Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: The Gatekeeper of the Righteous Heaven Alliance's Outer Hall
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Jin Cheol-woo, the gatekeeper captain of the Righteous Heaven Alliance's Outer Hall Clan, eyed everyone entering the alliance with his fierce, bulging gaze.
Whenever his eyes swept over them, passersby through the alliance flinched.
As Jin Cheol-woo sternly watched those coming in, one of his subordinates muttered from the side.
"Lately, it seems like more merchants and ronin are sniffing around our alliance."
"With the martial tournament just a month away, that's to be expected."
"They've got a nose for money like no other. It's already this chaotic before the tournament even starts—it's only going to get noisier."
Jin Cheol-woo let out a faint smile as he replied.
"That's exactly why we need to tighten security at the main gate. The Outer Hall Clan is the face of the Righteous Heaven Alliance. Make sure your greetings are proper and your conduct impeccable—no slips that tarnish the alliance's prestige."
"Of course!"
"With all the unrest popping up across the jianghu lately, the higher-ups are paying extra attention, so be especially vigilant!"
"You mean in Zhejiang Province?"
"Not just there. Hunan Province is buzzing too, and Qinghai and Sichuan as well."
"Huh, what's gotten into the jianghu these days?"
Jin Cheol-woo let out a scoff and clicked his tongue.
Even as he spoke, he didn't miss a single person passing by, scanning them all.
"Our alliance takes its eyes off the jianghu for just a moment, and this is what happens. Those unorthodox scum sprout up like poisonous mushrooms at the first opening. Tsk tsk!"
"I hear the water bandits are stirring up trouble on the Yangtze too."
"That's why this martial tournament is so crucial, isn't it? It's a chance to solidify the alliance's unity and demonstrate our influence."
The Righteous Heaven Alliance had been upheld for seventy years by numerous orthodox sects banding together.
While it reigned as the true power in the jianghu, the unorthodox factions had no choice but to lay low.
But after seventy long years of endurance, the unorthodox forces began rising sporadically in various places, unable to hold back any longer.
Though the alliance's influence across the Central Plains was immense, it couldn't manage every inch without gaps.
And at a time when the jianghu was in such turmoil, nothing was better than a martial tournament.
That was why rumors swirled that they were holding it earlier than usual and dangling an unprecedented prize called Azure Clarity Stone Oil.
It was right then, as Jin Cheol-woo chatted with his subordinate.
One of the men guarding outside the main gate came running up.
"...Captain. Th-the Peng Clan is coming!"
"The Peng Clan?"
"Y-yes! With the Blood Lion Corps and Fierce Tiger Corps escorting them..."
"Why are the Peng Clan here so early?"
Jin Cheol-woo's eyes went wide.
The tournament was still a full month away—arriving already?
Even the earliest arrivals usually showed up ten days prior, so this was absurd timing.
But his subordinate's fussing wasn't over.
"Th-they say the Nangong family is coming with them too!"
"The Nangong family as well?"
"Yes! The eldest young master and second young master are with them..."
"Puhahaha!"
Jin Cheol-woo burst into roaring laughter, leaving everyone around him baffled.
It was shocking to see the stern and strict Jin Cheol-woo suddenly laughing so hard on duty.
"Captain, are you alright?"
"Ah, I'm fine, fine. Never heard anything so hilarious in my life."
"Yes?"
"Haven't you heard? The North Hebei Peng Clan and Nangong family—those two houses—are traveling together!"
"Yes. But why is that...?"
As his subordinates tilted their heads, Jin Cheol-woo spoke in an amused tone.
"How could those two bitter enemies travel together? They growl just at the sight of each other! Where on earth did they even meet up to come like this?"
"W-well, I don't know about that, but even Lady Peng Yeon-hwa is with them..."
"Puhahaha! Now that's a riot. The precious pearl of the North Hebei Peng Clan traveling alongside the Nangong young masters?"
"Maybe the families have promised a marriage alliance..."
"Puhahaha! You're a real joker, you are. A proper clown."
Jin Cheol-woo guffawed, and his subordinates, after tilting their heads, smiled faintly too.
"...Yeah, it does seem off, doesn't it? We thought it was strange too."
"Of course. Everyone knows—even a three-year-old—that the Peng and Nangong houses harbor a deep grudge."
"A marriage alliance is too much. Must be a reporting error."
"I've served at the alliance for five years, and I've never seen or heard of such a thing. Haha!"
Jin Cheol-woo wiped tears from his eyes as he said.
"Good laugh. Now get back to your posts properly. The two houses together? If that happens, I'll eat my sword. Hehehe! Hehehe... Huh? Hehe?"
His booming laughter gradually faded.
His eyes, fixed on the front, grew wider and wider.
"P-Peng Clan?"
A red-and-black procession advanced along the wide avenue from Hubei Wuchang.
Over thirty men approached with majestic, intimidating strides, like a pack of beasts on the prowl.
The Blood Lion Corps—one of the North Hebei Peng Clan's elite units—led with sharp glares, while the Fierce Tiger Corps flanked left and right with bold steps.
And trailing behind were Nangong family warriors dressed like bandits.
Why the hell are those guys together?!
Jin Cheol-woo's eyes nearly popped out.
It was true—the two houses that had been at each other's throats for decades were traveling together!
In all his years guarding the Righteous Heaven Alliance's gates, he'd never even imagined such a sight.
Just as the Nine Great Sects' Mount Hua Sect and Mount Zhongnan Sect were mortal foes, among the Five Great Families, the Nangong family and North Hebei Peng Clan were equally infamous rivals.
Events always seated them far apart for that reason.
Jin Cheol-woo's mouth slowly gaped open.
His subordinates' eager gazes turned to him.
"Straighten up!"
Clearing his throat, Jin Cheol-woo spoke sternly, and his men quickly adjusted their postures to watch the approaching group.
Piercing the hazy dust, the Blood Lion Corps halted before the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
Jin Cheol-woo's eyes swiftly scanned the party.
'What the hell is going on here... Wait, what's that?'
Spotting Nangong Hyeok sprawled like luggage on a large cart, Jin Cheol-woo couldn't hide his bewilderment.
Even upon reaching the alliance's main gate, the man made no move to rise, lounging brazenly.
He even smiled leisurely, looking around.
Or was it absentmindedness?
He kept sighing softly and muttering to himself...
'What kind of guy is that...?'
What was more astonishing was that no one seemed inclined to make him get up.
It even felt like the escorts were centered around that guy.
He wasn't some prodigy of exceptional talent, nor did he exude refined elegance—yet Nangong Ryong and Peng Yeon-hwa, dragons and phoenixes both, were treating him as the core?
As Jin Cheol-woo's intense stare lingered, Geum Cheomsang beside him quietly called to Nangong Hyeok.
"...Young master, time to get up. Look, he's got axe eyes."
"He's sitting with his arm slung over the side."
"You're half-lying down."
"Lying down won't stop us from going in. They said we'd pass right through, right?"
Geum Cheomsang grumbled quietly and stood by after Nangong Hyeok's rebuke.
Nangong Hyeok, who had been eyeing him with displeasure, hopped down from the cart.
"Up we go."
As he dismounted, Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyeok-dong, and Jang Ung rushed over, surrounding him.
Nangong Ryong, in his white martial robes, stood beside Nangong Hyeok to complete the picture, and even the Peng Clan warriors enveloped them...
'...Wh-what the hell?'
Had the North Hebei Peng Clan lost their minds?
Why were they escorting Nangong family warriors—and letting one flop around like that?
Even Peng Yeon-hwa stuck close to Nangong Hyeok.
Composing himself, Jin Cheol-woo straightened up and braced himself.
"...From the North Hebei Peng Clan and Nangong family?"
A Peng Clan warrior spoke on their behalf.
"Lady Peng Yeon-hwa of the North Hebei Peng Clan, and Nangong Ryong and Nangong Hyeok, young masters of the Nangong family."
...Why's the Peng Clan introducing the Nangong family?
What kind of situation is this?
"B-but why have you arrived so early?"
"...We got here a bit ahead of schedule."
A bit? This was way early.
Preparations for the tournament were still in full swing...
Managing his expression, Jin Cheol-woo said.
"For now, we'll need to check your identity tokens. Since you arrived unannounced, it's unavoidable procedure—please understand."
"Of course."
"Very well."
Jin Cheol-woo verified the Peng Clan's and Nangong family's tokens, then glanced at another group in the back and jolted again.
'...S-Sword Pavilion?'
The Sword Pavilion mixed in with the North Hebei Peng Clan and Nangong family group?
Wasn't the Sword Pavilion known for going solo?
The combination felt even stranger.
"Where do we go?"
Snapping to, Jin Cheol-woo rolled his eyes.
"W-well, you came so early that accommodations aren't set yet..."
He swallowed dryly and ordered his subordinates behind him.
"Hm! You—guide the guests to the Outer Hall for now."
"Yes? But..."
"Just find an empty hall. Go!"
Then he turned to the Peng Clan warrior.
"Follow him, and he'll lead you to your quarters. It's temporary—once the tournament begins, we'll reassign proper lodgings."
"Understood!"
The Peng warrior clasped his fists in salute, and the group moved.
Nangong Hyeok had already hopped back onto the cart and sprawled out again.
Jin Cheol-woo blinked at the sight.
"...The second young master?"
One subordinate piped up knowingly.
"Looks like the Nangong family's sickly second young master."
"Sickly?"
"Yeah."
"Headaches?"
"Something about a heart condition, I think... though they say he's better now."
Just as the Nangong family had quashed rumors of rebellion, the North Hebei Peng Clan had silenced talk of their tournament defeat, so few knew the truth about Nangong Hyeok.
Jin Cheol-woo let out a hollow chuckle.
"...Heh, must be the illness—zero tact."
His subordinates nodded along.
Holding that attitude even before the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
And among them was one with even less tact.
"Captain, so when are you eating your sword?"
"......"
* * *
Having unpacked in an empty hall of the Outer Hall, Nangong Hyeok stuck out his tongue in disbelief.
"What kind of alliance has an inn inside it? Unbelievable."
It felt like stepping into a city.
Gazing at the towering halls piercing the sky beyond the window gave a sense of the Righteous Heaven Alliance's soaring prestige.
"It wasn't like this back in my day. Tsk tsk!"
Nangong Hyeok clicked his tongue and turned his head.
"What're you doing?"
Geum Cheomsang was sorting luggage with a dazed look.
He looked up with a blank expression.
"...Feels empty without the medicine."
"What?"
"No medicine for the three daily doses—feels empty. No herbal pouches for sipping between meals, no pills you kept forgetting to take... So I've been wondering if your weird remarks are from missing meds, imagining you need to keep taking them..."
Have you lost your mind?
I'm the one who took the medicine—why are you showing withdrawal symptoms?
Geum Cheomsang poured out his lament, then suddenly asked Nangong Hyeok.
"But when are you going to see the third young master?"
"Hm?"
"The third young master."
Nangong Hyeok stared at Geum Cheomsang and smirked.
"Just go see him."
"Yes, so when?"
"Later."
"So... later when?"
"Much later."
Geum Cheomsang went blank at Nangong Hyeok's words.
When the hell is "later"?
Ignoring the dumbfounded Geum Cheomsang, Nangong Hyeok whistled leisurely.
"Anyway, enough of that."
Nangong Hyeok dusted off his sleeves and stood.
Eyes in the room gathered on him.
Geum Cheomsang asked in an uneasy voice.
"...Where are you going?"
"We're at the Righteous Heaven Alliance—gotta sightsee at least once."
"Y-yes? W-wait, wait a second! Wh-what sightseeing?!"
Nangong Hyeok just grinned and headed out without answering.
"Y-young master!"
Geum Cheomsang panicked, Nangong Ryong's eyes snapped open, and he glanced at Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyeok-dong, and Jang Ung.
An overwhelming sense of foreboding emanated from Nangong Hyeok slipping out silently.
What disaster is he planning now?
"Follow him!"
At Nangong Ryong's urgent command, Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyeok-dong, and Jang Ung—who'd been crouching in the corner—scrambled up.
"Y-young master! We'll escort you."
"Keh, heh heh! I-I was just wanting to tour the alliance myself."
"L-let's go together!"
They hurried after him, with Nangong Ryong quick-stepping behind.
"Together... we go."
Nangong Hyeok let out a hollow laugh.
"Crowding like this is how accidents happen."
"......"
"No accidents, alright?"
Everyone, Nangong Ryong included, was floored by Nangong Hyeok's tongue-clicking.
Who's telling who not to cause trouble?
Dumbfounded, they followed along after him.