Chapter 223
Chapter 223
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 223
Chapter Title: The Banquet at Black Dragon Sect
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Namgung Jangcheon gritted his teeth as he gazed at the Black Dragon Sect in the distance, where black smoke was rising.
He had rushed to Zhejiang Province with the letter sent by Geum Cheomsang.
The grudge between the Namgung family and the Black Dragon Sect ran deep from long ago.
Anyone who knew anything was aware that the Black Dragon Sect had constantly eyed Anhui Province, extending their influence and clashing with the Namgung family at every turn.
The prolonged conflicts had carved grudges that were profoundly deep.
In such a situation, for him—the head of the Namgung family—to cross into Zhejiang Province required a significant price.
And to come with the Namgung family's elite forces like this meant he was prepared to engage in a bloody battle with the Black Dragon Sect.
Namgung Jangcheon had already steeled his resolve.
The eerily quiet Hangzhou filled him with an ominous dread.
‘If they’ve harmed a single hair on my boys’ heads, I’ll wipe the Black Dragon Sect from existence.’
Namgung Jangcheon gripped his sword hilt tightly.
“Let’s go, Peng Family Head!”
Peng Cheonwi, who carried his saber at his side, looked up.
“I’ll take the lead.”
Peng Cheonwi exhaled lowly. A ferocious aura emanated from him, like a great tiger catching its breath.
Bloodlust flickered in his eyes.
On the way down to Zhejiang Province, he had already turned a Black Dragon Sect branch upside down. With excitement still lingering on his face, he shouted.
“If they resist, sweep them all away—no questions asked!”
With a cold, stern voice, Peng Cheonwi strode forward.
Namgung Jangcheon matched his pace shoulder to shoulder.
Behind them, the elite forces of the Namgung family and the Hebei Peng family split into two groups and followed.
Blue and red waves surged through the streets of Hangzhou.
Tension began to ripple through the once-quiet city.
In an instant, the Namgung family and Hebei Peng family crossed Hangzhou and arrived before the massive Black Dragon Sect gates.
Namgung Jangcheon and Peng Cheonwi’s faces grew chilling as they beheld the sect’s main gate, shattered as if a storm had passed through.
Namgung Jangcheon drew his sword.
“Rescue comes first! Follow me!”
With a curt command, Namgung Jangcheon dashed ahead.
The vast Black Dragon Sect compound loomed like a monster’s maw.
Thinking of Namgung Ryong, Namgung Hyuk, and the Thunder Dragon Squad captured in that dark pit filled him with peaking anxiety.
‘Please! I beg you, don’t let us be too late! I don’t care about anything else—just be safe!’
The Black Dragon Sect was shrouded in silence.
The traces of fierce battles scattered everywhere stirred anxiety and tension.
Namgung Jangcheon raised his voice.
“Ryong! Hyuk! Where are you? Father’s here!”
His urgent cry echoed through the compound.
“Where is everyone? Are you over there?”
A presence from one direction made blue sword light gleam in Namgung Jangcheon’s eyes.
His form leaped like a leopard toward the source.
“Father’s come to save you...!”
Landing where the presence was, Namgung Jangcheon swung his sword vigorously—then froze, mouth agape.
“Uh...”
“Namgung Family Head! What’s wrong?”
Peng Cheonwi, who had chased after him, eyed Namgung Jangcheon’s back in confusion.
What was going on?
What was ahead?
‘No way—we’re already too late!’
Peng Cheonwi’s mind went blank at the thought of a hellish slaughter.
Fierce light filled his eyes as a terrifying energy surged from his Hunwon Divine Saber.
“Junghyuk! Yeonhwa! You bastards...?”
Peng Cheonwi, roaring like a savage tiger, gaped wide.
The Hunwon Divine Saber he had raised high dropped limply.
With both family heads halting side by side, the warriors panicked.
“Family Head?”
“Pull yourself together! This is enemy territory! Enemy territory!”
“Hurry and rescue the young masters...”
“Rescue...”
Uh...
The warriors lost their words, mouths hanging open.
Only now did the “scene of devastation”(?) come into view.
Before a grand hall with an open training ground.
Ding ding ding—!
A low chime of metal strings accompanied a lively voice spreading out.
“The liquor’s flowing, gulp gulp gulp!”
“How long are you gonna make us dance on our shoulders!”
“More more more! That’s it! Full, full!”
“You bastards! Glasses up—drink!”
Wow...
They’d set up a drinking party?
Right in the Black Dragon Sect’s front courtyard?
A whole cow roasted over a blazing bonfire, liquor barrels forming a fence around them.
In the midst, a beggar crew reveled in high spirits.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Thousand-tael ingots flew everywhere, liquor cups whirled around.
“Hooo! This is the life!”
“Kya, chooort!”
“Keuhehehe! Rip into that cow haunch!”
“Raiding an unorthodox sect’s liquor stash is true heroism!”
“Keuh, it’s a dream!”
The people gawked at the beggars holding a feast smack in the middle of the Black Dragon Sect.
“Th-Thunder Dragon Squad, right?”
“...Y-Yeah, looks like it?”
“They look exactly like bandits now...”
“Who are those guys next to them?”
“N-No idea? Not Black Dragon Sect, that’s for sure.”
The Namgung family warriors tilted their heads at the figures hyping up the beggar-like Thunder Dragon Squad.
Who were they?
Huh?
Real beggars?
As people murmured, Peng Cheonwi gasped.
His gaze fell on a bearish man in wretched shape.
“J-Junghyuk! Junghyuk, you...!”
But ahead of the bear-like man was another identical bear.
Peng Junghyuk cackled as he handed liquor to Tak Hyukdong.
“Brother Tak, have a drink!”
“Keuhehehe! Brother Peng, cheers!”
“Uhahaha!”
...Who’s Junghyuk?
Peng Junghyuk gaped wide, staring at the twins(?).
‘When did this punk turn so bandit-like!’
It hadn’t even been half a year since sending him to the Namgung family!
But Peng Junghyuk wasn’t the only issue.
“So I went bam! Right in that unorthodox bastard’s jaw, see? Hahaha!”
“Y-Yeonhwa?”
Oh god!
Why was our Yeonhwa in such a state!
Our Yeonhwa, hailed as Hebei’s top beauty!
Oh no!
Peng Cheonwi’s eyes twitched.
Shocked by his kids, who looked like their head screws were loose.
Their bodies seemed fine... but why wasn’t the rest fine?
They’d skipped proper lessons and soaked up all the weird stuff!
Peng Cheonwi reeled.
‘Namgung Hyuk, what the hell have you done!’
Meanwhile, Namgung Jangcheon’s eyes wavered too.
He’d recognized the one sitting at the head among the “beggars”(?), chuckling away.
How could he not know from that signature twisted smirk?
“Nam...gung Hyuk!”
His low call rang through the drinking party.
Namgung Hyuk, perched on ingots chugging chaos brew, peered at Namgung Jangcheon lazily.
Heh.
Namgung Hyuk grinned and waved.
“Oh! Family Head’s here?”
“Family Head’s here?”
“Hehehe! I’m in a great mood today!”
“...Y-You! What the hell is this?!”
The worries and anxiety before arriving had long flown away.
What use were they when a feast was underway in the heart of the Black Dragon Sect!
Namgung Jangcheon stared at Namgung Hyuk in shock.
Namgung Hyuk guffawed as he downed more chaos brew.
Gulp gulp!
“Kya! Hits the spot! Want a drink?”
Th-This...!
This madman!
What the hell was going on?
Amid his confusion, Namgung Jangcheon spotted Namgung Ryong.
He fidgeted beside Namgung Hyuk and stood.
Yes, my eldest son!
Thank goodness you’re intact!
Namgung Jangcheon gazed at him with misty eyes.
“Ryong!”
“......”
“What the hell happened! What’s with this mess...”
“......Drink?”
Namgung Ryong grinned and offered a cup.
“Wh-Wha...”
Namgung Jangcheon clutched his neck and staggered.
Total chaos. Utter chaos.
* * *
Namgung Jangcheon let out dry laughs repeatedly as he eyed the Black Dragon Sect hall.
Only after a long while did he finally speak.
“So...”
His gaze slowly shifted toward the Black Dragon Lord’s chamber.
Heads bulged on the floor like watermelons.
Namgung Jangcheon murmured at the sight of the Black Dragon Sect disciples, dried up like sun-baked earthworms.
“...The Black Dragon King is dead?”
“Yes.”
“...Hah.”
A low chuckle escaped Namgung Jangcheon.
“Hah, hahaha.”
Killed the Black Dragon King?
The second son?
“Hah, hahaha!”
Not content with ransacking Zhejiang’s overlord, the Black Dragon Sect—they’d even slain its lord, Jecheon-gang!
It was hard to believe the Black Dragon Sect, once a thorn in the Namgung family’s side, had crumbled overnight.
Yet Namgung Hyuk spoke of the even more unbelievable feat casually.
All the worries he’d carried seemed like pointless fuss now.
‘This isn’t a storm in calm waters—it’s a natural disaster!’
Where did this rascal come from...
Ah, my son.
‘...His Nine Yin Blocked Meridians healed, and now he’s rampaging like a lunatic. Whose personality did he get?’
No idea who he takes after.
Was there ever such a character in Namgung family history?
A freak you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere in the world...
‘Still, wrong is wrong—gotta discipline him!’
He needed to sternly scold him to prevent such reckless solo acts in the future.
“Uh...”
“Here, use this.”
“Hm?”
“From the Black Dragon Sect warehouse—spoils of war, basically.”
“...All this?”
Namgung Jangcheon’s eyes widened.
Behind Namgung Hyuk towered mountains of silver ingots and gold bars, leaving his jaw slack.
Then, spotting something poking from between the gold and silver, Namgung Jangcheon startled and stared at Namgung Hyuk.
“C-Cannon?”
“Got a few thunderclap bombs left too.”
“Th-Thunderclap bombs?!”
“Yeah. Unorthodox scum really have no standards, huh? Hahaha!”
“Hey... this is beyond no standards...”
“Take it, take it. You’ll use it someday. Tried a few—pretty good!”
You used them? These?
When?
Namgung Hyuk suddenly asked.
“But how’d you know to come? The Black Wind Squad?”
Namgung Jangcheon snapped out of his daze.
“Got a letter...”
“Oh, the letter?”
“Yeah. But...”
“Something to say?”
Namgung Jangcheon sighed deeply.
He kept feeling led along by Namgung Hyuk’s words.
“...No injuries?”
“As you can see, doing great. Hahaha!”
“Th...”
Namgung Jangcheon suppressed his surging frustration.
Those bright, vibrant eyes—as if questioning why worry—made his concern feel unjust.
But what could he do.
They were his kids.
Namgung Jangcheon exhaled deeply.
His expression soon turned grave.
“Namgung Hyuk.”
Namgung Hyuk, who’d been grinning, stared blankly at the suddenly serious Namgung Jangcheon.
“Stepping out to reclaim the escort agency’s goods is praiseworthy. Helping the common folk and driving out unorthodox forces along the way—that’s impressive too.”
“It’s nothing...”
“But!”
Namgung Jangcheon emphasized his voice. Namgung Hyuk stiffened, his smirk fading at the shift.
“Your reckless solo act nearly endangered everyone. Not just you all, but the family and retainers back in Anhui Province too. What if things had gone even slightly wrong?”
“......”
“Good results don’t justify your mistakes.”
Namgung Jangcheon’s stern voice carried worry laced with faint anger.
The complex, subtle emotion brushed Namgung Hyuk.
Namgung Hyuk gazed at Namgung Jangcheon quietly.
Hm...
Exhaling softly, Namgung Hyuk bowed at the waist.
“I’m sorry.”
“You punk! Still talking back...? What?”
“I’m reflecting. I was short-sighted.”
“...Uh, y-yeah. Ahem! Right, you punk! A little thought would’ve shown how that could spark war with the Black Dragon Sect or other unorthodox groups—extremely dangerous. And if anything happened to you all... Ahem. Anyway, you get it—let’s leave it there.”
Namgung Jangcheon patted Namgung Hyuk’s shoulder lightly.
Good kid... definitely good. But, oddly off.
‘He’s not one to admit fault so easily?’
That was the extent of Namgung Jangcheon’s trust in Namgung Hyuk.
He hadn’t realized he was more shocked by the quick apology than the slaying of the Black Dragon King and razing of his sect.
Namgung Hyuk bowed again and turned.
“Then I’ll finish cleaning up.”
“Cleaning up?”
“Yeah, see ya!”
Who could question that earnest face?
Namgung Jangcheon nodded, and Namgung Hyuk spun away briskly.
As Namgung Jangcheon tilted his head, a commotion erupted outside.
“Geum Cheomsang! Where’s that bastard! Was it you who sent the letter?!”
Heh, just as I thought.
Namgung Jangcheon closed his eyes and sighed.