Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: The Letter from Beijing
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Nangong Jangcheon, who had been gazing out the window from his office, let out a low hum.
The chill blowing in from the window was quite biting.
Even in the generally mild climate of Anhui Province, the air felt only cold against his skin.
'Beijing's weather must be a real ordeal.'
Remembering Namgung Hyuk's condition before departing for Hebei filled him with worry.
Beijing's weather had long been infamous for its harshness.
Winter and summer were polar opposites, to the point where it seemed uninhabitable.
Right now, in the dead of winter, blizzards and north winds would be raging in Beijing, leaving him no choice but to fret over Namgung Hyuk's health.
"Shouldn't have sent him to Hebei for no reason..."
If he was going to travel, he should have persuaded him to go to Yunnan or Guangdong instead.
Nowhere was warmer than those places.
It was while he was lost in such melancholy thoughts.
The office door opened, and Geum Gwangmo entered.
"Family Head! A letter has arrived from Beijing."
Nangong Jangcheon's eyes lit up.
"A letter?"
"Yes! Geum Cheom-sang sent it."
"Hmm! Hand it over!"
Nangong Jangcheon quickly took the letter Geum Gwangmo pulled out.
His eyes rapidly scanned down the page.
It detailed everything from the moment they left the Nangong family estate.
As he read the densely packed contents, Nangong Jangcheon's mouth slowly fell open.
...You eradicated the Yangtze River Waterway Bandits, protecting the safety of the common folk. Moreover, you uncovered the illicitly gathered wealth from the dragon ship and returned it to the grieving civilians, soothing their sorrows. Your vast magnanimity and righteous heart moved everyone on deck...
Nangong Jangcheon briefly looked up at Geum Gwangmo.
"...It says Hyuk distributed wealth."
"With the young master there, it's certainly different."
"...Not the other way around?"
It seemed more likely that Ryong was being led around by Hyuk.
"But he's still his brother."
"My son or not... this kid wouldn't do that, would he? You know that too, right?"
Namgung Hyuk's temperament was far from ordinary, evident from his past actions alone.
In particular, Nangong Jangcheon never believed Namgung Hyuk had any shred of virtue.
He knew full well that the boy kept his distance from any word starting with "in" as in person—integrity, character, benevolence.
"Then?"
"...I'm thinking your son might be lying."
"...Family Head. My son may have his shortcomings, but he doesn't lie."
"Ahem! I just said that because it's so hard to believe."
Nangong Jangcheon cleared his throat awkwardly and turned his gaze back to the letter.
The gathering of the later-generation talents concluded successfully.
Ah! Do heroes recognize heroes?
All the later-generation talents recognized Young Master Nangong's bold and magnanimous spirit...
Hm? Hero?
Nangong Jangcheon paused at the utterly unfamiliar word.
And they were getting along without any discord.
"...Looks like Hyuk is fitting in better than expected."
"That's a relief."
"It says the later-generation talents were eyeing each other just to exchange a word with Hyuk at the banquet! Heh!"
"See? I told you no one can match Young Master Nangong when it comes to mingling with people."
Geum Gwangmo spoke with a proud expression, leaving Nangong Jangcheon looking dazed.
"Did he finally wise up at the Harmony Banquet or something?"
"Truth be told, though Young Master Nangong's words and actions can be a bit extreme, hasn't he always given his all for the family? If he was going to wise up, he would have done it ages ago."
"Hmm! True!"
"Exchanging with the later-generation talents is family business, so he's naturally putting in his best effort."
"Ahem! Could be."
Nangong Jangcheon soon nodded in agreement.
With such a major incident, a change of heart wasn't impossible.
'Ha ha, looks like the kid's really stepping up!'
His worries had been unfounded.
It even said he'd adapted to Beijing's weather quickly, which was reassuring.
The corners of Nangong Jangcheon's mouth began to twitch upward.
* * *
Scribble scribble.
Geum Cheom-sang slashed his brush across the paper, his eyes repeatedly darting sideways.
His nape prickled, so he turned to see Namgung Hyuk glaring at him with bulging eyes.
"Y-Young Master?"
Namgung Hyuk, munching on a dumpling, bared his canine teeth.
"You know what happens if I catch you messing around like last time, right?"
"...M-Messing around? I'm w-writing exactly as you commanded."
"Want me to check?"
Geum Cheom-sang hesitated at Namgung Hyuk's threat, then lifted his brush.
Scribble scribble scribble.
Having covered a few characters with ink, Geum Cheom-sang grinned awkwardly.
"...H-Ha ha. I'll rewrite it."
"Rewrite it properly. Nice and neat."
"My handwriting's pretty bad..."
"Want me to make it calligraphy-worthy?"
"I'll do my absolute best."
Geum Cheom-sang straightened his back, gripped the brush firmly, and began scribbling again.
After a while of scribbling, he sneaked a glance sideways and despaired.
Smack!
The reliable Namgung Ryong had been thumbs-upping Namgung Hyuk the whole time he was writing the letter.
Why did a sudden wave of betrayal hit him?
'Blood is thicker than water, huh. The one who said he'd help Young Master Nangong escape...'
Wah.
Don't drop the thumbs-up, don't drop it.
What on earth happened at that banquet?
Then, Geum Cheom-sang suddenly recalled something he'd been wondering.
"...But where do you go every night that you come back utterly drained?"
"......"
"Can't tell me?"
"......"
"...Should I not ask?"
Seeing Namgung Ryong's stern expression, Geum Cheom-sang clamped his mouth shut.
It was a face he'd never seen before.
Namgung Ryong grinding his teeth?
'No way, what the hell is he really up to?'
It seemed a lot had happened while he was holed up in his quarters.
Just what was going on at the Hebei Peng Clan?
Namgung Hyuk, who had been watching, scowled.
"What're you staring at? Done?"
"...A-Almost finished."
"I'll check, so write it right."
"Yes, sir."
Geum Cheom-sang made a miserable face and resumed moving his brush.
Namgung Hyuk munched on his dumpling and organized his thoughts.
'The Nangong family side is handled.'
With that letter sent, things would stay quiet for a while.
Namgung Jangcheon had been demanding an early return for various reasons, but a few letters would calm him down.
'Lately, the Family Head keeps eyeing me suspiciously.'
How to put it.
It felt like he was peering right into his soul.
...Lately, there's a Sword King vibe.
Just like Sword King blood, huh.
Namgung Hyuk whipped his gaze to the window.
'Now, just need to find that pill furnace technique...'
Namgung Hyuk let out a deep sigh.
'Haah, this is taking longer than expected.'
Over thirty men deployed, yet no progress.
Of course, they had to comb through what seemed like hundreds of rooms.
Even if they were seasoned warriors working day and night, there were limits.
'Damn. If only we'd found a single mark.'
Haah, no such luck.
Namgung Hyuk sighed again.
But he wasn't disappointed.
He was not the type to get discouraged over something this minor.
"Three months, four months— we'll dig till it turns up."
Namgung Ryong, who had been thumbs-upping beside him, broke out in cold sweat at Namgung Hyuk's mutter.
...Keep going?
Digging the ground?
"Hyuk?"
Namgung Hyuk glanced at Namgung Ryong and casually placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll have to tough it out."
"...Banquet soon."
"Even after the banquet."
"...Even after?"
"Yeah. We'll keep digging."
Namgung Ryong's pupils quaked at Namgung Hyuk's cheerful voice.
He stared at his raised thumb, quietly lowered it, and let his shoulders slump.
Namgung Hyuk chuckled, then rubbed his chin.
'Ah, damn. Gotta get outta here quick or we'll be digging all day.'
For now, they were limited by watching the Hebei Peng Clan's moves.
Needed to wrap up the banquet fast...
'But these guys keep getting on my nerves.'
Constantly poking and prodding—it grated.
At that later-generation talents' gathering, they'd even openly intimidated.
'Heh, our little kittens have grown up big.'
One of the mocking nicknames for the Hebei Peng Clan was Hebei Cats.
The Hebei Peng Clan, once mere cats, were now trying to act like tigers, needling them every which way.
'Is this the Sword King's karma?'
"That's why you shouldn't have slapped his cheek, tsk tsk."
It would have earned a Dragon Soaring Palm from the Sword King, but Namgung Hyuk didn't care.
So what? The guy's already dead.
Tsk tsk.
'Anyway, time to do something about it.'
A subtle smile crept across Namgung Hyuk's face.
* * *
Peng Cheonwi, listening to Peng Zhonghe recount the sparring debate at the gathering, asked calmly.
"It was a one-strike point?"
"It was an ambush. While the Anhui County youth was speaking, suddenly..."
"Even if it was a lucky ambush, you have to admit he has the guts to execute it."
"But..."
"How many exchanges do you think that style of ambush works against?"
Peng Zhonghe couldn't answer Peng Cheonwi's question easily.
Truth be told, it barely qualified as an ambush.
It was merely seizing the upper hand.
Peng Cheonwi stated firmly.
"What you're saying is just an excuse."
"......"
"You think I created that gathering for petty spars like that?"
Peng Zhonghe's jaw muscles clenched into three cords.
He chewed his lower lip a few times before speaking.
"That wench Lianhua suddenly butted in, so I couldn't proceed properly. I don't even know whose side that girl is on. She jumped in defending Namgung Hyuk like a thunderbolt bald-head..."
His breathing grew ragged enough to feel hot.
If not in front of Peng Cheonwi, he would have smashed the table and hurled the inkstone already.
"Are you blaming others now?"
Peng Zhonghe flinched at Peng Cheonwi's sunken demeanor.
"Father..."
"You left an opening because you bungled it."
"If Lianhua hadn't interfered, it would have gone my way."
"And what would you have gained?"
"The Nangong family dogs would be in a bind, and while they're here, they'd be cowed by our momentum..."
Peng Zhonghe watched Peng Cheonwi's reaction as he spoke.
Peng Cheonwi set down his teacup with a clack.
"So while they're here, the Nangong warriors would watch Zhujiu Clan's every move?"
"...Yes."
"Is that what you call ability?"
"Pardon?"
"Do you think that's truly how the main clan suppresses the Nangong family?"
Peng Zhonghe was struck dumb by Peng Cheonwi's sharpened gaze.
He finally understood what Peng Cheonwi meant.
He now knew why Peng Cheonwi was showing anger.
"Ah, Father."
Peng Zhonghe looked at Peng Cheonwi with a panicked face.
Peng Cheonwi continued in a heavily sunken voice.
"Even in the spar, you should have done it yourself, and even if pressing the opponent, you should have borrowed the main clan's prestige. If you want to sit in this seat, never think of such crude tactics again. They gain you nothing."
"...I'm sorry."
"You're showing your incompetence over and over."
Peng Zhonghe bit his lower lip hard.
The boiling emotions cooled coldly.
That chill felt like it was ripping out his lungs.
"...Th-Then what should I do, Father? Tell me."
Peng Zhonghe cautiously asked Peng Cheonwi.
Peng Cheonwi, who had been silently deep in thought, slowly opened his mouth.
"No need for complications. Crush them at the banquet."
"Then...?"
"Conveniently, two of Nangong Family Head's bloodline are there. Wouldn't it be fun to break the lads who'll be the family's core in front of the five clans' heavyweights?"
"Ah!"
"Think slowly about the method."
At Peng Cheonwi's words, color returned to Peng Zhonghe's face.
"Yes, Father."
Similar expressions rose on both their faces.