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chapter 80
“Brother Geomryeong, why are you smiling like that?”
Yehwirang asked when she saw the smile on Geomryeong’s lips.
“Nothing. Let’s go to the inn and eat.”
The three of them went into an inn called the Hero Inn.
“Welcome.”
Jeomsoi greeted the three as they entered. At Jeomsoi’s voice, the eyes of the people inside the inn instinctively turned toward the entrance.
Most of the patrons in the inn were young people.
Along the Martial Brotherhood Road there were several inns; depending on the inn, different crowds gathered — some places attracted younger people, others drew middle-aged folks. People naturally clustered with their own circles, getting familiar and socializing.
The inn Geomryeong entered was one where young people gathered.
Although the Martial Tournament was an event for the orthodox martial world, in some ways it was also a place for political networking.
Many young rising figures from smaller sects wanted to meet and mingle with the prominent heirs from the great ten houses and powerful sects. This inn functioned as one such meeting place.
In these places the attention usually fell on the heirs of the ten great houses.
“How can a man be so handsome?”
The women inside the inn were captivated by Geomryeong’s appearance. The men fixed their gaze on Yehwirang, who had entered with him, and stared for a long time.
She might be young, but her beauty could not be hidden.
Seogunha felt, upon entering the inn, that she was the only one not getting much attention.
She wasn’t ugly, but next to Geomryeong and Yehwirang’s beauty, she couldn’t stand out.
“Come this way, please.”
Jeomsoi guided the three.
“That person is…”
There were also notable rising figures from Shandong present. When they saw Geomryeong’s group, they remembered the incident that had happened in some inn in Wuhwan long ago.
Those who had been sitting at one table looked up and nodded in recognition when they saw Geomryeong’s group.
“Seogunha-sojeo.”
The one who called Seogunha was none other than Eulji Moon of the Eulji family. At his table sat several others — faces who had once attended the sixtieth birthday banquet of the matriarch of the Seomun family, Haminju.
Though they had been badly embarrassed by Geomryeong at that time, Eulji Moon’s greeting to Seogunha sprang more from delight than grudges.
“Prince Moon.”
When Seogunha returned the greeting, he cheerfully invited Geomryeong’s party to join his table.
Others, like Baekri Sungwang (second of the Baekri family) and Neunggok, tried to dissuade them from joining based on the past memory, but it was already too late.
“Why don’t you come and sit with us?”
Seogunha glanced at Geomryeong.
If Geomryeong wasn’t inclined, they planned to move to the spot Jeomsoi had suggested and take seats there. Jeomsoi too thought things might be a bit awkward between Geomryeong and those people.
“If they want to sit over there, that will do.”
Geomryeong said to Jeomsoi and walked toward the place where the young figures from Zhongjing gathered.
“Long time no see, Prince Geomryeong.”
Dang Hyemi of the Dang sect, head of the Dang gate, smiled broadly at Geomryeong. She, of all people, was favorable toward him. In fact, among the women present at that time, all had shown some goodwill toward Geomryeong. When she greeted him, jealous looks from the other women in the inn followed.
Dang Hyemi seemed to enjoy those looks.
“How have you been?”
Geomryeong greeted and took the offered seat. Looking for empty spots, Yehwirang sat beside him, and Seogunha sat facing him.
“We were disappointed when you left the Seomun house without a word, Seogunha-sojeo.”
Seomun Daedeok, the eldest son of the Seomun family, said. Seogunha had once greatly helped drive off demonic intruders who had infiltrated the family. If not for her, Jeok Hwamyung, and Yoo Akgun, they might have suffered more damage from the demons.
Before he could express his thanks, Seogunha had already left the Seomun family, which left Seomun Daedeok a bit resentful.
“I had business — I couldn’t help it. Please understand, Gongja-nim.”
“I never properly greeted you then. Seogunha-sojeo, please allow me that chance today.”
While Seomun Daedeok and Seogunha conversed, Baekri Sungwang didn’t know where to look.
Seomun Daedeok’s words embarrassed Seogunha, but she handled the moment gracefully.
“My party has a schedule. The Seomun family did only what was necessary in the eastern martial matters.”
Seogunha politely declined, and the expressions of those around them briefly shifted in different ways.
Eulji Moon, in particular, seemed to sneer slightly at Seomun Daedeok, but Seomun Daedeok didn’t notice his expression.
‘Still the same petty fellow.’
Geomryeong saw that look and felt certain.
He could have guessed before from Seomun Daedeok’s earlier words and behavior, but today that guess turned into conviction.
Seomun Daedeok and Seogunha’s conversation stirred the ears of the young people in the inn.
It was well known throughout the martial world that Jeok Hwamyung and Seogunha had played major roles when the Seomun family had been invaded by demonic forces.
A murmur went through the inn. Amid the chatter, Geomryeong scanned the room.
He noticed some familiar faces.
‘Hwangbosung, was it?’
After glancing at the table where Shandong’s rising figures sat, he looked across other tables as well.
People tend to have temperaments shaped by their upbringing. It often showed — folks from the same province clustered together.
‘Are they grouping by region?’
Just like the Shandong youths, there were those from Zhongjing, Guangdong, Hubei, Sichuan — groups clustered by province.
Then Geomryeong looked at Dang Hyemi. Judging by the atmosphere, she shouldn’t have been seated with Zhongjing’s figures but rather with the Sichuan group sitting a bit farther off.
“How have you been?” Dang Hyemi asked.
“On the way from Zhongjing to Wuhwan, I saw and experienced a lot,” he answered. Not wanting to slight her, he gave a polite reply in front of the many people.
“Brother, who are these people?”
Geomryeong looked at Yehwirang. Her different demeanor from before caused him to smile naturally.
Yehwirang, with proper manners, introduced herself to them.
“My name is Yehwirang. Please teach me well.”
Seogunha, though surprised, was pleased seeing Yehwirang introduce herself with decorum. It made him feel the joy one gets from mentoring others.
“How old are you, Hwirang-sojeo? You seem younger than me?”
Dang Hyemi asked.
“Sixteen.”
“Then since I’m older we’ll be like sister and younger sister. I’m Dang Hyemi of the Dang family in Sichuan. Sister, you’re twenty, right?”
Yehwirang looked to Geomryeong. He nodded, and she beamed, agreeing to call Dang Hyemi sister.
“Hahaha! So then we get to be Hwirang’s older brothers and sisters? To celebrate having a sibling…”
Eulji Moon laughed loudly.
“Watch what you say.”
Geomryeong cut in. He didn’t want to get friendly with Eulji Moon.
The atmosphere chilled instantly.
“It’s fine for Dang Hyemi to be sister and your sister, not you,” Geomryeong said coolly, and Eulji Moon flustered.
At that moment, apart from Seomun Daedeok, the others recalled the memory of the past incident. Baekri Sungwang and Neunggok even trembled slightly.
“Prince Geomryeong.”
Dang Hyemi, remembering those past events and worried that history might repeat itself here, called to him, but he still looked at Eulji Moon.
“If you want to form a sibling bond with my sister, then behave appropriately.”
Eulji Moon’s face flushed red.
Those at other tables watched with interest. They roughly knew who the people at Geomryeong’s table were.
Eulji Moon, the second son of the Eulji family, unlike his older brother Euljirang, was less of a martial prodigy and more gifted in strategy. He greatly expanded the trade group operated by the Eulji family, boosting their power to threaten the top ten trade groups. But his strategic talents came with a tendency to look down on others, so his reputation among other rising figures wasn’t great.
“Do you know what those words of yours imply?”
Eulji Moon said through clenched anger. He recognized he was weaker than Geomryeong, but not that his family was inferior.
“Eulji Moon Gongja, Prince Geomryeong is—”
Dang Hyemi tried to mediate, but it was useless.
“You’re relying on the Eulji family’s prestige, are you?”
Suddenly Geomryeong’s presence changed. The shift affected everyone in the inn.
Those from Shandong, who had witnessed the dust-up with Cheon Myung’s villa up close, trembled faintly at the changed atmosphere.
‘This one is not someone the Eulji family can handle.’
The more skilled an expert, the stronger their intuition becomes. This instinct is a form of crisis sense.
Hwangbosung judged that from Geomryeong’s demeanor.
‘If not one of the ten great houses, then no one can handle him.’
The ten great houses — Namgung, Hwangbo, Jegal, Dang, Paeng, Seomun, Baekri, Ak, Moyong, and the Dae-ri house — held enormous influence, so much so that saying they divided the central plains into ten parts wasn’t far off.
“Did you think what you said wouldn’t make what’s on your shoulders fall off?” Geomryeong asked.
“Eulji Moon!”
Seomun Daedeok called out to him. With many people around, he meant for the words to be measured.
A thin smile appeared on Geomryeong’s lips. Everyone who saw it felt a chill and their shoulders trembled involuntarily.
‘Did you pick the wrong person to mess with?’
Eulji Moon, a strategist rather than a martial artist, cooled down when he met Geomryeong’s sarcasm and regained his senses. He wondered if he was making a mistake.
“There was someone like you before — who trusted only his family’s prestige and thought the whole world was his, acting like a spoilt child.”
He spoke of Uido-gun, the third son of the Shinchang family.
Perhaps that had been true in the past, but now that person was diligently studying martial arts to improve himself. If he hadn’t met Geomryeong and hadn’t seen Geomryeong prevent Hyuntaeryeong’s sword faction and cut his ear off, he might still be impenitent.
Shinchang had, in many respects, owed much to Geomryeong.
“Shall I try once?” Geomryeong asked.
Eulji Moon narrowed his eyes.
“What?”
“I’ll place my hand near your face. Try to avoid it. If you dodge my hand, I’ll allow you to be siblings with my sister. If you fail, keep your interest away from my sister.”
Eulji Moon glanced between Geomryeong and Yehwirang.
“Why would I gamble like that?”
“Then from now on, stop showing interest in my sister.”
Eulji Moon shuddered at the insulting tone in Geomryeong’s words.
He didn’t like that Seomun Daedeok, Dang Hyemi, Neunggok, Baekri Cheong and other Zhongjing rising figures present did not defend him and sat silently.
“Hwirang, it’ll just be tiring if you get close to someone like him. Choose friends carefully. The sages once said—”
Hearing Geomryeong speak, Eulji Moon’s emotions burst.
He knew people thought poorly of him, but being humiliated publicly like this — there was no tolerance for it.
“Go on then!”
Geomryeong looked at Eulji Moon.
“Do what you said. But let’s change the stakes: if I win the bet, you will kiss my foot.”
Seogunha’s expression hardened immediately.
Kissing someone’s mouth is an act of submission. For a warrior, rather die than kiss another’s foot. Yet Eulji Moon would be forced to do so — publicly, in the presence of the group!
Seogunha looked at Geomryeong, thinking Geomryeong might strike Eulji Moon dead on the spot for provoking him with such words.
“How amusing.”
Geomryeong rose from his seat.
“Ryung-ah.” (an informal address; Seogunha calls him “Ryung” perhaps)
Seogunha called out to stop him.
“Sister, don’t worry.”
Geomryeong calmed Seogunha and looked toward Eulji Moon as he stood.
“You would be better off dodging like others. Ready?”
“Of course!”
Eulji Moon glared at Geomryeong and answered. Geomryeong slowly moved his hand toward him. Eulji Moon thought there must be some trick — there was no way he would fail to avoid such a slowly approaching hand unless some scheme was afoot.
Thud!
The inn fell silent. Geomryeong’s palm touched Eulji Moon’s face.
To the onlookers, it looked like Geomryeong merely extended his hand and gently placed it against the standing Eulji Moon’s face. There was no trick, no internal power — simply a reached hand laid to the face.
The crowd sneered.
They mocked Eulji Moon who had failed to dodge Geomryeong’s hand.
“Do it again.”
Eulji Moon shouted, thinking he had overthought things and thus failed to avoid Geomryeong’s hand.
“Do you think you can dodge if we do it again? Of course.”
“All right, I’ll give you another chance. But how about changing the stakes?”
“Change the bet?”
“If I lose, I’ll kiss your foot as you wish. If you lose, how about you pay for the meals of everyone in the inn who’s eating today?”
It was a provocation, but the people watching cheered at Geomryeong’s proposition.
Eulji Moon bit his lip. He resented being utterly dismissed and treated like a coin to be juggled in front of people.
‘I’ll make you regret today,’ he thought. Even if he won the bet, he had no intention of leaving Geomryeong unpunished.
“All right.”
Eulji Moon accepted Geomryeong’s terms, and the challenge began again.
“Try to dodge this time.”
Geomryeong moved his hand slowly. Eulji Moon tried to step back, but it was only his desire — something viscous, clinging held him in place. That sticky force prevented him from moving.
Thud!
Geomryeong’s hand touched Eulji Moon’s face.
“Too bad.”
Geomryeong said to Eulji Moon and then turned to the people in the inn.
“Please give a round of applause for Eulji Moon Gongja, who will pay for today’s meal.”
A roar of cheers and clapping burst out like thunder.
The Zhongjing rising figures felt pity for Eulji Moon, who had been thoroughly toyed with, and at the same time worried about Geomryeong — knowing Eulji Moon would not let this go easily.
Four people entered the inn. They paused at the commotion and looked inside.
They were members of the Shinchang family.
“Geomryeong, younger brother!”
Uidogi called to Geomryeong when he saw him with the Zhongjing youths.
“Brother Doki!”
“Here you are.”
“We should move our seats, sister. It’d be better to sit with the Shinchang people.”
They indicated they wanted to join the Shinchang clan.
Geomryeong looked at Eulji Moon.
“If you feel wronged, say so anytime. I might do it for you again. Hwirang, let’s go to Brother Doki.”
“Yes.”
When the two moved toward the Shinchang group, Seogunha, who had been watching, rose, bowed, and moved his seat.
“I’ll go with you.”
Dang Hyemi also moved her seat to where the Shinchang people sat.
Eulji Moon clenched his fists and trembled with rage, glaring at Geomryeong as if he would kill him.
‘You’ll soon realize who you messed with today.’
