Manhak Seogo (4)
Personnel stationed throughout the Namgung Clan began to move.
Wisujeon.
A warrior burst in, out of breath.
"What is it?"
The duty officer at Wisujeon today was Namgung Yulgi, ranked tenth in the Changgung Geomdan.
"The youngest young master just entered Manhak Seogo. He was accompanied by Vice Strategist Namgung Je-cheon."
"What? He's already on the move? ...Understood. Stay on standby at the youngest young master's quarters—no, at Manhak Seogo until further orders."
"Yes, sir!"
As soon as the warrior left, Namgung Yulgi quickly began drafting a letter.
Faster than expected.
He'd figured the youngest young master wouldn't head to Manhak Seogo until tomorrow at the earliest.
Then another warrior entered.
"Report."
"If it's about the youngest young master, I just got word."
The warrior bowed and replied.
"No, sir. It's about the third young master."
"What? Isn't the third young master in secluded training?"
"Well, we heard from the gatekeeper that the third young master's faction, Cheongpung Geomdan, just mobilized outward."
"At this late hour?"
"Yes, sir."
"How many?"
"All of them."
"Impossible! Is there a war or something?"
It was unbelievable. Cheongpung Geomdan was the fourth strongest armed force in the Namgung Clan. Fourth might sound low, but in the Namgung Clan, that meant fourth in the entire Central Plains.
Namgung Yulgi pressed the reporting warrior again.
"You're sure the entire unit mobilized?"
He couldn't wrap his head around how such a massive event could happen overnight, so abruptly.
"Yes, sir! I confirmed the orders came straight from Gunsajeon on my way here."
If it was from Gunsajeon, it was legit.
"Understood. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir!"
The situation was shifting rapidly. It had all started with the youngest young master's awakening.
Namgung Yulgi set aside his half-written letter and stood.
I'd better deliver this to Young Master Namgung Dae in person.
* * *
Jangrojeon. The elders' quarters, and the place boasting the clan's most formidable external might. Nine Hwagyeong masters alone—more than the combined total of all Hwagyeong experts in the rest of the martial world.
The highest figure there was, naturally, the Grand Elder.
One elder pushed open the door to the Grand Elder's room.
"Have you heard, Grand Elder?"
The Grand Elder knew why he'd come.
"About the youngest young master?"
"Exactly. Who'd have thought he'd head straight to Manhak Seogo upon waking? Isn't this a bad move?"
"A bad move... Could be. But."
The Grand Elder knew who had issued the order.
"It's that lord's doing. We'll watch from the shadows. If he's qualified, he'll emerge transformed. If not, the weight of the Namgung name will crush him on its own."
"The patriarch himself...! Understood."
"And pass the word to the elders: no reckless meddling."
"Got it."
Such scenes were unfolding across the clan.
* * *
Gunsajeon.
"Wonder if it's started by now~"
Namgung Je-cheon sat with his legs crossed, twirling a brush in one hand.
By now, the clan's spies everywhere would be rushing reports to their masters. And the third young master's faction would be marching out without a second thought.
Obvious as day.
Staying put like this, they'd just scatter over the next two years. Even if the third young master emerged triumphant after two years of seclusion, it'd be meaningless without his forces intact.
Their job now was holding the line until he came out. This order would more than cover that.
No reason for his faction to refuse—though the target being the imperial palace might give them pause, Cheongpung Geomdan could handle any threat.
"Word should have reached the first and second young masters by now too. The old fogeys in Jangrojeon are too set in their ways to budge easily. The young masters are the real issue."
The youngest young master had guessed the first and second wouldn't move right away. Namgung Je-cheon agreed.
But he and the youngest differed on one point.
"The first young master won't act now. But the second... he's different."
"Strong" encompassed many things: raw power, intellect, wisdom, mental fortitude.
Some loved playing on an established board; others preferred crafting the board itself.
If forced to classify, the second young master...
"...enjoyed making the board."
Namgung Je-cheon gripped his twirling brush, dipped it in ink, and spread a fresh letter on the desk.
"I never did have a hobby of dancing on someone else's board."
He began scribbling rapidly.
* * *
1st Gajujeon.
Namgung Hancheol was deep in meditation, as always.
Suddenly, a man in black robes materialized from thin air.
Amyeong Suhodae. The patriarch's direct guard, answering only to him. No one but Namgung Hancheol knew their numbers or prowess.
Number One Amyeong's report was brief.
"The youngest young master has entered Manhak Seogo."
That was it.
Namgung Hancheol continued meditating. Amyeong Number One bowed and vanished, duty fulfilled.
Moments later, Namgung Hancheol opened his eyes. His gaze remained inscrutable.
* * *
Manhak Seogo.
This was his first time entering.
"Whoa."
Before regression, he'd never had reason to come near the place.
"So many."
Bookshelves lined up in rows, a dozen or so spaced evenly across the vast space, all crammed with tomes. All martial manuals—mind-blowing.
Snag a few and sell them; how much would they fetch? To him, who'd long dealt in ancient books and art, this was a mountain of cash.
"Tch."
He wiped drool from his chin and pulled a random manual from arm's reach.
[Chilseonbo]
Seven Sages' Steps—a grandiose name for third-rate footwork.
He slid it back and headed straight to the far end.
He knew exactly where the manual he wanted was.
I got it from the very back of the library.
After trouble arose, Big Brother Namgung Dae had publicly claimed it years later. Pure confidence, arrogance even—If you can get it, try.
Many challenged it. None succeeded.
"Here?"
At the library's dusty rear, unlike the packed shelves elsewhere, books here were sparsely arranged.
Scanning them, a familiar title caught his eye.
This is it.
"Found it, but..."
He pulled it out, dusted off ages of grime, and read the cover.
[Yang-ui Simgong]
One of Wudang's famed Three Arts. Said to split the mind in two, allowing dual martial arts at once. Legendary enough on its own.
"But that's not enough."
That feat alone? Every Namgung who'd brushed past Yang-ui Simgong in the past had managed it.
What did Big Brother Namgung Dae find in this to change so utterly before and after entering here?
Puzzled, he opened the manual.
* * *
Jipyeongjeon. Among the Namgung Clan's countless halls, third largest by size—and better known as the second young master's residence.
Those who barely knew Namgung Jung called him "Knight Jung."
Those with some knowledge called him "Great Knight."
But those who truly knew him called him schemer.
"The youngest probably went to Manhak Seogo for that."
While most of the clan puzzled over why the youngest moved so fast, Namgung Jung had predicted it precisely.
"Yang-ui Simgong."
Not widely known yet, but anyone with an eye for martial arts would suspect.
The supreme treasure slumbering in Manhak Seogo.
Big Brother the First had changed after leaving Manhak Seogo. Namgung Jung, who knew why, had seen Yang-ui Simgong there too.
It was good, sure. Dual arts at once? Perfect for striking weaknesses in a pinch!
But that was Namgung Jung's limit for it. A mere trick before true strength.
Great for survival, but to reach pinnacle realms? Steer clear.
That was...
"Yang-ui Simgong. As if the youngest wouldn't know."
The youngest had been odd since first appearing—unlike ordinary folk.
The first brother, by contrast, had been extraordinary from the start.
"'Extraordinary' invites comparison; 'odd' defies it."
Thus, the extraordinary become idols; the odd, outcasts.
He's different from me. Embrace difference as tolerance—or fear it as alien.
To Namgung Jung, the clan had a few oddballs. The most dangerous? Vice Strategist Namgung Je-cheon.
Brains beyond anyone—yet no one called him genius. Those who knew dubbed him mad dog, lunatic.
So even the world's sharpest minds never truly checked him.
"And now that rabid dog is moving with purpose for the first time."
Namgung Jung forgot he'd called him that too.
Did he see something I missed?
He didn't know the youngest well yet. The spar had shocked many, but it was within a direct Namgung's potential—especially with the third's qi restricted.
What am I overlooking?
He addressed the man prostrated before him.
"Deploy five peak-or-higher experts each to Manhak Seogo, the youngest's quarters, and Gunsajeon. Report to me every half shichen."
The listening man questioned dubiously.
"That many?"
He thought it wasteful for scouting.
Namgung Jung smirked.
"You call this a lot?"
If the youngest was what he suspected, this was child's play.
"I'd pull everyone watching the third and still feel short."
The man's face hardened.
"That serious?"
"Yeah. Still hazy, but."
The man saw his lord as a colossal serpent—headcount unknown, length unknown, tails unknown. A monster.
"I'll implement immediately."
Even he was wary. Of a mere outsider child.
As the man left, Namgung Jung muttered.
"One who's never seen a dragon mistakes it for snake or worm."
Namgung Jung had grown up with dragons. Yet even he couldn't tell if the youngest was dragon, snake, or worm.
Hatchlings all look alike. A dragon might prove weaker than a snake. A snake might hold dragon-slaying venom. Or a worm with dragon-crushing fangs.
"Three days, and I'll know."
Real dragon? Snake in dragon skin? Mere worm?
"What are you, really...?"
* * *
Around then, inside Manhak Seogo.
"What the hell is this?"