Chapter 38 : The Shangguan Clan (1)

Chapter 38: The Shangguan Clan (1)

“Oh dear, I came all the way to Zhengzhou for that... What a shame.”

Jaegal Yohye spoke with a stinging tone.

“Did you entrust some important matter to that fortune teller? Or... did you perhaps ask him to set the date for Young Master Yong's wedding?”

Her insinuating tone made Yong Hwarin visibly flustered.

‘She’s quite bold, isn’t she.’

“No, not at all. Some time ago, our main family asked him to take care of an exorcism matter.”

“Ah, I see. I heard he’s quite famous as an exorcist as well.”

Shangguan Yuseol seemed almost completely convinced by Yong Hwarin’s explanation.

“But why can’t he come?”

“He committed a grave sin against my household and is scheduled for execution by beheading tomorrow.”

“What! That’s unfortunate. This could have been solved with just a brief meeting.”

Letting out a sigh, Yong Hwarin put on a deeply regretful expression.

Moved by the look of genuine disappointment, Shangguan Yuseol spoke without thinking.

“Then we should go see him today.”

“Ah, would that be alright? If you’d allow it, I would be immensely grateful.”

Jaegal Yohye, however, seemed to have already picked up on something suspicious in Yong Hwarin’s words. She looked at him with a faint, knowing smile.

On the other hand, innocent as she looked, Shangguan Yuseol believed every word Yong Hwarin said.

“Then shall we go right away? We were planning to return home soon anyway.”

As Shangguan Yuseol stepped forward eagerly, Jaegal Yohye looked on with an amused expression. Yong Hwarin, regardless of her gaze, remained fully committed to his act.

“Ah, is that so? Then...”

After a moment’s thought, Yong Hwarin turned to Mo Biyoung and said,

“Master Mo, please return to the inn and inform the others that we’ll be stopping by the Shangguan Clan. Also, please stay there and wait. There will be plenty to do.”

What he meant was for her to return and continue training or cultivating martial arts.

“Will you be alright going alone?”

“It would be highly disrespectful to visit the esteemed Shangguan Clan while accompanied by bodyguards.”

While not strictly disrespectful, bringing escorts could imply a lack of trust toward the Shangguan Clan.

“Besides, this is a personal matter. Please go back and wait. Let the others know as well.”

Mo Biyoung glanced at Jaegal Yohye. Though she clearly wasn’t pleased, she had no justifiable reason to refuse.

“Understood. If you do not return by tomorrow afternoon, we will come to the clan ourselves.”

Yong Hwarin laughed, watching Mo Biyoung acting like a nagging mother-in-law.

“There’s no need for that. I’ll send a message through communication techniques from time to time. If the matter takes longer, there might be a slight delay.”

After sending Mo Biyoung away, Yong Hwarin turned to Shangguan Yuseol with a smile.

“Then shall we? I’ll escort you on the way.”

Jaegal Yohye, watching Yong Hwarin act overly kind, thought to herself,

‘He’s sneakier than I thought. Actually, I find that more appealing.’

She had grown bored of the prim and proper disciples who were all the same—so dull she could yawn just looking at them. Yong Hwarin, by contrast, was fascinating to watch.

The more she observed, the more she realized just how entertaining Yong Hwarin was. Although, to her, his behavior seemed sly and calculated.

As they made their way to the Shangguan Clan, Jaegal Yohye couldn’t help but scoff repeatedly from behind as the two chatted like old friends.

The Shangguan Clan, as the surname "Shangguan" suggested, had originally been a family of government officials.

A civil servant once working in the court had come across the martial arts manual Hundred Techniques of Shaking Heaven Blade from the royal palace, becoming a master in the process.

Afterward, he left government service and established a merchant union, forming the current clan. From that point on, they adopted the surname Shangguan.

Having retired from public office and gained wealth through trade, they were far more financially powerful than other clans.

Furthermore, their close ties with the government gave them considerable influence and authority.

Because of this, other martial arts clans initially looked down on the Shangguan Clan. But over the centuries, the clan grew to become one of the two pillars of the martial arts world, alongside the Namgung Clan.

With that kind of strength, they tended to resolve matters internally—those that might otherwise require official intervention.

A prime example of this was the case involving the One Who Connects All Lives, Nan Myeonggwak.

Standing before the Shangguan Clan's estate, Yong Hwarin let out an admiring exclamation.

“Oh!”

Shangguan Yuseol lifted her shoulders proudly.

No one could stand before the Shangguan Clan’s grand gates without being moved to awe.

But Yong Hwarin’s admiration had another motive.

The size of the Shangguan estate was twice that of the Jaegal Clan’s and nearly matched the Namgung Clan.

‘In my past life, the Shangguan Clan had grown even larger than the Namgung Clan. So they must have continued to expand after that.’

Back then, the Shangguan Clan had been the largest among all martial clans in terms of sheer scale.

They had over a dozen martial halls alone, twenty-some individual pavilions, and numerous residences structured in the form of traditional four-sided courtyard houses.

It was as large as a small fortress.

Unlike other clans that operated separate escort agencies or merchant groups, the Shangguan Clan had consolidated everything within their estate, which naturally led to its enormous size.

Due to its scale, each of the four gates—north, south, east, and west—served a different purpose.

The south gate was used by the clan’s warriors, the north by the escort agency, and the west by the merchant group.

The east gate was reserved for guests and external visitors.

Using any other gate would expose the clan’s interior, so all outsiders were strictly guided through the east gate, where the guest halls and reception pavilions were located.

All of this followed a bureaucratic system, reflecting their closed and self-contained nature.

Shangguan Yuseol led Yong Hwarin through the east gate.

“Please stay at the guest pavilion. I’ll go explain everything to my father.”

Grateful for her thoughtfulness, Yong Hwarin gave her a warm smile.

“Thank you.”

Shangguan Yuseol gave orders to the servants at the guest pavilion to treat their guest well, then headed toward the family head’s quarters.

Jaegal Yohye, smiling softly, turned to look at Yong Hwarin.

“I didn’t know Young Master Yong was such a kind and gentle person.”

Back at the Jaegal Clan, Yong Hwarin had seemed rather aloof. But with Shangguan Yuseol, he was completely different.

‘That’s because I need her cooperation to meet the One Who Connects All Lives. Otherwise, I wouldn’t go around smiling to win anyone over.’

In truth, this attitude came from his past life as a merchant. Merchants had to act like they’d give you their liver or gallbladder if it meant profit.

“I’ve always been a kind person. It’s just that illness made me a bit prickly. But now that I’m healed, my original nature has returned. So don’t be surprised if I act a bit differently from now on.”

Yong Hwarin flashed the same smile he’d shown to Shangguan Yuseol.

But for some reason, that smile felt off.

It reminded Jaegal Yohye of the forced grins she’d seen countless times from merchants—something hollow and fake.

‘Is it just me? There’s no sincerity in that smile.’

The sparkle he showed in his eyes toward Shangguan Yuseol was completely absent when he smiled at her.

That irritated her.

Half an hour later, Shangguan Yuseol returned and spoke to Yong Hwarin.

“My father says he would like to speak to you first. Since the One Who Connects All Lives is scheduled to be executed tomorrow, it seems he wants to proceed with caution.”

She looked apologetic, as if blaming herself for failing to arrange a meeting despite her efforts.

However, Yong Hwarin had never expected it to work out in the first place.

Given the circumstances, just being granted an audience with the Shangguan Clan Head was already proof that Shangguan Yuseol had done everything she could.

“Thank you. I had planned to speak to the clan head first anyway. I’m just grateful that you’ve taken the trouble for me, Miss Shangguan. Let’s go, then.”

Shangguan Yuseol had met many disciples from prominent sects, but few had ever made her feel as at ease as Yong Hwarin did.

Many of them insisted on having things their way, and if they couldn’t push their opinions through, they would throw tantrums. It all just seemed so petty and immature to her.

And since they were all from prestigious families, their pride was enormous. One slip of the tongue and they’d cling to it, making others miserable.

Maybe they believed it was their way of upholding honor, but to women, just being near them was enough to feel stifled and uncomfortable.

‘They’re just childish, spoiled brats.’

Shangguan Yuseol found herself laughing and chatting with Yong Hwarin without even realizing it, surprised at how easily she’d relaxed around him.

Meanwhile, Yong Hwarin was equally taken aback as he followed behind her.

Though the Shangguan estate housed both a merchant union and an escort agency, they were all kept distinct and separate.

Within the estate, the merchant and escort branches were separated by walls nearly five stories tall. The connecting gates between them were guarded firmly by the clan's martial artists.

As he walked toward the clan head’s quarters, Yong Hwarin nodded at the guards he passed.

‘As expected, they have no shortage of masters. With wealth and power, it’s not hard to raise elites. The saying that only the Shangguan Clan can rival the Namgung Clan isn’t empty talk. In my past life, the Shangguan Clan boasted overwhelming prestige, and I see now that it was well deserved.’

“The clan’s warriors are truly impressive.”

As Yong Hwarin expressed his admiration, Shangguan Yuseol smiled as if it were a compliment to herself.

“Yes, I’m proud of them too. I’ve been told our warriors are second to none.”

Until they reached the clan head’s residence, Yong Hwarin walked alongside her, exchanging pleasant conversation.

The Shangguan Clan Head had just stepped out of the main quarters when he spotted his youngest daughter chatting cheerfully with a young man. Tilting his head in curiosity, he watched them.

He’d never even seen her speak so warmly with her own brothers. Shangguan Byeokin now stared carefully at the man responsible for this change in his daughter.

‘Hmm, is that boy the Yong Hwarin she mentioned?’

Among his children, Shangguan Yuseol was the one he cherished most.

While he’d disciplined his other children harshly if they failed to pursue martial arts, he had never pressured Yuseol—not even once.

That was because, rather than see her grow hardened through martial training, he selfishly wanted to keep his beautiful daughter like a delicate flower by his side.

And Shangguan Yuseol herself never much liked martial arts.

Even as a child, she disliked the feel of cold steel. The idea that such weapons were made to kill people deeply unsettled her.

After witnessing warriors killing each other in battle during her childhood, she suffered a psychological shock and developed a lasting aversion to martial arts and weaponry. In the end, she never learned to fight.

That’s why she found herself drawn to someone like Yong Hwarin, who didn’t come off as a typical martial artist.

Unaware of her own feelings, Shangguan Yuseol was instinctively attracted to Yong Hwarin’s gentle nature that lacked the aura of a warrior.

Even the sword hanging at his waist looked more like something a scholar might carry for self-defense than a warrior’s blade.

Most martial artists had an air of bravado—overflowing with ambition and bluster—but none of that could be sensed from Yong Hwarin.

He seemed more like a man of letters who knew nothing of martial arts. That was why Shangguan Yuseol felt so at ease around him.