Chapter 197: Know Your Place (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 197: Know Your Place (5)
Sky-blue flames swirled around my body, casting light upon the once-shrouded darkness.
Crash!
Behind me, the aftershock of the First Elder’s sword strike continued to crumble everything in its path. Watching the environment disintegrate, a slight tremor ran through my shoulders.
That attack would have killed me even if it had only grazed me.
Which was why I’d been forced to resort to this.
I didn’t want to use it.
A headache pulsed behind my eyes as I looked at the blue flames enveloping me. This was the energy the Blood Demon had given me, the same mysterious power Jang Seonyeon had wielded. I’d decided to call it ‘Blood Qi.’
Blood Qi elevated both body and martial prowess to unparalleled heights. Similar to Demonic Qi, it dyed my flames a destructive blue and enhanced my physical abilities. The disparity in strength was staggering, marking it as an extraordinary force.
But for all its power, there was a clear consequence. Using this energy rapidly depleted the Qi in my dantian. While my flames alone left my Qi largely untouched, channeling this mysterious power accelerated the drainage exponentially.
How is this even worth the price?
Of course, it was only thanks to this power that I had turned the situation around. But it felt far from welcoming.
It would’ve been dangerous if I hadn’t used it.
There was a time I’d sworn I would never use Demonic Qi. But after realizing I couldn’t afford to be picky, I’d decided to use whatever was necessary. Even so, an energy that belonged to evil never felt clean to use—especially when I didn’t even fully understand what it was.
I wanted to hide it as best as I could.
Since it completely changed the color of my flames, I couldn’t use this power indiscriminately.
Furthermore…
Slam-!
“…Phew.”
As soon as I retracted the flames, a violent recoil wracked my body. I clenched my teeth, careful to keep my expression neutral and not show any pain.
Fuck me… it hurts like hell.
I’d experimented with this energy a few times during training on the way home, but since this was my first time using it in actual combat, I’d failed to anticipate the severity of the backlash.
This was excessive.
And I thought I was used to pain.
My body might not have been, but I’d believed my mental fortitude was unshakable. Yet this was on another level entirely.
As I thought, I can’t use this often.
A mild recoil would have been manageable, but if I suffered this much pain every time, my body could sustain permanent damage. Even now, I had to conceal the slight tremor in my arm.
Nevertheless, the experience illuminated the potency of this power.
It might not make me as powerful as a Fusion Realm martial artist, but…
Even if it didn’t elevate me to a whole new level, it came remarkably close. I only had to think of Jang Seonyeon, who had displayed the power of a Peak Realm expert while only being a first-rate martial artist.
…Then if I used this power at a higher stage, would I get the same boost?
The thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it immediately. Such a thing was impossible. After all, no one could cheat their way into a new realm.
“Cough…! Huff…”
Splatter-
Blood sprayed from the First Elder’s mouth as he knelt on the ground. Concealing my trembling hand, I directed my gaze at him.
The old man, hair disheveled and body battered, looked up at me with shaky pupils—a pathetic sight. This was the downfall of a Master who had once been one of the Gu Clan’s strongest. Seeing him like this wasn’t the most welcoming feeling, even if he had tried to kill me.
“Hughh…”
Only a weak, guttural sound escaped the First Elder’s mouth. His teeth had all been shattered.
“Everything you’ve done is probably recorded in that basement of yours.”
“Hughh… N…o…”
His pronunciation was mangled, but I understood what he was feeling.
“Are you still going to struggle so pathetically? I suggest you don’t.”
“How… How are you…! Why is it that you…!”
“I know. I wonder why it ended up like this. How unfortunate for you.”
I remarked callously. Even if I had lived the lazy life the First Elder expected, this old man was already destined to meet his end. This situation had only been accelerated by his own desperation.
After watching him practically vomit his emotions, I responded coldly. “Gu Sunmoon’s Head, Gu Changjun.”
The First Elder’s eyes shook heavily at the declaration.
“For collaborating with outsiders, causing harm to our clan, and attempting to harm the clan’s bloodline, you are hereby relieved of your position as an Elder.”
“What makes you think a bastard like you has any power to remove me from anything…!”
“Why wouldn’t I? Do you think it would change if I went and claimed the Young Lord position right now?”
Even if I couldn’t, the outcome would remain the same. The First Elder knew this. If Father saw what had happened here upon his return, wouldn’t the First Elder be punished regardless?
“There are so many things… that I did for the clan up until now! How dare a lazy brat like you try to remove me from my position!”
It was true. The things the First Elder had done for the clan were not insignificant. He had led Gu Sunmoon for decades. As the Sword of the Gu Clan, they had played a major role in securing peace for Shanxi. But…
“Even so, that doesn’t justify crossing a line you never should have.”
“What do you know…?”
“Do I have to know? I’m not curious about your sob story.”
It was a position he could never reach because he wasn’t from the main clan. No matter how hard he tried, the ceiling was there. I didn’t know what story he hid in his past, but…
“There is no point in me knowing.”
Whatever life the First Elder had lived, it was his own. Every decision he made was his responsibility alone.
Once the recoil finally subsided and my body stopped shaking, I reached out and grabbed the First Elder by the neck.
He gathered his Qi, faltering as he tried to resist, but immediately coughed up more blood. It seemed his body was no longer obeying his commands.
“…Let… go…! Bastard…! Even if you are the Lord’s son, you can’t do this. There are clear rules in the clan…!”
“I wonder why you did all this despite knowing those rules.”
I tightened my grip. I had to kill him here. Even if I let him live, his chances of survival after Father’s return were virtually zero, but…
He saw my flame.
The First Elder had seen me use Blood Qi to dodge his attack and counter. I couldn’t afford to let him live.
“At the very least, you won’t die as painfully as you did last time.”
In my past life, Father had killed him slowly, burning him alive. I had no desire to use this power any longer than necessary.
Just as I was about to crush his neck…
“Young Master…!”
My body froze at the voice from behind me. The First Elder’s did, too.
“N…No.”
The old man let out a despairing sound as he saw who had appeared behind me. He didn’t want to be seen like this. And I felt the same.
How did he know?
Turning around with shocked eyes, I found Gu Jeolyub standing there, panting heavily. I’d told Muyeon to watch him. How had he managed to reach Gu Sunmoon?
But that’s not the important thing right now.
His grandfather was vomiting blood, a mess, and I was the one gripping his neck.
“Huff… Huff…!”
I saw Gu Jeolyub’s pupils shake violently. He was breathing so heavily he couldn’t even form words.
“Y-Young Master. W-What is this…”
He finally called out to me, his voice trembling with incomprehension.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and turned my head away. What a shitty situation. This was precisely the kind of scene I had wanted to avoid.
[Kid.]
“Sigh…”
The sound of Elder Shin’s voice urged me to make a decision. I let out a deep sigh. This was exactly why I preferred to stay out of sight.
I tightened my grip on the First Elder’s neck.
Crack-!
A heavy sound echoed. The light in the First Elder’s eyes faded, and his body fell to the ground, powerless.
“G-Grandfather!”
Gu Jeolyub rushed to his fallen grandfather. His shaky voice and tear-streaked face bothered me.
“Gu Jeolyub.”
Setting aside my own emotions, I called his name. Gu Jeolyub raised his tear-filled eyes to meet mine. His face was a storm of confusion, grief, and anger. I could decipher what he was feeling, but I had no choice but to ignore it.
“He has been removed as Head of Gu Sunmoon. You will inherit the position.”
“…What… What are you saying? How did this happen?”
“I won’t hear any objections.”
“Young Mas…!”
He shouted back, but I only stared at him calmly. When our eyes met, Gu Jeolyub moved to draw his sword in a rage.
“If you do that, I will have no choice but to kill you.”
My words froze him in place. I was deliberately unleashing a massive amount of killing intent. It must have been unbearable for him.
“Why, just why…!”
Even so, he strained against the pressure, his body trembling with the effort. He was clearly overwhelmed, unable to comprehend the situation. It was the reaction of a young man who hadn’t even reached twenty.
After a moment’s contemplation, I delivered a light chop to his neck, rendering him unconscious. As he fell, I moved to catch him.
[So you decided not to kill the child.]
…
[Did you come to like him more in that short amount of time you spent with him?]
I offered no response to Elder Shin’s question.
Soon, I sensed numerous presences approaching from the entrance. It seemed members of the main clan had finally learned of the situation and were arriving.
I laid Gu Jeolyub gently on the ground and turned my back.
[There is nothing scarier than showing mercy. You probably know better than anyone that it would be better for both you and that child if he were gone.]
…
[I won’t say more, as this is your choice. But you will regret it.]*
I brushed my hair back after hearing Elder Shin. There were already so many things for me to regret; one more wouldn’t change anything.
At least, that’s what I decided to tell myself.
To be more accurate… I had no other choice.
* * *
In the basement of the Black Palace…
A woman slowly regained consciousness.
“Gasp!”
As soon as her senses returned, Gu Huibi looked around frantically. She was in a dark room, iron bars standing before her. An eerie silence filled the space, so profound it felt unnatural.
…Where am I?
Her mind ached as she struggled to recall her last moments. She needed to understand why she was here, and where ‘here’ even was.
“…!”
Thankfully, her memory returned swiftly. But the recollection only made her clench her teeth in fury—fury at the absurd power of the martial artist who had intruded upon the battlefield, and fury at her own powerlessness in the face of it.
“…Fuck.”
The image of the Second Elder, fighting valiantly to protect her only to be fatally wounded at the last moment, lingered in her mind. Followed by the memory of her losing consciousness immediately after. It was a memory that made her feel utterly incompetent. This was the version of herself she hated most.
With a heavy heart, Gu Huibi turned her head to survey her surroundings carefully.
“Where am I…?”
First, she had to learn why this was happening. But her initial inspection yielded only one obvious answer.
“A prison…?”
Iron bars surrounded her. She was confined.
As she continued to look around with a confused expression…
“How about you stay still? You are bothering me.”
A voice interrupted her thoughts, emanating from not far away. Startled, Gu Huibi immediately tried to distance herself from the sound.
“Ugh…!”
She grunted, attempting to move, but fell to the floor—her hands and feet were bound.
“Haha, I knew that would happen.”
Clang.
A rough sound of steel scraping against stone drew closer.
Gu Huibi tried to regulate her breath and prepare for a fight, but… her Qi did not answer her call.
Acupuncture…?
Her dantian felt fine, but it seemed specific points had been sealed, preventing her from using her power.
When the scraping sound stopped right in front of her, her eyes, now adjusted to the dark, made out the figure of a person.
“…!”
It was an old man. His physique was frail and abnormal, covered in numerous marks of torture. Most noticeably, his eyes were wrapped in a cloth.