Return of the Mount Hua

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An ink-soaked brush traced elegant words across the paper.

⠀

A leader strives for harmony but not conformity. A petty person strives for conformity but not harmony.**¹

⠀

An exemplary person maintains harmonious relations with others without blindly copying them, while the petty man may be identical with others, yet cannot live in harmony with them…

“Fine, you’re so great!”

The brush tip, which had been moving smoothly, slipped. The characters that had been flowing so well were smeared. Worse still, the commotion was only just beginning. At the crash and shattering sound of something breaking, the second son of the Jin family [진가(秦家)], Jin Eunryong, squeezed his eyes shut.

“To say ‘you’……. You dare use such rude words towards your elder brother. You truly do show how poorly you have been raised.”

“You and I learned the exact same things, so why am I the one who was poorly raised?”

“Even when people learn and experience the same things, what they take in differs according to their innate talent. So, the fact that you were poorly raised is not a problem of the teaching, but a problem of the one receiving it, would you not say so?”

“What? Are you done talking?”

Ink spread in dark spots across the white paper. With sorrowful eyes, Jin Eunryong stared blankly down at the writing he had ruined.

‘Here they go again.’

The sages said that being filial to one’s parents and living in affection with one’s siblings is the same as carrying out proper governance [惟孝友于兄弟施於有政]. But as is often the case with the words of ancient sages, they emphasized that one should practice it precisely because it was difficult to actually keep.

Well, in truth, brothers fighting frequently was probably nothing particularly special in any household. Even the way they snarled whenever their eyes met, poured out insults and mockery too vile to speak aloud, and, when things displeased them, drew their swords first and ran wild was not especially…

‘No, that is a little special.’

A little…. No, quite a lot, actually, but still, if one searched every corner of the Central Plains thoroughly enough, surely there must be at least one other family like this. So that was not the problem. The real problem was…

Jin Eunryong turned his sorrowful gaze away. He saw one boy snarling as if he might leap forward at any moment, and one young man looking down at him as though in contempt.

‘Why…… Why on earth do those people always have to come fight in front of me?’

If they were going to fight anyway, would it not be better for them to go outside and fight in peace before coming back? Why was it that they stayed quiet with each other until they entered the house, only to run wild like that the moment they came to where he was? This was something that truly required serious contemplation.

“If you wish to live a long life, you had best lower that fist.”

“What did you say?”

However, Jin Eunryong had no time for serious contemplation. Even at that very moment, the mockery and fighting were growing more and more violent. Unable to overcome the bare minimum sense of duty expected of a brother, Jin Eunryong spoke in a hollow, half-dead voice.

“Um….. How about you both calm down a little. Apologize to each other, and…….”

The gazes of the two turned to Jin Eunryong. A strange silence swept coldly down his spine. As expected, the two spoke at the same time.

“No!”

“No.”

Right. Of course.

“Hyeong-nim, why are you doing this too? Is this really something that should drag me into it as well? Please say something to that person first!”

“Your heart in cherishing your younger brother is admirable, but in all things under heaven one must distinguish right from wrong with precision. If one ignores cause and effect and merely smooths things over by saying everyone is at fault, in the end it does nothing at all to solve the problem. Do you not even know that?”

After pouring their reproaches onto the innocent Jin Eunryong, the two abruptly turned their gazes back towards each other.

“You say I’m at fault?”

“You mean it’s my fault?”

Jin Eunryong’s stomach began to throb painfully.

‘They look exactly alike, and yet…….’

No matter how he looked at them, watching those two, who seemed like the big and small versions of the same person, growl and fight with each other was enough to make him dizzy. If the sages of old had seen this sight, they would surely have exclaimed, ‘In the end, the study of a noble man is an endless exchange of questions and answers with oneself!’…

Jin Eunryong soon shook his head. What nonsense was he even thinking? After seeing that bizarre sight countless times, it seemed his own mind had grown a little strange along with it.

“The problem is the way you talk in the first place!”

Just look at that young brat, snapping back at his elder brother without yielding a step. He looked almost ready to spew fire from his eyes. They had grown up in the same house, eating the same things, so why was his temper so fiery?

“The way one speaks, hm. The fact that such a phrase came out of your mouth is truly astonishing. It is common, by nature, for a frog to forget when it was a tadpole, but for a tadpole not to know its own place is both strange and foolish. Is it not?”

That one had an even more serious problem. He would not yield a single word and kept sneering even at a child who was still not fully grown and only half his size. If one had lived even a year longer, should one not possess at least some measure of maturity? In size he might have been the large version, but the more one watched, the more it seemed the essence of his belonged to the small version instead.

“Are you done talking?”

“Seeing as you keep asking whether I am done, your patience is lacking as well. I still have a great deal more to say. Would you like to hear it?”

Jin Eunryong silently rubbed the pit of his stomach. As he did, he tried to remember whether any of the medicine he had received last time was still left.

The expression on the physician’s face had truly been something to see when the second son of the Jin family, said to be fairly prominent in Jongnam, came to get medicine because he was suffering from a stress-induced stomach ailment. But dignity or whatever else was not the important thing. At this rate, he would soon get a hole in his stomach and die young, so he resolved that he would have to get more medicine.

Even in the midst of all this, Jin Geumryong’s cold sarcasm continued.

“If you wish to hear it, I can recite more for you as much as you like. How lacking a brat you are, and how impertinent you are in comparison, as well.”

Sparks flew from Jin Dongryong’s eyes. This was a bad sign. His small hand clutched tightly at the hilt of the sword worn at his waist. But the gaze with which Jin Geumryong looked down at him was full of composure.

“Why? Are you going to draw it?”

“Grrrrr!”

“Go on, try drawing it. But this time, it will not end as easily as last time. After lying bedridden for about half a month, perhaps you will finally come to realize something.”

Jin Dongryong trembled, still gripping the sword hilt tightly.

“Yes. Enduring it may be good too. But if you are going to endure it, endure it properly. For the rest of your life. In any case, no matter how much you train from now on, the day that sword of yours defeats me will never come.”

At Jin Geumryong’s mocking sneer, Jin Dongryong clenched his teeth.

“Do you think I’ll be scared just because you say that?”

It was the very moment Jin Dongryong was about to draw his sword in one swift motion.

“What is this commotion!”

All of a sudden, the door flew open, and someone strode inside. Seeing him, Jin Geumryong and Jin Eunryong quickly corrected their postures, and Jin Dongryong too flinched in surprise and took his hand off his sword. However, just because he let go quickly did not mean the movement could have escaped Jin Chobaek’s [진초백(秦初伯)] eyes. Jin Chobaek’s sharp gaze fixed upon Jin Dongryong. Under his father’s heavy stare, Jin Dongryong’s shoulders gradually drooped.

“You disgraceful fool. Have you gone so far as to think of drawing swords now?”

“T-That’s not…….”

“Silence!”

Jin Dongryong’s head lowered further. Many emotions seeped from his slightly trembling shoulders. But Jin Chobaek merely glanced at him with cold eyes.

“This is your punishment. You will fast for three days.”

As though unable to bear this one thing, Jin Dongryong abruptly raised his head. The fasting was not the issue. What truly filled him with resentment was something else entirely.

“Father! Why am I the only one being punished! Hyeong also……”

“Shut your mouth! It can be said that an elder brother failing to embrace his younger brother is also at fault, but it cannot compare to a younger brother defying his seniors.”

Jin Chobaek’s fury blazed so fiercely that it seemed there was not even room for a single needle to slip through. Jin Dongryong bit down hard on his lip.

“And on top of that, the crime of daring to grasp a sword inside the house! With what shame does one who tried to draw his sword against his own elder brother attempt to make excuses?”

No matter what he said, it would not get through anyway. Whatever he said, it would only be taken as an excuse. Because Jin Chobaek was that sort of person. A powerless sigh escaped Jin Dongryong’s mouth.

“Go to your room and reflect on your conduct.”

“…”

“Your answer?”

“…Yes.“

Still looking displeased with Jin Dongryong, Jin Chobaek sharply flicked his sleeve and strode out. No sooner had he disappeared than Jin Dongryong let out a sigh deep enough to sink the ground. Jin Geumryong looked down at this and wore a strange smile.

“Serves you right.”

“Damn it!”

Jin Dongryong glared at Jin Geumryong as though he would kill him, then roughly opened the door and left. At the sound of the door slamming shut violently, Jin Geumryong clicked his tongue briefly.

“Tsk. That rotten temper of his.”

Once Jin Dongryong had left, Jin Geumryong’s face had somehow grown considerably softer. Jin Eunryong, who had been staring at that sight, opened his mouth with a dissatisfied expression.

“Why on earth do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Is he not a child?”

“If you want to argue it that way, then in my eyes you are a child as well. And at that age, he is more than capable of distinguishing right from wrong.”

“That is only your standard, Hyeong-nim. Dongryong is not yet of an age to properly understand the world. Could you not treat him a little better? Is there truly a need to suppress him to that extent?”

“Bring me some tea.”

“You rotten…….”

“Hm? What did you say?”

“……Nothing.”

‘I have to endure it. I must endure it.…’

It was said that an exemplary person does not fight with petty people. Even if he cursed here, it would only break his own composure……. Ah, my stomach!

Grumbling inwardly, Jin Eunryong silently preparing the tea set [다기(茶器)].

⠀

Jin Geumryong lifted the steaming teacup and slowly savored its fragrance. Even the light movement of tilting the teacup was truly refined, without a single unnecessary flourish. Jin Eunryong unconsciously shook his head lightly.

‘He really is handsome.’

It was not easy for a face one saw every day to still appear handsome. But Jin Geumryong’s face had the power to make that difficult thing possible.

Regrettably, Jin Eunryong had not been born with the same looks as Jin Geumryong. Of course, they were brothers, so they did resemble each other, but how should one put it – he looked somewhat delicate, and maybe even slightly unfairly aggrieved. It was not that his appearance would fall short anywhere, but it certainly did not have the ability of seizing people’s gazes the way Jin Geumryong’s did.

On the other hand, Dongryong, the third son, looked disturbingly identical to Jin Geumryong. As though they had been stamped out from the same mold. And Jin Geumryong was the very image of their father, Jin Chobaek.

Still, perhaps it was fortunate that he had at least not inherited the hellish sense for naming one’s children ‘Gold, Silver, and Bronze***¹.’

“The taste of the tea is truly excellent.”

“…Is that so.”

“This is why I cannot help but seek you out.”

Jin Eunryong fell into brief contemplation. Should he burn all those tea utensils to ashes? Just as he was preparing himself to completely give up half of the only joys in his life, calligraphy and the tea ceremony…

“That younger brother of yours ought to learn something like this too.”

At the calm, passing remark, he blinked.

“…Do you not remember, when Dongryong said before that he would try learning the tea ceremony, you laughed at him and said, ‘As if someone like you could possibly manage something so refined’?”

“I did?”

“The tea set broken that day was quite expensive.”

“Hm. Was that so?”

In his heart, Jin Eunryong carved the character for ‘endurance’ about ten times. They said that three times was enough to avoid even murder, but when dealing with this person, three times was nowhere near enough.

“The one who threw the tea utensils was at fault, but Hyeong-nim, you were not exactly in the right either, laughing at a child who was trying to learn something.”

Jin Geumryong’s eyes narrowed slightly in displeasure.

“Has that fool’s inadequacy rubbed off on you as well?”

“Am I not right?”

This time, Jin Eunryong did not back down either. Lately, he had been thinking that Jin Geumryong’s attitude towards Jin Dongryong was somewhat excessive. Especially considering the boy was at an age where he was just entering adolescence.

“Could you not look at him a little more kindly? From what I can see, it is not as though Dongryong is doing anything so terribly wrong…”

Jin Eunryong stopped speaking midway and shut his mouth. Jin Geumryong looked at him with a strange gaze and asked.

“Where did the person who was speaking just now go?”

“Ha! Fine! Honestly, he does do wrong! I too, once in a while, want to sling that brat over my shoulder and throw him off the peak of Wutaishan [남오대(南五臺) – or Mount Wutai]. But even so, is he not still our younger brother?!”

And one who looks exactly like you! Jin Eunryong pressed down hard on the words that were trying to force their way past his lips. However, the words that came back from Jin Geumryong were not the obvious answer Jin Eunryong had expected.

“If treating him kindly… If that were enough to solve it, I would not be going through all this trouble either.”

“Pardon?”

“How do you see your younger brother?”

“Are you referring to his personality?”

At the unexpected question, Jin Eunryong narrowed his eyes and asked in return. Jin Geumryong took a sip of tea, then shook his head slightly.

“Rather than personality, I suppose disposition [기질(器質)] would be the more fitting word.”

Jin Eunryong could not immediately understand what Jin Geumryong wanted to say, but since the question had been asked, he answered nonetheless.

“Well. I have never thought about it that deeply, but even if not as a person, but as a martial artist, he seems to have been born with an extremely good disposition. He knows how to compete fiercely, he does not know how to give up, and he is diligent as well, so all the more so.”

“Hmm…”

“Even at his young age, he has remarkable grit, so I believe he will become a good swordsman. One day, will he not become a pillar [동량(棟梁)] who spreads Jongnam’s name far and wide? He has more than enough talent, after all.”

This time as well, Jin Eunryong swallowed the words he had almost let slip without realizing it. The words, ‘Unlike me.’ He knew it himself very well. The fact that even if he died and came back to life, he would never be able to become like Jin Geumryong or Jin Dongryong. For now, he was older and had more years of training behind him, so he was stronger than Jin Dongryong, but he would probably be overtaken soon, and that gap would only grow more and more impossibly wide. A strange bitterness filled his mouth.

But then Jin Geumryong stared silently at Jin Eunryong with an expression difficult to describe, and asked.

“…You?”

“…”

“Did something get into your eyes?”

Jin Eunryong wanted to cry. Resentment surged all the way up to his throat. Why ask, why! If you were going to react like that, why ask in the first place! Even snakes coiled together in an earthen cave to hibernate through winter would not be as twisted as he was!

Jin Geumryong, who had been drinking his tea while sending him a look as though he found it absurd, set the teacup down with a sharp tap and opened his mouth in a low voice.

“To your eyes, he may look that way. But not to mine.”

Given Jin Geumryong’s nature, those words meant, ‘You are so wrong about that boy it is not even worth discussing.’ Because he was a person who did not even consider, from the beginning, that he himself might be mistaken. Jin Eunryong asked with a weary expression.

“Then how does he appear in your eyes, Hyeong-nim?”

“Do you perhaps remember Lee Mugun [이무군(李懋郡)]?”

“Lee Mugun, you mean… Are you speaking of Cheongyang Ilgeom [청양일검(淸揚一劍)****¹], Hyeong-nim? Is he not your friend? Of course I remember him.”

Cheongyang Ilgeom Lee Mugun was one of Jin Geumryong’s few friends, which was rare considering his terrible personality. Of course he could not help but remember him.

Unlike Jin Eunryong – who was still young and lacking in skill compared to others, and thus had not been permitted to venture into Gangho – Jin Geumryong had already completed several journeys through it. It was during those travels that Jin Geumryong met Lee Mugun.

Lee Mugun, a man of unsurpassed chivalry, became close with Jin Geumryong, who, no matter how one looked at him, could only be called prickly. He would even visit Jongnam from time to time and cross swords with Jin Geumryong. The result always ended in a one-sided defeat, but Lee Mugun was the sort of person who would grin every time and boast.

“Next time, I will definitely win.”

“He is a good person.”

Jin Geumryong nodded a little bitterly.

“Yes. He was a good man.”

“Pardon?”

“…What?”

“No, nothing.”

For a moment, Jin Eunryong was greatly flustered, and needlessly scratched the bridge of his nose. It was because he had never heard Jin Geumryong evaluate someone in this way. Had he not, even when speaking of Lee Mugun in the past, mockingly judged him as ‘a man with no skill but overflowing grit,’ and ‘a man who, even knowing he will fail to climb and fall anyway, will insist on climbing a tall tree if he sees one, just to check where he falls from’?

Of course, Jin Geumryong did not truly look down on Lee Mugun. At least, Jin Eunryong knew. Within Jin Geumryong’s feelings towards Lee Mugun, the two characters [우정] for ‘friendship’ certainly existed.

“But why are you suddenly bringing him up in the middle of talking about Dongryong?”

“He died.”

“Pardon?”

“I said he died.”

Jin Eunryong was at a loss for words for a moment. Was that the sort of story one should speak of so calmly in the first place? He calmed his startled heart and watched Jin Geumryong’s expression. Jin Geumryong merely held the teacup in silence and looked out the window for a while. Jin Eunryong could not tell whether he was thinking of Lee Mugun, or whether he did not want Jin Eunryong to see the expression he was wearing now.

Jin Eunryong asked again carefully.

“Is that really true?”

“Yes.”

“No, how did……”

Why on earth would someone that strong…?

“It seems he encountered a demonic master [마두(魔頭)*****¹].”

“Then, while fighting that demonic master…….”

Without explaining any further, Jin Geumryong merely gave a short nod. After hesitating, Jin Eunryong forced out something to say.

“Given his nature… it must have been a righteous death. It is truly regrettable.”

“It was not a righteous death, but a stupid one.”

“Huh?”

Jin Eunryong was startled, while Jin Geumryong spoke with an expression a little colder than before.

“From what I heard, he had more than enough time to flee. If he had only made up his mind to, he could easily have survived. If he had preserved his life that way, he could have pursued that demonic master together with others and cut off his head. And yet they say he insisted on charging in alone right there and then. Saying he would not forgive such evil deeds.”

Jin Eunryong closed his mouth. He could imagine it well enough. Lee Mugun was not someone who gave up easily. Even when he challenged Jin Geumryong, he was someone who sincerely believed that this time, he could win. That point had been part of his charm, but…

“If it had been a duel, it would have been something to laugh off and end there. His honor may have been damaged, but his life would not have been. But Gangho is different. If one cannot properly measure one’s own skill and charges at a tree one cannot climb, one does not simply fall and get hurt. They have their head cut off and die.”

Jin Eunryong could say nothing at all. Because he did not know much about Gangho. But Jin Geumryong had already gone on several journeys through it. He surely knew far better than Jin Eunryong how merciless a place Gangho was.

“Does it seem to you that Dongryong has talent?”

“…He is not a lacking child.”

No, in truth, Jin Dongryong’s talent was unmistakably outstanding. Even among Jongnam’s many disciples, he was counted among the foremost in terms of talent. But this time as well, Jin Geumryong denied it coldly.

“You are wrong. Talent can only be called talent when it is properly realized.”

“Ah, no… Hyeong-nim.”

“Do you think that boy can surpass me?”

“…No, I do not.”

Jin Eunryong shook his head. No matter how pitiful he found his younger brother, what was not true was not true. He could imagine a future in which Jin Dongryong became an unparalleled swordsman. But a future in which Jin Dongryong surpassed Jin Geumryong? That was something he could not imagine even as a joke. No matter how strong Jin Dongryong became, Jin Geumryong would always stand above him. Because what they had been born with was different.

“Yes. He cannot. The boy has talent, but not the kind of talent that can dominate the world beneath the heavens. At most, he will amount to someone who can use a sword fairly well. And yet he acts as though he were destined to become an unparalleled swordsman. Without even thinking to measure how large the tree before him is, he is blindly trying to climb it.”

Jin Geumryong looked straight at Jin Eunryong and said.

“That boy seriously believes he will be able to defeat me someday.”

Jin Eunryong knew that those words were not an exaggeration either. Jin Dongryong charging at Jin Geumryong did not arise from simple mischief or petulance. Everyone in Jongnam would not even think of it, but one person alone. Jin Dongryong himself probably believed that one day, he could become the greatest master of Jongnam. Of course, having great ambition was not a bad thing. However…

“Do you think that is right?”

“That is…”

“A child’s foolish bravado? That, I can look upon fondly. But that boy is no longer a child. And in Gangho, the price of indulging in foolish bravado is one’s life. If that reckless fool is left as he is, someday he will return with his head being cut off.”

Jin Geumryong laughed coldly.

“If that is how it will be, then it would be better for him to be broken by my hand instead. Then at least he will preserve his life. And we will not have to hear that someone of Jongnam’s Jin family was killed by some mediocre nobody.”

“…”

Jin Eunryong let out a deep sigh.

Should this be called genuine concern born from true affection for his younger brother?

It was a self-centered sort of logic, but at the very least, he could clearly understand what part Jin Geumryong was worried about.

“So that is why you are trying to break his spirit.”

“That is one way to put it.”

Jin Geumryong shrugged.

“You say I am excessive, but in truth I am already showing that boy as much consideration as possible.”

“Consideration?”

Jin Eunryong wondered for a moment whether Jin Geumryong did not know the meaning of the word consideration. Jin Geumryong said.

“If he were your age already, I would have broken his arms and legs to teach him a lesson. Then at least he would understand his own place. He would also learn not to recklessly provoke or pick at the nerves of someone clearly stronger than himself.”

Ah… Jin Eunryong swallowed a groan and smiled bitterly. In Gangho, that was only natural, but Dongryong was the person least capable of keeping to that common sense. In that regard, Jin Geumryong’s words were not wrong.

If he was not the very best, he could not endure it. That was Jin Dongryong’s nature. Jin Eunryong let out a sigh.

“I understand what you mean. But Hyeong-nim, your methods are far too extreme. I am worried that if this goes on, Dongryong will go astray.”

“Going astray would be better than dying.”

“No, Hyeong-nim!”

“Am I wrong?”

Faced with that arrogant, unwavering gaze that seemed utterly convinced there could not possibly be a flaw in his reasoning, Jin Eunryong felt his stomach begin to ache once more.

“Th-That…… Hyeong-nim. No matter how good the words are, if you do it that way, they will be of no use, and no matter how good the purpose is, if the method is like that…”

“Then is there another way?”

Jin Eunryong faltered. It was not because he could not think of another way, but because he could clearly see that Jin Geumryong truly, wholeheartedly believed that this oppressive method was the only correct path.

“H-Hyeong-nim. If Dongryong really does go astray…”

“There is only one way to straighten a bent sword.”

“It will break!”

“Then it can be melted down again and forged anew.”

He was not as stubborn as a brick wall. He was the wall itself. When Jin Eunryong wore a stunned expression, Jin Geumryong cut him off firmly.

“Do not concern yourself with pointless worries. If he is the sort who cannot endure even this much, then he would only invite even greater calamities upon himself in Gangho anyway. If he is truly a man of the Jin Family, he can endure it. No, he must endure it.”

“Hyeong-nim….”

“What you should do is not merely shield him and worry over him. Rather, your duty is to stop indulging his childishness.”

There was nothing more Jin Eunryong could say. In truth, not everything Jin Geumryong said was wrong. Certainly, his methods were extreme, yet in another sense they were realistic. Even a peerless sword of all under heaven, one spoken of only in legends, would eventually bend and have its edge dulled if it were hammered without rest for years, would it not? No matter how straight and unyielding Dongryong was, in the end, he would bend in the direction Jin Geumryong wanted.

And if even Jin Geumryong could not change Dongryong? Then no one in the world would be able to change that boy’s nature.

‘I only hope my stomach holds out until then.’

Jin Eunryong let out a sigh heavy enough to make the ground sink, while only the leisurely sound of Jin Geumryong sipping tea echoed softly through the room.

❀ ❀ ❀

“Damn it!”

Jin Dongryong, who had climbed to a deserted peak of Mount Jongnam, kicked a stone hard along with the curse.

“Aaaagh!”

But perhaps it had been a stone embedded deeply in the ground, because the one who fell flat and rolled across the spot was Jin Dongryong instead. Rolling over and over, he could not contain his anger and screamed.

“Nothing ever goes right!”

Only after a long while did he stagger to his feet and slowly moved on. When he climbed to near the summit and plopped himself down, the scenery of Mount Jongnam came into view through an open, unobstructed field of sight. All around it was quiet. After remaining silent for a long while, a powerless mutter slipped from Jin Dongryong’s lips like a sigh.

“Why only me…”

He could endure Jin Geumryong. No, in truth, Jin Geumryong was hard to endure too. But even so, he could at least try to understand him somehow. That guy had always been that way, after all. What tormented Jin Dongryong the most was none other than his father, Jin Chobaek.

Jin Chobaek never took his side. Unless the rights and wrongs of a matter were so clear that there was no room for doubt, Jin Chobaek always sided with Jin Geumryong.

Because he was the older brother. Because he was the eldest son. Jin Dongryong, too, had tried his best to understand that. But no matter how he thought about it, this was too much. Just a moment ago had been the same. Was that really something for which he alone deserved to be punished? Of course, he could not say he had done nothing wrong, but if he was to be punished, should Jin Geumryong not naturally be punished as well?

“So why do you only do this to me?!”

Out of frustration, he flopped onto his back. No matter how he thought about it, there was only one reason. Because Jin Geumryong was more outstanding than Jin Dongryong. Because his elder brother was better in every way.

The Jin family had been a distinguished family of Jongnam for generations. And Jin Chobaek, too, was a swordsman who vied for the top among the first-generation disciples. But that was all. While the ancestors of the Jin family had been talents who competed for the title of the greatest sword of Jongnam, Jin Chobaek’s own ability fell somewhat short. How bitter Jin Chobaek must have felt over that fact was something one could know without needing to hear it from him directly.

In the midst of that, his eldest son, Jin Geumryong, possessed talent counted among the finest in Jongnam, so of course he could not help favoring him. After all, the possibility had grown that the Jin family would once again produce Jongnam’s finest sword.

Jin Dongryong knew as well. Not only his father, but everyone else too believed that Jin Dongryong would never be able to surpass Jin Geumryong. He was always pushed aside. Everyone took Jin Geumryong’s side rather than his. Because Jin Dongryong was inferior to Jin Geumryong.

Why compare them…? He was himself, and Jin Geumryong was Jin Geumryong.

At the sound of softly trickling water reaching his ears, he turned his head and saw a small stream flowing by his feet. Without realizing it, Jin Dongryong gazed at his own reflection upon the flowing water.

A blurred, distorted image. Yet perhaps because it was distorted, it resembled Jin Geumryong even more. Was that why? Was that why they kept comparing him to his elder brother and looking down on him? Was that why they said he could not become like Jin Geumryong?

“Ugh…”

Jin Dongryong covered his face with his hands. At this moment, he hated this face so much it was unbearable. If only there were not even a trace of resemblance between them, perhaps he would not feel this way.

As long as he lived in Jongnam with this face, he would have to be compared to Jin Geumryong forever. His hands trembling violently, Jin Dongryong grabbed a fistful of mud from the streamside and began frantically smearing it across his face.

“This damned face! Damn it!”

Even through the stinging sensation, he did not stop rubbing the dirt into his skin, until suddenly he cried out and collapsed backward onto the ground.

“Ah…”

The blue sky spread above him, filling his entire vision.

“……I can do it too. I can……”

A low mutter rang out. As he looked up at the blue sky, his eyes grew hot. He clenched his fists tightly. And then, at that moment.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

Without warning, someone suddenly thrust their face into his view.

“Eeeek! You scared me!”

Some unfamiliar boy was looking down at Jin Dongryong, tilting his head in curiosity.

⠀

A little while later, the boy in Jongnam’s martial robes, sitting beside Jin Dongryong, nodded in understanding.

“So you ran out here alone?”

“….Yeah.”

For a moment, a look of pity appeared in the boy’s eyes.

Being constantly compared to a talented older brother was a painful thing. He had not heard every detail of the story, but even from that alone, he could imagine how much hardship this little kid must have gone through.

“You must have it rough.”

At those words, Jin Dongryong’s face twisted slightly.

“You don’t even know anything…”

“No. I think I understand, more or less. I don’t know the details, but my own situation isn’t so different either.”

Jin Dongryong tilted his head and looked at the boy. A boy of about the same age whom he had met for the first time today. He had not particularly expected an answer from him, but had only spoken to ease the frustration inside him, and yet an unexpected response had come back.

“You see, I’m also having a hard time because of an outstanding Sahyeong.”

“An outstanding Sahyeong?”

“There is one, his name is Jin Geumryong.”

“Pffft!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no. Nothing.”

Jin Dongryong quietly brushed at the mud smeared across his face.

‘Is the mud really covering my face that well? Or is this guy just slow?’

It had been itching a little for a while now, so he had wanted to scrape it off, but… now that things had turned out like this, it seemed he would have to keep hiding his face a little longer for the time being.

“He is an incredible person.”

“…”

“From what I’ve heard, your older brother sounds like an incredible person too, just like Jin Sahyeong. And yet you’re standing up to someone like that. That makes you incredible too.”

Those words made Jin Dongryong feel strangely conflicted.

The joy of being acknowledged by someone. Yet also the bitterness that even the one acknowledging him still regarded Jin Geumryong as far more remarkable.

“Have you ever thought about something like that?”

“Like what?”

“…Wanting to beat your Sahyeong, or something.”

The boy lifted his head slightly, wearing an expression of contemplation as he looked off into the distance.

“Hmm, well. I started learning a new sword technique a little while ago, you see?”

“A new sword technique?”

“Yes. It’s a sword technique that hasn’t been given a name yet…. Hmm. It’s a secret. It’s not officially recognized yet. If I go around talking about it, I’ll get scolded badly.”

“Yeah. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

“Good. Anyway, I’ve been learning that sword technique, but it turned out to be much harder than I expected. It’s dazzling and endlessly shifting, so even reading all the variations contained within a single form is overwhelming.”

“It must be an incredibly difficult sword technique.”

“Yeah. On top of that, should I say it’s a little different in nature from what I’ve been learning until now? Anyway, because of that, I was struggling with it…”

The boy stopped speaking and let out a deep sigh.

“Jin Sahyeong saw it once and copied it.”

…In that instant, Jin Dongryong’s face turned pale. Shaking his head as though exhausted by the very thought, the boy continued.

“That was when I felt it. Ah… I’ll never be able to beat this person in my entire life. We’re on different levels. That kind of feeling?”

Jin Dongryong felt as though he understood that bleak feeling all too well. He, too, sometimes felt it when he looked at his older brother. So he spoke sincerely.

“…That must be hard.”

“Hm? Why?”

But the boy asked back as if he did not understand what he meant. Jin Dongryong flinched. Had he said something wrong?

“No, since you’d want to beat your Sahyeong, but it’s difficult…”

“Mmm… Beat my Sahyeong?”

“…Huh?”

The boy tilted his head and said.

“I don’t particularly want to beat my Sahyeong. Of course, it would be nice if I could become as strong as him.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Hmm, it’s not as if wanting to beat someone is necessarily a given, is it?”

The boy picked up the wooden sword lying beside him and looked straight at that well-worn sword with a serious gaze.

“I just like the sword.”

Only then did Jin Dongryong understand. Why he had happened to meet this boy in such a deserted place. Belatedly, he noticed that the boy’s clothes were soaked with sweat.

“And I liked Jongnam. My goal isn’t to beat my Sahyeong, but to someday raise Jongnam’s honor high. So the fact that my Sahyeong is stronger than me isn’t necessarily a problem. Because I don’t think raising our honor is a role reserved only for the strongest person. Mm, wouldn’t that be enough?”

Jin Dongryong, who had been listening in silence, nodded.

“Uh, since you and I are different, I can’t force my thoughts on you, but.. you’ll have your own path too. Winning or losing against someone isn’t everything, after all.”

Having said that much, the boy must have suddenly grown embarrassed, because he muttered, ‘I’m not good with words, so really…’ Jin Dongryong laughed softly.

“You’re a good person.”

“Hm?”

“Unlike someone else.”

The boy laughed.

“Maybe your older brother might be a better person than you think too. Just like Jin Sahyeong is a better person than one might expect. Huh? Now that I think about it, they do have some similarities…”

“Ah, no. They’re not similar.”

“Huh? Why?”

“My older brother is ugly.”

“Ah…”

Seeing the boy’s gaze fill with something like pity, Jin Dongryong quickly turned his head away. Guilt welled up inside him, but if the boy discovered right now that he was Jin Geumryong’s younger brother, the atmosphere would definitely become awkward.

Jin Dongryong’s gaze turned towards the distant mountains. The things the boy had said were nice, but honestly, they did not completely resonate with him.

‘He likes Jongnam, huh.’

Rather, those words only felt strangely unfamiliar to him. To Jin Dongryong, Jongnam was simply a home. The place where he had been born and raised. And the place where he would continue living from now on as well. He had never once thought about whether he liked or disliked Jongnam.

Perhaps this was the greatest difference between himself and the boy. The boy had chosen Jongnam of his own will, but Jin Dongryong had never chosen it.

Suddenly, Jin Dongryong felt the unfairness of the world. While Jin Geumryong leisurely spent his time tormenting him for amusement, this boy swung his sword in a place like this. And yet, this boy did not even dare imagine surpassing Jin Geumryong.

Perhaps Gangho was a place where everything was decided from birth. In a place like this, what meaning was there in struggling so desperately?

“You don’t need to win… But if you could win, you would want to, wouldn’t you?”

“…Hm?”

“But there’s a difference in your ability to learn. Then in the end, if you want to defeat your Sahyeong, it means you’d have to learn some martial art even stronger than Jongnam’s martial arts.”

Even after saying it, Jin Dongryong, of disbelief, let out a snort. Jongnam already belonged among the stronger sects even within Gupailbang. And yet martial arts stronger than theirs?

“It’s not as if you can shave your head now and enter Shaolin, and they say Wudang is strict in selecting its disciples… Besides, one couldn’t necessarily say that the martial arts of those two sects are better than Jongnam’s either, so in the end, that means it won’t work.”

The boy let out a thoughtful ‘Hmm,’ then shrugged.

“No… I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Jongnam itself is proof of that.”

“Jongnam? What about Jongnam?”

“Right now, Jongnam is called the foremost sect in Shaanxi and is a fairly powerful place even among the sects of Gupailbang, but they say it wasn’t like that in the past. They say it couldn’t even become the foremost sect in Shaanxi, let alone among Gupailbang.”

“In Shaanxi? I don’t know about anywhere else, but you’re saying there was a sect more prominent than Jongnam in Shaanxi? I’ve never heard that before.”

“There was one. Hwasan.”

“Hwa-Hwasan?”

The Great Hwasan Sect – he had heard of it. But these days, wasn’t it supposedly a ruined sect pushed to the brink of taking down its own signboard?

“I heard that once upon a time, that Hwasan Sect wasn’t only the greatest sect in Shaanxi, but a place that even aspired to become the greatest sect under heaven. Back then, Jongnam was so overshadowed by Hwasan’s momentum that it couldn’t even properly hold its head up.”

“…Really?”

“I’m telling you.”

He could not imagine it at all. Jongnam, unable to hold its head high?

Then, suddenly, something flashed through his mind. Jin Dongryong let out an exclamation without realizing it. Hadn’t Jin Chobaek and the other adults of Jongnam sometimes shown a strange hostility towards the sect called Hwasan? At the time, he had wondered why they cared so much about that small sect, but it seemed there had been such circumstances behind it. And if Hwasan had truly been greater than Jongnam back then, perhaps that meant it had even surpassed the Jongnam of today.

“Why did a sect that great become so small now?”

“I don’t really know that part either. It’s just something I heard. Mm, anyway, it seems Jongnam of that era was said to never be able to defeat Hwasan. But Jongnam’s predecessors kept striving and striving again until they built the Jongnam of today.”

Jin Dongryong’s expression grew unexpectedly serious. He had not known Jongnam had such a hidden story.

“So don’t think of things as impossible just because they’re difficult. Sometimes things that seem unattainable now become possible if you keep working at them.”

But Jin Dongryong said nothing, as though deeply lost in thought. A strange uneasiness passed through the boy’s heart.

‘Did I say something wrong?’

Since they seemed to be around the same age, he had spoken comfortably, but when he thought about it, this was someone he did not really know…

“Was that place called Hwasan really so amazing? You said they once contended for the title of greatest under heaven.”

“Hm? Ah… I heard they were. Now it has become an underwhelming sect, but it’s a shame.”

Jin Dongryong pressed his lips shut again, seemingly lost in thought over something. Seeing that, the other boy awkwardly smiled and brushed himself off as he stood.

“Um. The time is already….”

Only then did Jin Dongryong turn his gaze to look at the boy.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah. It’s almost time for evening training. As for you…”

The boy trailed off, looking somewhat uneasy. Jin Dongryong smiled as if to say he understood even without being told.

“Don’t worry. I’m going home.”

“Good. Be careful… And… wash your face a little before you go in. If someone sees you, they’ll think you’re a ghost.”

“Ah, all right.”

The boy cast a quick glance at Jin Dongryong, picked up his wooden sword, and began walking away. After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped and looked back towards where Jin Dongryong was.

‘Did I tell him my name?’

But Jin Dongryong had already left. The boy, Lee Songbaek, smacked his lips in slight disappointment.

“I can just tell him next time.”

⠀

After parting ways with the kind boy, Jin Dongryong trudged up the steep mountain.

The words of the boy he had met for the first time, who did not seem to differ much from him in age, became a great source of strength to Jin Dongryong. And among them, the words that remained most vividly in his memory were these two phrases.

– I am the one who will raise Jongnam’s honor.

– They say it was once a place that even aspired to become the greatest sect under heaven.

Jin Dongryong had always thought that he could prove himself only by defeating Jin Geumryong with his own hands. But perhaps, as that boy had said earlier, it was not necessarily only the strongest person who could prove oneself.

‘A fallen prestigious sect…’

Certainly, it might be difficult to defeat Jin Geumryong within Jongnam. Even if, after several decades, he would become able to defeat him, by then the world would already have engraved Jin Geumryong as the First Sword of Jongnam. What meaning would there be in winning at that point?

But… even if he could not overpower him in a duel, what if Jin Dongryong accomplished something even greater than Jin Geumryong? For instance, reviving a fallen prestigious sect. Then would the world not judge him to be a greater figure than his older brother?

Jin Dongryong, who had been deep in thought, soon let out a small laugh.

“What kind of absurd idea is that?”

He knew very well just how unrealistic a story this was. A delusion should remain a delusion. If one began to take a delusion seriously, one would only become a fool. All the way down the mountain, weary sighs kept slipping out of his mouth.

“Someday… they will recognize me.”

If, just as that boy had said earlier, he devoted himself to training and then trained and trained even harder, someday the day would surely come when he defeated Jin Geumryong and was acknowledged by everyone. Without fail.

❀ ❀ ❀

Jin Chobaek’s cold gaze seemed to pierce straight through Jin Dongryong. At a stare so ruthless it was hard to believe it belonged to a father, Jin Dongryong shuddered.

“I am certain I ordered you to fast and remain in seclusion, did I not? Yet while being punished, you leave the house as you please? Without so much as a word?”

“W-Well, when you told me to remain in seclusion…….”

“Shut your mouth!”

Jin Chobaek burst out in a roar. Jin Dongryong flinched and lowered his head deeply. It was unfair, but this was not a situation where anything he said would get through.

Meanwhile, Jin Eunryong, who had been watching Jin Chobaek’s mood from afar, squeezed his eyes shut with a heavy heart.

‘Why did it have to be now…’

The situation was as follows. By unfortunate coincidence, in the brief time Jin Dongryong had been away, the Sect Leader had come to visit. It was to discuss Jin Dongryong’s formal admission into Jongnam and the person who would become his Master. Usually, in such a matter, it would have been proper for his father, Jin Chobaek, to lower his head and go seek out the Sect Leader himself. Yet the fact that the Sect Leader had personally come all the way to the family estate could truly be called a remarkable thing, one that showed the trust and respect he had for the Jin family.

But of all times, Jin Dongryong had not been home then. Of course, the Sect Leader himself had not minded much and merely laughed it off as he departed, saying, ‘Haha. Seeing how lively he is, he truly is a talent destined for great things.’

But Jin Chobaek could not let it pass so lightly. In front of the Sect Leader, he had not merely embarrassed himself, but utterly disgraced himself, and it had ended up looking as though grave discourtesy had been committed. Looking at the full circumstances, it was difficult to point out anyone in particular and say it was entirely their fault, but it was true that Jin Chobaek had been left in an extremely difficult position, and that was why he was flying into such a rage.

“If you lack talent, then at least your attitude should be proper. And if your attitude is poor, then you should at least make up for it with effort, yet you possess neither! Worthless brat!”

Jin Dongryong’s head drooped even lower. Jin Chobaek glared at that son of his in displeasure, then clicked his tongue.

“If only you were good enough as even half of your older brother…”

At the remark that slipped out as though in passing, Jin Dongryong’s shoulders trembled.

A trace of pity passed through Jin Eunryong’s eyes. Of all days, he had to hear words like that today, so it was easy to imagine how he must feel. Of course, he understood their father’s position. But he could not help understanding Jin Dongryong’s feelings as well. For younger siblings with an older brother who was far too outstanding, everything was hard and burdensome. Was Jin Eunryong not the very person who knew that feeling best? Truly, those must have been the one words he least wanted to hear…

“Your admission date has been decided. Originally, you could have enjoyed the honor of hearing it directly from the Sect Leader himself, but thanks to your foolish childishness, that opportunity is gone now.”

At those words, Jin Dongryong abruptly lifted his head.

“M-My admission?”

“That is right.”

Jin Dongryong was not yet an official disciple of Jongnam. Since he was already learning Jongnam’s martial arts within the family, becoming an official disciple was, in truth, little more than a formality, but in any case, in order to be acknowledged as an official disciple, he had to take one of Jongnam’s members as his Master and perform the Disciple-Master Initiation Ceremony [배사지례(拜師之禮)*²].

In truth, Jin Dongryong had already gone a little past the age at which one should take a Master, but as no one had readily come forward to take charge of him, his admission had been delayed. There was one reason for that. It was precisely because he was Jin Geumryong’s younger brother.

Jin Geumryong was a prodigy counted among the best even within Jongnam. Jin Dongryong, as his younger brother, was also showing an outstanding talent. So naturally, he could not help being compared to Jin Geumryong. Anyone who had learned martial arts would surely want to take on a fine disciple and thereby raise their own reputation as well. But if one’s disciple were compared with someone else at every turn, how burdensome would that be? All the more so if the person they were being compared against was someone nearly impossible to surpass.

It would have been resolved if Jin Chobaek taught him personally, but unfortunately, Jongnam’s sect rules forbade taking one’s own child as a disciple. There was the matter of generational hierarchy as well, but more than anything, it was largely to ensure that no disciple would be treated with favoritism.

And so, for such reasons, the matter had only been put off from day to day, but it seemed a decision had finally been made. Jin Dongryong asked carefully.

“The person who will become my Master is…?”

“Ga Sahyeong.”

Ga Mokwol [가목월]. Hearing that name, Jin Dongryong’s face stiffened.

“Wh-What about my Hyeong’s Master?”

“That person does not have the capacity to take you as a disciple as well.”

“Even so…”

Jin Chobaek once again glared at Jin Dongryong with an expression as cold as ice.

“You dare to judge and choose the person who is to become your Master? Is this how I raised you, to be such a rotten wretch?! Without the slightest thought for your own place, you are only ever busy belittling others – how is it that you have become so insolent! Must everything in the world turn according to your wishes?”

Even as his son’s head gradually lowered further and further, Jin Chobaek’s fury showed no sign of subsiding.

“So because you are lacking, should others still indulge you and call you talented? Should your wrongdoings never be reprimanded? Did you expect everyone around you to take your side in every single matter?! You foolish boy, never once considering that the only reason you can strut about acting so important is thanks to the prestige cast by your elder brother and this father of yours! If you were not the third son of the Jin family, do you think people would look upon you as they do now? Not a chance!”

Jin Dongryong bit down hard on his lip. His clenched fists and shoulders were trembling violently.

“You walk comfortably along the road paved by your family and your elder brother, yet all you do is spew complaint after complaint. How did a petty-minded fool like you ever come from me! It is truly lamentable!”

“F-Father.”

When Jin Chobaek’s wrath showed no sign of fading, Jin Eunryong, unable to keep watching, stepped forward. Perhaps because of what had just happened with the Sect Leader, Jin Chobaek was far more agitated than usual. Normally, he was not someone who spoke so recklessly without any restraint.

Only then did Jin Chobaek seem to realize that he had gone too far, and closed his mouth. But the gaze with which he looked at Jin Dongryong had not softened.

“Go to your room and observe self-restraint.”

With those final words, Jin Chobaek turned sharply and strode out without waiting for a reply. Jin Eunryong opened his mouth, trying to say something.

“Dongryong-ah. Father…”

“Listen carefully to what Father said.”

“Hyeong-nim!”

It was Jin Geumryong, who had been previously silently watching, who spoke. Looking at Jin Eunryong sternly, he said.

“Do not raise your voice. Father may have spoken in anger, but there was not a single thing he said that was wrong. You know that as well, do you not?”

“But…”

Jin Eunryong’s thoughts were tangled. Was there truly nothing wrong? Jin Dongryong, the youngest, was trying. Though at times his efforts went too far and led him astray, was it not too harsh to treat him as nothing more than a child who only knew how to rebel?

“Did you say you wanted to be under the same Master as me? Without even caring whether Master himself would want that.”

“…”

“In the end, that simply means you wanted Father or me to persuade Master on your behalf. You always insist that you want to be acknowledged, yet at the decisive moment, you try to lean on me or Father. In the end, you are still nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum.”

Even as Jin Geumryong’s cold and merciless voice poured down on him, Jin Dongryong said nothing.

“This confinement is actually a good opportunity. Quietly take your time and reflect on yourself. Then even a fool like you may be able to grow a little.”

At last, Jin Dongryong, who had remained silent, turned around without a word.

“D-Dongryong-ah!”

Jin Eunryong, flustered, tried to stop him, but it was useless. Jin Dongryong went into his room and slammed the door shut.

At this subdued reaction, Jin Eunryong’s complexion stiffened as never before. His reaction was unlike his usual self. Normally, when he heard harsh words, even if it meant bracing himself to be scolded even more severely, he would flare up. He would not remain silent like that. That was simply the nature he had been born with. But now…

“Hyeong-nim. Could you not ease your words just a little…”

“Jin Eunryong. You should know when to stop as well.”

“…”

“If you keep doting on him just because he is the youngest, you will be the one to ruin him.”

Jin Geumryong, who had snapped at him coldly, left. In the end, Jin Eunryong, left alone, let out a deep sigh. His gaze lingered blankly on the closed door to Jin Dongryong’s room.

⠀

Meanwhile, Jin Dongryong, who had entered his room, lay sprawled on the bed and did not move, only staring up at the ceiling.

Things to say? Of course there had been many. Even so, the reason he had quietly turned away was, in the end, because of one thing Jin Geumryong had said.

– At the decisive moment, you try to lean on me or Father.

For some reason, those words made his heart sink heavily. Perhaps because, deep down, he could not deny them. He had wanted to be acknowledged by the Jin family, and by Jongnam. As a worthy son, and as a martial artist.

But looking back, there was not a single thing Jin Dongryong had chosen for himself. He had merely walked the path his father had chosen for him and hoped that one day they would judge him differently. How pathetic and foolish that had been!

Only today did Jin Dongryong become certain. Those gazes would not change. To them, he would forever remain the lacking and somehow unreliable youngest son. Even if he were to accomplish something truly extraordinary, they would ultimately attribute it to the secret care and concern they had shown him.

And perhaps that really was the truth. So long as he stood upon this land called Jongnam, Jin Dongryong would never escape the shadows of Jin Chobaek and Jin Geumryong. Even if the day comes when he defeats Jin Geumryong, that victory might still be attributed to the very people who raised him.

If he were willing to accept that, then he could simply stay here and wait. In time, he would naturally enter Jongnam officially and take on a Master. He would gain a measure of freedom compared to now. Perhaps he might even receive some acknowledgment and finally straighten his shoulders with pride. But… Jin Dongryong’s eyes slowly twisted.

“Then… then what am I?”

He wanted to win. He did not need consideration or indulgence. He simply wanted, as a martial artist, to defeat his older brother. Fair and square.

He could not shake the feeling that he was begging for acknowledgment. If he continued to stay here and live like this, that feeling would only deepen. Was he supposed to keep living while clinging to the image they wanted and the methods they approved of, all the while hoping that someday they would say, ‘Now you are so obedient. You’ve become quite admirable’? What a joke.

Jin Dongryong pushed himself upright.

“Then…… I’ll just make them acknowledge me.”

Through achievements no one could possibly deny – not within the narrow confines of the Jin family or Jongnam, steeped in their influence, but in a way that would force the entire world to acknowledge him.

A firm resolve filled Jin Dongryong’s eyes.

❀ ❀ ❀

At a very late hour, the shadow of someone not yet fully grown cut through the night at Jongnam Sect. Jin Dongryong had slipped out of his home and was hurrying his steps.

‘Not here.’

He had made up his mind. If he was to be truly acknowledged, he had to leave the grounds of Jongnam behind. His gaze slid briefly behind him. He had slipped out this carefully, so surely he had not been discovered. Once he got off Mount Jongnam, then…

“Stop right there, Dongryong.”

But a voice that came from somewhere caught him by the ankle. Startled, Jin Dongryong looked up at the person who had suddenly blocked his path.

“Hyeong? H-How did you know…”

Jin Eunryong was walking out from behind a large tree ahead. He let out a deep sigh and approached his flustered younger brother.

“What goes on inside that head of yours is obvious.”

There was a trace of pity in Jin Eunryong’s gaze as he looked down at his younger brother, who had gone so far as to run away from home. He found himself thinking that things must have been unbearable for him to do this.

“I understand how you feel. But for now, let’s go back. If you get caught, you’ll only be scolded more. It’s still…”

“I’m not going.”

“Dongryong-ah.”

Jin Dongryong stared straight at Jin Eunryong.

“I didn’t come out just because I was angry, Hyeong. No… Of course I was angry. But that’s not why I’m doing this.”

“It seems like it is?”

“I said it’s not!”

Watching Jin Dongryong flare up in anger, Jin Eunryong silently rubbed his stomach.

He wondered whether this brat would ever come to know this feeling. This feeling of one’s stomach twisting because of someone younger than oneself. It would be nice if he understood someday, but that would probably never happen. After all, there couldn’t possibly be another such a bastard in this world with a temper this rotten.

“Dongryong. No matter what you say, what cannot be allowed cannot be allowed. Let’s go back while I’m still asking nicely.”

“I’m not going.”

“You little…!”

When even firm persuasion failed, Jin Eunryong unconsciously flung one hand up. But Jin Dongryong glared straight at him and asked.

“Why? Are you going to beat me up and drag me back too, Hyeong?”

“…What?”

“That’s how it always is. If I don’t act the way everyone wants me to, they get angry, scold me, and beat me.”

“You shouldn’t describe Father taking up the rod for the sake of teaching you discipline just as a beating.”

“But that’s what it is anyway. Am I wrong?”

Jin Dongryong said, looking at Jin Eunryong.

“Are you going to do that too, Hyeong?”

“No……”

Somehow at a loss for words, Jin Eunryong let the end of his sentence trail off vaguely. All the more so because, until just a moment ago, he too had been thinking of doing exactly that. Thinking about it, it was no different from the methods of Jin Geumryong or Jin Chobaek. It struck him anew then. The blood of the Jin Family flowed through his veins as well.

“I want to be acknowledged too. I’d like to become someone Father or you would nod at proudly. But that’s not the only reason I’m doing this now. It’s just… I think I finally understand.”

“Understand what?”

“That if things continue like this, I’ll never become the person I want to be.”

Jin Eunryong pondered with a complicated expression on his face before finally forcing the words out.

“Dongryong-ah. Father and your elder brother are…”

“I know, I do. I know that Father and my elder brother treat me sternly because they want me to do well. That it’s not simply because they hate me. But… if things go on like this, I’ll end up becoming just another ordinary sort of person. And that frightens me, Hyeong.”

They were truly clumsy words. A complete mess. There was no real basis behind them either. But the sincerity within them was painfully clear.

The reason Jin Eunryong could feel that sincerity was because he had it too. That sort of feeling, those sorts of worries.

When he began to be compared to an elder brother who was far too outstanding, and even came to keenly realize that he did not even have the talent to follow after such a brother, Jin Eunryong learned how to satisfy himself rather than fight. He gave up competing, and did not try to win. He set martial arts aside and chose the path of avoiding conflict. In the end, that was also the reason he had entered Jongnam’s Financial Hall.

Jin Eunryong did not think this had been the wrong choice. Because within the framework of Jongnam and martial arts, there was no way to defeat Jin Geumryong. Because the only place where he could breathe was there.

And yet his younger brother, despite being placed in almost the exact same situation, refused to compromise. Somehow, he was searching for a way to fight back and win. Even if that way, in the eyes of others, seemed endlessly foolish and childishly reckless.

“What will you do, then, if I say I’m going to stop you anyway?”

Jin Eunryong’s gaze became quite serious. If he answered that he would fight, he intended to beat him down here. Just as Jin Geumryong had said, that temper of his, always trying to climb a tree he could not climb, would one day drive his younger brother to his death.

If so, it would be better for Jin Eunryong, rather than Jin Geumryong, to break him. Of course, Jin Eunryong’s martial arts were not on a level to be compared with Jin Geumryong’s. But at the very least, he was not someone who would be defeated by Jin Dongryong, who was still young. If he were to be defeated by Jin Eunryong, his younger brother would feel it all the more keenly. He would become a little more cautious.

But the answer that came back strayed far from Jin Eunryong’s expectations.

“I’d run away.”

“…..Huh?”

“Because I can’t beat you yet. So I’d run with everything I have. Catch me if you can.”

For a moment, Jin Eunryong, flustered, stared blankly at Jin Dongryong.

“I never thought I would end up saying something like this with my own mouth, but… aren’t you a little stupid? You and I learned the same thing. Do you think it’s possible to run away from someone you can’t beat in a fight?”

“It’s still better than charging in and fighting blindly.”

…That seems like a valid point.

“Of course I’ll get caught. I’ll be dragged back and beaten. Then I’ll run away again. Whenever I get the chance, I’ll run away, and run away again. No matter how much they beat me, lock me up, or tie me down, it’s no use. Because I’ll keep running until I succeed. Then someday, at least once, I’ll succeed. Or maybe I’ll end up completely broken before I do. That’s my answer.”

Jin Dongryong was more serious than he had ever been. Jin Eunryong grew more and more dumbfounded. No matter how he thought about it, his younger brother seemed to be twice as insane as he had originally believed.

“You call that an answer? Can that even be called an answer?”

“Yeah.”

“…I’m at a loss for words.”

Even when he had predicted Jin Dongryong’s runaway attempt and came to block his path, he had never imagined the situation would turn out like this.

“Do you think that makes any sense?”

“Whether it makes sense or not doesn’t matter. Because that’s what I’ve decided.”

“Hey, you…”

“I’ll never give up.”

Jin Eunryong let out a faint groan, rummaged inside his robes, took out a pill, and tossed it into his mouth. It was a premium stomach medicine from Hwang Family Pharmacy [황가약방(黃家藥房)], the finest pharmacy in Xian.

“Fine. Do as you like. I’m absolutely not letting you go.”

“Try it, then.”

Jin Dongryong crouched down. He was like a spring ready to shoot out at any moment. He would probably get caught. Jin Eunryong’s lightness technique was nothing to take lightly either. But even so, he had not the slightest intention of being caught and dragged back. Because he had already steeled his resolve. If you failed to resist when you needed to resist, eventually you became someone who no longer understood how to resist at all. From what Jin Dongryong had experienced so far, that was how it was. He would fight until the very end. So that he would not become just another mediocre martial artist.

‘With everything I have….’

At that moment, something dropped with a soft thud near Jin Dongryong’s feet. Reflexively glancing down at it, he narrowed his eyes.

“….Huh?”

What Jin Eunryong had thrown was a money pouch. Judging from the sound it had made earlier and its size, there seemed to be quite a bit of money inside as well. Jin Dongryong blinked. Jin Eunryong said.

“Put it away.”

“Hyeong?”

“…Even if you’re going to run away, you still have to eat.”

“…”

“Hurry.”

Without a word, Jin Dongryong picked up the pouch. It felt heavy in his hand. Jin Eunryong added in a threatening tone.

“I’ll say it again: I’m absolutely not letting you go. I’m going to chase you with everything I have, so if you think you can escape, then go ahead and try.”

“….Hyeong.”

“Hurry!”

Jin Dongryong looked down at the pouch for a moment, then said to Jin Eunryong seriously.

“I’ll repay the debt.”

“What are you talking about, you little runt.”

Jin Dongryong bowed his head deeply to his brother, then sharply turned around. 

“I’m going!”

Soon, he ran off at full speed without looking back even once. Jin Eunryong, who had been staring intently at his retreating figure, let out a deep sigh only when Jin Dongryong was out of sight.

“…I wonder if this is the right thing to do.”

No, of course it wasn’t. By morning, the household would probably be thrown into complete chaos like a stirred up beehive. Just thinking about what might happen made his stomach start aching again.

As he weakly reached to take out another stomach pill, a cold voice pierced his ears.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

When he turned around, he saw someone walking towards him through the darkness.

“…How long have you been watching?”

“From the moment you threw the money pouch and that brat ran off with it in his hand.”

So he had seen everything. Jin Eunryong shook his head. On Jin Geumryong’s face, his displeasure was plain to see.

“A man who calls himself an elder brother… Never mind. I’ll go bring him back.”

“Please stop.”

For a moment, Jin Geumryong doubted his own ears. Jin Eunryong might usually be an irritating younger brother who constantly nagged and complained, but he had never directly interfered with something Jin Geumryong truly intended to do.

“What do you mean, stop?”

“Let him be. How long can a kid like him really last? Eventually, he’ll come back.”

“…Am I hearing this wrong?”

“…”

“Are you saying you’ll cast your own younger brother out into that harsh world?”

“Dongryong is not a child.”

For an instant, Jin Geumryong was so dumbfounded that he did not even bother hiding the expression on his face. And reasonably so, because was it not Jin Eunryong himself who constantly called Jin Dongryong a child?

“At home, he may be a child, but he is also a martial artist who has learned martial arts. He’s not someone who would fall to the likes of third-rate thugs.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“If you truly want to break that arrogance of his, then instead of cornering him inside a warm house, let him see and experience the harshness of the world on his own. Then maybe he’ll change a little.”

Jin Geumryong’s head tilted slightly to the side.

“You’re spouting complete nonsense.”

Jin Eunryong squeezed his eyes shut. Of course his words would not get through. In a way, every single thing Jin Geumryong did was a twisted form of overprotection towards Jin Dongryong. How could someone like that possibly cast Jin Dongryong out into danger? He was the type who believed the boy ought to remain right in front of his eyes, where he could disapprove of him personally.

“There’s no need for a long discussion. First, that brat…”

“Hyeong-nim. Think about it. Is that affection? Or is it your greed, wanting to control Dongryong however you please?”

Jin Geumryong, who had been about to step forward, came to an abrupt halt. The gaze with which he looked back at Jin Eunryong was fierce and cold.

“What did you say?”

“If I don’t obey you, Hyeong-nim, if I don’t live according to what you believe is right, then would I also become worthless trash that needs to be fixed even if you have to break my arms and legs to do it?”

“You…”

“Leave him be. Let him do as he wants, even if only for a moment.”

Jin Geumryong glared at Jin Eunryong, then asked coldly.

“Then let me ask you. Are those words truly for Dongryong’s sake, or are they what you’ve always wanted to say to me?”

Jin Eunryong made no reply. The two of them faced each other in silence for a long while. The one who opened his mouth first was Jin Geumryong.

“What do you plan to do if I insist on bringing him back?”

“I’ll have to stop you.”

“You?”

“I’m not someone who can compare to you, Hyeong-nim. But at the very least, I’m still capable of clinging to your ankle and slowing you down. That much time should be enough for Dongryong to get pretty far away.”

Jin Geumryong snorted.

“You overestimate your own ability. Or are you perhaps underestimating me?”

“Maybe so. But if I’m prepared to risk my life, I can manage at least that much. What will you do? Shall we put it to the test?”

A chill emanated from Jin Geumryong’s gaze. Riding the tension, Jin Eunryong drew his energy.

“…Greed, you say?”

But those words from Jin Geumryong eased the tension that had been drawn taut.

“You fool.”

“Hyeong-nim……”

At some point, the hostility had already faded from Jin Geumryong’s eyes. He abruptly turned around.

“How far could a little brat possibly get by running away? He said his goal was to surpass me. Then he won’t be able to live a life that is not that of a martial artist, and he won’t be able to entrust himself to some ragtag sect either.”

“…”

“If we send word only to Shaolin and Wudang, in the end, he’ll come back to Jongnam. Yes, as you said, perhaps it may become a good experience for him.”

Jin Geumryong clicked his tongue briefly and added in a reproachful tone.

“I thought you’d become at least a little more mature.”

Those were not words directed at Jin Dongryong. Those words were directed at Jin Eunryong, who was only now acting on youthful impulse. Quietly, Jin Eunryong said.

“…There was a time when I wanted to run away too.”

“And if you had back then, you think things would have been better than they are now?”

Jin Eunryong stole a glance at Jin Geumryong, who let out a small sigh.

“Honestly, every one of you is impossible.”

Muttering in a dissatisfied tone, Jin Geumryong began walking back towards the house. Then, without even turning around, he added.

“You’d better start thinking of an excuse for Father by tomorrow morning.”

To Jin Eunryong’s eyes, Jin Geumryong’s shoulders somehow looked strangely slumped as he walked away. Suddenly, his stomach began protesting with pain again. Recalling the medicine he had been about to take earlier, he tossed the pill in his hand into his mouth.

“…Ow, ow. This is killing me.”

It seemed this bout of stomach pain would last quite a while. Rubbing his belly, he looked once more in the direction Jin Dongryong had run.

“….You foolish brat.”

Before he knew it, a small smile bloomed on his face. Perhaps it was the amusement of an older brother watching his younger sibling’s rebellion. Or perhaps it was encouragement for the younger brother attempting what he himself had never been able to do.

But neither Jin Geumryong nor Jin Eunryong knew it at the time. They believed their youngest brother’s ‘runaway escapade’ would end as nothing more than a brief act of rebellion. They had no idea how long that escape would last. Nor could they imagine how bitterly they would one day pound the ground in regret over this very decision.

They, too, did not yet know very well what sort of person their younger brother was. Jin Dongryong’s madness had not yet become known to the world.

Someone who later came to know all of these circumstances evaluated it with a fed-up expression. That Jin Dongryong, more than anyone, was the ‘Greatest Madman of Hwasan.’

❀ ❀ ❀

“Uuuggghhhh.”

A trembling hand gripped the rock.

“What kind of mountain is…”

Arms not yet fully grown strained to drag his body up, and legs that had grown as heavy as a thousand geun, with not even the strength left to move, barely managed to push his body up. Having finally climbed a cliff twice the height of a grown man, Jin Dongryong collapsed on the spot as if he had fainted.

“Th-This is insane…”

Ever since he was young, he had gone in and out of Mount Jongnam as if it were his own home. So he had been confident when it came to climbing mountains, but this mountain was not even something that could be compared to that one. If Mount Jongnam was simply a rugged mountain, then this mountain seemed as if it had been shaped after long deliberation over how best to make people fall to their deaths.

“…Why would anyone choose to live in a place like this? Why on earth?”

From the past into the distant future, those who climbed Hwasan for the first time had muttered, and would continue to mutter, those very words. Jin Dongryong, having recited them word by word, laboriously wiped his sweat-soaked face. Only now did the unease suddenly come over him.

“…Am I doing the right thing?”

After enduring a dreadful journey all the way from Xian to this place, he had finally arrived. Each and every incident he had gone through along the way was the sort that, if told in full, could fill an entire book on its own. But now that he had reached this place at the end of that long, long journey, uncertainty, rather than conviction, wound itself around his mind.

But the conclusion did not change. Jongnam would not do. If he followed the same path, he would never be able to win. That much was certain now.

But he could not go to a better sect, either. If he did, then it would not be he who had won, but the superior martial arts of that sect.

‘So this is the only place.’

This was a fallen prestigious sect, the ideal sect for earning praise if he managed to revive it. Moreover, since it was geographically close to Xian, they too would be able to watch his achievements with their own eyes.

Of course, he knew it would not be an easy road. No, it would be terribly difficult. But unless it was something of this magnitude, he would never surpass his elder brother for the rest of his life. Rather than fight half-heartedly and lose in an obvious way, it would be a hundred times better to attempt an impossible gamble and suffer a crushing defeat.

And yet, he felt there was no need to think only pessimistically. Fallen though it might be, a prestigious sect was still a prestigious sect. One or two peerless martial arts that had once allowed it to make its name known in the past might still remain. Perhaps they simply had no talent capable of learning them and putting them on display. And he had more than enough confidence that he could learn such martial arts. Once he did, defeating his elder brother would surely become at least a little easier.

“Hup!”

Shaking off his unease, he forced strength back into his body and rose to his feet. A somewhat desolate-looking mountain gate came into view. Compared to Jongnam’s splendid and elegant one, this thing was difficult even to compare at all – somehow it looked strangely like an abandoned house…

“Ah, no!”

He hurriedly shook his head. What was he doing, thinking like this already? From the moment he heard the sect had fallen into ruin, he had prepared himself for at least this much.

“If anything, this is better. It has to be at least this bad for reviving it to feel worthwhile!”

If he could restore a sect like this and lead it back to being the greatest sect in Shaanxi… no, the greatest sect under heaven, then someone like Jin Geumryong would be nothing. Perhaps he might even become someone whose name would remain in the history of Gangho forever. The history of Gangho… Jin Dongryong, whose eyes had been sparkling with hope, suddenly lowered his head.

“Should I just go back….“

In truth, did this make any sense at all? If they had peerless martial arts, why would they have fallen? If reviving a sect were easy, would it ever have ended up in this state? Thinking about it coldly, the right thing to do would be to turn back here. It had been nearly a month since he left home, so the household must have been turned upside down by now, and if he returned around this time, he would probably be treated better than before. Of course, he would have to endure a storm of scolding for quite a while.

Jin Dongryong paced about for a long time, his face full of conflict. But before long, he let his shoulders droop and trudged towards the worn-out gate.

“It’d look pretty pathetic to come all the way here just to turn around and leave. I’m only going to meet someone and then go back. Really.”

Right, this was enough. This much should have already shown the depth of his resolve. So he really would just confirm things for himself and leave. 

Swallowing dryly, he stopped in front of the old gate. Dust sat thickly atop the rusted iron door knocker. It meant that no one had passed through here for quite some time.

‘Is it empty?’

They said it had fallen into ruin – did even all the disciples run away? Jin Dongryong’s heart sank a little further. He gripped the door knocker and struck the door with a thud.

“Is anyone there?”

No answer came.

“Is anyone there?! Is anybody here?!”

He raised his voice a little more, but this time as well, he could not sense even the faintest sign of human presence. After waiting a while longer, Jin Dongryong felt his energy leave him and sank down heavily on the spot.

“Ah, what a waste.”

He had thought something might change. That he might be able to find another path.

But reality was only reality. Thinking about it rationally, what could he possibly find here?

When he looked back, the clouds hanging over the lofty mountain lay thick, like a dense fog. As though they were walls surrounding him. In that moment, overcome by a feeling of helplessness, Jin Dongryong let out a sigh and staggered to his feet. He was already exhausted, and hungry as well. But he could not spend the night here. However difficult it might be, he had to descend the mountain. The sun would set soon.

‘Should I just… go back to Jongnam?’

It seemed there was no other choice now. Henan, where Shaolin and Wudang were, was too far away. Even after thinking about it, Jin Dongryong lingered for a long time, unable to move his feet out of inexplicable sense of regret, and it was just as he finally moved his body…

From behind him came the sound of twisted hinges shifting, along with a voice that seemed to belong to someone rather advanced in years.

“Who was it that was looking for someone?”

Jin Dongryong turned around sharply. The one who had opened the door and come out was an old man wearing a worn Taoist robe. The old man, whose features were gentle, widened his eyes slightly in surprise.

“Hm. What is a child doing here? Were you the one knocking on the door?”

For a moment, Jin Dongryong was at a loss for words. If only the door had opened a little earlier, he would have smoothly said all the words he had prepared in advance, but meeting someone at the very moment he had given everything up and was about to turn back made his mind go blank.

“What brings you all the way here? It could not have been easy to climb this rugged mountain.”

“T-That is…”

The old man looked Jin Dongryong up and down. Only after receiving that gaze did Jin Dongryong realize. Having wandered the roads for as long as a month, his appearance was now beyond miserable. Seeing a child this shabby, would anyone not think him a beggar? And on top of that, he had even climbed the mountain in the midst of it all and was now soaked with sweat. It was hardly an appearance suited for seeking another person’s goodwill.

‘I should have bought some new clothes before coming.’

He still had plenty of money left, so why had he not thought of it beforehand? Looking like this, it was only natural that he would be turned away at the door.

“I, I am…”

He hurriedly opened his mouth, intending to make some sort of excuse at least. But the old man was slightly faster.

“Have you eaten?”

“…Pardon?”

Startled, Jin Dongryong abruptly lifted his head. The old man was still looking down at him with a gentle smile. Somehow, seeing those eyes made all the tension leave his body.

Grrrumbbleee!

And he was desperately hungry. Jin Dongryong’s face flushed red in an instant. Though it was hardly the time for it, perhaps because the tension had eased, his stomach suddenly began to churn.

“This is, it is not that…”

“Come inside.”

“…Pardon?”

The old man spoke with a faint smile.

“I do not know what circumstances brought you here, but you must be terribly hungry after climbing the mountain. Our means are not so abundant, but we are not so destitute that we cannot offer you a meal, so come in quickly and fill your stomach first.”

The old man opened the door wide for Jin Dongryong to enter and stepped aside.

“And the sun will set soon. The mountain at night is dangerous, so stay here tonight and go down after the sun rises tomorrow.”

Jin Dongryong’s shoulders trembled faintly. It was a strange feeling. They were not particularly remarkable words, and yet each and every one of them reached his heart. Perhaps it was not because of the meaning contained in the words, but because of the consideration held within them.

“…Would it really be all right?”

The old man smiled faintly.

“Will you come in?”

For a moment, Jin Dongryong nearly nodded comfortably without even thinking. Then, startled, he quickly gathered his wits.

“I, I apologize. I should have greeted you first. I am sorry that an uninvited guest has committed such discourtesy. I have enough money to repay you for one night, so for my rudeness…”

“It is all right.”

The old man spoke, still wearing a smile.

“You are a very well-mannered child. But this is not such a cold-hearted place that we would expect payment from a guest. Hwasan is a place where even the mountain birds rest when they are weary. Simply rest here comfortably for a day before you go.”

The corners of Jin Dongryong’s lips trembled slightly.

“If you truly insist on repaying us so that your heart may be at ease, there is a child about your age here, so it would be good if you kept them company. I am worried because this child is so terribly quiet.”

“…Then, Taoist Master. Ah, no, Elder, may I ask your honored name? Since I have received your kindness, at the very least that much…”

“My name, you say. I have nothing so grand, but people call me Hyun Jong.”

“Hyun Jong….”

“Now. Come in quickly.”

The old man turned around and entered first, and Jin Dongryong stared blankly at the door opened wide for him and the space within it. In the world where fog-like clouds covered everything in a haze, only the space beyond that door seemed clear. As if bewitched, Jin Dongryong took one step forward.

It was still unfamiliar and frightening, but even so, the reason he could put his foot forward was because the old man’s eyes, watching him without urging him on, were warmer than anything. At last, his heart had reached the place it was meant to reach.

Only a single mountain bird flying far away was watching over that small beginning.

❀ ❀ ❀

An afterword.

⠀

“So then… even at worst, we’ll make it to the finals. We’re still a little short…”

Jin Eunryong scratched his cheek as he compared the documents with the items laid out before him.

It was not only those participating in the Martial Tournament who were too busy to even catch their breath. People like Jin Eunryong, who managed and supplied the sect’s goods, were just as overwhelmed. Of course, Shaolin provided the basics, but since the event drew such an enormous crowd, there were always supplies that ended up running short.

‘Let’s see, I should buy a little more tea for the Sect Leader as well…’

As Jin Eunryong was writing down a long list of additional items to purchase in the ledger, he suddenly turned his head at the loud cheers that came from outside the hall. Only after even the lingering echo of those cheers, drawn out for a very long time, had died down did Jin Eunryong withdraw his gaze from the window.

‘Dongryong-ah.’

By now, the match would have ended. The fight between Jin Geumryong and Jin Dongryong, that is.

He truly was an impressive guy. The result of the match was obvious, of course, but even so, Jin Eunryong wanted to praise Jin Dongryong simply for having stood proudly across from his eldest brother. After all, that meant he had far surpassed the limits their family had once imposed on him.

“Environment really is such a…”

Just then, as a gentle smile formed on Jin Eunryong’s lips, the door to the hall burst open and panicked Jongnam’s disciples rushed in.

“S-Sahyeong! Geumchang-yak! They say they need Geumchang-yak and, uh, Yosangdan*³.”

Jin Eunryong’s face instantly turned pale.

“Is someone badly hurt?”

“No, I don’t think anyone is badly hurt, but they didn’t prepare any in the first place…”

“Why would they not prepare that…. Hm?”

No. Thinking about it, it made sense that they had not prepared any. After all, the one fighting today was Jin Geumryong. There was no reason he would be injured in the first place… As Jin Eunryong had pondered over this thought, his face turned ashen and he asked in a hurry.

“P-Perhaps Dongryong was badly hurt?”

“Dongryong? Ah….. You mean Baek Cheon of Hwasan.”

“Baek… of Hwasan. Yes, Baek Cheon! Did my elder brother perhaps go too far?”

That madman, did he really go and do it!

“…..Well, that is…”

Unable to endure the disciples’ continued hesitation and evasive mumbling, Jin Eunryong finally snapped.

“Spit it out already!”

“Th-The…! The one who was injured is Daesahyeong!”

“Huh?”

“Of course, Baek Cheon of Hwasan was injured too, but, ah… no, he was more injured than Sahyeong was.”

“….What are you even saying right now?”

“In the end, he lost. Daesahyeong did.”

“Huh?”

“Daesahyeong lost. Baek Cheon of Hwasan defeated him. It was truly close…. Ah, truly.”

Jin Eunryong stood there blankly, his eyes wide. Who defeated whom?

“Ah, in any case, we will take Geumchang-yak and Yosangdan.”

“Uh… uh, yes.”

Jin Eunryong was so out of it that he merely nodded absentmindedly without thinking. Even after the door closed again and he was left alone, he stood there blinking for quite a while.

Dongryong beat elder brother? That Jin Geumryong?

“Ha…. Haha……”

Words he had once heard in the past came back to him.

– Do you think that brat could ever surpass me?

Those were Jin Geumryong’s words, and back then Jin Eunryong too had shaken his head and answered no to that question.

“And yet, he did? Hahaha…“

Still dumbfounded, Jin Eunryong slowly trudged to the window and threw it wide open. Cheers were pouring out again.

“Hwasan, huh……”

Muttering to himself as he alternated his gaze between the ledger he had been writing in and the scene outside the window, Jin Eunryong let out a somewhat bitter smile.

“Should I have gone there too, at least once?”

Later, when he met that brat Dongryong again, he would definitely ask him. Just what kind of place it was.

________

*¹Leaving Home – 출가(出家) – ‘leaving the household’, but not in a sense of just leaving, but leaving with a purpose to become a monk. Could be applied to both Taoism and Buddhism. 

**¹Analects, Book 13, Chapter 23. 子曰：「君子和而不同，小人同而不和。」

***¹금은동 – first syllables of their names meaning gold, silver and bronze. The last syllables -ryong meaning a dragon. 

****¹청양일검(淸揚一劍) – the one sword/peerless sword of pure ascend, I’d say.

*****¹마두(魔頭) – ‘demonic head’ – a notorious figure/fiend/someone very strong, usually associated with demonic arts.

*²It is a profound Chinese tradition that formalizes the bond between a mentor and a disciple. It ensures the passing down of knowledge, ethics, and skills in fields like martial arts, traditional medicine, arts, and crafts. So it doesn’t only apply to martial arts sects. The tradition consists of giving the Master six ceremonial gifts and performing ceremonial duties/steps.

*³금창약(金瘡藥) – geumchang-yag – metal wound medicine, medicine used to treat wounds caused by blades (swords, knifes, spears etc). Yosangdan – 요상단(療傷丹) – “Healing Pill for Internal Injuries,” in contrast to geumchang-yag.

________

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