Chapter 33 – Sincerity Beyond Appearances

Chapter 33 – Sincerity Beyond Appearances

“I sent him back as promised. I do not know about the Murong Family Head, though…”

As the flustered Murong Tak turned back, San-ho, who had slowly trailed off his words, smiled faintly.

“…!!”

“Even though I heard the Young Master’s words, I was skeptical. I thought it could never be the case. However… to think that trusting the Chief Administrator would become my regret.”

“It—it is a misunderstanding. I only came to… to catch a thief!”

Even if the rumor was intended, the evidence was clear, so it would not be easy to escape. Murong Tyue hurriedly began to make excuses to overcome this situation.

“A thief?”

“Yes, Family Head! Pl—please look at this!”

Murong Tak poured out the Zhuge Clan's iron folding fan, the Paeng Family's jade hairpin, and a wooden box and headband engraved with the Namgung Clan's crest from his bosom.

“Did you not hear the rumor as well, Family Head? The rumor that the Young Master went around the guest halls of the families and stole things.”

“………”

“Th—these are all the things the Young Master stole. I was only trying to catch the wicked thief…”

“Hm? I gave him that, though.”

“…?”

When an unfamiliar voice was heard, Murong Tak raised his head.

Creak.

As the door on the opposite side, which had been hidden, opened completely, Paeng Mu-hyeok, the Family Head of the Hebei Paeng Clan, spoke from behind with one eyebrow raised.

“Ah, my apologies. This is not a situation for me to intervene. But that hairpin, it was not stolen; I gave it to the Young Master as a gift, so please exclude the Paeng Clan.”

“Ah, is… is that so? But the other things…”

Murong Tak picked up the silver headband as if flustered.

At that moment, a pale face peeked out from behind Paeng Mu-hyeok. It was the Young Master of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Yeon, who had been hidden by his large build. The Young Clan Leader of the Zhuge Family, dressed in dark purple robes, was also with him.

“Why is the headband I gave to Brother in the hands of the Chief Administrator?”

“………”

“Mmh, that is the iron folding fan of the Zhuge Family. That fan was personally gifted to the Young Master by the Zhuge Family Head. He said they had a pleasant conversation after a long time.”

“………Th—that cannot be. There were clearly rumors of a thief entering the guest halls…!”

“Sigh, I do not know where the Chief Administrator heard such wild rumors… but nothing has gone missing. Are not more than half of all rumors just nonsense?”

“The same goes for the Namgung Clan.”

“The same goes for the Zhuge Family.”

Murong Tak's face turned pale.

He could only now fully comprehend this situation.

He had thought it was a deliberately spread rumor, but from the beginning, the rumor itself was entirely false.

‘Just how far did he…’

When Murong Tak could not find any more words to say and only hovered his mouth open, Murong Seol-ju spoke in a voice suppressing his anger.

“Do you still have excuses left?”

“…Family Head…”

“Drag him away.”

“Family Head!!”

No. It could not end like this!

Whoosh.

Sparks flew from the hands of the despair-ridden Murong Tak. In an instant, the secret manuals he was holding caught fire and burned up.

Samadhi True Fire.

It was a technique that used internal energy to create fire. With Murong Tak's internal energy, it was only a small spark at his fingertips, but it was enough to burn a few books made of paper.

“…The Chief Administrator disappoints me until the very end.”

Murong Seol-ju, who did not stop his actions, looked down at him with eyes colder than ever before.

The hand gripping the sword hilt trembled.

Murong Tak closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the blade to fly at his neck.

‘I have no regrets. I only did my job.’

However.

“……?”

When no cold pain was felt even after some time, Murong Tak slowly opened his eyes.

“…You will not die here. Is this place not the Tang Clan Branch? I cannot cause any more trouble to the Tang Clan with my clan's matters. Return to Liaoning… I shall kill you in the slowest and most painful way possible. You can look forward to it.”

“………!!”

The Family Head’s voice, which no longer held any emotion, echoed in his ears.

“Squad Leader. Sever the tendons and cut the meridians of that criminal, and drag him to Liaoning, keeping him alive by all means.”

“Yes, Family Head. I shall obey your command.”

Having his head cut off with a single blow was far too merciful for him.

The culprit who had tried to harm the Young Clan Leader of the family would die slowly in the most terrible pain.

“No, ah, no…!! Family Head, please, anything but that… Please, just ki—kill me!”

“Indeed. I said I would do so.”

Murong Tak's desperate cries were quickly suppressed and faded to one side.

The storm-like day came to an end like that.

***

The final day of the Assembly of the Five Great Families dawned.

The ones who had awaited this day the most were none other than the maidservants of the Tang Clan Branch. Since they had suffered for over a month from preparation to reception, it was only natural for them to wait for the assembly to end as soon as possible.

The maidservants, grabbing a bundle of laundry piled up at the washing site, beat it continuously and spoke.

“Doesn't the Tang Clan Branch seem a bit empty today?”

“The Murong Clan left for Liaoning early this morning. Since one guest hall is empty, it must look that way.”

“Really? Why so suddenly?”

“How would maidservants like us know that? Seeing that they left in a hurry, it seems something must have happened in Liaoning.”

At those words, a maidservant with dumpling hair looked around slowly and whispered quietly.

“Say, could it… be related to that thief incident?”

“Hmm? Ah, you haven't heard yet? They say that rumor was completely false. Apparently, the maidservants of the guest hall misplaced the items while cleaning, so they couldn't find them. Anyway, it's not because of that.”

“There's only one day left anyway, but they left early, so I was just curious.”

“Today is the busiest day, you know. Madam Yun told us never to let our guard down until all the guests have departed.”

“Sigh, nagging! Got it, got it. Let's finish the washing before we are late for the banquet.”

“Yeah. Let's eat a lot of delicious food when we're done.”

The chattering voices of the maidservants were heard in harmony with the beat of the laundry bats.

The Assembly of the Five Great Families was held for a week.

The final day was always conducted in an atmosphere close to an after-party.

Today was no exception.

The Family Heads of the great families, who had been discussing future plans during the past period, were gathered in the Cloud Joy Hall today, sharing conversation.

This time, the talk was in full bloom regarding Tang San-ho, the rising star who had received the most attention during the assembly.

“Haha, when I first saw the Young Master, I thought he was just a young boy, but it turned out he is so bold that I wonder if there is an old man inside him. How could he possess such a deep mind at such a young age?”

“Flower of Sichuan? No, is not a Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick the perfect description for the Young Master? A new wind will blow in the Jianghu.”

As the Family Heads poured out compliments for San-ho, Tang Hwa-seon let out a short sigh and conveyed his apologies.

“My child's audacious behavior has caused trouble. Yesterday, too, because he dragged the members of the families into it… I am deeply ashamed.”

At that, Paeng Mu-hyeok laughed out loud.

“Bwahaha, Lord Tang! What do you mean by that? The Young Master did not drag us in; we were the ones who joined him.”

“Excuse me?”

“The Young Master did make one request. He asked us to just pretend not to know. Bwahaha, that was all. So he did not drag us in, did he?”

“He made the same request of me. Thus, even when wild rumors circulated, I knew the Young Master was behind it.”

When Zhuge Jun also spoke with a gentle smile, Tang Hwa-seon asked back.

“Then yesterday…”

“Ah, that was just us going to watch… Cough. Well, it is a pity for Murong, but how could we miss such an interesting spectacle? We were so curious that we disregarded appearances and went. But you do not have to blame the Young Master.”

“That is right, Lord Tang. Do not worry too much. There has never been an assembly as interesting as this one.”

“……”

Namgung Cheon also added his opinion.

Not only did San-ho leave a good impression at the assembly, but he had also made them all side with him. Tang Hwa-seon was temporarily confused as to whether he should blame or praise San-ho, who had set up such a large board without any consultation.

A newly discovered raw gem. A child whose depths were intriguing.

As the talk of San-ho continued, the atmosphere in the Cloud Joy Hall grew riper.

And there was another thing that could not be missed in such a place.

It was boasting about one's children.

A day when boasts like how one's son had mastered the family's divine martial arts or won a duel against a rising star of some sect were poured out.

Having listened to the stories of the rising stars of each family for a long time, the Family Heads spoke reliably.

“With so many rising stars who will pull down the noses of the Nine Sects… my heart is reassured.”

“Since the rise in level of one person will surely affect those around them.”

“Is that so? However, looking at the children currently counted among the Seven Dragons and Five Phoenixes, there are only four rising stars from the great families… all the children must strive harder.”

When the Zhuge Family Head suddenly spoke the truth, the surrounding Family Heads coughed slightly.

It was not a wrong statement.

The Five Great Families were often treated as a step below the Nine Sects. The rising stars of the Nine Sects, who severed ties with the mundane world and practiced martial arts all day, generally grew faster than the children of the families. However, in the Jianghu, where strength was justice, any reason was merely an excuse.

“Even if that is not the case… the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering is not far off, so the rising stars of the families are dedicating themselves to their training even more. Is this not the time to show the power of the Five Great Families?”

“It is true that the martial prowess of the families' rising stars has heightened, but the same goes for the disciples of the Nine Sects. We must never let down our guard.”

The Family Heads of the Five Great Families gathered in one place agreed with the opinion and nodded.

How many times had they heard the stigma of 'Martial arts of the Nine Sects are a step above the great families'? Now that the number of prominent rising stars in each family had increased, it was their chance to prove their strength.

Martial artists were indeed martial artists.

The fathers who had been busy boasting of their children vanished for a moment, and the Family Heads, with sharp eyes, made a solemn determination.

***

At the same time, San-ho was facing a bizarre sight once again.

“…No, Yeon-ah.”

“I want to remain at the Tang Clan Branch.”

Namgung Yeon, who had made a shocking declaration with a solemn expression, even crossed his arms and nodded. Seeing this, the Young Clan Leader Namgung Hyun let out a deep sigh and dissuaded Namgung Yeon.

“Sigh… why are you acting like a wild colt? This is not just anywhere; this is the Tang Clan Branch. Do you not know that the Tang Clan does not take in retainers?”

“…Brother, you will not abandon me, will you?”

“Abandon you? That is your home…” San-ho said to Namgung Yeon, whose eyes were shining brightly.

“You should go home.”

“……”

Though told to go to his house, Namgung Yeon made an expression as if he had been kicked out of the home he had lived in all his life.

“And normally, that is called going home, not abandonment.”

Even pointedly stating the facts.

Where on earth did the rumors of the Namgung Family go wrong? Looking closely, from the Family Head Namgung Cheon to the Young Clan Leader Namgung Hyun, this Joraengi Rice Cake was molded by pouring endless love.

Indeed. Namgung Yeon had never experienced a situation in his life where things did not go his way.

Since a young master of a prestigious family had even received a mountain of love, the Joraengi Rice Cake, who had only walked on flower paths, had been ignoring Namgung Hyun's words to prepare to return to Anhui for an hour.

Pouting his lips, Namgung Yeon muttered.

“It is said that even a common fly can travel a thousand miles by clinging to the tail of a swift horse. I cannot travel a long distance alone, but if I receive teachings from Brother, would I not be able to travel a thousand miles?”

He spoke well.

The fact that he was the young master of a prestigious family showed once again.

Seeing Namgung Hyun only sighing deeply, San-ho felt somewhat sorry and made a proposal.

“Hefei is not far from Sichuan by carrier pigeon. If you have any questions or anything to say, you can just write a letter.”

“Are there not many things that cannot be fully conveyed in a letter?”

“………”

The Joraengi Rice Cake refused to back down even a single word.

San-ho, who felt like channeling a child therapist and grabbing his arm to say, 'Our Golden Child shouldn't do this! You must listen to your brother!', pondered a more suitable response.

“Ah, then I'll tell you something good.”

As if something had come to mind, San-ho spread a sheet of paper wide on the tea table. Then he took out a fine brush and began to write something on the paper.

“…?”

“Wait a moment.”

As he wrote down what was neither text nor drawing, Namgung Yeon tilted his head in confusion.

“All done!”

“What is this?”

“This? This… let's see, what should I call this…”

San-ho rolled his eyes for a moment and shamelessly uttered a name that closely resembled "emoticon."

“Emo-dae-gon! That is what it is called.”

Yi (: Near)

Mo (: Appearance)

Dae (: Substitute)

Gon (: Sincerity)

Had they ever heard of it? A magical drawing that conveyed feelings as if one were near, even if they were far away.

“…Emo… dae-gon?”