Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: You Seem Afraid
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“Uwaaaah!”
White Bone Net Master bellowed a monstrous roar as he tore the letter in his hand to shreds.
The disciples, desperate not to catch his eye, moved with utmost caution. Even the rowdy aquatic corpses had fallen silent.
But that did little to calm the rage boiling within him.
Urgent pleas for help were now arriving not just from Sichuan Province, but from Gansu and Qinghai as well.
Was it because the beast could cover thousands of li in a single day with ease?
It had obliterated the secret ranch that Black Bone Ghost Ravine had prepared in secrecy to evade the young leader’s scrutiny—not to mention the branch divisions.
The creature was growing stronger by the day.
Likely because it had devoured every last aquatic corpse, fully awakening as a demon beast.
Before, it would at least pretend to flee upon encountering experts from Ghost Ravine. Now, it smashed their heads without a second thought.
As a result, even the head ravine on Heavenly Mountain had issued a thunderous decree.
—What in the world is taking so long?!
The letter he had just shredded had come straight from the Ravine Lord.
“Just what... what method did they use to evolve the young beast into its lord form...? What kind of bastards are behind this?!”
From the circumstances, the culprits were undoubtedly the ones suspected to be backing Tang Un-hwi.
The problem was that they knew absolutely nothing about them.
They had left no traces whatsoever—clearly the work of a cunning great faction.
He desperately wanted to grab Un-hwi by the collar himself right then and there. But with the operation date fast approaching, he couldn’t afford to act rashly.
In the end, he could only sit idly by and watch the mounting losses.
The Ravine Lord had notified him that he would handle it personally, but White Bone Net Master doubted it would be that simple.
And the blame would all fall on him, no doubt.
“What in the world is going on?”
Namgung San-yeong, who had been watching White Bone Net Master, now wore an uneasy expression herself.
This was the man who always exuded unshakable confidence, no matter the crisis.
Yet now, for the first time, he showed signs of agitation.
For her, who absolutely had to see Un-hwi dead, every day was a torment of anxiety.
“If you took that much money, shouldn’t you at least do one thing right!? You can’t even kill a single brat properly and now you’ve let it blow up into—Gahk!”
Namgung San-yeong’s scolding didn’t last long.
White Bone Net Master’s pale hand had suddenly seized her by the throat.
“Shut your mouth.”
“You... do you think you’ll get away with...!”
“Seen those aquatic corpses outside? What if I rip you to pieces and feed you to them? No one would even know you came here, would they?”
“!!”
“So it’d be best if you shut it. Before I rip out that tongue of yours.”
“......”
Had she ever endured such humiliation before?
Namgung San-yeong’s eyes trembled violently.
The ghostly aura emanating from White Bone Net Master was tightening around her throat.
‘Demonic qi!!’
But what unsettled her more than the immediate threat of suffocation was another energy hidden within that ghostly aura.
Until now, she had only known White Bone Net Master as a skilled poison master despite his eerie appearance. She never imagined he could be a demonic cultist.
And for good reason—the one who had introduced her to him was none other than her own family, the South Palace Clan!
‘Then... the South Palace Clan has allied with the demonic cult—’
Her thoughts began to fade into the white void of her consciousness.
Thud!
White Bone Net Master released his grip on Namgung San-yeong.
“Gasp, gasp—”
She gulped down air desperately, staring at him with terrified eyes.
The demonic cult!
The supreme power of the unorthodox paths, the hegemon of evil, and for so long the terror of the Central Plains martial world. To think she was facing one right before her eyes—her legs went weak.
As a Central Plains native, she felt a duty to warn everyone that the demons imprisoned on Heavenly Mountain for the past six years were trying to emerge from their lair once more.
But reflecting on her own role as their foothold all this time filled her with dread at the inevitable backlash from the world.
Above all, it would forever block her children’s futures.
Even if Tang Gyu-jin had declared disownment, she was still the daughter she had borne.
Tang Yu-chang had suffered a setback, but his path ahead was still wide open.
This fact had to remain a secret, no matter what. Absolutely!
“Now that’s a more obedient face. This is why you need the whip to tame those beastly Central Plains folk.”
A strange gleam flickered in White Bone Net Master’s eyes.
“Hey, moneybags.”
“...What is it?”
“We’ve made a pretty good team so far, haven’t we?”
“......”
“But I think we need to sync up again. What do you say?”
“What are you—”
“The second brat.”
“!”
“Tang Un-hwi, was it? Ha! The name’s exactly like that bastard’s! What rotten luck! Anyway, you want to tear him apart too, don’t you?”
Namgung San-yeong bit her lip hard. Her hands clenched the hem of her skirt tightly.
“And now I have to tear him apart myself. So how about we get along nicely again?”
Trembling with fear, Namgung San-yeong’s mind raced.
‘From how things are going, Un-hwi and his backers are far bigger than I imagined. Just the fact that this demon’s assassin failed proves it.’
What terrified Namgung San-yeong most was the possibility that Un-hwi’s backers had uncovered their identities.
That would spell the immediate end of her political life.
Even if they hadn’t found out yet, persistent pursuit would uncover it soon enough.
So before that happened, she had to eliminate Un-hwi and his backers, just as they demanded.
‘I’m already cornered. With my family confirmed to have joined hands with the demonic cult, I have no choice but to ride this out to the end.’
If she couldn’t secure the branch leader position, let alone the clan head seat, her life would end in failure.
A mad glint flickered in Namgung San-yeong’s eyes.
“...How can we get along nicely?”
White Bone Net Master’s lips twisted into a smirk.
Perfect.
Now that she had taken the demon’s hand, Namgung San-yeong had nowhere left to turn.
“That’s—”
White Bone Net Master began slowly.
* * *
When I returned after commissioning the Sword Fan, Tang Gyu-jin was waiting.
“What brings you here, sister?”
“I have one thing I want to ask.”
Exhaustion and worry etched Tang Gyu-jin’s face.
But sharper still was the ghostly aura subtly emanating from her.
Her demon face was beginning to show.
「Her expression is so grave, she looks like she’s heading off to war somewhere.」
「With her Heavenly Earth Daily Record Gate energy in such disarray, she must be seething with anger.」
What could have enraged this kind woman so?
I nodded as if urging her to speak, and Tang Gyu-jin slowly opened her mouth.
“Do you... remember much from your childhood?”
Childhood?
A tricky question.
I had no choice but to deflect.
“Not much at all.”
“...If it’s too painful to recall.”
“What does the past matter?”
Tang Gyu-jin’s eyes widened slightly.
“We just need to do well from now on. The future matters far more to me.”
“!!”
Her eyes widened again. Her pupils trembled.
Then, as if resolving something, she nodded heavily and rose from her seat.
Clang!
The sword at her waist swayed.
A Qinggang Sword, reserved for the elite experts of Qingcheng Sect.
She stood here not as a daughter of the Tang Clan of Sichuan, but as a swordmaster of Qingcheng Sect.
“...I see. Got it. Thank you.”
Tang Gyu-jin smiled brightly.
“I have some business to attend to, so I’ll step out for a bit. If anyone asks, tell them that. I’ll be back before Father returns.”
Without waiting for my reply, she quietly departed.
「She seemed like she had something more to say to you, young lord. I wonder what it was?」
“Who knows.”
I gazed quietly in the direction Tang Gyu-jin had gone.
It seemed she was troubled over the conflict between me and Namgung San-yeong.
Something was definitely up.
‘You, follow her quietly.’
「As you command!!」
The spirit possessed a sparrow perched on a nearby tree and soared off energetically.
I hoped she wouldn’t stir up any trouble.
With that thought, I turned in the opposite direction.
* * *
It seemed we had a lot of visitors today.
In the White Pavilion, Hyeong Sam was pacing anxiously in the courtyard.
“Y-Young master, there’s someone inside—”
“Looks like an uninvited guest.”
Curious, I extended my qi sense inward and detected a familiar presence.
「Th-That insolent wretch! What does she think this place is, some safe haven—」
「She sent assassins and botched the job, so now she’s sweating bullets and came herself, no doubt.」
「Makes sense. If word spreads that a righteous faction member’s in bed with Black Bone Ghost Ravine’s sorcerers, her life’s over. Probably here to probe the young lord.」
‘Same thought here.’
A laugh escaped me.
This was practically her advertising that she was behind the assassins.
“Quit scampering around like a mangy mutt dying for a piss and bring me some tea. Just one cup. Not two.”
Why waste good tea on someone about to head to the afterlife?
“...Are you sure that’s wise?”
“And if it’s not?”
“N-No, sir!”
Leaving Hyeong Sam scurrying to the kitchen, I entered the hall.
Sure enough, Namgung San-yeong was waiting inside.
She was brazenly inspecting every corner of my room.
“As you can see, there’s nothing worth taking.”
“I figured a teenage boy cooped up for two months would reek, but you’ve aired it out well.”
“Unlike some, I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Namgung San-yeong scowled and glared at me, clearly displeased, but I just snorted derisively.
So what?
What are you gonna do, glare me to death?
After a prolonged staring contest, Namgung San-yeong sat down. Or tried to.
“Sit here. Let’s talk—”
“Kyaaak!”
The chair she tried to sit on suddenly slid backward, sending her tumbling comically to the floor.
A poltergeist phenomenon.
I’d had the spirit move the chair on the sly.
‘Well done.’
「If it’s the young lord’s order, I’d dive into a shithole with a smile! This lowly one would be grateful just to have you remember my name—」
「Me next time! Use me next!!」
Since my awakening, the spirits’ loyalty had been nothing short of tear-jerking.
“You!!”
“Oops. Shouldn’t you watch where you’re sitting?”
Namgung San-yeong shot to her feet and pointed accusingly at me, but with no proof it was me, she couldn’t vent her fury.
“Hoo! Honestly. Why have you turned into such a jinx these past two months!? I didn’t raise you like this. Sit down first. We need to discuss—”
Creak!
“Eeek! You again—”
“I’ve been sitting still the whole time, haven’t you seen?”
Creeeak!
“...Can you do something about this—”
Creeeaaaak!
“Aaaah! This damn chair!!”
Every time Namgung San-yeong tried to sit, she failed spectacularly.
The chair kept shifting, and even when she tried forcing it down with her weight, it rejected her.
The same with other chairs.
In the end, Namgung San-yeong fumed and kicked an innocent chair leg.
Watching her was like viewing a Peking opera.
“Too bad. I had so much I wanted to discuss with Mother. Guess the chair’s haunted.”
「This woman has no idea that once the young lord holds a grudge, he haunts you like a clingy weed over the tiniest things.」
「Tsk tsk! Interfering in every little matter to wear you down—that’s the young lord’s specialty. Getting mad over this? It’s just the beginning.」
Namgung San-yeong glared at me, trembling with rage, then barely suppressed it and spoke.
“Fine. I don’t know what trick you’re pulling, but since you don’t want to talk at length, I’ll say what I came to say and leave.”
I nodded with a sly grin, as if to say I’d take what I wanted from it.
Tremble!
Her hands gripped the chair’s backrest so tightly her knuckles whitened.
Nothing beats riling someone up like this, huh? Heh heh heh.
“No more pointless emotional waste.”
Namgung San-yeong’s eyes darkened deeply.
“As you know, the Nine Dragons Branch Family heir position will never be yours. Gyu-jin is hailed as a prodigy even in Qingcheng Sect, and though Yu-chang lost to you in sparring, his maternal clan is the South Palace. If the South Palace steps up, no matter how talented you are, no one will care about you. So—”
“Want me to step aside gracefully?”
“Yes. Tell me whatever you need to go independent, and I’ll support you fully—financially, materially. I’ll bow my head if you ask, kneel if you demand. So please—”
On the surface, it sounded like Namgung San-yeong was surrendering to me.
Pleading emotionally not to block her children’s futures.
The old Tang Un-hwi would’ve eaten it up.
But I saw right through it.
Her scheming heart.
「Daring to play mind games with the young lord. That fool—」
Above all, I couldn’t forget Tang Gyu-jin’s bitter expression at the end.
I couldn’t hold back my laugh any longer.
Heh.
A scoff slipped through my lips.
Mockery.
“I wondered what nonsense you’d spout, but you’re seriously spewing this crap?”
“!?”
Namgung San-yeong jerked her head up in shock.
“You—”
『You must be afraid word of your alliance with the demonic cult reaching the Branch Leader’s ears?』
“!!!”