Chapter 316
Chapter 316
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 322
Chapter Title: Black Spot Thirteen Eyes
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Black Spot Thirteen Eyes.
It was the name given to the thirteen pairs of eyes watching over the Black Spot.
These eyes belonged to the true powers who managed the Black Spot, and at the same time, they were rivals competing to become its master.
They were the most esteemed beings in the Black Spot, figures so lofty that ordinary folk could scarcely dream of meeting them.
Even branch managers had to look up to them as if gazing at the heavens.
‘How does this mere boy know of the Black Spot Thirteen Eyes?’
The Black Spot Thirteen Eyes were figures who almost never revealed themselves to the outside world.
Even if he had learned of them by chance, Namgung Hyuk could never meet them.
Not even as the family head of the Namgung Clan could one easily arrange an audience with the Black Spot Thirteen Eyes.
“……What do you mean by that?”
As Pa Ho-un feigned ignorance, Namgung Hyuk let out a scoff.
“Why play dumb? You’re one of the Thirteen Eyes.”
“……How did you…….”
“How? War broke out in Anhui Province, and a guest from the Black Spot shows up—has to be one of the Thirteen Eyes.”
Pa Ho-un was left speechless by Namgung Hyuk’s confident assertion, stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
To be so certain that one of the Black Spot Thirteen Eyes was here, based on such scant reasoning?
‘This guy…….’
There were those said to see a thousand li from their seats, and the Namgung Hyuk before him seemed to be one such person.
Hot-tempered and rough around the edges, yet he saw through situations as clearly as the palm of his hand.
Pa Ho-un furrowed his brow.
He let out a soft breath and lowered his voice.
“I don’t know where you heard about the Black Spot Thirteen Eyes, but they’re not the sort you can meet just because you want to.”
“Out came the big shots. If you want to meet, you meet.”
“Even if the Shaolin Abbot himself came calling, you wouldn’t get an audience right away.”
Shaolin Abbot?
‘Those guys who popped out whenever anyone called them—what?’
Hey, damn it. Those were the ones who showed up even when the Blade King summoned them!
Since when were the Black Spot Thirteen Eyes such revered figures?
Tsk, tsk, tsk!
Namgung Hyuk clicked his tongue and pointed at the demonic sword.
“Enough of that. Draw this sword and pass it to one of the Thirteen Eyes. Tell them I have questions about this blade.”
Pa Ho-un eyed the sword Namgung Hyuk had set free.
‘What’s with this sword that he’s so sure one of them will come?’
Pa Ho-un glanced at Namgung Hyuk before pulling out brush, ink, and paper.
“I’ll pass it along. But don’t get your hopes up.”
“Just make sure you deliver it properly.”
“I’ll say it once more: you can’t meet them just because you want to. Not even you, Young Master. Absolutely, under no circumstances. I guarantee it…….”
Pa Ho-un hadn’t even finished speaking.
A dark shadow rippled behind him, and suddenly, a bony hand shot out.
Pa Ho-un’s eyes locked onto the black jade ring atop the hand.
A bizarre ring shaped like a human eye.
Only thirteen people in the world wore such a ring.
Pa Ho-un looked up in stunned horror.
A stern-faced elder with a goatee smiled faintly.
It was a smile as crotchety as his appearance.
“No need to go to them.”
A voice like scraping iron plates echoed through the inn.
“Th-the Black Serpent King!”
Pa Ho-un jolted in shock and prostrated himself flat.
His eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.
‘H-how did you know and come here? D-don’t tell me……?’
To meet Namgung Hyuk?
Impossible.
No request had been made, and this hardly seemed worth mobilizing the Black Serpent King.
By his common sense, this could never happen.
Yet that common sense was shattering right now.
“The chance to meet the famed second young master of the Namgung Clan has this old man quite pleased.”
Pa Ho-un stared at the Black Serpent King in astonishment.
The Black Serpent King regarded Namgung Hyuk with the same leisurely yet eerie smile as before.
‘Is this……for real?’
But this was no place for him to intervene.
If the Black Serpent King said so, then it was so.
Pa Ho-un rose quietly and stood behind the Black Serpent King, watching Namgung Hyuk with bated breath.
Namgung Hyuk brushed off the Black Serpent King’s gaze lightly.
‘Black Serpent King, my ass. More like a snake than a rat.’
Namgung Hyuk nodded.
“How do I look in person?”
Pa Ho-un breathed a sigh of relief at Namgung Hyuk’s respectful tone.
He’d been fretting over possible rudeness, but the kid knew his elders after all.
The Black Serpent King’s eyes sharpened for a split second.
“Indeed, a hidden dragon. The rumors don’t do you justice.”
“Rumors? They barely capture one-tenth.”
“Ha! Such boldness too. Youth is truly a virtue.”
“Youth, huh…….”
He smoothly extended the demonic sword.
“Enough flattery. Can you look into the origins of this thing?”
“This sword?”
“As you see, it’s no ordinary blade. I want to trace it back to its source.”
The Black Serpent King eyed the sword on the table.
“Fine blade. But why the keen interest in its origins?”
“Got me curious.”
“Curious?”
“Wanna see the mugs of the bastards who owned it.”
“Hmm…….”
The Black Serpent King gave Namgung Hyuk a peculiar look.
‘Is that really all?’
No, hardly.
No one seeks out the Black Spot Thirteen Eyes for such a trifling reason.
‘They say the Namgung Clan has two dragons, and the second is a heavenly dragon who could encompass the world.’
Curious about Namgung Hyuk, who shone brightest in the war against the unorthodox sects—his feats so absurd he had to see for himself.
‘Not inaction, but his very mindset eludes me.’
A few words, yet he hid what needed hiding and angled for what he wanted.
Vulgar as a Black Dao overlord one moment, noble as a prestigious clan’s prodigy the next, and a fleeting glimpse revealed an almost roguish air.
‘Impossible to pin down.’
Curiosity flickered in the Black Serpent King’s eyes.
“This old man isn’t one for idle pursuits. To commission me, it must pique my interest at least. Tracing this sword’s origins won’t cut it on its own. And…….”
“Go on.”
“To move me, you must reveal what you’re hiding. If you’re truly desperate, that is.”
“Oh.”
Namgung Hyuk tutted with a bored expression.
“Fine. I’ll tell you why I’m after it. Though you might guess.”
He paused, letting the tension build.
Pa Ho-un flinched at the ominous air.
‘……No, what’s with this sword that he’s dragging it out like this? What’s he hiding?’
A sword could only have so much backstory!
‘Why does the Black Serpent King think so highly of this punk?’
The Black Serpent King clearly valued Namgung Hyuk highly—plain from his demeanor.
For him to be this proactive after mere minutes? Pa Ho-un was floored.
It was as if he were saying he’d take the commission for sure.
The Black Serpent King waited calmly for Namgung Hyuk’s words.
Namgung Hyuk spoke lowly.
“It’s the Divine Demon’s sword.”
“…….”
As the Black Serpent King let out a quiet grunt, Pa Ho-un freaked out.
“F-fuck! The Divine Demon’s sword?!”
Forgetting the Black Serpent King was even there, Pa Ho-un yelped in panic.
“Wh-why the hell do you have it, Young Master! This is insane!”
Pa Ho-un reacted with outrage.
Namgung Hyuk chuckled dryly.
“It’s my sword now.”
“J-just having it is a crime! A crime! Crazy bastard, die alone if you wanna die!”
“Watch your mouth, punk. We’ll settle this later.”
Namgung Hyuk silenced Pa Ho-un and turned back to the Black Serpent King.
“Well? Tempted now?”
The Black Serpent King’s eyes twitched.
“The Divine Demon’s sword, you say?”
“Yes.”
“How can you prove it? I hear the Divine Demon wielded a blade, not a sword.”
“You already believe me, don’t you?”
The Black Serpent King’s eyes narrowed, the mirth vanishing.
“Not curious why the unorthodox sects rose up en masse and wrecked Anhui Province?”
“Tracing this sword will reveal that?”
“That’s just a side benefit.”
At Namgung Hyuk’s sly smile, the Black Serpent King quietly gripped the demonic sword.
The moment his fingers closed around it, a chilling sensation pierced his skin, and an alien something bleached his mind white.
Though he hadn’t trained in Daoist arts, the Black Serpent King knew this was ‘demonic qi’ and killing intent.
Madness that seemed poised to devour his body—he hastily released the sword.
Thud!
He steadied his breathing with heavy, sunken eyes.
Staring at the nonchalantly smiling Namgung Hyuk, the Black Serpent King hardened his gaze.
“If this is the Divine Demon’s sword, even I, the Black Serpent King, must take risks. Risks you know without me spelling them out.”
“I wouldn’t know what danger a scrap of iron poses, but I get that it’d take the full might of the Black Spot Thirteen Eyes.”
“Why the main Black Spot and not the Beggars’ Sect?”
“They’re busy fishing right now.”
The Black Serpent King gave Namgung Hyuk an odd look.
He glanced at the demonic sword before speaking.
“Is there reason for this Black Serpent King to brave such danger and investigate this sword?”
“Nope. Whether Black Spot takes the commission is up to you.”
“True. I said it tempted me, but unlike the Beggars’ Sect, I don’t move on curiosity alone. A deal demands mutual gain.”
His eyes burned intensely.
“What do I stand to gain by risking it all to probe this demonic sword?”
“You called me a hidden dragon, right?”
“Indeed.”
“What do you think my standing is in the Namgung Clan?”
Information on Namgung Hyuk flashed through the Black Serpent King’s mind.
Bearer of immense trust in the Namgung Clan, his fame now spreading across the land.
The war with the unorthodox had whispers of him as the future supreme under heaven.
Namgung Hyuk erased his smile.
“Don’t you think even the Black Serpent King needs aid from a place like the Namgung Clan to gain the upper hand among the Thirteen Eyes?”
“……Hm?”
“If you ever need that aid, I’ll provide it. No—the Namgung Clan will. If you grant my request.”
The Black Serpent King’s eyes narrowed, then slowly widened.
‘He knows of the Thirteen Eyes’ dynamics?’
As tension choked the air and Pa Ho-un wiped sweat from his brow,
“Ha, haha. Hahahaha!”
Laughter spilled from the Black Serpent King, growing louder until it filled the inn.
“Bl-Black Serpent King…….”
Pa Ho-un looked flustered.
The Black Serpent King pointed at Namgung Hyuk’s demonic sword and ordered Pa Ho-un.
“Head to headquarters and fetch brush, ink, and paper.”
“……Black Serpent King?”
“This Black Serpent King accepts the second young master of the Namgung Clan’s request.”
Namgung Hyuk grinned.
He swirled the bamboo leaf wine in his hand.
“Things worked out nicely. Care for a drink?”
“Hahaha! No, that’ll wait until this matter concludes.”
“Love the straightforward type!”
“Very well.”
Leaving the grinning Namgung Hyuk behind, the Black Serpent King and Pa Ho-un exited the Silver River Inn.
Pa Ho-un eyed the Black Serpent King tensely.
“You’re really taking this commission?”
The finicky Black Serpent King personally showing up, a deal sealed like this.
Unbelievable, even seeing it.
The Black Serpent King spoke lowly.
“He cleverly shifted it from commission to favor.”
“Huh?”
“Never lost control of the conversation once. Felt like I was dancing to his tune.”
“What? But…….”
“He got what he wanted, and I lost the flow.”
The Black Serpent King murmured lowly.
“Did you touch that demonic sword?”
“Huh?”
“He wields as his own weapon a blade you couldn’t even grasp properly? Even my eyes can’t fathom its depths.”
“S-such…….”
Pa Ho-un’s eyes widened at the Black Serpent King’s high assessment of Namgung Hyuk.
His gaze flicked to Namgung Hyuk, alone in the inn, tilting back his cup.
Never dreamed this finicky Black Serpent King would rate him so highly.
‘……Is the man himself on another level?’
Or perhaps, beyond even evaluation.
The Black Serpent King spoke lowly.
“You must maintain close ties with that young man even more.”
“……Huh?”
“Why? Dislike it? Once this ends, you’ll claim a seat at headquarters.”
“G-good! Th-too good…….”
Fuck.
Pa Ho-un’s face twisted grotesquely.