Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Winds of Change (3)
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"Hmm."
No aroma wafted from the cooled teacup.
A smile crept across Hwang Gyu's face as he stared at it.
"That's just how it goes."
Just as tea should be drunk while it's hot, every matter had its optimal moment.
"I thought there wasn't even a single scrap of meat left to gnaw on now that it had gone cold."
He recalled the conversation with his daughter.
'One of the Murong ancestors supposedly created a secret repository for his descendants. I didn't believe it, but Murong Bi seemed convinced.'
'It wasn't some idle wish from a man with nothing to lose?'
'Even if it was, I figured it was worth a shot. Honestly, it's not a bad deal either way.'
Hwang Gyu stroked his chin.
'A secret repository, huh?'
The world had forgotten House Murong.
For them, being forgotten might have been preferable. Just ten or fifteen years ago, the world's gaze toward House Murong had been utterly cold.
But Hwang Gyu knew the truth.
House Murong's downfall was the product of a collective madness that had been eerily radical.
'That's why even the Previous Patriarch couldn't make a move.'
He had seen House Murong's Previous Patriarch once.
A pallid complexion. A sickly face that suffered from severe chills, bundling up in cotton robes even in midsummer.
Yet amid that extreme fatigue, his eyes burned with a tiger-like ferocity that matched his name.
'...Murong Daeho.'
He remembered it being not long after they'd relocated to Hubei.
Curious about the man at the center of the rumors, he'd wanted to catch a glimpse of his face.
A shiver ran through him.
Even now, thinking back made his fingertips tremble.
The man was said to have lost even his inner energy due to severe internal and external injuries. Yet Hwang Gyu had been so overwhelmed by that gaze that he couldn't even speak properly.
Without realizing it, Hwang Gyu slammed his fist down on the table.
Bam!
The table splintered, sending the cooled teacup rolling across the floor.
He brushed off the fragments clinging to his fist with an impassive face and leaned back in his chair.
"I figured they were hiding something."
The Ten Sword Sect had grown stronger, but it was still just a regional power.
To soar higher, they needed even more potent martial arts. That's why he'd kept House Murong under surveillance for so long.
How else to explain watching for years even after the Previous Patriarch's death? But House Murong's fortunes had only declined further.
In the end, deeming there was nothing left to see, he'd given up.
"Did they really have a secret repository?"
Murong Bi came to mind.
He'd spotted the man staggering back from the tavern now and then. Anyone could see he was a hopeless drunkard.
That pathetic state had only deepened his disinterest in House Murong. If they had some hidden power, they wouldn't have let the direct heir sink that low just to fool everyone.
Yet suddenly, Murong Bi had single-handedly wiped out the Black Tiger Gang.
"Smashing a bunch of middling fools isn't hard, but the problem is that it was that hothead who did it."
The guard Myeong had said it himself. He couldn't handle Murong Bi alone.
A chill ran down Hwang Gyu's spine.
'Even with the world's greatest as his master, he couldn't have grown that strong in just a few days. He must have been hiding his power for years.'
He'd clearly been training in martial arts since childhood. No one knew how he'd ruined his body despite learning the arts, but he had to have at least a decade of cultivation under his belt.
"The martial art he wields is the real deal."
Word was he'd even used Revolving Force Emission. It pointed more to mastery of advanced techniques than mere enlightenment.
Whatever the case, that level of skill put him at least on par with a Ten Sword Sect elder.
"It's reasonable to assume no real secret repository exists. A guy who played the drunkard for years to deceive the world wouldn't spill it to Inhwa if one truly existed."
It was utterly ridiculous.
"The son's even tougher than his old man."
Murong Daeho had been innately strong-willed, but not one to scheme like that. Murong Bi was different.
Having power yet knowing how to hide it? And at that young age?
"You don't learn that. You're born with it."
A sly bastard.
"The question is why leak the secret repository's existence now."
Telling his daughter meant he intended for the word to spread.
"What the hell for?"
To prove House Murong's history was real? To overturn the long-held stigma of being frauds?
Or to draw someone's attention?
After mulling it over, Hwang Gyu spoke up.
"You outside?"
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Fetch Jihwa for me."
A moment later.
"Finance Pavilion Lord reporting."
"Come in."
The door opened, and a woman with sharp eyes entered.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties now? Taller than Hwang Inhwa, with impeccable posture.
Satisfaction lit up Hwang Gyu's face.
"You've improved again."
"Thanks to your teachings, Sect Leader."
"With Finance Pavilion duties keeping you run ragged, this is impressive."
His tone with her was worlds apart from how he spoke to Inhwa. That was how highly he valued his eldest daughter, Hwang Jihwa's talent.
"What did you need, Sect Leader?"
"This is private."
"Yes, Father."
"Have you heard everything about House Murong and that Murong Bi punk?"
Hwang Jihwa glanced at the shattered table and nodded.
"I have."
"What do you think?"
"One thing's certain: no secret repository exists."
"Why's that?"
"Murong Bi's skills rival those of our sect's elders. For a powerhouse like that to play the drunkard and fool the world for years... he wouldn't have told Inhwa if a real one existed."
Hwang Gyu's smile deepened.
"Sharp as ever."
Her insight was on another level compared to his second daughter.
"So you think House Murong's current strength exceeds our expectations?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Flower Sword Squad members are rejects no sect would take due to their flawed talents."
"Could it be fabricated?"
"Hiding one's power is incredibly difficult for the strong. It's unlikely that many standouts like Murong Bi gathered there, and I've verified it multiple times with our transferred Murong recruits."
Her mind was quick and thorough.
Hwang Gyu nodded.
"Others might be unknowns, but his sisters could be worth watching."
"We can rule out the third, Murong Suhyang."
"So the Acting Patriarch Murong Sujing and eldest son Murong Bi's skills are genuine."
"Personally, I see only Murong Bi as exceptional, but we can't rule out the others."
Hwang Gyu cut straight to it.
"They say Murong Bi snatched the ledgers from the Black Tiger Gang."
"I heard."
"A sly fox like him wouldn't publicize them without gain. He's after something."
"I agree."
"How about it? Why don't you step in yourself? Test his mettle too."
Hwang Jihwa replied without a flicker.
"I've been wondering when you'd let me."
"Hahaha."
Hwang Gyu found his daughter utterly reliable.
Some said having only daughters meant succession issues. That he should sire a son.
Absurd nonsense.
Someone like Hwang Jihwa made him not envy ten sons. In terms of potential, she rivaled the heirs of great sects.
"No point dragging it out. Head out once Finance Pavilion duties wrap up."
"One request."
"Manpower?"
"With Inhwa tangled in the Black Tiger Gang mess, we shouldn't stir suspicion. No squad members—just one elder."
"Who?"
"Flame Sword Elder."
Flame Sword lived up to his name: tyrannical and explosive.
The type to lash out without regard if provoked, heedless of face. He was infamous for his foul temper.
"Done. I'll attach Shadow too. Safe travels."
Shadow was a personal guard stronger than Myeong, one of the sect leader's elites.
Hwang Jihwa bowed.
"We can depart by dusk."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'Momentum's building.'
His depleted inner energy had refilled to over seventy percent in an instant.
With a solid foundation in his dantian, his vigor felt renewed.
'Inner energy's one thing, but physical conditioning is urgent too.'
The human body wasn't iron. It didn't grow stronger from endless pounding.
Yet dense inner energy sped recovery and growth, allowing one to endure extreme daily training.
'Problem is, my body's not in a state to accelerate recovery.'
He'd drained nearly thirty percent of his vitality.
Without converting it to inner energy via the Mixed Origin Heart Method, he'd be bedridden half the day. Extreme training from the start had been impossible.
'Still, there's a way.'
The answer lay in the Brain Gate Heart Technique.
'Use Brain Gate Heart Technique to keep my true energy active even in sleep.'
In this short time, he'd restored over seventy percent thanks to actively employing it.
He hadn't planned to, but he'd changed his mind.
'Building quality soil is different from building slowly. I'll push the pace, even if it strains me.'
It wasn't just Murong Sujing who'd gained a goalpost.
Murong Bi was the same. Urgent tasks demanded he charge ahead, body be damned—even if it shortened his lifespan.
That was when it happened.
"Urghhh."
"Ughhh!"
Weird groans pulled Murong Bi's eyes open.
Before him sat three squad members, legs splayed wide in a pitiful straddle.
Their knees weren't even straight, far from a full split—the gap between their thighs tapered to a pointed hat shape.
Murong Bi grumbled bluntly.
"Why haven't you gone lower?"
One squad member groaned in response.
"We're... going down... bit by bit."
Murong Bi rose and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
The member's face went deathly pale.
"W-Wait a sec!"
"Wait, my ass."
Smoothly.
"Gaaahhh!"
The scream could have torn the heavens.
Murong Bi pressed the others' shoulders too as he spoke.
"I told you sending inner energy to your lower body prevents muscles from snapping no matter how wide. You think this is a game?"
"Uwaaaah!"
"You can't go lower because it just hurts? Scared of a little embarrassing pain? You call yourselves warriors?"
It stabbed right at their pride.
"One more time: what you all lack is flexibility. It's not just about splitting your legs. It's the muscles themselves."
"Nngh."
"No need for a perfect split. Feel the elasticity in the stretch—that's key. Muscles only used to contracting are half-useless. Remember that."
The squad members gritted their teeth and pushed harder, sweat soaking their clothes cold.
Murong Bi snorted and glanced at Gwan Hyeon on watch.
"How's the crotch?"
Gwan Hyeon replied awkwardly.
"It's fine."
Murong Bi eyed Jong Hwon briefly.
Gwan Hyeon's watch partner looked conflicted, but his groin burned enough that he was kneading his hips with his fists.
Murong Bi pretended not to notice.
"While on watch, constantly stimulate your inner energy. No need for meditation. Get used to it, and vitality will flood your weary body in no time."
"Got it."
That was when it happened.
"What're you doing?"
Murong Bi turned.
There stood Murong Suhyang, face sour.