The Eldest Son's Crisis
It felt like lugging an annoying growth around on my back.
"Why are you following me?"
"Following you? I'm simply walking my own path, and you happen to be on it. Heheh."
I had originally intended to head for the Golden Inn, but with this bothersome lump trailing after me, going there was no longer a viable choice. Anyone else might fail to recognize the realm of the Thousand-Faced Slayer, but Myo Man-li would surely see through it in an instant. There was no telling what trouble might stir up, so turning back was the proper move.
And so I was on my way to the Yi Clan estate when I came to an abrupt halt. Myo Man-li, who had been trailing along, stopped with me.
"What is it you want?"
"What do I want? There is one thing."
A smile brimming with fondness blossomed across Myo Man-li's face.
"You."
"..."
"I like you."
"And why would that be?"
"Why, you ask? The path you have walked to reach this point — it is truly impressive. It would be no stretch to call you the future of our Asura Sword Sect, which prizes the way of domination above all. So then, what of your temperament? To ignorant eyes like the Hyukri Clan's, you would look like nothing but a demon, but the way I see it, you are simply resolute. It is true your hand is excessive at times, but results are what matter. And did you not steer every one of those results toward outcomes favorable to yourself?"
I listened in silence.
"Moreover, those who know nothing will insist that all you accomplished was mere 'luck.' But that is a thing only fools say. If all of this could be explained away as fortune, why would anyone call it the kangho at all? You calculated every piece of it and moved accordingly. Am I wrong?"
A small laugh escaped me.
He wasn't wrong.
"You touched the Jang Clan, you crushed the Hyukri Clan, and you actually thought I wouldn't notice you intend to swallow all of Jangryeong Commandery whole? You sly little wretch."
It was true that I had calculated everything and moved accordingly. The Hyukri Clan warriors who struck Jo Hyeon's head — the time I had to compute that had been brutally short, but the outcome had still bent in my favor. The Hyukri Clan?
I intended to clear them away, of course.
The Jang Clan? That went without saying.
And I fully intended to keep calculating, and keep moving, from here on out.
"Even hearing it from your own mouth, I can scarcely believe it. Talent that reached the Celestial Circuit Realm at a mere seventeen, that resolute temperament, and a mind capable of such thorough calculation on top of it. Good. Very good. I simply cannot help myself. Come with me. Now."
"Where would we be going?"
"The Asura Sword Sect. Come with me, and I shall pass down to you my secret ultimate techniques — the Five Thunder Demon-Burning Sword Art and the Divine Shadow Return Art."
"I am grateful for the kindness, but I must refuse."
At my flat, immediate refusal — spoken as though there were nothing to consider at all — Myo Man-li was visibly flustered.
"...You there? Think it over carefully. It is no minor place — it is the Asura Sword Sect. And I am one of its Great Elders. Do you understand what that means? You would be entering the sect as the direct disciple of a Great Elder. Rather than scraping by as a concubine-born son in some backwater like Jangryeong Commandery, wouldn't it be better to climb into larger waters and make your name there?"
"I am sorry, but my mind is already made up."
"...Heheh... You are certainly no fool, and a man like you refusing my offer must mean he has his reasons. Now I find myself curious what they are."
There was no reason I owed him. And I had no desire to give one.
I already had a master. Even though, at this point in time, I had not yet met her — for my entire life, I would have only one teacher.
"You don't wish to say?"
"No. Not particularly. Besides, do you truly have the time to be standing around here?"
"Hm? Whatever do you mean by that?"
"As I understand it, a summons has been issued for the Asura Sword Sect. Shouldn't you be on your way?"
Myo Man-li's eyes gleamed.
"Impressive. And how, pray tell, do you know that?"
"A small talent of mine."
"There is nothing small about that. Your eye for reading the world is broad, and truly, I find everything about you pleasing, from one to ten. Very well then. Let us have a brief spar, you and I."
Myo Man-li showed no intention of waiting for my answer.
His hand shot out. I caught it.
Thud.
"Hooh... You are certainly no ordinary Celestial Circuit Realm martial artist."
Myo Man-li's footwork shifted with uncanny grace, and in the blink of an eye he closed the distance to within a hand's breadth of me, driving his shoulder deep into my guard.
The Iron Mountain Lean.
I immediately kicked off backward, bleeding away the impact, and retreated a single step. Strength flooded down my legs. My eyes flashed.
It did not matter if my opponent was a Great Elder of one of the Eight Great Sword Sects, one of the Ten Supreme Masters, or the finest martial artist under heaven.
If he attacked me, he would pay the very same price.
I launched forward at once. Myo Man-li's startled face tilted backward as he recoiled, and my foot sliced past just before his eyes — then, pivoting on that same leg, I slammed it down toward him.
The body of a man who had seemed to have completely lost his balance moved.
BOOM—!
My foot shattered the earth. Myo Man-li had already slipped to my side, grinning ear to ear. I stepped into my footwork.
The Heavenly Steed Divine Steps churned the ground into a blur. I swung my left elbow; Myo Man-li raised an arm to block it. Before the strike even landed, my foot moved again.
My whole body spun with the motion. My right elbow drove into his blind spot — and the instant Myo Man-li turned his head—
CRACK—!
My elbow hammered into his jaw.
He staggered back two steps.
From the dazed look on his face, he apparently could not make sense of what had just happened.
"...Hoooh.....Hoohhh...."
Given the strange sounds spilling out of him, I found myself wondering whether, perhaps, my strike had rattled something loose in his skull.
Of course, that could not be it.
It was true Myo Man-li had not raised the stakes of the bout, but he was still a master of the Realm of Harmony in his own right. His ordinary body existed on an entirely different plane from that of common men.
As Myo Man-li kneaded his jaw, a wide grin spread across his lips.
"Even with my body matched to your level, to think you would land something like that... I have changed my mind just now. I will not be taking you to the Asura Sword Sect."
"How wonderful. I'm glad you're someone I can actually reason with."
"Yes, you see — if I were to bring you to the sect, that sect leader bastard would snatch you away from me without question."
Something about his words was off.
"...You are remarkable. Your movement, your footwork, your judgment — none of it belongs to those who have merely reached the Celestial Circuit Realm. It is innate talent, beyond doubt. Your aptitude for the martial arts is beyond question, your judgment is superb, and your judgment in battle is more superb still. Taking you to the Asura Sword Sect would not be a good thing for me at all."
"..."
"If I ever leave the Asura Sword Sect, then I will take you as my disciple. Yes, that would be the better arrangement."
It was not just a little off. It was very off.
He drew two bound volumes from his robes and handed them to me.
"Take them."
"What is this?"
"Take them first. Ask questions after."
I was not the sort to refuse something offered free of charge, so I accepted them. One volume contained the Five Thunder Demon-Burning Sword Art; the other, the Divine Shadow Return Art.
"The Five Thunder Demon-Burning Sword Art should have its companion footwork, the Lifeless Step, written alongside it. Study them both."
I could not make sense of the situation at all.
"You could hardly obtain martial arts of this caliber in some backwater like this, so it will only serve you well to learn them now. Am I wrong?"
I answered with silence.
"What a tightly shut mouth you have. Perhaps that is why I find myself liking you all the more."
Myo Man-li laughed.
"Until we meet again. Heheheh."
And with that, Myo Man-li kicked off and was gone.
What a strange day it had been.
I stared down at the two secret manuals in my hands.
I do not trust people easily. It was obvious what Myo Man-li was scheming in broad strokes, but the fine details eluded me.
So I quietly spread the manuals open where I stood.
I read them straight through from beginning to end. Then I returned to the first page and read them again. And again. And again.
Perhaps an hour passed that way — rooted to the spot, devouring the manuals page by page.
Thap.
The moment I closed the second volume, a hollow laugh burst out of me.
Of course. I should have known.
The martial arts themselves were undeniably powerful. Impressive, even.
But whatever else might be said of them, there was a serious problem with this internal cultivation art — the Divine Shadow Return Art.
Its final passages were tangled and knotted together. I would stake everything I had on this: anyone who trained continuously in the Divine Shadow Return Art would, without fail, suffer damage to his meridians and eventually to his very mind.
There was no question that Myo Man-li had tampered with it. If someone accepted the manual without thinking and only noticed the side effects later, they would inevitably be forced to rely on him to survive — and just like that, he would have claimed them as his disciple without lifting a finger.
Truly, the man had earned his reputation.
He was no Grand Demon for nothing.
But the Five Thunder Demon-Burning Sword Art, at least, was genuinely useful.
I tucked both manuals into my robes and set out for the Yi Clan estate.
The Yi Clan party had arrived at the Sangwoon Merchant Guild, and its executives stood facing them across the meeting hall. Negotiations had already been exchanged at length.
And now Sang Myeong-gil, guild master of the Sangwoon Merchant Guild, was scowling darkly.
"...So what you are telling me is that you cannot support us. Is that it?"
"That is so."
Yi Se-geuk was utterly unyielding.
"This entire affair arose because the Sangwoon Merchant Guild failed to conduct its business properly. And yet you ask the Yi Clan to shoulder the losses alongside you? I cannot accept that."
"...Come now, Clan Head Yi — no, son-in-law. You must not speak to me this way."
Yi Se-geuk let out a long sigh.
"Father-in-law, I take no pleasure in this either. But our clan has its own discipline to uphold. We suffered grievous losses in this incident as well, yet I will not press you for compensation. All I ask is that you prepare the tribute goods for the Battle King again. That is all."
"And how, exactly, am I supposed to cover all of that out of the Sangwoon Merchant Guild's own coffers? The sum is far too great. The [Radiant Yang Ring] in particular has risen so steeply in price that it is all but impossible to procure. You know this as well as I do."
"Nevertheless, there is no other way. I am sorry."
Sang Myeong-gil's hands trembled with fury.
This son of a bitch.
When it suited him, the man had swallowed every profit in sight — and now that he stood to lose, suddenly it had nothing to do with him? Handle the losses yourself?
Sang Myeong-gil was left speechless by the sheer audacity of it.
It was not only Sang Myeong-gil; every executive of the Sangwoon Merchant Guild wore the same expression. But Yi Se-geuk's face did not so much as flicker. His shamelessness was, frankly, worthy of ranking first under heaven.
"We have much business pending at the clan. Now that matters seem roughly settled, we will take our leave."
And with that, Yi Se-geuk actually rose from his seat.
As he did, Sang Myeong-gil posed one last question.
"...One more thing, Clan Head Yi."
"Yes. Speak."
"When exactly do you intend to finalize the position of Young Clan Head?"
A faint, unreadable smile crossed Yi Se-geuk's face.
"When the time comes, I will finalize it. So rest easy."
"...This 'time' of yours — you said the same last year, and the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that. When, precisely, is this time supposed to be?"
"Who can say? That is a matter for me, the Clan Head, to judge. For now, I have nothing more to offer you on the subject."
"...."
"We will be going."
Yi Se-geuk turned and strode out of the meeting hall. Yi Jeong and Lady Sang moved to follow him — and it was at that very moment that Sang Myeong-gil called out.
"Yeong-ah."
At her father's voice, Lady Sang turned her head.
"Come here a moment."
Yi Se-geuk gave a small nod, apparently intending to grant father and daughter a brief moment together. Lady Sang approached Sang Myeong-gil. The others nearby — merchants to the bone, sharp-eyed as ever — melted away at once, and the hall emptied.
Sang Myeong-gil spoke.
"In your judgment, will that man ever hand Jeong the position of Young Clan Head?"
"Yes."
"Are you certain?"
"...Yes."
"There is hesitation in your answer. You know as well as I do what that man is thinking right now."
How could she not?
Yi Se-geuk held both the Sangwoon Merchant Guild and the Woon Clan in the palm of one hand, and he basked in the authority that came with it.
It was true that the formalization of the Young Clan Head position had its proper moment. But Yi Se-geuk, drunk on the power of wielding both factions at once, had let that moment slip past.
If he appointed the eldest son now, the Woon Clan would turn against him — the support they had always provided would surely dry up. If he appointed the second son instead, relations with the Sangwoon Merchant Guild would only grow colder.
"I never intended to go so far as to say this, but how long do you intend to go on living like such a soft fool?"
"...Pardon? Father, what do you—"
"If that man never relinquishes the Young Clan Head's seat, then everything the Sangwoon Merchant Guild has poured into supporting the Yi Clan will have been for nothing. He means to keep clutching both the guild and the Woon Clan in his hands and lapping up his power forever. What else is there to do but act?"
"...Act... how?"
Sang Myeong-gil drew a small box from his robes and held it out to Lady Sang.
"The judgment is yours to make."
"Father. What is this?"
"Poison."
"...Poison?"
"It is called the Soul-Severing Demonic Poison. The moment it enters the body, every meridian within will twist and coil as though the victim had fallen into qi deviation. He will lose the power of speech; he will be unable to walk, unable to move his body at all. He will become a man who lives, and yet does not truly live."
"...You can't mean—"
"Yes. But what choice is there? I have watched that attitude of his for over a decade now. As I see it, that man will never serve our family's future. So it is time to remove him — is it not?"
How much money had he lost last night alone?
Truthfully, the sum itself was not what mattered. What mattered was that the opportunity to strike a bargain with the Battle King had flown out of his grasp. Goods that could not be procured at any price right now overflowed the order, and the guild master of the Sangwoon Merchant Guild had begged Yi Se-geuk for aid — only to be refused.
The Sangwoon Merchant Guild was vast, but it could not absorb losses of that magnitude in a single stroke. Its capital, after all, was finite.
Yi Se-geuk knew all of this perfectly well.
He knew — and yet he wore that face, the face of a man watching a stranger's house burn, as if to say that's your problem to solve. And with that, Sang Myeong-gil's heart had turned for good.
"Begin when the time is right. We will bear responsibility for whatever follows."
"...I understand, Father."
"Good. Harden your heart. Do it for Jeong's sake, if nothing else."
Lady Sang's eyes turned venomous.
"Of course. Don't worry yourself. And... one more thing."
"What now?"
"...I need to borrow some money."
Sang Myeong-gil tilted his head.
"Money?"
"I intend to place a commission with the Killing Curtain."
"Who do you mean to have killed?"
"The third son."
A slight crease formed between Sang Myeong-gil's brows.
"...That boy? The one who couldn't even hold down a man's proper place?"
"He is not the boy he once was. Father — he reached the Celestial Circuit Realm at seventeen."
Sang Myeong-gil's eyes went wide.
"...They say even a grub can squirm its way somewhere, but so the boy has extraordinary talent for the martial arts after all. It seems he inherited more of that concubine woman's blood than of Yi Se-geuk's."
"..."
"Very well. Leave that to me and fret no longer. I will place the commission personally. A top-priority contract — that should do it, no?"
Lady Sang's expression brightened.
Now all that remained was to sweep away every eyesore standing in her path — and swallow the Yi Clan whole.
"Thank you, Father."
"Good girl."