Chapter 172
Chapter 172
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Humiliation of the Five Families
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The junior disciples of the Five Families let out groans upon seeing Huangbo Chung descend from the arena, blood streaming down his forehead.
It was a devastating defeat that no words of comfort could touch.
A loss to a junior several years his junior.
And to make matters worse, the opponent was from their arch-rival, one of the Nine Great Sects...
Peng Zhonghyuk's face darkened.
'...There's still this much of a gap?'
Huangbo Chung, hailed as the greatest prodigy of Shandong, had been defeated without accomplishing anything.
The Heavenly King's Divine Fist, which he claimed to have attained enlightenment in, had vanished amid the plum blossoms.
Only those who had experienced it could understand the feeling of a family's secret martial art being so effortlessly dismantled.
The vagueness, the emptiness, the shock—it was beyond words.
On top of that, this was a martial tournament.
He had suffered such humiliation in a place bearing the expectations and honor of his sect.
Moyong Su said cautiously.
"But we nearly suffered a major disgrace against the Nine Great Sects. Doesn't this mean we've avoided the worst?"
"The worst?"
"Well, with the Nangong Family winning, we've at least saved face for the Five Families."
Deep furrows formed between Peng Zhonghyuk's brows.
A complicated, gloomy expression crossed his face.
"It's not something to celebrate just because we've saved face for now. If anything, I'm not even sure if we've truly avoided the worst."
"What do you mean?"
"Just think about how the Nangong Family's status will change once this martial tournament of the Justice Heaven Alliance ends."
At Peng Zhonghyuk's words, Moyong Su's eyes flickered slightly.
He had realized it too.
Once the tournament ended, the Nangong Family's prestige would soar endlessly.
And their position among the Five Families would shift dramatically as well.
Peng Zhonghyuk's gaze suddenly turned toward Nangong Hyuk.
'...Is he at least better than the Wudang Divine Saint?'
Better to be Huangbo Chung, who had less to lose despite falling from the top spot, than the Azure Person who had plummeted from the highest perch.
At least he hadn't been grabbed by the hair and beaten.
'What kind of training did he even do...?'
Even in normal circumstances, it was hard to attain such skill, yet Nangong Hyuk was said to have been born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians and a frail body.
On top of that, he hadn't even properly trained in martial arts for a full year.
Had there ever been such a person in the martial world?
It was utterly unprecedented.
An astonishing event.
'By the end of this tournament, the Nangong Family might become the head of the Five Families.'
Looking at Nangong Hyuk's face stirred a strange unease.
That guy as the head?
The head?
The mere thought of being overshadowed by him made his stomach churn.
'Just imagining it gives me chills.'
No, that guy won't do. Absolutely not!
Peng Zhonghyuk vowed to himself over and over that he would never cede the leadership to the Nangong Family.
But why did the anxiety keep creeping in?
* * *
With so many participants, the preliminaries of the martial tournament dragged on for a full three days.
Given the tight schedule, the matches were divided into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions.
Nangong Hyuk scowled at the setting sun.
Geon Cheon-hwi glanced at him cautiously.
"Did you win?"
"...I lost."
"Lost? Looost?"
"Then what about that guy?"
"...This young master lost too."
"Whoa."
Nangong Hyuk let out an exclamation as he looked toward where the Five Families' juniors were gathered.
At the sound of his admiration, the Five Families' juniors flinched.
"Look at the level of the Five Families. They're all dropping out. This is totally Nine Sects territory, Nine Sects territory."
"......"
"Losing takes skill too, right?"
"The opponents were who they were..."
"Oh man, must've been some seriously tough ones."
Nangong Hyuk burst into roaring laughter.
Geon Cheon-hwi shook his head watching him.
'Wow, that personality...'
He figured Nangong Hyuk was the type who could laugh uproariously at a funeral and spit in the face of anyone who laughed.
How could he laugh so openly like this?
It was like he'd swapped his empathy for personality.
"Poor Five Families, how embarrassing. If I were from the Five Families, I couldn't even show my face."
"...We're from the Five Families too."
"Oh?"
Nangong Hyuk widened his eyes and stared at Geon Cheon-hwi.
Geon Cheon-hwi let out an awkward chuckle.
This guy for real.
"...Anyway, that's how embarrassing it is."
"Yes."
"Back in the day, you'd bite your tongue and die before losing like this. Speaking of back in the day... There were no tournaments then. You'd bump shoulders on the street, draw swords, and fight to the death. Loser just drops dead, head rolling. Heh, those were the days."
What novel is that from?
A guy bedridden all day with Nine Yin Severed Meridians, seriously.
Nangong Hyuk tilted his head.
"Hey, where's the Sichuan Tang Family? They're one of the Five Families too. Only four are here?"
As he said, only juniors from the Nangong Family, North Hebei Peng Family, Huangbo Family, and Moyong Family were milling about.
Geon Cheon-hwi shrugged.
"Not sure. If they came, they'd show up in the arena soon enough. They're such secretive types, they don't show themselves much in places like this."
"I suppose."
Geon Cheon-hwi gave an awkward look at Nangong Hyuk's sarcasm.
"Young master, maybe tone it down a bit..."
"What?"
"I mean, lower your voice at least. People can hear."
"So what."
"......"
As Nangong Hyuk stared with a genuinely puzzled look, Geon Cheon-hwi sighed quietly to himself and quickly changed the subject.
"Young master, shouldn't you prepare? It's almost your turn."
"Huh? Already my turn?"
"Yes! You're up against a guy named Geon Gon from the Kunlun Sect."
"Ah, what a hassle. How many matches do they expect in one day?"
Nangong Hyuk shrugged his shoulders and let out a deep sigh.
But even as he sighed, he naturally rolled up his sleeves.
His expression said hassle, but his body was raring to go.
A body clearly optimized for beatings.
"Whew, putting up with it for the sake of the public treasury. Oh man, my poor back."
That doesn't look like a 'putting up with it' face?
Geon Cheon-hwi stared at Nangong Hyuk with blank eyes.
He clenched his fist.
"Give it your all! Kick the legs out from under him and stomp!"
"Got it."
Nangong Hyuk trudged toward the arena.
As he climbed up, Geon Cheon-hwi's eyes lit up.
He beckoned with his finger, and Tak Hyuk-dong and Jang Ung came rushing over, exchanging glances.
"I'll take the legs."
"I'll go for the arms."
"Then I'll do the head."
The three exchanged meaningful words and grinned wickedly.
As Nangong Hyuk took his stance on the arena, even the Five Families' juniors, who had been gloomily huddled like a house of mourning off to the side, turned their eyes toward him.
Gloom was gloom, but they couldn't help being drawn to the matches of Nangong Hyuk, who was causing the biggest stir in this tournament.
Peng Zhonghyuk watched him with complicated eyes too.
He needed to figure out the difference between himself and Nangong Hyuk.
He burned with determination to engrave in his eyes how a youth not even in his thirties could surpass the Nine Sects, and what methods he used in combat.
Moyong Su and the others felt the same.
They had thought the Nangong Family was the lowest among the Five Families, but now it was chaining victories over the Nine Great Sects, leaving them thrilled yet feeling inferior.
They had only felt despair at the gap with the Nine Sects, but the Nangong Family felt like it had leaped far ahead.
A mix of competitive spirit, jealousy, and complex gazes focused on the arena.
At that moment.
Voices rang out from Nangong Chang and the Nangong Family members standing a bit away.
"Little bro! Give it your all! Flip 'em all over! Break the Nine Sects bastards' necks!"
"Young master! It's the legs! Legs! You gotta break the legs, the legs!"
"No need for legs, arms! Smash the arms first no matter what!"
"No! The head! Head! Crush the skull!"
Uh...
That's cheering, right?
Definitely cheering?
It's enthusiastic cheering for sure...
But why do all the word choices sound like unorthodox thugs?
The Thunder Dragon Squad trio and Nangong Chang shouted like madmen.
"Legs! Legs! Legs!"
"Arms! Arms! Arms!"
"Head! Head! Head!"
"Neck! Neck! Neck!"
The Five Families' juniors widened their eyes.
Is that normal cheering?
They're straight-up telling him to dismember the guy.
Are these really the Nangong Family, an upright orthodox sect?
Peng Zhonghyuk groaned and looked at Nangong Ryong.
No matter how high the Nangong Family's spirits were with Nangong Hyuk and Nangong Ryong, this was the arena.
With so many watching, shouldn't they maintain some dignity as an orthodox sect?
"Young master Nangong Ryong, shouldn't you stop the...m?"
"......"
He's smiling warmly?
A gentle smile graced the usually expressionless Nangong Ryong's lips.
He was even nodding along, encouraging the cheers.
Peng Zhonghyuk's face twisted in disbelief.
As Moyong Su stood dumbfounded.
"Tea?"
Geum Cheom-sang held out teacups toward the dazed Five Families' juniors.
Even the servant was utterly calm.
Seeing how they ignored that side, it was clearly routine.
'The Nangong Family has no normal people.'
Well, the upper echelons... uh, not exactly upper, but.
Anyway, with a lunatic like Nangong Hyuk around, everyone had turned weird.
No, bizarre.
'...And we'll have to face them countless times from now on.'
Already feeling suffocated.
And thinking of these abnormals rising through this tournament made him wonder how the world would turn...
Slurp!
The Five Families' juniors dazedly accepted the teacups from Geum Cheom-sang and drank.
The fragrant tea aroma clashed with the surroundings.
As the fervent cheering reached a fever pitch, Nangong Hyuk mounted the arena.
A few announcements were made, and the match began.
Geon Gon from the Kunlun Sect glared at Nangong Hyuk.
Seeing the man who had defeated the Wudang Divine Saint made him tense up a bit.
But tension didn't mean he could forfeit.
This was a stage for his sect's honor and his own pride.
"What a coincidence. Seems we have bad blood with the Nangong Family. My martial brother lost to your elder brother already..."
"Yawn."
"......"
Geon Gon's forehead vein bulged as he watched Nangong Hyuk wave his hand lazily like swatting a fly.
"You're not taking this seriously?! I know your sect is strong, but underestimate Kunlun's sword and you'll regret it!"
"......"
"Eek!"
Geon Gon ground his teeth and launched himself like a storm.
"Haaap!"
With a mighty shout, he unleashed the Demonic Horse Sword powered by the Demonic Horse Divine Art, thrusting toward Nangong Hyuk's chest.
Lightning-fast strike!
The moment Geon Gon poured all his internal energy into it.
"Shut up, birdbrain."
Nangong Hyuk swatted casually like shooing a fly and slapped the charging Geon Gon's cheek.
Bam!
Amid the world's noisiest boom, Geon Gon's body spun wildly and thudded to the ground.
A sudden silence descended.
How much time passed?
"Woo! Woooh!"
"He won again!"
"Ear this time!"
The elders of the Nine Great Sects flushed red, and belated cheers erupted from the spectator stands.
"Damn! Not the arms!"
"Shoot! Should've hit the legs."
"Ugh, didn't think of the cheek!"
The Thunder Dragon Squad trio's laments echoed softly.
Then Geon Cheon-hwi pulled out some silver and said.
"Hey, double or nothing?"
"Sounds good!"
"Agreed."
Moyong Su gaped as the grinning Thunder Dragon Squad trio laughed.
His gaze involuntarily turned to Peng Zhonghyuk.
Peng Zhonghyuk sighed.
'...It wasn't cheering, it was betting.'
Right in the middle of the arena with Justice Heaven Alliance leaders present.
Something no sane person would do.
And the bet wasn't even normal.
Not on who would win, but on what Nangong Hyuk would hit first!
"Didn't I tell you? This isn't all good news."
"......"
"Nothing normal from the top down, right?"
Moyong Su nodded and groaned.
Just then.
Geon Cheon-hwi glanced their way, smirked, and approached.
"Wanna join?"
Huh?
As Moyong Su's eyes widened, Peng Zhonghyuk murmured lowly.
"See? Still think it's a blessing?"
"......"
It felt like the Nangong Family had unleashed poison into the tournament.