The Little Dragon Plaque
Jang Yuseong slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
“You are, after all, within the Buddha’s palm….”
He couldn’t continue.
Because his hand felt empty.
Jang Muhwi, whom he thought he had caught, slipped away like a loach.
Jang Muhwi, who had distanced himself, said.
“Uncle, I’ll be on my way.”
“Where do you think you’re going? Leave the family immediately. This is my and your father’s wish.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll explain in detail later, Uncle. I’ll take my leave now!”
After finishing his words, Jang Muhwi suddenly started running backward.
At the sight of Jang Muhwi moving as swiftly as a flying squirrel, he let out a roar.
“This brat!”
He quickly chased after Jang Muhwi.
The sudden chase made the servants of the Jang family who were passing by stop what they were doing.
They all sighed, thinking that Jang Muhwi had caused trouble again.
In the reception room, the tense standoff between Jang Yujung and Wang Jimak continued.
Of course, all of this stemmed from Jang Yujung’s misunderstanding that Wang Jimak had come from the Murim Alliance to capture Jang Muhwi.
Jang Yujung needed to buy time to protect Jang Muhwi.
He chose to play Go as a way to buy time to help him escape while preserving the family’s honor.
Since it would take time to call for Jang Muhwi, he suggested playing a game of Go in the meantime.
Surprisingly, Wang Jimak readily accepted the offer.
As a result, a Go board was now placed between them.
Jang Yujung placed a black stone on the Go board.
Tap!
At the crisp sound, Wang Jimak’s eyebrows twitched.
Wang Jimak unconsciously ground his teeth.
Go was one of the fields Wang Jimak was most confident in.
He had expected it to be a trivial game. But the situation was different from what he thought.
When the game was about halfway through, the outcome became unpredictable.
Had he ever been pushed back like this?
A strange competitive spirit ignited in Wang Jimak’s chest.
Seeing Wang Jimak deep in thought, Jang Yujung smiled broadly.
Because he had naturally bought some time.
Jang Yujung said.
“Take your time, since we have plenty of it, Great Hero.”
“Your moves are quite sharp.”
After speaking, Wang Jimak quietly placed a white stone.
Tap.
After placing the stone, Wang Jimak’s eyebrows twitched.
If the opponent couldn’t find a way to live, Wang Jimak would have no choice but to lose this game.
Wang Jimak prayed that the opponent wouldn’t find a way to live.
What if he did find it? Wang Jimak would have to resign.
This one move would decide the outcome of the entire game.
It was when Wang Jimak swallowed dryly.
The sound of a door opening came from behind Jang Yujung.
At that sound, Jang Yujung quietly nodded.
He thought his younger brother, who had helped Jang Muhwi escape, had returned.
Without turning around, Jang Yujung said.
“So, you couldn’t find Muhwi….”
“I’ve come because the Murim Alliance is looking for me.”
At the unexpected voice, Jang Yujung quickly turned his head.
There stood Jang Muhwi, who should have escaped.
For a moment, Jang Yujung unconsciously dropped the Go stone he was holding.
The stones on the Go board scattered in an instant.
Wang Jimak let out a low laugh.
“Did you resign? A wise choice.”
“This isn’t resigning, it’s….”
“There’s a saying in the martial world: ‘One cannot retreat from a move once made.’ Well played, Great Hero.”
After speaking, Wang Jimak smiled in satisfaction.
It was the first smile Wang Jimak had shown since arriving at the Jang family.
In contrast, Jang Yujung was flustered.
Seeing this, Wang Jimak smiled even more.
Because he thought Jang Yujung was flustered because of the Go game.
Wang Jimak slightly bowed his head toward Jang Yujung and slowly walked toward Jang Muhwi.
Seeing Wang Jimak approaching, Jang Muhwi hid his expression.
He was definitely someone from his memories.
He was a martial artist who had been in charge of the Murim Alliance’s Qinghai Branch and was immediately deployed to the front lines when the Great War between the Orthodox and Demonic factions broke out.
In Jang Muhwi’s memories, Wang Jimak was quite a man of integrity.
Unlike Jang Muhwi’s gaze full of goodwill, Wang Jimak’s eyes held a blade.
But that was only for a moment. Hiding his expression, Wang Jimak took out a plaque wrapped in a leather pouch from his bosom.
In that instant, Jang Yujung quickly intervened.
“Great Hero, could we talk outside for a moment?”
“The Go game is already over.”
“I’m not talking about Go right now. Before you speak with our child, first with me….”
“There’s no time. Since he has come, I’ll conclude the matter.”
After speaking, Wang Jimak took out the plaque from the leather pouch.
With a solemn expression, he continued.
“In the name of the Murim Alliance Leader, I invite you to the Dragon Gate Assembly in the Qinghai region… so accept that will!”
“I accept the command.”
Jang Muhwi knelt on one knee as if he had been waiting and extended both hands.
Wang Jimak slowly placed the black plaque into Jang Muhwi’s hands with a peculiar expression.
Wang Jimak only acknowledged the head of the Jang family’s Go skills.
His perception of the Jang family remained unchanged otherwise.
He was nothing more than a shameless fellow who had received an invitation to the Dragon Gate Assembly by using his official background without any skill.
Wang Jimak had no intention of handing over the Soryongpae gently.
He operated the technique of One Ounce Ten Thousand Catties with his right hand.
It was a technique that could exert the power of ten thousand catties with the weight of one ounce.
The internal energy he actually used was one-tenth of his true inner power.
If the rumors were true, the child named Jang Muhwi wouldn’t be able to receive this plaque.
Power was a luxury for those without qualification!
However.
Wang Jimak, who had been using the One Ounce Ten Thousand Catties technique, tilted his head in confusion.
Because Jang Muhwi was holding the Soryongpae as if it were nothing.
In that moment, Wang Jimak’s eyebrows twitched.
He quickly raised his internal energy.
Swoosh.
The internal energy rising from his dantian was transmitted from his fingertips to the Soryongpae.
But Wang Jimak, who had been raising his internal energy, tilted his head again.
Even this level of internal energy couldn’t be withstood by children who had made quite a name for themselves in the Qinghai region.
Yet Jang Muhwi’s posture didn’t waver in the slightest.
Instead, he was looking at Wang Jimak with eyes full of anticipation.
In that moment, Wang Jimak felt a strange stubbornness.
Wang Jimak changed his technique.
He sent a different kind of energy through the Soryongpae to Jang Muhwi.
Though faint, it was a sharp energy that could make an ordinary child lose consciousness immediately.
It was the Self-Questioning Needle, one of the finger techniques Wang Jimak was most confident in.
Sometimes a small needle could be more frightening than a giant blade.
Wang Jimak thought this was sufficient admonishment.
But that was Wang Jimak’s misunderstanding.
Because Jang Muhwi, who should have fainted, was looking at him with a calm expression.
Jang Muhwi blinked his eyes with an innocent look.
There was no way Jang Muhwi didn’t know what technique the opponent had used.
Moreover, he knew Wang Jimak well.
Even the Jang Muhwi of his previous life wouldn’t have been able to block this technique so nonchalantly.
Jang Muhwi didn’t confront the opponent’s energy.
Instead, he appropriately dispersed the energy in response to the incoming path.
The reason he could respond this way was largely due to the influence of the Muyoung Simbeop he had learned this time.
However, he had quite a bit of trouble dispersing the final Self-Questioning Needle’s energy.
Because that energy was unique.
It was like trying to find a needle in a sandy beach.
Jang Muhwi, who had barely found the path, bounced the Self-Questioning Needle technique backward.
There were times when avoiding was the correct answer rather than fighting back.
This was one of those situations.
It was then.
A strange sound came from behind Jang Muhwi.
Crack.
It was the sound of a porcelain cracking behind him.
The cracked porcelain fell straight to the floor.
Clatter.
Jang Muhwi hurriedly hid his expression.
This wasn’t Jang Muhwi’s intention. It was a mistake caused by the incomplete operation of the Muyoung Simbeop.
At that sound, Wang Jimak let go of the Soryongpae.
Then Jang Yujung slightly bowed his head to Wang Jimak.
“I apologize for the sudden commotion.”
“It’s fine. I’ve finished what I came to do, so I’ll take my leave.”
When Wang Jimak offered his greetings, Jang Yujung said.
“Won’t you have another cup of tea….”
“No, thank you.”
Wang Jimak declined and left the reception room.
Contrary to his expression, his mind was complicated.
The way the child named Jang Muhwi had just handled the situation was astonishing.
Even a child who had received the best education from a prestigious orthodox sect and consumed elixirs like meals wouldn’t have reached this level.
No, it wasn’t a matter of constitution.
Although he had only used two techniques, the paths contained within that energy were complex.
To dismantle those paths required more than ordinary experience.
Such talent at that age?
The only way to explain it was to call him a genius.
An unrecognized family producing such a talent?
Then!
That child must be a hidden dragon secretly raised by the Jang family.
Or perhaps the influence of the government had been involved rather than the Jang family.
“The balance of power in Qinghai might change….”
Wang Jimak muttered to himself without realizing it.
The place where Wang Jimak had left.
Jang Yujung stared blankly at the plaque Jang Muhwi was holding.
On the silver plaque, about the size of an index finger, the characters for “Little Dragon” were deeply engraved.
In the martial world, promising juniors were often compared to dragons.
Receiving the Soryongpae meant being recognized by the Murim Alliance as a promising junior.
If the reason the Murim Alliance had come was to deliver the Soryongpae, then everything until now had been a misunderstanding.
But whether this was a blessing or a curse, he still couldn’t judge.
It was then.
The door burst open.
There stood Jang Yuseong, huffing and puffing.
Jang Yuseong, who had been glaring at Jang Muhwi, slowly walked over.
“So I finally caught you.”
But that was only for a moment. After looking around, Jang Yuseong tilted his head.
Jang Yuseong asked in a low voice.
“Where did Great Hero Wang from the Qinghai Branch go?”
“He’s already returned.”
“He left without taking Muhwi, empty-handed?”
“Take a look at this plaque first, brother.”
Jang Yujung pointed at the Soryongpae and continued his explanation.
After hearing the explanation, Jang Yuseong shook his head with a suspicious expression.
“Could this be a conspiracy by another family? Suddenly inviting Muhwi to the Dragon Gate Assembly… It’s a plot.”
“I think the same. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. There must be a reason.”
Jang Yujung and Jang Yuseong agreed on the conspiracy theory.
If Jang Muhwi had mentioned Pajuk Seonsaeng, their doubts would have been resolved. But Jang Muhwi judged that now wasn’t the time for Pajuk Seonsaeng to reveal his identity.
It was then.
Jang Muhwi approached Jang Yujung and bowed deeply at the waist.
“I have something to say.”
“Speak.”
“Please look at me not as the family head, but as my father.”
“What do you mean?”
“Can’t you trust me just this once?”
“Hah.”
Jang Yujung let out a short exclamation.
His appearance looked almost like an enlightened Taoist.
Contrary to his expression, his feelings were quite complicated.
Because Jang Muhwi’s request had struck a sore spot in Jang Yujung.
An awkward silence briefly swirled in the main hall.
After a moment, Jang Muhwi continued.
“Since you’re trusting me anyway, please provide support as well. I’ll produce results.”
“Support….”
The way Jang Yujung stroked his beard revealed his complicated feelings.
However, soon as if he had made up his mind, Jang Yujung nodded and clapped his hands.
Clap!
At the same time, he looked at Jang Yuseong.
At that gaze, Jang Yuseong asked.
“Brother, what are you trying to do?”
“I wanted to fulfill my duty as a father for once. Prepare it.”
“Yes. Understood.”
A moment later,
Jang Yujung handed Jang Muhwi a heavy money pouch.
“Will this be enough?”
“Thank you. I’ll definitely produce results.”
Jang Muhwi bowed and left the hall.
When the door closed, Jang Yuseong let out a sigh.
“Whew, but this seems too much.”
“Still, isn’t it the Dragon Gate Assembly?”
“Even so, we gave too much travel money. Look at this.”
Jang Yuseong unfolded a ledger in front of Jang Yujung.
When the ledger was suddenly thrust forward, Jang Yujung turned his head and instinctively examined its contents.
A considerable amount of money had been spent.
Strangely, a large sum had been spent twice in just one day.
Of course, the last expenditure was the travel money given to Jang Muhwi just now.
With a serious expression, Jang Yujung asked.
“Brother. Isn’t this first expenditure recorded incorrectly?”
“Isn’t that the travel money you gave Muhwi to leave the family?”
“Wait a moment!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Then does that mean Muhwi took all that money?”
“Yes. That’s right. Weren’t you the one who ordered it? It looks like we’ll have to tighten our belts for three or four months, brother.”