee tilted her head in confusion at the words “king of Earth,” glancing at Do-Jun as he popped a piece of beef into Byeol’s mouth. However, she quickly shrugged it off as no big deal, told them to enjoy, and stepped back into the apartment.

“Here, try this too. If you’re having the meat, you should have the drink, too,” Kiriel said with a chuckle, offering Byeol some alcohol.

Byeol’s nose wrinkled at the scent, her eyes narrowing. “No way. That stuff’s no good. If I dwink, bye-bye Byeol.”

Byeol had tried alcohol once before while wandering around the Core’s first floor. Unbeknownst to her, she had consumed the dew that formed on a plant called Lai Lai, and the whole day had passed in a daze, her head spinning as she lay collapsed.

“Byeol, that’s alcohol. You shouldn’t drink it.” She recalled the Tree of Wisdom’s advice.

Byeol realized that the scent of the liquid Kiriel offered was the same as the dew from the Lai Lai plant. Her narrowed eyes glared adorably at Kiriel, causing Do-Jun to laugh as he patted her head.

“By the way... where did you get the Jukyeopcheong?” Do-Jun asked.

“This? Well, um...”

Kiriel hadn’t even known the drink was called Jukyeopcheong until now. He had secretly taken it from the branches of a tree in Wei Zhongqi’s yard. Unsure of how to explain, he decided to come up with a reasonable lie.

“It was a gift from someone I know.”

“Is that so? It’s of high quality, so I was curious. The taste is excellent,” Do-Jun remarked.

“I’m glad you like it. Haha.”

The two enjoyed their drinks for an hour. Kiriel, who had once again received Gungnir from Do-Jun, glanced at him nervously while pointing at the bottle of Jukyeopcheong and another drink they had sampled, soju.

“Would... would it be alright if I asked for a favor?”

***

Five days later.

Having cleared the first three stages of the trials in the Land of Despair, Wei Zhongqi stood to catch his breath, gazing at the blood-stained plains. This place, with a total of seven trials, offered increasingly valuable artifacts as rewards for advancing through higher levels. Clearing the third stage earned him two pages from the Book of Transfer.

Tusitala appeared to deliver the reward. Known as the “Guide,” she took the form of a small fairy, roaming freely from the Core’s first floor to the Deep Realm, assisting adventurers wherever they went. The Deep Realm was no exception.

“Your strength never fails to impress. I can’t even remember when you were a newbie anymore,” she said.

[You have received the Book of Transfer as your reward.]

Two pages of the Books of Transfer formed in his hands.

Tusitala, her business complete, waved her hand and vanished like smoke.

***

Having returned from the Land of Despair, Wei Zhongqi immediately headed to his home on Mount Yeongryunsan. He entered the yard, holding the two pages of the Books of Transfer with a proud smile. That’s when he saw Kiriel sitting on the porch.

“When did you get here?” he asked Kiriel.

“A few days ago. I retrieved Gungnir from the king of Earth.”

“That’s great. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. It’s all thanks to you.”

“Well, I suppose so,” Wei Zhongqi said, thinking he was referring to the pages of the Book of Transfer.

He walked toward the pine tree rooted in his yard, and seeing the Jukyeopcheong flask still hanging securely from the branches, he smiled.

“What’s that, Wei Zhongqi?”

“This? It’s called Jukyeopcheong.”

“Ah, I actually knew that.”

“You do? This is a liquor from the Central Plains, so I’m surprised you know what it is... Anyway, the Heavenly Demon loved it. Did I ever tell you? Back when I was in the Heavenly Demonism, the Heavenly Demon and I often drank together, and this was always his favorite.”

Wei Zhongqi chuckled warmly.

“Anyway, this Jukyeopcheong took me a whole month to properly prepare. The Heavenly Demon will surely love it. Since I’ve also brought back two pages of the Book of Transfer from the Land of Despair, I’ll visit Earth soon and share a drink with him.”

Wei Zhongqi noticed Kiriel’s expression souring. Though he was curious why Kiriel looked so upset even after receiving Gungnir, he decided to let it slide. Everything had worked out in the end.

“First, I need to taste it to see if it’s properly matured,” he said.

He opened the lid and sniffed the liquor, but something felt off. Wei Zhongqi frowned slightly and took a sip.

“What is this...?” he muttered in confusion.

The taste was... shallow. There was none of Jukyeopcheong’s signature rich bamboo aroma.

“W-what’s wrong?” Kiriel asked.

“This can’t be right. This isn’t the right taste,” Wei Zhongqi replied.

“R-really? Huh, that’s so interesting...”

“Could it be because I left it outside for five days?!”

That was the only possible explanation. Wei Zhongqi bit his lip in frustration. He had worked so hard for this moment!

“I-is it... spoiled?” Kiriel stood on the porch and approached him.

Disappointment was written all over Wei Zhongqi’s face. “I don’t think it’s spoiled, but I can’t give something like this to the Heavenly Demon...”

Kiriel placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll help!”

“What...?”

“Making that Jukyeopcheong or whatever it’s called!” Kiriel explained.

“It’s fine... It’s a tedious process and quite bothersome.”

Kiriel hated anything tedious. Knowing his personality, Wei Zhongqi thought he would quickly retract his offer to help. However, Kiriel’s expression was more determined than ever.

“Tell me what ingredients you need. I’ll get them right away!” Kiriel said resolutely.

“Really?”

“Of course! I owe you a lot, so this is the least I can do. Plus, seeing you so down puts me in a bad mood.”

Wei Zhongqi’s eyes widened. This wasn’t like him at all.

He smirked, then said, “Alright, so, the essential ingredients are White Chrysanthemum and Yunmu Incense. White Chrysanthemum is...”

After receiving the instruction, Kiriel nodded and immediately set out to gather the materials. Watching him leave, Wei Zhongqi smiled softly at the spot he had vacated.

“He may be stupid, but... he’s not bad.”

***

A few days later.

“You know,” Wei Zhongqi muttered, stirring a broth with the Jukyeopcheong ingredients.

Taking another sip of the Jukyeopcheong that had gone wrong, he smacked his lips and said, “This isn’t bad either.”

“R-really?” Fanning the flames of the brazier, Kiriel coughed as he inhaled some smoke.

“It’s not bad. Maybe I should give it a new name. You got any ideas?”

“Soju,” Kiriel answered without hesitation.

“Huh...?”

Avoiding Wei Zhongqi’s gaze, Kiriel repeated, “H-how about soju?”

Wei Zhongqi mulled over the name for a moment, then chuckled and nodded.

“I like it.”

This chapt𝒆r is updated by free(w)ebnovel(.)com