Chapter 17
‘Sigh… first, calm down.’
Moyong Baek sighed inwardly and calmed his complicated heart.
Then he slowly opened his mouth towards the Tang siblings.
“Young Master Tang and Young Lady Tang, you must have come to Liaoning to participate in the Young Heroes Tournament, right?”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“That is correct.”
“You must have had a hard time coming all this way. There is still time until the hero tournament, so please stay at our family’s residence for the remaining period.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“Thank you, Family Head!”
Tang Il-gi and Tang Hwa-rin politely performed a cupped fist salute.
Moyong Baek spoke to the chief steward.
“Chief Steward Baek.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“Please guide the esteemed guests of the Tang Clan to their rooms and take special care to ensure they have no inconveniences during their stay.”
“I will do so.”
The chief steward was about to guide the Tang siblings.
The Tang siblings were curious about how things would unfold with So-ah and were reluctant to leave, but they had no choice but to follow the chief steward’s guidance and leave the family head’s room.
“Young Master Jin.”
“Yes.”
“You and I need to talk for a moment.”
“Alright.”
Moyong Baek carefully examined So-ah.
For his youthful face, he was a bit on the tall side.
Needless to say, he was handsome, and his noble air gave him the feeling of a young master from a great family.
But.
‘That’s all there is to it?’
Moyong Baek couldn’t understand it at all.
‘The Ten-Second Invincible Arts’!
The letter his father had sent clearly stated that So-ah was the successor who would inherit the Ten-Second Invincible Arts.
What kind of martial art was the Ten-Second Invincible Arts?
It was a brawling art that was said to be like hell to learn, so he hadn’t even passed it down to his own eldest son.
But how could So-ah have learned the Ten-Second Invincible Arts?
‘There are more than one or two questions. I have no choice but to ask them one by one.’
***
“Wh-What?”
“That’s all I have to say…”
A look of bewilderment appeared on Moyong Baek’s face.
“So… you were an orphan who was begging in a village called Sodamgol in Sichuan, and you happened to follow my father and happened to learn the Ten-Second Invincible Arts… is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes…”
So-ah was just as bewildered as So-ah.
It was because Moyong Baek had already repeated the same question five times.
Moreover,
“Hey. Young Master Jin. Is that true? Really?!”
Moyong Baek’s daughter, Moyong Hwa, also kept pestering So-ah.
So-ah was on the verge of getting angry.
“Yes. I’m telling you it’s true. I don’t know how many times I’ve told you.”
‘No. There must be something special about this child that I haven’t figured out yet. Otherwise, my father…’
Moyong Baek thought.
Although his father was a member of the Orthodox Faction, he was eccentric enough to befriend people regardless of whether they were from unorthodox sects or the Demonic Cult, and he hated being bound by formalities in everything, so he sometimes did rather absurd things. But his actions always had their own set of rules and philosophy.
He was certain that there was a good reason why his father had chosen So-ah as the successor to the Ten-Second Invincible Arts.
“Young Master Jin.”
“Yes.”
“My father has instructed me to register you as an external disciple of the Moyong Family.”
“What?!”
“You must have heard of terms like secular disciple, registered disciple, or main mountain disciple. The orthodox sects of the martial world distinguish their disciples that way. Our family also has such a concept. That is the external disciple. Martial families with a foothold in the martial world also accept disciples from the outside. What do you think? Will you become an external disciple of the Moyong Family?”
Moyong Baek’s question.
So-ah had to struggle to control his trembling heart.
‘External disciple’!
Although not related by blood, becoming an official external disciple of the Moyong Family had a special meaning.
‘Am I… becoming a member of the Moyong Family?’
So-ah was an orphan.
Of course, he had been able to grow up without any complexes thanks to his childhood friend Myo-seon and the Living Buddha Grandpa, but a person needs a hill to lean on.
No matter how poor a family is, it’s better to have one than not.
Because sometimes, a sense of belonging can become a sense of security.
In that respect, So-ah was envious of the Tang siblings, who had the Tang Clan as their background, and he also felt envious of Myo-seon, who had become a member of the Emei Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects.
‘I also… want to be someone from somewhere, not just Jin So-ah…’
So-ah made up his mind.
There was no need to hesitate.
“I will.”
“…”
“I will become an external disciple of the Moyong Family.”
A single streak of brilliant light flowed from So-ah’s eyes.
‘A child with good eyes.’
The corners of Moyong Baek’s mouth lifted in a pleased smile.
***
‘But how do I sort out the hierarchy…’
As they say, it’s one mountain after another.
Moyong Baek had no choice but to ponder again.
He had registered So-ah as an external disciple, but he was at a loss as to how to sort out the hierarchy.
The reason was,
‘I would know if I had ever accepted an external disciple before. Sigh…’
The Moyong Family had never once accepted an external disciple since Moyong Baek became the family head.
Usually, in orthodox sects, there is a concept of ‘generation’. The hierarchy is usually determined by the generation in any sect.
But the Moyong Family had no such rule.
Since they were all of the same bloodline, everyone except the family head acted according to their age, and since they had never accepted an external disciple, he was worried about how to determine So-ah’s position within the family.
“So-ah.”
Moyong Baek’s address to So-ah had already changed from ‘Young Master Jin’ to ‘So-ah’.
But So-ah felt more at ease.
“Yes.”
“How old are you this year?”
“Fifteen.”
“Hmm… you’re older than Hwa-ah.”
Moyong Hwa glared at Moyong Baek’s words.
Honestly, Moyong Hwa was dissatisfied.
She was already angry that her grandfather had passed down his ultimate life-or-death art to an unknown orphan, bypassing his own granddaughter, and now he was talking about him being her older brother just because he was one year older!
If she had her way, she wanted to spit curses at that handsome-looking boy right now.
But.
“Ah, is that so? Then I’ll think of you as my younger sister from now on? Haha.”
Didn’t So-ah suddenly smile at her?
But that smile…
‘Cute…’
It was cute.
No, for a moment, Moyong Hwa even had the crazy thought of wanting to bite him.
‘Oh my, am I going crazy?’
Moyong Hwa shook her head and erased the thought.
In the meantime, Moyong Baek’s words continued.
“Actually, our family currently has no external disciples. We are passing down martial arts to the children, but even that is a family art, so there is no concept of a master-disciple relationship.”
“Aha…”
“But to treat you, my father’s top disciple, the same as Hwa-ah or the other children of the family is absurd!”
Moyong Hwa’s eyes widened at Moyong Baek’s words.
‘What is Dad talking about now? Don’t tell me…’
Her intuition was spot on.
“Hwa-ah. From now on, you will call So-ah ‘Senior Brother’. So-ah has the highest position in our family, except for my generation, myself, and my brothers who can be said to be of the same generation as me.”
“Father!!!”
“Family Head…”
So-ah also couldn’t hide his surprise.
Although he was unfamiliar with things like generation and seniority, So-ah was smart enough to fully interpret the meaning of those words.
“What is it, Hwa-ah. Do you have a complaint?”
“No… that’s… So-ah… I mean, that person is only one year older than me. But to have the highest position under you, Father. Does that make sense?”
“Hwa-ah. So-ah is the top disciple of my father, the Grand Elder of our family. If our family were a place that followed seniority like other sects, So-ah would not be under me but of the same generation as me. Do you wish for that to happen?”
Moyong Hwa became a mute who had eaten honey at her father’s words.
Just then.
“Family Head… younger sister Hwa-ah has a point. I’ve only just entered the sect…”
“Haha, So-ah. Don’t feel burdened. It’s just a formality anyway. Our family is different from other martial families. Even if your generation is high, the adults will treat you like a child, and you will also respect those who are older than you, won’t you? It’s just that to the children of your age who have not yet entered the martial world, you will be the Senior Brother.”
“Yes…”
“And So-ah.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t call me Family Head anymore.”
“What do you mean by that…”
“You said you were an orphan?”
“Yes.”
“You must have grown up lonely.”
“I wasn’t that lonely because I had my grandpa.”
“Yes. That’s a relief. But I want you to be a little less lonely.”
“…”
“From now on, when you call me, call me Uncle.”
“Family Head…”
“No matter where you were born or how you grew up, you are now a member of the Moyong family. My father would be the same, but I will also be your uncle, and Hwa-ah will also be your younger sister. You are no longer an orphan, so never forget that our family is always behind you.”
In that moment.
‘Oh… what’s wrong with him…’
A look of bewilderment appeared on the face of Moyong Hwa, who had been looking at So-ah with narrowed eyes until now.
It was because she had seen tears welling up in So-ah’s eyes.
‘Even if he’s happy… is that something to cry about?’
Moyong Hwa thought.
How could Moyong Hwa, who had grown up as a precious young lady in a prestigious family, know So-ah’s feelings?
“Family Head… no, Uncle.”
So-ah, trying to hold back his tears, cleared his choked throat and spoke.
“Go on.”
“I will not forget.”
“Huh?”
“That I am a member of the Moyong Family. I will not forget.”
“Yes. You must. Congratulations on becoming the first external disciple and the first Senior Brother of the Moyong family in this generation.”
***
The conversation between Moyong Baek and So-ah continued endlessly.
Moyong Baek was so curious about his father’s current situation that he asked all sorts of questions, and each time, So-ah added gestures and conveyed his grandfather’s stories in detail.
Only then did Moyong Baek realize that So-ah had an interesting personality and also had a talkative disposition.
As the somewhat hectic first day at the Moyong family deepened…
So-ah and Moyong Hwa left the family head’s room.
“Hey! Jin So-ah.”
As soon as they left the family head’s room, Moyong Hwa spoke to So-ah.
So-ah immediately grasped Moyong Hwa’s intention.
‘Yes. It’s only natural that she’s annoyed with me, who suddenly popped out of nowhere.’
How could the quick-witted So-ah not know?
But.
“Moyong Hwa.”
So-ah was not an easy opponent.
Having a pure soul and being foolishly kind were two completely different stories.
So-ah had a good nature, but he was by no means just gentle.
In the first place, the God of War’s own creed was ‘When someone tries to torment you, show no mercy so that they can never crawl back up again.’ So how could it be otherwise?
“Moyong Hwa? This…!”
Moyong Hwa was bewildered.
She had thought that So-ah would be at least a little intimidated by her, but it seemed that was a misconception.
“From now on, call me Senior Brother. If you call me that way one more time, I’ll scold you.”
“What?!”
“Today, I’ll let you off once in celebration of getting a younger sister. The fooling around ends today, huhu.”
So-ah raised his hand and patted Moyong Hwa’s head.
Then he quickly hurried his steps and disappeared into the distance.
‘Wh-What, what on earth.’
Moyong Hwa thought that taming her suddenly acquired Senior Brother would not be an easy task.
(End of Chapter)