Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Something More Important Than Money (2)
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Murong Bi, who had been trying to dodge the question and leave, changed his mind.
Looking at Murong Sujing's face, he figured she wouldn't sleep properly until she heard something.
"It's true that I borrowed the money on purpose. I can't tell you the reason, but..."
Murong Bi fleshed out the story a bit.
He said that at this rate, the family would collapse, so he'd felt the need to help in his own way and had been preparing various things for a long time.
He was adding details, but he didn't give a single firm answer. There was no helping it. Making up some random reason would only erode trust later if the stories didn't match.
The one thing he emphasized thoroughly was that he'd long thought he needed to do something for the family.
"I see."
She couldn't possibly have all her doubts resolved, yet Murong Sujing nodded anyway.
Murong Bi had inwardly worried she might press him relentlessly, but it was all for nothing.
"Well, you must have had your reasons."
"I'm sorry I can't tell you more... Sorry."
She was like a granddaughter to him, so he had to put all his effort into suppressing the elder's tone that kept slipping out.
"No, that's fine. Your sister is plenty moved just confirming that your heart hasn't left the main house."
Murong Sujing's face was etched with the usual guilt and worry.
"Even now, thinking about when I returned to the main house, I still can't sleep. Your wandering was all because of me."
Huh? What was that supposed to mean?
'Did she leave the family for a bit?'
Murong Bi shook his head.
"Those weren't the kind of things that deserve excuses like 'wandering.' It wasn't anyone's fault. It was all because I was worthless."
He truly believed that. It was something he could say precisely because he didn't know Murong Bi's life story, but seeing Murong Sujing like this made forgiveness impossible.
Murong Sujing shed tears without realizing it.
'He's finally back.'
She recalled a conversation from five years ago with her brother, who had been only fourteen.
'I'll take care of the family and Suhyang, so don't worry about anything, sis. Go. I'll protect the house.'
'Biya.'
'Cure your illness. And if you ever get tired or worn out, come back home anytime.'
She still couldn't forget the weary look in her young brother's eyes.
'It was my fault.'
Back then, she'd lamented her own talent. She thought that if she could just cure her illness, she could go out into the world and achieve great success.
But her condition only worsened.
She grew increasingly anxious and irritable. Yet she absolutely refused to return home.
At that moment, Murong Sujing realized it.
She had been treating the family—the Murong name—like a burden.
'I never tried to understand Biya's sense of responsibility or his exhaustion.'
It had been a time when she'd lived solely for herself.
Only when she realized there was no way to cure her illness did thoughts of her family return. With just a few years left in her life, she wanted to atone and at least look after her family.
But the home she returned to was in ruins.
And her brother was ten times more broken than the house itself.
'So you went out into the world and it didn't go as planned? Can't cure your illness, huh? Why? Now that you're about to die, you suddenly remember your family?'
Her brother, drunk and cackling.
Seeing her brother, who had grown so much taller in three years but was equally shattered, plunged Murong Sujing into extreme self-loathing.
It was all her fault. Leaving those young siblings behind and going off on her own had been utterly inexcusable.
From then on, she devoted everything to the family.
Unable to let her brother serve as patriarch, she took the role of Acting Patriarch and skimped on sleep to rebuild the crumbling house.
Two years had passed like that, but her brother still wouldn't open his heart to her.
She thought it was only natural. She even believed she had to accept it if he never opened up until her dying day.
Her sin was that grave.
'He's finally back.'
Her once-wayward brother was looking at her with changed eyes, a changed voice, a changed demeanor.
The brother who only caused trouble had actually been trying to do something for the family.
Murong Sujing felt like she owned the world. Just knowing her brother's heart and will made her worsening illness seem to pause.
'Thank you for forgiving me.'
And thank you for rising again without giving up.
"Why are you crying?"
Murong Bi panicked at the sight of her bursting into tears.
'Damn, did I say something wrong?'
Did calling himself worthless come off as sarcastic? Thinking back, it might have.
Even as she tried to stop, she kept resenting Murong Bi.
'You pathetic fool.'
If they'd met during her Alliance Leader days, his legs wouldn't have survived.
"Biya."
"Y-yeah?"
"Thank you. Really, thank you."
"W-what did I do?"
Murong Sujing wiped her tears with her sleeve and composed her expression.
"Still, I can't accept that money."
Murong Bi's eyes went wide.
"Why not? It's clean money, no strings attached."
"That's not the issue. The wealth Black Tiger Gang amassed is the blood and sweat of the common folk. That money should go back where it belongs, don't you think?"
Who ever saw such a good soul?
"You shouldn't think like that."
"Why not?"
"If you do, then every bit of profit we've ever made is dirty money. There's no money in the world unstained by blood."
"Even so..."
"If it really bothers you, then grow the family and give generously to the needy."
Murong Sujing's face clouded over.
Murong Bi pressed on firmly.
"It's not easy to care for others while filling your own belly. Especially considering the main house's situation—it's absurd."
"..."
"Remember this: No one sheds tears for the powerless. Even if they do, those people need real help more than tears. And that help comes from power."
"...!"
"Compassion, worry, consideration, mercy—they're all good. But to show your heart through actions, you need power. Without it, you can't do anything."
Kindness? Wonderful. Mercy? Vital.
But the world is harsh, full of those who exploit rather than understand.
Cultivation of mind and spirit comes before power, but must not supersede it.
That was the world Murong Bi had learned.
Shh.
Murong Bi pushed the bundle closer to Murong Sujing and stood.
"I know how kind our Acting Patriarch is. But right now, I want you to think of something else."
"Biya."
"Power first, then giving back. And I know that even if the family gains power, your kind heart won't fade."
Murong Bi grinned mischievously.
"Decisively, that money's my personal spoils of war, right? The victor reinforces his weakened army before dividing the loot. That's the priority. Isn't it?"
"..."
"Get some rest. See you in the morning."
With that, Murong Bi left the office.
Murong Sujing stared blankly at the closed door, feeling another surge of emotion.
Her brother's words—"See you again"—felt so warm.
Every word from him today was like salvation. It felt like her past mistakes had been forgiven, even if just a little.
'Thank you.'
Murong Sujing covered her eyes with a cloth.
Tears kept flowing, but they weren't sad ones.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Leaving the office, Murong Bi headed straight to his quarters.
It was late into the night, but sleep wouldn't come. His mind wasn't in a state for it, and there was much to ponder.
Murong Bi reviewed everything from the moment he'd awakened until now.
'Too many uncertainties. I know nothing about this Murong Bi guy.'
He didn't even know the identity of the little girl he'd seen right after coming to.
'Come to think of it.'
Jang Gu's words suddenly came to mind.
'Yes, we knew. We weren't unaware of his efforts to make things right somehow. That's why we waited.'
'But now that it's come to this, what can we do? It looks like his ties with Lady Hwang of the Ten Sword Sect are severed too.'
Ten Sword Sect?
'Was there a sect like that in Hubei?'
He wasn't sure. There might have been, or not.
In the chaos of war, countless sects had been destroyed, and new ones sprang up everywhere. Hundreds appeared and vanished daily—no one could track them all.
'At any rate, it wasn't a famous one.'
Plus, "Lady Hwang." It likely referred to that little girl.
'Lady Hwang of the Ten Sword Sect... Ten Sword Sect...'
Those reckless rogues hadn't shown up when there were two of them, so they must have been wary of the girl called Lady Hwang.
Thus, the Ten Sword Sect was clearly a force more prestigious than the Murong family.
'He even seemed to have been trying something with that Lady Hwang kid.'
From Jang Gu's words, it appeared the old fool had borrowed a hundred taels from Black Tiger Gang aiming for some desperate jackpot.
Murong Bi was puzzled inwardly.
'What was he planning with just a hundred taels? Was he clueless about reality?'
It wasn't a small sum, but woefully insufficient for any grand scheme.
'Prices don't seem much different from twenty years ago, at least. Even accounting for regional differences, a hundred taels...'
Mid-thought, Murong Bi crossed his arms.
"I need to figure out what that troublemaker old fool was up to, but the priority is Black Tiger Gang. Beating up one site manager isn't enough—they'll come demanding repayment once the handover starts."
And the most crucial matter.
'Sujing and my bodies.'
He hadn't checked pulses, but Suhyang seemed perfectly healthy.
Her frame was excellent too. Still growing, but her long limbs showed the elasticity of early martial arts training.
'Restoring our health is the top priority. Regaining actual combat prowess comes next.'
And the core of combat power was martial arts.
For some reason, the family's restored martial arts hadn't been passed down—that much was clear.
That part puzzled him most. Money came and went, businesses worsened with bad times, but how could learned martial arts just vanish?
'In other words, Heon and Daeho died without properly teaching the kids.'
Deep in thought, Murong Bi stepped out as dawn broke.
"Before chasing black cats, I need to check the state of our martial arts."