The Jang Family Clan Estate (2)
The Jang Family Clan Estate was quite different from the typical building layout of orthodox sects, as it started from a merchant guild. Where orthodox sects placed the sect leader's hall at the center with outer halls arranged around it, the Jang Family Clan Estate centered on the Sangpyeong Hall to coordinate the various guilds, surrounded by the Sunho Hall, Chaho Hall, inner courtyard, and outer courtyard.
In other words, the inner courtyard where the direct lineage and main figures of the Jang Family Clan Estate resided sat on the outskirts in the eyes of orthodox sects, making it vulnerable to safety issues. A single wall crossing led directly to the inner courtyard.
Therefore, the Sunho Hall of the Jang Family Clan Estate continuously recruited skilled martial artists for the estate's safety and protection. Since the orthodox martial artists looked down on the merchant guild people, there wasn't much interaction.
Thus, when traveling, they had no choice but to use black or unorthodox experts as escorts, and this tradition remained, leading to more interactions with black and unorthodox martial artists. Even though it had become one of the pillars of the martial world sects, that tradition didn't disappear, and unorthodox or black martial artists remained as guests or empty guests.
'It's really surprising that the estate is composed exactly as I set it.'
When Seo Joo-cheon stepped inside the Jang Family Clan Estate, loaded carriages came and went, mixed with martial artists, making it impossible to tell whether this was a merchant guild or a martial sect. Moreover, half of those martial artists were from black or unorthodox factions, so it was hard to distinguish whether this was an orthodox sect estate or a black faction.
'I had to center the story on the Jang Family Clan Estate, and I set it up this uniquely, but thinking about it now, it feels like I went a bit too far.'
When Wang Jae-gyeong arrived in front of the Sangpyeong Hall, he spoke up. "The two of you will stay in the outer courtyard's guest pavilion, and the second young master should head to the inner courtyard."
Oh Jang-gwon accepted the words. "After escorting these two to the guest pavilion, I will head to the inner courtyard."
"Understood."
"Hyung-nim, I'll go greet my parents and relatives. It might be tough today, so I'll come back tomorrow. Please take care of Seong-u."
Since the Jang Family Clan Estate was a group composed of blood relatives, their numbers were not small. Just the greetings would take a full day.
With the return banquet added, two days would barely suffice.
"Don't worry. I am staying with the great hero Sang."
"Yes, Hyung-nim."
Wang Jae-gyeong bowed to Sang Ryo and Seo Joo-cheon, then led Jang Hyeon-nam toward the inner courtyard. Normally, a passing martial artist would have been used to guide the two, but since one was Jang Hyeon-nam's sworn brother and the other was his sworn older brother, special care was being taken.
When Seo Joo-cheon arrived at the outer courtyard, he let out a small laugh. The entire scene of the Jang Family Clan Estate came to mind. He had drawn the Jang Family Clan Estate hundreds of times in his head while writing the protagonist using the unorthodox extra, only to erase it repeatedly.
One of the characteristics of the Jang Family Clan Estate was that the outer courtyard was grand while the inner courtyard was modest. This stemmed from the philosophy of treating guests with utmost respect while living frugally oneself.
That's why the guest pavilion looked carefully tended from the outside. Beautiful flowers bloomed in the meticulously arranged garden, with small pavilions scattered beneath the camphor and paulownia trees, each exuding a refined atmosphere. In the center of the garden stood a pond where silk koi swam. Next to it was a well-maintained training ground for martial artists, leaving nothing to be desired.
Perhaps among martial world sects, the Jang Family Clan Estate was the best for hosting guests. It was not even on the level of the Marquess Alliance.
'Well, of course. It's the place where the protagonist acts.'
While looking at the characters he had created, Seo Joo-cheon felt a strange thrill. However, the fact that such a vast group existed exactly as he had described it was even more special.
'It feels like I have become a transcendent being.'
Oh Jang-gwon guided them through the corridor from the guest pavilion to the innermost room. "Please use this room for the time being. This is the place given to the most important guests even in the guest pavilion."
Even without his words, the furniture and decorations in the room looked expensive. The furniture, ceramics, and paintings were the works of famous artisans and painters.
"Thank you for your consideration."
"Not at all. Since you are the sworn older brother of Hyeon-nam, we must treat you this way. That guy has no friends. He's kind, but he's picky and doesn't associate with just anyone. But since that guy brought his sworn older brother, the great hero Po is a distinguished guest to us."
"Thank you for your kind words."
Seo Joo-cheon responded with a bow to Oh Jang-gwon's praise.
"I should be going now. We'll meet again later."
"We'll see you again."
After Oh Jang-gwon and Oh Seung left, Sang Ryo and Seo Joo-cheon roughly unpacked their belongings.
After unpacking, a cute young girl carrying a tea tray entered with a simple snack.
"I am Hong-mi. From now on, I will serve the two great heroes. If you need anything, please tell me."
Assigning a servant the moment one entered the room showed how the Jang Family Clan Estate treated guests.
The young girl had her hair braided in two long pigtails.
"All right. Hong-mi. Understood. Please take care."
At Seo Joo-cheon's words, Hong-mi smiled shyly and left.
"I will be leaving the Jang Family Clan Estate in a few days. From now on, the great hero Sang will stay by my side. I would like to give you some advice."
With only the two of them left, Seo Joo-cheon wanted to give him necessary information about the Jang Family Clan Estate.
In some ways, the Jang Family Clan Estate could become a nightmare for Jang Hyeon-nam.
He would face attacks severe enough to threaten the extinction of his sect, and there would be no small amount of internal strife. Power struggles could also come into play.
'I can't avoid it. This is already something I set up. I wish I could stay here and help Jang Hyeon-nam, but since I am set as a lead character, I also have to actively plan things.'
"If it's advice from the great hero Po, you should listen with both ears."
Sang Ryo was fortunate to be a tightly sealed martial artist.
"As you know, my sworn younger brother is a young man with strong chivalry. Thus, he finds it difficult to compromise with injustice. He would rather die than compromise."
"That is why I was drawn to him."
At Sang Ryo's words, Seo Joo-cheon nodded.
"But if only chivalry is emphasized in the Jang Family Clan Estate, my sworn younger brother might be eliminated."
"What do you mean by that?"
Seo Joo-cheon added a lie.
"When I stayed in Xi'an a long time ago, I had contact with a martial artist who knew the situation here well. According to him, the Jang Family Clan Estate has a significant conflict between the sect leader and his mother. The sect leader enjoys interacting with black and unorthodox martial artists, while the mother hates it to the extreme. So, as you can see, the inner courtyard guards starting from the inner courtyard guards are all from the orthodox martial world."
"Ah, I see."
"But half of the sect leader's hall guards are black and unorthodox martial artists. And the sworn older brother of my sworn younger brother, Jang Ho, follows the mother, while my sworn younger brother follows the sect leader. However, my sworn younger brother cannot disobey his mother's words. If internal strife occurs, the most difficult person will be my sworn younger brother. If my sworn younger brother is mentally struggling nearby, we must take good care of him. We cannot remain indifferent and must actively intervene to prevent my sworn younger brother from shaking."
"Would I even have the time to do that? If it's the great hero Po, maybe, but..."
"No. I know that the great hero Sang is superior to anyone. My sworn younger brother treats the great hero Sang like an older brother. Therefore, the great hero Sang must not hesitate and help my sworn younger brother."
"What an honor. If future difficulties are expected, wouldn't it be better for the great hero Po to stay and help the young master?"
"Actually, I considered it, but it's not a particularly good method. It would be better for me to help from outside."
Sang Ryo was relieved when he heard that Seo Joo-cheon continued to worry about Jang Hyeon-nam.
Strangely, Sang Ryo felt that Seo Joo-cheon was stronger than anyone else.
His qi was clearly below his own.
However, after directly experiencing Seo Joo-cheon, Sang Ryo realized that he was a martial artist who had long surpassed him.
For that reason, Sang Ryo felt at ease when Seo Joo-cheon was nearby.
"I will stay in Yongcheonbang later. If my sworn younger brother faces any difficulty, contact me. Later, I will tell the great hero Sang how to contact me."
Since he had not yet entered Yongcheonbang, he could not give advance notice about contact methods.
Seo Joo-cheon continued to have one concern.
'It would be good to raise Sang Ryo's level by one step, but there's no way to approach him without damaging his pride.'
To protect Jang Hyeon-nam from the side, Sang Ryo needed to become a great expert.
Although Sang Ryo was a first-rate Daoist, he had not completely surpassed the first-rate realm.
With just a little more internal energy here, Sang Ryo would be a Daoist with the talent to challenge the peak first-class level.
'Sang Ryo needs to become a great expert to help Jang Hyeon-nam.'
First, he spoke to naturally change the topic.
"And finally, I have one more thing I want to say."
"Please say whatever you want. I will take it as reference."
"As you can see, all the inner courtyard guards are from the orthodox martial world. This is because the mother values them. Perhaps the fact that the great hero Sang is unorthodox could become an obstacle."
"Ah, is that so? Then I would only be causing trouble for the great hero Jang."
Sang Ryo didn't know the situation of the Jang Family Clan Estate, so all the stories he heard from Seo Joo-cheon were new.
"Great hero Sang, please listen without misunderstanding. From now on, you must emphasize that you are a martial artist from Kunlun."
"..."
This was no different from poking at Sang Ryo's painful wound.
Bringing up the extinct sect wasn't a good method.
Sang Ryo said nothing.
"Of course, it would greatly damage the great hero Sang's pride. But you must emphasize that you are a martial artist from Kunlun so that you can endure long by my sworn younger brother's side."
Sang Ryo nodded.
"I fully understand and will consider it."
"Please forgive my impertinent words."
"No. I know well that the great hero Po is speaking for the great hero Jang and me."
"As a sign of apology, I would like to give you a gift. Will you accept it?"
At those words, Sang Ryo smiled faintly.
"Since you touched my pride to give me this gift, I can't refuse. What is it?"
Seo Joo-cheon took out a small jade porcelain bottle from his pocket.
"This is a bottle containing the Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng Liquid Essence."
"Ohh."
Sang Ryo opened his mouth wide at the name.
A spiritual medicine that martial artists dream of even in their sleep.
And it was the Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng Liquid Essence.
It was rumored to be an elixir as effective as Gongcheong Seokyu.
"It's only a little. Maybe just a few drops."
"You mean you're giving me such a precious thing?"
"Strictly speaking, it's for my sworn younger brother."
Since Sang Ryo might not accept it, Seo Joo-cheon sold it using Jang Hyeon-nam's name.
"If a great expert is nearby to assist, my sworn younger brother will be even safer."
"This is too much."
Sang Ryo hesitated, unable to readily accept the elixir.
Sang Ryo couldn't understand. He thought he had figured out Seo Joo-cheon to some extent, but that was a mistake.
'Is it possible to give an elixir to someone who helps his sworn brothers? What kind of person is the great hero Po? Even a monk from Shaolin couldn't do it, and even a true person from the Mu Dang faction couldn't easily do this.'
To Sang Ryo, Seo Joo-cheon seemed like a bodhisattva.
Seo Joo-cheon smiled bitterly inside.
'If readers see this scene, they would curse me as a heartless protagonist who freely gives martial arts and elixirs.'
There were readers who particularly disliked protagonists in martial hero novels who passed on martial arts and gave elixirs to others.
'It's not realistic. If it's so good, it's more realistic to monopolize it alone.'
Seo Joo-cheon didn't feel sorry about the Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng Liquid Essence that remained only a few drops.
He had already secured enough Gongcheong Seokyu.
'With this amount to form a Jia, I can give it. If there was no Gongcheong Seokyu, I wouldn't have given it.'
He had also considered giving the Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng Liquid Essence to Jang Hyeon-nam, but the Jang Family Clan Estate had been steadily purchasing elixirs and administering them to Jang Ho and Jang Hyeon-nam.
That's why there was no need to give it to Jang Hyeon-nam.
"I cannot refuse the great hero Po's intention."
Sang Ryo stood up abruptly and bowed respectfully.
"The great hero Po's grace, this Sang Ryo will never forget even in death."
"And if you reach a limit in your martial skills, tell my sworn younger brother. I'm sure he will give you a solution. If you need Kunlun martial arts, he will find a way even by spending money. If it's a martial art that's out of reach, he will definitely give you a clue. So don't hesitate and tell him. That is the way for my sworn younger brother."
Sang Ryo smiled faintly.
"I've met many martial artists so far, but the great hero Po has a truly different way of thinking. The idea of obtaining the power of the protector to protect others has never occurred to me."
Approaching with modern thinking made possible methods.
Parts that martial artists in this era couldn't think of.
If he had his way, he wanted to pass on the Yin-Yang Collision Cultivation and Thousand-Jin Weight Art, but to Sang Ryo who had already learned Kunlun's secret techniques, they would have no meaning.
If it was Kunlun martial arts, there would be methods with similar theories.
'The first plan for Jang Hyeon-nam is over. The problem is the second one.'
If Sang Ryo provided close protection for Jang Hyeon-nam, some danger could be reduced.
But in reality, the spark that would cause full internal strife in the Jang Family Clan Estate came from Jang Hwa-lim, the younger sister of Jang Hyeon-nam.
'I set it up so that Jang Hwa-lim would be killed in the name of creating internal strife. I set it up so that Jang Hwa-lim would be assassinated while delivering cargo to the Mount Hua Sect. Since the assassin is from the unorthodox faction, the mother and Jang Ho would expel all unorthodox and black martial artists from the clan, preventing conflict with the sect leader.'
It was fine in the novel, but for the protagonist, it was something he couldn't do.
Now, he had to stop that setting for the sake of Jang Hyeon-nam.
Since Jang Hwa-lim was an outstanding strategist of the Jang Family Clan Estate, her death would lead the Jang Family Clan Estate to the brink of extinction.
'I set it up and now have to destroy the setting.'
Seo Joo-cheon staying in the Jang Family Clan Estate for a while to follow Jang Hyeon-nam was with the intention of saving Jang Hwa-lim.
'I must stop Jang Hwa-lim from going to the Mount Hua Sect.'
If only Jang Hwa-lim was saved, even if the Jang Family Clan Estate temporarily escaped the crisis, she could firmly endure with her strategies.
Only then could Seo Joo-cheon go to Yongcheonbang without worry.
After talking with Sang Ryo, Seo Joo-cheon left the room to cool his head.
"Hong-mi. Guide me around the outer courtyard. The great hero Sang staying here must stay in the Jang Family Clan Estate."
"Yes. Please follow me. I will explain the outer courtyard and guest pavilion in detail."
The two walked around the outer courtyard and saw martial artists gathered at one pavilion.
"They are martial artists from the Qingcheng Sect."
Five Daoists in Qingcheng Sect uniforms were discussing something with serious faces.
Seo Joo-cheon found it hard to look at the Qingcheng Sect martial artists because of Daoist Gojin.
At that moment, one Qingcheng Sect martial artist noticed the two and called Hong-mi.