Chapter 21: Chapter 21
What he wanted was simple.
“An earnest apology. From the Sa brothers, or whoever’s behind them. From someone, that much is due. Let’s start there.”
“What?”
Mao, who’d been listening in silence, gaped in astonishment. What kind of nonsense was this? Demand something from the Sa brothers?
“Are you insane? Why go that far? We’re already this far!”
Mao hissed in disbelief. Jang I-seo snorted.
“Why? You don’t want to receive one?”
“It’s not about wanting one. Why do you keep escalating?”
“Escalating?”
“Yeah. You think those people will actually apologize?”
What was so hard about an apology? A single word. Yet the longer someone sat in power, the harder it seemed to be. And the funniest part was that victims like Mao would understand and let it slide.
Jang I-seo fixed him with the stern eyes of an older brother scolding a wayward sibling.
“Seventh Young Master. Remember this clearly. There’s no more ‘good enough.’ Once a fight starts, you see it through until someone bows or dies. Otherwise, they’ll keep crawling back up. Understood?”
“Well… I do think that, but…”
The Sa brothers were ranked within the cult’s top one hundred. Do you even know that? Are you saying this knowing full well? Mao swallowed the rest, eyes trembling.
But Jang I-seo, feigning indifference, clasped his hands in salute toward Ji Dae-ho.
“That will be all. I trust you’ll handle matters well, Hall Master.”
Ji Dae-ho let out a hearty laugh and returned the salute.
‘An interesting one just moved into the Seventh Small Palace. Cheonsan’s about to get very noisy.’
Honestly, watching the two of them, he’d initially felt a flicker of contempt. More precisely, anger on behalf of the Seventh Young Master.
The man was right. An apology might not be extracted. No. It wouldn’t be.
But a master shouldn’t rebuke a subordinate for speaking the truth. That was the behavior of small men with vessel the size of a thimble.
Meanwhile, Jang I-seo was…
Ji Dae-ho’s eyes shifted again, cat-with-a-new-toy. Jang I-seo felt a chill down his spine for reasons he couldn’t place, but dismissed it as nothing.
Fweeeeet.
Ji Dae-ho cupped his hands and whistled. Shhh. The bamboo rustled. His subordinates flooded in and lined up in perfect formation.
“The Seventh Young Master and Adjutant Jang. Show proper respect!”
Clack! The moment he finished, every Guardian Dragon Hall warrior prostrated, placing a clenched fist over their chest.
Definitely a man who settled accounts cleanly.
Ji Dae-ho gave a short nod and addressed the Seventh Young Master with formal courtesy.
“I’ll report back once the investigation concludes.”
“Yeah. Whatever.”
“Clean them out.”
Yes, sir! The subordinates hoisted the corpses onto their backs and followed Ji Dae-ho into the forest path. Before disappearing from view, he glanced back at Jang I-seo one last time.
Like a promise that they’d meet again soon.
And so, the long and grueling Slaughterhouse ambush incident came to an end.
Left behind, Jang I-seo and Mao surveyed the overgrown Seventh Small Palace amid an awkward silence.
“What now?”
Mao asked. Jang I-seo nodded lazily.
“We fill in what’s missing. One piece at a time.”
So much was lacking. But someday, everything would be transformed enough to stand proudly as Young Cult Leader.
“It’s just the two of us for now, but eventually…”
The moment Jang I-seo was about to voice his grand vision.
“Seventh Young Master! Adjutant! Are you safe!”
Yong-tae and Mae-gi came crashing through the bamboo forest, faces wild with worry. Seeing them, Jang I-seo burst out laughing and finished his thought.
“Guess we’ll fill up faster than I thought.”
Mao and Jang I-seo smiled at each other.
Definitely sleeping well tonight.
It had been an exhausting day.
*
Several days passed since the Slaughterhouse attacked Wolha Village.
The villagers calmed their racing hearts and returned to everyday life as if nothing had happened, clearing away the debris.
During that time, Chiseonru prepared a modest feast in the Seventh Young Master’s name to soothe the community. Jang I-seo fully settled into the Seventh Small Palace as adjutant.
FWAAASH!
“Argh! My eyes! What, what?! Can’t you see I’m sleeping?! Why open the window?!”
“It’s morning.”
“Ah, crazy! Get out! You’re fired!”
Naturally, they still had plenty to work out between them.
Still, becoming the Seventh Young Master’s confidant was a success. That alone was tremendous progress.
Jang I-seo organized the report he’d send to the Hidden Pavilion in his mind and stepped outside. But the moment he slid the door open, Mao was standing in the narrow corridor, leaning against the wall with sunken eyes, glaring.
“What.”
“Tell me honestly. Why did you come here?”
“I believe I told you.”
“Young Cult Leader? What a joke. You’re the one who throws open windows and ruins my sleep every morning, and you’re talking about Young Cult Leader. You just came to leech off a salary.”
“I prefer eating a lot over eating for free. Who’d settle for a rat’s-tail paycheck?”
Mao didn’t know, but the amounts Jang I-seo earned defied imagination. Empty hands going in, golden carriage coming out. The salary was pocket change.
Jang I-seo snorted and walked past him. Mao bristled, darted ahead, and blocked his path, jabbing a finger.
“Ah, now I get it. You came to pull a big scam using my name, right? That’s it. Busted, you bastard.”
“Are you stupid? Use the Seventh Young Master’s name in Wolha Village and you come at me with a blade demanding money. You extort even from thugs.”
“Exactly! So I have to do something!”
“About what?”
Dumbfounded, Jang I-seo asked. Mao dropped his gaze, twisted his body like a pretzel, and grinned.
“Like… making a genius like me, Mao, the greatest under heaven.”
Was he insane? Jang I-seo eyed him up and down with disgust and turned to leave. Mao chased after him again.
“Or like last time. You handle everything and make them all kneel beneath me. You’re strong, right?”
Hah. Was this bastard serious?
Jang I-seo scratched his forehead. He must think Young Cult Leader was some kind of thug boss. The sight of him licking his lips in excitement suggested he’d had quite a few delusional dreams lately.
Naturally, making Mao stronger and bringing the Five Dragon Halls and Elder Council to their knees were all things that needed doing.
But first, he needed to understand something.
“Why does the Seventh Young Master think he caught the Cult Leader’s eye?”
“Let’s see. For one thing, I look strong. Manly, good build. That must’ve stood out. Or maybe he recognized it at a glance. That I’m the type who gets things done when it counts.”
“Hah, you bastard…”
“What?!”
“Listen carefully. The reason the Seventh Young Master caught the Cult Leader’s eye wasn’t your looks, your dantian, or your temperament. Just one thing. You were born right.”
At Jang I-seo’s words, Mao peeled himself off the wall and crossed his arms. He tilted his head.
“That’s the same thing. Born well, born talented. That’s me.”
“Different.”
“How is it different?”
“Not born well and talented. Just born well. Simply put, you’re Ma family blood. That’s the reason.”
Mao’s gaze sharpened. His pride was stung.
“That’s ridiculous. No one’s ever said that. And if that were the case, it should’ve been Ma I-sin, not a bastard like me.”
“That’s politics.”
Thump. Mao’s eyes wavered at Jang I-seo’s words.
He’d never heard this before.
That he’d become Seventh Young Master for political reasons. Even the registry he’d obtained from Jegal Bookshop stated it was because of his dantian.
But Jang I-seo saw it differently.
‘That’s part of it, sure. But not the real reason. The truth is the balance of power. The Cult Leader used adoption to equalize factions.’
That was it. That was the real reason as he saw it.
“The Cult Leader rose to the seat of Heavenly Demon through earth-shattering martial arts, with no backing whatsoever. And he’s a very shrewd man. So he took children from each of the three great families as adopted sons. To ensure everyone’s ambition centered not on his own seat, but on the hollow title of Young Cult Leader.”
“What?!”
“Of course, his intention to pass down the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to whoever becomes Young Cult Leader is probably genuine. Someone must succeed him. But the process will be brutal. People may die. He likely has no affection for his children to begin with.”
Mao furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought.
He must be confused. In the Demonic Cult, the Cult Leader was a godlike figure. Learning that his adoptive father had chosen him because of the very family that despised him could only be distressing.
‘But Jin U-gwang’s very ruthlessness will become an opportunity for the Murim. Mao will grow attached not to the Demonic Cult, but to the Murim.’
A faint smile settled on Jang I-seo’s lips.
“So in the end…”
Mao, having finished his deliberation, spoke.
“He chose me as the Ma family’s representative.”
No, fuck?!
“Fine. I’ll accept that cruel fight. So, what do I start with? Run up the mountain? Wear sandbags? That’s how they train, right?”
Ah, this bastard. What to do with him.
Jang I-seo worked his jaw, then reluctantly nodded.
“…Yes. Do that. Go ahead.”
“Hahaha! I’m the greatest under heaven!”
Pitter-patter! Off he ran. A cloud of dust billowed in his wake. Jang I-seo watched blankly, then muttered.
“Can he do it?”
He’d have to. What choice was there?
Still, the fool had undeniably been born with the right constitution. Even now, sprinting without any energy circulation, his stride was remarkable, almost like a movement technique.
This was because his meridians, through which his qi naturally flowed, were as wide open as highways. The slightest effort sent energy circulating through his entire body in an instant.
Others spent their lives from birth consuming spirit medicines and struggling to clear the turbid qi clogging those very pathways. But the blessed were simply blessed.
“He might really be the Ma family’s representative.”
Jang I-seo stepped onto the porch at the end of the corridor, dusted off his shoes, and descended outside. He looked back and spoke.
“He wants to change, so I’ll change him. But first, this house.”
Crumbling roof tiles. Creaking wooden floors. A front gate that had vanished entirely. At this point, calling it an abandoned palace was generous.
“If we’re changing things, let’s do it right.”
Grin. Who knew what he was thinking. A cruel smile settled on Jang I-seo’s lips.
Shhh. Shhh.
He turned toward the rustling bamboo forest. A beautiful woman appeared, draped in an outer robe over her head like a celestial maiden.
Jang I-seo waved broadly in greeting.
She shyly raised her hand in return.
Murong Ran.
No. Chwi Hong-ran, proprietress of Chiseonru.
Looked like the feast preparations were finished.
Jang I-seo set off.