Chapter 47: The Young Lords of the Saber Clan (2)
Yong Hwarin continued speaking.
“Our main family has not been particularly active in the martial world, so it’s not well known. Therefore, the fact that you’ve never heard of our name, young lady, does not reflect poorly on your insight or experience.”
At first glance, it sounded like a compliment, but upon closer inspection, it was subtly insulting.
There was an undercurrent of mockery directed at her lack of experience in the martial world, and the more she thought about it, the more unpleasant it became. The one who laughed the loudest at that remark was the woman sitting next to Pang Giyok.
‘Half the people at this table are women.’
It was uncomfortable.
Especially since they were all top-tier beauties from prominent martial families. The candlelight on the table looked pitiful in comparison.
“I’m Pang Cheollyeon. Young Master Yong has quite the sharp tongue, doesn’t he? I like people like that. A sharp tongue usually means a sharp sword tip, too.”
Pang Cheollyeon, rather than being conventionally beautiful, had a face more suited to a handsome young man. Her striking and well-defined features gave her the kind of look that would allow her to convincingly disguise herself as a dashing man.
‘So this is the iron-blooded female expert who would one day be mentioned as the future head of the Pang Clan.’
Thanks to Pang Giyok and Pang Cheollyeon, the Pang Clan would enter its golden age five years later.
Just as Seomun Seoseol, having had her pride hurt, was about to speak, Pang Cheollyeon quickly threw out a question.
“By the way, the two of you came in looking quite friendly. Are you two perhaps more than just acquaintances? Yohye never takes a man with her anywhere officially. She tends to look down on men, so most of them avoid staying close to her.”
Seomun Seoseol forgot her irritation and turned to look at the two.
The one who reacted the most strongly to that comment was, predictably, Pang Giyok.
Even his frown looked beautiful.
‘I never thought my looks were lacking, but compared to them, I really am like a firefly.’
Still, he knew appearance wasn’t everything, so he didn’t let it bother him too much.
He had seen Pang Giyok a few times in his past life, and his face hadn’t changed much since then.
He had simply gone from a handsome young man to a striking middle-aged man. Even as he aged, he continued to stir the hearts of many women—it made sense.
For a while, the women dominated the conversation, leaving no room for the men to speak.
Eventually, the first man to open his mouth was Pang Giyok.
“I heard a rumor on the way here. Apparently, a new young prodigy has emerged in Henan recently, and his nickname is quite grand. I believe it was the Flying Dragon Sword Hero… could that be you, Young Master Yong?”
“There were a few times I couldn’t suppress my temper and stepped forward, and I suppose those who enjoy such stories gave me that alias. It’s just an empty reputation—nothing to pay attention to.”
Yong Hwarin spoke politely, yet showed no signs of being intimidated by them.
On the contrary, his manner of calmly making eye contact with each person as he spoke made him seem more composed than those around him.
Even renowned young masters from other great families or sects often became flustered or overly deferential in front of these individuals.
It was due to their overwhelming background, skills, and fame.
But Yong Hwarin showed none of that hesitation.
‘He’s quite impressive.’
Pang Cheollyeon and Seomun Seoseol had the same thought simultaneously.
Just the fact that he wasn’t shrinking in front of their older brothers made him a man worth noting.
Seomun Yuwon, knowing that Pang Giyok had an interest in Jegal Yohye, subtly fanned the flames.
“Well, if Miss Jegal is interested in someone, he’s bound to be extraordinary. Frankly, this is the first time I’ve seen her act so friendly with a man.”
Jegal Yohye, as if waiting for that remark, quickly followed up.
“Hohoho, Young Master Yong has been acquainted with my family for quite a while. That’s why I know him well. We’ve just become a little closer recently, but it’s not as serious as Seomun Gongja is implying.”
Jegal Yohye was a woman who knew exactly how to make a man’s heart flutter. She looked like a girl on the outside, but inside, she was already a seasoned woman who had seen all the ups and downs of life.
At times like this, she seemed less like a seductress and more like a fox spirit.
“I see. I thought something was off. I heard a rumor that Young Master Yong was the fiancé of Jegal Cheongyeong. If that’s true, wouldn’t this be quite the messy affair?”
Seomun Yuwon brought up Jegal Cheongyeong to stir up trouble.
But that level of provocation wasn’t enough to unsettle either Jegal Yohye or Yong Hwarin.
However, the anger erupted from an unexpected direction.
“Seomun Sahaeng, how could you speak so carelessly? Are you implying that Miss Jegal Yohye has no sense of propriety or virtue?”
Caught off guard by Pang Giyok’s outburst, Seomun Yuwon smiled and tried to calm the situation.
“Pang Saje, I was a bit harsh with my words. But tell me, wasn’t I right? Even if they’re cousins, liking your cousin’s fiancé is still an immoral act.”
The more Seomun Yuwon spoke, the redder Pang Giyok’s face became.
“Perhaps you weren’t aware. Cheongyeong unni and Young Master Yong have already broken off their engagement. So there’s no moral issue at all.”
Jegal Yohye added fuel to the fire with her unnecessary clarification.
“An annulment only becomes official with mutual agreement between both families.”
Seomun Yuwon continued to nitpick.
“Cheongyeong unni has already informed her family, and a formal letter will be sent to the Heavenly Central Sect soon. That makes it practically official. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Aha, is that so? I’m curious, though—was Young Master Yong the one who was dumped, or did he dump Miss Cheongyeong?”
Even knowing the child was trying to provoke him, the words sparked a surge of anger.
‘That brat sure has no filter.’
To Yong Hwarin, they still seemed like immature kids.
Though he often forgot his own circumstances and his mind sometimes drifted to the wisdom of a fifty-year-old.
“Miss Jegal Cheongyeong’s father and the head of my family have had a longstanding friendship. That relationship led to the betrothal, but since it didn’t align with either of our wishes, we decided to annul it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault—we simply agreed it was best. I hope none of you misunderstand.”
But Seomun Yuwon wasn’t ready to let it go.
“Well, honestly, between the Jegal Clan and the Heavenly Central Sect, the sect is clearly in decline. I’m sure the Jegal Clan was strongly opposed.”
He seemed determined to dig up dirt and stir trouble.
So Yong Hwarin exposed one of Seomun Yuwon’s own secrets.
“I also heard a rumor that Seomun Gongja was engaged to Hwangbo Jooyang, but she broke it off after seeing you with another woman. I was quite impressed by your romantic adventures when I heard that.”
The others looked at Yong Hwarin with admiration for daring to challenge Seomun Yuwon.
They assumed he either hadn’t heard the rumors or was confident enough to bring them up regardless.
“Hahaha, are you saying the pot is calling the kettle black?”
Seomun Yuwon’s voice held a chilling edge.
But Yong Hwarin remained unfazed and calmly responded.
“I’m sure there were circumstances that Seomun Gongja couldn’t speak of. Just as there were with me. We must be careful when discussing rumors, not only for our sake but to protect the honor of those involved.”
At Yong Hwarin’s straightforward admonishment, Seomun Yuwon let out a dry laugh.
Seomun Seoseol knew that this kind of laugh from her brother usually meant trouble.
“Well, you certainly seem worthy of being Jegal Cheongyeong’s former fiancé and capturing Miss Jegal Yohye’s interest. But now I’m curious—does your skill live up to the grand name of Flying Dragon Sword Hero?”
Pang Giyok frowned.
As always, when he didn’t like someone, Seomun Yuwon tried to crush them under the pretense of casual banter.
Yong Hwarin leisurely took a bite of food before replying.
“I quite like the word ‘hero.’ It made me want to become a martial artist who lives up to it. An alias is one of the best ways to describe a warrior. By the way, what’s your alias, Seomun Gongja?”
Even though he already knew, Yong Hwarin asked directly. It showed he had some guts.
‘Heh! This brat dares challenge me? He should be humbly enduring my scolding, not provoking me.’
The reason Seomun Yuwon, who hadn’t cared much about Yong Hwarin until now, was suddenly so confrontational was because Pang Cheollyeon, whom he secretly admired, was showing interest in him.
The way she kept glancing at Yong Hwarin during the meal was hard to ignore.
It was the first time Seomun Yuwon had seen Pang Cheollyeon stare at a man for so long.
He had brought her along on this visit to the Shangguan Clan to win her favor.
Originally, only Pang Giyok and Seomun Yuwon were supposed to come, but Seomun Yuwon had persuaded his younger sibling to bring Pang Cheollyeon as well.
And now this nobody, this heir of an insignificant sect, dared to chat flirtatiously with Jegal Yohye, the infamous vixen of the Jegal Clan, and act as if he belonged among their ranks. Seomun Yuwon found it unbearable.
Meanwhile, Jegal Yohye frowned slightly, annoyed that her plan to provoke Pang Giyok and test his skills had been derailed by Seomun Yuwon.
‘Still, this might be a good chance to assess Seomun Gongja’s abilities, since he hasn’t shown them properly yet.’
Jegal Yohye suddenly stood and said,
“There’s a saying that if warriors argue with words, it brings three years of bad luck. I believe martial artists should prove their beliefs and justice with the sword. Instead of arguing like this, why not settle your differences with a duel, like true warriors?”
A duel might seem out of place at such a gathering, but among martial artists, settling things through combat when words failed was customary.
Even if the loser had the better argument, etiquette demanded deference to the victor.
‘In the Upper World, they say if you have enough money, you can even buy spirits. And in the martial world, you can define justice through strength. It turns out those old sayings are true—even these young people are clinging to such outdated customs.’
It was a stark contrast to the Upper World, where people negotiated for greater benefit.
“There’s no need for a duel on such a fine day, in such a pleasant place, is there?”
Yong Hwarin looked at Jegal Yohye, thinking that proposing a duel wasn’t the wisest idea.