“S-Southern Heavenly….”
“Oh my…”
“His disciple?”
I felt a bit stunned at their intense reactions. I knew he had a larger-than-life reputation, but this reaction was too much, and to believe the man had vanished over 15 years ago.
He was truly a swordsman who was worthy of being called a legend.
-Uh. Is he this good?
-Hmm. This is only a natural reaction.
Iron sword made a coughing sound.
This was something to be proud of.
This was the first time I had ever seen my father, who was always angry and strict, open his mouth wide with shock.
“No way. It cannot be.”
So Young-hyun didn’t like me claiming that I had a good master and began to deny it.
He didn’t want to believe it. I glanced at my sister. She had always worn a careful expression, but right now she was looking at me with shocked eyes.
Now she looked her age, all innocent.
“R-really…? You are the disciple of Ho Jong-dae?” asked Cho Jung-un. His face, which had been full of doubt and suspicion, changed.
The voice of Iron Sword resounded in my head,
-This reminds me
‘What?’
-Humans seem to age a lot which makes their faces hard to recognize the longer it has been.
‘Have you met him?’
-Right. This warrior in front of you was helped by my former master in the north of Yunnan twenty years back
‘Is it real?’
Oh. This was a piece of unexpected luck.
I didn’t think this man would have such a good relationship with Southern Heavenly Swordsman.
Even if this man was called the founder of Mount Hyeong’s sect, he couldn’t have been anything like this 20 years back.
Sh!
I bowed to Cho Jong-un and said,
“I heard a lot of stories about the great warrior from my teacher. It is an honor to meet you like this!”
“Is this true?”
What?
Is this person really the one or not?
The confused stiff unsure image of him vanished and now he was looking at me with twinkling eyes like he admired me.
“He often mentioned that he established a good relationship with you in Yunnan on the north side 20 years back and he praised you to be a warrior who will brighten up the world in the future.”
“Huh, that is…”
At my words, Cho Jong-un scratched his head feeling a bit shy. I didn’t think he would like it this much.
And he asked,
“Did such a great warrior speak of me?”
So was he the type to feel weak to praise? No.
This was because the Southern Heavenly Sword had spoken about him, and then someone came over.
The woman in the white robe, Cho Il-hye, looked young and pretty.
“Sahyung.”
“Samae. He is alive.”
Cho Jong-un said to her feeling thrilled. It felt strange to listen to it.
I did hear that Southern Heavenly Swordsman was a role model for a lot of people but I didn’t think that even young people would respect him so much.
“This little disciple is his disciple.”
Cho Il-hye looked quite shocked.
“So Wonhwi greets the Mount Hyeong’s Female Warrior.”
At my words, she too greeted me back by knowing I was a bit flustered about all of this, and she actually was quite beautiful.
“What is this? Treat us comfortably.”
“If you are the disciple of that great man, we could be of the same level now, so there is no need to be this formal.”
Uh? What did this mean? We are of the same level?
-My former master had an acquaintance with their teacher, a member named Ho Shim-hang. So the disciple of their sect called my former master a mentor.
Wait.
Ho Shim-hang was the sect leader now!
Ahh, I see.
Actually, if that was true, at their time a lot of people must have been close to my teacher and are all probably elders and sect leaders by now.
The sects were known to be more sensitive to such relationships than the Forces of Evils.
Chak!
Cho Jong-un, who was moved, also took a bow to me and apologized.
“I apologize. I got too excited for nothing and I said that you were using evil arts without even listening to you. I was horrible to you.”
He looked like he was beating himself up inside. This man had more honest feelings than I thought.
“No. Senior…”
“Do not call me senior.”
“We called your teacher mentor, our teachers called him their sahyung, so how can we be above you? Call me sahyung comfortably!”
At Cho Jong-un’s words, our surroundings turned noisy.
One of the men, known to be one of the rising pillars of Mount Hyeong, was treating someone with this much friendliness?
They envied this. Even I wanted to burst into a chuckle but I had to manage this situation properly.
I spoke with a look of shock,
“How can I do that to Senior…”
“If you put it like that, then what about my position?”
He winked at me and said,
“So Sajae do not be too burdened with all that.”
Even Cho Il-hye called me sajae. And I carefully responded to their words,
“Is it really fine if I call you like that?”
“Didn’t we say it was fine?”
Looking at Cho Jong-un I smiled and said,
“I understand. Sahyung.”
“Hahahaha. What a happy day.”
Hearing my words, he laughed out real happy-like.
He was the kind to hide his true feelings a lot and shy away from meeting people, so I didn’t think that he had such a side to him.
He seemed to be really glad to be able to get into contact with the disciple of the Southern Heavenly Swordsman.
And how can this chance be missed?
“I am glad the misunderstanding got resolved with the help of sahyung. If not for you I would have been tagged as the villain who mastered evil arts.”
“How could such a stigma be placed onto the successor of the Southern Heavenly Swordsman?”
At his words, I turned my head and looked at So Young-hyun who was not sure what he had to do.
Because of my words, now he turned into a man who tried to put dirt on the name of the Southern Heavenly Swordsman
“I-it isn’t… I…”
“Enough!”
Something stopped him.
It was So Ik-heon. He came close. After it got revealed that I was the disciple of a strong person he seemed to have complicated thoughts running through his mind.
And that was good enough
He is the man who kicked me out of the house and family without even treating me like a human. In a way, the abandoned child was now back with gold around him, so would he like this?
‘Uh.’
Seeing his face only made me angry.
If only he had taken responsibility for the treatment of my mother, things would have been different.
I don’t know what his place in this world was, but he was surely disqualified to be the head of a family.
Being angry wasn’t a good thing, especially if I wanted to achieve my goals.
Tak!
I got down on my knees and bowed,
“I send my greetings to my father.”
“…”
When I bowed, no voice responded. The same thing happened in the past too.
Even then I greeted him.
-What did he say?
‘I was kicked out because he said he never had a son like me.’
No hesitation.
At that time those words came out as soon as I bowed. But now he didn’t even say anything.
Staying bowed wasn’t right, so I got up slowly, and as I got up he said,
“… it has been so long. I am glad you are fine.”
I laughed inside.
He was the one who greeted me because the people of the Mount Hyeong sect liked me.
Still, there was no smile on his face.
“Hm.”
Right then, Cho Il-hye intervened.
She must have heard of the dynamic of the family from Yong-yong, so she must have known what kind of bonds my father and I shared.
“You are quite blessed. Since the youngest son has become a disciple of the Southern Heavenly Swordsman, isn’t that amazing?”
She deliberately said this to the lord.
Of course, this was something she was doing to raise my worth. She was trying to make the atmosphere more pleasant.
“Thank you for your words,”
Lord So Ik-heon put his hand together and bowed.
However, his expression stayed unchanged. He glanced at his fallen sons and said,
“I heard the story. But you have gone too far.”
In the meantime, he seems to have known what happened. It must have been while I was talking to Cho Jong-un.
I answered casually.
“I apologize. As my two hyungs became overly emotional, they acted much too intensely and tried to take my life. I had no choice but to slightly overdo things in the name of self-defense.”
What to do.
I had a reason for doing all of this.
Was there any other reason for doing this in a place with so many eyes watching?
This was to prevent my father and the rest of the family from playing things from the shadows. And how did he act out then?
“… I see. We can think of blaming your brothers for their mistakes later. We have to serve our guests now. So let’s talk later.”
This was definitely different from my two brothers. No wonder, this man was old and too experienced in handling such matters.
Naturally, he tried to let the moment pass by putting something else in the foreground.
But how could I let such a chance slip me by?
“Father. You didn’t even ask why I came back home.”
At my words, his expression wrinkled, maybe he was going crazy trying to figure out what I was thinking.
What business could the abandoned son have with him?
Father was looking at me suspiciously so I clarified,
“Father. Please give me the seat of the next head to represent the martial arts tournament.’
‘…!’
At my words, his eyes went wide.
The main hall of the manor.
An hour had passed and now everyone was having a late lunch.
Nomnum and clack.
I glanced at Cho Seong-won who was making all sorts of noises when eating and even Sima Young was disgusted by this.
But this guy came from the Beggars Union and he was bound to make noise while eating. Like he was greedy for something.
“Even if you don’t know how to eat, can you not make so much noise when eating?”
Sima Young looked at him and said,
“But isn’t that too much? Isn’t this making you happy?”
“I am happy, so much so that I want to hit you.”
At her words, he looked confused.
Since he didn’t know what her skills were, he was the one who had decided that they should treat each other like they were on the same level.
Cho Seong-won mumbled,
“A beggar is always decent enough.”
Of course, one look from her, and he went back to eating. The habit was something she wanted to correct.
Sima Young who looked at him smiled brightly at me,
“Sahyung. You must be tired, do eat a lot.”
As the attitude she held was different from him, Cho Seong-won imitated her tone of voice, teasing her
And,
Sring!
“Do you want to die?”
“…. Sorry.”
Seeing how quickly he stepped back, it seemed like he also held amazing skill.
-I guess these are the traits of a beggar. Well.
It was true. After leaving the Blood Sect, his true nature was slowly coming out of its shell.
-What do you think?
‘Well.’
I am not too sure either.
So Ik-heon had declined to answer on the spot.
I wanted to push it a bit more but it turned difficult as Il-hye had intervened.
However, there was no choice but to hand over the position to me. Both of my brothers had either their wrists or shins broken.
There was little time left, and their injuries weren’t something that could heal fast, and the family would not put some injured weak person in.
-Right.
Perhaps maybe he would come to the same conclusion this evening.
A small banquet was put on to welcome the people of Mount Hyeong, so when the time came I would know.
-But, he really doesn’t treat you like a son at all.
The reason for Short Sword’s grumbling was quite simple, the guards who were watching the dining hall were not just guards but those who had mastered their arts.
They were watching us.
This was why Sima Young kept calling me sahyung.
-Isn’t it better to just ask Sima Young to naturally head into a quarrel?
Naturally, Sima Young didn’t like this and there was no way she hadn’t noticed that the men had learned martial arts.
And putting such men near the door meant that we were all being openly monitored.
‘No. I will leave them alone for now.’
Now was this kind of game.
Regardless of whether I was the disciple of a great warrior or not, these people were placed here to tell us that this was the place of the Ikyang So family.
-So cheap
‘Wicked beggars.’
A warning from the head to me.
That he was also watching and I shouldn’t do anything hasty like before.
He must be mad that I had turned two of his sons into temporary cripples. Well, Yong-yong was late.
Originally we had decided to talk when having lunch but she didn’t come so we ended up starting without her.
-Could something have happened?
That could not be. With Cho Il-hye here, who would touch her?
‘Huh?’
Someone came to the door and I turned at the light footsteps which resembled a woman’s.
At the sight of her approaching, the eyes of all three of us turned to look.
Knock!
The voice spoke after a low knock,
“Young Master. I am a servant of the Peony Pavilion, I am here to deliver the invitation of the Madame.”
“Peony Pavilion?” asked Sima Young, a bit puzzled.
Hm… I didn’t know that this would be the first place to move.
-What is the Peony Pavilion?
‘You heard it. It is the madame.’
Peony Pavilion.
The residence of the wife of the lord, the actual wife.
And if it weren’t for the news of what I did, it would be a place that I had no relation to, and no urge to form one with.
Because she had been through a lot.
The mother of my two brothers was calling for me.
The red peony flowers filled the garden. The flowers didn’t bloom except for this time of the year and they were in full bloom now.
Seeing these flowers made me feel disgusted.
It was like seeing his wife and I wanted to burn them down. As long as the servants were keeping an eye on me I could do nothing.
-Why are they doing this?
‘The rumors must have spread.’
One hour was enough time for rumors to spread and in the Peony Pavilion where the wives were kept, skilled people were usually placed.
Right, but they are all just second and third-rate warriors.
“This way…”
Following the servant she sent me, I entered the pavilion
Just entering the pavilion made me feel disgusted. Why was I called?
Drr!
The main room of the pavilion opened and a middle-aged beautiful woman was sitting in front of an antique table.
That thin-eyed woman was the madame.
‘First-rate.’
I knew she had learned martial arts but when I felt her it felt a bit lacking.
-Why is her face so white?
Her nose looked too prominent as she smeared white power to hide her wrinkles.
Shh!
I bowed lightly.
I could be called rude but I didn’t want to be polite to her. I couldn’t forget the humiliation that my mother suffered from her.
“You are here. You people can leave.”
“Yes. Madame.”
At the gentle words, the two women who had guided me retreated.
What was the point of having them here?
She walked up to me as if she had made a huge decision and I couldn’t figure out why she was doing this.
Thud!
‘…!?’
Then she suddenly knelt on the ground making me frown at the unexpected behavior.
“Why are you doing this?”
She looked up at me at the question and said,
“I heard it. That you are following the teachings of the Southern Heavenly Swordsman. I congratulate you.”
Ha!
Was she kneeling to celebrate?
I could already guess what her intentions were. And she said to me in a serious voice,
“I know we do not get along so well. I will not deny it”
“… what do you want to say?”
“I will speak out then.”
“…”
“If you wish, I can get down on my knees and apologize a dozen times, maybe a hundred times too.”
The proud woman was willing to apologize?
I remember how much she hated me, and I remembered how she kept a cloth to wipe off the hands which touched me.
And she said,
“So, please do not covet the position of Young-hyun.”
Ah…
She was so cliché.
Right. Whether she was bad or not, all the mothers have the same heart.
She called me to protect her son’s position.
“Is that why I was called?”
To my cold voice, she spoke in a pleading voice,
“If you want to, I can give you the means so that you can eat and play with for the rest of your life. And we can even help the family you want. Just don’t covet the position of my son.”
It seems like she was determined to convince me in any way possible. It seemed like the position of a disciple of the Southern Heavenly Swordsman was great. Seeing her go this low and beg told me that she was feeling a sense of crisis.
“Sigh.”
A sigh came out.
The attitude had changed so easily. It is a sight that I would have never even dreamed about.
How can the one who kept breaking me down kneel down?
But I drew the line,
“Sorry. I will pretend like I didn’t hear that.”
And I turned around to get out of her room.
But then she got up and rushed to the door.
“Do not do this.’
“I want to say the same to you.”
At my words, she bit her lips and then said,
“Tell me what you want. I will listen to anything.”
Give me anything I want. I stopped and told her,
“You mean it?”
“Yes.”
Her face brightened as if she found a string of hope and I said,
“Then, can you bring me my mother’s memorial tablet and place it in the family and bow to her every three days for ten years?”
Her expression went stiff. Of course, she hated this.
Trying to tell her to recognize my mother whom she desperately tried to ignore and asking her to bow for 10 years was something her pride would not allow.
She frowned,
“Really… you will not covet my son’s place if I do that?”
Truly expected from maternal love.
Wouldn’t it be great if she could give a little of this kindness to my mother?
In the end, this only excited me so I smiled at her.
And I quietly went close to her ear and said,
“Would you do it? You bitch.”
‘…!’
Her face turned red,
“Y-You! How dare you!”
As she was getting angry I told her,
“12 years back, when I was here. Your servant gave me medicine,”
Upon hearing those words, her expression turned pale.
Why? Did you think I didn’t know?
