The long tirade that started with, “You have no respect for elders,” stretched on for a while.
There was no respect for the traditional hierarchy, arrogance everywhere, reckless actions causing trouble every day, and, well, at your level, it wasn’t even arrogance anymore, it was just an acceptable amount of arrogance. But still, how old do you think I am compared to you? Just because we look about the same age doesn’t mean you can act that way! Why are you treating others like that? Do you think it’s cute? That’s not cute, that’s rude. And don’t treat me that way either, it’s annoying. Just do whatever you want... Blah, blah, blah.
Surprisingly, this entire rant could be boiled down to one simple phrase:
“You insolent little brat!”
Seo-jun scratched his head.
“Forget that. Anything about martial arts?”
Seo-jun, dismissing the whole tirade as he absentmindedly poked at his ear (thus proving his own lack of manners), made Pae Jin-gwang sigh heavily.
“Martial arts? What about your shortcomings in martial arts?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“You should ask someone who knows better. As far as I know, there’s no one better at martial arts than you.”
“Like a master or something?”
“Hmm...”
Pae Jin-gwang crossed his arms and tapped his feet on the ground, thinking hard.
“Namgung Jincheon... Well, he’s certainly a great guy. A person with that kind of talent comes once in a thousand years.”
Namgung Jincheon. The head of the Namgung Clan and a man who was known as the “Greatest Under Heaven”.
Even though he hadn’t lived three hundred years—still relatively young for a martial artist—no one ever doubted the title "Greatest Under Heaven" when it was attached to him.
Even when compared to the Martial God Ju Wuncheon, Namgung Jincheon was not significantly inferior.
Pae Jin-gwang frowned slightly as he looked at Seo-jun.
“But you...”
“What about me?”
“You’re really something. Honestly, even Namgung Jincheon can’t compare to you.”
Pae Jin-gwang knew that Seo-jun had only been training in martial arts for less than three years.
Yet... look at him now. There was no sign of where his limits were, even in Pae Jin-gwang’s eyes.
He was used to not being able to see through Seo-jun’s abilities. But now, things were different.
Not long ago, Pae Jin-gwang thought he had the upper hand, but now Seo-jun had surpassed him, leaving him behind.
How was he supposed to advise someone like this?
“Well, if I had to pick something, maybe your physical strength.”
“Oh, yeah. Swordsmanship and stuff.”
“Right. Honestly, it’s better than most martial artists. The other talents you have are just too ridiculous to compare.”
The next day, after receiving Pae Jin-gwang’s not-so-helpful advice (which had caused Pae Jin-gwang to throw a fit), Seo-jun held a tournament within the Namgung Clan.
It was called ‘The Search for Lee Seo-jun’s Weaknesses’ Tournament.
The Namgung Clan was in complete chaos.
****
Recently, the Namgung Clan had been unusually turbulent, but in its nature, the clan was traditionally calm and static.
It was humble, not flashy; quiet, not noisy.
But right now, the Namgung Clan was louder than ever.
“Who dared speak such disrespect to the Head?”
“Who else but a madman would do such a thing?”
“And suddenly, he hosts a ‘Find the Weakness of Lee Seo-jun’ tournament... What’s going on?”
“Don’t try to understand it. How could we ever follow the thought process of a genius like him?”
Among the elders, there was much confusion and gossip over the sudden tournament.
In particular, Namgung Yeongbo, the head of the Cheonyak Faction, was extremely upset, stamping his feet.
“This is sacrilege! There’s no way our young master has any weakness! A weakness in the legendary young master? If you asked a Taoist from the Wudang Sect to find the weaknesses of the three immortals, what do you think they’d say?!”
“What are you even talking about, Yeongbo?”
“Ugh... This is not good!”
While Namgung Yeongbo rambled on about the legendary future of Lee Seo-jun, his careless actions had caused tremendous uproar within the Namgung Clan.
Slowly adjusting to his position as clan head, Namgung Myeong also caught wind of the event.
“Ah, brother...”
Hwangbo Hyeji, who was standing next to him, looked at him with a worried expression.
“Is something wrong?”
“There is something, but...”
Namgung Myeong had heard about Seo-jun’s heart demon.
He had been shocked when he first heard the rumors, immediately going to check on Seo-jun. But upon seeing him in such good health, he had breathed a sigh of relief.
“I don’t think this is something your brother is taking seriously.”
“Huh?”
“He’s always been a very down-to-earth person. He has no real interest in authority, and he’s endlessly generous with his people.”
The influence of the Hwagyeong was as immense as the gods themselves. To them, there was nothing in the world they couldn’t do.
Their will always took precedence over any law or custom.
And yet, unlike the gods or natural disasters, nobody dared speak out against their will.
It was the same principle as when people don’t take up arms against a tidal wave that destroys everything in its path.
Unlike the tide, however, the Hwagyeong martial artists had both eyes and ears, as well as willpower.
If someone yelled insults at the tide, it wouldn’t answer, but the Hwagyeong martial artists were different.
A life could be extinguished in a heartbeat, like swatting away an annoying insect.
“But your brother, he views the Hwagyeong as just a little more than a strong martial artist. He’s never been one to care much about authority, and he’s very generous to his people.”
Contrary to his infamous alias, "Myeolsacheon-gun", Lee Seo-jun himself was incredibly gentle.
He had a mischievous streak, but it was never excessive. (This is Namgung Myeong’s personal view.)
If he ever took things too far, it would probably be because he didn’t see the other person as one of his own.
“So, do you think this whole event is just a joke?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I’m sure he has some meaning behind it...”
What that meaning was, Namgung Myeong couldn’t guess.
But one thing was certain: His brother had no intention of causing trouble.
“So, if you have any ideas, Hwangbo Hyeji, maybe you should enter the tournament. Your brother would probably enjoy it.”
“E-Excuse me? His weaknesses?”
Namgung Myeong smiled and nodded at the surprised Hwangbo Hyeji. Then he began writing something down on a piece of paper.
“Of course. I think...”
****
“You tend to neglect yourself too much for the sake of your family. Is this true?”
Seo-jun laughed as he scanned the submissions for the “Lee Seo-jun’s Weaknesses Search” competition.
“Lately, you haven’t been hanging out with me much. This is obviously from Chunbong. And lacking manners? That’s got to be Pae Jin-gwang.”
The rest of the submissions were mostly just a shower of compliments disguised as complaints.
“I see, being too perfect is also a problem.”
Seo-jun shrugged as he observed Chunbong, who scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“How could you ask someone from the Namgung Clan to insult the family head? Do you even know what would happen if you said something wrong?”
“What do you mean? I’m not doing anything.”
“Do you think the people who aren’t close to you will know that?”
“What?”
Seo-jun realized it was true.
When he thought about it, wasn’t this a bit like a CEO of a massive corporation ordering employees to submit their weaknesses as if it were some sort of company task?
It was like forcing employees to admit flaws while running the company.
Lost in his thoughts, Seo-jun scratched his head when Namgung Sua suddenly asked him.
“Why this search for weaknesses all of a sudden? Are you trying to find and improve upon your flaws?”
“No, not really.”
If anything, it was more of a self-discovery thing. It was about understanding himself better.
This heart demon, as he called it, might not have come from his own mind, but it was still deeply connected to his inner thoughts and emotions.
“To truly master this heart, or the ‘mind,’ I need to understand myself better,” he explained.
“Hmm... I see...”
Namgung Sua fell into deep thought. Chunbong also began to seriously ponder Seo-jun’s weaknesses.
“First of all, you...”
“Yeah?”
“You don’t use your head enough.”
“What...?”
“It’s not that you’re stupid, you just don’t think much.”
Seo-jun blinked, trying to process.
“And... you tend to solve things with brute force.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You think smashing things will solve everything.”
“But that’s true, right?”
“Hmm. Well, yeah.”
Chunbong tapped her lips thoughtfully.
“Oh, right! You forget things all the time. Then, later, you suddenly remember and feel like an idiot.”
“Huh?”
This made Seo-jun recall something.
“Come to think of it, Chunbong.”
“Yeah?”
“I caught them.”
“Them? Who are you talking about?”
“The ones involved in the fall of the Geum Clan.”
“...What?”
****
Seo-jun started explaining the story about Baek Yun and Sword Maniac.
He told them about the organization Myeolshinwe and their goals, why they targeted the Geum Clan, the Hwangun Shingeom, and even the Binggung—before mentioning how he had buried them deep inside his subconscious.
“......”
Chunbong didn’t speak for a while. She just stared at the ground, her expression complicated as she rubbed her chin.
Seo-jun, noticing her silence, carefully asked,
“Did you want to take revenge personally?”
“Huh? Oh, ah...”
Chunbong quickly looked up, shaking her head.
“It’s true, but still, you did it, so...”
Chunbong’s thoughts were clear: Seo-jun and Geum Chunbong were one and the same.
Still lost in thought, Chunbong scratched her cheek absentmindedly and wiggled her hands together in front of her.
“It’s not that... I just... I can’t quite grasp it.”
A sigh slipped out from her.
The family’s revenge. In truth, recently, she hadn’t been as passionate about it as she once was.
New family members had come into her life, and being by their side had helped her forget the wounds of the past.
Day by day, life was happier. The warmth from her brother, who was kinder to her than anyone else, made the scars in her heart almost disappear.
“Hmm...”
It felt too sudden to grasp, but there was a strange sensation, a feeling like something was stirring inside her. It was as if it was itching or something. She wasn’t sure.
With that, Chunbong’s eyes welled up, and a single tear dropped down her cheek.
Seo-jun blinked, then reached out and gently wiped the tear away with his finger.
Chunbong closed her eyes, letting him touch her face. The tension in her face eased as she softly opened her eyes.
“...Thank you, Oppa.”
She avoided his gaze shyly, but smiled despite herself. Seo-jun smiled back, amused.
“Thank you? What’s there to thank me for? It’s my job too. It’s not over yet.”
“Huh?”
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
Seo-jun placed his hand on Chunbong’s tiny head with a firm but gentle gesture.
“For the fall of the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Geum Clan, the rest of them need to be taken care of too.”
The annoying pests, like Shin Blood and others, would be much better off dealt with sooner rather than later.