Chapter 22: He Who Ties It Unties It (2)
Yi Semyeong raised his glass in response.
With the notice delivered, he owed his old friend nothing more.
So why did he still feel like he was coming out on the short end?
And why couldn't he shake the image of Hebei Paeng Family's youngest son, Paeng Hanbin, whom he'd seen just recently?
Yi Semyeong tilted his glass and spoke.
"I'm envious of you."
"What nonsense is that? Then go get married right now."
"You know I can't, with all the dependents I've got."
"You mean the ronin?"
"……."
Yi Semyeong didn't answer. He just silently tilted his glass back.
The next afternoon, in the Hebei Paeng Family patriarch's hall.
Hanbin arrived carrying a single sword.
"Patriarch, I've completed my task."
At Hanbin's call, Patriarch Paeng Kangwi slowly descended from the dais.
As Paeng Kangwi approached Hanbin, his head tilted slightly.
"Where is the dao forged by Master Jeong?"
"Right here."
Hanbin carefully untied the sword from his waist.
Paeng Kangwi's eyebrows twitched at the sight of the blade.
"What in the world is this?"
"My cherished weapon."
Paeng Kangwi's eyes widened enormously.
"So you're saying he forged a sword instead of a dao?"
As Paeng Kangwi narrowed his eyes, Hanbin asked,
"If I may, before I answer, could I pose a question first?"
"Speak."
Hanbin narrowed his eyes.
It wouldn't be easy to melt away the prickling stares around him and sway the patriarch's heart.
Taking a deep breath, Hanbin spoke with a serious expression.
"What is the meaning of the dao?"
"It is the Paeng Family's power."
"I have one more question for you, Patriarch."
"Speak."
"Must the emperor wield a sword? Or a dao? And……."
Hanbin paused, scanning the assembled crowd.
His question wasn't just for Patriarch Paeng Kangwi.
It was a koan thrown out to everyone present.
Paeng Kangwi said,
"Continue."
"Then must a general wield a dao? Or a sword?"
"……."
The patriarch smiled faintly without a word.
Confirming that, Hanbin now addressed the crowd directly.
"The emperor's power comes from the general, and the general's from the soldiers. Does that power have a fixed form?"
No one answered Hanbin's question.
Then laughter erupted from the back.
"Kehkeh."
Hanbin turned his head.
Paeng Kangwi was laughing with a satisfied expression.
There was only one reason Paeng Kangwi was pleased.
Hanbin understood the true meaning of the young master competition.
The patriarch's seat wasn't about warriors competing with warriors—it was about steering competitions between families and sects, families against families.
It wasn't mere rivalry. It was war.
Paeng Kangwi's laughter continued for a while.
Narrowing his eyes at the patriarch's mirth, Hanbin felt his pulse quicken.
The biggest reason he'd brought a sword was to gain official permission to wield one under the Paeng Family name.
He'd handled swords for nearly twenty years.
Of course, he wasn't incapable with a dao.
But swords felt more natural.
In the jianghu where death could strike at any moment, that difference mattered. Better to get explicit approval to use a sword openly.
Besides, what he was cultivating now was the Yongrin Sword Art.
With the basics complete, the forms would come next—and those required a sword.
Hanbin's immediate goal was the Paeng Family.
Once achieved, he'd move to the next stage.
After laughing heartily, Paeng Kangwi resumed with a blank expression.
"Then let me see this cherished weapon of yours."
Paeng Kangwi extended his hand, eager to inspect how badly the sword had turned out without the dark iron.
"Here it is."
Hanbin offered the sword politely with both hands.
Paeng Kangwi accepted silently and drew it at once.
Shing!
The sound of the blade unsheathing rang through the hall like a bell toll.
All eyes fixed on the moonlit blade Paeng Kangwi had drawn.
The elders and warriors murmured.
"As expected, mixing in dark iron turns it into an ordinary sword."
"But isn't it a bit different from the blades made by the first and second young masters?"
"Look, you can even see the edge from here."
"Definitely dark iron."
As everyone whispered, Paeng Kangwi narrowed his eyes.
He'd sold the dark iron, so what was this?
No sword like this could be forged from dark iron.
The keen edge and the pure energy humming in the blade—it was a masterpiece rare even across the Central Plains, let alone north of the river.
For now, he'd set aside the issue of the sold dark iron.
It was time to hand everything over to Hanbin.
The final step in determining if he qualified as a young master candidate: convincing the Hebei Paeng Family members.
Paeng Kangwi returned the sword to Hanbin.
"Take it back."
"Yes, Patriarch."
Hanbin accepted it. From the patriarch's gaze now, he understood the intent.
'He wants me to convince them myself?'
Hanbin smiled imperceptibly.
He wasn't here to sacrifice for the Paeng Family—he'd use it someday.
For that, he needed to establish an overwhelming presence within the family now.
And the stage for that was already set.
Hanbin scanned the surroundings, gauging the elders, division heads, and captains' expressions.
As expected, it wouldn't be easy.
But not impossible.
Unconsciously gripping the scabbard tighter, Hanbin let out a small chuckle.
Just then, his eyes met Paeng Kangwi's.
The patriarch was grinning as if greatly amused.
Quickly schooling his features, Hanbin returned the smile with a cupped-fist salute.
"Patriarch, I request your permission!"
"Permission for what?"
"Grant me the chance to convince these people."
At that, one of the nearby elders cautiously interjected.
"Patriarch, this won't do."
Another voice followed.
"If he becomes young master and then patriarch, that weapon will become the Paeng Family's sacred treasure. If it's a sword, will those who eat the Paeng Family's rice accept it?"
"Exactly, Patriarch!"
The elders and division heads in the hall shouted until their throats were raw.
Hanbin couldn't help but snort with laughter.
He was indeed wrong to bring a sword instead of a dao.
But there was no need to get so heated over it.
Addressing everyone, Hanbin said,
"If you can't accept a swordsman instead of a bladesman, say so now."
His words sparked an uproar.
"A swordsman?"
"When did the youngest master learn swordsmanship?"
"Does the Paeng Family even have sword arts?"
"The one they called the family's shame…… hm."
As the murmurs grew bolder, Patriarch Paeng Kangwi's lips curled up.
He watched the chaos with evident amusement.
Hanbin swallowed a laugh inwardly.
To Paeng Kangwi, even this seemed part of the young master competition.
Hanbin stepped forward.
"How can I earn the recognition of you elders and division heads?"
His voice carried no inner power, but its momentum was palpable.
The murmuring elders and division heads turned their gazes to Hanbin.
They watched silently, but no one spoke.
"……."
Then someone stood.
"If that sword isn't mere ornamentation, I'll acknowledge it."
All eyes turned to the speaker.
It was Ga Gi-gun, the young division head of Jujak Division, in charge of intelligence for the Hebei Paeng Family.
Everyone nodded at his words.
What upheld the Paeng Family was, after all, the logic of power.
Watching with interest, Patriarch Paeng Kangwi spoke.
"I permit a match."
Short words, but everyone knew what they meant.
At that moment, Hanbin spread his fingers and shouted,
"Five of you!"
The hall buzzed at Hanbin's declaration.
"What did he just say?"
"Five? What does that mean?"
As the commotion grew, Hanbin snapped his fingers to draw all eyes.
Snap!
Everyone swallowed, staring at Hanbin.
After a pause, he continued.
"If you want to prove my sword isn't mere decoration, step up. First five!"
His words were simple: he'd spar with five at once.
An outrageous demand.
For Hanbin, rumored to be the weakest in Hebei, to face five bladesmen?
It was like jumping into fire with dry grass—no, pouring oil on it.
Everyone imagined he'd crumble against even the first bladesman, leaving no bones behind.
The crowd began whispering.
"He's setting it up to excuse losing to five bladesmen, right?"
"Well, he'll fold at the first one anyway."
"As expected, beating the third and second young masters was some trick."
The mood turned peculiar.
To them, Hanbin was pathetically weak.
Was snapping a twig on the roadside something to brag about?
That's how they saw a match with Hanbin.
Only Ga Gi-gun, who had first proposed the match, stared at Hanbin in bewilderment.
Amid the ongoing murmurs, Hanbin wore a faint smile.
Scanning the crowd, he said,
"Then I'll take match requests up to here. Anyone else?"
Hanbin swept his gaze around, noting certain flickering points amid the assembly.
He called out again.
"That's it, then. I'll face Division Head Ga Gi-gun, who offered the match."
Hanbin turned to Ga Gi-gun.
Meeting his eyes, Ga Gi-gun silently saluted Paeng Kangwi.
It meant he'd spar with Hanbin.
Now all eyes were on Hanbin.
Hanbin, sword scabbard in hand, returned a deep salute.
"I accept."
At once, the elders and division heads shoved tables aside, clearing a sparring space.
Standing opposite Ga Gi-gun, Hanbin's eyes gleamed.
With the stage set, another flickering point appeared.
A ripple in Jujak Division Head Ga Gi-gun's abdomen.
Gulp.
Hanbin swallowed unconsciously.
The crowd buzzed again at his expression.
"What's that look?"
"No way…… qi deviation?"
Ignoring the absurd speculation, Hanbin focused only on his opponent's and his own forms.
Jujak Division's Ga Gi-gun was a young bladesman on the cusp of Peak realm.
Still First Rate, for now.
A warrior skilled in intelligence and handling people—a strategist type.
This worked in Hanbin's favor.
The Hanbin he knew was utterly different from the current one.
Then Patriarch Paeng Kangwi slammed his massive dao into the floor.
Boom.
The inner-power-infused strike signaled the match's start.
Hanbin's judgment was swift.
Distance to Ga Gi-gun: barely three steps.
He quickly backpedaled.
And thrust his sword forward.
Whoosh.
Hanbin's blade shot ahead like an arrow.
The scabbarded tip aimed straight for Ga Gi-gun's abdomen.
Ga Gi-gun, waiting for Hanbin to draw, hadn't yet pulled his own dao from his waist.
Caught off-guard by the sudden attack, he retreated a step.
Thud thud thud!
Backpedaling over three steps with agile footwork, Ga Gi-gun's eyes widened.
Hanbin's sword tip hadn't stopped.
To any onlooker, Hanbin's swordsmanship was absurd.
An unfamiliar form backed by substantial inner power.
Before Ga Gi-gun could resolve his doubts, pain exploded in his abdomen.
Thud!
As Ga Gi-gun clutched his gut and gasped, Hanbin stood grinning before the fallen man.
Gazing skyward as if Ga Gi-gun weren't even worth noticing, Hanbin's demeanor bordered on arrogance.
Confirming formulas with Dragon Eye.
You have acquired Gong from the basics of Yongrin Sword Art.
At the word Gong, Hanbin's heart raced.