Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: What If I Win?
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The elders' faces hardened rigidly.
Setting aside Namgung Hyeok's audacity in barging into the great hall without permission, no one was allowed to enter this place right now.
It made no sense for an outsider to intrude while the Family Head and elders were in discussion.
It was tantamount to insulting the family's seniors.
Great Elder Namgung Uigyeong bellowed in fury.
"Who permitted you to enter the great hall!"
His voice was so thunderous it shook the rafters.
As if on cue, the elders leaped to their feet.
"Young Master Yi! What is the meaning of this!"
"Do you even know where you are, barging in like this! Family Head, what is going on here?"
"Hah! You brat! What are you standing there gawking for? Get out!"
"Did you eavesdrop on the elders' conversation? Where on earth did you learn such manners!"
Despite the elders' roars, Namgung Hyeok didn't budge an inch.
He watched them rant and rave, tilting his head crookedly.
'Damn, there sure are a lot of Namgung bastards here.'
Feeling a strange chill at the realization that all these elders were descendants of the Sword King, Namgung Hyeok stood motionless.
His gaze briefly shifted to Namgung Jangcheon.
Their eyes met as Namgung Jangcheon turned his head from the center of the hall.
Those obsidian-black pupils were like staring into a massive boulder.
Even among the elders, Namgung Jangcheon exuded a heavy presence.
'No wonder he's the Family Head.'
Right—if he buckled under pressure from a crowd this size, he should just quit.
'Though, he really can't quit.'
The path of absolute supremacy was never easy, nor was it for just anyone.
For Namgung Jangcheon to lead the massive Namgung family for twenty years meant he had the qualifications.
"What are you doing."
Namgung Jangcheon spoke in an utterly icy tone.
"Leave."
Though far quieter than the elders' voices, it carried an overwhelming pressure incomparable to theirs.
Even the vein-popping elders quietly shut their mouths under the weight of Namgung Jangcheon's voice.
Some even let out stifled groans—his aura was that formidable.
Namgung Jangcheon subtly shook his head, out of everyone's sight.
A signal not to act rashly.
But Namgung Hyeok deliberately ignored it.
He wasn't the type to back down just because he was told to, and he'd come here with full resolve anyway.
He'd already rolled up his sleeves.
No backing out now.
Namgung Hyeok took another step forward.
Namgung Jangcheon's eyebrow twitched, and fire ignited in the elders' eyes.
Great Elder Namgung Uigyeong's voice boomed through the hall.
"What are you lot doing outside! Drag this brat out at once!"
Warriors stationed at the door rushed inside.
They lunged at Namgung Hyeok.
"Ah, let go! Let go, I said! My arm's gonna pop! It's popping, you hear?"
Namgung Hyeok growled at the warriors grabbing for his arms.
When his shoulder dangled loosely for real, the charging warriors flinched in shock.
At a loss, they glanced back and forth between the elders and Namgung Hyeok.
"Hold on."
Namgung Baek's low voice quelled the commotion.
All eyes turned to him.
Namgung Baek let a faint smile flicker across his lips before erasing it.
"The person in question is here now, so why not hear him out? What do the other elders think?"
The elders hesitated. They glanced between Namgung Hyeok and Namgung Baek, then nodded.
"Hmm! That doesn't sound like a bad idea."
"Indeed. Easier to ask the man himself now that he's here."
"Let's continue the discussion."
The elders swiftly shifted their stance.
Namgung Uigyeong signaled the warriors with his eyes, and they released Namgung Hyeok's arms.
Namgung Hyeok glared at the retreating warriors' backs, then popped his shoulders back into place.
Crack! Pop!
He rolled his shoulders to loosen up.
"Why grab so hard? Whew."
Namgung Baek chuckled softly.
He hadn't expected the punk to burst into the meeting hall like this, but it wasn't a bad turn of events.
The fool had walked right into digging his own grave.
"You look healthier than I thought. Loud voice, full of vigor."
"Better than lying around sick, isn't it?"
"True."
Namgung Baek let out a hearty laugh, then wiped the mirth from his face.
"We were just talking about you. You must have overheard something and come rushing, right?"
Namgung Hyeok stared silently at Namgung Baek, then nodded.
"Then I'll be direct. Instead of wasting resources treating your incurable Nine Yin Severed Meridians, why not use them for the main family's benefit?"
At Namgung Baek's words, Namgung Hyeok's expression turned subtly ambiguous.
"Because of your treatment, the main family has lost a chance to leap forward. No—in truth, we're not even sure if your treatment is working properly."
Namgung Hyeok shrugged.
"It's going great. Thanks to it, I'm much healthier. A bit more, and I'll be even better."
Namgung Baek sneered.
"No one in the family lacks health. If we'd given those spirit elixirs to other martial artists instead, we could have formed another elite unit."
"Can't spit out what's already been swallowed, can we? Let's think about what's next."
"This isn't a place for word games."
A glint of subtle contempt flashed in Namgung Baek's eyes, then vanished.
"Seeing how confidently you speak, it does seem your health is recovering. But this is a martial house."
"Yes, so I've been diligently training in martial arts lately."
"Martial arts?"
"Lately, I've even been wielding a real sword."
At those words, the quietly observing elders stirred.
Namgung Hyeok practicing martial arts?
Any worries about him losing motivation for treatment or squandering money elsewhere vanished in an instant.
But at the same time, some elders' faces darkened as they realized a new problem had arisen.
Namgung Jangcheon felt the same.
Namgung Baek's lips curved upward.
"Hah! Already wielding a real sword?"
"I'm quick at everything."
"Good, quick is good. But that's not your level. Folly stems from ignorance, after all. How can you recognize your own limitations when you can't even see your own vessel?"
"Ah, ignorance."
Namgung Hyeok muttered lowly, almost a sigh.
'Sword King, your descendants are looking down on me. Should I smack 'em?'
Tsk tsk—he clicked his tongue inwardly as Namgung Baek kept blabbering.
"Now that you've just started learning, your confidence has swelled. That's when overconfidence peaks with half-baked skills."
"It's pretty decent."
"We didn't invest elixirs and money just to watch you hold a sword. So what have you accomplished? Practicing martial arts—that's it, isn't it?"
Namgung Hyeok cocked his head.
"If it's neither here nor there, then what do you want?"
Namgung Baek grinned, baring one tooth.
"Can you prove your achievements?"
Namgung Hyeok beamed.
"What then? Shall we spar?"
"Spar..."
Namgung Baek gave a strange smile.
"That doesn't sound bad."
His words widened the elders' eyes and stiffened Namgung Jangcheon's expression.
"Hah, a spar?"
"You're going to pit a kid who's just started martial arts against whom?"
"Hoho, should we fetch a seven-year-old? The main family's kids master sword basics by then."
"Ignorance breeds bravery. What does he think he can prove at that level..."
The elders showed dismay. Some mocked, some were embarrassed.
But all shared the same absurdity.
Who would spar with a kid barely a month into training?
The son of the Family Head, stricken with Nine Yin Severed Meridians, no less.
No one would fight for fear of causing an incident.
Boom!
Then, Namgung Jangcheon stomped.
The vibration centered on him shook the entire hall.
A gust whipped at Namgung Baek's robe.
Namgung Jangcheon grimaced, clenching his fist.
"Brother! Enough! Hyeok! I told you to leave!"
"No, wait a sec, just wait!"
Namgung Hyeok dashed over, blocking Namgung Jangcheon's path.
"Whew, you can't just cut me off while I'm talking."
"I said leave..."
"I'll listen first, then go. You just want proof, right?"
Namgung Hyeok grinned slyly at Namgung Baek.
Namgung Baek softened his rigid expression and spoke gently.
"Prove through a spar that the elixirs sent to you weren't wasted."
"If that's proof, then sure!"
"Good! Easy enough."
"Great for me too, since it's easy. Haha!"
As Namgung Hyeok grinned, Namgung Baek's eyebrow twitched.
'Why is this punk so excited?'
He'd maneuvered things his way, yet it oddly soured his mood.
"So, who'll it be?"
"You choose."
"The strongest among the younger generation disciples."
"The strongest... guy?"
"Yes."
"That's... your brother? Planning to rig it against your own flesh and blood?"
"Ah..."
Right, Sword Dragon was him.
"Then the next strongest."
Namgung Baek's eyes widened, and Namgung Jangcheon's jaw dropped.
"You're saying you'll spar with Jeong right now?"
"Jeong?"
Who's that?
Ah... Uncle's son.
Keep running into this family.
'What does it matter? As long as there's a head to crack!'
Namgung Hyeok nodded vigorously.
"Yes."
"What?"
"I said yes?"
"......"
Namgung Baek faltered at Namgung Hyeok's utterly nonchalant attitude.
What did this punk know to act like this?
Had he gone mad from bad medicine, or was it confidence in his martial arts?
Or just bluffing? He couldn't tell.
'Hoho, cornered, so he's lost his mind.'
No other explanation for such behavior.
Namgung Jangcheon shouted from behind.
"Hyeok! Stop this!"
What stop? Kid.
Stay out of the grown-ups' business.
"Hell, let's do it. It's not like he'll kill me."
Of course, I'll be the one doing the handling. He swallowed the rest.
Namgung Hyeok and Namgung Jangcheon's eyes crossed in midair.
Ignoring the shadow on Namgung Jangcheon's face, Namgung Hyeok looked at Namgung Baek.
"Shall we?"
Namgung Baek flinched again.
Why so brazen?
What's the scheme?
A newbie martial artist challenging—not some third-rate sect's, but one of the Namgung family's top younger generation disciples?
Namgung Jeong was leagues above Namgung So, but it still felt off.
Wasn't this the punk who'd done that to Namgung So?
Plus, that brazen attitude grated.
It was one of two things: bravado overriding sense, or outright madness.
'Whatever the scheme, he's still Nine Yin Severed Meridians.'
No reason to refuse.
This was the situation he'd hoped for.
Namgung Jangcheon hardened his face and lowered his voice.
"Brother! Stop. This is too much."
His tone brimmed with worry—the normal reaction.
But the person involved showed no normal reaction.
Namgung Hyeok stopped Namgung Jangcheon instead.
"It's fine! We'll do it. I won't die!"
Namgung Hyeok's eagerness was exasperating, nose-stinging.
Namgung Baek smirked at the elders.
Deep discomfort etched their faces.
"You're really going to spar with Jeong?"
"Hah! Treating martial arts so lightly. How can you mistake a stream for the sea!"
"Family Head, this is absurd! It mustn't happen!"
"He'll learn his lesson after a thrashing. What in the world..."
"A kid trained one month daring to spar with Jeong? Know your place!"
"Hah... how to handle this..."
The elders rebelled or sneered.
It didn't make sense.
How could a guy barely a month into training spout off about sparring Namgung Jeong, one of the family's top younger generation disciples?
But some elders thought differently.
Great Elder Namgung Uigyeong spoke sternly.
"If the person himself wants it, it's not without justification."
Light gleamed in Namgung Baek's eyes.
"The Great Elder approves of these two youths sparring?"
"Isn't it a moment any martial house child must face eventually?"
Namgung Uigyeong continued, eyeing Namgung Hyeok.
"And he should learn how to curb his arrogance."
The elders nodded in agreement.
"Right."
"It's something to prove anyway. Just the opponent is, ahem."
"I agree with the Great Elder. These days' kids are stuck in narrow wells—they need waking."
"Ahem, Second Young Master has been cooped up too much. Curious how much his martial arts have grown to act so confident."
A sly smile played on Namgung Baek's lips.
Conversely, Namgung Jangcheon's face grew stonier.
He wanted to grab Namgung Baek by the collar and shake him, but he couldn't.
Other elders had already voiced support.
Namgung Jangcheon clenched his fist to the breaking point and turned to Namgung Hyeok.
'It's only been a month or so since opening the Sovereign Pavilion! This is suicide.'
With a body that would snap if grabbed or fly if pushed, Namgung Hyeok couldn't endure a spar.
This had to be stopped somehow.
How could a father let his child walk into the jaws of death because of a worthless uncle?
"Brother! Let me enforce the rules instead...!"
Namgung Hyeok burst into loud laughter, cutting off Namgung Jangcheon.
"Uahaha! Why go this far."
Just stay quiet.
I said I'll handle it.
Staying put is helping, please.
Namgung Hyeok averted Namgung Jangcheon's gaze and turned away.
With a smile plastered on his face, he spoke up.
"By the way."
His low, resonant voice drew all eyes in the hall to him.
Namgung Hyeok erased his smile.
His obsidian-black eyes swept the room.
"If I win, what then?"
Silence fell among the elders.
Namgung Hyeok's quiet words lingered, echoing in their ears.
How much time passed?
Namgung Baek, whose face had briefly complicated, let out a scoffing laugh.
"Pft! What if you win?"
Namgung Hyeok nodded.
"I'm staking my life here—Uncle, you need to wager something too."
Namgung Baek smirked at the impudent demand.
"Fine, since we've started this. What do you want?"
Namgung Hyeok answered without hesitation.
"If I win, never oppose anything the Family Head decides."
Namgung Baek's eyebrow twitched briefly, then settled.
"That it? Fine. But prepare yourself if you lose the spar."
Namgung Hyeok's lips slowly curved up.
"No need for seconds."