Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Full Heaven Merit
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“Truth be told, Ye-won hasn’t been upfront with me either, probably out of fear that I’d be disappointed, but deep down, she doesn’t seem all that interested in this marriage.”
The true definition of ‘family’ might just be someone who understands your intentions even when you don’t express them outwardly.
In that sense, the Dark Lord already seemed to understand Dang Ye-won’s inner feelings.
“A forced connection like this might not work out. In fact, the marriage pact itself came about through something close to coercion.”
“Coercion?”
“Indeed. It was a kind of compulsion, really.”
The Dark Lord’s eyes drew pictures from the past.
“After the old Stormwind Corps was forcibly disbanded, it was a compulsion I created out of desperation to keep Ho-san by my side somehow.”
“!”
“We didn’t ask for your opinions or anything— it was a pledged future taken as collateral, so I’m sure it felt unjust. But at the time, I had no choice. Otherwise, Ho-san would have left.”
“…….”
The Dark Lord, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed at the night sky, had a face tinged with wistfulness and solitude.
But that expression vanished in an instant.
A weakness no sovereign should ever show.
He clearly had no intention of letting anyone see him discomposed.
“The branch leader must have been deeply heartbroken back then.”
“Deeply? It was beyond that. For him, the Stormwind Corps was his entire life.”
“…….”
“That life shattered overnight. He became a complete wreck.”
It was hard to imagine.
A cold and composed Dang Ho-san, stripped of his rationality.
“Many of the senior members who had followed him grew disillusioned with Ho-san in that state and left... That’s why I resorted to an extreme measure. I had to impose an obligation on him by force.”
“So that’s how the prenatal betrothal between Miss Ye-won and me came about.”
“Exactly. He’s a man with such a strong sense of responsibility that I figured tying him to me as in-laws would make him move on his own. Fortunately, that prediction held true, but he expressed a desire to have the marriage partner be from a different bloodline than the South Palace Clan—which is how you ended up in the picture.”
If all those circumstances were at play, it did make sense how such a marriage pact could come into existence.
“However, after that, there was no small amount of talk about whether the betrothal should be broken off, given your feeble and disappointing displays—”
The Dark Lord’s gaze upon me deepened.
“But I trusted Ho-san. I believed he’d make it work somehow. That blood of his isn’t going anywhere, after all.”
“…….”
“And here you are as the result. Hahaha. Half-Life Villain? What a fitting moniker. The birth of the Sichuan region’s top late-stage prodigy, perhaps even on par with Yi Cheol-san... And to top it off, sworn brother to the Lion Sword King. With that kind of standing, you’re more than sufficient as a match for my granddaughter. More than enough.”
What was I supposed to say here?
That contrary to what he believed, Dang Ho-san had simply neglected ‘Dang Un-hwi’?
“But there was one thing we didn’t anticipate. We are us, and you are you. I thought that with constant interactions from a young age, natural romantic feelings would develop between you two, but apparently not. Right?”
“To be honest... yes. That’s correct.”
“You are both scions of prestigious families. Raised in enviable environments with excellent education. And it’s likely you’ll hold positions dominating others in the future. But because of that, you have a duty to pledge loyalty to your clans.”
The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes.
“What if you were compelled to marry for that purpose? What would you do?”
Silent pressure.
An invisible force pressed down on my shoulders.
It felt like a threat that he wouldn’t let it slide if I didn’t give the answer he wanted, but since things had come to this, I decided to brazenly reveal my honest feelings.
“I’d run away.”
“Run... away?”
Was it because it was an answer he’d never even considered?
The Dark Lord’s eyes widened slightly.
“Yes. I’d have to. What else could I do? I can’t be forced into a marriage I don’t want.”
“Hah!”
“I believe there’s nothing as unhappy as a marriage one doesn’t desire.”
“What if I broke your legs and dragged you to the wedding ceremony?”
“That still wouldn’t work.”
“Why?”
“Because Miss Ye-won would run away afterward.”
“Huh?”
“She’s the clan head’s granddaughter, after all. That personality of hers isn’t going anywhere.”
“!”
“She’d refuse to do anything she didn’t want, even if it killed her.”
“...Hah!”
The Dark Lord looked utterly dumbfounded, then let out a hollow laugh as something dawned on him.
My guess had been spot on, it seemed.
The reason the Dark Lord favored Dang Ye-won so specially among his many grandchildren wasn’t just her beauty or talent—it was because she mirrored his own youth like a reflection in a mirror.
Old folks in secluded quarters always pour extra affection onto grandchildren who resemble them.
Judging by the Dark Lord’s personality, Dang Ye-won was no pushover.
Since she herself had said she wasn’t thrilled about this marriage, she’d naturally try to make it disappear somehow. Or just bolt outright.
「But I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing.」
‘What’s not good about it? It’s the perfect excuse.’
「If she truly takes after the Dark Lord... I wonder what kind of reaction the Vice Sect Leader would have if he truly caught her eye.」
「!?」
「From that brief glimpse in the carriage back then, she doesn’t seem like the type to go easy.」
That seemed like a problem for later.
“...The biggest issue is that I have nothing to say.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Thank you, my foot! Ugh. As if I didn’t have enough headaches already, you’re giving me even more!”
“Maybe it’s the price for pushing this forward without consulting the people involved.”
“Among the people around you, is there no one who’s ever wanted to smack that mouth of yours just once?”
“There were plenty, but none succeeded.”
“Shall I be the first to succeed?”
“I’m sorry.”
I quickly bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
The Dark Lord eyed me with exasperation before clicking his tongue lightly.
Tsk!
“Well, no helping it. I’ll have to discuss this separately with Ho-san. We can’t force a marriage out of the elders’ greed.”
“Thank you.”
“But hearing this come out of your mouth sours my mood terribly.”
“…….”
“From this fact alone, doesn’t it look like you’ve dared to dump my granddaughter? How should I punish you for that?”
The Dark Lord unclasped his hands behind his back and subtly raised his right hand.
A green glow flickered.
I glanced sideways behind me.
Measuring the angle for where to deploy Gale Step.
“Hmph. Since it hasn’t reached an official breakup yet, I’ll let it slide for now.”
“Thank you.”
Watching him clasp his hands behind his back again, I felt like this old man’s whims were aging me a decade at a time. Sigh, such is my fate.
“And keep today’s conversation under wraps until an official announcement. Nothing good comes from it leaking out.”
I nodded gravely.
This was a political matter.
On the surface, the marriage between the Half-Life Villain and the Heaven-Earth Phoenix would symbolize the Tang Clan’s solid unity.
Conversely, a breakup would drag down the Tang Clan’s wings just as they were starting to flap.
Even if a breakup were announced, it’d be best after everything was properly in place—or after enough time had passed for it all to fade into obscurity.
Of course, there’d also be the calculation that the two might genuinely hit it off in the meantime and proceed to a real marriage.
The fact that his thoughts reached this far in such a short time made me think he truly was remarkable.
“Then let’s leave it at that for this matter. Shall we get to the main point?”
Huh?
Wasn’t confirming something with me the whole point?
“I mean your martial arts. While watching your matches, there were several points I wanted to critique.”
“!”
I hurriedly straightened my posture.
Advice from one of the Ten Great Masters of the world.
Most of what I’d built was from trial and error on my own, so there were still many deficiencies.
His guidance was worth more than a thousand gold pieces.
Thump thump!
My heart raced.
“Eh. I’m not sure if I should really be teaching my martial arts to a scoundrel who kicked my granddaughter to the curb.”
“…….”
He wasn’t planning to use martial arts instruction as an excuse to beat me up, was he?
* * *
Fortunately, my worries didn’t come to pass.
The moment we dove into proper martial arts instruction, the Dark Lord transformed from a crotchety old man into the visage of a generational grandmaster.
“There’s one flaw in your martial arts. Do you know what it is?”
A flaw?
“I... don’t know.”
“It’s that they’re too practical and aggressive.”
“?”
“You look confused.”
“To be honest... yes. I am.”
“Truth be told, the first moment you displayed your martial arts in the arena, I thought I was witnessing demonic arts. The kind that even Heavenly Mountain fiends’ demonic lords cultivate—an Absolute Demonic Art.”
“!”
Even I, who prided myself on my thick skin, felt a chill run down my spine.
“Such destructive martial arts. You won’t find their like among orthodox sect arts, which prioritize mental and physical cultivation above all. Those kinds often end up destroying the mind as well.”
“…….”
“Martial arts reflect the practitioner’s mindset perfectly, but conversely, they exert a strong influence on the mindset. Once martial arts reach a certain level, they intertwine with one’s thoughts, making it hard to distinguish.”
“...Yes. That’s why the Nine Great Clans, who prioritize cultivation, shun demonic arts as much as possible.”
“Exactly. Demonic arts may progress quickly at first, but they ultimately destroy the mind, turning the practitioner into a madman. Your martial arts teeter precariously on the line between orthodox and demonic for precisely that reason.”
“…….”
“What matters here isn’t the type of martial arts. It’s that your current martial arts could one day adversely affect your mindset. Otherwise, people will just call it devilish possession.”
This was a point I hadn’t considered at all.
「The distinction between orthodox and demonic arts is unimportant—the goal is misguided? It’s a perspective utterly unlike that of ordinary warriors trapped in black-and-white thinking.」
「This is the insight of one who has ascended to the pinnacle... Hah!」
The Dark Lord’s voice lowered gravely.
“Of course, your internal energy is exceedingly pure. Far more so than most of our clan’s cultivation methods. Your control is so natural that I marveled at how such perfect energy circulation was possible. There’s much I could learn from that aspect. But that’s all.”
“…….”
“There’s a lack of depth in how you release your internal energy. It’s too shallow. That inevitably limits the insights you can draw from it. You know what that means, right?”
“It... hinders growth?”
“Correct. Precisely.”
“…….”
“The myriad martial arts you’ve learned are intricately assembled within the grand framework of Stormwind Dance, moving organically. That makes them highly effective and practical. But because they’re constrained solely by efficiency, they’ll eventually hit a wall.”
The Dark Lord was now addressing me in complete familiar terms.
But it didn’t feel offensive.
It felt natural.
That must be the dignity he possessed.
“It may greatly aid your immediate progress, but you’ll inevitably reach a limit. You won’t ascend further even to the summit of no peaks.”
“…….”
“Or, forcing your way past it could sweep your mind into the martial arts, turning you into a madman.”
Most warriors perish without surpassing the peak realm.
To them, my current martial arts might seem exceptional, but the Dark Lord naturally expected me to exceed even that.
In that regard, he had precisely pinpointed the flaws in the Black Dragon Heart Formula and Crimson Dragon Qi Art—techniques still young in development and lacking full integration with the Heavenly Demon Vast Heart Technique.
“So from now on, I’ll correct that. Your qi manipulation is flawless, so if we properly infuse variation and illusory forms into it, you’ll see infinite changes.”
The Dark Lord drew from his robes an iron orb far larger than a grown man’s head.
“And no one surpasses our clan in variation and illusory forms.”
Thud!
The iron orb dropped just in front of the Dark Lord’s toes.
So heavy it cratered the ground with a heavy thud.
“Behold. This is the Full Heaven Merit of Full Heaven Flower Rain.”
With a light roll of his right foot, the iron orb shattered into dozens, hundreds of fragments, scattering in all directions.
Shhhh!