Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Full Marks: Never Refuse a Jug of Wine
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Only now did I finally understand who this phrase "Never Refuse a Jug of Wine" was truly meant for.
“…Are you really okay, big sis?”
“Hm? I’m fiiine?”
“…….”
You don’t look fine at all?
She was grinning from ear to ear.
Dang Gyujin’s cheeks were flushed bright red.
She seemed to be enjoying the alcohol after such a long time.
At this point, she should’ve passed out from being so drunk.
The problem was that she’d been in that state ever since her first cup, nonstop pouring booze down her throat.
I’d lost count of how many empty jars were piled up behind us.
Dang Gon was one thing, but were all the folks with the Dang surname just bottomless pits when it came to liquor?
“So that jerk’s grinning smugly while hanging out with the other junior sisters, and it’s just the most infuriating sight—”
I wasn’t much for drinking myself—I liked the gatherings but not the booze—so I mostly just listened.
Most of what Dang Gyujin was rambling about was daily life in the Qingcheng Sect.
A smile never left her lips the whole time she talked.
It must’ve had a warmth completely unlike the stifling Nine Dragons Branch Family.
Maybe that’s why Dang Gyujin, despite having that unusual talent called the Ghost-Faced Transformation Technique, had such an upright personality—not just because of the Celestial Annals School’s teachings, but thanks to the unique atmosphere of the Qingcheng Sect.
Thanks to her, I’d gotten the full rundown on the lineages of the second-generation disciples I’d never even met.
“Is that so?”
“That’s what I’m telling you! Doesn’t it piss you off just hearing it?”
“Well, since I wasn’t there to experience it myself, it’s hard to say—”
“But?”
“There’s one thing I do know.”
“Hm? What?”
“You like that senior brother guy, don’t you, big sis?”
“Wh-what the hell!?”
Dang Gyujin shot up from her seat, face beet red, jabbing a finger at me.
Getting all happy or sad over what that senior brother said, and getting inexplicably furious inside when he hung out with other junior sisters?
What else could that be but romantic feelings?
「Huh? As far as I know, the young lord has zero experience with romance. How are you so good at love advice—」
「Isn’t it always the fields you know least about where you’re most versed in theory?」
「Ooh, exactly! It’s like how the young lord had never trained in martial arts before, but once he started, he picked it up so effortlessly!」
「Truly, a genius touching the heavens—」
These guys seemed like they were making fun of me, right?
“Anyway.”
I set down my cup with a grin.
Dang Gyujin’s face was now so red it looked ready to burst.
“…Don’t say useless crap like that! You trying to get stabbed in your sleep or something?”
Getting stabbed by your sister while she’s drunk wouldn’t exactly make you look smart.
I nodded like I understood, but inside, I couldn’t stop smirking at the thought of some fun spectacle coming up soon.
“…Something’s fishy.”
Dang Gyujin narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“No way. I’m innocent. The incarnation of purity, innocence, and integrity—Dang Unhwi. Don’t you know?”
“Nope. Definitely fishy.”
“Ahem! Anyway, when’s that senior brother of yours supposed to arrive?”
“Why do you care?”
“Just wondering?”
“Ugh! You’re really asking for it!”
Apparently, the Qingcheng Sect was sending their next sect leader candidate—the top disciple—to pay respects to the Dark Lord around the time Dang Gyujin was descending the mountain.
I’d packaged it jokingly, but it was actually a bit serious.
I suspected they were using Dang Gyujin as an excuse to gauge the Dark Lord’s intentions.
From their perspective, the Dark Lord suddenly announcing a direct special task force would freak them out.
He might even use the New Cult as a pretext to unify not just Sichuan’s martial world, but expand influence over the entire western martial world.
Given the Dark Lord’s current fame and ambitions, it was entirely possible.
That said, Dang Gyujin didn’t seem to grasp the undercurrents of rivalry and negotiation between these massive powers yet.
「We’ll definitely need to keep watching this when the Dark Lord visits.」
「Depending on the situation, you might even turn it to our advantage—」
No clear picture yet, but bit by bit, I was starting to see how the current martial world was turning.
“Anyway, say one more useless thing and you’re dead, seriously.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll be careful. But I wasn’t joking about wanting to be introduced. You’re family to us now, right? So as a little brother, it’s only proper to pay my respects.”
Dang Gyujin looked deeply uncomfortable but couldn’t argue with the justification, so she answered.
“I got a letter saying they’re almost here.”
“Good. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“…Definitely fishy.”
I smoothly changed the subject.
“Anyway, things’ll get real lively at the estate then. Blood kin from outside will gather, preparations for the Dark Lord’s ceremony, greeting guests from all over… Whew! Makes me think holing up in the White Fortress sounds best.”
“Probably. More importantly, don’t you have any fun stories? You’re out in the secular world, so stuff like romance must be everyday for you, right?”
“Nope, nothing like that. Who’d fall for a bastard-born cripple?”
“Why do you think that? Plus, don’t you have a fiancée?”
“…Do I?”
“Huh? You didn’t know?”
“First I’ve heard of it.”
Wait a sec. This feels familiar.
A childhood engagement that gets dumped because the fiancé doesn’t like it, only for that ex to turn out to be an absolute powerhouse in the middle of some game...
I’d always wanted to try that trope. Was I really getting the chance?
No contact all this time—maybe she heard bad rumors and ghosted on purpose.
“Who’s this fiancée of mine?”
“Oh my oh my. Your father really didn’t tell you, huh? Curious?”
“Honestly… nah. Not really interested.”
“Yeah, figured.”
Marry someone you’ve never even seen? Ridiculous. Besides, she was engaged to the old ‘Dang Unhwi,’ not me.
If we just kept treating each other as nonexistent, it’d probably fizzle out on its own.
That’s what she wanted too, most likely.
“Or I could introduce you to someone decent—”
“No thanks.”
“I haven’t even said anything yet?”
“Weren’t you about to ask if I wanted an introduction?”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“There’s a proper order to things, like with water flowing downhill. You get married first, big sis, and I’ll follow.”
“I’m not thinking about that at all?”
“Then neither am I.”
“Ugh. You never lose an argument.”
* * *
The more drinking buddies, the better.
It was a few hours later when my drinking buddy finally showed.
“Sorry I’m late, young master. Some old friends kept grabbing at my ankles, so it took time to shake them off.”
“D-Dang Gon Uncle!?”
Dang Gyujin, who’d been on the verge of toppling over drunk, seemed to snap sober in an instant.
Dang Gon smiled faintly.
“Fancy meeting you here again, lady. I should’ve greeted you properly after seeing you at the search operations hall, but I was delayed. My apologies.”
“No, no! I should’ve come to greet you first!”
Dang Gyujin fidgeted anxiously before quickly sending me a transmission.
『Your drinking buddy wouldn’t happen to be Dang Gon Uncle, would it?』
The bold woman who’d boasted she’d teach my friend the way of liquor as a big sister, saying to invite her friends too, was nowhere in sight.
『You grandly declared you’d teach the way of liquor to my drinking buddy. Heh heh! Looking forward to it.』
『Make sense! Why didn’t you say it was Dang Gon Uncle sooner!』
『You didn’t ask?』
『You little—』
Dang Gyujin glared like she wanted to devour me, then swiftly shoved the chair next to her back.
“Sit here, Uncle!”
“Ahem! No need to go that far. Thank you.”
Dang Gon sat and eyed the mountain of food on the table.
“You ordered a ton again today. You’re not putting it all on my tab, are you?”
“Oh, can I?”
“Did you hit your head during the sparring today by any chance?”
The sharp tongue was back in full force.
I filled Dang Gon’s cup to the brim with bamboo leaf liquor.
Dang Gyujin alternated stares between us with a face like she’d seen a ghost.
『You—』
『Yes?』
『Why are you talking so casually to Dang Gon Uncle!?』
『Uh… it just kinda happened?』
『Are you insane?!』
Truth be told, I’d been shocked myself when Dang Gyujin called him ‘Uncle.’
I’d been calling him master for the past ten days, but my tone had been almost rudely casual.
Dang Gon hadn’t minded at all.
『Do you know who Dang Gon Uncle is? He’s practically a sworn brother to Father—they just never formalized it! He saved Father during a crisis at the Qingcheng Blood War and even received the title of ‘Eccentric Hero’ from the family head!』
From Dang Gyujin’s explanation, Dang Gon’s standing in the Nine Dragons Branch Family was even bigger than I’d thought.
He just didn’t flaunt it.
If he wanted, he could’ve easily taken over as head of any minor hall.
So I sincerely clasped my hands in a formal salute toward Dang Gon.
“Master.”
“…What’s this all of a sudden?”
He looked like I’d pulled some bizarre stunt out of nowhere.
“I didn’t know the full relationship between you and the branch leader, and I’ve been rude. I apologize. Please accept it.”
“……You’re ruining the booze. Cut it out. What nonsense with such fine liquor and food in front of us?”
Dang Gon turned his head away sharply.
『See?』
『…No way!』
This was the relationship that suited me and Dang Gon.
Pretending to be formal now would just make us both cringe.
“Did you have a good talk with your Gale Force buddies?”
“…You saw?”
Why so surprised?
Like a kid caught playing a prank he wasn’t supposed to.
“Yeah. You were with the heads of the Dang Tai and Dang Jin halls in the spectator seats? So blatant—even an idiot would’ve noticed.”
Said he was late because of friends. Those must’ve been the ones.
“Ha! You were busy sparring, so when did you even…? Your eyes are sharp, that’s for sure.”
Gale Force.
A term anyone from the Nine Dragons Branch Family—especially a successor—had to pay attention to. Dang Gyujin quietly gauged our reactions.
Dang Gon scratched his cheek and held out his cup.
“Hard to talk sober. Mind pouring one?”
“Plenty where that came from.”
Pour.
Dang Gon downed it in one go once it was full.
“Kaaah! Now that’s the stuff.”
“You were rating it, right?”
“…For starters. Yeah.”
“How was it?”
“What do you think?”
“Full marks.”
“Man, the confidence!”
“Wasn’t it?”
“Spot on! That’s why it’s so annoying! How does a guy have zero humility?”
“That’s part of my charm, maybe.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t wanna talk about it sober!”
Dang Gon grumbled as he set down his cup.
Thud!
“Keep showing that good side from now on too.”
“Sure thing.”
“…Nothing else you wanna ask?”
Dang Gon was peeking at me slyly, uncharacteristically.
“Hm? Something else to ask?”
“You know, the usual—how they view you, if their opinions have changed, what the other officers think, etc.”
“Nah, that’s plenty. Means they see potential in me, right?”
If they’d fawned over mere talent or dangled carrots right in front of me, I’d have been disappointed.
I had no use for opportunists like that.
It wasn’t just them judging me. I was sizing up the old Gale Force’s caliber too.
“Well, true—”
“So what’s my master think? Still see me as lacking like ten days ago?”
“…….”
Dang Gon hesitated, furrowing his brow.
He wanted to answer but held back, probably scared I’d strut around if it was praise.
“Ehehehe! I see the answer! That means I’m good enough!”
“…Can you do something about that laugh?”
“It’s my charm!”
“Charm my ass!”
Dang Gon grumbled but was smirking, already full of fondness for me.
Truth be told, securing the Gale Force would be nice, but not having it wasn’t a problem.
What mattered most was how the Gale Force folks would treat me going forward.
With today’s events, Dang Yuchang was effectively out of the successor race, leaving Dang Gyujin and me neck and neck.
Namgung Sanyeong would now scheme to oust me somehow.
When full conflict erupted, would they side with me?
Dang Gon’s reaction suggested they just might.
At worst, they’d stay neutral.
The old Gale Force was a pillar of the Nine Dragons Branch Family.
I’d perfectly demonstrated their signature Blustery Wind Technique and proven my skills.
I’d won their hearts—equivalent to building an ironclad foundation no amount of gold could buy.
Now, finally, the board was set just as I wanted.
So.
What card would they play next?
