When I suddenly imagined how the Yeongseon Min Family had been treated without me accompanying them, my mood soured fast.
But I didn’t show it. I simply asked in an even tone,
“What makes you think the Yeongseon Min Family is somehow beneath your family?”
“Isn’t it common knowledge that the Yeongseon Min Family’s young clan lord ran away during the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering finals?”
What Hae Jun said was true.
My uncle had made it into the top hundred and eight, but he’d given up on fighting any further.
Because he’d been disgusted by how rotten the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering had become.
Still, that remark had just insulted not only the Yeongseon Min Family, but my uncle as well.
The people who’d come with young master Hae were so startled that they immediately tried to stop him.
Then they apologized to us in his place.
“We’re sorry.”
“We truly apologize.”
I clicked my tongue.
What good was an apology from people who hadn’t actually done anything wrong?
“That’s in the past. It’s a shame you’re so hung up on old stories that you can’t see what’s right in front of you.”
“What did you say?”
“As things stand now, the Yeongseon Min Family is lacking nothing compared to yours. So would you stop making baseless claims like that? And while you’re at it, apologize for what you just said.”
“Why should I apologize? One apologizes when one has done something wrong.”
I let out a sigh and addressed the people around us.
“So we’ve come to a disagreement. In a situation like this, how is it usually settled?”
That was when someone shouted,
“If they’re martial artists, then they ought to settle it with a match!”
“That’s right!”
“Exactly!”
Honestly, just standing around waiting in a place like this was unbearably dull.
That was why everyone was watching this with obvious interest.
And why they were egging us on.
“Fight! Fight!”
In the blink of an eye, people were even laying down bets, and the whole thing turned into a situation where a match was basically unavoidable.
Just as I’d intended.
I had no intention of drawing my sword here if I could help it.
Still, showing about as much strength as people already believed I had shouldn’t be a problem.
And at times like this, it was better to make an example out of someone, so no one would keep looking down on me or my mother’s family.
There’s a saying for that.
Peace is maintained through overwhelming strength.
It was true that I’d been avoiding drawing attention to myself, but among martial artists, this much wasn’t anything especially remarkable.
And since everyone had heard that brat’s rude mouth already, even if I got a little rough with him, most people would side with me.
“Fine by me. What do you think, young master Hae? You’re not about to mock us for being beneath you and then cowardly back out now, are you?”
In the Orthodox Sect martial world, being a coward was even more humiliating than being weak.
Just as expected, he didn’t back down.
“I–I wanted this too!”
That was when Escort Guard Seo Wu spoke up.
“My lord, let me step in for you.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“My mother’s family was insulted. That means it’s only right that I step forward myself and wash away that insult.”
Then I looked ahead and said,
“So don’t even think about sending someone in your place, either. You insulted my mother’s family with your own mouth, so take responsibility yourself.”
At my words, he frowned and said,
“That was always my intention.”
And just like that, the match began.
“Haaap!”
Watching him rush in and make the first move, I let out a faint snort.
“Ghk!”
His sword couldn’t even brush my clothes.
I lightly dodged his blade, then threw a punch at him.
Tap.
“Urk!”
It had only tapped him, barely more than a touch, but the result was anything but light.
Young master Hae tumbled backward in a thoroughly pathetic heap.
“Huff! Huff! Y–you’re not bad.”
He climbed back to his feet, gathered his Qi again, and charged me once more.
Swoosh.
I evaded his attack and casually hooked my foot out. It was so subtle that no one else noticed.
“Aaaagh!”
Crash!
This time, he pitched forward and rolled across the ground in a humiliating sprawl before scrambling back up, breathing hard.
“Th–that was a mistake.”
“In the martial world, one mistake is all it takes to lose your life.”
“Damn it!”
Then his sword came rushing at me again.
But with skills that were barely second-rate, there was no way he could touch even the hem of my clothes.
After a few more failed attacks, he finally seemed to realize something was wrong and faltered.
“W–wait, no, Great Hero…”
Now I was a Great Hero?
“Could it be… your realm is…”
“Me? I’m Peak.”
“…!”
At my answer, young master Hae’s eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.
Then someone shouted,
“With that face and Peak realm… don’t tell me he’s the Handsome Young Hero?”
“The Handsome Young Hero? Ah, that’s right!”
“How did I not realize it?”
The moment they figured out I was the Handsome Young Hero, young master Hae and the others from his family all went deathly pale.
Then someone else said,
“W–wait, then that means that young lord just insulted the Great Hero known as the Handsome Young Hero and his mother’s family?”
“Good grief… what was he thinking?”
I let out a small laugh and said,
“All right, then. Let’s continue. The match isn’t over yet.”
Whoooom–!
The instant I swung my sword, the ground right beside young master Hae’s feet split open in a furrow nearly a foot deep.
At the sight of that, young master Hae started trembling and stumbled backward.
Seeing him like that, the people from his family urgently cried out,
“Young master, hurry and apologize!”
“You must apologize!”
In the end, he bowed his head to me and said,
“I–I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me.”
“Why are you apologizing to me?”
“Pardon?”
“The one you insulted was the Yeongseon Min Family. Shouldn’t you apologize to them directly? As for me, I intend to send a letter of protest to the Seoryunhae Family.”
“N–no, please!”
He dropped flat to the ground.
“P–please forgive me! If a Great Hero sends a letter of protest to my family, I’ll be thrown out!”
I let out a dry laugh.
So insulting the Yeongseon Min Family wasn’t the kind of thing that would get you cast out of your family, but insulting the Handsome Young Hero, a hero of the martial world, and his mother’s family was?
Hah. I really didn’t like that.
I looked down at young master Hae, who was bowing his head before me.
“Are you planning to apologize with nothing but words?”
“Pardon?”
“A real apology needs the resolve never to commit the same offense again. And resolve comes with pain. Physical pain, mental pain, psychological pain–one way or another.”
I continued,
“Personally, I’d prefer that your apology be accompanied by the psychological pain of genuine regret. But right now, all I see is someone trying to wriggle out of the situation. So show me your sincerity. If you do, I’ll forgive you.”
At that, he asked with a tense expression,
“W–what kind of sincerity are you asking for?”
The Seoryunhae Family actually had a fairly good reputation as a martial family. If I could pull them onto my side, they’d be useful.
If I killed Hae Jun here or crippled him, all I’d earn was resentment.
But revenge didn’t have to take only one form.
Instead of answering, I turned my head.
“Palgap, go get that thing from my baggage.”
By now, he understood me immediately.
“Right away!”
Palgap dashed toward the tent, then soon came running back with a bundle.
“Here it is.”
I took the bundle from him, set it down, and untied it.
Inside were iron wrist weights, leg weights, and a belt.
“From now on, you’ll wear these while you go about your day! And every morning, you’ll run ten laps around the Murim Alliance camp!”
I smiled.
“That’s the condition for my forgiveness. And this should be enough for the Yeongseon Min Family to forgive you as well. What’ll it be?”
“I–I’ll do it!”
“Good. Then you can start today.”
With a look of pure relief, he picked up the bundle.
But the moment he lifted it, his expression changed.
“Th–the weight of this…”
“Oh, all together it’s sixty-six pounds.”
It would’ve been too much for an ordinary person, but young master Hae was still a second-rate martial artist.
Wearing that much wouldn’t kill him.
.
.
.
That night.
I was told someone had come to see me at my tent, so I stepped outside and found a man standing there.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Hae Cheol of the Seoryunhae Family. I’m also the uncle of Jun, the one you punished.”
“I see. So what brings you here?”
“I heard there was an unfortunate incident today. I came to offer my apology for it.”
It seemed young master Hae had come along with his uncle.
Which meant there was no way his uncle hadn’t heard what happened today.
He bowed deeply and apologized.
“I’m truly ashamed.”
“No, please, don’t do this.”
“And so I ask that you let go of your anger and withdraw the harsh punishment you’ve placed on my nephew.”
Ah, so that was the real reason.
With a soft heart like this, maybe that was exactly how young master Hae had turned into such an arrogant brat.
I asked him,
“Punishment… is that really how you see it?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Making him wear sixty-six pounds of iron and run laps around the camp may look like punishment on the surface, but in truth, I was ordering him to train.”
“Training?”
“Does the Seoryunhae Family not do that sort of training?”
“…”
He looked caught off guard.
It was a bit excessive as physical conditioning went, but for someone who walked the martial path, it was absolutely manageable.
That was probably why he looked so flustered now that he’d realized it.
“To be honest, I used to wear those myself when I trained. But it looked like young master Hae needed them more, so I handed them over to him.”
“…”
“Young master Hae has considerable talent. But his arrogance is holding him back from achieving what he should be able to. That’s how it looks to me.”
“Then… are you saying you disguised training as punishment because you believe the boy can still grow here?”
“That’s right.”
“Ah…”
“At the same time, I meant to rein in that arrogant personality of his a little. Otherwise, it won’t just slow his growth–it could bring disgrace to his family.”
I went on,
“Didn’t he insult me and my mother’s family this very time?”
He couldn’t say a word.
Because it was true.
So I drove the point home.
“That’s not good for his family, and it’s not good for him, either. If he gets cast out of the family over something like this, where will he find a shelter willing to protect him until he’s fully grown?”
At my words, Hae Cheol looked deeply moved.
“So that’s why people gave you the title Handsome Young Hero! To show such generosity even to the nephew who insulted you and your mother’s family!”
“It’s nothing more than a senior’s consideration for a junior who still has much to learn.”
With resolute eyes, he said,
“I can’t let that sincerity of yours go to waste. Don’t worry. I’ll keep a close eye on that boy myself so he can’t slack off.”
“I’d be grateful for that.”
Perfect!
Honestly, it would’ve been a pain to keep checking whether young master Hae was really doing it every morning, and I felt bad making my guards do it, so having his uncle volunteer for the role worked out beautifully.
If his uncle was watching him closely, there was no way he’d get away with slacking off.
Heh heh heh.
Trying to run while wearing sixty-six pounds of iron would feel like hell.
They say a gentleman’s revenge comes in one decisive blow, but I’m no gentleman, so my revenge tends to linger.
And there was one thing young master Hae had forgotten–I’d never set an end date.
.
.
.
The next morning.
After finishing my Breathing Meditation and a bit of simple training, I stepped out and ate breakfast.
People were watching young master Hae run around the camp, drenched in sweat.
I could practically hear his teeth grinding all the way over here. Still, that would only last a few days.
Soon he’d be too miserable to spare the thought.
I smirked and headed for the command tent.
“Oh! There you are!”
Elder Gyeong Sanja of the Kongtong Sect greeted me warmly.
“Then let’s head to the meeting place.”
“Understood. But where is the meeting place?”
At my question, he pointed somewhere off in the distance.
“You see that rocky area over there? That’s where the gathering will be held.”
Before long, we headed there together with the others who had assembled here.
Among them was Hae Cheol of the Seoryunhae Family.
Yanzhi Mountain was a mountain, yes, but it actually didn’t have many trees.
There were plenty of low shrubs, though.
Which also meant there wasn’t much water.
That was why people said the journey here had been fairly rough.
By the time we arrived at the meeting place, the Unorthodox Sect group had already gathered.
“What took you so long?”
“We arrived right on time.”
“Isn’t it proper to show up at least thirty minutes before the agreed time?”
“Hearing that from people who’ve never cared about manners a day in their lives is almost refreshing.”
“What was that?”
As the tension between the two sides flared, Elder Gyeong Sanja stepped in to mediate.
“All right, all right, that’s enough. Let’s sit down.”
Just then, another group approached.
That prickling pressure… Demonic Cult members.
And once all three factions had gathered, the negotiation began.
“Blood Staff Star Monk was a man of the Orthodox Sect, so we should hold the initiative here.”
“Shut your mouth! Shaolin Temple cast him out, so what Orthodox Sect are you talking about, damn it!”
“What was that?”
“Let’s be honest–do you have any idea how much damage that bald Blood Staff Star Monk caused our Demonic Cult? If anything, we should go in first as compensation for our losses.”
“Compensation my ass! What’s there to brag about in getting your heads cracked by Blood Staff Star Monk and flattening yourselves on the ground?”
“You wanna take this outside right now?”
“Yeah! Let’s do it!”
Watching them whip out their weapons and start brawling in an instant, I quickly backed far away.
My impression of the scene was simple.
Well, would you look at that. What a complete mess.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt