Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Mastering Myself Lies Within My Heart (2)
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Murong Sujing gazed calmly at her brother, who had transformed into some unrecognizable beast—bear or wild boar, she couldn't tell—and spoke evenly.
"Sit down. I'll brew you some tea."
"...Alright."
Murong Bi, suppressing his agitation, plopped down with a loud thud!.
Seok Ung said cautiously,
"Acting Patriarch, I'll take my leave then."
"No tea for you?"
"I've got a mountain of work to handle. You two talk it over."
A seasoned chief steward was indeed different. Seok Ung, who might have hesitated over what to say or not say in her presence, swiftly excused himself.
Perhaps the charged, awkward air had something to do with it.
A moment later.
"I brewed this with the tea leaves Suhyang brought back. The innkeeper went out of his way for you, didn't he?"
"...It's good."
"Suhyang mentioned he even gave you some dried persimmon as a gift?"
"Tasted great."
"We must thank him properly later. Though I'm sure he'll handle it just fine on his own."
"Of course."
His responses were curt, but Murong Bi's face remained gravely serious.
Murong Sujing took a sip to wet her throat, and her own expression grew composed and relaxed.
"You want to win the prize money from the Junior Disciples Tournament?"
"Obviously!"
"Yes, securing the champion's prize would be wonderful."
"It's not just about securing it—we have to win it."
"Before that, I want to know why you're so worked up."
Murong Bi's face twisted oddly.
"I just told you, didn't I? The more money, the better!"
"I know that."
Murong Sujing's face grew increasingly solemn.
"One hundred thousand taels is an enormous sum, no doubt. For a house like ours, it would mean instant wealth. Add in the one hundred seventy thousand taels we've set aside for business ventures, and we'd likely never worry about food or shelter for the rest of our lives."
"... ."
"I understand everything you're saying. You're far more devoted to the house than your foolish sister here, so it's natural you'd get excited. But to me, you seem far too different from your usual self right now."
Murong Bi drew in a deep breath.
He was indeed excited. And since he hadn't explained why, it was no wonder Sujing and Seok Ung were thrown off.
"Tell your sister. Why are you so obsessed with the money?"
"Sis."
"Yes."
"House Bi has no money."
"...?"
"Sure, sell off all those divine weapons, and we'd have a fortune. Millions of taels—maybe even ten million—wouldn't be out of reach."
No exaggeration; it was the plain truth.
The divine weapons stocked in the Alliance Leader's residence were priceless treasures. Just one hitting the martial world would spark a bloodbath as fighters vied for it.
And there were over ten such weapons.
Plus a few he'd taken from outside the residence. Factoring those in, their wealth alone could make them one of Hubei Province's top magnates.
What if they sold the elixirs and healing medicines too?
Astronomical wealth.
"But we can't sell those items."
"Right, we shouldn't sell the weapons our ancestors prepared for their descendants."
"What are you talking about?"
"Huh?"
"We're starving right now—what do ancestors matter? If we sell, we sell."
Murong Sujing faltered.
"That's... ."
"But we don't have the power to sell them right now."
"What?"
"Want me to spell it out? We could sell them. But we couldn't handle the fallout. The moment word gets out we sold those treasures, do you think the greedy thugs of the martial world will just sit by?"
"...!"
"If we last even a single day properly, we'd be lucky. I guarantee you, within three days at most, the house would be wiped out."
The gravity and seriousness in his voice came through crystal clear.
Murong Sujing felt chills creeping up her arms unbidden.
Her brother was right.
For the powerless, unable to protect it, a treasure in hand was no treasure—it was a curse.
Even if they let it go, someone would draw steel, demanding to know why they sold it. Call it insolence.
The real terror was that even without ever holding the treasure, mere rumors could bring disaster.
But the powerless had no way to clear their name. Who would believe denials from eyes blinded by greed?
Thus, the weak could only suffer in silence.
"The house needs to grow strong. As quickly as possible."
"Why?"
Murong Sujing's face turned fully serious now.
"I understand what you're saying. But to me, your excitement feels too sudden."
"... ."
"Beyond all else, I want to know that first. I really need to hear it."
It might seem frustrating, but Murong Bi understood her.
Murong Sujing always approached every moment with a desire to learn and absorb.
In a way, her environment had forged that mindset. She had internalized that learning more, knowing more, was the only way to keep herself and the house safe.
That mindset extended to understanding her blood kin.
Guilt toward her brother had kept her from truly seeing him. But now, having resolved their old grievances and become true siblings, she yearned to know his heart.
She wouldn't pry into secrets he wished to keep—but what she could know, she wanted to know for certain.
As patriarch and as a sister, Murong Sujing sought to understand her family.
Only now did Murong Bi realize her feelings.
You idiot, you absolute fool.
He could get carried away in the heat of the moment.
The problem was forgetting the conversation with his brother while apologizing to Suhyang.
Sujing's right. Not for my sake, but for hers, I should have explained calmly.
Was it different from his apology to Suhyang?
No. Fundamentally the same issue.
When you must convey your honest feelings, do it clearly. And if you're the only one grasping the situation while others aren't, flying off the handle just makes everything worse.
Crucially, Sujing was the patriarch.
Not as a distant relative, but treat her as such. There were things for Murong Bi to learn from her as patriarch, and things for him to teach her as a senior clansman.
This was precisely the moment.
Ahem! "I got a bit too worked up there."
Murong Bi grinned sheepishly.
"Kinda boar-like, huh?"
Only then did Murong Sujing smile.
"You startled me, but it was refreshing to watch. There was something overwhelming about it."
"I've got many sides."
"You won't show the drunken fool side anymore, right?"
"Might have a drink now and then."
"Fine, a sip or two is okay. Just not around Suhyang."
"Got it."
Now fully calm, Murong Bi downed his tea.
With a settled mind, the aroma bloomed richer.
"This is really top-notch."
"Isn't it? When things aren't going well, I sip a strong-scented tea and reflect. If I can't taste the aroma like usual, it means I'm less relaxed than normal. If I can, my state of mind is good."
A deeply insightful girl.
Even at over fifty, there were things to learn from her.
Savoring the scent a few more times, Murong Bi set down his cup and said,
"You know the house is in a more precarious spot than it seems?"
"I didn't think it was precarious, but I did feel something off—like it's adrift."
That was instinct.
It also meant she had talent as a leader. Lacking experience was the only issue; following her instincts alone would spare her any cries of incompetence.
"We crushed Hwang Gui. Dragged the Ten Sword Sect's reputation through the mud."
"And?"
"Word of the house's fame has spread across Wuhan's region, knowingly or not."
"I know."
"Wuhan is a hub of commerce. Merchants sail everywhere on their ships. Know what that means?"
Only then did Murong Sujing's face grow grave.
"The house's fame spreads across all of Hubei?"
"It could spread beyond Hubei."
Merchants from other regions often sailed to Wuhan for trade.
Hearing rumors of House Murong, they'd naturally carry them back home.
"You know about House Hoyeon?"
Her face hardened instantly.
The once innocently kind-looking Murong Sujing's expression turned icy cold.
"I do."
"The house was branded frauds and chased out of Hubei."
"Yes."
"You know Father was convinced House Hoyeon's spies had infiltrated us for years?"
"Of course. One reason you trained in martial arts secretly was to evade their eyes, right?"
"I heard it straight from Old Man Gwak. Seems Father told only him."
"... ."
"Time passed, Father and Mother passed away, and they probably saw no further point in the house. To them, we were a ruined martial clan."
"Likely."
"And now, we've effectively crushed the Ten Sword Sect."
Murong Sujing's eyes wavered.
She finally grasped fully what her brother meant.
"House Hoyeon will come after us again?"
"Very likely."
On the flip side, there was a slim chance they wouldn't.
The reason was simple.
Wudang Sect.
While hearing the full story from Old Man Gwak, something felt suspicious.
The Wudang Sect's involvement.
Priest Heodo might have helped us settle in Wuhan. But once my surname—House Hoyeon—is revealed... even Heodo might only ensure I survive.
The issue came after.
No matter how I think about it, it's fishy. They protected us but let House Hoyeon's spies slip in? No sense of duty to cover that far?
Possible, but it didn't fit Priest Heodo's character.
That thought extended to Bright Truth Temple.
Did that distant kin really stumble upon an entry token by chance?
At the perfect moment, by sheer luck, a Bright Truth entry token?
When formal acquisition was like grasping the stars, and people lined up to buy connections to Bright Truth Temple—or even Wudang—for thousands, tens of thousands of taels?
What were the odds a boy patriarch from a fallen house meets some wandering priest and lucks into one?
Something's there.
Organizing his thoughts, Murong Bi continued.
"Got it? The house faces massive danger now. Even if House Hoyeon isn't watching, we must act as if they are."
"...I see."
"Of course we need to grow strong ASAP. Common sense? Leisure? Those come later. Right now, building power is priority one—that's my view."
"Yes, now I understand. But one question."
"... ."
"If it's so urgent, wouldn't melting down the business funds be better? Entering the Junior Disciples Tournament for prize money risks drawing even more attention from House Hoyeon—a bad move."
Murong Bi smiled.
Talking it out made things so much easier.
"As expected, Sis is sharp."
"An idiot compared to you."
"That's the key point."
"That I'm an idiot?"
"I suspect Wudang Sect."
"What?"
Murong Sujing was greatly startled.
"I heard Wudang helped us settle in Wuhan. Why?"
"I'll keep that to myself for now."
Share what he could, but be upfront about what he couldn't yet.
Seeing her brother's intense gaze, Murong Sujing nodded soon after.
"Understood. You have your reasons."
If only she'd understand this well from the start.
"So, entering the Junior Disciples Tournament isn't just for the prize—it's to gauge the Wudang priests' reactions?"
"Not quite."
Murong Bi's eyes burned with greed once more.
"Figuring out those priests won't be hard. But snagging a hundred thousand taels in one shot? That's the real prize."
"... ."
"No matter what, a hundred thousand taels comes first!"
And one more thing.
I can milk them for something else.
This, he couldn't voice aloud.