Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: House Murong (1)
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Thud!
Murong Cheon slammed into the wall and slumped down right there.
Jang Gu openly furrowed his brows as he looked at him, unable even to lift his head.
"Young master. It's a problem if you keep avoiding us."
Murong Cheon still didn't respond.
Jang Gu continued leisurely, as if he hadn't expected a reply from the start.
"We've waited five extra days past the repayment date. Without even adding interest. But what is this?"
Jang Gu chuckled as he squatted down.
"Sure, we get it. You've been trying your best somehow. That's why we waited."
"……."
"But now that things have come to this, what can we do? It looks like you've even cut ties with Lady Hwang of the Ten Sword Sect."
"……."
"Young master. Are you even listening to me?"
Murong Cheon finally raised his head.
His eyes were filled with confusion. For some reason, Jang Gu felt that his gaze was strangely different from usual.
'Must've been quite the shock.'
He snorted and extended his hand backward.
Then Jang Sam handed him a piece of paper.
"Let's see. There's a lot to add on, but considering House Murong's circumstances, we'll only tack on three more days of interest."
"……?"
"So the total comes to... one thousand eighty taels and seventy wen. We'll waive the wen. Just one thousand taels, nice and round."
"What did you just say?"
"One thousand taels."
"No, not that."
A slow heat began to rise in Murong Cheon's confused eyes.
"What did you say about House Murong?"
Jang Gu blinked like an idiot.
"What do you mean?"
"You said you're considering the main family's circumstances?"
"Should we not?"
He could barely recover from the shock when this nonsense hit him.
Murong Cheon shot to his feet. His blood pressure dropped in an instant, stars flashing before his eyes, but he steadied himself against the wall to keep from collapsing.
"Considering the main family's circumstances? House Murong's?"
Jang Gu furrowed his brows again. His already fierce face turned downright demonic.
"Then pay the full one thousand eighty taels. Oh, and the seventy wen too."
Murong Cheon was dumbfounded.
'Are these guys insane?'
House Murong.
The overlords of Liaoning Province, the oldest martial house among the current great clans of the martial world.
Of course, it had weathered many ups and downs over the long years. Especially in the year Murong Cheon was born, it nearly fell to ruin amid a rebellion. But after he became Martial Alliance Leader, the house soared back to glory.
Naturally, House Murong's reserves were immense. One thousand taels? They could laugh it off. That's the kind of power they had.
Yet these guys were "considering House Murong's circumstances"?
'These bastards look like King Yama Debt Gang types.'
The kind who lent money and piled on insane interest to collect, more vicious than murderers in their own way.
'Wait... come to think of it...?'
Either way, the owner of this body seemed to be a legitimate son of House Murong. They were calling him young master and such, so the odds were high.
That's what made it weird.
'A legitimate son of House Murong borrowing from the King Yama Debt Gang?'
It didn't make sense.
Murong Cheon was bewildered. Dying and waking up in some young nobody's body from his clan was shocking enough, but he'd even borrowed money?
What could a son of House Murong lack that he'd borrow from lowlifes like these?
'…….'
His mind began to cool gradually.
The confusion of the past moments vanished in an instant, and reason finally reared its head.
"Hey, you."
"Hey... you?"
"Answer my questions honestly from now on, and I'll be grateful."
Jang Gu looked at Murong Cheon in disbelief. Jang Sam, standing behind him, even snickered.
"Of course. We must answer with all sincerity when the young master of House Murong deigns to ask."
Anyone could hear the sarcasm.
A surge of anger welled up, but Murong Cheon forcibly calmed himself. This wasn't the time for rage.
"Am I a son of House Murong?"
"……Are you serious?"
"Answer me."
"Of course. Who else would the young master of House Murong be if not you?"
"I mean, am I a son of that House Murong in Liaoning Province?"
There was only one family with the Murong name across the vast world.
He asked anyway, just in case.
And sure enough, the thug's face turned peculiar.
"Liaoning Province?"
"Then where else?"
"Isn't this Hubei Province?"
"……What?"
Why Hubei?
Was there really a scam family impersonating the Murong name?
Then Jang Sam sneered.
"Even dragging up the glory from twenty years ago, we can't keep overlooking it, young master."
Murong Cheon's eyes bulged.
Cold sweat drenched his back. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.
"Twenty years?"
"Sure, we heard you were famous across the land back then, but that's ancient history, isn't it? It's no great memory for us or you, so let's not talk nonsense."
"……!"
"Questions done? Let's wrap this up."
Murong Cheon flapped his mouth like a carp.
Jang Gu scratched his head.
"Young master, you know my buddy here's got a short fuse. Hiding won't help. So enough joking and..."
"Did you say twenty years ago?"
"Or two years ago?"
"House Murong of Liaoning came to Hubei twenty years ago?!"
Jang Gu's face grew increasingly savage.
"If twenty years bothers you, make it two hundred. Does that even matter?"
"Of course it matters!"
His pent-up frustration finally exploded, his voice booming.
"Hah."
Jang Gu slowly stood, rolling his shoulders.
"How long since we gave our young master a massage? You're skin and bones, but we won't pity you for that."
Murong Cheon grew anxious.
Talking more with these idiots would just make him explode. They weren't about to answer nicely.
He didn't know much else, but he had to see for himself if the family had settled in Hubei.
'Why did I end up as Martial Alliance Leader when it doesn't suit my temperament!'
Murong Cheon pointed toward the alley entrance and shouted.
"Enough. Lead the way."
"To our boss?"
"The main house, you idiots! The main house! To House Murong—lead the way!"
"……Good grief."
Jang Sam stood beside Jang Gu.
The two burly men side by side filled the alley.
"Business talk on hold. Let's get our young master compos mentis first, then resume. Agreed?"
"Money and agreements later—I'll handle it. Just lead to the main house!"
"If you're really not paying, we'll visit your home, of course. If money's short, maybe sell your sisters."
"……?"
"But first, let's get some manners on you..."
"What did you say?"
"Manners."
His boiling excitement shot straight through the roof.
Murong Cheon's eyes turned icy.
"Who are you selling?"
Jang Gu smirked and opened his mouth. Or tried to.
But his mouth wouldn't open, nor his voice come out.
'Huh?'
What's this? Why can't I speak all of a sudden?
"You dare say sell main family members?"
Sure, we'll sell you, young master.
That's what he wanted to sneer, but no voice came.
Jang Gu panicked inwardly. On top of speechlessness, his back was suddenly soaked.
'W-Why?'
He looked at Murong Cheon again.
Chill bumps raced from head to toe. His heart pounded wildly, yet his limbs turned ice-cold.
The good-for-nothing young master's pupils seemed to turn colorless and transparent.
'……!!'
Jang Gu paled.
Just his eyes made breathing ragged. It felt like he'd touched something forbidden.
Then Jang Sam bellowed.
"This damn bastard! We called you young master politely, and now you think you can sit on our heads? Who do you think you are, some bloodline from a trash family worse than garbage!"
In that instant, Jang Gu instinctively knew. Jang Sam had said something he shouldn't.
Murong Cheon's lips curled up slightly.
His mouth smiled, but his eyes were blank as glass beads. Like a beast without facial muscles.
"Right. I was too hasty. We should've started with manners before talking."
Jang Sam roared and swung his fist.
Had he sensed something wrong too? Normally he'd intimidate more before crushing, but he led with the punch.
Jang Gu was the same. He knew instinctively to run, but when Jang Sam charged, he followed unwittingly.
Thuds and bangs echoed through the alley.
The lively street noise drowned out the brutal sounds.
A moment later.
"Huff! Huff!"
Murong Cheon leaned against the wall, gasping repeatedly.
"Y-You damn...!"
It took over half a gak after steadying his breath for his lungs to recover somewhat. His stamina was pathetically low.
'Not even sweating.'
His insides burned like cooked organs.
His body was such a mess he couldn't even use proper breathing techniques. He had to catch his breath naturally.
Still, the thorough beating had cooled his anger some. Like letting blood.
He kicked Jang Gu's head.
"Hey."
"Guh!"
The unconscious Jang Gu jerked awake.
He clutched his chest and collapsed again, looking like he might die from pain.
Murong Cheon bellowed.
"Get up, now!"
"Hup! Yes!"
Jang Gu dropped to his knees right there.
His face was so swollen from the beating he frothed at the mouth. Too mangled for expressions, but terror was plain.
Murong Cheon dragged over a wooden crate from the corner, sat, and exhaled deeply.
"You. What's your name?"
"Jang Gu! I'm Jang Gu! This one's Jang Sam!"
"Good, Jang Gu. Answer my questions straight from now on."
"Yes! Ask anything!"
Even as he answered, Jang Gu drooled uncontrollably. His throat was too swollen to swallow.
'W-What the hell was that?!'
A scrawny bag-of-bones hiding such absurd skill!
He'd panted and staggered, yet their punches missed while his hit perfectly.
The real horror: every hit felt like a bone-shattering fracture.
Taking that nonstop for over a gak without dying was a miracle.
"This is definitely Hubei, right?"
Jang Gu's reply was immediate.
"Yes! Hubei Wuhan!"
Wuhan.
Hubei's capital. A hub of land and water transport, naturally bustling.
Murong Cheon's face twisted.
"Definitely Hubei?"
"Y-Yes!"
He wanted to rush to the family now. See what had happened all these years.
But after rampaging, he realized charging blindly wasn't smart.
"Do you know the Martial Alliance?"
"Yes!"
Even alley thugs would know it.
"Then do you know Martial Alliance Leader Murong Cheon?"
"N-No!"
"What?!"
Murong Cheon's cheek twitched.
"House Murong came to Hubei twenty years ago, but you don't know the alliance leader they produced? You're joking, right?"
"N-No way!"
"Then why don't you know Murong Cheon?"
"That's..."
Jang Gu's eyes darted. Scrambling for an answer.
"Ah! Are you perhaps referring to Bright Martial Sovereign Hoyeon Cheon, the alliance leader?"
"……?"
"……."
"Ho... who?"
"The great one who passed twenty years ago—the one who led us to victory against Holy Blood Palace!"
Murong Cheon's jaw dropped.
No... I fought Holy Blood Palace... I am Bright Martial Sovereign...
But what's Hoyeon Cheon?
He'd meant to ask when he died, but got this nonsense instead.
Murong Cheon's face crumbled like rotten tree roots.
"Tell me in detail."