Chapter 74: The Old Man Under the Moon (1)
When the banquet was in full swing, I greeted guests from the Jegal family.
Surprisingly, it was the Supreme Patriarch himself, accompanied by his granddaughter, Jegal Yu-a.
"Thank you for coming."
"Congratulations."
"I didn't expect you to come in person."
"Of course I had to. You're the great benefactor who saved me and my family."
"That's right."
Jegal Yu-a, whom I met again, had shed all traces of her former immature self.
She was clearly the refined daughter of a prestigious house, well-bred and poised.
"Then please enjoy yourselves."
As the Supreme Patriarch and Jegal Yu-a entered, all eyes turned to them in an instant.
And for good reason—the power and prestige of the Jegal family rivaled even the Emperor's here in Hubei Province.
But why had Jegal Yu-a been glancing at me so often since earlier?
Not just her—other young ladies were stealing looks at me too, then blushing and looking away.
That's when Jeong Ho approached.
"You've had a tough time of it."
"Eh, you know how it is."
I glanced around before turning to him.
"By the way, did you give that gift you bought in Beijing to Lady Jin?"
Jeong Ho had feelings for Jin So-mi, the eldest daughter of the Jin martial arts school.
Caught by me, he'd picked up a gift for her on this Beijing trip: a small red hair ornament carved from ivory.
It was petite but exquisitely crafted, truly a choice befitting Jeong Ho's sharp eye.
At my question, his face flushed red.
"Ah, not yet..."
"Lady Jin's here today too, and you still haven't given it to her?"
"Well..."
Ha! Look at this guy!
"Bro, what if some other guy swoops in? You'll be drowning your sorrows, whining about how you should've given it sooner, tormenting yourself—and me—for life."
"N-No way..."
No way my ass—that's what they all say until it happens.
"Might as well marry the girl you like if you're getting married anyway. Isn't happiness the point?"
"...Y-Yeah, true."
"So go give her the gift already and confess your feelings."
"Y-You think? Haha!"
Jeong Ho scratched his head and headed toward the pavilion.
From the way he slipped a hand into his robe, he was clearly carrying the gift for Lady Jin.
That's when I spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
My master.
I hurried over.
"You've arrived?"
Master had told me to keep our master-disciple relationship under wraps as much as possible.
So I just gave a light bow.
"I said I'd come early, but something came up on the way."
"No problem. Thank you for coming."
I pointed to the lower banquet hall.
"Your wife and kids are in the fifth row, third from the side."
"Appreciate the directions."
"Enjoy yourselves."
Master headed toward his family.
But then a faint scent wafted to my nose.
Huh? That's the smell of blood.
I eyed him closely, but couldn't pinpoint it.
I couldn't just blurt out, "Master, you smell like blood."
But seriously, why the blood scent?
His expression suggested nothing was amiss.
I pondered it briefly but brushed it off—more guests awaited.
As I exchanged greetings, the Jegal Supreme Patriarch sought me out.
"Having a good time?"
"Thanks to you. Where's Brother Yu?"
Brother Yu was Chief Steward Yu, whom we'd agreed to address as sworn brothers last time.
"Chief Steward Yu is in the lower banquet hall right now."
"Why not here?"
"He said he preferred it there. Plus, he's looking after a child at the moment."
"Ah, I see. Then I'll go to him myself."
What?
Go there himself?
The people down there would be mortified.
Better to set up a private table in my annex instead.
I quickly followed after him.
We soon reached Chief Steward Yu's spot. Master was already seated there, sharing a meal with him.
"Brother! Here you are?"
"Ah! Supreme Patriarch!"
Chief Steward Yu jumped up and bowed. The Patriarch shook his head with a displeased frown.
"Tch! Forgot we're sworn brothers?"
"Of course not! How could I?"
"Then say it. 'Brother,' go on."
"Yes, Brother."
"That's more like it! Haha!"
Chief Steward Yu turned to Seok Il-song.
"This is my sworn brother. Greet him."
"I'm Seok Il-song, studying under Chief Steward."
"Good, good. You look sharp as a tack."
The Patriarch tilted his head at Master, seated before Chief Steward Yu.
"And you are?"
"I'm Gwak Myeong-hyeon, escort leader from Changin Escort Agency. It's an honor to meet the pillar of the Jegal family."
Master cupped his hands in a respectful fist salute.
Gwak Hyeong-jin and Gwak Jun-ha followed suit.
"Escort leader, you say?"
"Yes."
The mood felt off. I sidled closer and whispered.
"He's my swordsmanship master."
"Ah, that explains the young master's achievements—far beyond his years."
Master shook his head.
"It's all thanks to the young master's talent. I did nothing."
"No need for false modesty. My eyes don't lie."
"..."
The air grew tense. I slipped in with a soft smile.
"No need to stand on ceremony here. Let me escort you to my annex. I just got new quarters—perfect chance to show them off."
The Patriarch looked sheepish.
"Oops, have we made folks here uncomfortable?"
I just smiled warmly.
Affirmative.
"This way."
I asked Palgap to escort Chief Steward Yu and the Supreme Patriarch.
Master seemed uneasy around them, so I planned to handle him separately.
But Chief Steward Yu spoke up.
"Escort Leader Gwak should come too. I have words for him."
The Patriarch nodded readily.
"Yes, let's do that."
And so Master's family ended up heading to my annex too.
What did Chief Steward Yu want to discuss with Master?
As they followed Palgap, I noticed Gwak Hyeong-jin and Seok Il-song walking side by side.
Being the same age, they'd apparently hit it off.
Then—
"Young Master Seo-ho! Big trouble!"
Jeong Ho's page came running up in a panic.
"What happened?"
"Something went down at the pavilion."
"What?"
Just when I'd sorted things here, trouble brewed at the pavilion.
I rushed over. Jeong Ho was fuming, breathing hard, while a drenched young man stood opposite him.
Seeing the youth, I sighed inwardly.
Ah, that damn scumbag...
I remembered him vividly from my past life.
Wi Seung-jeo.
Son of the head of the Wi martial arts school.
No scoundrel was more loathsome.
He'd get blackout drunk daily and wreak havoc in the commoners' shops down east—not the upscale southern ones that could handle it.
That alone showed he was a coward: weak against the strong, bullying the weak.
His father, the school head, was a tiger.
But the son was a mangy cur.
Proof that "no unworthy son under a great father" wasn't always true—the Wi school's head and his boy.
The school had solid disciples and the head's reputation kept Wi Seung-jeo's antics in check—until now.
But the head fell ill.
Watching his worthless son drove him to drink, landing him with a gut disease.
After the head died, sole heir Wi Seung-jeo took over—and hell broke loose.
He proposed marriage to Lady Jin So-mi, the girl he'd set his sights on.
She naturally despised him. Her parents refused.
Rejected, Wi Seung-jeo nursed a grudge and struck.
He squeezed the Jin school financially and sicced his thug friends—third-rate dark sect riffraff—on the family.
The Jin school shuttered.
They couldn't bear dragging down neighbors under Wi Seung-jeo's pressure.
Unable to repay their Eunhae Merchant Group loan, they vanished overnight.
Five years later, they resurfaced.
They'd become ronin to make ends meet.
Skilled and virtuous mother-daughter, they led a band.
Now strong enough to defy Wi Seung-jeo, they returned—and repaid the loan.
A woman leading ronin? Their ordeals must've been unimaginable.
Lady Jin hadn't married by then, nor had Jeong Ho.
He ached over her sufferings.
Before marrying her, whenever Jeong Ho drank, he'd lament her plight alongside fallen comrade Jeon Woo-jin's death.
He berated himself for not helping more beyond the loan—fearing it'd burden her.
"I should've stepped up, declared 'She's mine—hands off!'" he'd say.
The loan to the Jin school was no small sum.
Jeong Ho had pulled strings as branch head to lend far more than their collateral warranted.
Listening to his drunken rants was exhausting.
"What happened?"
"Ah! Young Master Seo-ho!"
One of the men holding Jeong Ho back spoke up.
Han Baek-geon of the Hongnang Merchant Group.
"Well... I'm not sure of the details. All we saw was Master Jeong shoving Young Hero Wi into the pond. Now we're stopping him from throwing punches."
I sighed and stepped in.
"Brother, what on earth happened?"
"Sorry to drag you into this. But I couldn't take it. That bastard insulted Lady Jin So-mi!"
"What?"
I looked at Wi Seung-jeo.
Under my gaze, he smirked insolently.
"Insult? Overkill. I just asked Lady Jin about her father's choreography for the spring dance."
I knew he was lying.
Lady Jin wouldn't look like that over mere news of her father.
"Such a blatant lie!"
"Then what did I say, exactly?"
"Well..."
Jeong Ho couldn't answer. I knew why.
He couldn't bear voicing it.
Saying it aloud would wound Lady Jin again.
She'd feel the same.
"Can't tell whose word is true like this."
Wi Seung-jeo replied.
"Simple fix: a duel. That's easiest for us."
Just as I expected.
Scumbag or not, Wi Seung-jeo had decent sword skills.
Hence the bravado.
Jeong Ho responded to the challenge.
"Fine. Let's do it!"
His voice carried grim resolve.
Oh man, Brother...
No.
Brother was gonna get beat bad.
Learning martial arts from the outer steward was self-defense basics—not systematic training.
Except for me, an exception.
I knew both their levels; the outcome was predictable.
In moments, the stage was set.
Wi Seung-jeo stood center, grinning cockily at Jeong Ho.
Stop it, problem. Let it go, bigger problem.
Then I spotted Lady Jin So-mi watching anxiously.
Ah!
A brilliant idea struck.
I approached her quietly.
"Worried about my brother?"
"It's my failing that's caused this trouble. My apologies."
"Don't say that. The fault's that Wi punk's—not yours or my brother's."
"Thank you just for saying so."
"Truth is, my brother admires you, Lady Jin."
"Pardon?"
"He even bought you a hair ornament in Beijing. Too shy to give it yet."
"Oh..."
Her cheeks flushed.
"As you might guess, if this duel starts, he'll take a real beating."
"Probably."
"But the one insulted was you. Right?"
"..."
"So wouldn't it be best if you washed away the insult yourself? Not borrowing someone else's hand. What do you say, Lady Jin?"