Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Clan's Secret Place (4)
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"Cough! Cough!"
Jonghwan spat out a rough cough and shook his head as he sat up.
"Oh? You're back to your senses?"
"You okay?"
Jonghwan didn't answer his fellow swordsmen's questions.
He rubbed his chest with a swing of his arms, still feeling considerable pain.
Someone offered words of comfort.
"They say it heals quickly, but just in case, stop by the infirmary."
"……."
"And hey, don't take the win or loss too seriously. You just had some bad luck."
Jonghwan stared blankly at his fellow swordsman and let out another sigh.
The comrade, feeling awkwardly embarrassed for no reason, cleared his throat.
'Can't blame him.'
Honestly, getting beaten by that walking disaster of a drunken, scrawny young master would shock anyone. And it wasn't even with real swords.
At that moment, Gwan-hyeon spoke up.
"This guy's gotta rest, so everyone out."
"Ah, sure."
Once he'd sent all the squad members away, Gwan-hyeon turned to Jonghwan.
"You're not okay, are you?"
"……No. I'm fine."
"Not your body."
"……."
"How's it feel to get utterly crushed like that?"
Confusion clouded Jonghwan's face.
"Hyung."
"Speak."
"Did you see it?"
It was an abrupt question, but Gwan-hyeon understood instantly.
"Yeah, I saw."
"Then what the hell have we been doing all this time……."
"You know it wasn't just bad luck, right?"
"……."
"You get that, so why doubt everything you've been taught? You think the squad leader and I were slacking off on you guys?"
Jonghwan bit his lip.
"You know your own shortcomings, don't you?"
Yes. He knew all too well.
Honestly, it was impossible not to. They were all roughly the same level, but his talent was the weakest among them.
"Even so, at our level, we can handle street thugs solo. Two or three of Black Tiger Gang's elites? We could take 'em if we didn't chicken out."
"……."
"Think back to before you joined the main house. Isn't it massive progress?"
Yes.
At least he'd joined the Murong Clan and trained with his life on the line. A regular guy who couldn't even beat a thug had grown this strong in just a few years—all thanks to the clan's teachings.
"Not just me, but you and the other squad members haven't improved further. Must've given the squad leader headaches. Figuring out how to teach talentless guys like us day after day."
"……."
"Truth is, if we had talent, we might've been kicked out long ago."
It was a truth that chilled to the bone.
Just a few years ago, the Flower Sword Squad had nearly thirty members. He'd heard there were other armed units besides them when they first settled in Hubei.
But now? Only ten swordsmen left.
Why?
"We're really…… utterly talentless."
No other group would take them.
Of course, the debt they owed the Murong Clan was huge—they'd never even consider betrayal. But if they'd had real talent, they'd still be tempted to this day.
That was the reality of the Murong Clan and the Flower Sword Squad.
"Why the sudden despair?"
"Hyung."
"Your despair's in your own attitude—not putting in real effort."
Jonghwan snapped his head up.
"I worked my ass off! You know how brutal Flower Sword Squad training is……!"
"You had the least talent, but the best stamina in the squad. Maybe even better than me."
"……?"
"You gonna pretend you don't know I swing my sword till midnight after daily training?"
Why doesn't someone with better stamina than me even match that?
Jonghwan's face flushed red.
Gwan-hyeon sighed.
"I get it. Training's tough. Feels like there's no path forward. And you don't deserve blame for not slacking off."
"……."
"But when we face enemies later, you wanna die whining you tried hard but the clan didn't teach you right?"
Jonghwan's fists clenched.
He had words, but he knew they'd all be excuses.
Gwan-hyeon gave a wry smile.
"You think I train harder 'cause I'm senior?"
"……."
"I don't wanna die unjustly in a winnable fight, blaming my circumstances. That's why I train more than you guys."
Jonghwan felt ashamed.
He knew full well that without talent, you had to grind with effort—it was carved into his bones.
But at some point, he'd slacked off. Just because Flower Sword Squad training was hell.
Griping that no one can hustle every day wasn't a valid excuse here.
Martial artists walked the edge of a blade.
If you weren't ready to die recklessly, you had to strive desperately. Knowing your talent sucked meant writhing to take even one step further.
"You can envy others. Despair at your shitty circumstances."
"……."
"So, you gonna keep envying and despairing? Or grind your teeth to break your limits?"
Jonghwan was speechless.
Gwan-hyeon stood.
"They won't say it, but the other squad members know too. That match wasn't luck—it was skill."
"……."
"I saw a path forward in that fight. Found how to get better than I am now."
"What is it?"
"Not telling. It's my way, not yours."
Gwan-hyeon turned.
"Think it over. What to do first to surpass your current self."
* * * "Acting Lady Patriarch."
"You're here?"
Seok Ung's face lit up.
Murong Sujing looked utterly refreshed. It had been ages since she'd seemed this healthy.
"How's your body?"
"Feels like I could fly."
No exaggeration.
She hadn't felt this light in years. Even better than after treatment at Bright Truth Temple.
"I'm so relieved. Truly."
"Thanks to Young Master Bi."
"Yes, he accomplished something huge."
"But what brings you here?"
Seok Ung's face turned serious.
"Acting Lady Patriarch, there's a strange rumor circulating in the streets."
Murong Sujing could guess what he meant.
"Black Tiger Gang?"
"Ah, you knew?"
"Yes. Young Master Bi mentioned it yesterday."
Surprise crossed Seok Ung's face.
"Even if they're unorthodox, Black Tiger Gang isn't to be trifled with."
Murong Sujing knew that better.
Truth be told, even throwing the entire Murong Clan force at them, victory wasn't guaranteed.
Couldn't underestimate them just because they came from the back alleys. They'd forged thugs into soldiers with blood squeezed from the common folk. Their power was no joke.
"Over fifty members stationed at their main base. For one person to smash that isn't easy."
Easy? No first-rate master could pull it off.
"And…… he burned all their IOUs and business contracts right in front of the crowd."
"So I heard."
"Incredible feat."
He said it, but Seok Ung felt confused.
'Is this even possible?'
Fights weren't that simple.
He wasn't a martial arts expert, but having spent half his life in a martial clan, he knew.
High skill or deep inner energy didn't guarantee victory.
Variables cropped up everywhere, especially in fights—beyond imagination. Even top masters got ambushed and killed by third-rates sometimes.
Not enough to beat every Black Tiger warrior solo and kill the gang leader?
'Impossible without overwhelming force.'
Seok Ung thought of Murong Bi.
'Young Master.'
In the last two days, he'd changed so drastically it was like a different person.
Hell, you could believe he'd been possessed. The transformation was that dramatic.
'When did you start hiding your true self?'
He'd wanted to rush to Murong Bi first upon hearing, but instinct told him no answers.
Now he understood why.
'You've hidden it for far too long. Even fooled your family.'
Such a person wouldn't suddenly spill everything.
Everything had its order.
The Murong Bi he'd known since childhood was cautious, kind, resolute. At least until Murong Sujing left the clan.
'There must've been a reason.'
Then, Murong Sujing pulled a small bundle from beside her.
"Take a look at this."
"What's this?"
She unwrapped it herself.
Seok Ung's eyes went wide.
"Th-this?!"
"Money extorted directly from the Black Tiger Gang Leader, he said."
"……How much?"
"Counted it: one hundred thirty thousand four hundred nyang."
One hundred thirty thousand four hundred nyang.
Added to the previous extortion, nearly one hundred seventy thousand—a massive sum.
Staring blankly at the stack of notes, Seok Ung finally asked.
"Did he explain his circumstances to you, Acting Lady Patriarch?"
"What circumstances?"
"About his change."
Murong Sujing shook her head with a smile.
"No."
"Aren't you curious? What happened, why the long act?"
He'd crushed Black Tiger Gang, extorted unimaginable cash, burned IOUs and contracts publicly.
And he was supposedly a drunken hothead?
'Ridiculous!'
Ninety percent chance it was all an act. If those past behaviors were genuine, no way he'd achieve this.
"Crushing Black Tiger Gang was big, but torching documents in public sealed it. Your brother's name's on everyone's lips on Wuhuan Street."
"I imagine."
"If unintentional, it shows his good heart. If deliberate, he's prepared much. Can't do this on a whim."
"I know."
"Then why not ask him?"
Murong Sujing eyed Seok Ung.
Maybe because she'd recovered overnight? Her gaze and expression seemed even brighter.
"He'll tell me when the time's right."
"But……."
"I trust Bi."
That single word carried volumes.
Seok Ung shut his mouth. He felt he understood her heart.
'Of course.'
He'd expended his own vital energy to save his sister. Eradicated Wuhuan's notorious headache, Black Tiger Gang, and erased their IOUs and contracts.
What was there to doubt? Circumstances unknown, but as eldest son, Murong Bi had done brilliantly for the clan.
"I see."
Seok Ung finally smiled.
"Must be circumstances. I trust the young master too."
That was when it happened.
"S-Sister!"
Murong Bi's voice rang from outside.
It brimmed with uncontainable excitement.