Chapter 34 – Heaven’s Mandate

Chapter 34 – Heaven's Mandate

Namgung Yeon narrowed one eye slightly, struggling to figure out the identity of the things drawn on the paper.

San-ho turned the paper in front of him toward Namgung Yeon and spoke.

“Here, look. What does this look like to you?”

“…A mountain peak?”

“No. Look, '^^' is a smiling face. See, when you smile, your eyes fold like this, right?”

“……?”

“This 'ㅠㅠ' is a crying face. How is it? Doesn't it look like tears are flowing?”

Namgung Yeon, looking at what San-ho pointed at, pondered for a moment, then turned it this way and that before his eyes suddenly widened.

“Ah, you're right. I see it now. A crying face!”

Smiling with satisfaction at the student's quick understanding, San-ho explained one by one the emotions and expressions represented by the faces drawn below.

To think that various emotions such as happiness, excitement, contempt, anger, and embarrassment could be expressed with just a few strokes. Not only Namgung Yeon, who saw an emoticon for the first time, but also Namgung Hyun, who was glancing from the side, soon became completely absorbed in the 'imotegon lecture.'

“I have never seen anything like this before. Does everyone in Sichuan use this?”

“Well… no. It's like a promise. Even though 'ㅠㅠ' resembles a crying face, you wouldn't know it at a glance. So we agree to share emotions with the same meaning from now on. In other words, it's only used among people who know it.”

Worried that Namgung Yeon might overuse emoticons when sending letters to his elders, San-ho vaguely summarized the structure of language.

Language was the result of social agreement, just as one could not call an apple a tangerine by oneself.

Perhaps liking the unfamiliar imotegon, Namgung Yeon was copying them one by one with Namgung Hyun. Before they knew it, the faint scent of ink filled the tea room.

Just then, someone knocked on the door of the tea room.

“Um, Young Master… I made this myself.”

She was Paeng Ju-hyun, the precious daughter of the Paeng Family Head.

With slightly flushed cheeks, her hair neatly styled up, and wearing a cherry blossom-colored silk robe, she looked exceptionally dressed up. Paeng Ju-hyun shyly held out what was in her hand—a scroll rolled up in thick silk.

Expressing his gratitude, San-ho pushed the rings and unrolled the scroll.

“……Gasp.”

“Do you like it?”

In contrast to Paeng Ju-hyun, whose face was flushed similar to the color of her clothes, San-ho's complexion darkened rapidly upon seeing the scroll.

‘…Is this by any chance me?’

Painted inside the scroll made of obviously expensive paper and silk was a portrait of San-ho. However, his eyes were larger than in reality, his lips were redder, and as a finishing touch, flowers were in full bloom around his shoulders.

“………”

‘This is like a 90s romance comic protagonist.’

Unsure of how to react to this embarrassing gift, San-ho hesitated for a moment, but Paeng Ju-hyun spoke first.

“Young Master. Since the Tang Clan has welcomed the Paeng Clan so warmly, why don't you visit Hebei as well? If we travel together this time, we can look at the rivers, mountains, wind, and moon along the way…”

Before he could be swept into a long journey, San-ho gently declined the offer. Though looking disappointed, Paeng Ju-hyun did not forget to secure a promise from San-ho to visit Hebei at least once.

“But Young Master, what is this?”

Paeng Ju-hyun asked, staring at the list of imotegons on the tea table.

Just as San-ho was about to speak,

“Ah, Young Master. Here you are. I came because I have something to give you before I leave.”

This time, Zhuge Seon, the Young Clan Leader of the Zhuge Family, entered the tea room. Perhaps because it was the last day of the assembly, everyone seemed to feel a lingering regret.

“Young Clan Leader. Have you finished all preparations to head to Hubei?”

“It is not a very long journey, so no major preparations are needed. By the way, the other guests were here as well. No wonder I could not find you.”

Zhuge Seon lightly greeted the Namgung guests and Paeng Ju-hyun, who were sitting together in the tea room.

“Ah, please take this.”

“What is it?”

Smiling with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, Zhuge Seon pulled a gift from his robe and handed it over.

In his hand was a silver rod-like object slightly longer than a span of a hand, its tip sharpened to a keen edge.

“It is a Judge's Pen.”

A Judge's Pen was an iron brush. Its appearance closely resembled a sleek fountain pen, but its tip was sharp, allowing it to be used like a hidden weapon. Since it was one of the weapons used by the Zhuge Clan, San-ho asked in confusion,

“You are giving this to me?”

“Anyone from the Zhuge Clan would recognize a Judge's Pen. It is my hope that this will be of some small help when the Young Master ventures out into the Jianghu later on.”

“Wow… thank you. But why are you suddenly giving this to me?”

“It seemed to me that the Young Master knows a thing or two. It was a pity that others do not understand that battles are most interesting with intellect and strategy. Since the Judge's Pen is both a hidden weapon and a writing instrument, I thought it would suit the Young Master well.”

Since he had provided entertainment, it was only natural to pay the price. Chuckling softly, Zhuge Seon bowed slightly and spoke.

“Ah, also, my father…”

At Zhuge Seon's subsequent words, the rims of San-ho's ears turned slightly red.

“Ah, no. Why are you suddenly saying such things?”

It was due to the proposal suggesting that since the women of the Zhuge Clan possessed not only beautiful looks but also deep scheming minds, making them the best bridal candidates, why not meet one of them.

“Hmm? My sisters are exceptionally beautiful. So when you come to Hubei, you must visit the Zhuge Clan… No, instead of that, how about traveling together today? Our chess match is not even finished yet.”

The eldest sister's skin was exceptionally white and fair, so she was called Snow Flower. The second sister was gentle and wise, making her wonderful to talk to… Zhuge Seon listed the strengths of his sisters one after another like a matchmaking agency employee.

'Tsk. If I make one wrong move, I might end up stopping by Hubei, then Anhui, then Hebei, making a grand crossing of the Central Plains.'

“But what is this? Is it a drawing or writing… Ah, is it a code by any chance?”

As expected of a family highly proficient in various formation arts and mechanism formations, Zhuge Seon began to show interest in the letters of unknown meaning on the tea table.

“These are things called imotegons. They are mysterious characters that allow for a communion of minds even from afar.”

Holding a fine-tip brush with a proud expression, Namgung Yeon answered in his stead.

In the end, gathering the young masters of the great families who had sparkling eyes, San-ho's imotegon lecture resumed once more.

Thus, the exceptionally long assembly of the Five Great Families came to an end.

Not long after, carrier pigeons began to fly into the Tang Clan manor every single day.

[Brother ^^ This is Yeon. I miss you ㅠㅠ]

[Young Master. Is your family all well? *^^* I have arrived safely in Hebei. I await the day you come >.