Chapter 31: The Disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31: The Disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest (4)
“I’m giving you a chance to switch sides.”
At my sudden proposal, the expressions of the Hall Masters shifted in various ways.
They certainly hadn't expected such an offer.
Considering my relationship with the family as a whole, things were far from amicable. Now that I was reaching out, all sorts of thoughts must be racing through their heads.
-Are you really going to accept them?
The Lesser Conversation Sword asked, sounding puzzled. It seemed even he couldn't guess what I was thinking.
Just watch.
Great Elder Ha Jang-gyun, whose hand had been resting on his saber, finally spoke.
“Do you realize what you are saying right now, Young Master?”
“I’m the one who said it, so of course I do.”
“As one who carries the blood of the great Yikyang So Family, how can you speak so crudely, with such lack of dignity?”
Discussing dignity now? How laughable. I didn't know they had ever cared about my dignity before.
“Ah. I suppose I used some rather blunt language with the Hall Masters, the vassals of the great Yikyang So Family. Then would this phrasing be better? How about you all support me?”
If that’s what they wanted, I’d say it straight.
No matter how much I beat around the bush, there was no better expression for people like Second Elder Jin Ki-hyung or Third Elder Yang Mun-seok than 'switching sides.'
“Support...? It seems you aren't just talking about being the representative for the younger generation.”
I nodded at Ha Jang-gyun’s words.
“If it were just for the representative position, I wouldn't have come to see you all. Wouldn't I just need to persuade the Family Head?”
Ultimately, the final decision-maker for the representative of the younger generation was the Family Head, So Ik-heon. While the Hall Masters could offer their opinions, they couldn't do much more than that.
Then, Third Elder Yang Mun-seok spoke up as if the idea was absurd.
“Surely you aren't talking about the position of Young Family Head?”
I simply smiled without a word.
At that, Yang Mun-seok, Jin Ki-hyung, and Fifth Elder Gam Woo-mun failed to hide their expressions. Seeing this, it was clear these three were firmly backing Lady Yang’s children.
On the other hand, the expressions of the other two, including Fourth Elder Mok San-young, were quite different.
-They look tempted.
At least some of them are.
Of course, just because some of them had kept their distance didn't mean they were friendly toward me. They were strictly neutral.
However, right now, they were likely weighing the practical benefits as vassals of the Yikyang So Family. Would the successor of the Namcheon Sword Guest be more suitable as the Young Family Head? Or would So Yeong-hyeon, who had the Jogok Yang Family—one of the prestigious martial families—as his maternal relatives, be the right fit?
Sensing the atmosphere shifting strangely, Great Elder Ha Jang-gyun frowned and spoke.
“The Young Family Head of this house has already been decided. Why are you trying to cause confusion among the Hall Masters with such talk?”
Sharp as expected. He had seen through my intentions. He hadn't reached the position of Great Elder for nothing.
“If the current Young Family Head lacks the capability, isn't that reason enough to reconsider?”
Second Elder Jin Ki-hyung hurriedly cut in.
“That is out of the question! Didn't the Great Elder just say it? The Eldest Young Master is already the Young Family Head, so how could you...”
“I believe if more than half of the Hall Masters raise an objection, the Family Head is required to reconsider the appointment of the Young Family Head. Am I wrong?”
Jin Ki-hyung was rendered speechless. I was a member of the Yikyang So Family as well; did they think I wouldn't know the Family Law?
If five people—more than half of the Hall Masters—raised an objection, even the Family Head would have no choice but to reconsider the appointment.
Then, the anxious Third Elder Yang Mun-seok stepped forward.
“The Hall Masters must consider our relationship with the Jogok Yang Family.”
He couldn't say it to me directly, so he took a roundabout way. He must have been desperate to bring up So Yeong-hyeon’s maternal family.
But that only made it easier for me to dig in.
“Hearing that, it seems the Jogok Yang Family thinks very little of my master.”
The Jogok Yang Family was certainly a prestigious martial family in Jiangxi Province. But could their prestige compare to that of the Namcheon Sword Guest, whose fame resonated throughout the entire Central Plains?
Startled, Yang Mun-seok waved his hands dismissively.
“T-That’s not what I meant.”
“Ah, is that so? I was worried that Elder Yang might be showing disrespect toward my master. I’m glad to hear otherwise.”
Yang Mun-seok’s face contorted at my words.
People who schemed at his level were a dime a dozen even in the Martial Alliance. I had spent over eight years as a spy among such people; if someone tried to play mind games with me half-heartedly, they were just asking to be used.
Great Elder Ha Jang-gyun looked at me with a face full of incomprehension.
“...Just what happened to you over this past year?”
“What do you mean by that?”
He seemed baffled by how I wasn't backing down an inch against the Hall Masters.
Well, I’d probably feel the same way in his shoes. Less than a year ago, I couldn't even lift my head in their presence. But now, I was taking charge of the situation against these veteran Hall Masters. It must be utterly baffling to them.
“As the Great Elder of this house, I should welcome the fact that you have grown so well as the disciple of the Namcheon Sword Guest. However, I cannot stand by and watch you cause such discord... What are you doing right now?”
The reason for his reaction was simple.
I was looking at the Hall Masters behind him while vibrating my Adam's apple. To him, it looked as if I was ignoring his words to have a conversation with someone via Sound Transmission.
I spoke nonchalantly.
“Ah, my apologies. That was rude of me to do in front of the Great Elder.”
Then, I looked behind him with a look of feigned regret.
“I thought at least a few of you would follow me, but I suppose we should wait and see for a while.”
“!?”
At my words, Ha Jang-gyun frowned and looked back.
He wasn't the only one. The other Hall Masters also looked at each other with suspicion. They were trying to figure out who had contacted me in that short span of time.
Snap!
I gave them a fist-and-palm salute and said, “I have made my intentions clear enough and achieved my small goal, so I shall take my leave. I believe you know which guest house I am staying in. My door is always open, so please feel free to visit whenever you like. Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jo Seong-won, who had been guarding the front, opened the doors to the meeting room. As I walked out, the Hall Masters were still busy eyeing each other suspiciously.
Once we were out of the inner manor, the Lesser Conversation Sword asked. Since he couldn't hear Sound Transmissions, he was curious.
-Who decided to support you?
At his question, I smirked and told him.
No one sent a Sound Transmission.
-What?
No one had sent me a single message. I had simply vibrated my Adam's apple to make it look like I was receiving one.
The sword burst out laughing at my words.
-Pwahahahaha! So you tricked them?
The Lesser Conversation Sword kept clicking his tongue, seemingly impressed by the deception.
This was a manipulation tactic I had mastered during my years as a spy. When in a group, if you vibrate your Adam's apple as if using Sound Transmission and then drop a hint that you’ve spoken with someone, ripples of doubt naturally form.
The ripple of suspicion.
Right now, they were probably inside that room, suspecting one another and falling into chaos.
-So that was your goal.
Of course.
Did they really think I coveted the position of Young Family Head of the Yikyang So Family? After all the humiliation I had suffered, why would I want to be their leader? My goal was simply to throw a small stone to make them doubt each other and cause a rift.
“Senior Brother.”
Just then, Sama Yeong called out to me. Following her gaze, I saw someone rushing toward the inner manor from a distance.
It was So Ik-heon, the Family Head of the Yikyang So Family. Since he was heading in the same direction as the guest house, we were bound to cross paths.
When I gave a slight bow, he spoke with a hardened face.
“Just what are you plotting?”
He must have rushed here after receiving a report. I smiled brightly and feigned ignorance.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
So Ik-heon frowned at my response and walked past me toward the inner manor without another word. It seemed he wanted to see for himself what I had done.
As he entered the inner manor, Sama Yeong spoke as if she couldn't understand.
“Isn't he your father, Senior Brother?”
“He is.”
“Then why is he so cold?”
“I’d like to know that myself.”
Actually, I wasn't even curious anymore. I no longer considered anyone in this family my blood relative, except for my mother and younger sister. What kind of father abandons his child and treats them with such coldness?
Sama Yeong started to say something comforting but then closed her mouth. She really was quite considerate toward me.
“Thank you.”
“Pardon?”
Sama Yeong blinked her eyes at my words.
Anyway, since I had achieved my goal, I should head back to the guest house and wait for Yeong-yeong. Since the Family Head was here, she should also... Hm?
“Isn't that your sister, Senior Brother?”
Just as Sama Yeong said, So Yeong-yeong was stomping her feet, heading toward the guest house. However, someone was following her.
It was a young man with a fairly sturdy build, a saber at his waist, and deep double eyelids. He blocked Yeong-yeong’s path.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Young Lady, let’s just talk for a moment.”
“I told you I have nothing more to say.”
Even from the snippets of conversation, it was clear Yeong-yeong was deeply annoyed. I soon found out why.
“I will never become your second wife. Isn't the talk of marriage already over? Even the Family Head...”
“Didn't the Family Head say we should discuss it slowly?”
“That’s just something adults say out of courtesy. Sigh. I don't want to talk anymore.”
Yeong-yeong tried to walk past him. But the young man with the deep double eyelids even used footwork to block her way. His double eyelids already made him look a bit greasy, and he gave a burdensome smile as he spoke.
“Playing hard to get... that makes you even more charming.”
“Ha!”
Yeong-yeong looked like she was about to have a fit. Even if I were a woman, I’d hate someone so pushy.
There was no need to watch any longer. I was about to step in when someone else dashed forward first.
“Huh?”
It was Sama Yeong. She ran like an arrow and stood beside Yeong-yeong.
“The lady says she doesn't like it, so why do you keep following her around like a lost puppy?”
“Ah?”
Yeong-yeong looked at Sama Yeong, puzzled. Sama Yeong gave her a wink, sending some kind of signal.
Feeling offended, the young man’s face hardened as he gave a fist-and-palm salute.
“I am Jo Saeng-nam of the Yifeng Jo Family. Who are you to interfere between us?”
“'Us'? Since when did it become 'us'?”
Yeong-yeong snapped at him, sounding exasperated. So that greasy-looking guy was Jo Saeng-nam of the Yifeng Jo Family.
-Did you know him?
Of course.
The Yifeng Jo Family was a martial family famous for their saber and fist techniques. Along with the Jogok Yang Family and the Akan Gu Family, they were the three great martial families representing Jiangxi Province. I believe Yeong-yeong had seen him at the 70th birthday feast of the Jogok Yang Family’s former head, and he had sent marriage proposals several times after that.
-Ugh. Did she marry that guy?
No.
I remembered that Yeong-yeong never married because she was active as the Vice Hall Master of the Phoenix Hall in the Martial Alliance. Was it because she got tangled up with a guy like that that she never married?
Even though Yeong-yeong was angry, Jo Saeng-nam didn't seem to care at all as he continued to speak.
“How can we be nothing when marriage talks are ongoing? I don't know who you are, but don't interfere in our business...”
“How can I not interfere?”
Sama Yeong then took Yeong-yeong’s hand and interlaced their fingers.
“When we’re in this kind of relationship.”
Sama Yeong said with a grin. Perhaps it was because her human skin mask was handsome, or because of the interlaced fingers, but Yeong-yeong’s face turned red.
At that sight, Jo Saeng-nam’s eyes flipped.
“Are you throwing away the position of my second wife just because of this guy?”
Second wife? So the marriage talks all this time were about her becoming a second wife?
Having lost his temper, Jo Saeng-nam began spewing insults.
“I was going to accept a girl born of a lowly concubine as my second wife at Lady Yang’s request, and yet, because of a gigolo-looking bastard like this...”
Slap!
Before he could even finish his sentence, Sama Yeong delivered a sharp slap to his face. Jo Saeng-nam looked utterly stunned.
“Ha! Did you just slap me?”
“Why? Does it sting to get slapped by a 'gigolo'? Your mouth was so foul my hand just moved on its own.”
“You bastard!”
Slap!
“Ack!”
Jo Saeng-nam’s head snapped to the other side. Sama Yeong taunted him mockingly.
“You’re too slow.”
“You little shit, you must really have a death wish!”
His rage reaching its peak, Jo Saeng-nam reached for his saber. That’s when I shouted.
“If you draw that blade, I will consider it a threat against my sister and my junior brother.”
He whipped his head around. His eyes with the deep double eyelids were narrowed and slanted upward; he had a face that just begged to be hit. I could see why Sama Yeong had slapped him.
“Ha! The brat of Yulrang County?”
Judging by his reaction, he hadn't heard about me yet. Well, since he had gone to greet guests with Yeong-yeong as soon as the Family Head arrived, he might not have heard.
Jo Saeng-nam shook his head and said, “This gigolo-looking bastard is your junior brother...”
Then, he suddenly shut his mouth. I knew exactly why.
Looking back, I saw So Ik-heon, the Family Head, approaching with a terrifying expression.
“F-Family Head So.”
Flustered, the guy took his hand off his saber hilt and gave a fist-and-palm salute. He seemed to think the Family Head was angry because of him.
-He’s glaring quite terrifyingly.
Just as the Lesser Conversation Sword said, So Ik-heon was glaring—at me. It seemed he had business with me.
Having reached us, So Ik-heon spoke to Jo Saeng-nam in a somewhat overbearing voice.
“Young Master Jo.”
“Y-Yes.”
“There will be a banquet this evening, so do not cause a scene here and go rest.”
“I-I understand.”
Since he had a guilty conscience, the guy quickly answered and retreated. He was lucky. If he hadn't stepped in, I was planning to make him pay for pestering and insulting Yeong-yeong.
Once Jo Saeng-nam had hurriedly left, So Ik-heon spoke to me.
“Follow me.”
Yeong-yeong, Sama Yeong, and Jo Seong-won looked on worriedly, so I told them to go rest at the guest house. It seemed the moment of reckoning had arrived sooner than expected. There was no need to wait for the evening banquet.
The place the Family Head brought me to was none other than his private training room.
After dismissing all the warriors guarding the entrance, So Ik-heon locked the door firmly. We were now completely alone.
I wondered what he would say to me.
But as soon as he locked the door, So Ik-heon drew the sword from the scabbard at his waist.
Shring!
A precious sword engraved with blue patterns. It was the Azure Spirit Sword, the symbol of the Yikyang So Family Head.
I hadn't expected him to draw his sword without a word.
“Is this what you wanted to say?”
At my question, So Ik-heon pointed his sword at me and spoke in a voice laced with fury.
“If you tell me a single lie from this moment on, my sword will not forgive you.”
“You must really hate me quite a bit.”
Swords instead of words. It was beyond disappointing.
But then, words I never expected came out of So Ik-heon’s mouth.
“Have you become a pawn of the Blood Cult?”
“!?”