The Second Button
"I cannot remember the last time I tasted the fragrance of tea like this."
The former head of the Kong Family laughed heartily, a smile rising from deep within his heart.
"It seems the effects of the treatment are beginning to show more clearly."
At Yeon So-hyeon's words, the old man simply nodded with a look of pure delight.
"Is that all? Tea shared with a welcome and precious guest carries a fragrance far beyond what the nose alone can catch."
The elder, Kong Ryang, set his teacup upon the table.
"From this day forward, our Kong Family will spare no support for the First Young Master in every domain he may require."
"That is..."
Before Yeon So-hyeon could voice his concern—that the Kong Family would be drawn into the succession struggle of the Luoyang Sword Family—the old man waved a hand to stop him.
"I have kept up this hollow name of the Sixteen Imperial Capital Families all this time precisely because I wondered if a day like this might come."
Kong Ryang gave a bitter smile.
"I only ever hoped that a child would be born who could truly make use of this inheritance."
Without daring to speak of another family's internal affairs, Yeon So-hyeon simply listened in silence.
"Not one of my sons, nor any of my grandsons, has had the capacity for it. All of them have fallen short."
It was plain enough: after Kong Ryang himself, the line of chancellors that had continued for three generations had produced no further heirs worthy of the office.
"My eldest son, who remains in the Imperial Capital, may harbor great ambitions, yet he lacks the spine to see them through. His will is too weak."
The old man clicked his tongue and patted the quilt covering him, as if still unsatisfied.
"Even if that boy inherits this family's legacy, he will only scramble to preserve it. He will never accomplish any true great work with it."
It was a harsh judgment. Yet in the words of Kong Ryang—one of the symbolic figures of the reformist faction in the Imperial Capital—there was not the slightest trace of compromise.
"First Young Master."
The old man's gaze, burning from deep within, fixed upon Yeon So-hyeon.
"To set Luoyang right, one must set the Luoyang Sword Family right. To set this empire right, one must set the Imperial Capital right."
His hand closed over Yeon So-hyeon's with a strength he had never shown before.
"And the only one who can do that is you, First Young Master."
It was a conversation far too vast for private men, yet Yeon So-hyeon answered without the least hesitation.
"I will keep it in mind."
At that immediate reply, Kong Ryang smiled.
"Just as I thought—you answer at once. When I heard that the First Young Master had ended his seclusion, this old man was certain."
He spoke as if he had read straight into Yeon So-hyeon's heart.
"If that great man named Yeon So-hyeon were not prepared to rewrite the Luoyang Sword Family and rewrite the world itself, he would never have left his seclusion."
"..."
"As expected of Elder Kong. You are precisely correct."
The old man who had once served as chancellor in the brief, terrible days after the war began—and who had forestalled the worst of catastrophes—burst into a hearty laugh.
"Good. Exactly so. That is precisely why this family's inheritance must be used for the First Young Master and for no one else!"
Where such strength came from was a mystery. The old man's impassioned speech continued.
"You may use this old man's name wherever and for whatever reason you please. Whether it is the wealth of the Kong Family or its empty renown, draw upon it as you will. Regard every person of the Kong Family as your own."
Kong Ryang struck his own chest.
"From this day forward, this old man will support every step the First Young Master takes."
"That is..."
"Are you worried about my eldest son in the Imperial Capital? Or do you fear this old man no longer has strength?"
The elder drew a small, luxurious box from beneath the thick pillow against which he had been leaning.
"Look carefully, First Young Master."
He opened the box. Within it lay a jade seal of office.
"This is the Family Head Seal of the Kong Family."
"...!"
"Contrary to what the world believes, the current head of this family is still none other than this old Kong Ryang."
Even Yeon So-hyeon could not help but be astonished.
"I have waited for a day exactly like this, and until now I have never passed the Family Head Seal to anyone."
His eyes flashed with a light that seemed ready to pierce through anything that stood in his path.
"From now on, Kong Ryang, head of the Kong Family, will stand at the First Young Master's back and pour out everything this family possesses."
Of course, to create the degree of change that both Kong Ryang and Yeon So-hyeon desired, the road ahead was still long.
Yet both Yeon So-hyeon and Kong Ryang knew that every step from this moment on would bring about changes great and small.
And that first step was, naturally, Luoyang—and the Luoyang Sword Family.
"The Young Family Head of the Sword Family."
"That will come first, of course."
After moistening his throat, Kong Ryang nodded heavily.
"That the First Young Master chose Mount Beimang for his first move was a decision of such excellence that even this old man never imagined it. And the results, of course, have been outstanding."
"I have only just fastened the first button."
"It is not merely the first button—you have fastened the first button superbly!"
Kong Ryang struck his own knee.
"Every power-holder of the highest rank in Luoyang has clearly seen what path the First Young Master walked on Mount Beimang."
Their sphere of influence simply happened to be Luoyang. Within Luoyang itself, they could exert influence more easily and more powerfully than even the Sixteen Families whose roots lay in the Imperial Capital.
"And they will be struck speechless by the relationship that will soon be revealed between the former family heads of Mount Beimang and the First Young Master."
And to that same degree, the value of Yeon So-hyeon's name would spread farther and greater still.
"But that alone is not enough."
"Indeed."
Kong Ryang agreed with Yeon So-hyeon's words and added more.
"Mount Beimang is an extremely secretive place. What happens there will never trickle down to the market streets."
"Exactly."
"So now it is time for the First Young Master to reveal his 'second button,' is it not?"
The visit to Mount Beimang had been the first button. Now the hour had come to fasten the second.
"Yes. For my second button, I have prepared the Valley of Sin."
Fire leapt in Kong Ryang's eyes. In an instant he had grasped that this was no mere joint venture of the sort currently known to the outside world.
"Indeed... indeed..."
The old man wore a meaningful smile.
"So that was why you brought those old horses into it...! I see!"
Yeon So-hyeon smiled faintly.
"Even those former family heads only understood after I explained it to them. For you to see through it on the spot like this—magnificent."
Kong Ryang waved a hand.
"This old man has merely guessed the broad outline. Anyone could make such a conjecture."
Even so, Kong Ryang's mood clearly improved.
"If the First Young Master can truly accomplish it, it will make a splendid second button indeed."
Color rose in his face.
"Hmm, hmm. Excellent. Truly excellent."
He even clapped his hands, nodding to himself, then shook the long cord hanging beside him.
"Bring the boy in at once!"
The voice that rang toward the outside was thunderous. Yeon So-hyeon's treatment had played its part, but the hope that had come alive again was pouring vitality back into the old man's body.
"The boy...?"
Before Kong Ryang could answer Yeon So-hyeon's puzzled look, a booming voice rolled in from outside.
"Grandfather! It is I!"
Though the voice carried not a shred of inner energy, the tea in the room trembled slightly.
"Come in this instant!"
"Yes!"
With that great reply the door opened, and the figure that appeared was a young man so massive he filled the doorway that was by no means small.
"Grandfa—!"
His forehead collided squarely with the upper frame of the door.
"Oof."
He had struck it so hard that the vibration reached even Yeon So-hyeon seated inside the room. For a moment it seemed the doorframe itself might shatter.
"You fool! Do you mean to tear the house down?!"
The giant ducked his head and entered, scratching the back of his neck.
"Haha. You ought to blame the door for being too low. Why scold your precious grandson?"
He looked to be in his mid-twenties. His face was somewhat fierce, yet he smoothed the situation over with easy affability—until he spotted Yeon So-hyeon.
"Oh! This small guest must be the precious visitor Grandfather has been waiting for."
"You insolent brat!"
An inkstone flew straight at his head. With a sharp crack it split in half and fell to the floor, yet the young man only brightened with pure joy.
"What! Grandfather is healthy enough to throw an inkstone again! What happier news could there be!"
He laughed so hard he seemed ready to dance a little jig on the spot.
"We must hold a feast this very day!"
Then he dropped into a deep formal bow toward Yeon So-hyeon.
"So you are the noble person of the Yeon family of whom Grandfather always speaks. It is an honor to meet you. I am Kong Dam-ung."
"..."
"I am Yeon So-hyeon. A pleasure."
Yeon So-hyeon answered with a wry smile, while Kong Ryang covered his face in embarrassment beside him.
"He may look like a dullard, but he did manage second place in the palace examination, so he is not so hopelessly stupid as to be useless."
Kong Dam-ung, who had risen and promptly sat down on the floor, grumbled.
"If it hadn't been for that Kang-family four-eyes, first place would have been mine."
Kong Ryang flared up at once.
"What good is blaming someone else?! You must recognize your own shortcomings!"
Kong Dam-ung thumped his own chest. Each time he struck it, the sound was like a great drum.
"Aigo, Grandfather! From the time he was in the academy that fellow never forgot anything he saw even once—he was a monster! You can't put a monster like that on the same line as an ordinary man like me!"
Then his expression turned aggrieved.
"And after taking first place in the palace examination, he refused office and ran off, leaving our entire cohort in a mess—what about that!"
Yeon So-hyeon asked lightly,
"Might the name of that Kang fellow with the glasses be...?"
"Kang Ho. Have you heard of him?"
At that answer, the image of Kang Ho of the Censorate rose at once in Yeon So-hyeon's mind.
"Cohort this and that—wasn't it you who kicked office aside and walked out?!"
Kong Ryang jabbed a finger at his grandson and shouted.
"The fellow who pinned a high official to a wall has no business blaming anyone else!"
Kong Dam-ung muttered,
"...If that man hadn't asked me to look the other way for a eunuch from the Min family who had broken the palace rules, I wouldn't have done it."
"You fool! If you hadn't been my grandson, your head would have flown from your shoulders on the spot!"
At those words Kong Dam-ung laughed heartily.
"Isn't that exactly why I respect and love you, Grandfather?"
Faced with a grandson who would not yield a single word to the end, Kong Ryang—face flushed scarlet with shame and fury—finally let out a long sigh.
"First Young Master. This pathetic boy is the next head of our Kong Family."
"That means...?"
The old man nodded.
"He is a powerhouse of strength, he has trained in martial arts, and his mind works well enough—he will not drag at the First Young Master's heels."
He added briefly,
"Since the First Young Master said his next move is the Valley of Sin, you may take the boy along and use him as a common soldier if you like."
At that, Kong Dam-ung laughed loudly.
"I shall watch with great expectation to see just how brilliantly the noble person Grandfather has praised until his mouth went dry will put this Kong Dam-ung to use!"
It was a subtle provocation.
A man like a warrior of the Sword Family, I see.
The sort who would never trust another's judgment until he had tested it with his own body. Not long ago, Yeon So-hyeon would have left "this type" alone and later astonished him with strategy. Now he simply smiled.
There is no longer any need to take the long way around.
"Is there any need to merely watch?"
"Pardon?"
To the blinking Kong Dam-ung, Yeon So-hyeon said,
"How about testing it right now?"
"With what, sir?"
Yeon So-hyeon smiled.
"With strength."
Kong Dam-ung's brows twitched. His protruding solar plexus and a body trained far beyond what birth alone could grant showed that he had accumulated considerable cultivation.
"...Are you serious?"
"I am."
The smile at Yeon So-hyeon's lips deepened. The efficacy and stability of the Yang-heart Art at its peak had now been thoroughly proven. The path to using martial arts without reservation had opened to him.
It is also about time I shed the label of 'the First Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family who knows nothing of martial arts.'