Chapter 314
Chapter 314
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 319
Chapter Title: Squad Leaders Seek Training
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Nangong Hyeok tilted his head as he looked at the Imperial Sword Squad Leader and Celestial Bow Sword Squad Leader, who had appeared out of nowhere.
‘Why the hell did these guys come here all of a sudden?’
It was baffling that the Imperial Sword Squad Leader and Celestial Bow Sword Squad Leader, whom he’d never even properly spoken to once, had come all this way.
And upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just the Imperial Sword and Celestial Bow Sword Squads.
The Heavenly Wind Squad Leader and Grand Chain Sword Squad Leader, along with the leaders of the other martial squads, were lined up in formation.
The Imperial Sword Squad Leader cupped his fists toward Nangong Hyeok.
“We greet Young Master Yi.”
“We greet Young Master Yi!”
A disciplined yet resonant voice spread across the training grounds.
The squad leaders, starting with the Imperial Sword Squad Leader, cupped their fists and bowed toward Nangong Hyeok.
‘……What the hell’s going on with those bastards?’
‘What? Even the Imperial Sword Squad Leader’s here?’
‘Hmm?’
Geon Cheon-hwi and the Thunder Dragon Squad narrowed their eyes.
They couldn’t help but be startled by the sudden arrival of all these squad leaders.
It was rare to see even a few of these leaders—who truly commanded the Nangong family’s elites—in one place in a year, let alone all gathered together like this.
If not for the special circumstances of war, the Thunder Dragon Squad would never have seen them assembled in one spot.
‘But why are they here for Young Master Yi?’
‘Did he get caught causing trouble?’
‘Trouble……?’
‘Don’t play dumb! We were in on it. Isn’t it because the Demon Subduing Squad brew got found out?’
‘Sh, shit?’
The Thunder Dragon Squad was already imagining the worst-case scenarios.
They eyed the newcomers with suspicion and wariness.
Ignoring the prickling stares from behind, Nangong Hyeok looked at the Imperial Sword Squad Leader.
“Did the Family Head summon me?”
“No.”
“Then, what’s up?”
The Imperial Sword Squad Leader took a deep breath before speaking.
“We have something to report.”
All sorts of wild thoughts raced through Nangong Hyeok’s mind.
He, too, was considering the worst possibilities.
‘But he’s his own son, so he wouldn’t turn him over…….’
Ah, though lately he’d been suspicious of whose kid he really was.
Nangong Hyeok gave the Imperial Sword Squad Leader an awkward look.
“Is this about the Righteous Heaven Alliance……?”
“Yes. It’s about the Righteous Heaven Alliance.”
The Imperial Sword Squad Leader met Nangong Hyeok’s gaze with a serious expression.
Nangong Hyeok’s eyes subtly drifted downward.
‘Ah, shit. What got found out?’
The atmosphere’s turning icy.
They came about the Righteous Heaven Alliance? Then it’s obvious, isn’t it?
Not just him—the Thunder Dragon Squad froze stiff as statues the moment those three words were spoken.
Nangong Hyeok shook his head.
‘No, I was perfect. Who could’ve figured it out? I was really perfect…….’
“Son of a bitch!”
Nangong Hyeok whipped around. The Imperial Sword Squad Leader and the other leaders also turned sharply toward the source of the curse.
Jang Woong, face flushed red, pointed at Nangong Hyeok.
“I didn’t do it! The culprit is…….”
“Shut your trap?”
“This bastard’s crossing the line?”
Geon Cheon-hwi and Tak Hyeok-dong bulged their eyes and clamped Jang Woong’s mouth shut.
Nangong Hyeok drew a hand across his throat.
“This is why you need good superiors—keeps your subordinates on a long leash…… Mmph!”
“Be quiet!”
“Kuhehehe! This punk’s begging to die!”
The Thunder Dragon Squad piled on, twisting Jang Woong into submission.
“Kuaaaagh!”
A pained scream echoed out.
They trampled the wriggling Jang Woong, turning him into a ragdoll in an instant.
The Imperial Sword Squad Leader and the others gaped in shock.
“Uh, uh…….”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Don’t mind it.”
“He’s gonna die…….”
“Nah, he won’t. He won’t.”
Nangong Hyeok waved it off casually.
He subtly shifted his position, blocking the squad leaders’ view.
“So, what’s the matter?”
The Imperial Sword Squad Leader composed himself.
As if he’d made a firm resolution, he looked at Nangong Hyeok with a grave tone.
“When we saw the Righteous Heaven Alliance come to the main house, we were convinced.”
“Uh, uh, yeah.”
“That in the martial world, you only get respect with power.”
“Huh?”
What?
This wasn’t what he’d been thinking.
Not only that—the Thunder Dragon Squad, who’d been mauling Jang Woong, paused and snapped their heads around.
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
“Hmm?”
The Thunder Dragon Squad exchanged glances, rolling their eyes.
Jang Woong’s bruised skin twitched, his eyes bulging out.
“Uh, uh…… shit, it wasn’t that……?”
“You bastard?”
“Shut it!”
“Guh, guueeek!”
The Thunder Dragon Squad went back to work on Jang Woong as he tried to spout nonsense.
Whether the leaders flinched or not, the Thunder Dragon Squad showed no mercy.
Amid the wretched screams, the corners of Nangong Hyeok’s mouth crept upward.
‘Of course they couldn’t find any traces! I got worked up for nothing.’
That’s right—how perfect was I?
Nangong Hyeok smiled inwardly in satisfaction.
“Power?”
“We realized that you need power to be respected and to hold a position. We learned from this alliance’s attitude that without power, you can’t even get help.”
There was resentment in the Imperial Sword Squad Leader’s voice.
‘Yeah. There’s a big difference between knowing something in your head and experiencing it firsthand.’
People sometimes mistake knowledge for experience.
But there’s often a vast gap between what you know intellectually and what you actually go through.
The Nangong family had never been weaklings.
Even as the lowest of the Five Great Families, no other sect dared look down on them.
Especially within Anhui Province, the Nangong family’s prestige pierced the heavens.
There had been moments when that position shook, but to the Nangong clansmen, that’s what their family was.
Having lived as absolute powerhouses, the emotions they felt upon tasting the position of absolute weaklings went beyond mere anger.
It was just the name of the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
Just the Demon Subduing Squad from an outer province.
Yet they couldn’t do a damn thing about that “mere” thing.
They were despised and ignored by something utterly insignificant.
Before the alliance’s name, the Nangong family had become an awkward existence—defend them or not, it didn’t matter.
The Nangong warriors must have felt it too.
No—any warrior living on the edge of a blade that is the martial world must feel it.
And realize it.
That without power, you’re nothing.
“So?”
Nangong Hyeok quietly regarded the Imperial Sword Squad Leader.
The Imperial Sword Squad Leader spoke.
“We want to train with the Thunder Dragon Squad.”
“Together?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Nangong Hyeok cocked his head, staring at the Imperial Sword Squad Leader.
The short question flashed through the Imperial Sword Squad Leader’s mind.
After agonizing and pondering inwardly many times, he gave his answer.
The reason was simple.
“I want to grow stronger.”
“Hmm?”
“I know it was Young Master Yi who turned the wandering Thunder Dragon Squad of the outer courtyards into what they are now and led them to shine like this.”
“Hmm…….”
“The Thunder Dragon Squad was stronger than we thought, and we were weaker than we thought. We pondered what that difference was, and that’s the answer.”
The squad leaders, led by the Imperial Sword Squad Leader, looked at Nangong Hyeok with resolute expressions.
The Thunder Dragon Squad had been the black sheep.
Untamed wild dogs, a dumping ground for delinquents.
Yet in less than a year under Nangong Hyeok, they’d become the family’s core.
It wasn’t just blindly following Young Master Yi that made them the core.
They had grown.
Grown stronger, and they were still growing stronger.
With bonds and power stronger than anyone’s, they appeared at the most dangerous, most crucial moments to become the linchpin.
Their actions even before preparing for war, their gritted-teeth training, and their sacrifices for comrades in this war—it stirred emotions beyond mere inspiration.
It made those stuck in their ways reflect, and it gave them hope too.
‘If we train with them, we’ll change as well.’
Every warrior yearns for power.
Even they, sheltered within the Nangong family, were ultimately warriors.
Drawn to strength, they admired and desired it.
This war had broadened their horizons.
Falling behind them was more than a matter of pride—it meant they could no longer protect what they held dear.
The Imperial Sword Squad Leader bowed at the waist.
“We want to step out of our wells. Please help us, Young Master Yi.”
“Please help us!”
“We beg you!”
The other squad leaders bowed toward Nangong Hyeok as well.
The Thunder Dragon Squad, who’d been holding Jang Woong like a rat, froze and blinked.
“Boss, what the hell are they saying?”
“They’re asking for help.”
“No, why are they bowing?”
“They want to train with us?”
“With us?”
Geon Cheon-hwi nodded silently, and Tak Hyeok-dong’s big eyes rolled.
Twitch twitch.
“Kuhehehe! These bastards are saying they want to train with us? Kuhehehe, they really wanna train with us?”
“A bit.”
“Kuhehehe! But why’re you grinning?”
“When did I—khm.”
“Grin?”
“Kuhum!”
“Pffhehehe!”
Geon Cheon-hwi’s facial muscles twitched, Tak Hyeok-dong burst out laughing, and the Thunder Dragon Squad started chuckling slyly with their “euhuhu”s.
It was a natural reaction from the Thunder Dragon Squad’s perspective.
Sure, they’d caused their share of chaos, but had these guys ever properly looked after them?
Hadn’t they wandered here and there, ultimately isolated, until Nangong Hyeok “caught” them?
Now these guys were bowing their heads to train with them—it felt like their positions had flipped in less than a year.
Even the beaten Jang Woong was giggling.
The squad leaders let out groans.
‘Did we bite off more than we can chew……?’
The thought crossed all their minds at once.
But the momentum was already there.
All eyes turned to Nangong Hyeok.
Ultimately, it was Nangong Hyeok—the master of the Thunder Dragon Squad and the one who had raised them—who would decide.
The corners of Nangong Hyeok’s mouth crept upward.
‘……What a windfall? And they all lined up for it?’
He’d been wondering what to do, and here they were, walking right into it!
“So, you want me to grind you too?”
“We want to train and learn together…….”
“Same difference.”
Nangong Hyeok cut off the Imperial Sword Squad Leader lightly and interpreted it his way.
He crooked a finger.
Geon Cheon-hwi hurried over.
“You called?”
“Paper and brush.”
“Here.”
Nangong Hyeok took the paper and brush from Geon Cheon-hwi and started scribbling.
The squad leaders watched curiously.
Why pull out paper and brush mid-conversation?
As they puzzled, Nangong Hyeok grinned and handed over the paper.
The Imperial Sword Squad Leader took it reflexively and read it—his eyelids twitched.
“This is……?”
“What’s it say?”
“Hmm?”
The other squad leaders read what was in his hand.
One: Do not disclose the training process to outsiders.
Two: From now on, any unfortunate incidents during training are unrelated to Young Master Nangong Hyeok.
Three: Absolute obedience to orders once training begins.
Four: Attempted desertion results in aggravated punishment and joint liability.
Five: We have fully considered and agree to any physical damage or injury.
Convulsions rippled through the squad leaders’ eyes.
“……Isn’t this just a body waiver?”
“Crazy…….”
“Wh-what the hell.”
Nangong Hyeok smiled faintly at their panic.
“You need that level of resolve. From my experience, you can’t make it without it. They’ve all gone through it.”
Geon Cheon-hwi nodded.
“Exactly. It’s a perfect consent form.”
At their reactions, the squad leaders’ jaws dropped.
‘……Something’s off here.’
Why the hell do you need a body waiver for training?
Nangong Hyeok twisted his lips.
“Don’t wanna get strong?”
“…….”
“If not, get lost. Don’t waste time.”
As Nangong Hyeok looked at them indifferently, the squad leaders gritted their teeth.
“No. We’re prepared for this much. It’s not like we’re dying! If we can get strong, we’ll sign it a hundred times.”
The Imperial Sword Squad Leader and the others clenched their teeth and stamped the consent form.
A wicked expression seeped onto Nangong Hyeok’s face.
‘Heh, hehehe. Come on in.’
Grind these well and send them back—they’ll handle their own underlings.
Starting with these, he’d reshape the Nangong family.
So Geolgae, who had been peeking through the door crack at Nangong Hyeok and the squad leaders’ secret contract(?), felt his pupils shake.
‘……They’re walking to their own graves.’
Whoa…….
His gaze shifted to Nangong Ryong, smiling contentedly from afar.
‘……That one’s weird too.’
No, the entire Nangong family was going strange.
So Geolgae shook his head.