Chapter 15
Chapter 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: A Hiccuping Confession
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hic. Hic! Hiiiic.
Nangong Jangcheon stared blankly at Nangong Hyeok standing before him.
His flushed face, half-lidded eyes, heaving shoulders, crooked legs...
Watching Nangong Hyeok stagger about without staying still for even a moment, Nangong Jangcheon was left speechless.
......What was the reason for climbing the wall?
Hic!
After one hiccup, Nangong Hyeok shook his head slightly.
Ugh... I went out for a drink.
A drink? You mean alcohol... right now...?
Hic! Damn, I'm drunk. Been a while since I had one. Hic!
Nangong Hyeok hiccuped as he peered at Nangong Jangcheon with bleary eyes.
He looked ready to collapse in a drunken stupor at any second.
Strength gathered in Nangong Jangcheon's eyes as the muscles in his face twitched like they were spasming.
Family Head! Please calm down.
Chief Steward Geum Gwangmo hurriedly intervened.
The Heavenly Eagle Squad warriors who had escorted Nangong Hyeok tensed up instinctively.
Nangong Jangcheon's shifted aura and gaze made the air in the room feel utterly transformed.
Chills prickled their skin, and their hearts clenched involuntarily.
With just a single low breath, the pressure radiating from Nangong Jangcheon's body overwhelmed the entire Heavenly Eagle Squad.
Hic! Hic!
......
......
In the heavy silence, Nangong Hyeok's hiccups rang out especially loud.
The Heavenly Eagle Squad warriors glanced awkwardly back and forth between Nangong Jangcheon and Nangong Hyeok.
Even if Nangong Hyeok was a patient—the Nangong clan's sore spot—it didn't seem like Nangong Jangcheon would let this slide.
The squad warriors felt their breaths sticking in their throats.
Only after a long moment did Nangong Jangcheon's voice resume.
How much did you drink?
Uh... Hic!
Nangong Hyeok raised his fingers to count.
One, two, three...
About five bowls...? Hic!
Five bowls!
Maybe...
Nangong Jangcheon's pupils shook violently, his fists trembling.
The Heavenly Eagle Squad warriors flinched.
Nangong Jangcheon, fiercely holding something back, exhaled softly and asked again.
Did you take your medicine?
Yes.
I see. Go back.
Yes.
Nangong Hyeok bowed his head and staggered out of the Family Head's chamber.
The Heavenly Eagle Squad warriors, braced for a storm, blinked in bewilderment.
Escort him back to his quarters.
At the Family Head's command, the warriors stole cautious glances before rushing to support Nangong Hyeok.
Once their presences had faded into the distance, Nangong Jangcheon's agitated voice echoed through the chamber.
Ha! You climbed the wall to go drinking?
Geum Gwangmo nodded as he brought over some tea.
Yes. He said it was for alcohol...
Ahem! Ahem!
Nangong Jangcheon let out an awkward cough.
He turned his head slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching faintly.
A look of puzzlement crossed Geum Gwangmo's face.
Five bowls of liquor...
Kuhuhuhm! Ahem!
And he didn't even pass out...
Huhm!
...
Ahem! So much dust around here. Ahem! Go on.
Nangong Jangcheon kept his head turned aside, coughing repeatedly.
He was suppressing it with all his might, but his mouth corner trembled nonetheless.
Geum Gwangmo's eyes narrowed.
Family Head.
Speak.
Why are you so delighted?
Ahem! Me? No such thing.
Your expression...
Even if he's my own blood, he defied the Family Head's order! This is a clear breach of discipline. Ahem ahem!
Even as he spoke, Nangong Jangcheon's mouth corner kept twitching, the end of his voice quivering.
Geum Gwangmo's eyes narrowed further.
...Young Master Hyeok's health seems to be improving by the day. Jumping over walls without a scratch, drinking and not collapsing...
Hehuhuhm! Is that so? Ahem, he still shouldn't.
Soon you might even share a drink with him...
Kuhaaahem!! Ahem!!
Nangong Jangcheon's cough exploded like a lion's roar.
Geum Gwangmo covered his ears at the booming sound that could have been laughter or throat-clearing.
Nangong Jangcheon's mouth corner crept upward.
Heh heh, health comes first, of course. Liquor is still too soon. Ahem, regardless, I need to give him a stern talking-to this time!
How exactly, sir?
Hyeok's almost twenty now, isn't he? Man to man! I'll arrange a meal where we can speak frankly!
...
Ahem!
Geum Gwangmo couldn't suppress a chuckle at Nangong Jangcheon's stern, earnest tone.
*Just say you're happy if you are. Honestly.*
Geum Gwangmo glanced out the window at Nangong Hyeok's receding figure, escorted by the Heavenly Eagle Squad, then tilted his head.
*Something's changed drastically.*
His speech firmer, his demeanor bolder?
*Has better health given him more confidence?*
It seemed that way.
Geum Gwangmo nodded to himself and turned away.
* * *
Nangong Baek was an elder of the Nangong clan and Nangong Jangcheon's older brother.
He stroked his thick salt-and-pepper beard as he received the report.
No unusual activity from the Family Head?
Yes. Duties as usual, followed by personal training.
Hmm...
Nangong Baek exhaled lowly.
After a casual sweep of his surroundings, he spoke.
What's the Family Head's financial state?
Rock bottom after procuring medicine for the Ink Shadow Squad recently. We overextended again this time, honestly.
Makes sense. Like pouring water into a bottomless jar.
Over ten years of that—no wonder, even for the Nangong Family Head.
Acquiring spirit medicines was as tough as finding water in a desert.
Their value soared accordingly.
Yet he'd supplied them nonstop for over a decade.
The clan's finances holding steady would have been the real surprise.
Tsk tsk. Can't tell public from private over some defective good.
Nangong Hyeok was deemed the frailest constitution in Nangong history.
Body fragile as porcelain, afflicted with the rare Nine Yin Severed Meridians to boot.
Dead weight as a martial artist or even a commoner.
Dumping the family's wealth on someone who could drop dead any day?
Waste didn't get more blatant.
Yet Nangong Jangcheon couldn't let go, persisting in futility.
Unbefitting a family head.
Actually, isn't that a blessing?
His subordinate smirked slyly.
Gained support from plenty of executives that way.
Hmm.
It wasn't once or twice Nangong Jangcheon irked the leadership with his reckless spending on Hyeok.
Many had already turned their backs on him.
Thanks to that, Nangong Baek commanded broad executive backing and involvement in clan ventures.
Step by step, he was seizing real power over the Nangong clan.
As expected, only you suit the Family Head's seat, my lord. Shame it took the executives this long to see it...
Enough.
The subordinate clamped his mouth at Nangong Baek's quiet word.
Don't spout off recklessly. Plenty of ears in the main house—don't forget.
...My apologies.
Nangong Baek eyed his subordinate sternly, then asked.
What about the Family Head's inner circle?
The subordinate swallowed dryly before speaking carefully.
No overt oddities, but...
Out with it.
Second Young Master seems off.
Second Young Master? You mean Nangong Hyeok?
Nangong Baek looked baffled.
Nangong Hyeok had never come up before; the sudden mention felt off.
Word is he's been up to strange things lately.
Strange how?
Yes. Running laps in the courtyard, exercising indoors.
Exercising? Nangong Hyeok? That kid?
Nangong Baek was truly startled.
Nangong Hyeok teetered on death's door daily.
No progress treating his Nine Yin Severed Meridians; his condition only worsened.
Chewing food risked a dislocated jaw; a misstep snapped a leg.
For him to start exercising now?
Beyond bizarre—preposterous.
Easier to believe a walking corpse.
That's not all. Recently, he snuck over the wall and got spotted coming back.
Over the wall?
Heavenly Eagle Squad hushed it up, but seems legit.
Nangong Baek rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
*Suddenly gone mad. His time's up?*
Fair enough.
Reaching near twenty with severed meridians was longevity already.
Without clan support, he'd have died ages ago.
*Thrashing in his death throes, probably.*
Nangong Baek brushed it off.
Odd on the surface, but understandable enough.
Beasts sense their end, after all. A lifelong meridian cripple might too.
A subtle smile touched the subordinate's face at Nangong Baek's murmur.
Desperate enough to try anything, just to cling to life.
Could be.
Rumors of him hanging around Changcheon Martial Pavilion, but doesn't look like martial arts training.
Changcheon Martial Pavilion?
Yes.
Nangong Baek burst into a scoff.
*Grasping at straws, huh.*
Body never suited for martial arts, zero interest before.
Long out of the successor race.
Now flailing to survive as death loomed.
*Still feels off somehow.*
Nangong Baek couldn't shake the nagging doubt as his subordinate continued.
Lately, Young Master So's been taking interest in Nangong Hyeok.
So?
Nangong Baek sneered, then furrowed his brow lightly.
Didn't he always look down on him?
Told him trash like that wasn't worth the bother.
Sighing at the thought of his second son, Nangong So.
Similar ages, Hyeok favored just for being Family Head's son—resentment inevitable, but hardly worth minding.
Tsk tsk. Told him to aim high like his brother.
Nangong Baek clicked his tongue repeatedly, irked by Nangong So's small-minded grudge.
He shook his head.
No need for detailed reports on Nangong Hyeok.
Yes.
Keep eyes on the Family Head and his circle. Double down on caution—his instincts are sharp.
Yes!
Nangong Baek lowered his voice further.
I've prepared gifts for the elders and executives. Deliver at the right moment.
Overkill, no? Plenty already siding with you...
That's precisely when to stay vigilant.
No harm in caution. Solidify your base.
Any word from Zhejiang Province?
...One letter. Asking about the situation. More support if needed...
They doubt me.
Ten years of preparation.
Couldn't afford hasty missteps.
Beginnings and ends demanded extra care.
Handle it myself—stay out of it, pass that along.
Yes.
The subordinate finished and slipped out quietly.
Nangong Baek gazed out the window.
A sly smile curved his lips.