Chapter 158: Young Master
Chapter 158: Young Master
Seonu Family Head Seonwoo Jung had used this event to clear Seonwoo Jin's false accusation in front of everyone in the Seonwoo family and to root out the Un clan's influence.
However, all business was not yet concluded.
Seonwoo Jung, who had been watching the embrace between Seonwoo Jin and the Tang Family's eldest son Dan Ha-seon with warm eyes for a moment, soon opened his mouth again.
"And!"
At that, everyone once again turned their attention to Seonwoo Jung.
"As you all know, I had declared some time ago that I would determine the Seonwoo family's successor through a martial contest!"
At his words, the people could not help but be shocked once again.
The matter of succession—it was entirely expected that this topic would also be a bombshell declaration.
In particular, the eldest son Seonwoo Seong and the fourth son Seonwoo Gi's eyes flew wide open as they looked at each other's faces.
This was because they had thought that only the two of them remained as candidates now.
At that moment, Seonwoo Jung continued speaking.
"I intend to hold that contest right here, right now! It is far earlier than originally planned, but given all that has happened, I judged there was a need to determine the successor swiftly!"
At those words, everyone nodded their heads in sympathy.
Given that there had been major incidents such as the fight with the Ha clan and the battle with the Blood Cultists, they agreed that it would be better to determine the successor as quickly as possible, even if only to prepare for any contingency.
Seonwoo Jung looked at his sons and spoke.
"Now, let the three young family head candidates all step forward!"
At those words, the fourth son Seonwoo Gi, who had been about to step forward unthinkingly, suddenly muttered with a puzzled face.
"Huh? But why three?"
"Hm? Three?"
Seonwoo Seong, belatedly grasping the meaning of those words, also looked around with a puzzled face.
Then they could see it.
The third son, Seonwoo Jin, slowly walking forward....
At that, Seonwoo Gi, seeing this, asked him with a dumbfounded expression.
"What, third hyung? You're saying you'll compete? Have you lost your mind?"
Seonwoo Seong also chuckled and spoke.
"What? Three meant three including Jin? Hehehe! Jin, I get that you're happy to have cleared your name, but isn't this a bit much?"
At that, Seonwoo Jin smiled faintly and asked them.
"Hyungnim, and Gi. Do you have nothing to say to me regarding my name being cleared?"
At those words, Seonwoo Seong's expression became slightly odd.
It was because he recalled the harsh words he had said to Seonwoo Jin when the false accusation had been placed upon him.
But Seonwoo Seong cleared his throat and slightly avoided Seonwoo Jin's eyes as he spoke.
"Ahem, what do you mean, what words?"
Seonwoo Gi was even worse.
He had sneered and said this very thing.
"You were lucky, hyungnim. Just how lacking must a person be to go around carrying such a false accusation?"
At his words, Seonwoo Jin smiled bitterly and nodded.
"Right, I suppose so."
At that moment, Family Head Seonwoo Jung asked.
"Is there anyone you wish to face first?"
Then the fourth son Seonwoo Gi's face lit up and he hastily raised his hand high.
"Me! I wish to face third hyung first! Please give me the chance first, Father!"
Truthfully, Seonwoo Gi had already almost given up any lingering attachment to the position of successor.
No matter how he thought about it, he had no confidence in beating his eldest brother Seonwoo Seong.
So he had been thinking he'd be fortunate just to avoid being utterly disgraced, and the fact that the third son Seonwoo Jin was a successor candidate was nothing short of delightful news for him.
Because someone had appeared to take the disgrace in his place.
At that, Family Head Seonwoo Jung wore an unreadable smile and asked again.
"Gi, you're saying you want to face Jin first?"
There was no way Seonwoo Gi, giddy with the thought of beating Seonwoo Jin to a pulp, could fathom the meaning of that smile.
The same went for the reason why the family's warriors were staring at him with astonished eyes.
He answered spiritedly.
"Yes! That's right!"
At that, Seonwoo Jung smiled faintly and nodded.
"Very well, do so."
***
Jegal Ji-yong, an elder of the Jegal clan, was watching the situation unfolding before his eyes with a complicated gaze.
Seonwoo Jung had finally succeeded in sweeping away all external forces from the Seonwoo family.
He had occupied the Ha clan, brought down the Gaeyang Sect through the Blood Cult's influence, and now had even rooted out the Un clan's influence.
Though the Seogidang, the maternal family of the fourth son Seonwoo Gi, still remained, it was obvious they would be unable to exert significant influence without being able to ally with the Un clan.
All those processes had proceeded so naturally and cleanly.
Even Jegal Ji-yong himself felt like applauding, to that degree.
But this current situation was different.
Immediately after, holding a martial contest to determine the successor right away—this, at least, was something even he could not comprehend at all.
'Just what is he plotting?'
If he were Seonwoo Jung, he would have used various excuses to drag the situation out.
Because whoever became the successor, it was a clear fact that the young masters of the Seonwoo family could not defeat Jegal Seoyul.
So he had expected that even if a successor was decided, it would be done without their knowledge....
He simply could not understand what this current situation was aiming for.
But he couldn't simply dismiss it as a lapse in judgment either.
Judging by the depth of Seonwoo Jung's schemes shown so far, there was surely some other intention hidden here as well.
As Jegal Ji-yong agonized over such various thoughts, he suddenly realized something and looked at the fourth son Seonwoo Gi.
'Could it be that the fourth son Seonwoo Gi has something about him? Is that why he didn't touch the Seogidang, at least?'
The thought that suddenly struck him solidified into certainty the more he pondered it.
Not only that, but it seemed likely that a man like Seowoo Jung might have already secretly made a pact with the Seogidang.
Having thought that, Jegal Ji-yong now began to focus on Seonwoo Gi with fresh eyes.
Up until now, he had held absolutely no expectations for Seonwoo Gi.
But if Seonwoo Jung had marked him as the successor, there surely had to be something about him that he had not yet seen.
While Jegal Ji-yong was thinking such thoughts and observing carefully, Seonwoo Gi was busy lording it over Seonwoo Jin.
"Third hyung, even if it hurts and is embarrassing, bear with it. Don't they say a lacking person needs to get beaten a bit to mature and become an adult? So why did you come out here? You should've just hidden away like you were dead as usual. Ah, now you don't even have Yeon-ha to hide you, so I suppose that won't work either?"
At Seonwoo Gi, who was giggling as he spoke, Seonwoo Jin merely smiled faintly.
At that, the faces of the elders and daejus, and even the ordinary warriors who could hear his words nearby, turned ashen.
How could one so blatantly beg to be killed?
It seemed they would have to pray for Seonwoo Gi's departed soul today.
At that moment, Seonwoo Gi, who had been lording it over him profusely, finally took his stance.
And with a beaming face, he yelled and launched his attack.
"Now, here I come!"
Shu-haak!
His orthodox fist split into four hand shadows.
It was the ultimate technique of the Gale Thirteen Strikes, the one he was most confident in, which he had used when beating up Seonwoo Jin not long ago.
But unfortunately for him, the result was not the same as that time.
Chak!
Seonwoo Gi suddenly saw a flash of light along with an intense pain as if his cheek were bursting open.
At that, he unwittingly rubbed his cheek and stumbled backwards.
He had absolutely no understanding of why he was hurting so much or what had just happened.
"?!"
He stared at Seonwoo Jin with dazed eyes.
At that, Seonwoo Jin smiled faintly and approached him, speaking.
"You're right. A lacking person does need to get beaten a bit to mature."
"...Huh?"
It was the moment he looked at Seonwoo Jin with eyes still showing no comprehension.
A lightning-like slap flew into the other side of Seonwoo Gi's cheek once again.
Chak!
"!"
Seonwoo Gi could see sparks flying before his eyes once more.
It was so painful he couldn't even scream.
Only now could he realize that he had just been slapped by Seonwoo Jin.
And that he had been struck twice at that.
Then, humiliation and fury surged up at once.
To be slapped by the likes of his third brother in front of all these people—it was utterly unbearable.
So, enduring the pain, he clenched his fist tightly and tried to extend his orthodox fist again.
"How dare you!"
But....
Chak! Chak! Chak!
Seonwoo Jin's hand did not stop there.
Before Seonwoo Gi could even extend his hand, he was striking his cheek at tremendous speed.
No matter how much he flailed both arms, far from counterattacking Seonwoo Jin, he could not even block the slaps at all.
Chak! Chak! Chak! Chak! Chak!
"Uwaaaaah!"
Seonwoo Gi finally began to wail.
Forget humiliation, now it just hurt too much.
Tears streamed down from his eyes so that he couldn't even see ahead.
But despite that, Seonwoo Jin's slaps still did not stop.
Chak! Chak! Chak!
Then Seonwoo Gi now just slumped down, collapsing as if falling, prostrated himself flat, and began to beg for mercy.
"Stop! Stop! Please, stop!"
But at Seonwoo Gi's words, Seonwoo Jin merely muttered calmly.
"Hmm, what happened just before comes to mind. When I begged you to stop, what did you do to me then?"
In that moment, the memory flashed through Seonwoo Gi's mind.
Him kicking Seonwoo Jin, who had been rolling on the floor, over and over....
Seonwoo Gi cried out instinctively.
"I was wrong! I was truly wrong, Third Hyung! Please, stop! I said I was truly wrong! Please... please, stop now...."
Seonwoo Gi, who had been begging, was now sobbing uncontrollably.
It was a wretched and pitiful sight, utterly unbecoming of a martial artist.
All the warriors of the Seonwoo family watched Seonwoo Gi with furrowed brows.
And Gong Do-gyeong, one of the Three Great Lords of Shin Eung who had originally supported Seonwoo Gi, could see it as he observed the warriors' gazes.
That Seonwoo Gi's life as a warrior was over....
Unless he could show an unimaginable reversal like Seonwoo Jin, that Seonwoo Gi would henceforth be remembered as a disgrace to the Seonwoo clan.
Seonwoo Jin watched Seonwoo Gi sobbing wretchedly for a moment before turning his gaze.
There stood Seonwoo Seong, known as the most likely successor of the Seonwoo clan, staring at Seonwoo Jin with an expression of shock.
He asked in a bewildered voice.
"Y-you, how, how on earth?"
At that, Seonwoo Jin smiled faintly as he answered.
"This level of skill is necessary to survive on the frontline. So, Hyung-nim, what will you choose? Fists and kicks? Or the sword?"
But it was not Seonwoo Seong who felt as though he had been struck hard on the back of the head by those words.
It was Jegal Ji-yong, whose eyes had gone blank since the moment Seonwoo Gi was defeated.
'The frontline....'
It was true.
Jegal Ji-yong himself knew well the dangers of the frontline.
Yet he had never once thought of Seonwoo Jin, who had survived there safely and returned on leave. Now that he knew the truth, he was utterly flabbergasted.
His preconceived notions, rooted in the fact that Seonwoo Jin had long been a disgrace to the Seonwoo clan, had kept him from seeing the truth at all.
His mind having spun into a daze for a moment, Jegal Ji-yong hurried to compose himself.
'N-no, no matter what, he will not be a match for Seo-yul.'
That was how it should be.
No, that was how it had to be.
Jegal Ji-yong now began to stare intently at the Seonwoo Jin before him.
Just then, Seonwoo Seong, who had been glaring at Seonwoo Jin for a moment, drew his sword and spoke.
"Fine. It seems I have underestimated you far too much all this time. Now, I will deal with you properly."
As he spoke, a hazy sword qi, like a heat shimmer, bloomed from his blade.
It was sword qi that a mid-tier first-rate warrior could manifest.
At this, Seonwoo Jin let out a short laugh.
Then, shaking his head, he said.
"No, Hyung-nim. Even now, you are still underestimating me plenty."
"...What did you say?"
Seonwoo Seong frowned, but Seonwoo Jin now silently drew his sword.
Sreung!
The jet-black Mukrang Sword revealed its snowy white blade to the world.
And the very next moment, Seonwoo Jin let out a short kihap.
"Hap!"
At that, Seonwoo Seong's eyes widened so much they seemed about to pop out.
He cried out in a horrified voice.
"H-how!"
Seonwoo Seong could not believe his eyes.
From his own sword, a sword qi far clearer and broader than his own was rising misty and white like fog.
It looked to be at least upper-tier first-rate — no, even the highest tier of first-rate.
It was so shocking his very hands trembled.
And in that moment, Seonwoo Jin launched a sudden charge, swinging his sword.
"Hap!"
Shwak!
At that, Seonwoo Jin's sword shadow formed a great wing.
It was the first technique of the Seonwoo Thirteen Swords, Divine Eagle Flight, a technique Seonwoo Seong also knew well.
At this, Seonwoo Seong grit his teeth and swung his sword to meet it.
He could not afford to be defeated using the Seonwoo Thirteen Swords.
"Ee-yik!"
Shwak!
But the wing of sword shadow he created was, by any standard, small and shoddy.
And just as the two wings of sword shadow were about to clash, Seonwoo Jin's wing flared out as if alive and enveloped Seonwoo Seong whole.
Hwaaak!
Trapped by the sword shadows pressing in from all sides, Seonwoo Seong could only flail his sword wildly in panic.
Clearly, the technique matched what he knew, but Seonwoo Jin's Divine Eagle Flight looked utterly unfamiliar to him.
"Krrk!"
And then, in an instant, the wing of the illusion sword vanished as if washed away.
All that remained was the single Mukrang Sword, halted right before Seonwoo Seong's throat.
Seonwoo Seong stared at the Mukrang Sword aimed at his throat with terrified eyes and muttered.
"Th-this... cannot be...."
It was a complete defeat.
Now he, too, could understand clearly.
The fact that he was utterly no match for this third younger brother he had always disregarded....
At that, Seonwoo Jin slowly withdrew his sword and sent him a telepathic message.
- Hyung-nim, unlike the other brothers, you at least tried not to cross the line of basic human decency. I hope you will not forget that is what saved you and your mother.
Seonwoo Seong's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
He was kneeling before Seonwoo Jin, the disgraceful younger brother he had always ignored.
It was the moment the true successor of the Seonwoo clan was decided.
Clan Head Seonwoo Jung wore a proud smile and raised his voice to declare before the crowd.
"With this, the successor of the Seonwoo family, the Young Family Head, has been decided! It is the third son, Jin!"
At that, a roar of cheers erupted instantly.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"Seonwoo Jin!"
"Young Family Head! Congratulations!"
Watching that scene, Jegal Ji-yong could understand one more thing.
That no one felt any aversion to Seonwoo Jin becoming the Young Family Head.
For the warriors of the Seonwoo clan, the Young Family Head had already been settled as Seonwoo Jin.
It was nothing short of astonishing.
Because he knew all too well just how Seonwoo Jin had been treated by the Seonwoo family's warriors only a few days before.
Jegal Ji-yong's sharp mind was able to quickly deduce the reason.
There could be no other cause for his reputation to have changed so drastically in such a short time.
'The Blood Cult! Could it be that Seonwoo Jin showed them something when the Blood Cult's demon heads attacked?'
But his brilliant mind soon concluded that this too was impossible.
'The time the Blood Cult demon heads attacked Gaeyang Gate and the Seonwoo clan was nearly simultaneous. So it makes no sense that Young Master Seonwoo Jin, who was at Gaeyang Gate, could have returned to the Seonwoo clan in the meantime to fight the demon heads. Then what in the world happened?'
Jegal Ji-yong was still unable to sort out his repeated questions when, suddenly, Clan Head Seonwoo Jung spoke to him.
"Jegal Daehyeop."
Jegal Ji-yong was slightly startled, but outwardly he showed no sign of it, laughing as he answered.
"Yes, Seonwoo Clan Head. Please, speak."
At that, Seonwoo Jung said to him with a somewhat apologetic expression.
"Did we not agree before, that once a successor was decided, we would arrange a marriage between our children through a martial contest?"
Jegal Ji-yong inwardly grew very tense.
Seonwoo Jung had finally brought up the promise.
Now, it seemed, he would finally learn of Seonwoo Jung's hidden ulterior motive.
But contrary to his inner feelings, Jegal Ji-yong smiled leisurely and responded to Seonwoo Jung's words.
"Yes, we did. But why bring that up now...?"
At that, Seonwoo Jung hesitated slightly before speaking with difficulty.
"As you have seen, our Seonwoo family's successor has been decided as the third son, Jin. However, as you well know, Jegal Daehyeop, Jin currently holds the status of a frontline soldier. Therefore, he must soon return to the frontline and will have to remain there for about another four years. So, regrettably, how about postponing our agreement until after that?"
In that instant, a light flashed in Jegal Ji-yong's eyes.
He felt he now understood what Seonwoo Jung was thinking.
He was trying to use the excuse that Seonwoo Jin was a frontline soldier to delay the promise for four years.
'I see. Four years is a span in which many things can happen. Seonwoo Jin's martial prowess could grow far beyond what it is now. Also, it would be unreasonable to expect Seo-yul to wait for him during that period, so Seo-yul might find a partner first in the meantime. If that happens, they were likely planning to use that as an excuse to nullify the agreement!'
Clearly, it was not a bad plan from the Seonwoo clan's perspective.
It had sufficient justification, and it was a move that could secure practical benefit.
But the problem was that Jegal Ji-yong had no intention of letting it slide that easily.
How could he so easily give up this chance to leash the Seonwoo clan, which had now become the true ruler of Guiyang and had a high chance of soon occupying the top spot among the Guizhou Eight Families?
Jegal Ji-yong laughed heartily and opened his mouth.
"Then how about holding the martial contest right now?"
At this, Seonwoo Jung's expression stiffened.
"...Right now, you say?"
"Indeed. On this joyous occasion where the successor has been decided before the eyes of all the Seonwoo family's martial artists, would it not be even more joyful if the marriage between the Jegal and Seonwoo families could also be settled?"
Jegal Ji-yong smiled brightly.
Seeing Seonwoo Jung's frozen expression had never felt so satisfying.