The Opening Banquet
The third month of spring, when the flowers bloomed.
Word had reached the people of Yichang County from every direction, and they were thoroughly worked up over it.
"I hear there's a banquet going on over in Yinghua Village."
"A banquet? What for?"
"You know that girl who put White Horse Academy's nose right in the dirt at the Martial Assembly a while back? Turns out the academy she belongs to is throwing one."
"Ah! That girl! So she trains at an academy in Yinghua Village, does she?"
"They're finally opening their doors! My wife's been saying we ought to send our boy there instead of the constabulary."
To the common folk, a banquet was a rare and precious social occasion—a chance to gather people they never normally saw and trade stories with one another.
At the same time:
"We'll finally get a look at the man who runs the place!"
"Well, of course. Anyone who toppled Baek Gun-ak must be a rare specimen of a great master!"
It was an occasion for judging the character and caliber of the one hosting the feast.
And how, you ask, would they judge such a thing?
Why, by how lavishly he spent his money, of course.
In this era, one of the chief qualifications of a great master was precisely how grandly he held his banquets and how generously he treated his guests.
Truly a beautiful custom of the Central Plains.
"Hmmm. There's so much fieldwork lately, and a banquet of all things right now... Don't tell me he timed it on purpose?"
"Then don't go."
"I'm going!"
From the day before until the small hours of the morning, the Cheongun Martial Arts Academy had been a hive of frantic activity.
The sounds of hammering and hauling rang out noisily from every corner.
And the one directing it all was—
"We will make this banquet a success!"
Jeong So-so.
"This is the day of reckoning! Guests start arriving in about an hour, so everyone had better stay sharp! Now, move, move!"
Jeong So-so darted all over the academy, barking orders at the workers.
"Hold on! The aloeswood goes over there, not there! And wipe that spot down properly, it's filthy!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
"So-ryong, go scrub the dishes! I want them shining!"
"Yes. Understood."
"You there! The decorations are crooked!"
Under Jeong So-so's command, burly men with menacing scowls scurried about without a peep of protest.
Jin Cheong-un watched the scene with open admiration.
Is she not even a little bit scary?
Those scowling brutes were none other than the gang members of the new Black Tiger Gang. Fierce black-society thugs, reduced to trembling silence by a girl's barrage of commands—how was one even supposed to describe it...
Truly my disciple.
It was a deeply satisfying sight.
Jin Cheong-un was nodding in contentment when he froze.
Wait. Hold on.
Aloeswood?
"So-so?"
"Sorry, I'm busy! Later!"
"Er, um. Right."
He had been brushed off so smoothly and so thoroughly that Jin Cheong-un simply went blank for a moment. Then his eyes snapped back into focus and he shouted:
"Hold on! Aloeswood? And what are all those decorations? Where did any of that come from?"
"Where from? I bought it with the compensation money we got from White Horse Academy, obviously."
"And why did you spend it without asking...?"
"I took the account book, remember? You said I could handle the money."
"I gave you that because you said you'd manage the academy!"
"Exactly. And this is managing the academy."
"...!"
"It seemed like your preparations for the opening were a bit lacking, so I've been going around making arrangements in my free time after training. You don't even have to thank me!"
Jeong So-so flashed a bright smile.
Jin Cheong-un finally couldn't hold it in and exploded.
"You—you! Do you have any idea what kind of money that was, spending it like that?!"
"Hm? What kind of money was it?"
"That— that was..."
Jin Cheong-un couldn't bring himself to say it was compensation for the medicine the two of them had taken.
"Don't worry. I left enough for living expenses."
So that meant everything else had gone where, exactly?
Jin Cheong-un looked up at the sky. Moisture welled slowly in his eyes.
My five taels of silver? And the rare piece by Master Baekmyeon...?
Meanwhile, Jeong So-so allowed herself a knowing little smile as she watched her master reel from the shock.
Just as she'd suspected, Jin Cheong-un's preparations for the opening ceremony were woefully skimpy. Nothing but cheap, pale liquor in bulk, only meager portions of food, and the decorations and incense hadn't been arranged at all.
I knew this would happen! From now on, this opening ceremony is my responsibility!
Now she understood.
When it came to money, above all things, one must never trust her master!
The more generously a host treated his guests at a banquet, the higher his standing would rise.
All of it was for the sake of the Cheongun Martial Arts Academy.
And for her master's honor, too.
In pursuit of a great cause, one simply had to accept the occasional small sacrifice.
"Leave the opening ceremony to me!"
"...Fine."
Jin Cheong-un trudged inside, shoulders slightly slumped. Watching his retreating back, Jeong So-so's eyes suddenly gleamed as if she'd remembered something.
"Oh, that reminds me—Master, you should start getting ready too, shouldn't you?"
Jin Cheong-un's face stiffened.
"That damned... Don't tell me you're putting me to work too."
"Of course not. You're the star of the opening ceremony—you can't go around covered in dust."
"Then what's all this preparing for?"
"Grooming."
Jeong So-so's eyes sparkled.
Jin Cheong-un suddenly felt goosebumps crawl up his arms.
"Your unfilial disciple was once certified as having excellent taste by the owner of the fabric shop and all the older ladies at the tavern. Allow me to devote my full strength to dressing you up beautifully, Master! With Utmost Sincerity!"
"Grooming? Wha—hey, what is this? Let go! How dare you lay hands on your master's...!"
"Come on, off we go!"
With an excited grin, Jeong So-so seized Jin Cheong-un by the sleeve and hauled him away.
On the day of the opening ceremony, the largest crowd Yinghua Village had ever gathered turned out for the banquet, and people with time to spare trickled in from all across Yichang County as well.
They frowned when they saw the towering staircase leading up to the Cheongun Martial Arts Academy, but the moment they pushed open the gates and stepped inside, they froze in astonishment.
Good heavens, what is that incense? It's divine.
Hoo. It's far bigger than I expected.
This is no mere academy—it's like some hidden great sect out of the deep mountains and secluded valleys they only tell stories about.
The grounds of the Cheongun Martial Arts Academy had always been scenic, and thanks to the lavish funds poured into its renovation, the facilities were now magnificent as well. With all of it lovingly arranged and decorated, the visitors had no choice but to marvel.
What sort of man could the master of this place possibly be...?
At that very moment, a man came walking slowly toward them.
"Welcome. I am Jin Cheong-un, master of the Cheongun Martial Arts Academy."
"Er..."
The men's eyes went round as saucers, and the women found themselves flushing as they gazed at him.
In a word: he was simply handsome.
If one had to find a flaw, it was the sharp corners of his eyes and the way his lids drooped ever so slightly, as though he were drowsy—but that languid air lent him a certain decadent allure that only drew people further in.
"Ahem. And over there we have... Ow. Fine, I get it, stop pinching me. I get it. Ahem. Please, come in. My disciples will show you the way."
"I am Jeong So-so, a disciple of the Cheongun Martial Arts Academy. Thank you for coming such a long way in the midst of your busy harvest preparations. This way, please."
"My name is Jeong So-ryong."
The crowd, looking at Jeong So-so and Jeong So-ryong, was startled yet again.
My, such lovely manners.
The master is extraordinary, so it stands to reason the disciples would be too. Would our boy change a little if he trained here?
Hold on, why is that boy so small and adorable?
The previously quiet academy burst into noise and bustle in an instant. The storytellers and entertainers of Yichang County, who had been waiting all week for this day, livened up the atmosphere, and once the food and drink began flowing, the festivities took off in earnest.
And then—
"He's the real deal. Approved."
"A great master, no question about it."
Jin Cheong-un passed the common folk's great-master certification exam—harder to pass than the imperial civil examination—with flying colors.
Tears of blood trickled from his eyes as he did, but fortunately, the world does repay what you put into it.
"How on earth did the children grow so poised and presentable? I really ought to enroll my boy here."
"Let's just ask while we're here."
"Master Jin, might the academy have any openings left?"
Jin Cheong-un's eyes went round.
The renovations had been finished and the gates formally opened just one year ago, by count. All manner of things had happened in the meantime, and at last—at last—an enrollment inquiry had come.
"But of course. Let's discuss the details at your leisure."
With the brightest, most sparkling eyes he had ever produced, Jin Cheong-un conducted his enrollment consultations.
The result: a full ten children.
All it took was a single opening ceremony, and the villagers were clamoring to place their sons and daughters under his roof.
My luck is finally turning.
And then the guests he'd been waiting for arrived as well.
"Hahaha! Here I am, junior!"
"Senior Hwang!"
"Here, take this first."
"What's this?"
"Surely you didn't think a junior could open his own academy and I'd show up empty-handed."
"Senior..."
Jin Cheong-un, deeply moved, accepted the box Hwang Jong-baek held out. Inside lay a single slender wooden rod of fine, lustrous grain.
Don't tell me this is a...
"A back scratcher?"
Hwang Jong-baek's face immediately soured.
"What? No!"
"Then what is it?"
"It's what one uses when teaching, isn't it?"
"Ah, a switch."
Jin Cheong-un gave the rod a few experimental swings. It sat perfectly in his hand, and he rather liked it—but this time too, Hwang Jong-baek made a strange face.
"Not that either... It's a teaching pointer. I paid a fortune for it years ago, but it was so expensive that I treasured it too much to ever use it."
"A teaching pointer..."
"But you're an even better teacher than I am, so I know it won't go to waste. Heh heh."
It was, in fact, a rather meaningful gift.
Jin Cheong-un was politely ushering Hwang Jong-baek inside when the next guest arrived.
"Chief Bailiff Geum, I heard how busy you are—thank you for coming."
"Ahem! Of course I came. What kind of man would I be otherwise?"
"It's an honor to have you grace us with your presence."
Jin Cheong-un said this while casting a subtle, sidelong glance at the people Geum Tae-bang had brought with him.
Rather, at their hands. More precisely, at the things those hands were carrying.
"Ah! W-well, it would've been poor form to come empty-handed, so I brought some scholar's supplies."
"You really didn't have to go to such trouble."
So he said, but Jin Cheong-un immediately shot a glance at Chosam, and the Black Tiger Gang members went off to carry the gifts inside.
The four companions of scholars: paper, brush, ink, and inkstone.
It was a suitably official gift—and since these were consumables far more expensive than they looked, it was, in practical terms, the same as handing over cash.
"I'll put them to good use. Come this way, please."
"Mm. Yes, thank you."
Geum Tae-bang waddled after him to his seat.
Hwang Jong-baek, who had arrived first, was already seated in the guest of honor section.
"Ah, I am Hwang Jong-baek. Might I ask—weren't you at the Martial Assembly before...?"
"Oh, I am Geum Tae-bang. And how is it you know Master Jin, exactly...?"
Struck by a peculiar sense of kinship, the two men exchanged a few stiff pleasantries—and then, in the blink of an eye, hit it off completely and began draining cup after cup together.
Every now and then their own names floated over to Jin Cheong-un and made him glance back, and each time, the pair would be sniffling with wounded, aggrieved expressions on their faces.
And then an unexpected guest appeared.
"...Congratulations on the opening."
Baek Gun-ak, acting master of the White Horse Academy.
Jin Cheong-un stared levelly at the man who had arrived wearing a face like something a caterpillar had chewed on.
"Hm. Today is a fine day, so I'd rather not—might I come calling another time?"
Come calling for what? No, why would you come at all?
Baek Gun-ak's face stiffened, and he hurried on.
"I came in my father's stead."
He practically shoved the stack of books into Jin Cheong-un's hands.
Jin Cheong-un tilted his head.
"Books? This one's called... what exactly is the Precious Mirror for Running an Academy?"
"It's a book my father compiled from his own insights while operating an academy himself. He asked me to pass along his wishes for your prosperity."
"Then why does this second one have no title?"
"That one... contains things I wrote down. Practical matters—things genuinely useful for running an academy."
Jin Cheong-un quietly leafed through the booklet.
"Hoh."
On closer inspection, it was filled with practical know-how: how to pick a prosperous fabric shop or smithy, how to teach disciples, how to structure an academy's curriculum, how to pay taxes to the county office, and so on.
It was practically a secret manual.
"Come in. You're welcome here."
"..."
Privately, it felt like having his toll extorted by a highwayman, but Baek Gun-ak gritted his teeth, mastered himself, and stepped inside.
Jin Cheong-un paused for a moment to take in the sight of the academy grounds.
"Hmm."
The thought that all of it represented money made his stomach twist and the old merchant's greed come surging up—but...
The lively, bustling scene at the Cheongun Martial Arts Academy was quite... to his liking.
"It turned out rather well, wouldn't you say, Master?"
Jin Cheong-un turned his head slightly toward the memorial tablet.
-Yes. It truly is wonderful.
He thought he heard those words, and an unknowing smile slipped across his face.
Just then, as he straightened his back—
"...?"
Jin Cheong-un blinked, gazing out over the bustling gathering.
Apart from the banquet crowd, in a quiet corner of the grounds, an old man leaning on a bamboo staff was draining a cup of wine all by himself.
Swoosh.
As if he'd sensed Jin Cheong-un's gaze, the old man turned his head at just that moment.
Beneath the shade cast by the bamboo staff appeared a face wearing a gentle smile.
It was Yeo Woon-baek, Supreme Alliance Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance.