Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: The Half-Torn Manual
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Peng Zhonghe stared blankly at the Nangong brothers, Nangong Hyeok and Nangong Ryong, who had taken over the family head's office.
*What... what the hell is going on?*
It had happened in the blink of an eye. While he had briefly lost consciousness, those bastards had somehow seated themselves in the family head's office, and a lavish spread of drinks and dishes had been laid out on the table.
The food was even more exquisite and rare than what was served in the Mixed Origin Hall.
*...Isn't that the motae liquor the imperial clan gifted?*
No, his father treasured it so much he hadn't even uncorked it.
Why, why the hell was he serving such precious motae liquor to the Nangong family's bastards!
This wasn't just rare—it held special significance!
No, how the hell had their status flipped like this?
This was beyond treating honored guests.
It was the kind of lavish reception reserved for imperial nobility.
Slurp, slurp!
Like a cat lapping at its water bowl, Nangong Hyeok glared right at him while obnoxiously sucking down the motae liquor.
The aroma of twenty-year-aged motae liquor, rich as if it were spiritual pills laid bare, filled the office fragrantly.
Slurrrp!
Watching Nangong Hyeok drain his cup in one cheeky gulp, Peng Zhonghe swallowed hard.
In the Peng family head's office, Nangong Hyeok emptied a cup of motae liquor and exclaimed in admiration.
"Keuugh! This hits the spot."
Of course it did—it was motae liquor.
Peng Zhonghe scowled at Nangong Hyeok, but their eyes met for a moment.
Swish, swish.
Rage boiled up at the sight of him lightly swirling his cup.
Nangong Hyeok stared straight at Peng Zhonghe and grinned.
"Oh dear, my cup's empty?"
Yeah, so what?
As Peng Zhonghe clenched his jaw and glared at Nangong Hyeok, Peng Cheonwi turned his head.
Peng Cheonwi called out to Peng Zhonghe in a stern tone.
"Zhonghe."
Peng Zhonghe looked at Peng Cheonwi with a dazed expression.
[*You're telling me... to serve those bastards drinks?*]
[*Pour it.*]
[*Father! Why the hell do I have to pour drinks for those pricks?*]
[*You insolent brat!*]
Flinch!
Peng Zhonghe's eyes widened at the thunderous roar that shook his eardrums.
Peng Zhonghe furrowed his brows and shot back a fierce glare.
[*Don't we have the Blade King's Secret Record in those bastards' hands? We need to verify if it's real!*]
[*Why the hell would the Blade King's Secret Record be in their hands?*]
[*That's what we need to find out right now! Pour it, quick!*]
Peng Zhonghe bit his lower lip hard.
Was there any more humiliating situation that made curses spill out naturally?
Having to pour drinks for that mocking kid and the mute who beat him in the spar!
"Ah, this cup's too small. I could go for another."
"Hahaha, fine liquor is meant to be savored slowly."
As Peng Cheonwi gazed at Nangong Hyeok with the gentlest expression in the world, Peng Zhonghe tilted the motae liquor in his hand toward Nangong Hyeok's cup.
Pour, pour, glug!
Nangong Hyeok grinned.
"What kind of liquor is this?"
Peng Zhonghe ground his molars and forced the corners of his mouth up.
"...The motae liquor His Imperial Majesty drinks."
"Oh, the Emperor's? Feels like I've had this in some back alley near my place. Is it different?"
...Like hell it is?
You think the finest liquor fit for the Emperor, sourced from the royal tribute, is the same as some fake you scrounged from a back alley?
"Why?"
"...No."
"Your face looks off."
"H-Hahaha, hahaha! W-Why would it?"
Peng Zhonghe plastered a smile on his face and filled Nangong Hyeok's cup to the brim with motae liquor.
Nangong Hyeok sipped at his cup with a beaming smile.
Peng Zhonghe moved to fill Nangong Ryong's cup to the brim as well.
"Lord Nangong... have a drink."
Tremble, tremble!
Humiliation rose alongside the filling cup.
Peng Zhonghe stepped back with a bitter expression.
But Peng Cheonwi seemed oblivious, his eyes fixed solely on Nangong Hyeok.
His fierce eyes blazed with intensity, hot steam puffing from his nostrils.
Yet under that burdensome, intense gaze, Nangong Hyeok didn't change expression as he downed his cup.
*That guy really looks just like Dak Hyeokdong.*
Without the fine silk robes, his appearance wouldn't differ much from Dak Hyeokdong's.
As soon as Nangong Hyeok set down his emptied cup, Peng Cheonwi spoke up as if he'd been waiting.
"From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I sensed something extraordinary."
"Oh, really?"
"Our main house and the Nangong family—aren't we like kin? In distant generations past, our clans even intermarried, so we're no strangers."
"So that's why you bellowed at me..."
"Hohohoho! Bellowed? My voice is just naturally loud. I get misunderstood often for it."
Peng Cheonwi laughed heartily while subtly gauging Nangong Hyeok's reaction.
All the while, he stole glances at the Blade King's Secret Record fluttering in Nangong Hyeok's hand and swallowed hard.
His eyes followed the flapping manual as Peng Cheonwi said,
"If it's not too much trouble, might I take a look at the manual?"
"Sure, no problem."
Nangong Hyeok readily handed the Blade King's Secret Record to Peng Cheonwi.
Peng Cheonwi received it with trembling fingertips.
*Ah!*
The pages had yellowed, and the book's condition wasn't great, but the title was clear.
Peng Cheonwi carefully turned the page.
Rustle!
Dense text filled with bold, powerful strokes appeared.
An intricate martial art composed of familiar formulas.
Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!
Peng Cheonwi began flipping through the pages frantically.
His eyes gleamed as he scanned the Blade King's Secret Record faster and faster.
*It's the Blade King's handwriting. T-This can't be!*
It matched exactly the handwriting from the Blade King's diary preserved in the clan.
Rustle rustle! Riiip rustle!
Excitement lit up Peng Cheonwi's face.
If Nangong Hyeok had truly brought the Blade King's Secret Record, this was undoubtedly the Blade King's late-life insights and martial arts.
*This is the Mixed Origin Divine Tool! But it's different. N-No way! The Blade King reached such a realm!*
It was worthy of being called a divine art.
To invent a saber art of such conception!
Truly the greatest warrior and genius in the history of the Northern Hebei Peng Clan.
No wonder he was counted among the Three Great Wanderers of Past and Present.
His heart swelling, he delved deeper with each page.
Rustle! Riiip rustle!
Peng Cheonwi's mouth gaped wider and wider.
*With this manual alone, the main house could leap to a whole new level.*
It was that remarkable.
Master it perfectly, shatter the wall, and advance to a new realm...
Rustle?
Fliip...
Having turned the final page, Peng Cheonwi blinked in stunned rigidity.
Why was half of it torn out?
Where was the latter half?
This needed the latter half to be complete...
Peng Cheonwi snapped his head up to stare at Nangong Hyeok.
Nangong Hyeok sipped his motae liquor.
"...W-Where's the latter half? There's clearly evidence it was here."
Clink.
Nangong Hyeok set down his cup with a sly smile.
He reached out, closed the Blade King's Secret Record, and said,
"Up to here is what's permitted for a friend."
"...What?"
Up... to here?
Peng Cheonwi's gaze shifted to the Blade King's Secret Record swaying gently in Nangong Hyeok's hand.
Seeing Nangong Hyeok's beaming smile made Peng Cheonwi's stomach churn.
*...This little bastard, what the hell is he doing with our clan heirloom?!*
This wasn't a joke!
Where the hell did he sell off the latter half?!
Nangong Hyeok grinned at Peng Cheonwi, whose face looked ready to spew smoke from his ears.
"How is it?"
"...H-How is what?"
It's brilliant—who made it?
"Anything wrong?"
"N-No. N-None."
Peng Cheonwi ground his teeth and forced a smile.
Nangong Hyeok smoothly pulled back the manual and said,
"You've verified it, so now let's get to the real talk."
"...Talk?"
"What's talk? You want this manual, right?"
Peng Cheonwi nodded vigorously.
Wasn't that obvious?
Nangong Hyeok's smile deepened at Peng Cheonwi's agitated reaction, as if he might flip the table any second.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
"...Right, no free lunches in this world."
Obvious.
He wouldn't just hand over the Blade King's manual for nothing.
Even brothers wouldn't give a manual like the Blade King's Secret Record for free.
*It was expected.*
Peng Cheonwi schooled his expression and asked,
"What do you want? Name it. I'm prepared."
Nangong Hyeok paused, looking at the resolute Peng Cheonwi.
"This isn't some cheap trinket, so are you sure you can say that so casually..."
At those words, Peng Cheonwi's heated anticipation plunged beneath the surface.
*What the hell is this bastard going to demand?*
It could be something outrageous.
He'd only glimpsed it briefly, but Nangong Hyeok was utterly unpredictable.
The guy had a thousand-year-old fox spirit coiled up inside.
With him dragging it out like this, who knew what absurd, massive demand was coming? Tension mounted.
*But if it's the Blade King's Secret Record, I'll bear it.*
He coveted it that much.
Haggling over an ancestor's relic was ridiculous, yet he still coveted it.
Nangong Hyeok grinned at Peng Cheonwi.
From his expression, he looked ready to grant anything.
*How much do I ask to make his face sour?*
He recalled how smugly they'd acted since entering the Northern Hebei Peng Clan.
Nangong Hyeok was a man who never forgot grudges.
He always repaid what was done to him.
So he pondered an amount that would trouble Peng Cheonwi.
*'Just a million silver taels.'*
Precisely the Nangong family's five-year budget, or the value of a thousand mid-grade horses from the Silver Form Stables.
This much should pinch.
He was selling, but he had no intention of letting it go easy.
Nangong Hyeok grinned.
"Anything at all is fine?"
"Yes!"
"Absolutely anything?"
"...Just spit it out already! Then we can haggle or negotiate!"
As Peng Cheonwi shouted in frustration, Nangong Hyeok tossed it out casually.
"A million taels."
"What?"
"A million taels."
"...A million taels?"
Peng Cheonwi's eyes bulged, and Peng Zhonghe beside him gaped.
Even the silent Nangong Ryong flinched in surprise and looked at Nangong Hyeok.
Heh heh heh, look at these reactions?
Chewy, real chewy.
Peng Cheonwi stared at Nangong Hyeok with a blank face, then narrowed his eyes.
"You're serious?"
Nangong Hyeok suppressed a laugh and flapped the Blade King's Secret Record.
"It needs to be at least a million taels to break even. If not, maybe later..."
"Kuhahahahaha!"
Nangong Hyeok's eyes narrowed as Peng Cheonwi suddenly burst into roaring laughter.
Huh?
Laughing?
"Kuhahahaha!
Peng Cheonwi laughed heartily and grabbed Nangong Hyeok's hand.
"Whoa, startled me. Why grab my han—"
Nangong Hyeok swallowed "bullshit" and looked at Peng Cheonwi.
Peng Cheonwi, still chuckling, beamed.
"You're truly a great hero! A great hero! Handing over this manual for such a paltry sum must mean you're considering my face!"
In his actions, there was righteousness and justice—indeed, the makings of a great hero!
Peng Cheonwi reached eagerly for the Blade King's Secret Record in Nangong Hyeok's hand.
"Kuhahaha! Just a million silver taels!"
Just a million silver?
Nangong Hyeok's eyes narrowed, his lips twisting.
His mind raced.
"A million gold taels."
"...Wh-what? G-Gold taels?"
"Yes."
"...You mean the half-assed one?"
"Yes. A million gold taels!"
Thud!
Peng Cheonwi's hand, stretched toward the table, drooped limply.
His eyes grew larger than a bull's.
Gold taels were ten times silver.
So a million gold taels was ten million silver taels.
"Uh, uhhh..."
Wooow...
...He jacked up the half-torn manual to a million gold taels.
Peng Cheonwi gazed at Nangong Hyeok with hollow eyes.
Nangong Hyeok finally smiled in satisfaction.
The onlookers thought it was the devil's grin, but that was none of Nangong Hyeok's concern.
"So, deal or no?"
"...W-Where's the other half?"
Nangong Hyeok smiled brightly.
Peng Cheonwi now instantly recognized that smile as an ill omen.
"Come get it once you've mastered this half."
"Ah...?"
"So, what's it gonna be?"
Peng Cheonwi's shoulders trembled at Nangong Hyeok's voice.
Truth be told, this was just the start.
What idiot would buy a half-torn manual for a million gold taels?
He'd rattled them—now he'd haggle properly and wear them down.
As Peng Zhonghe beside him bristled in outrage, pointing furiously at the absurd price...
"I'll buy iiiit!"
"Huh?"
Buy it?
No haggling?
Nangong Hyeok looked at Peng Cheonwi in disbelief.
Peng Cheonwi, with a grim expression, asked solemnly.
"Installments okay?"
"Father?"
Nangong Hyeok let out a hollow laugh, watching Peng Zhonghe's wide-eyed shock and Peng Cheonwi's glare at the manual.
*Hahaha, what an idiot mark! Mastering half makes it useless!*
And he's buying it?
Fine, buy it.
No skin off my back!
"Of course, sir! Pleasure doing business!"
Nangong Hyeok cackled.
Beside him, Nangong Ryong's wide-eyed munching on the snacks echoed unusually loudly through the office.