“Are they there?”
“No. I looked around to see, but I couldn’t find them.”
Early in the morning, Jong Ri-heon woke up from bed only to hear shocking news.
The servants who stopped by the guest rooms to serve breakfast hurriedly ran back after seeing that there were no people in the guest rooms.
“What are the others saying?”
“No one saw them. It looks like they left the manor.”
“This…”
Two people, not one.
Two people who promised to stand in the sparring match disappeared at the same time.
Jong Ri-heon quickly released his servants and went out to find them, but they could not even find a single trace of them.
They were desperate enough that they looked at the places far from the guest houses too, but they still found nothing.
“I think we should look outside. I will gather the servants and look for them.”
“Yes please.”
At the words of the man, Jong Ri-heon just nodded weakly.
Since it has been confirmed that there was nothing inside, it was natural for people to search outside the manor.
After the servant left, he sat down in the yard and sighed.
“How… just how did this happen…”
Too many thoughts passed through his mind in an instant, both Seok Jong’s concerned attitude at the time of mentioning Kang Won-tae and the voice of Ju Ya-seong, all calm.
It was pointless to blame them after the image he had just given them yesterday.
Did they run… away…? No, I don’t know about the assassin but Seok Jong isn’t that kind of person…
Excessive shock led to a denial of reality.
He may have suddenly felt sick and went to some infirmary closeby, or maybe went to a mountain place to train.
But he knew it. If that were the case, a man like that monk would have left a note to inform them…
“What do we do now?”
Jong Ri-heon buried his face in his hands.
Today was the day that his fate would be decided. He lost two warriors he trusted with an important battle ahead.
Those men, he hoped they would at least have said something. Now there was no time to go out and bring in new warriors.
“Why is it so noisy this early in the morning?”
Clack
Hearing the voice from behind. Jong Ri-heon jumped up, and there he was, the guy he hated seeing so much.
Ja Myung…
Father’s room, it was the room that his concubine, the current lady, was using.
“The servants have been busy since morning… what is happening?”
“It is none of your business. And since when did you talk to me?”
“No. Why? You were born a month earlier than me. Hyung. Do you want to hear politeness from me? Anyway, today is the day of the fight. Right?”
Ja Myung rubbed his palms and Jong Ri-heon gritted his teeth.
This bastard.
He must have heard rumors. Even though he could guess it, this guy was deliberately asking him.
“If you need help. I would like to do it… I heard that the servants are looking for people?”
“… What is your intention behind asking when you know everything?”
“Oh. Really? Did a person disappear? Who? The ones you brought?”
“…”
“No, I just asked. Hehehe.”
Ja Myung smiled and turned his head.
Seeing this, Jong Ri-heon was moved to tears. He wanted to throw a punch, but he knew that he would lose.
Ja Myung grew up with martial arts around him, so he had a stronger physique.
“Ahh!”
The guy who turned said,
“Did you hear that? The elders have brought people to give us fair judgment though.”
“…Who is it?”
“The Namgung Family.”
“…!”
In an instant Jong Ri-heon’s eyes widened.
Could it be that he heard it wrong? The Namgung Family from Anhui?
“Right, the best around here.”
“How…”
“It is such an important day. We need someone to get a good look and I hope that the warriors who ran will get found soon.”
“…”
In the end, Ja Myung ridiculed him until the very last second, and Jong Ri-heon just endured it.
He did not know a thing about martial arts, so he tried to learn them from books
He had so many promises he made to his father, he had two months of hard work, he confidently stepped into the central plains—
And now all of that had shattered to pieces.
“It is over…”
He could not hold back anymore.
The Namgung Family was coming to judge the spars, so there will be no excuses anymore.
And it felt like his last hope, the things he was using to hold an upper hand had disappeared.
“Hmm.”
And he heard someone cough and turned to see the young fortune teller standing there.
“You don’t look good. What happened?”
“That…”
He looked helplessly at the boy and thought for a moment revealing his true feelings.
This morning two of his warriors he had bought disappeared.
“This!”
Songhwa seemed shocked at it, casually patted him on the shoulder, and said,
“Young master, don’t worry too much. We can do something.”
“Something? Can you bring them here?”
“No, that… there is a better way than that.”
Jong Ri-heon titled his head. Was there a better way?
“Someone I brought with me. My master. Then two people will do it, and if I go, it will be the right number.”
“Ah…”
Wait, what was that? Jong Ri-heon felt lost.
“Is he strong?”
He checked it again.
Everyone did not have to be strong. Even if one loses, having two wins, or the other way is also fine.
“Hm, he is strong. But it is an abstract question.”
Songhwa said and he spoke with a bright face,
“My master is the one who looks at the world. To say strong is not enough. You are quite lucky.”
“World… that strong?”
“Yes.”
At Songhwa’s words Jong Ri-heon blinked.
This was not a choice he was given. Still, how should he take this?
It was a situation that required it.
“Therefore. Are you going to spar with these people?”
Standing in front of the guest room was Jong Rimi who asked her brother, puzzled.
This was a place where they recruited the best warriors, and if one thought realistically, it was not even right.
But when she seemed to come out as irritated, Jong Ri-heon strongly reacted.
“It has been a match that was spoken about several months back. In addition, the elders have called for the Namgung Family. Sending them back now is impossible.”
“But you never said anything like this before, right? They never informed us!”
She had tears in her eyes due to the actions of the family.
They were not informed that the Namgung Family was being called to oversee this. Of course, if one was participating in a match within the family, then it should be as fair as possible, but this was more like elders taking sides.
To proceed like this without even giving them a hint…
“Then what do you want to do? Do you have any plans?”
“Haa…”
At Jong Ri-heon’s question she shook her head. Actually, she knew how bad this situation was.
Was it not already obvious that they were going to lose this spar?
She turned to the side.
There was a young boy, a playboy, and a young man who was more eager to eat food.
“…”
The warriors they brought this time looked peaceful. They acted as if the situation was going like they had planned, but then they had dumb faces like they had no clue.
“I understand. I will try to find out if there is a way to cancel this.”
Jong Rimi was not going to give up on the chance to cancel the fight. In the current situation it was definitely too late, but she hoped the other side would make concessions.
“HAA.”
Once she left, Jong Ri-heon sighed.
He was not in a situation where he had much liberty to act, and making up his mind, he moved.
“Uh? What is it?”
“When does the fight start?”
Imugi and Seol-Hwi were eating food.
“In a moment, we will be in the yard. The rules are simple, spar one by one, and the losing side goes down while the winning side continues to fight.”
“Hmm.”
All three nodded like they understood.
“By the way, a match is over when one side gives up. However, killing the opponent should be what you are wary of.”
It was necessary to inform them since death happens in spars, and despite it being rare and the Namgung Family being there, anything could happen.
“Had everything… now do we go?”
“Is that so?”
“We had a good meal.”
After finishing the meal, Seol-Hwi and Imugi stood up with Songhwa.
Seeing this, Jong Ri-heon tried to move without caring, but being polite, he guided them.
“Follow.”
The courtyard was packed with people.
The place had about 150 people originally selected to observe, but now it seemed like the yard was packed with around 400 people. As a result, even the large space in the yard seemed small.
As it was a battle that would decide the future of the family, many seemed to be interested.
And at the end of the yard, on the left side of the center were 20 members who were of the immediate family.
On the right were 30 people from the opposing side.
“Oh…”
“Looks like it is going to start.”
It seemed like a festival.
It was true because the power of the Jong Family could shift today, and it was interesting to have skilled warriors come to fight.
“Please be quiet everyone.”
The First Elder standing in the middle spoke loudly. He was taking the role to lead the spars.
“People who are here, you might have already heard but I would like to inform you that this event is held to decide the next successor of the Jong Family. Even the bedridden head has agreed to this.”
Whisper
The people watching were all shocked, both the warriors and scholars.
However, the color of their clothes were not as great as the family’s. They were ordinary dressed as they worked in weaving or weapons making.
It was a situation where there were men who had left their jobs to come to see the spar.
“Then, the people participating in spar, enter.”
Following his words, the figures walked in. There was a giant with dark skin and stern look.
Another had a red cloth on their shoulder and was neatly dressed. And another in blue who walked in.
“Uh? Look at the red cloth on his shoulder. Where did I see this before?”
“Taoist? Has to be a taoist?”
“One of them has burnt skin.”
Seeing the people who came in, the people began to talk and everyone had eyes on the unique outfits.
And in time, people started to walk in front of the rest.
But unlike the other side, this side made them laugh.
One was a boy!
Another seemed like he would do well in red light districts, and the last one looked weak enough to collapse.
“What is this… we won.”
Jabi, the concubine sitting said.
Her evaluation was based on the first impressions of the other side’s warriors.