The Gwak Family's Heir
The items that elevated the inner energy of those from the martial world—Eungdan, Yeongcho, and Yeongyak—were quite rare in the jianghu. Their price would have allowed even a second-rate family to live lavishly for years.
Swish.
With a small smile, Gwak Yeon placed the pouch containing Yeongcho back into his bosom. By then, the carriage had already arrived at the main estate of the Seoha Gwak Family.
“Young Master, you’ve arrived!”
“We’ve worked hard!”
“Uhehe! The Jusan Baek Family eventually couldn’t stand against us!”
“Congratulations on your victory, Young Master! We heard everything!”
“As expected! We knew you would win!”
The gasholds of the Seoha Gwak Family swarmed over from all sides, offering congratulatory greetings. After stepping down from the carriage, Gwak Yeon clasped his hands toward them in return.
“Haha, it’s all thanks to everyone.”
“Come on! My Young Master needs to relax. Everyone step aside!”
Before him, the brash Cheon Gang laughed loudly as he led the way, guiding Gwak Yeon out of the crowd.
Like that.
They continued walking toward the residence and Iyeongak as Cheon Gang’s laughter gradually grew louder.
“Hehe, only the soaring part remains now!”
Cheon Gang had been looking forward to this.
Ever since that victory, he hoped the fame of his master Gwak Yeon would spread throughout the jianghu. And that requests from the jianghu would pour into Iyeongak without end.
All of it stemmed from the wish that the Gwak Yeon he served would become the successor of the Seoha Gwak Family.
The succession policy of the Seoha Gwak Family was simple.
Among the descendants, the one whose pavilion’s achievements were most prominent would take responsibility for the family’s future.
First: the first pavilion.
Second: Iyeongak.
Third: Samhogak.
Compared to the pavilions led by his older and younger brothers, which were already renowned in the jianghu, Gwak Yeon’s pavilion had never received even a single request.
But!
If the rumor spread that he had defeated Baek Jung-hyeok of the Jusan Baek Family, requests would soon begin to arrive at Iyeongak, led by Gwak Yeon.
By handling those requests well and consolidating his power… it was no mere dream that Gwak Yeon would stand tall, Cheon Gang hoped.
“My Young Master’s fame is only a matter of time before it reaches the jianghu! Haha, the joy of cleaning out the ‘Lonely’ pavilion corner by corner will appear soon!”
Cheon Gang laughed boisterously while subtly emphasizing his own hard work.
But Gwak Yeon was, in truth, completely indifferent.
He had no particular desire to become the successor.
However.
The only goal was to find the great evil he had searched for in his previous life and uproot it to its very roots.
『 Iyeongak 』
The sign visible over there would only hold meaning when used for that purpose.
Some day, to trace the incoming requests in reverse and probe the political climate behind the great city of Hangzhou, or to gather those with the same ideals and form a special squad to move together toward a common goal…
“Haha! Let’s go in!”
At that moment.
Crash!
“No matter how I think about it, thanks to cleaning it so neatly last time, luck has come our way…… ugh!”
Grinning as he flung open the door, Cheon Gang let out a scream.
Because something was dropping from the high ceiling of the pavilion.
Squish.
An unexpectedly large raven… no, it wasn’t a raven.
“Why are you so late-! You slowpoke-!”
“Uwooo!”
“Bored-! I was bored-!”
“S-Sorcery! Young Master, the speaking raven!”
“It’s not a raven-! You fool-!”
“C-Curse?! ”
A black bird that spoke human language, like a guardian spirit.
Cheon Gang, who blankly slapped his own cheek, was met with a sharp beak from the creature that had been a mere spy of Baek Jung-hyeok until recently.
“It’s not a curse-! It’s Heoksijo-!”
Gwak Yeon smiled faintly upon seeing it.
Heoksijo, who had turned his head toward such Gwak Yeon, flapped his wings and opened his beak busily.
“I waited-! I waited for so long-!”
“For me? Why?”
“I saw you-! I saw everything-!”
“Saw? What did you see?”
“On the island-! When I fought that idiot-!”
“Well, I wonder what you saw.”
Feigning ignorance, Heoksijo rattled his beak in anger.
Seeing that, Gwak Yeon laughed and pulled a necklace from his bosom.
“……This?”
Squish.
“That’s right-! I knew it-!”
Immediately after pulling it out, the raven flew in with his beak and snatched the necklace.
Not long ago.
It was the necklace he had torn from the neck of the enemy while fighting Baek Jung-hyeok on the uninhabited island.
At the same time.
‘That’s right.’
The very shackle that had controlled Heoksijo’s movements all along.
So.
Before the duel, Baek Jung-hyeok had secretly followed him with Heoksijo, and upon receiving a confession from him using the vampire’s ability, he had controlled the bird at will using the necklace as a hostage.
‘My treasure-! It’s so frustrating because of this necklace-!’
A necklace adorned with an irregularly shaped iron piece.
A necklace with a story behind it, was it?
Feeling quite pleased, Heoksijo fluttered around in the air, opening his beak as if singing.
“I gave it to you-♬? Really-♪?”
A funny fellow.
He had already taken it as he pleased, so why was he asking?
Still.
Well, it didn’t matter.
“Yes, I brought it to give to you.”
“Really-?!”
“If it wasn’t that, why would I have taken it from that guy?”
“Indeed-! That’s right-!”
He rattled his beak once more, then paused.
Heoksijo, who had been floating in the air, suddenly turned toward Gwak Yeon.
Thinking what?
The beak of the one who tilted his head opened again.
“You’re a bit strange-! But you don’t seem like a bad guy-!”
“This beast of a bird calling the Young Master ‘you’!”
Even in his astonishment, Cheon Gang grew angry at the way Gwak Yeon was being disparaged by the bird.
“Excluding the fool-! Get out-!”
“Shut up! It’s talking like a guardian spirit or something unlucky!”
“It’s Heoksijo-! I’ve told you several times-!”
“What do I know? It looks just like one!”
“Different-! I’m more stylish-!”
Gwak Yeon smiled while watching Heoksijo rattle his beak at him.
“I hate the smell of fools-! I’m leaving-!”
“By any chance.”
Gwak Yeon opened his mouth in a soft tone toward Heoksijo.
“Do you have any intention of staying here?”
“Eh-?!”
“Young Master?”
At the same time, facing both Cheon Gang and Heoksijo who were looking this way, Gwak Yeon continued.
“Think of this pavilion as your home.”
“No-! Heoksijo is free-!”
“I know.”
“My treasure-! It won’t be taken away again-!”
“That necklace is naturally yours. If I had intended to take it back, why would I have brought it now that I fought Baek Jung-hyeok?”
“That’s true…… is it-!”
“Think of this place as your home, and feel free to stay whenever you like. I’ll provide meals every day too. You can keep the necklace here in the pavilion whenever you roam outside.”
“Really-?!”
Heoksijo tilted his head.
In truth, from the very first time he had seen the bird in Hangzhou, Gwak Yeon had been intrigued by its abilities.
A spirit beast that was fast, strong, and capable of communication.
Especially.
‘Surveying.’
Being able to search from high in the sky would be extremely advantageous when he looked for the remnants of the great evil he had seen in his previous life.
However.
Gwak Yeon spoke with playful confidence to the still hesitant Heoksijo.
“In exchange for allowing you to stay here, I would like you to lend me a portion of your tremendous abilities.”
“My abilities-?! That’s amazing-?!”
“Of course. Honestly, I was amazed.”
Closing his eyes as if reminiscing, Gwak Yeon opened his eyes slightly.
While Cheon Gang stood bewildered and silent, the ears of Heoksijo, who had silently perched on the window frame, stood up alertly.
“When you first found me in the city of Hangzhou, I was pure amazement.”
“Really-? Why-?!”
“The secret mission of beating the evil alone. Until you found me, our family and no one in the Central Plains had detected us! In other words, you are far superior to any of the renowned experts in the Central Plains!”
“Really-?! Is that how you think-♪?”
Once again opening his eyes slightly, the exaggerated and exaggerated praise made the chest of the Heoksijo swell with pride.
Then.
“Yes! So if you stay here and lend me your abilities for a while, I will provide food, a place to sleep, and a safe place to store your precious treasure. How about it?”
“Hehe-♪♬”
Heoksijo seemed quite satisfied.
He even hummed a tune.
Though he hadn’t answered, it was clearly an approval to anyone looking.
Tap tap tap.
At that moment.
Thanks to his sensitive hearing, Gwak Yeon caught the familiar footsteps approaching the front gate of the courtyard of Iyeongak.
“I’ll go out for a moment and think about it.”
“What-♪ Shall I-♬”
With a rough nod as if trusting him completely, Gwak Yeon left the Iyeongak and went outside.
Click.
He opened the door and walked through the courtyard, opening the gates wide.
Then.
The man, who had been about to knock on the gate but paused, opened his mouth to Gwak Yeon with an expression as terrifying as always.
“……Brother.”
It was Gwak Ho-shin.
“……Congratulations.”
He had come to offer congratulations on Gwak Yeon’s victory report.
***
“Thank you.”
Gwak Yeon received the congratulatory greeting with a smile.
Gwak Ho-shin, seeing him, was astonished.
‘……He really went mad!’
His face remained expressionless.
But inside his heart, all kinds of emotions churned.
‘Did Brother really defeat Baek Jung-hyeok? Just like in the letter, one-sidedly?’
He could hardly believe it.
Baek Jung-hyeok was someone who would not hesitate to use any means or methods for victory, a warrior that even Gwak Ho-shin himself could not guarantee would be beaten.
Until he had received the victory news via letter the day before yesterday, he had thought of all kinds of scenarios.
Perhaps.
Perhaps.
What if Brother had been seriously injured by his scheme? What if he had fallen into his trap and suffered great humiliation in front of everyone, closing his heart again? What would become of the second Brother who had finally recovered his bright expression and been hurt again?
But it had been groundless worry.
“Haha, I was lucky and won.”
The face of the second Brother, who opened his mouth again, was clean.
Without a single scar.
It was a story of winning a victory against Baek Jung-hyeok so cleanly that not even one wound was left.
But how……
‘……How could that have been possible?’
Yet the question did not easily come out.
Gwak Ho-shin, who was timid on the surface unlike his appearance.
Perhaps if he asked this question, he might think that he had underestimated the second Brother’s strength.
‘How did you win without a single wound- If I ask this, Brother won’t misunderstand, right? No, this might sound like someone who hopes for injury. Then-’
No, before that.
‘Wait a minute. Was the congratulation too late? I heard noisy voices from inside the pavilion. Of course I should have greeted Father first, so I came now, but he must know that much, right? No, damn it! I’ve already become awkward.’
With too much he wanted to say, he missed the rhythm again.
“……”
“……”
Since the other party had also missed the rhythm to speak, for a moment in the awkward air, Gwak Yeon and Gwak Ho-shin looked at each other.
Then.
“What? Why the eye-fighting again?”
“Weren’t you coming to congratulate me on winning the martial competition?”
“Naive thought. You still don’t know the third Young Master?”
“So.”
“Originally it was supposed to be my fight, but because Brother snatched it away, I get to enjoy the glory instead, and that’s the problem. Look at it, this is clearly that.”
“No way.”
“Even so, when it comes to a family that has just returned from the martial competition and is shining the family name?”
“That’s the succession competition of a major family. Look at that cold expression.”
The low murmurs of the gasholds gathered here and there from afar.
Gwak Yeon, with his sensitive hearing, could not help but cough awkwardly and open his mouth.
“Hmph! So, you came to congratulate me?”
“……Yes.”
At that moment, when the conversation between the brothers, which was awkward for the Seoha Gwak Family to see, began.
At the same time.
“What?”
Manager Yoo’s eyebrows shot up.
Flap!
To be precise, it was after he had unfolded the letter just handed to him by his subordinate.
“Is this really a letter sent from the Cheonhae Merchant Group?”
“Yes. Please check the seal and emblem here.”
“I know, I know.”
Before parting, the Cheonhae Merchant Group had agreed to send related preparations for the upcoming journey via letter.
‘Select the journey with the most convenient route for the second Young Master’s protection and send it through the relay station carefully.’
Being able to see this letter now meant their choice had not involved much deliberation. But the serious expression on Manager Yoo’s face was not due to that.
‘All good. All good.’
The destination of the journey after this month.
‘Is it… this place?’
Coincidentally, it was a place where a force might be involved related to the ‘Blood Cult’ that the Seoha Gwak Family was pursuing.
Twitch.