Chapter 7: What Takes Precedence Over Clan Law (1)

“......”

The air inside the room was suffocatingly heavy.

It felt like even breathing carelessly would be forbidden.

Yeon Jipyeong glanced nervously at his father and elder brother.

Gulp.

The sound of swallowing reverberated through the silence.

By the time half an hour had passed, Yeon Wi finally opened his mouth.

“Explain.”

It was a clipped order with all preamble cut away.

Yeon Hojeong answered evenly.

“A quarrel broke out, and we fought.”

“I never told you to summarize.”

His tone betrayed no emotion.

Hojeong’s voice was the same.

“The Namgung girl was the first to pick a quarrel. She demanded we kneel. She even gave off killing intent, so I decided it couldn’t be overlooked and beat them all down.”

“I’ve heard the Lee boy’s face was crushed, and the Namgung girl’s limbs were broken.”

“That’s correct.”

“Especially the Namgung girl—word is she has yet to regain her senses. They say her internal and external injuries are so severe she will need at least half a year of rest.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then she won’t be thinking of troubling us again.”

Yeon Wi’s brow twitched.

It was a small change in expression, too faint to interpret. That uncertainty only deepened Jipyeong’s anxiety.

Yeon Wi spoke again.

“No matter who started it, the fact remains that two men beating one woman is a serious problem.”

“Two men?”

“Hm?”

“I did it alone. Jipyeong did not intervene.”

Yeon Wi turned his gaze on his younger son.

“Is that true?”

“...Yes.”

He looked tense to the breaking point, but he didn’t seem to be lying.

Yeon Wi was inwardly taken aback.

He handled two of them by himself?

He knew his eldest’s skill well. Hojeong wasn’t talentless, but neither was he at the level to be called first-class yet.

Dealing with a son of the Lee Clan might be possible, but Namgung Sanghwa was different. If it had been a rough brawl, maybe—but to overwhelm her without being injured? That was hard to believe.

“You truly mean you handled them both by yourself?”

“Strictly speaking, the Lee brat came at me first, so I dropped him. After that, I disciplined the Namgung girl.”

“‘Disciplined’ her...”

Yeon Wi’s voice grew heavier.

“I don’t expect you to be gentlemen. But mind your words and deeds. A rough heart breeds rough words, and rough words dictate your actions.”

“Is that so.”

“There’s no loss greater than throwing away composure over a few words.”

Hojeong said no more.

This wasn’t a place to argue, nor a time to preach his views. He was the First Young Master of the Yeon Clan, but he was also the future Lord of the Black Emperor’s Citadel, the foremost power of the Demonic Path. Naturally, he could not conform to the martial ideal his clan pursued.

Above all, he did not wish to quarrel with his father. That was why he held his tongue.

Watching his silent eldest, Yeon Wi continued.

“Whatever the cause, the Namgung Clan is counted among the Seven Great Clans alongside our own. For scions of two such clans to draw blood—that is no small matter. You understand this.”

It was a subtle rebuke. The point being that even if he had to avoid the situation entirely, he should not have allowed it to come to blows.

Hojeong tilted his head.

“Is our clan truly one of the Seven Great Clans?”

“What are you implying?”

“That girl didn’t recognize us as such.”

Yeon Wi’s eyes sharpened, though his voice remained unchanged.

“Merely the reckless words of an immature child. To take that as the will of the entire Namgung Clan would be like seeing one and pretending you’ve seen ten.”

“I have no quarrel with the Namgung Clan.”

“Then?”

“What matters is the situation itself, and who was in the wrong.”

“You would say the essence must be faced directly?”

“Exactly.”

“The essence always matters. So does discerning right and wrong, and rewarding or punishing accordingly. But the world isn’t that simple. The stronger the opponent, the more cautious one must be.”

“I understand.”

“If you understand, then you should not have acted that way.”

Again Hojeong held his tongue.

He had much he could say. He had lived the back alleys of the martial world, seeing the vileness and cruelty of the Demonic Path countless times, and he had also witnessed the hypocrisy and suffocating pretenses of the Orthodox.

But if this was the clan’s law and his father’s belief, then he had nothing further to say.

Looking at both sons with detached eyes, Yeon Wi declared:

“Whether I grant reward or punishment will depend on how the matter develops.”

“......”

“Return to your quarters and reflect.”

At those words, Jipyeong’s face went pale.

Never before had their father ordered them to reflect in seclusion. He had always been as clear as a magistrate, decisive as a blade.

For such a man to say this meant the matter was truly grave. Jipyeong could feel it in his bones.

“Father.”

“Speak.”

“T-the fight... perhaps it happened because of me. If I had stopped things beforehand...”

“The fight already happened, and someone was hurt. The one who did the hurting was not you, but your brother.”

“F-Father!”

“Return to your quarters.”

“Just a moment, please, if you would hear me—”

Yeon Wi’s brow twitched. Jipyeong’s mouth snapped shut.

At that moment, Hojeong stood.

“Then I’ll take my leave. Come, Jipyeong.”

Jipyeong had no choice but to rise as well.

****

On the way back from the Clan Lord’s hall, Jipyeong walked with his head hanging low.

“I’m sorry, Brother.”

“Hm?”

“This only happened because of me. If we had just eaten at home...”

“Jipyeong.”

“Yes?”

“I’m hardly one to talk after causing trouble, but there’s something you must always remember.”

“What is it?”

“There’s no such thing as if in this world.”

Jipyeong’s eyes wavered.

“Everything in this world happens through cause and effect. But it’s people who make those causes. You suggested the Ancient Sun Pavilion, but I was the one who acted.”

“......”

“In the end, only the result matters.”

“But still—”

“Let me ask you: if I hadn’t acted, would you have?”

After a moment’s thought, Jipyeong nodded.

“Yes. I think I would have.”

It was a short but earnest answer, and Hojeong knew it was sincere.

“But reality is different. Before you could act, I had already smashed the both of them.”

“......”

“If we’re going to weigh guilt by asking what if, then even the ancestors who founded the Yeon Clan would have to be condemned. Is that what you want?”

“N-no! Of course not!”

“I know. That’s why if has no meaning.”

“Still...”

Biting his lip, Jipyeong clenched his fists and shouted:

“If you are punished, then I’ll be punished with you! I’ll tell Father that myself!”

Hojeong laughed and ruffled his hair.

Jipyeong shrieked.

“Waaah! M-my hair’s a mess!”

“You fool. What parent punishes the innocent child alongside the guilty one?”

“Sniff... But still...”

“Stop fretting. Go back to your quarters. You’ve had a shock—get some rest.”

Jipyeong tugged on his brother’s sleeve.

“You too, Brother. Promise?”

“Don’t worry.”

He hesitated several times, unable to bring himself to leave, but in the end lowered his head and went off toward his room.

Watching his younger brother’s retreating back, Hojeong murmured softly:

“It’s only natural for him to be this uneasy. I was the same.”

No matter how deep one’s love, if it was never shown, it went unseen.

Their father simply wasn’t one to display emotion. Toward his own blood he was stricter still, upholding law and clan rules above all else.

It didn’t matter to Hojeong, but for Jipyeong’s sake, he wished their father could be gentler.

He muttered under his breath:

“Anyway... what about the Jade Wave True Formula? Should I start it now? I’ll probably get scolded to death.”

****

Past midnight.

From outside the Yeon Clan’s main gate, a fierce aura surged.

“Clan Lord!”

The booming voice pierced through the gate, shaking the entire outer compound.

“You bastards! Open this gate! Bring out your Clan Lord at once!”

“Who goes there?”

“What?! Did you just ask me who I am?! Fine, I’ll tell you!”

Kwaang!

With a deafening crash, the south gate of the compound shuddered violently.

Crunch! Thud!

One of the massive doors toppled over.

It stood a full jang tall, half a ja thick—and yet was smashed apart in a single strike. A deep palm print was carved into its center.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

“Silence! I am called Namgung Daesan! Bring your Clan Lord out immediately!”

“Even if you are of the Namgung Clan, how can you commit such lawless violence?!”

“Lawless? Ha! You speak well! Then what of your clan, that shelters a truly lawless wretch as though he were some son of worth? You’re no better than a nest of wastrels!”

“How dare you insult us?!”

Ta-da-dak!

At that moment, dozens of martial guards poured through the ruined south gate.

They were the Iron Wall Hands, who defended the Yeon outer compound. Each one’s skill was enough to be called first-class.

“So the lot of you would bare your fangs now?!”

“We cannot allow—”

“Out of my way!”

Thud!

The man who pushed past the gate guard was a mountain of a figure.

Nearly seven feet tall, a massive greatsword strapped to his back—three or four times the size of a normal longsword.

The Iron Wall Hands’ eyes sharpened.

The giant exuded an overwhelming presence, his naturally forceful aura now surging like waves under the tide of his anger.

He was Namgung Daesan. The very same who had sent word he would visit at noon—yet now had broken down the gate and stormed in.

“Clan Lord! Come out at once! I, Namgung—”

“I am already here.”

Daesan turned toward the storage house to the left.

From the side path walked a middle-aged man who, at a glance, could have been mistaken for a stubborn scholar. It was Yeon Wi.

Namgung Daesan’s face twisted.

“Clan Lord! How could you allow this?!”

“That is what I would ask of you.”

“What?!”

Yeon Wi’s eyes flashed cold.

That gaze made even Namgung Daesan flinch.

“Our clan receives guests, but not ruffians. For the Namgung Clan’s outer compound master of Anhui to act in this way—what is the meaning of it?”

His tone was calm and frigid, a striking contrast to Daesan’s blazing temper.

Daesan gnashed his teeth.

He was known as the most hot-blooded man of the Namgung Clan, yet even he dared not spew reckless abuse before Yeon Wi.

“I’ll be blunt! Surely you’ve already heard the situation!”

“What situation would that be?”

“You feign ignorance? Your sons laid hands on our Clan Lord’s daughter—!”

“So we speak of how your ill-bred girl mocked our clan and tried to kill my sons.”

Daesan’s mouth fell open.

“W-what did you say?!”

Like frost settling on an ancient cliff, Yeon Wi’s words struck cold and sharp.

“Indeed. I had been wanting to hold you to account for this.”