Hebei Exchange Meeting (2)
"What, what did you say?"
At that ruthless reply, the Mad Tiger Young Master, Seok Ho-in, was utterly taken aback.
He had expected the conversation to be difficult, of course, but he had never imagined he would be flatly turned down in a single sentence.
"Didn't you hear me? Why would I ever join hands with the likes of you? And besides..."
Seok Geum-ryong still snorted derisively as he looked down at him.
"Your victory has nothing to do with the Hebei Exchange Meeting I'm hosting. Even if you end up dead last and are crushed into the ground, my reputation won't be affected one bit."
That was, in fact, true.
Strictly speaking, Seok Ho-in's victory had nothing to do with Seok Geum-ryong's role as host.
To put it bluntly, even if Seok Ho-in came in last, as long as the event itself was held well, Seok Geum-ryong would suffer no harm.
Besides, the first step is half the journey. Many sects have already declared that they'll be taking part in the Hebei Exchange Meeting.
That alone proved things were already going well from the start, and fierce competition was the very thing that produced a fine tournament.
In that sense, this Hebei Exchange Meeting was all but guaranteed to succeed.
"Y-you! How can you even think that way as a member of Seokga Manor? It's not hard to rig the matches or manipulate the pairings, is it?!"
Meanwhile, Seok Ho-in glared at Seok Geum-ryong with an expression that said he simply could not understand.
No matter how bad their relationship was, that was going too far, his tone implied.
"Not hard? It is hard."
"What?"
"There are more reasons to refuse than I can count. First, you tried to kill me and harm Butler Gong. That alone is reason enough for me not to sit at the same table with you. And second, this is a exchange meeting for young, unfinished talents. I don't want any dirty tricks in an event like that. And third..."
Step, step.
Seok Geum-ryong began walking toward Seok Ho-in, who had frozen in place from sheer shock.
Flinch!
As Seok Geum-ryong approached, Seok Ho-in recoiled before he could stop himself.
Has this bastard always looked this huge?
Seok Ho-in stared at the aura and entire bearing of the Seok Geum-ryong who had changed beyond recognition over the course of a single year.
It was no exaggeration. The energy he radiated, the way he carried his qi, and even his actual height and build had all increased dramatically.
"Ahem!"
Seok Ho-in seemed embarrassed that he had allowed himself to shrink back even for a moment, so he quickly pretended nothing had happened and fixed his gaze on Seok Geum-ryong.
He, too, was a master of the super first-class realm, one of the most promising talents in the Hebei martial world.
"As a human being, as family, I despise you thoroughly, Seok Ho-in. Understood?"
Seok Geum-ryong's sharp words were an insult delivered from close enough to make the humiliation sting.
Tremble, tremble!
Seok Ho-in clenched his fists and shook with wounded pride, but for some reason, his fist never came out.
Only a year ago, when they had sparred once before the family council, he had not realized it, but the gap between them had widened beyond comparison.
Tap, tap.
At last, Seok Geum-ryong tapped Seok Ho-in's shoulder and issued his final warning.
"If you come looking for me again and try to pull any more schemes, I'll report it straight to Clan Lord Seok Ji-sung and make sure your honor is trampled to the ground."
"Damn it!"
Seeing that his plan had failed, Seok Ho-in immediately spit out a curse and abandoned any attempt at flattery.
"Fine, we'll see about that!"
Face red with rage and humiliation, Seok Ho-in shouted himself hoarse in Bukcheon-won.
But even that did not last long.
Whoosh...
Before long, the Moon Spirit Sword Lady, Im So-gun, the Shadowless One, Shin Dan-woo, and several other outstanding masters had drawn near and released killing intent in his direction.
Crushed by the immense pressure, Seok Ho-in fell silent and turned away at once.
You think that because you're hosting the Hebei Exchange Meeting, everything will go your way? Just wait. I'll make sure this tournament becomes a public disgrace for you.
Grinding his teeth, Seok Ho-in endured the shame and left Bukcheon-won.
"Looks like Young Master Seok Ho-in's taken a grudge after all."
"What if he decides to deliberately ruin the Hebei Exchange Meeting?"
After confirming that Seok Ho-in had left, Shin Dan-woo and Im So-gun approached Seok Geum-ryong and asked the question.
Their attitude was completely different from the one they had taken toward Seok Ho-in.
"It's fine."
"Pardon?"
At Seok Geum-ryong's confident assurance, the two of them were startled.
"It's true that the Mad Tiger Young Master, Seok Ho-in, is strong. If you judge only by martial cultivation and talent, he'd easily rank among the top three in all the martial world of Hebei. But..."
Seok Geum-ryong spoke with certainty.
"The Hebei Exchange Meeting is still a contest among young, unfinished talents. That means the outcome won't be decided the way it is among established masters, by realm or by depth of internal energy alone. It means there can be any number of variables, even from the smallest details. And..."
He grinned.
At that point, Seok Geum-ryong's smile widened into something bright and confident.
"No matter how strong his martial arts are, if a man's head is empty, he'll never become a peak master."
* * *
Even after the Mad Tiger Young Master, Seok Ho-in, left after issuing his threat, the celebration for the Golden Young Master's fourteenth birthday, as well as the hosting of the Hebei Exchange Meeting, continued to proceed successfully.
When the day of his fourteenth birthday arrived, the banquet and the gathering of the various participants in the Hebei Exchange Meeting took place at the same time, and people began arriving one after another.
"Cha Bok-sam of the Beggars' Sect, the Little Heavenly Beggar, congratulates Young Master Seok Geum-ryong on his fourteenth birthday!"
The first to rush over and offer his congratulations was, unexpectedly, a participant from the Beggars' Sect.
Even if the Beggars' Sect was a band of beggars, it was still one of the great orthodox sects, and yet the Little Heavenly Beggar, Cha Bok-sam, had come alone without any elder or attendant in sight.
The Little Heavenly Beggar! Right now he's only one of the many disciples of the Beggars' Sect's Dragon Head Hall Master, but later he'll become a successor worthy of being counted among the top three!
Seok Geum-ryong remembered him from his previous life.
Right now, at seventeen, he still had a youthful, boyish air, but by the time he reached his twenties, his talent would be revealed to the entire world and draw considerable attention.
"Thank you!"
Seok Geum-ryong took an immediate liking to Cha Bok-sam, the Little Heavenly Beggar, who had come first and, more importantly, had made the effort to arrive alone and offer genuine congratulations.
Part of the reason he liked him was that, in his previous life, he had known the boy to be remarkably unpretentious and yet thoroughly righteous.
For instance, the participants belonging to the major orthodox factions, the Hebei Peng Clan, the Jinzhou Yan Clan, and the Righteous Sword Sect, had displayed rather ugly behavior by only entering once they had confirmed that the neutral factions and the evil factions were also taking part.
Watching them posture and clash with the neutral and evil factions alike, Seok Geum-ryong found himself rather fond of the Beggars' Sect's easygoing spirit, and of Cha Bok-sam in particular.
And then there was another.
"Good to see you, Young Master Geum-ryong!"
He was reunited with Ken Zhabok, the branch leader of the Hebei division of the Hao Clan, a faction that fell under the neutral camp.
As a branch leader, Ken Zhabok was in his early to mid-twenties, which just barely made him eligible to participate.
"We meet again."
Seok Geum-ryong welcomed him, while also guessing rather easily why Ken Zhabok had come.
Since Ken Zhabok regarded him highly and was even considering him as a business partner, he had likely joined the Hebei Exchange Meeting less to compete seriously than to see Seok Geum-ryong's every move with his own eyes.
"Since today is Young Master Seok Geum-ryong's birthday, and since the future of the Hebei martial world is gathering here, I came to greet you in person."
"Hahaha. I hope your intentions are fulfilled."
Seok Geum-ryong knew very well that Ken Zhabok was a far more formidable master than his plain appearance suggested.
In particular, there had been rumors that in lightness technique alone he was comparable to Shin Dan-woo, the Shadowless One.
And so Seok Geum-ryong spent meaningful time greeting, one by one, all those who came to celebrate his birthday.
Hmmm.
Only after Seok Ho-in, the special participant from Seokga Manor, arrived with the many guards assigned to accompany him did Seok Geum-ryong's fourteenth birthday celebration finally come to a close.
After the simple congratulatory gathering, Seok Geum-ryong spoke.
"First of all, I would like to thank all the martial brothers and sisters of the Hebei martial world who graciously came to take part in the Hebei Exchange Meeting. Moreover, the fact that you have brightened my fourteenth birthday alongside it is an honor I will remember for the rest of my life."
Seok Geum-ryong remembered his own modest fourteenth birthday from his previous life.
It had also been the first birthday he had celebrated after the servant Deung Chon died, after the Scholar in Blue, Gong Sang-pil, died, and after the Gold-Selling Swordsman, Woo Do-min, had joined him.
At that time, there was not even a proper welcoming reception or celebration like this. Aside from me, not even Clan Lord Seok Ji-sung himself bothered to visit.
And look at things now.
Seok Ji-sung was openly congratulating him and backing the hosting of the Hebei Exchange Meeting, while great sects and clans famous throughout the Hebei martial world sent their congratulations as well.
His previous life had been a shabby birthday spent in an empty manor, where everyone he loved had died and no one had come to celebrate him.
But now it was being held in grand style, and the air was filled with curiosity and favorable eyes directed toward Seok Geum-ryong, who was rising anew within Seokga Manor.
The fifth son of Seokga Manor, Seok Geum-ryong, was said to be timid and talentless despite his splendid name... as expected, rumors are not to be trusted.
The most prominent of those eyes belonged to none other than Cha Bok-sam, the Little Heavenly Beggar of the Beggars' Sect.
If the Hao Clan was the intelligence network of the neutral and evil factions, then the Beggars' Sect was unquestionably the intelligence network of the orthodox factions.
For that reason, he had come early on purpose to confirm Seok Geum-ryong's character, and yet what did he find?
Better than expected. Far better than expected.
"Then, without further ado, let us begin the Hebei Exchange Meeting at once!"
As Seok Geum-ryong's smooth and spirited proceedings continued, the crowd erupted into cheers and reveled in the rare festival.
In particular, the masters from the orthodox, evil, and neutral factions who had visited Bukcheon-won were highly satisfied with its stately yet perfectly maintained scenery.
Wa-a-a-aah!
When the thunderous cheers finally subsided, Seok Geum-ryong opened his mouth again.
"I understand that the host of the exchange meeting decides the theme of the match, the category, and even the pairings. That is why I had long been troubled over what theme to choose. At first, I considered setting the theme of the Hebei Exchange Meeting as either 'gentleman' or 'righteous hero,' but the masters of the evil factions here, as well as those of the neutral camp, do not pursue either of those ideals."
There was some truth in what he said.
If this had been a gathering of the orthodox alone, it would have been much easier to set the match theme around the qualifications needed to be recognized as a gentleman or the martial virtue required of a righteous hero.
Therefore, among the young talents from the orthodox, evil, and neutral sects gathered here today, there was ultimately only one theme that could satisfy them all.
That was...
"After much deliberation, the conclusion I reached for this Hebei Exchange Meeting's theme was none other than... hero."
A figure admired and praised everywhere, whether among the orthodox, the evil, or the neutral.
That figure was the hero.
In the orthodox camp, a hero was someone who saved others and pursued righteousness. In the evil camp, a hero was a cunning overlord of the chaotic age, one who turned crisis into opportunity and took the lead. And in the neutral camp, a hero was one who steadily pursued success and fame, no matter how the world turned, while all three alike could exist despite differences in perspective and belief.
Was there any theme more exquisitely fitting, more capable of piercing straight through the hearts of these young talents and setting them aflame?