She had been ignored by a boy vastly younger than herself—a woman who had addressed him with contempt at their very first meeting. Jung Yeonshin thought there was no chance that a highborn lady of formidable martial prowess would tolerate it.

"Yes, I am his mother. My name is Ju Yeonjeong."

She smiled warmly. The instantaneous change in her demeanor was rather startling.

'Ju?'

Her bearing suggested an unexpected possibility. Jung Yeonshin asked at once.

"Are you of Imperial blood?"

"I am."

Even after hearing her answer, he struggled to understand. Ma Se-In's father was also from a collateral line. A man distinguished enough to marry into the Imperial family would surely have been famous already. He could not imagine what circumstances lay behind it.

"You seem confused. Few in this fortress know my origins. Do understand."

Her hair was pinned up with jade ornaments, clearly exposing the rounded ears of the Han people. That meant her Imperial ancestry came from a distant collateral line.

The founding emperor had been the last emperor to take concubines. He was said to have had more than forty consorts. His direct-line Imperial descendants were different. They took neither secondary wives nor concubines, accepting only a single woman of the noble race as a lifelong companion. By contrast, the many descendants with no connection to the throne were free to keep wives and concubines. Ju Yeonjeong seemed to be the daughter of just such a man.

"My respects, Lady Ju."

He offered a formal greeting, but did not prostrate himself. A married woman belonged to her husband's family, as the saying went. That held true even if she possessed a trace of the founding emperor's blood. She was no longer a member of the Ming Imperial household in the Forbidden City. Having left Beijing and married, she now belonged to the desolate’s ma clan. In other words, she was a member of Murim.

"What an audacious boy."

The corners of Ju Yeonjeong's mouth curled upward.

Jung Yeonshin calmly raised his head. Her reaction was unexpected. From her contemptuous address, he had assumed she was desperate to protect her son's succession rights. Had he misjudged her? The household members around them also refrained from acting rashly. They merely watched him in silence.

"Sit and make yourself comfortable. This gathering is for you."

"... Then I gratefully accept."

He bowed briefly and took a seat at the banquet. Ma Se-In quietly followed and sat beside his mother. Musicians entered. Perhaps thanks to the spacious hall, they began playing some distance away. Elegant, old-fashioned melodies drifted softly toward them, lending the gathering a sense of dignity.

"I wanted to test your generosity of spirit," Ju Yeonjeong began.

"Twenty years have passed since I left Beijing, yet here I am. The authority still ingrained in my manner sometimes wounds others. I hope you will be generous enough to forgive me."

"..."

Her words were startlingly unconventional. Jung Yeonshin fell silent for a moment.

'What is this?'

This was nothing like the gathering he had imagined. What was she after?

As plucked zither strings and the resonant notes of a bamboo flute wove a gentle melody, those seated at the banquet remained silent for a time. But that was only what could be heard. The world of martial experts was different.

Jung Yeonshin felt strands of internal energy continually sweeping over him. They were so discreet that he could barely detect them even with energy detection surpassing his level of martial attainment. He chose not to let it show.

"I would like to know why you summoned me," he asked bluntly.

Both sides were concealing their intentions. But the hosts were the ones who wanted something from him. He had no reason to bow to them. A smile formed on Ju Yeonjeong's lips.

"I was raised to speak indirectly, so a warrior's manner of speech always feels unfamiliar. Many have praised you. They say you could become a pillar of the Desolate Fortress... You are just as I heard. They told me Lightning Genius of the Radiant Demon Squad was exceedingly brave."

"..."

"I hear your martial arts are quite exceptional. Perhaps none of your peers can compare. There is much I am curious about. The martial arts of the Jeong Clan Estate cannot amount to much, so how did you acquire such prowess? And..."

Reaching for a white jade bottle, she smiled.

"At your coming-of-age ceremony, what was your real intention in refusing the position of heir to our house?"

Those few remarks told Jung Yeonshin a great deal. Here, he had confirmed two things. The first was, predictably, his martial learning. Many were curious about the origins of Lightning Genius's martial arts. He knew that well. It was likely because he had attained the blue-robed rank at the youngest age and in the shortest time.

He had also demonstrated his own martial arts before an audience several times, and not one belonged to the desolate’s ma clan. That had been true even before he received instruction from the Desolate fortress master. Accounts of his latest mission would likely deepen their questions, too, thanks to the way she had returned.

'Why did she have to carry me all the way back to the fortress...?'

His gratitude outweighed everything else, making it difficult to complain even inwardly.

Then there was the second point. This was likely the real issue.

"You asked about my real intention," Jung Yeonshin said calmly.

"I believe I made myself clear that day. My ambitions lie in Murim and this fortress. I said I had no wish to tie myself to my maternal family simply because it is prestigious. Ma Se-In will make an excellent head."

"You have such a broad, generous spirit."

Ju Yeonjeong covered her mouth as she laughed. Her manner was refined.

Jung Yeonshin gazed at her. She had called the desolate’s ma clan her own house. This woman of distant collateral Imperial ancestry had fully settled into the Ma clan as its mistress. That was better, actually. There was no need to make an enemy of her. Drawing a line would suffice. He parted his lips to show that he was not finished.

"Therefore, I would prefer not to be involved with your house in the future. I wish to sever ties. That should help us avoid pointless strife."

"..."

A brief hush fell. The smile vanished from Ju Yeonjeong's face. Ma Se-In's expression stiffened as well. With everyone silent, only the soft music flowed through the banquet hall. Their reaction was strange.

'Shouldn't they be the ones demanding this?'

Ignoring the atmosphere, Jung Yeonshin continued.

"Hasn't your clan already severed ties with my mother? Give me an answer, before I speak publicly and tear the Ma clan's honor to shreds."

He deliberately went too far. Yet only bewilderment appeared on Ju Yeonjeong's face.

"... How can you do that? Do you believe the martial arts you learned from the Fortress Master will guarantee your power and standing? You are mistaken. The Desolate Fortress is not such a place."

"I intend to live solely as a warrior of the Radiant Demon Squad. I simply do not want the name of the desolate’s ma clan attached to my epithet, Lightning Genius. Surely that would please you as well, Lady Ju?"

"... You speak so casually of something difficult," Ju Yeonjeong said slowly.

"Why is it difficult?"

"You have already stepped into our house's political strife. It was inevitable the moment you distinguished yourself while carrying Ma blood. There are those who say we must make you our heir, those who insist we should use you as a sword to exalt our house's name, and those of us who do not want you..."

She gave a faint smile.

"It is the same for every faction. The moment you and our house sever ties, a storm will erupt over who bears responsibility. To avoid being caught in the backlash, we will have no choice but to do whatever it takes."

"How absurd."

"Are you not the Fortress Master's direct disciple? Child, your existence already carries that much weight. Even if you alone declare that you are severing ties, our house will cling to your robes."

"I find it difficult to remain here."

Jung Yeonshin rose at once. Even when he rudely turned his back, no one rebuked him. If prowess could be measured in the realm of politics, they were unquestionably experts. The musicians' unchanging performance saw him out.

* * *

Seven days and nights passed.

He devoted himself to recuperating in the Radiant Demon Squad's hall. All the while, the faces of Ju Yeonjeong and the Ma elders filled his mind. Their schemes ran deep. They had challenged him to a kind of battle he had never experienced. People of great power were doing everything they could to entangle him. It was a serious problem.

'What should I do...?'

He lay in bed, lost in thought. Originally, he had intended to pick a fight and become an enemy they could never associate with. If he experienced the martial arts of a prestigious clan in the process, he would have been satisfied. Not anymore.

Their experience far surpassed his. They seemed prepared to endure anything. This was an entirely different kind of conflict. Powerful people were getting in his way. By now, his fears had been confirmed. The time he would lose to these entanglements would far outweigh any support he gained by accepting the desolate’s ma clan.

For a moment, he even considered revealing his constitution and lifespan to his maternal grandfather.

'I can never trust him.'

He immediately dismissed the thought.

He had grown up in the Jeong Clan Estate as though he did not exist. His maternal family had never reached out. That was how his childhood had passed. After entering Murim, he had witnessed the conduct of the Hwangbo clan. They proclaimed themselves a pillar of the orthodox martial world while wielding force for private gain.

And what of the Namgoong clan, acclaimed as the greatest orthodox clan under heaven? They had tried to use another's hand to kill him after he helped them. There was more. In the Blood Flame Cult, he had seen humanity at its lowest. It was nothing but an abyss.

... Distrust. Only distrust remained.

'He wants to become Elder Council Leader of the Desolate Fortress?'

His maternal grandfather coveted power. Even after cutting ties with his daughter, he sought to treat her son as his grandson. He did so because he saw a use for him. There was no telling how he might exploit Jung Yeonshin's weakness if he got hold of it.

'Should I see the Fortress Master? Can I afford to incur a debt instead? I need to earn merit.'

The sixteen-year-old martial prodigy agonized.

He slipped beneath the bedding. Even the faint glow of sunset was too bright for him now.

His room in the Radiant Demon Squad was his sanctuary. Here, he could set aside his warrior's bearing without worrying about watching eyes. He did not have to struggle to ignore the fixed limit on his life. Slowly, he curled into himself, as he always did. He dimly sensed the last orange edge of sunlight. How long had he remained like that?

"Young Master Jung! Young Master Jung!"

A familiar voice stirred his awareness. It was Heon Wonchang. Boisterous waves of qi surged toward the Radiant Demon Squad's hall. He could sense his seniors as well. Those who had seen the Fortress Master and Jung Yeonshin off ahead of them had returned.

RATTLE

Three people came straight in: Heon Wonchang, Chung Myung, and Baek Miryeo. Already sitting up, Jung Yeonshin smiled faintly. These were the comrades who had come all the way to the Blood Flame Cult's headquarters to rescue him. He welcomed them gratefully.

"Is something wrong?" Heon Wonchang suddenly asked, studying him.

Jung Yeonshin slowly parted his lips. What had come over him? He found himself thinking that if he could not trust even these people, there would be no need to cling to the fruit. It did not matter that they had no wine cups. The tranquil dusk air served in place of wine and food.

Jung Yeonshin had only spoken a few words when Chung Myung and Baek Miryeo raised a broad barrier of internal energy. It was a curtain of qi. No sound could escape.

Jung Yeonshin told them. He spoke of his family, revealed his constitution, and told them about his remaining time and the desolate’s ma clan.

"..."

A silence as still as the sunset followed. At some point, all expression had vanished from Chung Myung's and Baek Miryeo's faces. Heon Wonchang was silently shedding tears.

The great hero of Desolate Fortress sniffled once and said,

"... Well, let's visit the Ma clan first. I've thought of a good way to handle this."

"Pardon?"

"Hear me out."

He then whispered for quite some time, despite the sturdy qi curtain maintained by the two blue-robed experts. He looked as though he were hatching a sinister plot. After hearing him out, that was precisely what it was.

"Let's go!"

Heon Wonchang wiped his eyes with his white sleeve and stood. The other three rose as well. At the same time, Chung Myung gave Jung Yeonshin a light pat on the shoulder, and Baek Miryeo briefly embraced him from behind.

He understood without another word. It was the concern of comrades who had entrusted their lives to one another, the understanding of experts who lived with blades for companions. Shaking his head self-consciously, Jung Yeonshin followed Heon Wonchang. For a little while, he truly felt like the youngest of them.

The four soon arrived at the desolate’s ma clan's residence. Two gatekeepers stepped forward.

"Please state your identities and your business."

"Wait. Young Master Lightning Genius is with them. We can open the gates."

Ignoring the gatekeepers, Heon Wonchang bellowed,

"Yeonjeong!"

He even infused his voice with internal energy. His tremendous shout shook the darkening night air. They had heard that few outsiders knew Ju Yeonjeong's origins. There must have been private circumstances behind that. But those were not the Radiant Demon Squad experts' concern.

"She's beneath the Fortress Master anyway. Even the crown prince gets flustered around her. What's a married woman from a collateral Imperial line...?"

Chung Myung grinned roguishly and lightly kicked the ground. It was already well known that the azure-eyed demonic swordsman was a pure-blooded member of the noble race.

"What in the world are you doing?!"

"Do you realize whom you're addressing?"

The gatekeepers rushed over, looking flustered. Heon Wonchang employed a movement technique that left no trace of his presence. Shaking off their hands, he repeatedly shouted Yeonjeong's name. An unseasonable farce unfolded in the night.

Jung Yeonshin turned slightly aside and looked away, as though he were not with them.