Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Assembly of the Five Families' Heirs
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Among the Five Great Families, the younger generation talents from the Hebei Peng Clan, Moyong Clan, and Hwangbo Clan had gathered in one place.
Hwangbo Chung, the eldest son of the Hwangbo Clan, tilted his head as he looked at the people seated around.
"The Sichuan Tang Clan hasn't arrived yet?"
Moyong Su, the eldest son of the Moyong Clan, replied.
"They haven't even made it here yet, from what I hear."
"Huh? Still? The martial tournament is only five days away."
"Who knows what's going on in their heads."
"Fair enough."
While the three families had frequent exchanges since Liaoning Province, Hebei Province, and Shandong Province bordered one another, Sichuan was just too far away.
On top of that, the Tang Clan's people had such insidious personalities and preferred to act independently, so there was little reason to get too close.
Hwangbo Chung smirked.
"Then they might not show up at all. Makes sense—the tournament bans poison and hidden weapons. The Tang are scary because of their poisons and darts, not their martial arts."
"Hmm..."
"Isn't that the truth? A true warrior tempers the body. What's the difference between using darts or poison and being an assassin?"
"Enough. You're going too far."
Moyong Su reined Hwangbo Chung in. Hwangbo Chung twitched his thick eyebrows before smirking again.
"I'm just saying it's a shame. I was looking forward to crushing them if they showed."
Hwangbo Chung made no effort to hide his hostility as he raised a fist the size of a child's head.
Even among the Five Great Families, the Hwangbo Clan—masters of fist techniques in particular—despised the Sichuan Tang Clan for their use of poison and hidden weapons.
Moyong Su let out a light sigh.
At that moment, Peng Zhonghyuk, seated at the head table, spoke up.
"This is a rare gathering. Let's not badmouth fellow members of the Five Great Families."
"When the Tang are so far away, it's hard to feel like we're in the same group, you know?"
"There's talk that the Nine Great Sects are acting strangely ahead of this tournament. With them still going strong, do we really need to fight among ourselves?"
Hwangbo Chung shut his mouth at Peng Zhonghyuk's words.
No matter how much he hated the Tang Clan, could they compare to the Nine Great Sects?
The rivalry between the Nine Sects and the Five Families ran deeper within each faction than any infighting.
Moyong Su asked with a puzzled expression.
"What do you mean the Nine Great Sects are acting strangely?"
Peng Zhonghyuk let out a low hum before speaking quietly.
"There's a rumor that the Zhongnan Sect's three great disciples got thoroughly beaten by the Namgung Clan's young master..."
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
"...and..."
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Peng Zhonghyuk furrowed his brow as he stared at Hwangbo Chung, who was roaring with laughter.
"How could trash like the Namgung Clan take down Zhongnan? Brother Peng, aren't you taking baseless rumors too seriously? Ha ha ha, the Namgung beating Zhongnan?"
"..."
"What, they say he even beat the Zhongnan Sword Dragon? Ha ha ha! They say Hyeon-gong and Hyeon-jong are no slouches either, but you're telling me Namgung Ryong took them all down? All of them?"
Peng Zhonghyuk said nothing.
Moyong Su didn't quite believe it either but subtly held Hwangbo Chung back.
It was going too far to mock another sect.
Hwangbo Chung pounded the table laughing.
"Ha ha ha ha! Did the Namgung Clan suddenly awaken or something? Brother Peng, that's as funny as hearing the Hebei Peng lost to the Namgung in a spar! What nonsense is that? They say they treated the Zhongnan Sect like dogs?"
Even the Namgung Clan, whose position was threatened by the Jinju Yeon Clan and the New Spear Heroes, beating Zhongnan Sect? No way.
"Speak of the tiger and he appears. Or is it a cat? Ha ha!"
Hwangbo Chung's eyes caught sight of the Namgung Clan group entering the Golden Pavilion.
The gazes of everyone inside swiveled toward the window.
Namgung Hyuk grumbled as he stepped into the Golden Pavilion.
"Damn kids' meeting. How old do you think I am to be dragged into this again..."
"Nineteen, sir."
"...Nineteen?"
"Yes, nineteen."
"Son of a bitch, my age... Sigh, what would a kid like you know."
"Oh, eighteen... twenty?"
Namgung Hyuk sighed deeply as he watched Namgung Chang earnestly counting on his fingers beside him.
What was the point of explaining to someone not even his grandson's age?
Namgung Hyuk stretched languidly and stared at the back of Namgung Ryong's head.
"Does it have to be this?"
"Family!"
"...Fine, whatever. Might as well see what the kids are yapping about since we're here. Ugh! Thirsty—need to wet my throat!"
"Here you go, Little Uncle!"
Namgung Chang popped out and offered a bottle of liquor and an opium pipe.
For a moment, Namgung Hyuk and Namgung Chang's eyes locked in midair.
"..."
"...Hey, you little shit?"
"The liquor comes with the opium pipe..."
Crack!
Namgung Hyuk roughly grabbed Namgung Chang by the hair.
"Ah, aaaah!"
Thud thud thud!
"I told you to quit, did I or didn't I?!"
"Ugh, ack! I, I quit, but th-this is just for you, Uncle..."
"This? Who the hell told you to talk back!"
"Eugh!"
Namgung Hyuk mercilessly disciplined Namgung Chang.
Hwangbo Chung let out a hollow laugh at the sudden beating.
"What a mess!"
A guy in his mid-twenties holding an opium pipe and liquor bottle?
From the way his hands were shaking, he was even going through withdrawal.
"Looks like the rumors were exaggerated."
Among Zhongnan Sect's current three great disciples was Hyeon-gong, one of the Shaanxi Twin Dragons, and his junior brothers were also renowned for their skills.
None of the Namgung Clan's younger generation seemed capable of matching the Shaanxi Twin Dragons, so how could they have subdued Zhongnan's three great disciples?
Namgung Ryong might hold his own against them at best, but even he fell far short of the Zhongnan Sword Dragon.
The others agreed with Hwangbo Chung's assessment.
It was impossible by their common sense.
Just look.
At that pathetic sight.
No way that lanky slacker caught Hyeon-gong.
Or that punk with the pipe and bottle?
Everyone was chuckling, dismissing it as a distorted rumor, when—
Whoosh!
"Please, come in! Right this way!"
Peng Zhonghyuk beamed and leaped from his seat.
He wouldn't have been this happy to see a brother returning from a distant journey.
Hwangbo Chung stared at him in shock.
'Shouldn't the Peng be acting cooler than that?'
Everyone under heaven knew the Hebei Peng and Namgung Clans were sworn enemies.
They were the go-to comparison for the rivalry between Huashan and Zhongnan.
"Have a seat here. Ha ha, I thought you weren't coming."
He was treating him like some revered elder.
But what was even more shocking was that it wasn't the great young master Namgung Ryong being escorted—it was the lanky slacker.
The young lord of the mighty Hebei Peng Clan...
"W-Who the hell is that guy?"
Hwangbo Chung asked Moyong Su, but he had no idea either.
His gaze fixed on the lanky man.
Namgung Hyuk yawned widely and eyed Peng Zhonghyuk.
"What's with the serious faces? What's the meeting about?"
"We were talking about the Nine Great Sects."
"The Nine Sects?"
"Yes. With their unusual movements ahead of the tournament, we were trying to raise some awareness..."
"Yeah. You do that."
"Pardon?"
"Got liquor? Bring more. I'll drink quietly and head out."
"Ah... Y-Yes!"
Namgung Hyuk waved at Namgung Chang.
"Kid, time you learned to hold your liquor, huh?"
"Yes, Little Uncle!"
...What, what?
Namgung Chang scurried over, nosebleed streaming.
"Early education's important for this stuff. Gotta handle the hard liquor if you wanna get by in the jianghu, got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
"No opium pipe."
"Yes, Little Uncle!"
...Wait, so liquor is fine?
What the hell are you teaching a kid?
Peng Zhonghyuk gaped at Namgung Hyuk's mindset, which went from absurd to outright shocking.
Beside him, Namgung Ryong quietly placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
A pleased smile played on his lips.
Peng Zhonghyuk instinctively sensed that the Namgung Clan was going mad.
Confusion dawned on the faces of the watching younger generation.
Who the hell was this guy to make the mighty Peng Zhonghyuk act so subservient?
Not even Namgung Ryong, but this worthless lanky nobody.
And the way he treated Peng Zhonghyuk like a subordinate, as if it were natural?
Hwangbo Chung stared blankly at Namgung Hyuk, who had plopped down and cracked open a bottle.
Peng Zhonghyuk returned to his seat with a beaming smile.
"...Brother Peng. Who the hell is that?"
"Ah! The Namgung Clan's second young master."
"...Second young master?"
"That's right."
"Th-The second young master?!"
Hwangbo Chung's eyes bulged.
Veins bulging in his neck, he bellowed at Namgung Hyuk.
"What the hell's with that attitude from some Namgung second young master punk! You, hey, you! You, the one chugging booze!"
"Me?"
"Yeah! You, damn it! You!"
"Meee?"
Peng Zhonghyuk's pupils shook as he saw Namgung Hyuk upend the bottle he was blowing into like a horn.
Reflexively, he smashed a fist into Hwangbo Chung's jaw.
Smack!
"...Guh?!"
Hwangbo Chung's head snapped around, and silence blanketed the room.
Namgung Hyuk sighed.
"Man, throwing the first punch, huh?"
Peng Zhonghyuk laughed awkwardly.
"Ah, ha ha ha... ha ha."
"You two close?"
"...Kinda?"
Namgung Hyuk chuckled and casually took a seat.
Peng Zhonghyuk hurriedly dragged the stunned Hwangbo Chung out.
"Come on!"
Hwangbo Chung looked dazed, then flared up, but Peng Zhonghyuk spoke in a low voice.
"I just saved your life."
"Wh-What the hell does that mean?"
"...I saved your ass."
Peng Zhonghyuk stared at him seriously.
Hwangbo Chung fiddled with his swelling cheek and nodded reflexively.
A certain rumor suddenly flashed through his mind.
The Hebei Peng lost to the Namgung Clan in a spar.
The second young master turned the Blood Killer Squad Leader into a cripple.
'No way... that's actually true?!"
Hwangbo Chung's eyes nearly popped out.
Peng Zhonghyuk nodded gravely with a grunt.
'!'
Hwangbo Chung's gaze slowly, very slowly, locked onto the lanky man blowing into his bottle inside the Golden Pavilion—Namgung Hyuk.
'...That guy's the one?'
Hwangbo Chung swallowed hard and looked at Peng Zhonghyuk.
"Buy me a drink later."
"Yeah. Sorry."
"..."
Hwangbo Chung nodded, and Peng Zhonghyuk patted his shoulder lightly.
"Let's go back in."
"...Yes."
* * *
A bizarre atmosphere flowed through the Golden Pavilion.
Everyone stole glances at Namgung Hyuk, who was blowing into his liquor bottle like a horn.
Oblivious or not, Namgung Hyuk just chuckled and savored his drink.
*Ahem!*
Peng Zhonghyuk cleared his throat lightly to shift the mood.
"This tournament is crucial for us Five Great Families too. Everyone needs to make it to the main rounds at minimum. If the Nine Great Sects sweep the top spots again like last time, our position will shake once more."
Moyong Su spoke in a worried tone.
"If the Nine Sects are plotting something, won't there be dirty tricks?"
"Even if they control the Orthodox Alliance in practice, it won't be that easy."
"Didn't the Nine Sects push to hold this tournament? If they pull any schemes..."
"Don't worry. The Alliance isn't just theirs. Our families have high positions there too—they can't act recklessly."
Peng Zhonghyuk emphasized once more.
"We have to win this time. No losses to the Nine Sects—absolutely none! If we claim at least thirty percent of the victories against them, it's as good as our win. Got it?"
"Yes, Brother!"
"Yeah. By any means necessary..."
Namgung Hyuk snorted at the younger generation chattering away.
'What a load of crap.'
Like huddling kids' heads together changes anything.
They're gonna rig the brackets or fix matches anyway?
They'll foam at the mouth to crack skulls if they draw each other—what's with this unity bullshit?
'I'm winning anyway.'
The Azure Spirit Oil is mine, you brats.
Gulp gulp.
"Kuh! Hits the spot."
Namgung Hyuk grinned happily and set down his bottle.
He came out of curiosity to see what the Five Families' punks were up to before the tournament, and here they were wasting time.
'Same as ever.'
Namgung Hyuk clicked his tongue and whispered to Namgung Ryong.
"Bro."
"...Yeah."
"When you face them, smash their heads in."
"What about unity...?"
"You think they'll hand the Namgung anything if they win? These guys who ignored us until yesterday?"
"..."
"Lose, and they take everything. If those bastards share even a drop of Azure Spirit Oil, I'll swear on my hand—seriously. Am I wrong?"
Nod nod.
"So what do we do?"
"...Crush them."
"Good!"
At Namgung Hyuk's words, steel entered Namgung Ryong's eyes.
A blazing gaze.
One corner of Namgung Hyuk's mouth curled up slyly.
The seed of betrayal was sprouting from within—from Namgung Hyuk himself.