Chapter 32 Conviction (2)
Namgung Hyun's body stiffened. Everyone else in the room felt the same way.
Namgung Hyun's reputation was completely ruined just by admitting he was wrong. He wouldn't be able to show his face around here for a while.
But if Yeon Ho-jeong didn't accept the apology, things were going to get really ugly. Now, it was about pride, much more than just saving face.
Yeon Ho-jeong smirked.
His smile was almost blindingly bright.
"As you all know, I'm a big fan of martial arts."
Where did that come from?
"Owning up to your mistake is admirable, but this ending is kinda lame, don't you think?"
Myeong Ho-rim looked uncertain.
"...You're not actually going to fight Namgung, are you?"
You could hear a pin drop, and then someone gulped.
Everyone here had seen Yeon Ho-jeong's skills firsthand.
He wasn't just some promising rookie; he was good enough to make a name for himself in the Jianghu right now.
If he pointed that spear at Namgung Hyun, Namgung Hyun was going to get seriously hurt. And what would happen then?
It would be all-out war. The Namgung family wouldn't let this slide.
Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.
"That match with Chu Seong was a showdown between two martial artists with their pride on the line. But since Young Master Namgung apologized, I don't want to make things worse."
"Then?"
Yeon Ho-jeong looked around.
"We all know this 'gathering of promising juniors' is really more of a get-together, right?"
"That is true, but…"
"Sharing a drink and being friendly is all good, but nothing beats trading blows to really get to know someone."
"……!"
"Everything gets better with a little back-and-forth and some self-reflection. Martial arts are no different. If we're serious about being friends, let's do it like martial artists!"
Whoosh!
Yeon Ho-jeong casually threw his spear.
And, surprise, surprise, he aimed it at Yeon Ji-pyeong.
Thwack!
Yeon Ji-pyeong caught that fast-flying spear effortlessly.
Everyone was seriously impressed.
Yeon Ji-pyeong was the youngest in this gathering. And yet, he caught that fast-flying spear like it was nothing.
Yeon Ho-jeong came down from the training grounds.
"Pang, my friend."
"Huh? Uh? Ah? Me? Are you talking to me?"
"My little brother's got the best talent in the whole family. But he's still a novice. How about showing him the ropes?"
"Eeeing?!"
Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Yeon Ji-pyeong.
Yeon Ji-pyeong was also bewildered. But seeing his brother's eyes, Yeon Ji-pyeong smiled faintly.
'Bro's a sly dog.'
'Might as well make the best of it. Learn everything you can.'
Yeon Ji-pyeong bowed to Pang Dae-ho.
"I'm Yeon Ji-pyeong, from the Byeoksan Yeon family. Mind giving me a few pointers, Brother Pang?"
Pang Dae-ho, who'd been staring at Yeon Ho-jeong and Yeon Ji-pyeong like he'd seen a ghost, suddenly roared with laughter.
"Wahahaha! I give up! Are all you Yeon family guys this crazy?"
"I'm the black sheep. If my old man hears about this, he'll have my hide."
"Hahaha! Awesome! I was itching for a fight thanks to you, Brother Yeon!"
"Please go easy on me."
"Go easy? After seeing what you can do, little bro, I'm the one who'll get wrecked if I go easy!"
Pang Dae-ho turned around and shouted.
"Hey! Man-ho!"
"Why are you calling me?"
"Don't just stand there with your jaw on the floor, get over here and learn something from Brother Yeon!"
"...Did you see what he can do? I'm going to get my ass kicked."
"Quit your whining, it's all part of learning!"
"Ahem!"
Pang Man-ho swaggered towards Yeon Ho-jeong.
"Please go easy on me?"
"Gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet."
"Ah, damn it."
Yeon Ho-jeong looked around with a puzzled expression. People were blinking, confused.
Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled and dragged Pang Man-ho to a corner of the training grounds.
That was the end of it.
His turning his back like that, without another word, totally fired up the other young masters.
He didn't say, 'Rest if you want, I don't care,' but his look said it all. It was like he was saying, 'You call yourselves martial artists?'
Their blood was pumping. It wasn't anger; it was pure competitive fire.
At that moment, Myeong Ho-rim spoke.
"You know what, Young Master Yeon's got a point."
His voice cut through the awkwardness like a knife.
"Hanging out is cool, but we're martial artists, right? We risk our lives for this. And chances like this don't come around often."
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes, as he walked away, flashed like steel.
Whether he knew it or not, Myeong Ho-rim continued in a cheerful tone.
"Alright, who wants a taste of the Myeong family's skills?"
Then, Moyong Yeon-hwa stepped forward.
"I've always wanted to see what the Myeong family's got. Can I get a demonstration?"
"My pleasure."
The atmosphere heated up.
Starting with the Yeon brothers and the Pang brothers, and then Myeong Ho-rim and Moyong Yeon-hwa stepping up, the other promising juniors began to take notice.
They were already pumped up after watching Yeon Ho-jeong and Chu Seong go at it. It would be a crime to just sit around now.
"Ahem! Well, this is a bit unexpected, but…"
"What else can we do? Everyone's up for it. Besides, I was getting antsy. Too much downtime these past few days."
"Tell me about it. I never got this much rest back at the family compound."
"Miss Jegal! Let's spar!"
"Ahem, Miss Jegal should be with me…"
"Kid from the Moyong family. Wanna learn a few tricks from your big sister here?"
"I'm not a kid, you know! But are you any good, Sister?"
The quiet outer courtyard was slowly coming back to life.
It was awkward at first, but that was only for a moment. Even those who were shy about stepping forward stopped thinking about reasons once the stage was set and the atmosphere heated up.
Soon, the entire outer garden became a training ground for the promising juniors.
Those who had found partners exchanged blows seriously, and those without partners practiced internal energy through breathing exercises. Then, when they felt they had learned to some extent, they switched partners and engaged in sparring.
It was like someone lit a fuse, and suddenly the whole place exploded with shouts and the whoosh of air being cut.
Ga Deuk-sang gave Yeon Ho-jeong a weird look.
Yeon Ho-jeong was sparring with Pang Man-ho in a corner of the training grounds. The way he looked and moved, it seemed like he was really going all out.
"He's really an unpredictable person."
The promising juniors, as well as the escort warriors, seemed to have forgotten what had happened a moment ago. They no longer cared about the deadly serious match.
'Looks like he's got something up his sleeve…'
Ga Deuk-sang scratched his head.
'Damn! He's playing everyone like a fiddle!'
The guy was a master. Not just at fighting, but at talking and getting people to do what he wanted.
But it wasn't a bad thing. He wasn't forcing anyone; he was just nudging them in the right direction.
"Greetings."
"Eeing?"
Ga Deuk-sang looked to his side.
Jegal Jun was there.
"I am Jegal Jun from the Jegal family."
"Ah! I know, I know."
"Senior Huga, your skills are incredible. Any chance I could get a lesson?"
Ga Deuk-sang burst into laughter without realizing it.
It wasn't for any other reason. Surprisingly, at Jegal Jun's suggestion, he himself was also itching for a fight. In the end, he too had been swept up in this atmosphere.
Ga Deuk-sang, like the rogue he was, admitted it.
"Hell yeah! Let's do this!"
"Thank you!"
It was a place where everyone was going all-out, testing their skills.
Namgung Hyun was not in that place.
Bang!
Namgung Hyun stormed back to his room and punched a hole clean through the wall.
"Huff, huff!"
His face was beet red, and he looked like he was about to explode.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
He was completely losing it. Namgung Hyun started pounding on the wall.
"Uaaaah!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He was so pissed he couldn't even focus his energy. His fists were bloody in seconds.
'This is the worst humiliation ever.'
He'd never been this humiliated in his twenty-something years.
Everyone always said he was the future of the Namgung family, with his cool head and incredible talent. Even though his older brother was the heir, he'd never thought he was less talented.
His old man wouldn't have given him this job if he didn't trust him completely.
But what the hell was this? Instead of putting Yeon Ho-jeong in his place, he'd been humiliated in front of the whole damn crowd.
This was no ordinary matter. He'd tried to clean up Namgung Sang-hwa's mess, but he'd ended up looking like a petty jerk himself.
Sure, everyone was caught up in the training now, but once it was over, the whole world would know what happened.
Namgung Hyun's face turned even redder. The thought of everyone gossiping about him made his head want to explode.
"That son of a bitch…!"
He was so angry that even Namgung Sang-hwa was displeasing to him.
"That idiot! I sent him to stop trouble, and he makes it ten times worse? What a moron!"
If it wasn't for Namgung Sang-hwa, he wouldn't be in this mess.
Yeon Ho-jeong hadn't brought up his brother for nothing. The guy was basically blackmailing him with Namgung Sang-hwa's screw-ups.
'Crazy bastard!'
Yeon Ho-jeong was nuts. Bringing that up in front of everyone would screw over the Yeon family too. The Namgung family would never let this go.
But the look in that guy's eyes was real. It was like he was ready to take everyone down with him.
So he'd stepped up, and it had blown up in his face.
"I'll kill him. I'll definitely kill him!"
It was a voice filled with murderous intent.
The guy who'd handed him the worst humiliation of his life. Namgung Hyun wanted Yeon Ho-jeong dead.
'Why does Ah-yeon like a guy like that?'
Thinking about that bastard, Jegal Ah-yeon came to mind.
'……!!'
Namgung Hyun had seen it clear as day. The disappointment in Jegal Ah-yeon's eyes.
Jegal Ah-yeon had no right to look at him like that. Pity would have been one thing, but that look was unacceptable.
"I'll chew him up and spit him out…!"
He was pissed at everything. This whole situation, Yeon Ho-jeong, and even Jegal Ah-yeon – he hated it all right now.
After breathing heavily for a while, Namgung Hyun shouted.
"Jin-gok!"
A moment later, a swordsman walked in. He was the head honcho of the guards who'd come with Chu Seong.
"Did you call for me?"
"……."
"Second Young Master?"
Namgung Hyun raised his head.
Jin-gok saw the look in his eyes and recoiled.
"Where's that Tang family punk getting patched up?"
"I learned a lot!"
"I learned a lot too. The Pang family's sword skills are no joke. They really deserve to be called the top dogs of Hebei."
"Hahaha! I've barely scratched the surface. We gotta do this again!"
"You bet. But… are you okay?"
"I'm built like a brick shithouse!"
"That bruise on your shoulder… did you get whacked with an iron rod?"
"...Gotta run!"
Pang Dae-ho took off like a bat out of hell to find someone else.
Myeong Ho-rim took a deep breath.
'Tiring.'
Going up against all those different styles after so long made his shoulders ache.
'I think I've sparred with just about everyone?'
It was then.
"I've been waiting for you."
Myeong Ho-rim turned his head.
Yeon Ho-jeong stood there, iron rod resting on his shoulder, his face like stone.
"You are the last one."
