Chapter 301: The Jegal Family (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 301: The Jegal Family (3)
The doors to the family head's hall opened amidst a rather tense atmosphere.
As I entered with the two of them, I saw a man who looked like a guard and a middle-aged man wearing a Crouching Dragon Hat.
‘Is that the head of the Jegal Family, the Divine Strategist Jegal Hyeon?’
As a martial artist, he certainly looked ordinary.
But the aura he exuded was anything but. It was then I realized that a descendant of the Crouching Dragon was still a dragon.
The problem was that this very dragon was glaring at me.
‘...Then again, it would be strange if a Transcendent master couldn't hear what happened right outside his own hall.’
He must have also heard about what happened in the garden, so his first impression of me couldn't possibly be good.
I deliberately avoided his gaze, offering a polite cupped fist salute and bowing my head.
Now that my "elder master" persona was broken, I couldn't afford to be defiant in front of the head of the Jegal Family.
“I, Kang, greet the head of the Jegal Family.”
“...I greet the head of the Jegal Family.”
Cheon Yeo-hwa followed my lead and offered a salute, but it was clear she was doing so reluctantly.
Then again, she never seemed to like the Jegal Family, so her reaction was only natural.
Of course, Cheon Yeo-hwa wasn't the only one displeased with the situation.
“...Sit.”
Jegal Hyeon, the head of the Jegal Family, also seemed to dislike me.
He hadn't looked at me kindly to begin with, but it seemed to have gotten worse after we entered the hall, probably because Jegal Hyang kept stealing glances at me.
But no matter how I looked at it, was it really my fault?
It was absurd, but I didn't let it show and took a seat.
As if on cue, servants brought out teacups.
But no conversation followed. We each just sipped our tea.
Just as I was wondering why he had summoned us if this was all we were going to do...
“To be honest, when I first heard the story, I couldn't believe it.”
Jegal Hyeon's low voice echoed through the hall. It contained not a shred of internal energy, yet it carried a strange weight.
“A young man, not yet thirty, possessing such profound martial skill... At first, I wondered if one of those cheap novels from the market had been mixed in with my reports. As far as I know, geniuses like that are rare enough to be counted on one hand in all the world.”
“You praise me too highly.”
A wave of ki flowed from Jegal Hyeon as he looked at me.
It wasn't meant to threaten, but to gauge my abilities. I could have blocked it with my eyes closed, but I decided to just let it happen.
He wouldn't be able to see through to the demonic energy I had suppressed, anyway.
“But seeing you in person, I have no choice but to believe it. How old are you?”
A strange light flickered in Jegal Hyeon's eyes.
He was so skilled at hiding his emotions that if I hadn't been watching closely, I would have never known he was surprised.
“I am twenty-one this year.”
“Twenty-one...”
Tap, tap, tap.
He drummed his fingers on the desk and nodded.
“A great fortune for the Orthodox Murim. If others saw you, they would cause a scene trying to recruit you.”
For the first time, a smile spread across Jegal Hyeon's lips.
“If you don't mind my asking, what is your school?”
“...I learned a martial art passed down to a single successor, so I have no formal school.”
To be honest, even I found that part ambiguous enough to be confusing.
Vajra Divine Monk was the abbot of the Shaolin Temple in his lifetime, and the Formless Vajra Art is based on Shaolin martial arts.
But that didn't make me a Shaolin martial artist.
I had no intention of becoming a monk, and Vajra Divine Monk had never forced it upon me.
“A genius in his early twenties who became a Transcendent master by learning a martial art passed down to a single successor... I thought such things only happened in the cheap novels sold at the market.”
“I was just lucky.”
Jegal Hyeon shook his head.
“In this harsh Murim, what could be more important than luck? This is a world where even masters on the level of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors can be swept up by misfortune and die in vain. Strong luck is as much an innate talent as enlightenment or physical aptitude.”
I gave a bitter smile inwardly at his words.
To say I was born with strong luck... I've had to overcome near-death experiences time and time again.
Just like my fight with Wang Chwiong, which was decided by a hair's breadth.
If the battle had lasted even a moment longer, I would have been the one to die, not him.
In that sense, it was more accurate to say I was born with bad luck, not good.
“Young Hero Kang, I have a proposal for you.”
“...A proposal?”
Something in his eyes suggested a hidden motive, and I felt a sense of unease.
“How would you like to become a martial artist of the Jegal Family?”
Just as I expected, my intuition was right.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room at Jegal Hyeon's words.
But he paid it no mind and continued.
“In my decades of living in the Murim, I've learned that those who travel with a veiled woman always have a story to tell.”
Jegal Hyeon turned his gaze to Cheon Yeo-hwa.
Amazingly, there wasn't a trace of any selfish motive in his eyes as he looked at her.
Just a hint of surprise. That was all.
“That is also why I did not ask for the young lady's name.”
“...Thank you for your consideration.”
“It's common for a new master to make a name for themselves in the Murim, but it's a different story when that master is of the Transcendent Realm. And it's even more so when there are two rising experts who reached that realm in their early twenties.”
Gurgle.
He refilled his own teacup while casting his gaze toward me.
“I won't press you for the details of your story. However, if you, Young Hero Kang, agree to become a member of our family, I swear the Jegal Family will protect you and the young lady. If there is a place you wish to go, we will provide our family's warriors as escorts. What do you say? I believe it would be safer than traveling alone, just the two of you.”
“...Are you suggesting a political marriage?”
“Haha, you get straight to the point.”
Jegal Hyeon let out a hearty laugh and signaled the man standing beside him.
The man, as if he had been waiting, took a letter from his robes and handed it to Jegal Hyeon.
“Though I may be past forty, I realized long ago that the two of you are no ordinary pair. You might be lovers who have promised your futures to each other, or perhaps you are already a married couple. So, I will not be greedy.”
Having said his piece, Jegal Hyeon held the letter out to me.
After a moment's hesitation, I unfolded the letter. Inside were the names and portraits of about a dozen women.
“This is...?”
“The daughters of our branch families. I have carefully selected the most beautiful among those of marriageable age. All you have to do is choose one you like and take her as your second wife...”
“Father!”
Clatter!
Jegal Hyang, who had been sitting silently, shot to her feet, cutting her father off.
“Hyang, we have guests.”
“I was the one who brought them here as guests!”
I was momentarily taken aback to see Jegal Hyang raising her voice at her father.
We hadn't known each other long, but I never expected her to have this side to her.
“I invited them here simply because I hoped they could rest comfortably for a night, not to create such an uncomfortable situation!”
“Huuu...” At Jegal Hyang's agitated response, Jegal Hyeon sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.
“It seems we should discuss this matter again at the banquet later. Would you mind leaving us for a moment so a father and daughter can talk?”
“Understood.”
“I appreciate your straightforwardness. Thank you.”
*
After Kang Hyun-woo and Cheon Yeo-hwa left the hall under Pung Muhyeok's guidance, only Jegal Hyeon and Jegal Hyang, father and daughter, remained.
“Hyang.”
“...Yes, Father.”
“Are you in love with him?”
“...What?”
As Jegal Hyang stammered at the blunt question, Jegal Hyeon's expression turned serious as he spoke.
“I will ask again. Do you have feelings for Young Master Kang?”
“...”
Jegal Hyang fell silent at his question.
But just as some things can be conveyed without a single word, sometimes silence is the clearest answer.
Above all, the faint blush on Jegal Hyang's cheeks was undeniable proof.
Seeing her reaction, Jegal Hyeon had to repeat the character for 'patience' over and over in his mind.
What father in this world wouldn't resent the strange man who had stolen his precious daughter's heart?
“Huuu...” With a heavy sigh, Jegal Hyeon drained the hot teacup in one gulp.
He knew it too. There was no better marriage prospect than Kang Hyun-woo.
‘...Even the leader of the Murim Alliance in his youth wasn't on that level.’
A fully realized Transcendent master. No, he was clearly on the verge of the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm.
His martial talent was so overwhelming that it would be no exaggeration to call him a candidate for the strongest under heaven.
On top of that, he had handsome looks and a background perfect for taking him in as a matrilocal son-in-law.
“But that is all. He already has a lover, and you, a direct descendant of the main family, cannot become his second wife. You are destined to succeed me as the chief strategist of the Murim Alliance one day.”
Jegal Hyeon only had two daughters and, despite being over forty, had no son.
Worse, his youngest, a late-born child, had just started walking.
Ultimately, the next family head had to be chosen from the boys of the branch families, and that competition was now in its final stages.
But Jegal Hyeon found none of them to his liking.
‘...If only she had been born a man, I would have believed it if someone called her the reincarnation of King Muheung.’
It was true her martial talent was somewhat lacking.
However, it had been his decision to train Jegal Hyang, who was born with an extraordinary intellect that more than made up for it, to one day serve as the next chief strategist.
So that she could make her name known throughout the Central Plains using the Murim Alliance as her stepping stone, rather than being confined within the cramped fences of the Jegal Family.
And a child like that was to become some strange man's second wife?
Grit.
‘Over my dead body...!’
Jegal Hyeon forced down his anger and spoke.
“I admit I made your guests uncomfortable. But a family head must prioritize the family's position over his child's.”
“...But.”
“To reach the Transcendent Realm in one's early twenties is an event so rare you can count the instances on one hand, across both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions. In the current Orthodox Murim, only 'him' of Mount Song has achieved it. And in terms of pure martial talent, Young Master Kang surpasses even him. What do you think will happen when our family embraces such a bloodline?”
Since ancient times, the Jegal Family, despite being one of the Five Great Families, had been plagued by the stigma of having poor martial talent and physical aptitude.
The reason was simple: they were a family that had never once produced the strongest under heaven.
“Even if it's a child from a branch family, that child will inherit his outstanding martial talent. No, perhaps they might even be able to learn the martial art passed down to a single successor that allowed him to reach such a level.”
This was a kind of deal.
Kang Hyun-woo would gain safety, wealth, and glory, while the Jegal Family would gain his bloodline and martial arts.
But there was no place in that deal for Jegal Hyang, a direct descendant.
“Give up. Either that, or push that woman aside and take the position of first wife.”
“...”
Jegal Hyang couldn't say a word in response.
She knew all too well how absurd it was for her, a direct descendant of the family head, to become someone's second wife.
A precedent of ‘just this once won't hurt’ would pile up and inevitably return to haunt the family like a dagger in the future.
“Return to your quarters and compose yourself.”
“...Yes.”
*
That evening, I sat in the banquet hall, sipping my tea.
The hospitality I received from the Jegal Family was beyond imagination. The table was filled with all sorts of delicacies, accompanied by wine that could only be described as famous.
Honestly, I hadn't come here expecting this kind of treatment.
‘He's probably trying to make me feel indebted so it's harder to refuse his offer.’
It was a method that often worked on young people, especially the rising stars of the Orthodox Faction.
“Family Head.”
“Hm? What is it?”
But unfortunately for him, I belonged to neither the Orthodox nor the Unorthodox Faction.
“I will pretend I never heard the talk of marriage.”
My words cast a chill over the banquet hall.
Jegal Hyang, in particular, was so startled she nearly dropped her teacup.
“...Aren't you being a bit hasty with your answer?”
“I am truly sorry, but no matter how many times I consider it, my answer will not change.”
It goes without saying, but it wasn't that I was against taking a second wife.
Although I had only seen their portraits, considering Jegal Hyang's beauty, it was unlikely that even the women from the branch families would be lacking in looks.
Moreover, the head of the Jegal Family, having seen Cheon Yeo-hwa's face himself, would never offer a woman of a lower caliber as a marriage partner.
But marrying a woman from the Jegal Family would inevitably restrict my freedom of movement, and that was not something I wanted.
Above all, my target right now is the Heavenly Demonic Cult.
To be precise, the root of all this, the 1st Young Master.
Not only for revenge for driving Cheon Yeo-hwa to the brink of death, but also to avenge my mother-in-law, I had no intention of letting that bastard go.
‘I don't need to fight the entire Demonic Cult.’
Survival of the fittest. If Cheon Yeo-hwa takes the 1st Young Master's head and ascends to the position of Young Cult Leader, I won't have to face the entire Heavenly Demonic Cult.
But my opponent is the 1st Young Master of the Heavenly Demonic Cult, an organization said to boast power greater than the Murim Alliance on its own.
The faction he has built would be equivalent to several of the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance combined.
“And this is also for your sake, Family Head, and for the sake of the Jegal Family.”
“For the sake of the Jegal Family...? What do you mean by that?”
Logically, I know I need to build my own power to face the 1st Young Master's faction.
But if the Jegal Family has to shed blood for my and Cheon Yeo-hwa's revenge, would that truly be the right thing to do?
I don't think so.
Most importantly, if the Jegal Family, one of the Five Great Families, gets involved in this, it will become the starting point of a new Righteous-Demonic War.
I had to prevent the sparks of war from igniting, no matter what.
“There is no treasure in this world without a story. And among them, some bring such a storm of blood that it would be more fitting to call them cursed.”
“...Are you saying you are one of those treasures, Young Hero?”
“I won't deny it.”
After that, a silence lingered in the banquet hall.
Jegal Hyeon looked at me without a word.
“It seems no amount of persuasion will work on you.”
“I apologize.”
“No, it was my own greed that led me to abruptly push a marriage proposal on a guest.”
As expected of the head of the Jegal Family, he was quick to assess the situation.
Thanks to that, we were able to move on without the atmosphere turning sour.
“By the way, will you be participating in the World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament, Young Hero?”
“I'm not sure.”
“Don't participate.”
“...Pardon?”
What's this? Is he holding a grudge because I refused?
But Jegal Hyeon waved his hand, correcting my misunderstanding.
“Young Hero, you have long since surpassed the level of a rising star. If you were to participate in the tournament, everyone else would be reduced to mere background decoration. Many will come to hold a grudge against you for it, with no exception for the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families. Of course, there will also be those who, like me, try to arrange a political marriage or take you as a disciple, but...”
“There will also be those who want to nip the bud.”
Cut the grass and pull out the roots. A time-honored tradition of the Murim.
“I, too, was thinking of stopping by to watch, if fate allows, rather than participating.”
“If that happens, come find me. I will guide you to a good seat.”
“Thank you again for your repeated kindness.”
I offered a cupped fist salute to Jegal Hyeon and bowed my head.
And so, the rather satisfactory banquet came to an end. It seemed my day at the Jegal Family estate was also drawing to a close.
“Um, Young Hero Kang...? Could you spare me a moment...?”
...or so I thought, until Jegal Hyang approached me as I was walking alone in the garden after sending Cheon Yeo-hwa back to her quarters.
