Chapter 196
Chapter 196
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: The Grand Welcome Home
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Th-that bastard! That damned fucker!”
“Limitless inaction. Limitless inaction.”
“How dare he!”
The elders of the Nine Great Sects clutched the backs of their necks and let out sighs of anguish.
It didn’t matter how Nangong Hyuk had gauged the distance from the entrance of the Orthodox Heaven Alliance’s inner fortress to the top of the Elders’ Hall.
The problem was that the bastard had looked straight at them and shaken the Azure Spirit Oil.
As if to say, “Thanks for the meal, you suckers!”
The sheer arrogance of it!
The faces of the Nine Great Sects’ elders flushed beet red.
There was no humiliation like this humiliation.
They’d lost the championship to Nangong Hyuk, their disciples had been disgraced, and now even the Azure Spirit Oil was gone!
But there was nothing they could do.
What could they possibly do now that the martial tournament was over?
All they could do was sigh and watch as the Nangong Clan departed the Orthodox Heaven Alliance.
“But isn’t that a Peng Clan guy?”
“Why is the Little Sword Princess...?”
“...Hmm, I’m feeling it too.”
“Hmm!”
The Hebei Peng Clan and the Little Sword Princess were carrying their luggage?
What in the world...?
The elders let out incredulous chuckles, utterly baffled.
Hao Yun gazed at the retreating backs of the Nangong Clan group leaving the Orthodox Heaven Alliance and muttered to himself.
“It looks like we’ll be crossing paths with the Nangong Clan quite a bit from now on.”
“...Hmm! They’re just starting to spread their wings, so they’ll be bumping into everyone left and right.”
“That bastard’s going to strut around everywhere, right?”
“Can’t you see? He’s still provoking them even as he leaves.”
“Urgh!”
He wasn’t an ordinary guy.
Even the Five Great Clans of the world couldn’t hold their heads high in the face of the Nine Great Sects’ prestige.
“That loach is muddying the waters.”
“A loach...”
“What? Am I wrong, Immortal Baek Jong?”
Baek Jong shook his head.
“He’s already a dragon. There’s no loach like that in the world. If I had to name it, it’d be a Mad Dragon. One that stirs up storms on flat ground...”
Mad Dragon.
A crazed dragon.
It was a mocking, belittling term, but no nickname described Nangong Hyuk better.
The elders let out low groans.
Imagining the Nangong Clan’s Mad Dragon rampaging made their heads throb already.
What was even more chilling was that Nangong Hyuk was still only in his early twenties.
He was at the age where he’d grow like a weed and shake up the world.
And there was no guarantee they wouldn’t clash with the Nine Great Sects again.
“He’s already making waves.”
With the Hebei Peng Clan and Sword Pavilion circling the Nangong Clan, the winds of change were already beginning to blow.
“Shouldn’t we prepare ourselves too?”
The Nine Great Sects’ elders nodded gravely, exchanging glances.
Their eyes darkened with resolve.
* * *
“Have you spotted him?”
The man in black, hidden among the crowd, cautiously lifted his head.
Seeing Nangong Hyuk brazenly shaking the Azure Spirit Oil in provocation drew a chuckle from him.
‘He noticed my gaze.’
To pick out his gaze amid this massive crowd— even if he hadn’t fully concealed his presence, it was an incredibly sharp sense.
‘Impressive. Beyond expectations.’
It meant the martial tournament hadn’t shown his full capabilities.
Different from the intel he’d gathered.
‘Bold one.’
To provoke so openly.
He couldn’t help but admire the guy’s guts and confidence.
His gaze lingered on the direction where Nangong Hyuk had vanished.
After staring silently in that direction for a while, the man in black quietly rose to his feet.
As he slipped through the dispersing crowd and exited the Orthodox Heaven Alliance, a group dressed in various outfits appeared behind him.
“You lot head back to headquarters right now and report. I’m going to tail that bastard.”
“Yes!”
The man in black and his subordinates quietly left the Orthodox Heaven Alliance’s domain.
* * *
Geon Cheon-hwi glanced ahead as he leisurely jogged alongside the carriage.
“Is this really okay?”
“What’s the problem?”
“But they’re people of noble status, aren’t they?”
“We’re all equal before the heavens—what a sight.”
“We’re used to it, so we don’t mind, but... how should I put it...”
Geon Cheon-hwi trailed off, eyeing the three people following the carriage.
The sight of them trudging along like donkeys, each carrying luggage twice their size on their shoulders, was downright bizarre.
“Status degradation? Is that what you call it?”
Good heavens.
Peng Jung-hyuk, the precious golden boy of the Hebei Peng Clan; Peng Yeon-hwa; and So Hye-yeon, the Sword Pavilion’s prodigy known as the Little Sword Princess—all porters with bundles on their backs!
Anyone else would faint at the sight.
But Nangong Hyuk inside the carriage remained utterly nonchalant.
Instead, it was Nangong Ryong who kept peeking out from the carriage, fidgeting restlessly.
“Hey, stop making a fuss already?”
“......”
“It’s their luggage—they should carry it. Right?”
“......”
“Servants... no, it’s their food payment, okay? They insisted on doing it themselves.”
Whoosh!
As if on cue, Peng Jung-hyuk and the others glanced back toward the carriage.
But they soon slumped their shoulders and trudged onward.
When they’d joined up, Nangong Hyuk had indeed threatened them to earn their keep, so they had no choice.
They’d been walking nonstop for five days straight, but it wasn’t something they could complain about.
Nangong Hyuk munched on some jerky.
His gaze turned to Ha Baek, who sat awkwardly in one corner of the carriage.
“Physician sir.”
“It’s Ha Baek, Young Master.”
“Right, Ha Baek.”
...Straight to casual speech?
Nangong Hyuk continued.
“Once we get to the main house, stand by for now.”
“Huh? Stand by? Weren’t you going to make it right away?”
Ha Baek drooled as he eyed the Azure Spirit Oil tucked in Nangong Hyuk’s bosom.
His face screamed eagerness to learn the pill-refining technique.
“Materials first.”
“Huh? There’s more?”
“You think a spirit pill like that only needs Azure Spirit Oil?”
“Oh.”
Azure Spirit Oil alone wouldn’t make a Golden Immortal Pill.
It was a secret recipe from the Gwangmok Clan, using the inner core of a millennium-old fire spirit plant and all sorts of other spirit herbs.
Ha Baek nodded immediately.
Having witnessed the Golden Immortal Pill himself, he knew such preparations were essential.
“Actually, this works out better. I’ll make thorough preparations in the meantime. To refine a pill like that, the environment has to be perfect too.”
Nangong Hyuk smiled in satisfaction at Ha Baek, whose eyes blazed with fervent fire.
Those overflowing with passion don’t care about money.
They throw themselves entirely toward their goal.
‘A heavenly sucker... no, physician.’
Nangong Hyuk gave a meaningful smile as he looked at Ha Baek, whom he’d reeled in so nicely(?).
‘Hurry back and check this guy’s skills.’
Once a proper setup was in place, he’d test Ha Baek’s abilities first.
Passion or whatever, skills came first in the end.
What good was handing the Golden Immortal Pill recipe to just anyone?
Nangong Hyuk grinned and peered outside.
“But when do we get there? Still far?”
“We’re almost there. See the banner way over there?”
“Banner, you say?”
“Banner...”
“Banner?”
“Yes. Banner.”
Huh?
Was there a banner when they left Anhui Province?
Nangong Hyuk peered out with a puzzled look.
“Huh? There really is one?”
It was perfectly visible even from afar.
Perfectly...
So perfectly...
Orthodox Heaven Alliance’s World’s Greatest Martial Tournament!
Nangong Clan Young Master Nangong Hyuk Champion!
Nangong Clan Eldest Young Master Nangong Ryong Top Four!
Welcoming two heroes who etched their mark in history!
“......”
Nangong Hyuk stared at the banner in a daze.
Geum Cheom-sang, who had poked his head out, grinned wide at the sight.
The banner was so enormous it was crystal clear even to Geum Cheom-sang, who hadn’t trained in martial arts.
“Young Master! Word must’ve spread all over Anhui already! That’s the busiest spot coming in from Anhui Province—everyone knows by now.”
“Don’t.”
“Wooow! It’s amazing. Our young masters’ names on a banner like that!”
“I said don’t.”
“No, we should praise this more! Kyaa! Killer! Champion! Top Four! Such fortune for our Nangong Clan...”
“I said shut it, you punk!”
Geum Cheom-sang flinched and turned his head as Nangong Hyuk bellowed.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
Nangong Hyuk’s pupils trembled.
‘Fuck, why am I the embarrassed one?’
...What the hell? Hanging a massive banner in the capital just for winning a martial tournament?
And since when did the Orthodox Heaven Alliance tournament become the “World’s Greatest”?
So embarrassing...
And what’s that?
Flowers?
Yeah, they’d made a whole flower garden around the banner.
Where the hell did they get flowers like that in midwinter?
Nangong Hyuk lightly rubbed his face.
Haha.
What to do with this atmosphere?
Peng Jung-hyuk muttered.
“Jealous.”
...What’d you say, you mad bastard?
Whether Nangong Hyuk glared or not, Peng Jung-hyuk stared at the banner with eyes full of envy.
If he’d won the tournament, would they have stopped at a banner in the capital?
The Hebei Peng Clan would’ve hung banners on every ship at their docks, invited high officials for three days and nights of boasting about the victory.
Scattering flowers along every path would be basic...
Yeah.
They’d have lined up in front of the capital gates, shouting three cheers.
Peng Jung-hyuk sighed as he saw the Nangong Clan’s Heavenly Response Squad, regular warriors, and servants lined up neatly before the city gates.
Even passersby had stopped to gawk—the scale was that impressive.
It only doubled Peng Jung-hyuk’s envy.
The Nangong Clan retainers guarding the banner spotted the approaching carriage procession from afar.
Chaos erupted in front of the banner.
“The young masters are here!”
“Waaaaah! The young masters have arrived!”
“Come on, everyone—three cheers! One, two!”
“Long live Young Masters Nangong Ryong and Nangong Hyuk!”
“Long live!”
“Long live the young masters!”
“Long live!”
“Long live the Nangong Clan!”
“Long live!”
...Stop it, you crazy bastards!
Nangong Hyuk’s pupils shook as he watched from inside the carriage.
While Nangong Hyuk suffered, the carriage soon pulled up to the banner.
The Heavenly Response Squad leader beamed brightly.
“We’ll escort you from here. The Family Head is waiting, so please hurry along.”
“......”
“Escort the two young masters at once!”
Clang!
The carriage door flew open, and the Heavenly Response Squad warriors efficiently began ushering Nangong Hyuk and Nangong Ryong.
What the hell are these guys doing?
Nangong Hyuk stared in disbelief.
“...Hey, tell me this isn’t happening?”
“Please hurry!”
The Heavenly Response Squad warriors made such a huge fuss that onlookers felt dizzy.
Amid the clattering chaos, Nangong Hyuk blankly stared ahead.
And before he knew it, he found himself hoisted onto an enormous—no, shamefully gigantic—flower palanquin, spacing out.
A flower necklace and crown adorned his neck and head.
Nangong Hyuk’s eyes caught sight of Nangong Ryong in a similar predicament, his expression blank.
Twitch twitch.
Nangong Ryong sat rigidly with eyes closed, but the corners of his eyes trembled faintly.
“...Fuck, holy shit.”
You embarrassed too?
As Nangong Hyuk was lost for words, cheers of three hurrahs erupted from all sides, along with showers of flower petals.
Naturally, the attention of passersby focused in.
Nangong Hyuk, who had stood tall before ten thousand demons, now wondered where the nearest rat hole was.
Humiliating.
I want to die.
As the flower palanquin set off with Nangong Hyuk unable to lift his head, Geum Cheom-sang shouted in ecstasy.
“Young Master! Look! Kyaa! People are already coming out to greet and congratulate us!”
“...Put down the flower petals?”
“Hehe, when else would we get to do this?”
Wow, this punk’s really screwing me over?
Like he’d been waiting for it?
Did I do something that wrong? Huh?
Hey, hey! Stop throwing them!
In the midst of the chaos, Peng Jung-hyuk blankly muttered.
“Jealous... so jealous.”
Just kill me, you bastard.
Nangong Hyuk scowled.
‘Still, fuck, the flower palanquin crossed the line.’
He recalled the flower palanquin Nangong Ryong had ridden when he first escaped the Nangong Clan and got free booze from some Black Path thugs.
The difference now was that people who recognized his face cheered at every Anhui Province stop.
‘......’
Nangong Hyuk gave up thinking.
He desperately wished they’d hurry to the Nangong Clan.
‘Whoever planned this flower palanquin bullshit, I’ll smash their head in. Fucking hell.’
Nangong Hyuk ground his teeth as he stared at the distant Nangong Clan estate.