Luoyang Sword Clan, the Council of Elders.

Access to the Sword Clan’s Council of Elders was, by its very nature, restricted. One had to either be an elder, hold a rank equivalent to an elder, or be designated as an exception by family law. Because of this, it was not a place where those without specific business had any reason to visit.

“…Well, well. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Ho ho. With a spectacle this big brewing, how could I possibly stay away?”

And yet today, the main avenue in front of the Council’s main gate was teeming with an unprecedented crowd.

“Did you hear?”

“Of course I heard. Isn’t that why we’re all here?”

“I heard the Grand Young Master’s actions are tantamount to a declaration of war on the Council of Elders itself.”

Just as their conversation implied, the Grand Young Master’s movements, which had begun this morning, had rapidly captured the attention of everyone, both inside and outside the family.

“Hmm…”

One man, stroking his short beard, was not among the crowd being jostled on the main road. He sat in a teahouse across from the Council, looking down on the avenue. This teahouse was an auxiliary building of the Council of Elders and subject to the same access restrictions, which spoke to his own considerable status.

“He stirs up the Court of Judiciary in the morning, and the Council of Elders in the afternoon…”

Normally, this teahouse would be filled with the sound of pompous men clearing their throats. But today, they were all whispering, their mouths dry with gossip.

“I know the Grand Young Master enjoys the spotlight, but this is just absurd. To make an enemy of the entire Council of Elders for no reason…” said one, clicking his tongue softly.

“He’s not in his right mind. He simply isn’t,” said another, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Just because he’s started to get a bit of recognition, does he actually think he’s the acting Patriarch?!” spat a third, spittle flying from his lips.

“Is this not the very image of a praying mantis trying to stop Duke Zhuang’s chariot?”

“They call him a ‘divine strategist’ and what not, but in the end, he’s just a child who’s barely reached adulthood.”

These men, all of whom were openly displaying their hostility toward Yeon So-hyeon, shared one thing in common.

“The Grand Young Master will pay the price for ignoring us clansmen.”

They were, all of them, members of the Luoyang Sword Clan’s Yeon Clan.

“It’s unthinkable that such a child could lead the main clan!”

“For the future of the family, it must not be allowed.”

“Did you hear the information? He’s already antagonized the Sixteen Imperial Families in the capital and sided with the Emperor, who’s as good as a prisoner.”

“How absurd.”

“The day that bastard becomes the Young Patriarch will be the day our Sword Clan is annihilated.”

They put on a grand show of worrying about the family’s future, but of course, their inner thoughts were entirely different.

[…Once the new Treasury Director candidate is appointed, our problems will be solved.]

[The Vice Director is our key man. He knows he has to save us to save himself.]

[Besides, we’re the ones who dragged him up to that position in the first place, aren’t we?]

As if communicating via telepathy could hide their black intentions.

‘Filthy old men.’ A middle-aged man, sitting by the window, clicked his tongue in disgust. ‘Whether it’s the main clan or our branch family, the rot starts at the very top. We’re all the same.’

“…It’s strange.”

As he was observing the corrupt relatives, the man turned his head toward a muttered word from across the table.

“Strange? What are you staring at so intently?” the middle-aged man asked.

The young man with the short beard, who had been gazing out the window, answered without looking away. “I understand why our clansmen are swarming this teahouse.”

“After the chaos this morning, it’s only natural they’d gather to see how things turn out, isn’t it?”

“True. These old men have their ears to the ground. But…” The young man raised his hand and pointed at the main avenue below. “What about them? How did they hear the information so quickly and flock here like this?”

It was one thing for those who were well-informed about the family’s internal affairs and familiar with the power dynamics. But for the vast majority, this was a highly complex issue.

“…That is.”

“And the rumor is spreading too fast. Eventually, news this big would reach the Luoyang market streets, but don’t you feel this is abnormally quick?”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man looked down at the scene, and it suddenly took on a completely different light.

“Back up!”

“I said back up! Don’t block the road!”

The Council of Elders’ warriors and guards were pouring sweat, physically pushing back the crowd to secure the entrance. The mob was so thick that even the Council’s elite warriors, men of considerable internal energy and impressive careers, were visibly struggling.

“…Are you saying someone… leaked the rumor?”

The young man with the short beard nodded. “They didn’t just leak it. They’ve organized the information, processed it, and framed it in a way that the majority of the family can’t help but be interested. They’ve perfectly optimized it for the medium of a rumor.”

It felt like the work of an expert. A top-tier professional.

“…Who on earth?”

The middle-aged man’s question was left unfinished.

“The Grand Young Master of the Main Clan is approaching!”

Everyone fell silent simultaneously, from the commoners straining against the guards to the high-status Yeon clansmen exchanging dark, telepathic messages. All eyes turned in the same direction. The young man with the short beard, just like his companion, set aside his questions and sprang to his feet, staring in the same direction. Through the summer haze shimmering on the wide avenue, the first to come into view was a procession of women.

‘Are those…’

Their beauty was dazzling, accentuated by the elegant robes of the Wongakjeong and their light makeup. But their true presence lay in their uniform, steady footsteps, which seemed to cling to the ground, and their sharp eyes, which missed nothing as they scanned their surroundings. And, of course, in the single sword each of them carried.

‘The Warriors of the Wongakjeong.’

At first, the Pavilion’s Handmaiden Corps had been dismissed as a foul hobby of the Grand Young Master, a way to show off that he could use precious warriors as mere servants.

“What a fierce aura.”

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

“…Are those the ‘Asuras’of Valley of Sins?”

“I heard they’re called the ‘Divine Army’that protects the Holy Land.”

“They said they practically slaughtered the Unorthodox Path thugs in Luoyang…”

Their stature had been completely transformed by the recent series of events.

Following the Handmaiden Corps, the crowd’s gaze naturally shifted to the next figure.

Clack. Clack.

Five swords.

A ferocious aura and an impression that brought a Raksasha to mind. No one in the crowd knew him personally, yet there was not a single person who did not recognize him.

“…The Life-Stealing Ghost Sword.”

“The family’s most ferocious sword.”

Though much time had passed, his name had not faded. If anything, it shone with an even more vivid infamy.

“…To think the rumors were true. The Ghost Sword pledged himself to the Grand Young Master.”

Appearing after the Ghost Sword was a man who was, himself, a symbol of the Luoyang Sword Clan’s military might.

“He’s… he’s huge.”

“Look at that massive sword.”

“I heard he caused an earthquake in Luoyang with a single strike of that thing…!”

A man whose overwhelming height and build made him tower over the procession. The Sword Pinnacle Crushes the Mountain, Yeom Gwak-chu.

“The Hero of the Northern War!”

But the reaction of the Yeon clansmen, looking down from the teahouse, was different from the crowd’s.

“For Elder Yeom to be in that procession…”

“Is he finally, openly declaring himself as part of the Grand Young Master’s faction?”

And of all times, he chose to do it now, when the Council of Elders was in an uproar?

“Hmph. Tsk, tsk.”

As the disgruntled relatives cleared their throats and clicked their tongues, the middle-aged man sent a telepathic message to the short-bearded youth, wary of the hostile atmosphere.

[For Elder Yeom to make such a move at this specific moment… it must be his intention to openly lend his strength to the Grand Young Master in this matter.]

“That’s right.”

The young man, ignoring his companion’s caution, spoke his thoughts aloud. “It means the Grand Young Master didn’t pick a fight with the Council without a plan.”

Immediately, gazes as sharp as daggers flew at him from all corners of the room.

“Ah, ehem.”

While the middle-aged man began to sweat, the young man paid them no mind, simply gesturing toward the procession. “And it looks like Elder Yeom isn’t the only one who has sided with him.”

The Yeon clansmen narrowed their eyes. Elder Yeom’s sheer size had made him the first one they noticed, but he was flanked by a dozen other figures.

“That’s… Elder Yoo.” Someone, recognizing the old woman with her white hair tied up in an elegant bun, clicked their tongue.

“That’s not all.”

“Aren’t those… all the elders who supported the Fourth Young Master?!”

The figures arrayed next to Elder Yoo were, indeed, known members of the Fourth Young Master’s faction.

“For them to join the Grand Young Master’s procession in this situation, and not the Fourth’s…”

What did this mean?

One of the Yeon clansmen finally voiced the answer that no one had wanted to speak. “So, the rumor was true… The Fourth Young Master didn’t just form an alliance, he decided to go under the Grand Young Master.”

“Then the rumors that the two factions are merging…?”

“Must also be true.”

As their faces grew pale, the young man with the short beard stroked his chin, intrigued.

‘The Fourth Young Master has submitted to Grand Young Master?‘

He had met the Fourth Young Master in the past and knew what a rare talent Yeon Bi was. For him to go under the Grand Young Master…

‘If the Fourth Young Master were an incompetent, it would be one thing. But this… there must have been incredible internal backlash.’

But what was the result? In a situation where the entire Council of Elders was essentially confronting the Grand Young Master, the Fourth Young Master’s elders were, as if for show, marching in Yeon So-hyeon’s procession.

The conclusion was obvious.

‘It simply means the Grand Young Master is that much more outstanding.’

His anticipation growing, he focused on the procession.

‘I want to see the face of this ‘great’ Grand Young Master for myself.’

“But… that’s a lot of people for just the Fourth Young Master’s faction, isn’t it?”

As if in answer to the middle-aged man’s question, one of the Yeon clansmen pointed, his face a mask of shock.

“Wait, isn’t that…?!”

“That’s Elder Ham and his faction!”

“Elder Ham?!”

In their shock, several of the relatives forgot their decorum and practically pressed themselves against the window to get a better look.

“Isn’t he the Deputy Council Head of the Council of Elders?!”

“The Deputy Council Head has joined the Grand Young Master’s faction?!”

Surrounded by the elders of his own faction, the old man, who was chatting and flashing his ‘gold teeth’ without a hint of tension, was unmistakably Elder Ham, the Deputy Council Head of the Council of Elders.

‘This is…!’

The faces of the Yeon clansmen staring down at the scene began to turn ashen.

‘Why? Why would the Deputy Council Head side with him?’

‘He was the one gunning for the Council Head’s seat… why?’

Everyone in that teahouse could feel it: the invisible scales of power were, in that very moment, tipping.

‘The Grand Young Master brought the Deputy Council Head into this? How?’

The young man with the short beard turned his gaze toward the Council of Elders building. A group of elders had come out, ostensibly to greet the Grand Young Master. He could clearly see their faces, which were turning a dark, blotchy red with rage and bewilderment.

‘This is getting interesting.’

***

One of the elders who had come out to ‘formally’ greet the Grand Young Master hissed in a low voice, “What in the world is going on…?!”

He wasn’t the only one.

“The Deputy Council Head joining an heir’s faction…?!”

“Shouldn’t the Deputy Council Head, of all people, maintain political neutrality…?!”

A low, sharp rebuke came from a senior elder among them. “Your opponent is the Grand Young Master, what did you expect? Of course something like this would happen…!” He continued, “So what? We still have the overwhelming numbers, and the decision will be made by a vote! Why are you all flapping about like this?!”

The senior elder cast a displeased look at his colleagues. “This is a fight we should win, and win with dignity. Instead, you’re letting yourselves be routed before the battle even begins, in front of this entire crowd.”

At his words, the other elders scrambled to compose their faces.

“Hmph. Tsk, tsk…”

What was the point of managing their expressions now? The crowd had already seen their panic.

“I quite agree.”

The voice of agreement did not come from the elders.

“For the elders of the main clan to show such weakness over a little thing like this…”

The procession had stopped. It parted, revealing Elder Yeom and the other elders at the front. They then bowed and stepped aside, revealing the speaker at the center.

“I am truly worried that the Council of Elders is going to lose a great deal of face today.”

A black silk coat hung from his shoulders, fluttering in the wind. His tone was filled with an arrogant mockery. His chin was high, his eyes looking down on the assembled elders.

“…Before you worry about the Council’s face, shouldn’t you be more concerned about your own face, which is about to be ruined?”

The senior elder bared his teeth at the man who stood there, smiling a twisted smile under the hot sun.

“Grand Young Master.”

The smile on Yeon So-hyeon’s lips widened, revealing the sharp points of his canines.