novelraw Chapter 28 : Chapter 28
Chapter 28 : Chapter 28
Chapter 28 - How much do you trust?
Gulp gulp.
He chugged the alcohol so quickly that the sound of it going down his throat was clearly audible.
“Keuuuugh!!”
Diancang Sect.
No, the stronghold of the bandits now called the Tiger-Bear Stronghold.
Their leader, Wi Sung, was drinking from broad daylight.
“Bring another bottle!”
“Will you be alright.”
“I’m drinking because I’m not alright.”
Wi Sung frowned and looked at the man in front of him.
A man with a monkey-like face and a particularly large, bulbous nose.
He gave instructions to a subordinate outside and then sat opposite Wi Sung.
“What happened with what you were looking into?”
“That is…….”
The bulbous-nosed man hesitated to answer with a troubled face.
He was a man smart enough to find the location of the safe, but this case truly felt like he was possessed by a ghost.
“The situation has become a little complicated.”
“What? What’s complicated!”
“First, we had to determine the facts of whether it was Jang Pae's doing. We released our men in the direction of the Tree-Uprooting Stronghold to chase them, but……”
“But what? Don't drag it out, just tell me!”
“He’s dead.”
At the man's answer, Wi Sung's face hardened.
“……What?”
“We were able to confirm Jang Pae's body on the mountain path leading to the Tree-Uprooting Stronghold. His bones were broken here and there, and it was full of stab wounds.”
“Who did that to Jang Pae? What were his subordinates doing.”
“We don't know that. However, considering that there are no bodies of his subordinates nearby and all the valuables he had on him were stolen, we cannot rule out the possibility of a rebellion.”
“Nonsense!”
Wi Sung shouted with a flushed face.
“Jang Pae is the strongest guy in the Yunnan area. You're telling me a guy like that was taken down not by a martial artist, but by his own idiotic subordinates?”
“But it’s strange. If they were attacked as a group, his subordinates would have died first even if he died. But the only body was Jang Pae's, and the stab wounds were from blades mainly used by bandits like us.”
“Hmm…….”
Something was definitely strange.
Even among the same group of bandits, very few people knew that Jang Pae had come here.
In that situation, since the thief said he came from the Tree-Uprooting Stronghold, it was reasonable to assume it was Jang Pae's doing.
If Jang Pae and the thief were confirmed to be together, he was planning to attack the Tree-Uprooting Stronghold right away.
But what they found was only Jang Pae's cold corpse.
“Could it be that the thief betrayed him after getting his hands on the safe?”
“That is also a possibility. But even so, it's strange that no other subordinates' bodies were found.”
The safe was stolen from his own room, but he didn't even know who the real culprit was.
“Ugh…… Uwaaaaaaaack!!”
Wi Sung, unable to contain his rising anger, finally threw the liquor bottle.
Clang!
“Who the hell is it! Who the hell is messing with us!”
Wi Sung roared in agony.
He wanted to chase after him and tear him limb from limb, but he didn't know who it was, so he was going crazy.
The thief's answer was not heard, and instead, only the fragments of the liquor bottle swirled in place as if mocking Wi Sung.
***
“Sedong, welcome!”
Seeing Biyoung welcoming him with open arms, Sedong felt a little strange.
Was he always such a warm and welcoming child?
Although he felt a little suspicious, Sedong ran up the mountain path in one breath.
While Sedong was wiping his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand, Biyoung asked.
“You, you seem to have improved a lot?”
“Really?”
“How long did it take you to get from the bottom of the mountain to here?”
“Hmm…… it must have been about two quarters of an hour.”
“Two quarters of an hour? At that rate, you must have come up without resting once?”
“Yeah. It was hard, but I didn't rest in the middle.”
“Wow. That’s beyond expectations. You might have a talent for martial arts.”
“R-really?”
Sedong scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile.
He felt even better because it was praise from none other than Biyoung.
Because he was the very person who had brought about the change in Sedong.
The Flying Eagle Steps that Biyoung had taught him had brought great improvement not only to his movements in battle but also to his running ability.
‘He’s pretty good. I thought he was just smart, but he also has perseverance.’
Although he had a favor to ask of Sedong, there was no exaggeration in the praise he had just given.
It had been about half a month since he had taught him a few techniques of the Flying Eagle Steps.
But Sedong's movements had changed beyond recognition.
He had expected to some extent that he would understand the footwork well.
After all, Sedong was exceptionally smart compared to children of the same age.
But as with all martial arts, footwork is not something you can do just by understanding it with your head.
The perseverance to repeat boring movements.
The motor skills to move the body as one thinks.
The effort to train muscles that were not used before is needed.
He guessed that he had been practicing sweatily every day since he taught him the footwork.
With this much improvement in just half a month, the following conclusion could be drawn.
‘He’s a kid who’s fun to teach.’
He was not inferior even when compared to the children who had just entered the Diancang Sect in the past.
If the instructors who taught martial arts had seen Sedong, they would have surely drooled.
Well, it's not like Sedong, the young master of the Yi Family Clan, would have entered the Diancang Sect anyway.
‘Somehow, it’s a shame.’
Biyoung, who had licked his lips once, bent his waist and looked at Sedong's posture.
“If you twist it here like this and rotate your front foot, this is also possible.”
“Oh…… ooh!”
Sedong's eyes snapped open as if he had been enlightened.
How could he not be excited when a boy who admired martial arts was taught a new technique?
Seeing him diligently repeating the movements with a slightly flushed face, there was certainly fun in teaching him.
Biyoung was originally a person who had no interest in educating disciples.
But it was a different story if it was an initiate who responded so well and had talent.
“Yes. If you do it like that, you won't have your collar grabbed by others anywhere you go.”
“Hehe. Alright.”
Looking closely, it seemed that his slender body had also become a little more solid.
It seemed he had diligently trained not only his footwork but also his basic fist and kicking arts.
He knew he had a great admiration for martial artists, but at this point, it was at a level where he had to reconsider his identity.
“Let’s call it a day here. What brings you here?”
“Ah, right!”
It seemed he had forgotten the main point while being excited about learning martial arts.
Sedong scratched his head with a smile that was hard to interpret.
“My father has invited you.”
“Hm?”
Father.
If it's the father of Sedong, the young master of the Yi Family Clan……?
“The Family Head?”
“That’s right. His name is written with the character Gwon and the character Su.”
Yi Gwon-su.
A name that is occasionally heard when walking around Yiliang County.
He is usually called not by his real name, but by the nickname derived from it—Gwon-mo-sul-su (“Master of Intrigue”).
The term Master of Intrigue doesn’t carry a very positive meaning, but things are different when the person in question is a merchant.
Because it means to gain profit by using all available means.
A dirty but money-making merchant is a hundred times better than a kind and incompetent merchant.
Perhaps Yi Gwon-su also liked his nickname.
“Word came from Head Manager Jo Seom. He said that thanks to your help, they escaped the threat of the bandits. Is that true?”
“Yeah. Something like that happened a few days ago.”
“That’s really amazing. I knew you were different from other kids, but I didn’t know you were strong enough to subdue adults.”
Sedong's round eyes were filled with admiration.
“It’s nothing special. You can do it like me if you repeat what I’ve taught you so far.”
“Really?”
No.
No matter how much you struggle, you can't become me.
But well.
There's no stronger motivation than hope, right?
“Hehehe.”
“Why are you suddenly laughing?”
“Oh. It’s nothing. But it’s not time to settle the accounts yet, so why did your father call for me?”
“Settle the accounts……? What settlement?”
“Ah. It seems that part wasn’t conveyed. I told them to repay the debt they owe me when they return from the caravan.”
“I see. My father didn't tell me that far. Actually, he doesn't usually tell me everything.”
He’s a strange kid.
His face was so bright when he was talking about martial arts, but the more he talks about his father, the darker his complexion becomes.
Come to think of it, I remember what Head Manager Jo Seom said.
“In many ways, a life-or-death situation……”
“Huh?”
Biyoung was not the type to beat around the bush, even in his past life.
He asked Sedong directly.
“You, is something not working out?”
“!”
Sedong's small ears perked up at the same time.
It seemed he didn't expect to be asked such a question so suddenly.
“You don't have to say if you don't want to. It's what Head Manager Jo Seom said. Life-or-death situation. It didn't seem like it was just because of the caravan.”
“Ah…… that is.”
Sedong gave a bitter smile as if it was very awkward to speak.
It was an expression he had never seen on the boy before.
“Do you remember what the Tanghulu uncle said before? About the Awl Selection Period.”
“Aah. I think I’ve heard of it.”
“I have an older brother. His name is Yi Hae-dong. He’s three years older than me. We’re half-brothers.”
Yi Hae-dong was born to the legal wife.
Sedong was the son of a concubine.
Well, it was a relationship that could often be seen in powerful families.
“In a few months, my brother and I will enter the family tradition, the Awl Selection Period. For the next year, we will manage the capital given by our father, and the person who makes more profit will be chosen.”
“A kind of competition. What do you get if you win there?”
“You get the qualification of the Young Family Head.”
“……So you basically get everything.”
This time, Biyoung gave a bitter smile.
The Awl Selection Period turned out to be a means of determining the legitimate heir of the Yi Family Clan.
Once one became the Young Family Head, they would become the next master of the Yi Family Clan unless there was a special variable.
“The Family Head of the Yi Family Clan. That's an amazing position. We won't be able to talk so comfortably like this later, will we?”
“D-don’t tease me. And there’s no possibility of that happening.”
“No possibility? Why?”
Of course, the eldest son might be more reliable, but the fact that a stage for competition was provided had great meaning in itself.
From his past life's experience, there were more families that passed down the position to the eldest son, skipping the competition altogether.
“I have no talent for business. Everything I start fails. I've caused losses to the family with my rash judgments more than once or twice.”
“Huuuumm. Really?”
“This caravan schedule was also carried out under my lead. If you hadn't helped, the caravan would have been attacked by bandits and suffered a great loss. My brother Hae-dong makes a lot of money with everything he touches, but I, far from earning, am only causing damage to the family. The Awl Selection Period is just a formal procedure, my brother Hae-dong will become the Young Family Head.”
Listening to Sedong's words, I could roughly understand the situation.
The expression ‘life-or-death situation’ was referring to the possibility of becoming the Young Family Head.
“Well, I understand the situation is pessimistic. But your family is amazing too.”
“Huh? What is?”
“You mean you set up a caravan by blindly trusting the opinions of your young sons who are not even twenty yet? The scale was quite large when I saw it then.”
“Ah…….”
Sedong said, blushing with embarrassment.
“My father said so. That's the price we have to pay to determine the legitimate heir of the Yi family.”
“Heo…….”
He's more grandiose than I thought.
Judging by the scale, the loss of one caravan would be similar to the annual sales of several shops.
To write off that much loss for determining the abilities of his children.
And the Awl Selection Period hasn't even started yet.
Hidden behind the nickname Master of Intrigue, Yi Gwon-su also seemed to be a man of extraordinary boldness.
At this point, Biyoung also began to take an interest in the person named Yi Gwon-su.
And, there was something else he wanted to check separately.
“What happens to the son who fails to become the Young Family Head?”
“He is completely excluded from the family's affairs. He lives as a complete outsider.”
“For a single test, the light and shadow are quite stark.”
“It can't be helped. That's my father's will. He often says that one saboteur is more terrifying than ten competent people.”
I bet he does.
Just from what I've heard so far, I think I can get a feel for what he's like.
“Alright. When is the date?”
“Tomorrow, lunch. Is that okay?”
“Alright. I'll come down in time. But you…….”
“?”
Although he was smiling, Biyoung had a face like a little demon.
“How much do you trust your family?”