Repaying an Old Debt (1)
News that Moon Spirit Sword Lady Im So-gun, one of the Four Honored Guests and by far the guest with the greatest potential, had entered the service of Seok Geum-ryong spread like wildfire.
In effect, this meant that the Seok Geum-ryong faction had gained, alongside the Golden Needle Venerable Yeo Gwang-rae, a force no different from an army of thousands and tens of thousands.
As word spread far and wide that the most insignificant of Lord Seok Ji-sung's eight heirs had somehow secured Im So-gun, the shockwaves were immense.
Some refused to believe it, calling it an outright lie. Others claimed Im So-gun must have had some hidden purpose.
The misunderstanding was only natural. Aside from the lord of Seokga Manor himself, only a few members of the inner leadership knew about the treatment of Im So-gun's Great Yin Severance Meridians.
And so, once again, Seok Geum-ryong rose above the surface of Seokga Manor and made his name ring through the clan.
There was one more piece of good news.
"Now that Geum-ryong has at last formed a proper force... he is qualified to attend the family council!"
Unbelievably, Lord Seok Ji-sung summoned Seok Geum-ryong to the family council.
The family council was, as the name suggested, a meeting held within Seokga Manor once a month.
It was not merely a simple gathering, but a place where major matters were discussed, including the direction Seokga Manor would take and which investments it would pursue.
For that reason, only a select few recognized within the manor could attend, and among the eight heirs, only four had been taking part until now.
If Seok Geum-ryong joined this time, he would make the fifth.
That was how difficult it was to gain entry to the family council. Yet astonishingly, on the strength of this latest achievement, Seok Geum-ryong received a formal invitation.
"That simply will not do."
"Young Lady Seok Myo-hee herself has not yet been allowed into the family council, and now you speak of Young Master Geum-ryong?"
"Above all else, Young Master Seok Geum-ryong is not even fifteen yet. He hasn't even passed the family trial."
Wherever there were people, there were bound to be those who opposed the prevailing opinion.
Some objected because they disliked Seok Geum-ryong; others because they believed he was being overrated. Their reasons differed, but Lord Seok Ji-sung's will was immovable.
"Who among us has achieved such astonishing results from nothing, as Geum-ryong has? To put it bluntly, most of you were born with silver spoons in your mouths and merely stood on the achievements your families, or your maternal families, had already built."
Seok Ji-sung's sharp, self-reflective words instantly silenced the opposition.
"I know full well that Geum-ryong is still young, and that the timing is early... but if Seokga Manor is to prosper, then it needs a wider range of perspectives and people. Let him attend this family council. If it truly seems inappropriate, then we need not call him again."
With Lord Seok Ji-sung speaking that firmly, the opposition had no further grounds to protest.
They inwardly consoled themselves that, no matter what, Seok Geum-ryong's attendance at the family council would be a one-time event, never to happen again.
And so Seok Geum-ryong's first attendance at the family council was decided.
* * *
Since it was his first family council, Seok Geum-ryong immediately began bathing and grooming himself.
After a rare thorough scrubbing and polishing, as expected...
The handsome features inherited from his mother shone even more brightly than before.
"Ahhh... as expected of Young Master. You really do light up the room."
"Indeed. Of course, other things aside, our Young Master Geum-ryong is the most handsome in all of Seokga Manor."
At the sight of him, the servants Jang Sam and Deung Chon could not take their eyes off him and felt a kind of secondhand satisfaction.
Even back when he had possessed nothing at all, Seok Geum-ryong's beauty had already been famous throughout Seokga Manor.
"Young Master. The formal robes are ready."
"Please try them on at once."
At the servants' urging, Seok Geum-ryong donned the formal robes with some embarrassment, and then...
"Ooooh!"
"As they say, clothes make the man. His usual simple appearance is fine, but dressing up like this now and then is truly splendid."
Not only were the servants lavish in their praise, even the maids could not tear their eyes away from the still-young Seok Geum-ryong.
At only twelve years old, and considering how dramatically he would grow in the years to come, it was obvious he would become a devastatingly handsome man of world-shaking beauty.
"Hohoho. Flattery won't get you any silver from me."
Seok Geum-ryong said that with a little embarrassment and calmly finished preparing for the family council.
As the saying went, better to be prepared for anything; once all preparations were perfect, there would be nothing to fear.
This summons to the family council is, in essence, a test of me.
A common fool with shallow thoughts would have been satisfied merely to attend the family council and spent the time in indulgence, but Seok Geum-ryong was different.
He understood the meaning of this invitation perfectly.
"In any case, since this is your first time attending the family council, don't be late. You should arrive as early as possible."
Deung Chon suggested that he go at once.
Since ancient times, the bird that rose early was said to find its food first.
There was no harm in being diligent, so Seok Geum-ryong headed straight for the main hall.
The brothers who have been called to the family council so far are the eldest, the second, the third, and the youngest, the eighth.
Now that Seok Geum-ryong was joining, the fifth son would also take part, bringing the total to five.
There was no choice but for Seok Geum-ryong to prepare meticulously, because most of the brothers attending the family council were hostile to him and stood as enemies.
There was no need to mention the eldest, Seok Dong-seo, who would later turn Seokga Manor upside down. The second son, Seok Ju-woo, who was strangely silent and carried a sinister air, was also dangerous.
In particular, these two grown sons, Seok Dong-seo and Seok Ju-woo, had each formed enormous factions and were even pressuring Lord Seok Ji-sung himself.
As for the third son of Seokga Manor, Seok Ho-in, who was said to possess the greatest martial talent among Seok Ji-sung's heirs, he was by no means someone to underestimate.
He had already reached the level of a Super First-class expert and ruled through his natural martial genius.
The eighth and youngest, Seok Mi-mi, was still young and had relatively little standing of her own, but because her maternal family was the enormous North Wind Escort Agency, a rare exception had been made to allow her into the family council.
Among such formidable figures, Seok Geum-ryong was entering even if only as a test. That alone was a tremendous opportunity.
I will absolutely pass this test perfectly.
Seok Geum-ryong swore as he clenched his fist, and just then...
"My, my, and who's this? Isn't this the much-talked-about Young Master Seok Geum-ryong, the sensation of the capital?"
A voice dripping with open mockery struck Seok Geum-ryong's ears.
Before even turning around, Seok Geum-ryong knew exactly who it belonged to.
No, how could he possibly forget?
Mad Tiger Young Master... Seok Ho-in!
Hearing Seok Ho-in's voice, Seok Geum-ryong found himself trembling without realizing it.
In truth, this was only the old Seok Geum-ryong's memory surfacing.
Seok Ho-in's epithet was Mad Tiger Young Master, and he was known for terrifying martial talent and a wild temper like a mad tiger. Coincidentally, he had been the very person who had interfered with Seok Geum-ryong's life from childhood and tormented him at every turn.
...!!
When Seok Geum-ryong instinctively trembled at the sight of him, Seok Ho-in finally smiled in satisfaction.
"That's right. You look best when you're trembling."
He was eighteen years old, with sharp, fierce eyes and a broad, imposing face, yet he had an especially vile way of treating Seok Geum-ryong.
His large frame was so overwhelming that it made his age irrelevant.
As Seok Geum-ryong looked at Seok Ho-in after such a long time, long-buried memories flashed before him like a lantern parade.
Since childhood, Seok Geum-ryong had attended the academy and learned the fundamentals of martial arts together with Seok Myo-hee, who was just above him, and with the elder Seok Ho-in...
-You stupid, foolish thing!
Is it because your mother was lowborn?
You lag behind in both letters and martial studies!
He had not only endured abuse and contempt, but while learning martial arts, he had practically been made into Seok Ho-in's scarecrow and beaten day after day.
If Seok Myo-hee had not intervened in the middle, it was possible he would have suffered an even worse fate.
So this was the source of Young Master Seok Geum-ryong's timidness, the root of all his suffering!
Once he found that source, rage surged through Seok Geum-ryong.
Thinking about it now, even from his previous life, Seok Ho-in had mocked and belittled Seok Geum-ryong at every turn. He had even once imitated Seok Geum-ryong after an assassin's attack left him limping, provoking the anger of the Gold-Selling Swordsman, Woo Do-min.
Gold-Selling Swordsman Woo Do-min.
Are you not a dog being paid by this Seokga Manor?
If you're a hunting dog sold for silver, then act like one and lower your tail in submission to your master. What kind of thing are you, baring your teeth so brazenly?
When Seok Ho-in, after even looking down on Seok Geum-ryong, had gone so far as to insult him, Woo Do-min had drawn his sword, only for Seok Ho-in to flee in a panic.
Holding those memories now, after having returned to the past and become Seok Geum-ryong himself, the anger was beyond description.
"Still, since we've gone to the trouble of meeting, shouldn't you greet your elder brother when you see him?"
After confirming that no one else was nearby, Seok Ho-in crooked a finger at Seok Geum-ryong.
The gesture was not unlike a master summoning a servant, or rather a man calling a dog.
Thud, thud.
At the beckoning of that crooked finger, Seok Geum-ryong walked toward him.
As expected.
Seeing Seok Geum-ryong move exactly as he wished, Seok Ho-in smiled broadly.
Sssssh.
To be honest, Seok Geum-ryong looked much larger than he had in the past, and for some reason carried a more imposing presence, which felt unfamiliar. But still...
Seok Ho-in once again realized that people did not change so easily, and that the hierarchy engraved in childhood was not something overturned with ease.
But that thought lasted only an instant.
"Seok Ho-in. Your arrogance is as excessive as ever."
Seok Geum-ryong was not the Seok Geum-ryong of the past.
Back then, he would have been intimidated and frightened by Seok Ho-in's mere glance, but now things were different.
"W-what?"
Seok Ho-in was so taken aback by the completely changed demeanor that cold sweat broke out on him.
But only for a moment.
"Has this fool gone mad when I wasn't looking?"
Unable to restrain his anger, he raised a hand lightly.
Of course, the family council was about to begin, so he could not strike openly or leave visible wounds. But he was already well versed in methods of inflicting pain without showing it.
For example, instead of striking with the hand, if one merely placed a hand on the opponent's body and poured in terrifying internal energy, one could inflict excruciating agony.
Thus, just as Seok Ho-in was about to lay his hand on Seok Geum-ryong...
Swish.
Unbelievably, Seok Geum-ryong extended his own hand toward Seok Ho-in's.
...!!
At that, Seok Ho-in was shocked again, his pupils widening.
Even if it had been a light movement of the hand, it was the motion of a Super First-class expert. Yet Seok Geum-ryong had matched his movement perfectly.
Could it be that he learned martial arts from the Golden Needle Venerable as well, and not just medicine?
That thought crossed his mind, but the worry soon faded.
No matter how strong Seok Geum-ryong might be, he could not possibly compare to a martial prodigy like himself, who had reached the Super First-class realm at eighteen.
"Very well. It's been a while since you were last struck, hasn't it? Let's properly sort out the hierarchy while we're at it."
Seok Ho-in licked his lips and, as though he'd been waiting for this moment, poured all his strength into the internal art channeled through the palm he had pressed against Seok Geum-ryong's hand.