Chapter 122: This isn't it…? (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122: This isn't it…? (2)
[Heh…]
[Hehehehe…!]
The incessant, maniacal laughter echoing in my head was giving me a headache. Was this bastard really going to cackle like this all day?
“Could you please be quiet?”
[You deserved this… In my entire long life, I could count moments as satisfying as this on one hand.]
“You’ve lived that long, and you’ve had fewer than five moments more exciting than this…?”
[Hahaha!]
I couldn’t take Elder Shin anymore and stepped out into the training grounds. A cool breeze was blowing, but the heat raging inside me made it impossible to feel any relief.
A full day had passed since my duel with Namgung Jin. The commotion I’d caused had sent shockwaves through the entire clan.
I had dueled the Lord of the Namgung Clan himself, and to make matters worse, he had openly admitted defeat.
“Why did he have to do that…?”
It would have been so much better if I’d just gotten what I wanted and taken the loss. He could have preserved his dignity as clan lord. Now, it’s become a problem for me, too.
The one saving grace was that I hadn’t revealed I was using a sword.
While I was the one who instigated the duel and my methods were harsh, Namgung Jin had also admitted his own fault. There shouldn’t be any major diplomatic fallout between our clans.
However… there was another, bigger problem.
This is all your fault…
[You little brat…! I went out of my way to help you, and this is the thanks I get?!]
If you were going to help me, you should have seen it through properly!
A disciple. A fucking disciple, for heaven’s sake!
I told the almighty Lord of the Namgung Clan to become my disciple!
And because I’d spouted such nonsense to a man brimming with pride… my head was throbbing.
The headache only intensified when I saw the man leaning against a tree with his eyes closed.
“You’ve come,” he said.
“…How long have you been waiting?”
“Not long.”
The Azure Heavenly Sword was leaning against a tree, patiently awaiting my arrival. This was our first meeting since he’d been escorted away the previous day.
“Are you alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your body.”
“I’m fine. I wasn’t injured.”
It was a duel with real swords, yet both Namgung Jin and I had emerged completely unscathed. Elder Shin hadn’t swung with intent to kill, and Namgung Jin’s sword had never reached me.
The man remained rooted in place, his gaze fixed on me. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but being stared down by a face so similar to Namgung Cheonjun’s was intensely unnerving.
“I have ensured there will be no complications for you, Young Lord.”
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
It was the change in how he addressed me. Not just the title, but his entire manner of speaking had shifted. ‘Young Lord,’ he says… When just yesterday, he was calling me a ‘brat.’
“If that title displeases you, should I call you Master instead?”
“No.”
[Hehehe…!]
Ignoring my blunt refusal, Namgung Jin continued. “I am aware you did not truly mean what you said yesterday.”
“Yes. I wasn’t being serious.”
[Why are you dismissing my sincerity? I was completely serious.]
I shut out Elder Shin. My mind was wholly occupied with how to fix this mess.
My reason for using a sword against him was that I had a plausible excuse. The use of Qi was forbidden, my physical prowess was at its peak, and the Gu Clan was known for both its fists and swords.
Victory could be attributed to my innate talent; was that not a convincing enough story? Even if he had his suspicions, there was little he could actually do to challenge it.
The real problem was that I had no conceivable way to explain my use of the Namgung Clan’s sword art. There was simply no logical explanation.
I wasn’t some secret scion of the Namgung bloodline, nor was I a clandestine disciple who had trained there.
How do you expect me to clean up this mess…
[Well, you’re the one who left me with all the work.]
Ugh…
I studied Namgung Jin. All the fury he’d exhibited the day before had vanished, leaving his eyes as calm and still as a mountain lake.
Noticing the awkward silence, Namgung Jin spoke again, his tone cold. “I have not yet publicized the details of this incident.”
“I am not threatening you. I am in no position to do so. I will also formally concede the wager, as my daughter is already promised to you, Young Lord, regardless.”
He didn’t seem to have any ulterior motive. But did he not spare a single thought for Namgung Bi-ah? It felt strange, him deciding his daughter’s fate so unilaterally without consulting her.
In the end, I’d gotten what I wanted, yet I still felt unsettled.
“As I said yesterday, I will do anything you ask. If you desire something, or if you wish for me to kneel, I will do so. Just say the word. I will do anything to earn your recognition as your disciple.”
How can he utter such terrifyingly uncomfortable words so casually?
“What does it mean to you, to go this far?”
“What does it mean?” He let out a humorless chuckle. “Do you truly not understand what you revealed yesterday?”
I did. I was acutely aware of the value of the sword art Elder Shin had displayed. And Namgung Jin understood it even better than I.
But was it truly so profound that it would make him act like this?
“It is something I need more than anything else at this moment.”
To Namgung Jin, it might have appeared as the final key to enlightenment, the last push he needed to break through to the next realm. Or perhaps he had simply become utterly captivated by the sword art itself.
A supreme martial art was like a potent poison to a martial artist. Once addicted, escape was nearly impossible.
The problem was, I had no means to teach him what he so desperately desired.
I showed him the art, but I can’t teach it? What kind of bullshit is that?
And if I were to say something like, ‘I don’t really know it that well myself…’
There’s no way he’d believe that.
[Yeah, he’d never buy it.]
…
I stopped my train of thought, irritated by Elder Shin’s commentary amidst his manic laughter. A sudden idea struck me. “Aren’t you curious,” I asked Namgung Jin, “how I, a member of the Gu Clan, could wield the sword art of the Namgung Clan?”
This was the most obvious and crucial question, yet he hadn’t asked it.
Wasn’t that strange? I knew he was blinded by the sword art’s brilliance, but to neglect the most fundamental question…
Namgung Jin’s expression turned peculiar at my question.
“Is there a need to ask?”
“Huh?”
“The Young Lord must be one of them. Is it something I need to inquire about?”
Them?
Who is he talking about?
His words caught me completely off guard. I wasn’t ignorant of the world’s workings, but this was a surprise.
Could he be referring to the Black Palace? But that didn’t seem right. ‘That name shouldn’t be widely known at this point in time.’
Then who were the ‘them’ that Namgung Jin spoke of? Who held such sway that he would let a matter of this magnitude slide without question?
Seeing my lack of response, the man frowned. “Young Lord…?”
“You are correct,” I said, deciding on the spot to lie. “I simply did not expect the Lord of the Namgung Clan to be aware of this.”
He had been about to question me further; a denial would have left me with no excuse.
[How utterly shameless…]
This is the mess you created. Don’t you dare say a word.
[Are you sure this is wise?]
No, it’s not wise, and it’s entirely your fault.
[You never think before you act, and then you blame me for the consequences. You truly are a piece of work.]*
The Lord of the Namgung Clan was on the verge of becoming my disciple. I desperately needed a way out.
I had no idea who ‘them’ referred to, but their existence, real or imagined, was providing me with a convenient shield. A group that made it plausible for a Gu Clan heir like me to know the Namgung Clan’s secret arts.
What could he mean by that?
Thinking about it, no such group came to mind. The Black Palace was already a headache; the thought of another shadowy organization was exhausting. ‘And you’re telling me a group that absurd actually exists?’
I have no memory of anything like that.
At this point, it was either an organization so secretive it was unknown to the world, or it was a fabrication of Namgung Jin’s own making.
My mind was spinning with complications. As I wrestled with these thoughts, Namgung Jin spoke again.
“You even went so far as to reveal your true identity to teach me a lesson, so I assumed you would want something in return.”
“Yes… Of course.”
There was no way Elder Shin had acted for some petty gain. And even if he had wanted something, he wouldn’t have asked Namgung Jin for it.
[This is getting interesting.]
You think this is interesting?
My brain felt like it was frying from the unsolvable puzzle, while Elder Shin giggled away, thoroughly amused. Just who was this group Namgung Jin had in mind?
“While I am eager to begin, I should first address the matter concerning your servant from yesterday.”
“What matter?”
“Yesterday, I was informed that one of your servants was assaulted by members of my retinue and is now hospitalized.”
“…That’s correct.”
One of my servants had told me the injured woman’s name was Beehee. The name meant nothing to me; it seemed we had never interacted before.
Yet, I still remembered the look in her eyes in that final moment.
“And because of that, you beat my servants to a pulp, leaving them half-dead.”
“You don’t sound like you’re blaming me, so what is your point?”
“Of course I’m not assigning blame. It is, however, a serious matter. Even if the Namgung Clan is highly ranked, we do not have the right to arbitrarily assault a servant of another clan.”
Yes, which was precisely why the incident was so absurd and inexplicable.
The Gu Clan was not to be trifled with, and these guests were here for a marriage alliance. For them to brutally beat one of my servants? It made no sense.
The only conceivable reason was that they viewed us, and our people, as utterly beneath them—like ants.
Just as I reached that conclusion, Namgung Jin said, “Neither of us was responsible for what happened.”
“…What?”
“I am saying that no one from the Namgung Clan, myself included, was involved in yesterday’s events.”
Here he was, seeking to learn from me, and instead of an apology, he was feeding me lies? I felt a surge of rage that threatened to make my body combust.
“Then are you telling me the men I saw yesterday were ghosts?”
I remembered the man clearly, standing guard in front of the guesthouse. I’d forced my way in after finding my servant missing, only to discover her beaten and unconscious on the floor.
Namgung Jin’s question was calm. “That is precisely why I am asking. Who was that man?”
“What are you trying to—”
“I am stating that the man you saw yesterday was not one of my people. We had nothing to do with your servant’s beating. None of my escorts have any idea who that person was.”
Hearing his answer, I could only stare at him, my eyes wide with disbelief.
“You expect me to believe something so absurd?”
“Every individual accepted into the Namgung Clan is registered under a specific lock formation that maintains order. If you wish, I can summon all my servants here to demonstrate. If you still doubt me, there are other methods of verification.”
His expression and the aura he emitted suggested he was telling the truth, but it was still incredibly difficult to accept.
The man who had tried to block me at the gate… I had twisted his arm, broken it, and knocked him out with a blow to the chin.
I had made physical contact. I had felt his Qi.
His face… What did his face look like?
It was hazy, even though I’d seen him only briefly. It made no sense that I couldn’t recall it clearly.
“I have already informed Lord Gu of this, but I came to you for further confirmation. A formal letter regarding this incident will also be sent.”
“What did your servants say?”
“They claimed not to know the man, as if their memories had been wiped clean.”
I swallowed hard. No matter how I looked at it, this was an unexplainable situation.
If Namgung Jin was telling the truth, then his desire to become my disciple was the least of my worries.
“…We should first wait for your servant to regain consciousness—” Namgung Jin began, but I turned and walked away before he could finish.
[Where are you going? It seems he had more to say.]
I need to see my father.
The fact that memories were affected; the fact that I couldn’t recall that blurred face; the fact that everything Namgung Jin said sent chills down my spine, hinting at something major unfolding right under our noses.
There’s no way…
All the signs pointed to ‘him,’ but it shouldn’t have been possible.
Because ‘he’ should still be imprisoned deep beneath the Gu Clan’s estate.
* * *
Crack… Crack…
The sound of breaking bones echoed through the room. A man was manipulating an arm twisted at an unnatural angle, trying to force it back into place.
Crrrack
“What an interesting kid, to leave me in such a state. He broke my ribs too, you know?” the man said, addressing the darkness.
Though the space appeared empty, a voice soon replied from the shadows. “You could have escaped, yet you chose to do something unnecessary.”
“Escaped? You make it sound so simple, old man. How was I supposed to do that with the entire Namgung Clan watching?”
“That was our agreement. You will uphold your end of the bargain.”
“Tch…” The man tossed a book into the darkness. “I wrote it exactly as you demanded. This should suffice.”
“Setting that aside, what of your second task?”
“Why ask when you already know? It was a failure. An unexpected variable intervened.”
“The one who reduced you to this state?”
“I couldn’t defend myself or dodge. If I had, I would have been exposed on the spot. That’s why I said it would have been easier to just kill him and bury the body…”
“Enough of your excuses. The failure is acceptable. It was not a critical task.”
If he had acted as a martial artist and not played the part of a servant, things might have been different. But it was impossible to decipher the motives of that damned old man.
“You are finished with that face,” the voice from the shadows stated. “There is no need for you to remain within the Namgung Clan any longer. Return.”
“How disappointing. I was starting to enjoy my time here.”
As his disappointed voice faded, the man’s facial muscles began to contort and shift unnaturally.
Twist.
A middle-aged man’s face morphed into that of an old man, then into a middle-aged woman’s, and finally, settled into the visage of a young boy.
Now appearing as a child, but with the same cynical tone, the man asked, “I can rest for a while now, right?”
“Your next target is the Shaolin Temple.”
“You’re insane! Are you not giving me a moment’s respite?”
“If you wish to regain your freedom sooner, you will follow my orders.”
“Goddamn it… Fine. What do you want me to do?”
The old man’s voice was calm in response to the boy’s harsh language. “As always, your objective is the same. You have until the end of winter. That should be sufficient time, correct?”
“You give me no time at all. You know what the first thing I’ll do once I’m free is?”
“I’ve heard it more than a hundred times. You’ll kill me.”
“You know it. Just you wait.”
“I will await news of your success.”
No reply came after the old man’s final words. The boy had already vanished.
This was a routine the old man was accustomed to, so he paid it no mind.
His attention was fixed on the letter in his hand. Its contents were… interesting. It contained information related to that recent failure.
At the bottom of the letter was a signature—the name of the man who had sent it.
Gu Changjun.
The old man read the letter slowly from beginning to end, and finally, pressed his seal upon it.
The commission was now officially accepted.