The Family's Thorn
As Jang Muhwi finished his training and stepped out, inside the Patriarch’s Hall.
Jang Yujung, the family head, was slowly stroking his beard.
With a slight flutter of the whiskers, the deep scar running along his jawline was revealed.
He wasn’t truly touching his beard—he was checking the wound.
And checking the scar meant his mood was foul.
In truth, Jang Yujung was a man who rarely showed his emotions.
He handled everything strictly by the family rules, to the point that within the clan he was even called cold-blooded.
Yet today, he was revealing just a sliver of his feelings.
Jang Yuseong, the Law Hall Master who had been watching him, asked carefully.
“Brother, what’s the matter?”
“How many days has that boy been inside Somugak?”
“It’s the fourth day.”
“And it’s true he hasn’t come out at all?”
“Yes, Brother.”
Jang Yuseong nodded with a smile.
Unlike the heavy responsibilities of his position as Law Hall Master, he was a man who always wore a smile.
For a brief moment, the two men’s gazes tangled complicatedly in the air.
Then Jang Yujung once again swept his hand down his beard.
They say no parent bites any of their ten fingers without pain, but among them, there is always one that hurts far more than the rest.
And that finger was none other than his second son, Jang Muhwi.
Ever since Jang Yujung had taken over as family head, the clan’s fortunes had begun to decline sharply.
So he had decided to pour every last resource into the child with the most outstanding talent.
Jang Yujung had two sons.
And the one he had chosen was his eldest.
Thanks to that decision, his second son Jang Muhwi had reached this point without receiving any support whatsoever.
Was that the reason?
Jang Muhwi caused one trivial accident after another every single day.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand the boy’s heart. But he was the family patriarch.
To protect the greater whole, the smaller parts sometimes had to be discarded.
Seeing his brother’s expression, Jang Yuseong asked again.
“Why are you making that face?”
“It’s nothing.”
“This time, I think you need to steel your heart, Brother.”
After speaking, Jang Yuseong studied the patriarch’s face.
He believed Jang Muhwi needed far stricter discipline.
He also saw the current situation in a different light.
He was convinced that Jang Muhwi had committed some crime and was now hiding inside Somugak.
The reason for Jang Yuseong’s assumption was simple.
In his eyes, Jang Muhwi was a pheasant.
The kind of pheasant that, when danger approaches, simply buries its head and hides.
So far, Jang Muhwi’s behavior had been exactly like that.
Whenever he caused trouble outside and returned, he would stay shut inside his room for days on end.
And of course, cleaning up the mess had always fallen to him, the Law Hall Master.
With a serious expression, Jang Yuseong opened his mouth.
“Brother, may I speak my honest thoughts?”
“Go ahead.”
“It seems Muhwi has caused an incident he cannot handle this time. Otherwise, there’s no way he would hide himself away so thoroughly, right?”
“You said he’s hiding? Couldn’t he simply be training?”
“If he were the kind of child who normally devoted himself to training, I could understand. But Muhwi…”
“Enough. I will check for myself.”
Jang Yujung raised his palm, cutting off his younger brother’s words.
At that exact moment, the door to the Patriarch’s Hall burst open.
Clang.
The one who appeared was a guard warrior.
He came running in a frantic hurry, as if something urgent had happened.
Jang Yuseong, the Law Hall Master, stepped forward to block him.
“What is this commotion? Why are you running in such a frenzy?”
“Someone has come from the Murim Alliance Qinghai Branch.”
“Did you just say the Murim Alliance?”
“Yes, that is correct. They have already been escorted to the reception hall. However… they are not looking for the Patriarch. They are asking for the second young master.”
“Understood.”
After speaking, Jang Yuseong narrowed his eyes.
Although the Jang family belonged to the righteous path, they did not have a close enough relationship with the Murim Alliance for the latter to visit without prior notice.
This was far more likely to bring disaster than fortune.
Jang Yuseong thought that his suspicions had been correct after all.
Jang Muhwi had clearly caused some incident and was now holed up inside Somugak.
With deep creases etched between his brows, Jang Yuseong turned his head.
“Brother, it seems we should prepare ourselves.”
“What does the Law Hall Master think?”
Jang Yujung narrowed his own eyes.
This time, instead of calling him “younger brother,” he had deliberately used the official title of Law Hall Master.
He had come to agree that Jang Muhwi must have caused trouble again.
Jang Yuseong quickly continued.
“If the Murim Alliance has come in person, this cannot be an ordinary matter. I believe that rather than shielding him this time, it would be right to openly acknowledge the incident and accept the consequences.”
“You truly believe so?”
“My intuition tells me this is correct. If I am wrong, I will abstain from alcohol for an entire month.”
“You’re that confident? Then I shall entrust this to the Law Hall Master.”
“Please give your command.”
“If the situation turns out to be more serious than expected, hide Muhwi for the time being. Without evidence, there is no crime, is there?”
“You speak wisely.”
Jang Yuseong nodded.
It was a common tactic used by murim clans.
Even if a crime had been committed, without evidence the matter would simply fade away.
Yet even as he issued the order, a complicated expression lingered on Jang Yujung’s face.
The strongest among them was anxiety—what exactly had the boy done to make the Murim Alliance Qinghai Branch come in person?
Together with the Law Hall Master, Jang Yujung headed toward the reception hall.
Inside sat a middle-aged man with a slightly sour expression, looking around the interior.
When he sensed Jang Yujung’s presence, he rose from his seat.
Their eyes met in the air for a brief moment.
Then the middle-aged man offered a fist salute first.
“I am Wang Jimak, the one responsible for the Murim Alliance Qinghai Branch. Greetings to the Patriarch.”
“I am Jang Yujung. I have heard much of your great name, Hero. It is an honor to meet you like this…”
As always, formal pleasantries were exchanged.
After some time had passed, steaming hot tea filled the space between them.
Jang Yujung took a careful sip, then looked at his guest with measured caution.
It was time to get to the main topic.
“This may be presumptuous, but may I ask the purpose of your visit?”
“Patriarch, are you truly unaware of why I have come?”
Wang Jimak asked back, his eyes full of suspicion as he stared at Jang Yujung.
For an instant, Jang Yujung’s eyebrows twitched.
“Hm. I am asking because I genuinely do not know. I was only told that you came because of our Muhwi.”
“That is correct.”
Wang Jimak looked at him with a meaningful expression.
In that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Jang Yujung’s mind.
Just what had the boy done outside that would make the chief of the Murim Alliance Qinghai Branch come in person?
He could not even begin to guess.
But only for a moment. He quickly composed his expression.
If he continued like this, nothing would be resolved.
It was only right to first clearly understand what kind of incident had occurred before dealing with Wang Jimak.
With a serious face, Jang Yujung continued.
“If you have something to say, please speak freely.”
“Then I shall. Do you happen to know the phrase ‘the government and murim shall not interfere with each other’?”
After speaking, Wang Jimak brought his two hands together and then apart.
One hand represented the government, the other the murim.
Though palms might meet in applause, when the palms of government and murim collided, the result was rarely good.
Wang Jimak was speaking of his current predicament in a roundabout way.
And there was a reason he expressed his discomfort so indirectly.
Yesterday, he had received a message from the second-in-command of Qinghai’s provincial office—the Vice Magistrate.
It was a request to grant Jang Muhwi, the second son of the Jang family, qualification to participate in the Dragon Gate Assembly.
In truth, the Dragon Gate Assembly was an exclusive right of the Murim Alliance. Having the government make such a request left a bad taste in his mouth.
Wang Jimak despised backdoor deals. The reason he had been able to rise to the position of chief of the Murim Alliance Qinghai Branch was purely through his own hard work.
He had thrown himself into every mission without regard for his safety, and he had stayed up all night to complete every document perfectly.
He had reached the position of branch chief through blood and sweat, but that was as far as it went.
He had no powerful backers to help him climb any higher.
Though the title sounded impressive—chief of the Qinghai Branch—in reality, the position was closer to that of a servant who had to cater to all the prestigious families and major sects.
And now even the government, not just the murim, was sending him requests.
As far as he knew, the Jang family had no connections within the government.
So why had the provincial office sent such a request?
If the boy had been qualified, this request might not have felt so unpleasant.
But in Wang Jimak’s view, the second son of the Jang family was simply not up to standard.
Wang Jimak set down his teacup and reached into his robes.
He was taking out the invitation to the Dragon Gate Assembly.
Even though he had spoken indirectly, this was more than enough to convey all of his displeasure.
In other words, he had preserved his pride.
At his cryptic words, Jang Yujung’s expression hardened.
He had concluded that Jang Muhwi had caused an incident involving the government rather than the murim world.
At that moment, Wang Jimak spoke again.
“Please call Jang Muhwi. I will speak to the boy directly.”
Though his words were polite, his voice carried an unmistakable note of dissatisfaction.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Jang Yujung made up his mind and spoke.
“Very well. Please wait a moment, Hero.”
Having spoken, Jang Yujung glanced to the side.
Jang Yuseong was waiting there.
As Jang Yuseong stepped forward, Jang Yujung said,
“Bring Muhwi.”
“I shall obey your command.”
Jang Yuseong offered a fist salute toward the patriarch.
Having received the order, he quietly withdrew.
Once outside the Patriarch’s Hall, Jang Yuseong furrowed his brows deeply. He had just received secret instructions from the patriarch to hide Jang Muhwi.
The boy needed to leave the family for at least a year.
He had already prepared a pouch containing the minimum funds necessary for travel.
He was walking slowly toward Somugak when he suddenly stopped.
The person walking toward him from afar was unmistakably Jang Muhwi.
Jang Yuseong ground his teeth.
He was displeased that Jang Muhwi was approaching with such light steps, completely unaware of the storm he had caused.
When Jang Muhwi drew near, Jang Yuseong shouted.
“Stop right there.”
“Uncle? Have you eaten?”
At the sight of Jang Muhwi greeting him so casually, Jang Yuseong spoke with a furious expression.
“Just what the hell have you done this time? No—never mind, I’ll ask that later. Leave the family immediately.”
“What exactly are you talking about, Uncle?”
“Do not call me Uncle.”
“Yes, Law Hall Master.”
“Do you know that someone from the Murim Alliance Qinghai Branch has come looking for you?”
“They’ve already arrived? Then they must be in the reception hall right now, Law Hall Master.”
“This doesn’t seem like an ordinary matter. And take this—it’s travel money. Leave Qinghai as soon as possible. A year would be good. Two years would be even better.”
Having finished speaking, Jang Yuseong threw the pouch he was holding. It was not a simple throw.
Considerable inner energy was infused into the motion.
The pouch, carrying the force of a raging wave, flew straight toward Jang Muhwi’s chest.
This was the final lesson Jang Yuseong wanted to give him.
He had used just enough force that the boy wouldn’t die.
The result was obvious without even looking.
The moment he caught that pouch, he would surely be bedridden for ten days.
Thinking his task was complete, Jang Yuseong turned around with a refreshed expression.
Or at least he tried to.
But Jang Yuseong found himself tilting his head in confusion at the sight before him.
Jang Muhwi had caught the pouch containing his inner energy without any difficulty whatsoever.
Moreover, the technique was strange.
It had been so natural, like a child playing with a ball.
It was to the point that he even wondered if he had forgotten to infuse the energy.
Even more shocking was that Jang Muhwi had not taken a single step back.
And now he was opening the pouch with a perfectly calm expression, his mouth hanging open.
Jang Muhwi, who had been checking the contents, lifted his head.
“Why is there so much money… No, thank you. I will put it to good use. I have urgent business, so I’ll be going now.”
Jang Muhwi offered a deep fist salute, then looked toward a certain direction.
It was the shortcut leading to the reception hall.
Jang Yuseong quickly reached out toward him.