Chapter 22
Chapter 22
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Confrontation in the Elders' Hall
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Namgung Jangcheon entered the Elders' Hall with an expressionless face.
Twelve elders were seated at the table.
The Namgung clan's twelve elders were in positions where they could involve themselves in the clan's major and minor affairs and lend weight to the Family Head's words.
They served as a check to prevent the Family Head from wielding unchecked power, while also acting as aides who bolstered the Family Head's authority.
Holding real power in the massive collective that was the Namgung clan was an extraordinarily influential position.
They were on par with the elders of the Nine Great Sects, and their strength was the greatest in the clan, excluding the Family Head and a few others.
Namgung Jangcheon gazed at the elders with an unchanging expression.
"Have you come, Family Head?"
Grand Elder Namgung Wi-gyeong's low voice echoed softly through the Elders' Hall.
Namgung Jangcheon stood before the table in the center.
As he stood in the middle of the tables arranged in a character-shaped formation, he felt the elders' heavy gazes upon him.
In the subdued atmosphere, the elders' faint coughs and breaths heightened the sense of pressure.
Namgung Jangcheon looked at the Grand Elder with the same expression as before.
Namgung Wi-gyeong cleared his throat softly and exhaled lowly as he spoke.
"There is no need for lengthy discussion. Do you know why you have come to the Elders' Hall, Family Head?"
Namgung Jangcheon paused for a beat before replying.
"To seek approval for procuring spirit medicines to administer to my second son."
At Namgung Jangcheon's words, the elders' faces hardened.
Coughs and low mutters of disapproval rose from various places.
"Ahem!"
"Spirit medicines again?"
"Just how many times has this been!"
"Hmm."
The elders revealed their discomfort.
"Procuring spirit medicines is no easy task, yet the intervals between your requests grow ever shorter. Tsk tsk."
Everyone knew that spirit medicines had become scarce since the Demonic Blood Cataclysm.
Even for the Namgung clan, it was impossible to keep obtaining medicines that no longer existed.
Namgung Jangcheon stood silently, listening to the elders' rebukes.
Namgung Wi-gyeong raised his hand to silence the elders, then turned to Namgung Jangcheon.
"Family Head."
"Speak."
"I hope you will hear my words without misunderstanding."
"I will listen carefully."
"We do not fail to understand your heart as Family Head. How could we not comprehend a father's desire to save his child? It is only natural, and something that must be done."
Namgung Wi-gyeong paused briefly before continuing.
His voice grew profoundly solemn.
"But you are the head of the main house, Family Head. Beyond your duties as a father, you must also bear the responsibilities as Family Head—that is what I mean."
"......"
"Do you know how many spirit medicines have been used for Hyuk's treatment?"
Ten million gold had been spent.
To heal the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, no spirit medicine or elixir had been spared.
This was known not only to the elders present but even beyond the clan.
And that did not even include the additional costs for treatments and herbs—the total amount was endlessly higher.
"With that money, we could have expanded the clan's businesses by ten more, elevated the armed forces by an entire level—not to mention the prowess of our late-stage disciples we could cultivate, and the size of our estates. Yet all those opportunities were poured into one person."
"......"
"Where does your responsibility as Family Head lie? How much more of the clan's wealth must be squandered?"
Namgung Wi-gyeong's voice grew heavier.
"Even so, will that child live? No, are you even using those spirit medicines properly, Family Head?"
Namgung Wi-gyeong let out a quiet sigh as he spoke.
"This is enough. What can be done against the mandate of heaven? He has lived close to thirty thanks to the main house's support. Think of it that way, and tend to the clan affairs."
At Namgung Wi-gyeong's words, Namgung Jangcheon's aura shifted dramatically.
The aura that had been still as a lake now surged like crashing waves.
The elders in their seats flinched in surprise.
Some even half-rose unconsciously under the suffocating pressure.
Namgung Jangcheon regulated his breathing.
He regarded Namgung Wi-gyeong and the elders with a silent gaze.
"I intend to save him. That is why I need the spirit medicines."
"......"
Namgung Wi-gyeong and the elders exchanged glances.
"This is no time for stubbornness. The clan's wealth cannot be spent at the Family Head's whim. If you persist in this obstinacy and neglect the clan affairs..."
Namgung Wi-gyeong stared intently at Namgung Jangcheon.
He spoke as if spitting out a thorn, his expression twisting slightly.
"You will be stripped of your position as Family Head!"
The elders' cold gazes turned toward Namgung Jangcheon.
Their faces were uneasy, but it was unavoidable.
For them, this was a matter that had to be raised.
Namgung Jangcheon looked at the elders with indifferent eyes.
He closed his mouth and shut his eyes tightly for a moment.
An eternity-like silence passed, and finally, Namgung Jangcheon's lips parted.
"I will step down."
Namgung Wi-gyeong's eyes widened.
"...What did you just say?"
Namgung Jangcheon spoke firmly, as if his resolve were set.
"If I cannot save even one child's life, how can I claim the qualification to lead over two thousand souls of the main house?"
The elders' expressions turned to shock.
To think he would respond this way!
Namgung Jangcheon said in a quiet voice.
"If there is a way to save my son, what is the Family Head position to me? However, even if I step down, please continue Hyuk's treatment. Then I will relinquish it without regret."
A heavy silence descended upon the Elders' Hall.
Everyone exchanged glances while stealing peeks at Namgung Jangcheon standing in the center.
Namgung Wi-gyeong looked at Namgung Jangcheon with grave eyes.
"You will not regret those words? Consider the greater good. Is the Family Head position so light a thing? How can one in a position to lead the clan lose reason to personal sentiments!"
Namgung Wi-gyeong's voice rang through the hall.
Yet Namgung Jangcheon replied resolutely.
"I will not regret it."
The elders' expressions varied wildly.
Some looked relieved, others frustrated, and some bitter.
They could not hide their bewilderment at Namgung Jangcheon's unexpected willingness to relinquish the Family Head position so easily.
At that moment, as the Grand Elder and others murmured in unrest.
Namgung Baek, seated at the table, watched Namgung Jangcheon with a peculiar gaze.
A faint smile ghosted across his face.
The voice of Namgung Baek, who had remained silent until now, rang out.
"Is it not too late to turn back?"
The elders flinched at his voice.
Namgung Baek said lowly.
"Stepping down from the Family Head position alone cannot absolve all responsibility. That is mere escape, not accountability."
Namgung Jangcheon's brows furrowed.
His gaze lingered intently on Namgung Baek.
"Then what would you have me do?"
Tension stretched taut like a bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.
The elders clamped their mouths shut and turned their eyes toward Namgung Baek.
Namgung Baek took a sip of tea before speaking slowly.
"We must investigate every detail of the past twenty years' actions! Involving the Enforcement Hall to examine past deeds for faults and mete out rewards and punishments—is that not right?"
"Ah, no, that is!"
"That would be going too far..."
The elders expressed their dismay at Namgung Baek's statement.
Stripping the Family Head position was monumental enough, but to suspect and investigate decades of devotion to the clan!
It bordered on insult and meant burying him completely from the clan.
"Beyond the spirit medicines, we must investigate the daily herbs, luxuries, and such going to the second son. While we're on the topic."
Namgung Baek's lips curled upward slyly.
"There is something everyone here must know. The Family Head has not merely squandered the fortune for his bloodline!"
At Namgung Baek's bold shout, the elders' eyes widened.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Not just for Namgung Hyuk's treatment?"
Namgung Baek chuckled sneeringly as his gaze fixed straight on Namgung Jangcheon, whose face showed bewilderment.
"Do you think it makes sense for a child with Nine Yin Severed Meridians and such a frail body to practice martial arts, scale walls daily, and drink alcohol?"
"What?"
"Family Head, is this true?"
The elders were aghast at this unheard-of revelation.
Who would believe that someone afflicted with Nine Yin Severed Meridians could train in martial arts and frequently climb walls?
Namgung Hyuk, who suffered severe illness from a mere cough and fractures from a simple fall—such a thing was unimaginable.
If true, there was only one conclusion.
Namgung Hyuk's Nine Yin Severed Meridians had been cured.
Namgung Baek wore a triumphant expression.
"Even the sight of the Family Head bowing his head for his child raises suspicions! Is the Family Head truly demanding spirit medicines for Hyuk's treatment?"
"......"
"Or could the funds for those medicines be leaking elsewhere? Or perhaps some scheme to monopolize spirit medicines for a Hyuk whose meridians are already healed! Speak, Family Head!"
Namgung Baek's voice turned sinister, and the elders' gazes shifted.
It felt as if winter frost had settled.
Tension filled the Elders' Hall, as if a blizzard might sweep through at any moment.
Namgung Jangcheon clenched his jaw tightly.
The situation was far from favorable.
Whatever he said now would be dismissed as an excuse.
In such cases, it was better to remain silent.
......In ordinary circumstances, that is.
But he was not in a position to do so.
"What must I do?"
Namgung Baek's lips twitched.
"Take responsibility."
"Do you truly desire that?"
Namgung Baek spoke in a cold tone.
"That is what responsibility means for the Family Head. The main house does not teach mere words of accountability. What say you, Family Head?"
All eyes focused on Namgung Jangcheon.
His fate would be decided by his next words.
In the worst case, he might be expelled from the Namgung clan he had devoted his life to.
The outcome would be anything but good—it was plain as day.
He would face all manner of insults and humiliations.
Decades of sacrifice as Family Head might be denied.
Namgung Jangcheon clenched his fist until blood welled, then slowly released it.
He softened his expression.
"I..."
Namgung Baek's lips curved upward, and the elders sighed.
It was at that moment, as Namgung Jangcheon opened his mouth to speak.
Kwaaaang!
The doors burst open as if they might fall off their hinges.
The deafening roar startled the elders.
With all their nerves fixed on Namgung Jangcheon, they scowled at the uninvited intruder.
"Who is it!"
"What is this commotion!"
"Who dares enter the hall without permission! What are the guards outside doing!"
"Tch, tsk tsk!"
The elders vented sighs and anger as they looked toward the entrant.
They blinked in disbelief, then gasped upon recognizing the intruder.
"No, Namgung Hyuk?"
"The second young master?"
"Wha—?"
"Hyuk?"
Namgung Hyuk stood at the doorway, glaring fiercely at the elders.
He scanned the interior, confirming the panicked faces of the elders one by one.
A deep furrow formed between Namgung Baek's brows.
"What is the meaning of this!"
Ignoring the thunderous shout, Namgung Hyuk caught his breath.
He looked at Namgung Baek with a calm demeanor.
While Namgung Baek recoiled at Namgung Hyuk's expression—far too ordinary for the situation.
Namgung Hyuk spoke clearly and deliberately toward the one who had yelled at him.
"So what’s the problem?"
Namgung Baek's brows furrowed.
The brat had barged in and spouted something utterly unexpected.
"What?"
Namgung Hyuk steadied his breath and repeated, precisely and deliberately.
"So what’s the problem?"