Monopolizing Fortunes (172)
Monopolizing Fortunes (172)
Do Tong-dal answered nonchalantly.
"I don't know much about them, but they're called the Twelve Zodiac Shadows."
Namgung Cheol-hyeon, who had been bending his knees to sit, sprang upright.
"The Twelve Zodiac Shadows? The ones who contend with Won Dae-yeon for the title of the greatest hero under heaven?"
"They say they're heroes, but I told you, I don't know much."
Namgung Cheol-hyeon's wandering gaze settled on Jo Seong-un.
"If my eyes do not deceive me, you must be Jayeong, the eldest of the Twelve Zodiac Shadows. I, your junior Namgung Cheol-hyeon, offer my greetings."
Jo Seong-un rose and returned the courteous salute.
"It is an honor to meet the Young Head of the Namgung Clan. Belated congratulations on your victory at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering."
Though he did not show it, Jo Seong-un was inwardly surprised. Namgung Seol-rin, and Namgung Cheol-hyeon as well, were on remarkably familiar terms with Do Tong-dal.
In fact, Namgung Cheol-hyeon was practically the only rising talent of the martial world that Jo Seong-un acknowledged. His martial prowess was so high that calling him a rising talent was almost embarrassing; he was said to rival the Clan Head, Namgung Baek-jung.
The real reason Jo Seong-un acknowledged Namgung Cheol-hyeon was his chivalrous spirit. He was not merely pretending to be a hero on the surface because he was born into a prestigious orthodox sect; he was a hero to the bone.
"To receive such congratulations from Jayeong, who illuminates the dark corners of the martial world—there could be no greater honor."
Sincerity laced Namgung Cheol-hyeon's words, and it made Jo Seong-un feel gratified.
"Then these people here must be Jayeong's sworn brothers."
"They're the rascals who follow this unworthy one around and suffer for it. Heh heh heh!"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon offered a courteous salute to each person one by one. Despite his status as the Young Head of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Cheol-hyeon's bearing was humble, and then humbler still.
And so the Twelve Zodiac Shadows greeting Namgung Cheol-hyeon could not help but be courteous in return.
After the lengthy greetings ended and Namgung Cheol-hyeon took his seat, Do Tong-dal asked.
"So what's with all this luggage?"
On the table sat a large bundle that Namgung Cheol-hyeon had brought.
"It's tonic sent by Mother for you to eat. She said she packed in all the good stuff."
Namgung Seol-rin snatched up the wrapping cloth and hugged it.
"Oh my! What is Mother thinking, sending all this? They say a mother-in-law's love is for her son-in-law. Heh heh heh!"
"It was sent for Tong-dal, so why are you so happy?"
"If it's good for Tong-dal, it's good for me. Heh heh heh......"
"The girl's gotten shameless. You're the only one who'll take her now, Tong-dal, so handle it yourself."
"Well, that's......"
When Namgung Seol-rin shot him a sharp glare, Do Tong-dal backed down with a "Right."
"And this......"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon untied the bundle and took out a long black box that had been set to one side.
"This is from Father. Open it."
When he opened the box, leather rolled into a diamond shape came into view.
"It's called the Mukryong Armor."
Jo Seong-un was startled.
"You mean the Mukryong Armor made by Baek Jong-jang, the divine artisan who is the greatest craftsman in the Central Plains today?"
"It fortunately came into Father's hands."
Namgung Seol-rin promptly took out the Mukryong Armor.
"What made Father send something like this to Tong-dal?"
"He just doesn't show it, but you know how much Father cherishes Tong-dal."
"Tch! What about when he looked down on him as a thug?"
"That was when he didn't know Tong-dal's true worth."
"Oh, please. I'm comfortable being treated like a thug. A thug should get treated like a thug; if I get treated like some noble, I'll break out in hives."
"First, put this on. Let's see if it fits."
"Why would I wear something this stuffy?"
"Even if it looks like ordinary leather, it's impervious to blades. They say it can block anything except divine weapons like the Makya Sword or the Makya Blade."
"Really?"
"Would Father have sent this to you for no reason? It's all the heart of a father-in-law who loves his son-in-law, worried you might get hurt."
The Mukryong Armor could be adjusted in width, so it could be worn comfortably regardless of forearm thickness. Moreover, if the leather rolled inside was pulled outward, it could protect up to the elbow and the back of the hand.
"How is it?"
"Huh? Yeah, it's fine. Hmm. If the Sect Leader gave it as a gift, then it's mine now, right?"
"Why ask something so obvious?"
Do Tong-dal scratched his head.
"It feels like I'd be disregarding the Sect Leader's kindness if I did this......"
Seeing Do Tong-dal's troubled expression, Won Dae-yeon said.
"You want to give that to someone else."
"Honestly, I carry a blade, so I don't really need something like this, do I?"
Namgung Seol-rin said.
"There's such a thing as a one-in-ten-thousand chance."
"For me it's one in ten thousand, but there's a guy who's one in a million, so that's why."
"Who's that......? Ugh—! Du-sik?"
"That guy's body is tough, but it's not invincible. If he'd had this Mukryong Armor when he fought Yeom Je-cheong, he wouldn't have gotten hurt like that."
Jo Seong-un was startled at the name.
"You mean Yeom Je-cheong, the Mount Hua Sect elder known as the Sword of the Distant Sea?"
"One of my sworn brothers was injured fighting that damnable old man."
Namgung Seol-rin said sulkily, "Injured, my foot. It was just a scratch."
'Yeom Je-cheong is a master ranked within the top five even in Mount Hua Sect, and there's someone else in the Righteous Chivalry Sect who can fight such a master?'
They were only called a newly established sect, but once their numbers were filled, their strength would rival the Five Great Clans.
Namgung Cheol-hyeon said.
"Father already gave you the Mukryong Armor, so as its owner, you should use it as you see fit."
"But it's such a waste."
"You fool, you stick to Tong-dal's side like that and still don't know? To Tong-dal, the real treasure isn't some divine object like the Mukryong Armor—it's people."
Do Tong-dal waved his hand dismissively.
"A guy like Du-sik, a treasure? If he gets hurt, it costs medicine money, so it's a waste. So I can give this Mukryong Armor or whatever to Du-sik, right?"
Namgung Seol-rin snapped, "It's yours, so do whatever you want." Only then did a smile creep onto Do Tong-dal's lips.
Any ordinary martial artist would have drawn a blade to claim the Mukryong Armor, but Do Tong-dal was smiling like that, simply pleased that he could give it to one of his own people.
Watching that sight, Jo Seong-un felt something surge up in his chest.
'Now I understand a little of what my eldest sworn brother said.'
Do Tong-dal said, "I'll go give this to Du-sik," and left the room. Namgung Seol-rin clicked her tongue at the closed door.
"Tsk tsk tsk...... A guy who gives away everything he owns—what kind of thug is that?"
Won Dae-yeon said.
"He calls himself a thug, and he actually thinks being a thug is his calling, so we should call him a thug."
Namgung Seol-rin nodded.
"Still, sometimes I do miss the old days in the Hangzhou Underworld. It was really fun back then. Heh heh heh......"
"Once the Revenge Society business is wrapped up, he says he'll go to Beijing and open an Underworld there, so now we'll be the Beijing Underworld. Heh heh heh......"
Jo Seong-un looked at Namgung Seol-rin and Won Dae-yeon, who were wearing the same smile, and was dumbfounded. The treasured jewel of the Namgung Clan and the greatest hero under heaven, saying they liked being thugs and smiling like that.
"Eldest sworn brother."
"Hm?"
"Are you really going to become a thug?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Right, of course not. Right?"
"I'm already a thug, so how can I become a thug again?"
"What? But you're the greatest hero under heaven......"
"I told you, that's all empty fame. Back then, I liked wandering the Central Plains doing chivalrous deeds, and now I like being a thug under Coordinator Do."
"No matter how nicely you dress it up, a thug is still a thug. Are you really going to abandon chivalry and righteousness?"
"Seong-won, I've always thought that you Twelve Zodiac Shadows are the greatest heroes under heaven, then and now. But I have never once thought Coordinator Do was an unjust man. No, rather, he is a man of deeper chivalry and righteousness than any figure in the orthodox sects. He has only wrapped himself in the outer shell of a thug; he is a true hero."
Jang Yu-seom agreed as well.
"That's right. Although I was in the military, I had heard of the Twelve Zodiac Shadows' fame. But I think Coordinator Do is more of a hero than any of you. That's because I have only ever seen him practice chivalry and righteousness, and never once seen him commit an unjust act."
Namgung Cheol-hyeon joined in too.
"It's not because he's my friend, but there's no one who puts chivalry and righteousness into practice with his own body like Tong-dal. He calls himself a thug with his own mouth, but his actions are unmistakably those of a hero. Wasn't the fight against the Revenge Society ultimately something he threw himself into to protect the safety of the world?"
"That's right. Even if he just lived comfortably as a thug, no one would point a finger at him, but Coordinator Do willingly takes on this danger for justice and chivalry. Come to think of it, Coordinator Do really is a man of contradictions. Isn't he?"
"He's the only one who doesn't know it."
While all this talk about him went back and forth, Do Tong-dal was nearly having his ribs broken.
"Brotheeer!"
"Ack! L-let go! You ignorant brute with nothing but strength!"
Only after striking Wang Du-sik's head ten times with his palm was Do Tong-dal able to free himself from the rough embrace.
"Just watch me ever give you anything again. Ugh, my whole body aches."
Still, seeing Wang Du-sik so happy didn't feel bad.
"This Mukryong...... Mukryong...... Anyway, I'll make this my family heirloom!"
"Bullshit. To make it a family heirloom, you need to start a family, and what blind woman would marry you?"
"I could just marry you, Brother. Heh heh heh......"
"You crazy bastard! Give that back!"
"Who ever heard of taking back a gift! Ptui ptui ptui!"
While the two of them had their childish fight, a real sparring match unfolded in the rear garden. As always, the spar between Namgung Cheol-hyeon and Jang Yu-seom sparked like real combat.
This time too, the warriors who had come from the Revenge Society watched the two spar. They had thought that if they went out into the martial world, they could swagger around as masters of some skill.
But the successive spars made them into beings worse than third-rate warriors.
'Terrifying masters are as common as pebbles on the ground here!'
* * *
Only after swearing an oath to keep the secret no matter what did the Twelve Zodiac Shadows hear the full story about the imperial palace and the Revenge Society.
For them, the facts were truly shocking. From the assassination of the First Prince to the enthronement of the Third Prince as emperor—all of it was passing through Do Tong-dal's hands!
They nearly burst a blood vessel shouting, 'And that kind of person is a thug?!' Won Dae-yeon left with the words, "Think it over carefully," and only the Twelve Zodiac Shadows remained in the room.
The silence stretched on for a long while. The one who cast a stone into that prolonged silence was the second, Seo In-myeong of the Rooster Sign.
"What are your thoughts, eldest brother?"
"What are your thoughts?"
"As always, we will follow you, eldest brother."
The rest of the Twelve Zodiac Shadows nodded.
"My decision may not be to your liking."
"You wish to remain in the Righteous Chivalry Sect."
"We have spent our whole lives doing chivalrous deeds, but what greater chivalry could there be than placing a proper emperor on the throne? Even if we limit it to the martial world alone, the Revenge Society is an existence that could bring a storm of blood to the martial world. How hard have we tried all this time to expose the hidden powers of the martial world?"
"Despite those efforts, we couldn't even step on their shadow."
"Yet this man called Do Tong-dal has come deep into the Revenge Society and is fighting. Now that we know all this, if we alone claim to be heroes and go a different path, how could we call ourselves heroes? I want to remain in the Righteous Chivalry Sect only until the matter with the Revenge Society is concluded."
Seo In-myeong, after exchanging glances with the other Twelve Zodiac Shadows, said.
"Our thoughts are no different. However, we worry whether we will be able to get along well with others."
They had relied only on each other their whole lives and had never had to mingle with others. So they did not know how to live in the world. If they became members of the Righteous Chivalry Sect, they were at a loss as to how to treat Do Tong-dal right away.
Jo Seong-un gave a small smile.
"Perhaps this could be a good opportunity to learn how to live like ordinary people. Let's just throw ourselves into it and see what happens."
* * *
"Do you know how ordinary people live?"
Fire Sword only raised his eyes upward and could not answer.
"Let's say the Revenge Society conquered the martial world as planned. What happens to you all after that?"
"We would enjoy wealth and glory."
"What is wealth and glory?"
"That is......"
He had only vaguely carved those four characters into his mind, but had never drawn a concrete picture.
"Eating well and living well......"
His answer stopped at Do Tong-dal's scoffing laugh. Even Fire Sword himself thought it was a ridiculous answer.
"Isn't that what I'm doing for you right now?"
"But you've locked me up."
"And in the Revenge Society?"
His words were blocked again. He had never once been able to go anywhere as he pleased. At one time, he had even needed permission to go to the outhouse.
"Seven days from now, you'll be free. If you want to leave the Righteous Chivalry Sect, I'll send you off gladly. Whether you go to the Revenge Society or anywhere else, it's your freedom."
* * *