A Twist of Fate (1)
Seok Geum-ryong, the Golden Young Master, successfully brought the Hebei Exchange Meeting to a triumphant close.
Before the dust from the event had even settled, he found himself sitting beside the Mad Tiger Young Master, Seok Ho-in, at the family conference.
"Ugh."
Unlike Seok Geum-ryong, whose face was bright with excitement, Seok Ho-in looked like livestock being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
And it made sense. Seok Geum-ryong had not only proved his martial skill beyond question, he had also carried the Hebei Exchange Meeting to an unprecedented success. Seok Ho-in, on the other hand, had flared up in the very first round and been eliminated. The difference between them could not have been clearer.
Swish.
Seok Geum-ryong cast a sidelong glance at him.
If this had been the old Seok Ho-in, he would have lived under the delusion that he was the stronger one and looked down on Seok Geum-ryong. But things were different now.
Flinch!
The moment Seok Geum-ryong's gaze landed on him, Seok Ho-in shrank in on himself, his whole body collapsing inward in a humiliating display of weakness.
It could hardly be helped. In Seokga Manor, Seok Ho-in was utterly lacking as a merchant, and the only weapon he truly possessed was his extraordinary martial talent.
His martial bone and talent had been deeply recognized not only within Seokga Manor but by Lord Seok Ji-sung himself, which was why the expectations placed on this Hebei Exchange Meeting had been so high.
'And yet... instead of posting a good result, he ends up looking worse than Seok Geum-ryong in front of so many people.'
That was why Seok Ho-in was reduced to this state. Even if he had ten mouths, he would have had nothing to say.
"Young Master Geum-ryong and Young Master Ho-in have arrived."
The two of them finally reached the main hall.
The guard stationed at the entrance announced their arrival, and it was faintly irritating that he mentioned the younger Seok Geum-ryong before Seok Ho-in himself.
Was this self-pity, or a justified anger?
Even he could not tell.
"Young Master Geum-ryong has come!"
Uwaaaah!
For Seok Ho-in, the scene that followed was especially cruel.
The moment Seok Geum-ryong entered the main hall of Seokga Manor, praise and exclamations erupted from the vassals and senior staff. Not a single person spared Seok Ho-in even a glance.
'Tsk. What a fool.'
'Serves him right for showing off just because his martial skill was decent.'
The only ones paying attention to Seok Ho-in were Seok Dong-seo and Seok Ju-woo.
From their perspective, it was not exactly bad news.
They had thought Seok Ho-in's momentum looked troubling, as though a third rival were about to emerge, but Seok Geum-ryong had appeared like a new star and crushed him.
Of course, a problem remained.
Their concern had not been Seok Ho-in at all, but the fact that Seok Geum-ryong was now surging forward and threatening to rise as a third major power.
"Geum-ryong, your performance was truly remarkable. The success of the exchange meeting, your skill in choosing and running the event, those are one thing... but I never imagined your martial arts would be so formidable."
As expected, once Seok Geum-ryong appeared, praise poured out first from Lord Seok Ji-sung himself.
It was impossible not to acknowledge it. Who could have guessed that Seok Geum-ryong's martial skill would stand out even among the many promising younger disciples?
It was the very definition of a hidden gem, and the shock of not having expected it made the impact even greater.
"As for Ho-in... that was a little disappointing. No matter how fierce the rules of the first match were, I didn't expect you to be eliminated from the start."
After praising Seok Geum-ryong, the rebuke turned to Seok Ho-in.
Strictly speaking, it was not a rebuke so much as an expression of regret, but to Seok Ho-in it felt like a sharp knife buried in his chest.
'Gghh...!'
Especially compared with Seok Geum-ryong, Seok Ho-in had always seen himself as the victor, the predator. He had never imagined he would be beaten down like this and suffer such humiliation.
"Ho-in also barely passed the family test that our young men take when they turn fifteen, and in many ways your conduct has been disappointing."
At the repeated criticism, Seok Ho-in clenched his teeth and answered.
"Lord Father, martial arts are a difficult field. At a young age, it is only natural for people to trade the lead back and forth. Before long, I will train even harder and firmly establish my advantage."
Seok Ho-in's mouth ran faster than his skill, but now even his words had lost their power.
After everyone had witnessed him being soundly defeated by Seok Geum-ryong, who would believe a thing he said?
"In any case, Geum-ryong is doing very well, and I hear your influence and sales at the horse market are steadily increasing. Once you turn fifteen and pass the family test... you will have the official authority to use Seokga Manor's assets, and you will be able to stand as a true candidate for my successor."
In truth, Seok Ji-sung held little interest in Seok Ho-in.
At best, he might have grown into a serviceable martial expert. Maybe.
By comparison, Seok Geum-ryong was not only indispensable to him personally, but to Seokga Manor itself, which was currently facing numerous crises and internal conflicts. Seok Ji-sung had no doubt that the boy would bring a breath of clear, fresh air into the manor.
"Thank you for your kind words."
"Good. What you must do now is continue growing steadily over the next year until your fifteenth birthday comes around, and help Seokga Manor develop its horse business. You can do that, can't you?"
Seok Ji-sung then turned to Seok Ho-in, plainly displaying his favoritism toward Seok Geum-ryong.
No, if one thought about it, even that was not favoritism.
It was only natural for his eyes to turn toward the one who had brought in more achievements and greater profit for Seokga Manor.
"I can do it. I will definitely do it."
Seok Geum-ryong answered with more confidence than ever.
Even to outsiders who had once dismissed him as a timid, pale little boy, there was now a hard-won manliness about him that no one could ignore.
At fourteen or fifteen, a boy's body naturally begins to change quickly, and Seok Geum-ryong's height and build already made him look like a young man.
"Good. From now on, I'll entrust the horse trade and the horse market to you."
And so, in the family conference, Seok Ji-sung and Seok Geum-ryong once again displayed the closeness of father and son, bringing the meeting to a warm and amicable close.
Of course, it was not perfect.
Seok Dong-seo, who would raise his hand against his father in the near future, and Seok Ju-woo and Seok Ho-in, who both followed while guarding their own interests against him.
Seokga Manor still had far too many unstable elements.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
At last the family conference ended, and as Seok Geum-ryong and Seok Ho-in walked out side by side, Seok Ho-in tossed out a parting shot.
"You think you've already won, don't you?"
Even though he was now afraid of Seok Geum-ryong, Seok Ho-in still did not forget to leave behind a sharp remark.
"What?"
"Martial arts are something you only know the outcome of once you've gone all the way. Don't get arrogant just because you're a little ahead right now."
Seok Ho-in acted as though he were some seasoned old master who had seen every storm life could throw at him, and Seok Geum-ryong nearly laughed at the sheer absurdity of it.
Who exactly had taken possession of Seok Geum-ryong's body, and yet he was still saying something like that?
"Seok Geum-ryong. While you're busy selling horses and struggling with the family test when you turn fifteen... I will be training in seclusion and sharpening myself. You'll see. In the end, we'll know who's laughing."
Without even waiting to be asked, Seok Ho-in launched into a long explanation of his future plans, then stalked off.
Seok Geum-ryong stood in the empty main hall of Seokga Manor and watched the place where he had disappeared.
"Tsk. You're never going to become a master. You're too stupid. Too stupid by half."
Mad Tiger Young Master Seok Ho-in was the type with excellent martial bone and a strong body, but he lacked profundity and strategic mind.
Seok Geum-ryong had a clear feeling that Seok Ho-in would never reach greatness, and he turned away.
'Like Lord Father said, I need to lay the groundwork over the next year for the horse trade and the horse market.'
In martial arts, he had already proven himself well enough that even Seok Ho-in would not dare climb over him.
But in trade and merchant operations, he had not yet shown the same overwhelming dominance.
So Seok Geum-ryong resolved to make the most of the opportunity given to him.
Then, the very next day, something happened that made that resolve look laughably thin.
"Young Master Seok Geum-ryong!"
Someone called for him in a frantic voice.
Who could be searching for him so early in the morning? It turned out to be none other than Jang Sam, the man entrusted with managing the horses at Seokma-gwan.
"Stable Master Jang Sam, what is the matter...?"
Before he had even finished the question, Seok Geum-ryong sensed something ominous.
Jang Sam had gone from a servant to the man in charge of the horses at Seokma-gwan.
For him to come seeking Seok Geum-ryong with a face drained of all color could only mean...
"Four fine horses, including one white-maned steed, have disappeared!"
It meant that something serious had happened to the horses.
As expected!
The thing he had suspected and worried over had come to pass. Seok Geum-ryong was a little startled, but quickly asked for the full story.
"What exactly happened?"
"Well..."
But Jang Sam could not give him a straight answer.
Pressed again and again, he finally explained the situation.
"As usual, after supper I counted the horses like always, and would you believe it? One white-maned steed and four fine horses, all five of them, had simply vanished without a trace."
In other words, by morning, all five horses had simply disappeared.
"Hmm."
After that impossible explanation, Seok Geum-ryong fell into deep thought.
'Stable Master Jang is a very capable man.'
Especially when it came to horses and handling caravans, he was a rare specialist, second to none.
A man like that would not be careless in managing horses, nor would he simply lose them.
"Did you search the surrounding area?" Seok Geum-ryong asked.
The white-maned steed, and the fine horses as well, were highly mobile. They might even have wandered dozens or hundreds of li away.
"Yes. We searched all the way through the North Stone Mountain area, but there wasn't even a trace."
Jang Sam was a capable man.
Before bringing his final report to Seok Geum-ryong, he would have tried every measure and theory available to him.
In fact, Jang Sam had searched the North Stone Mountain area like his own backyard. The mountain stood right behind the large horse stables at Seokma-gwan, and if a horse had fled from nearby, it was a place it would absolutely have had to cross.
Even so, not only had he failed to find the horses, he had not found a single hoofprint. It was enough to make the heavens weep.
"No choice, then. I'll take a look myself."
Seok Geum-ryong made his decision and considered the possibilities one by one.
'A horse can't just vanish on its own.'
Especially not in Jang Sam's case. The man loved and cherished horses so much that he never even raised a whip; instead, he made sure they were well fed, with quality fodder and carrots every mealtime. If anything, the horses should have gathered around him, not run away.
That meant there were several possible explanations.
'First, someone may have stolen them.'
The most obvious suspicion was theft.
Perhaps someone had coveted the bloodline of the white-maned steed and the fine horses, just as the Red Horse Hall had done in the past.
But if someone had truly stolen them, they would have had to breach Seokga Manor's heavy defenses and enter the inner grounds, which made little sense.
More importantly, hadn't the Red Horse Hall also been annihilated and completely erased?
For that reason, Seok Geum-ryong considered it an unlikely possibility.
'Second, there may have been betrayal from within.'
He considered it for a moment, then shook his head.
That reason was even thinner.
For there to be an inside betrayal, Jang Sam would have had to collude with the traitor, and Jang Sam was absolutely not that kind of person.
Besides, not only Jang Sam but his entire family was living happily under Bukcheon-won's protection. To imagine that Jang Sam would betray them over a few horses was already too much of an insult to the man.
The third possibility was natural death, disease, or even that the horses had run away on their own, but that too was a very slim chance.
Then whose work was this, exactly?
By the time another day had passed...
"Y-young Master."
Jang Sam appeared again, pale as death, his face full of despair.
"This time, three of the four white horses have vanished completely."
To make matters worse, another disappearance had occurred.