Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Blood Shadow's Demise and Peng Clan's Arrival
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Ink Shadow reported in a calm tone.
“Blood Shadow, who had been excavating the secret cave, was found dead today.”
The Three Spirits of the Hidden Guards, who oversaw the conference’s shadows, gazed at Ink Shadow with sunken eyes.
Ink Shadow lowered his posture as low as possible before continuing.
“By the time I arrived at the scene, most of them, including Blood Shadow’s subordinates, had already been buried. There were signs of battle near the secret cave, suggesting intervention by outside forces.”
“The Hebei Peng Clan?”
“No. Besides swords, traces of various weapons including blades were found. Some had committed suicide, and it appeared they had been beaten just before doing so. The number of attackers is estimated to be around thirty.”
Ink Shadow recounted the causes of death discovered on the bodies as he reflected on the scene.
The Three Spirits, who had been listening silently, cut in.
“So what about the secret cave?”
“……There were signs it had been dug out again after collapsing. I followed those traces inside, but nothing was left.”
“So they looted it.”
Absurdity and emptiness seeped into the Three Spirits’ voice.
The conference had been eagerly awaiting the item from the secret cave with drooling anticipation, but now it had been stolen by the attackers, leaving them at a loss.
The sense of loss and futility from a tower painstakingly built crumbling overnight was beyond words.
Blood Shadow, who had boasted that the item would soon be retrieved, had become a cold corpse, and the item had been completely stripped away.
The Three Spirits quickly gathered his thoughts.
“Was the Righteous Heaven Alliance involved?”
“……It doesn’t seem so.”
“If not them, were there any who could have grasped the conference’s movements?”
“……”
Watching the silent Ink Shadow, the Three Spirits issued a low but clear command.
“Capture them. We must thoroughly investigate what they took from the secret cave and where they came from.”
“Yes, Spirit Lord!”
Mukryeong vanished in an instant after his curt reply.
The Three Spirits’ eyes shook faintly.
‘Just what kind of bastards could silently take on the conference’s warriors?’
It was clear something unusual was afoot.
Was it too much of a leap to sense cracks forming in the conference’s affairs?
‘No, it can’t be.’
The Three Spirits’ expression hardened coldly.
* * *
Wang Pil, a gate guard of the Nangong Clan, blinked at the procession approaching the Nangong Clan.
He quietly asked his colleague beside him.
“Was a merchant caravan scheduled to visit the main house today?”
“……No, nothing like that.”
“Then is it escorts from the clan’s escort agency returning after a mission?”
“None. Nothing.”
“……Nothing? Then what the hell is that?”
Wang Pil’s mouth fell open as he stared at the enormous procession crossing the middle of the main road.
Carts loaded to the brim with goods were slowly heading their way.
The visible cargo piled up like small hills, and the horses pulling them were no ordinary mounts.
Even from a distance, its immense scale was palpable.
It felt as if the ground itself was shaking.
Wang Pil watched them intently with a tense expression.
Just what kind of group would boldly march toward the Nangong Clan like this?
The gate guards scrutinizing the approaching group widened their eyes.
“Blo…… Blood Assassins?”
As the distance closed enough to make out their appearances, Wang Pil panicked.
The ones striding forward in blood-red uniforms with massive swords at their sides were none other than the Hebei Peng Clan’s Blood Assassin Squad.
And those in dark uniforms behind them were unmistakably the Fierce Tiger Squad.
“How are they……?”
How could warriors of the Hebei Peng Clan show up in Hefei, the Nangong Clan’s territory?
And what were those loads?
The sudden appearance of the Peng Clan’s elites threw the gate guards into alarm.
With no prior warning, it felt like their souls were flying out of their bodies.
“No, why the hell are they here?”
“What are those bastards up to……?”
“……There’s been no word from above.”
“Report to the higher-ups first!”
The gate guards straightened their backs as they stared at the approaching Peng Clan group.
Their gazes mixed tension, hostility, and bewilderment toward the Peng warriors.
Even as part of the Five Great Clans, the status of the Nangong Clan and the Hebei Peng Clan was worlds apart.
While the Peng Clan was at the height of its glory, the Nangong Clan was only just beginning to reclaim its former position.
Moreover, the Nangong Clan and Hebei Peng Clan had always growled at each other on sight since ancient times, eyes blazing with enmity.
So this abrupt visit from the Peng Clan brought not just surprise, but inevitable tension.
Wang Pil strained his eyes, then blinked.
“Huh?”
He tilted his head and opened his mouth in a puzzled tone.
“……Isn’t that the Thunder Dragon Squad?”
The Thunder Dragon Squad mixed in with the Hebei Peng Clan?
What kind of nonsense…… huh?
Amid the disciplined strides of the Blood Assassin Squad and Fierce Tiger Squad, there were some thugs who looked like bandits or black path ruffians squeezed in.
Casually ambling along, completely devoid of any form or discipline—they were none other than the Thunder Dragon Squad.
The closer they got, the clearer the fierce faces of the Thunder Dragon Squad became.
“……It looks like they’re being escorted.”
“Why are the Peng Clan warriors escorting the Thunder Dragon Squad?”
“Then what’s with that?”
“Why are they like that?”
The Blood Assassins and Fierce Tiger Squad were spread out on either side, enveloping the Thunder Dragon Squad as they advanced—it felt just like mixing water and oil.
But one thing was clear: the Blood Assassin Squad and Fierce Tiger Squad were on the outside.
The gate guards’ mouths fell open.
Unforeseen events kept piling up, amplifying their bewilderment.
And at that moment, Nangong Hyeok emerged from within the Thunder Dragon Squad, swaggering along under their escort.
Wang Pil shouted urgently.
“The young masters are back! Tell the inside, quick!”
* * *
Nangong Jangcheon swept his gaze over the carts filling the courtyard and the warriors lined up in formation.
Every one of them was a head taller and a handspan broader in the shoulders than the Nangong Clan warriors—true giants.
The red and black uniforms felt utterly out of place.
Nangong Jangcheon’s pupils trembled faintly.
He cleared his throat lightly and looked ahead.
Nangong Ryong and Nangong Hyeok were standing there cockily.
Huh?
Cockily?
……No, Ryong might be taciturn, but he’s never cocky…… he’s tilting even more?
Why does his face look so sour?
Nangong Jangcheon’s wavering gaze avoided Nangong Ryong and turned to Nangong Hyeok.
“……How did these people end up coming with you?”
Nangong Hyeok glanced at Nangong Ryong before clicking his tongue lightly.
“Just…… whatever.”
This time, he shifted his gaze to the side.
At that moment, Peng Yeonhwa burst out from behind and threw a vigorous fist salute.
Crisp!
“Hebei Peng Clan’s Peng Yeonhwa greets the great hero Nangong Jangcheon of the Emperor Sword Family!”
Her voice rang out clear and full of vigor.
Nangong Jangcheon stared at Peng Yeonhwa with a momentarily blank look.
‘So polite. Speaks so clearly and properly. Unlike those two brats…… grrr!’
She perfectly filled in exactly what Nangong Hyeok and Nangong Ryong lacked.
If they took after her even halfway, they’d have the bearing of prestigious young experts……
Nangong Jangcheon gazed at Peng Yeonhwa with an expression mixing gratification and a strange bitterness.
Even so, he wondered why someone from the banquet’s party was here, and as if to resolve it, Peng Yeonhwa spoke up.
“My father spoke of Family Head Nangong as dignified and stately—and indeed, you are.”
“……The Peng Family Head said that?”
“Yes! The Sword Hero of this era and the Nangong Clan’s supreme expert—every word carries profound weight, so engrave them well, he said.”
“So the Peng Family Head said that?”
“Yes!”
Peng Yeonhwa nodded vigorously.
Nangong Jangcheon’s head cocked to the side.
‘……No way that Peng bastard would say that? Did he eat something bad at the banquet and get indigestion?’
The Peng Cheonwi he knew would curse him out to his heart’s content……
Nangong Jangcheon glanced at the goods guarded by the Blood Assassin Squad and Fierce Tiger Squad.
“Then what about those?”
“They are a humble gift from my father to the Family Head. He asks for understanding that he cannot share a drink due to his pressing duties.”
……What kind of crazy talk is that?
When had that Peng bastard ever shared a table with him?
Not during the young experts’ gathering, not now—they were never the type to share drinks.
He’d sooner spit.
“……Looks like the Family Head has always kept an eye on our home. We’re grateful for such a precious gift amid his busy schedule.”
“Haha! It’s nothing compared to the grace the Nangong Clan has shown us.”
“Grace?”
“Young Master Hyeok returned our clan’s lost treasure manual. It was something even we had given up on and forgotten, yet he brought it back—this is merely a token of our thanks.”
“……Hyeok?”
Nangong Jangcheon whipped his head around to stare at Nangong Hyeok.
Whatever the Peng Clan’s lost treasure manual was, he’d just given it back?
Hyeok?
Nangong Hyeok scratched his earhole and shrugged under the distrustful gaze.
“So they say.”
Strictly speaking, he had returned it.
By selling them the half-assed manual.
Seeing Nangong Hyeok’s twisted smile, Nangong Jangcheon’s expression grew complicated as he briefly stared into empty space.
Peng Yeonhwa bowed repeatedly and continued.
“Our clan does not forget favors received. My father instructed me to convey that we are a brother clan to the Nangong Family and that we shall maintain even closer ties henceforth, consulting and pursuing various matters together.”
Nangong Jangcheon let out a hollow chuckle at the stream of unfamiliar words pouring from Peng Yeonhwa’s mouth.
‘Heh, a day when the Hebei Peng Clan acts like this!’
It was unimaginable just a few years—no, even a year ago.
Perhaps a couple generations back, but at least since the Nangong Clan had stepped down from the top seat among the Five Great Clans, exchanges with the Hebei Peng Clan had all but ceased……
‘The clan is recovering its former glory.’
As the worries subsided, a faint light seemed to appear.
Snapping out of his brief reverie, Nangong Jangcheon chuckled heartily.
“Convey that I feel the same.”
“Yes, Family Head!”
“But who is the young lady behind you?”
Peng Yeonhwa turned her head and replied lightly.
“She is Young Lady So Hye-yeon of the Sword Pavilion.”
“Ah, Sword Pavilion.”
……Sword Pavilion?
Nangong Jangcheon’s eyes widened.
“Sword Pavilion?!”
Why was the Sword Pavilion here?
Not just Nangong Jangcheon—all the retainers who had come out to the courtyard stared at So Hye-yeon in shock.
So Hye-yeon stepped forward one pace and offered a fist salute.
“I am So Hye-yeon of the Sword Pavilion, greeting the Family Head of the Emperor Sword Family.”
“Y-yeah……”
Nangong Jangcheon blinked in bewilderment.
‘Rare visitors to the main house after so long: the Little Sword Marquess and the Hebei Peng Clan!’
How did this happen?
He quickly turned to Nangong Hyeok.
“How did the two young ladies end up coming together……?”
“Yes, somehow together.”
“No……”
Nangong Hyeok’s face clearly showed his annoyance.
‘What the hell did he get up to while wandering around in Hebei?!’
Sword Pavilion?
After the Peng Clan elites and Peng Yeonhwa, even the Sword Pavilion’s Little Sword Marquess was in the group.
“……Why did you leave out such important details in the letter?”
The stuff that actually needed writing!
Nangong Hyeok looked puzzled.
“What?”
“What do you mean, what—your traveling companions……”
“What companions? They just followed on their own.”
At Nangong Hyeok’s nonchalant response, Nangong Jangcheon’s mouth fell slightly open.
“They just followed?”
“Yeah, they tagged along on their own whim. Nearly tossed ’em in the Yellow River but held back.”
Nangong Hyeok felt a fresh surge of pride at his own astonishing patience.
Sure, he’d meant to ditch them, but hey, he hadn’t actually done it!
Nangong Jangcheon stared at Nangong Hyeok, who was smugly nodding to himself, then shifted his gaze.
His eyes swept over So Hye-yeon and Peng Yeonhwa.
The corners of his mouth began to creep upward.
Twitch twitch!
“Ahem!”
He cleared his throat and stroked his beard before sending a quiet sound transmission to Nangong Hyeok.
[Well, since you’ve got feelings for them, you let them tag along……]
Damn it.
Nangong Hyeok furrowed his brows deeply and cocked his head sideways.
Hey?
“Sigh. What nonsense is that?”
……You brat, I can hear everything.
Nangong Jangcheon revealed his perplexity as Nangong Hyeok let out a deep sigh.
After another long sigh, Nangong Hyeok spoke.
“But how long are you gonna keep us standing? I’m tired.”
At those words, Nangong Jangcheon snapped to attention and offered Peng Yeonhwa and So Hye-yeon a kindly smile.
“Come inside first. Haha. It’s been ages since we’ve had guests at the clan.”
No matter the circumstances, Nangong Jangcheon felt an odd swell of pride.