When the banquet was in full swing, I welcomed the guests from the Zhuge Clan.
To my surprise, the Grand Elder himself had come, along with his granddaughter, Zhuge Yu-ah.
“Thank you for coming.”
“Congratulations.”
“I didn’t expect you to come in person.”
“Of course I did. You’re the great benefactor who saved me and my clan.”
“That’s right.”
Zhuge Yu-ah, whom I met again, was nothing like the naive girl from before.
Now, she looked every bit the daughter of a prestigious household.
“Please enjoy the banquet.”
As the Grand Elder and Zhuge Yu-ah entered, attention immediately focused on them.
It was only natural, given that the power and fame of the Zhuge Clan in Hubei rivaled that of the Emperor himself.
But… why does Zhuge Yu-ah keep sneaking glances at me?
Actually… it’s not just her. Other young ladies were also sneaking glances at me and blushing when I met their eyes.
That’s when Jeong-ho walked over.
“Looks exhausting.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Looking around, I asked him,
“By the way, did you give the gift you bought in Beijing to Lady Jin?”
Jeong-ho had feelings for Jin So-mi, the eldest daughter of the Jin Martial Family.
When I caught on to it, while we were in Beijing, he bought her a gift.
It was a red hairpin made of ivory.
Small in size, but the craftsmanship was exquisite. A choice that perfectly fit someone as detail-oriented as Jeong-ho.
At my question, Jeong-ho blushed.
“Ah, not yet…”
“Lady Jin’s here today too, isn’t she? You still haven’t given it to her?”
“Well…”
Ha! Look at this guy!
“Brother, what if someone else gets to her first? Are you planning to sit around drinking later, saying ‘Why didn’t I give her the gift back then?’ and then make yourself miserable and annoy me for the rest of your life?”
“N-no way…”
No way? Please.
“Look, if you’re going to get married, isn’t it better to marry someone you actually like?”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
“Then go give her the gift already. And tell her how you feel.”
“Y-yeah… maybe I should. Hahaha.”
Scratching his head, Jeong-ho headed toward the pavilion.
The way he slipped his hand into his robe… yeah, he definitely brought the gift for her.
Just then, I spotted someone familiar in the distance.
It was Master.
I immediately rushed over.
“You’re here.”
Master had asked me not to let others know about our master-disciple relationship.
So I simply bowed my head lightly.
“I was planning to come earlier, but something came up on the way.”
“Not at all. Thank you for coming.”
I pointed toward the lower banquet hall.
“Madam and the children are sitting in the third seat of the fifth row.”
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“Please enjoy the banquet.”
Master headed toward where his family was seated.
But… just then, something brushed past my nose.
Huh? That’s the smell of blood.
I looked at Master but didn’t say anything.
It’s not like I could just walk up and say, “Master, you smell like blood.”
But why does he smell like blood?
Judging by his expression, it didn’t seem like anything serious happened.
I wondered for a moment, but I had guests to greet, so I let it go for now.
While exchanging greetings, the Zhuge Clan’s Grand Elder approached me.
“Are you enjoying the banquet?”
“Thanks to you, very much. By the way… where’s Yu?”
Yu referred to Chief Administrator Yu So-ak, with whom the Grand Elder had formed sworn brotherhood last time.
“Chief Administrator is in the lower banquet hall.”
“Why not here?”
“He said he feels more comfortable there. Plus, he has the child he’s mentoring with him.”
“Ah, I see. Then I should go meet him myself.”
Huh?
You’re going yourself?
The people there are going to be super uncomfortable…
Wouldn’t it be better if I prepared a private table for him at my residence instead?
Thinking that, I quickly followed after him.
Soon, we arrived at the place where Chief Administrator Yu was sitting. Surprisingly, Master was there too, having a meal with him.
“There you are!”
“Oh, Grand Elder!”
Upon seeing him, Chief Administrator Yu immediately stood up and bowed. But the Grand Elder clicked his tongue and shook his head in disapproval.
“Tsk. Have you forgotten that we agreed to be sworn brothers?”
“No! Of course not!”
“Then say it. Call me ‘Brother.’”
“Yes… Brother.”
“Good! Hahaha!”
Chief Administrator Yu then turned to Seok Il-song.
“This is my sworn brother. Greet him.”
“I’m Seok Il-song, currently studying under Chief Administrator.”
“Good, good. You look like a very bright young man.”
The Grand Elder then looked at Master, who was sitting across from Yu So-ak, and tilted his head.
“And you are?”
“I’m Gwak Myeong-hyeon, Escort Chief of the Changin Escort Bureau. It’s an honor to meet the great Grand Elder of the Zhuge Clan.”
Master respectfully cupped his fists in greeting.
Following him, Gwak Hyeong-jin and Gwak Jun-ha also bowed.
“Escort Chief, you say?”
“Yes, sir.”
The atmosphere suddenly felt tense. I quickly stepped closer and quietly added,
“He’s my swordsmanship master.”
“I see. Now I understand why the Deputy Merchant Lord’s skills are so impressive for his age.”
Master shook his head and replied,
“It’s only because the Deputy Merchant Lord’s talent is extraordinary. I’ve done nothing.”
“Let’s skip the false modesty. You can’t fool my eyes.”
“…”
Sensing the shift in mood, I smiled and stepped in.
“Why don’t we move to my residence? I just got a new one, and I’d love to show it off.”
At that, the Grand Elder chuckled a bit awkwardly.
“Oh dear, I guess we’ve been making everyone here uncomfortable.”
I just smiled.
It was a yes.
“Allow me to guide you.”
I asked Palgap to escort Chief Administrator Yu and the Grand Elder.
As for Master, he seemed uncomfortable staying with them, so I planned to guide him separately.
But then Chief Administrator said,
“Escort Chief Gwak should come with us. There’s something I want to discuss.”
The Grand Elder also nodded.
“Let’s do that.”
So Master’s family ended up heading to my residence as well.
What does Chief Administrator want to talk to Master about?
As they followed Palgap, I noticed that Gwak Hyeong-jin and Seok Il-song were walking side by side, chatting like old friends.
Well, they’re the same age, so I guess they hit it off quickly.
That’s when—
“Young Master Seo-ho! There’s trouble!”
It was Jeong-ho’s attendant, rushing over in a panic.
“What’s wrong?”
“Something happened at the pavilion!”
“What?”
Just when I finished handling one thing… now it’s the pavilion causing problems.
Rushing toward the pavilion, I found Jeong-ho fuming with rage while, opposite him, stood a young man drenched head to toe.
Seeing that guy, I sighed inwardly.
‘Ugh… that damn scumbag…’
I remembered him vividly from my past life.
His name was Wi Seung-jeo.
The son of the Head of the Wi Martial Family. And an absolute degenerate.
He spent his days getting drunk and causing trouble in marketplaces—specifically, not in the upscale South Market but in the East Market where common folk shopped.
That alone told you what kind of coward he was—weak against the strong and cruel toward the weak.
His father, the Head of the Wi Martial Family, was a tiger.
But the son… was a mutt.
They say “no dogs under a tiger’s roof,” but the Wi family was living proof that the saying didn’t always hold true.
His father had a strong reputation, and his disciples were quite accomplished. Thanks to that, Seung-jeo could get away with his nonsense for years.
But then, his father fell ill.
Driven to sickness by the constant stress over his rotten son, drowning his anger in alcohol until it ate away at him.
When his father passed, Seung-jeo inherited the position as the sole heir… and that’s when the real disaster began.
He proposed marriage to Jin So-mi, the lady Jeong-ho had feelings for.
Obviously, Jin So-mi didn’t like him one bit. Her family rejected the marriage outright.
Enraged, Seung-jeo started retaliating.
He pressured the Jin Martial Family financially and unleashed a bunch of third-rate unorthodox thugs to harass them.
In the end, the Jin Martial Family was forced to close its doors.
The merchants near them suffered too, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. No one wanted trouble, so they distanced themselves.
And when the Jin family couldn’t repay the loan they took from the Eunhae Merchant Group, they disappeared in the middle of the night.
It was five years later when they resurfaced.
To survive, they became wanderers.
Despite being a woman in Murim, Jin So-mi gathered people and formed a band of wandering martial artists.
It must’ve been hell for her.
When they finally got strong enough to resist Wi Seung-jeo’s oppression, they returned.
And one of the first things they did was repay the debt they owed to the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Even though she became the leader of a wandering band, being a female warrior… the hardships must’ve been unimaginable.
By then, Jin So-mi still hadn’t married. Neither had Jeong-ho.
Whenever Jeong-ho drank, he would rant endlessly about both the death of his sworn brother Jeon Wu-jin and what happened to Lady Jin.
He’d beat himself up over how the only thing he could do to help her was lend her money, afraid that anything more would become a burden to her.
“If only I’d just stood in front of everyone and said, ‘She’s my woman, touch her and you’re dead’… things would’ve been different.” He’d say that every time.
In truth, the money he lent the Jin Martial Family was no small sum.
It was far beyond what they offered as collateral.
He pulled every string he had as a Deputy Merchant Lord to make it happen.
Listening to his drunken rambling back then… was rough.
“What happened here?”
“Oh, Deputy Merchant Lord Seo-ho!”
One of the people trying to hold Jeong-ho back spoke up.
It was Han Baek-geon of the Hongnang Merchant Group.
“Well… honestly, I don’t know the details. All we saw was Master Jeong-ho shoving Young Master Wi Seung-jeo into the pond. And now, we’re trying to stop him from throwing punches.”
I sighed and stepped forward.
“Brother, what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry… but I couldn’t hold back. That bastard harassed Lady Jin So-mi!”
“What?”
I turned my gaze to Wi Seung-jeo.
He scoffed at me and spoke in that same arrogant tone.
“Harassed? Harsh words. I simply asked after her father’s health, that’s all.”
Liar.
I could tell immediately he was lying.
No way would Lady Jin look that upset if that was all he said.
“What a load of nonsense!”
“Oh? Then what exactly did I say?”
“That’s…”
Jeong-ho couldn’t answer.
I knew why.
He couldn’t bring himself to repeat it.
If he said it aloud, it would only hurt Lady Jin even more.
The same went for Lady Jin herself.
“At this rate, there’s no way to tell who’s telling the truth.”
I said.
Wi Seung-jeo grinned.
“Then the solution’s simple. Let’s settle it with a duel. That’s how we do things on our side.”
Exactly what I expected.
Despite being scum, Wi Seung-jeo had decent swordsmanship.
That’s why he was so confident.
Jeong-ho answered without hesitation.
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
His tone carried a weight of determination.
Ah… Brother…
No.
You’re going to get beaten.
Even if you’ve learned martial arts from External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong, what you’ve learned is defensive—self-defense. Not true martial cultivation.
Well, except for me. I’m the exception.
I knew both their skill levels.
I could already see how this would end.
Just like that, the duel was set.
Wi Seung-jeo stood in the center, grinning arrogantly at Jeong-ho.
If I stopped it, it’d cause problems. If I didn’t stop it, it’d cause problems.
That’s when I noticed Lady Jin So-mi watching with a nervous expression.
Ah.
A brilliant idea came to me.
I walked over to her and lowered my voice.
“You’re worried about my brother, aren’t you?”
“I… I feel so ashamed for causing all this trouble.”
“Don’t say that. That bastard over there is the one at fault. Neither you nor my brother has done anything wrong.”
“Thank you… your words alone mean a lot.”
“The truth is… my brother’s in love with you.”
“…What?”
“He even went to Beijing and bought you a hairpin. He’s been too shy to give it to you.”
“Ah…”
Her cheeks turned bright red.
“As you probably guessed… if the duel starts, my brother’s going to get beaten. Badly.”
“I… I figured.”
“But here’s the thing. You’re the one who was insulted. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
“So don’t you think it’s best if you’re the one to wash away that humiliation? Not by borrowing someone else’s hands, but with your own. Don’t you think so, Lady Jin?”
–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