Chapter 570

Chapter 570 - Side Story 4

Jin Ja-gang scratched his forehead with a regretful expression as he watched Tang Yu-jeong's retreating figure.

A moment later, Tang Ha-ran came out of her office.

"Good job. Yu-jeong needs to be treated a bit harshly. Left alone, she gets cocky and completely does as she pleases."

"She seems hurt. She really wanted to go."

"She deserves to be hurt. It's something she brought on herself. Slacking off every day."

"Still, she always accomplishes as much as others do. She's never been lacking."

"The process is as important as the results. Yu-jeong needs to learn sincerity."

"But if Yu-jeong gives up this easily..."

"I know. She's not our child for nothing."

Jin Ja-gang laughed heartily. Despite entering middle age, Jin Ja-gang still had smooth, white skin and looked younger than Tang Ha-ran. Having withdrawn from martial world affairs and having no reason to kill anymore, he had become much more generous-looking than before.

Tang Ha-ran said as if jealous.

"You push all the work onto me and live completely comfortably, don't you?"

Jin Ja-gang flinched.

"Not at all. I was in the middle of carving agate to make go stones. I believe I'm contributing to the household finances."

The go stones Jin Ja-gang carved were of the highest quality and quite expensive, popular even among high officials and nobles. They were flawlessly smooth with good balance and stuck perfectly to the hand, known for their excellent feel when placed on the go board. Being so rare and popular, the price was whatever one asked. They were indeed contributing to household finances.

Jin Ja-gang said, reminiscing about the past.

"I never knew I'd learn to play go. The saying that learning anything becomes useful wasn't false..."

"So. Is that child still the same?"

Caught off guard, Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Ha-ran without answering. He immediately knew who Tang Ha-ran was asking about.

"Yes."

"It's really difficult. But what can we do? That's your and my karma."

Over ten years had passed, but Jin Ja-gang's past was still not concluded.

Tang Ha-ran said.

"If it doesn't work this time either, bring them by force. The rumors circulating in the martial world lately are ominous."

Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Ha-ran's face. She was serious. It wasn't a joke.

But Jin Ja-gang didn't ask what was happening. If he asked, he would know, and if he knew, he might be driven into a situation where he couldn't avoid taking action.

Tang Ha-ran muttered as if to herself.

"Either way, without regrets."

Jin Ja-gang slowly nodded.

***

Tang Yu-jeong cried loudly for quite a while.

But as Jin Ja-gang and Tang Ha-ran expected, she didn't give up.

"Did you think I'd back down like this?"

A few days later, Tang Yu-jeong heard that the person she'd been waiting for had entered the main house.

"Auntie! Auntie!"

Tang Yu-jeong went around the entire estate looking for someone. She flung open every door she encountered, shouting.

"Where are you? Auntie!"

Then Tang Yu-jeong's eyes widened.

"Found you!"

In a quiet pavilion, a veiled woman and Tang Gyeong were together.

"Auntie! I called you so much, why didn't you answer!"

"Young lady."

Tang Yu-jeong quickly ran over and hugged the veiled woman from behind.

"Kyaa! I love Auntie's smell so much. It's been so long!"

The veiled woman, Yeong-gwi, smiled as she greeted Tang Yu-jeong.

"Welcome."

Yeong-gwi was no longer with Jin Ja-gang as his right hand. With Jin Ja-gang's retirement, she too had lost her work. Therefore, Yeong-gwi only visited the Tang Family when needed as the head of Leper Mound.

"I was telling the second young master about his father's exploits from long ago."

"Wow. Gyeong, aren't you bored? Always hearing the same things over and over."

Tang Gyeong, whose head had grown a bit, replied, "No way."

"Not bored at all. Each time I hear it, it's fresh and moving."

"I'm bored of you. Oh right, Auntie Auntie, I have a favor to ask."

Tang Gyeong scolded Tang Yu-jeong in a stiff tone.

"Big sister is so rude. I was listening to Auntie first, so naturally you should ask my permission first. Why are you ignoring the order and trying to monopolize Auntie?"

"You get out."

Tang Yu-jeong kicked at Tang Gyeong. Tang Gyeong tried to grab Tang Yu-jeong's foot with his grabbing technique and pull it, but couldn't even touch Tang Yu-jeong's foot. Tang Gyeong was pushed back.

"Ah, really!"

Yeong-gwi gently held Tang Yu-jeong and pulled her back.

"You keep getting scolded by the mistress because you bully your brother. What's your business today?"

Tang Yu-jeong looked at Yeong-gwi and smiled broadly.

"Hehe, Auntie. You know."

Tang Yu-jeong was about to speak when she glanced sideways. Tang Gyeong was pretending not to look, turning his head away but perking up his ears.

Tang Yu-jeong created a barrier. An invisible curtain descended in the air. A sense of alienation arose as the scenery inside and outside the curtain divided. Even sound was blocked. Tang Gyeong shouted outside but couldn't be heard.

Yeong-gwi asked.

"What favor does our young lady want to ask?"

Tang Yu-jeong said seriously what she had been thinking all along.

"Before it's too late, I want to know what kind of life I truly want. As me, Tang Yu-jeong, not Dad's daughter."

Yeong-gwi gazed at Tang Yu-jeong with profound eyes from within her veil.

Though it came belatedly, pressed down by her father's heavy shadow, Tang Yu-jeong was having the concerns that all adolescents her age would shoulder.

No, actually, Tang Yu-jeong's words weren't just applicable to adolescents.

After the death of the Hungry Ghost King, who was both the beginning and the end of greed, the martial world had suffered great damage and was left in ruins as if a great war had ended.

Jin Ja-gang took it upon himself to assume the position of Murim Alliance Leader to manage the post-war cleanup. Jin Ja-gang knew well that his learning was insufficient to operate the Murim Alliance. So he gathered military officials involved in the martial world and experienced elders. And he invited many scholars to establish the foundation of a new Murim Alliance.

The rules of the new Murim Alliance were made with the fairest standards possible, and the alliance's operations were thoroughly documented.

The Murim Alliance before Jin Ja-gang was an organization that symbolized power. It operated separate military forces and even exercised force directly. The Murim Alliance was the greatest power governing the martial world.

However, the Murim Alliance after Jin Ja-gang did not exercise force. The military organization that alliance leaders had previously used like a private organization was completely eliminated.

Thus, the main duties of the Murim Alliance focused on mediating disputes through established standards and presiding over and monitoring businesses involving the interests of numerous sects to prevent corruption. If a sect committed wrongdoing, the Murim Alliance didn't directly regulate it but rather the sects that joined the alliance dealt with it collectively.

All of this was done solely according to rules. If there were improper rules, martial world elders gathered to discuss and revise them.

Whether it was a perfect system was uncertain. It may have been difficult to oppose it under the pressure of the giant Jin Ja-gang's authority, and there were those watching with a "let's see how well you do" attitude. But generally, they welcomed the new Murim Alliance. If rules applied equally to everyone, there was no need to feel wronged or protest.

Thanks to Jin Ja-gang's efforts, the martial world gradually found stability and seemed to return to its former state. Until Jin Ja-gang stepped down from the alliance leader position as he had sworn and returned as a private citizen, no particular problems appeared.

And twelve years...

The martial world was more stable than ever before, but paradoxically, internally, dissatisfaction was building to bursting point.

Until then, one only had to run toward profit. Without complex worries, they tried to become stronger to gain more profit. That was all. Everyone wanted to climb to higher positions, seize wealth, and enjoy power to their heart's content.

That was everyone's purpose and goal.

But...

The times had changed.

It became a world where struggling desperately for profit earned people's glares and curses. The martial world had almost been destroyed by pursuing only profit - how could they repeat the same mistake!

Moreover, it became impossible to suppress others with force.

Previously, when disputes arose between regional sects, they would primarily settle it with force between the two parties, but in the aftermath, influential sects in that region would intervene to determine right and wrong. So the more skilled one was, the greater the power, the more weight one's voice carried and the wider one's influence could spread.

But now many sects requested mediation from the Murim Alliance. When requests came in, whether from masters or novices, major or minor sects, the Murim Alliance handled situations fairly according only to established rules. As a result, especially weaker sects tended to seek out the Murim Alliance more.

This method was very efficient and excellent for rescuing the relatively weak, but it was an unfavorable system for the establishment accustomed to previous customs.

Thus, complaints began emerging from masters.

If everyone relied on the Murim Alliance's mediation and conflicts between sects disappeared, if matters to resolve through martial arts decreased, who would try to become stronger?

A society where anyone can voice their opinion is good, and fairness is good. But if even the reason for becoming stronger disappears, what meaning does the martial world even have?

Even the most fundamental reason for the martial world's existence was being questioned.

Voices emerged centered on major sects and masters.

Actually, such developments weren't unpredicted.

Several prophets predicted the Murim Alliance's problems and offered bitter advice before Jin Ja-gang left. In response, Jin Ja-gang said:

"I took responsibility for what I started and cleaned it up. What remains is your turn."

With the goal of profit maximization gone, no new goal arose in its place. No one presented a new banner. Jin Ja-gang only reorganized the system and didn't go beyond that.

Because of this, the martial world had been drifting without purpose for over ten years.

Like Tang Yu-jeong now consulting with Yeong-gwi about her identity.

To Yeong-gwi, who knew all past events, Tang Yu-jeong seemed to represent the current era.

"Young lady."

"Yes, Auntie."

Yeong-gwi smiled and whispered.

"If it's such a matter, I can't not help. I too want to know what kind of life you want to live."

Then Tang Gyeong shouted from outside the barrier.

"Don't help her! She's just doing this to go meet men at the Murim Alliance!"

"That kid?"

Tang Yu-jeong glared at Tang Gyeong.

"Auntie, don't believe him."

"Is the young master's statement not true?"

"What he said isn't completely wrong, but it's not exactly for that reason, you know?"

"The Murim Alliance. To young people, the Murim Alliance is indeed a romantic subject."

Yeong-gwi briefly fell into reminiscence.

"Though I'm sorry to say this to you, young lady, I lived through a very harsh era of the martial world. So I don't know much about the romance of the martial world. But in those days and even now..."

Yeong-gwi smiled from within her veil.

"I've never seen a more wonderful man than your father."

"Tch. It's not like that. I'm telling you it's not?"

Tang Yu-jeong, who was speaking, suddenly felt something strange and looked at Tang Gyeong.

Tang Gyeong was staring blankly at Tang Yu-jeong.

Tang Yu-jeong said, bewildered.

"What! I put up a barrier, so why can you hear me?"