Chapter 320
Chapter 320
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 326
Chapter Title: Schemes Before the Summit
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Huangbo Clan’s Family Head Huangbo Seong tapped the table with his fingers—tap, tap.
Each strike from his fingers, twice as thick as an ordinary man’s, rang out with a dull thud like the blow of a club.
Though of average height, his broad shoulders seemed to carry an extra set on top, and with every flick of his fingers, one almost imagined boulders shifting.
He turned his gaze to Chief Steward Huangbo Cheol.
“What do you make of it?”
“The Nangong Clan is trying to position itself at the center of the Five Great Clans, isn’t it?”
“The center of the Five Great Clans.”
“In the war against the unorthodox sects, it was unexpected that the Hebei Peng Clan and Sichuan Tang Clan would aid the Nangong Clan, but it was possible.”
“Indeed.”
He was well aware of the ties between the Hebei Peng Clan and Nangong Clan, and when the Sichuan Tang Clan had been cornered, the Nangong Clan had been the only one to step in with help.
It was predictable that the Hebei Peng Clan and Sichuan Tang Clan would now rush to the Nangong Clan’s aid in its hour of need.
“But I didn’t expect them to linger this long or even arrange a summit.”
“The Heavenly Orthodoxy Alliance’s inaction must have played a major role.”
“No matter their intentions, it’s nothing but good for us.”
Huangbo Seong nodded slowly at Huangbo Cheol’s words.
“Sharing the maritime routes and Hangzhou’s interests after the Black Dragon Sect’s demise is already a gain for us.”
“Yes, exactly, Family Head!”
“We’ve long sought to expand into Hangzhou but hit dead ends, and now it falls into our laps so easily.”
“It’s like pulling out an aching tooth.”
Huangbo Cheol’s face lit up with excitement.
Huangbo Seong let out a low hum, exhaling softly.
His eyes darted about rapidly.
Thud! Thud!
A subtle tension crept into the fingers drumming the table.
“The fact that all three clans approached our main house first means they absolutely need this alliance of the Five Great Clans.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“We hold the advantage in negotiations. So we must consider what we stand to gain.”
“Hangzhou and the seas…”
“That’s a given—we must claim what’s rightfully ours. You can’t call the bare minimum a true gain.”
Huangbo Seong’s voice sank low.
“We need to secure far more. At the very least, what our clan extracts from these talks must exceed that.”
“…What do you have in mind?”
“If they need our cooperation, why not demand benefits on our terms?”
“Family Head, the Peng Clan and Tang Clan will be there too.”
“But it won’t be the family heads or elders gathering, will it?”
“…!”
Huangbo Seong chuckled softly.
“The family heads and elders won’t come. Not from any of the three clans. They fear the eyes of the Heavenly Orthodoxy Alliance. They’ll send proxies instead.”
“Ah!”
“No matter how much a proxy claims to represent the clan, it’s no substitute for a family head’s direct decision.”
Huangbo Cheol looked impressed.
“Then we just need to play a stronger hand than theirs.”
The family heads certainly wouldn’t attend, and even if elders came, it was likely just one representative per clan.
Their hand was plain to see.
So why not fill that seat with an overwhelmingly stronger card from the Huangbo Clan?
“The Seventh Elder would be perfect for this. How about sending him?”
Huangbo Seong pondered for a moment before murmuring quietly.
“We’ll send the First Elder.”
“The… First Elder?”
“Yes. Chung-i and that boy will go with the First Elder.”
“Hmm!”
The First Elder was one of the Huangbo Clan’s pillars and the only one fit to stand in for Huangbo Seong.
It was a clear declaration of dominance at the Five Great Clans’ summit.
This revealed exactly how Huangbo Seong viewed the gathering.
“Family Head, then…”
Huangbo Seong’s eyes gleamed.
“Our clan has no intention of merely gaining the upper hand in the Five Great Clans’ power struggle through these talks.”
“F-Family Head!”
Huangbo Cheol’s eyes widened.
His mind reeled in an instant, but Huangbo Seong swiftly dispelled the confusion.
“Through this summit, our clan will expand beyond Hangzhou’s interests—straight into Zhejiang Province.”
“F-Family Head! Isn’t that too dangerous? Zhejiang Province is now the Nangong Clan’s domain. That would be…”
The Nangong Clan’s influence now extended massively into Zhejiang Province.
Having triumphed in the war against the unorthodox hordes, they were even seizing the interests and forces those groups had held.
Zhejiang was effectively Nangong Clan territory, so for the Huangbo Clan to set foot there was tantamount to a declaration of war!
It was far too risky.
Far too…
Huangbo Seong sneered.
“The Nangong Clan will absorb some of the unorthodox sects’ interests and power from the war. They’ll grow even stronger, and the Tang and Peng Clans will solidify their alliance further.”
“…”
“With the Peng Clan pressing from above and the Nangong Clan from the side, don’t we need to restore the balance? If they seek harmony, they’ll cede a portion of Zhejiang to us. Otherwise…”
Thud thud thud!
His fingers quickened on the table before halting abruptly.
“Our clan will take Zhejiang by our own methods.”
“…F-Family Head.”
“Without that resolve, how could we claim the top seat among the Five Great Clans?”
Huangbo Seong’s gaze burned fierce.
‘Of course we’ll reap the negotiation gains—but much more besides.’
He believed this was the Huangbo Clan’s sole chance to leap forward.
If not amid the current post-war chaos, they might forever be relegated to the fringes of the Five Great Clans.
Whether as fuel for growth or a mere stepping stone, this summit would be pivotal…
Huangbo Cheol swallowed hard.
“Family Head, surely you don’t mean war…?”
Huangbo Seong offered no reply.
“We must prepare thoroughly for this summit.”
His voice echoed softly.
* * *
Glug glug glug!
Nangong Hyeok poured a brimming cup of liquor.
The clear liquid sloshed right to the edge.
Gulp gulp gulp!
“Kaaah!”
Nangong Hyeok downed the cup in one go and shook it overhead.
A satisfied smile bloomed on his lips amid the pleasant trickle.
It was a smile brimming with warmth and benevolence.
Geon Cheon-hwi, Tak Hyeok-dong, and Jang Woong whispered among themselves.
“Why’s the Second Young Master looking so damn pleased? Did he just wreck some place?”
“Beats me.”
“Maybe it’s the famous taverns in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province?”
“You get that face just from booze?”
“Pfft, the Second Young Master?”
“Nah…”
“It’s so convincing it’s absurd.”
“Ah…”
The Thunder Dragon Squad trio stared blankly, trading murmurs.
Just then, a group entered Nangong Hyeok’s quarters.
It was Peng Junghyeok, accompanied by the Blood Lion Squad in their red uniforms emblazoned with lion emblems.
Peng Junghyeok gazed vacantly at the sky, then sighed deeply at the sight of Nangong Hyeok chugging liquor—glug glug glug.
“…How does that bastard drink even on departure day.”
Sigh, what a miserable lot I’ve drawn.
For that guy to lead the Nangong Clan—no, all three clans—at the Five Great Clans’ summit.
Ah, I wanna bail.
Damn it.
Peng Junghyeok called out to Nangong Hyeok.
“Second Young Master!”
“Hm?”
Nangong Hyeok, mouth glued to the bottle, turned his head.
Suppressing a rising sigh, Peng Junghyeok said,
“It’s time to depart.”
“Huh? Already?”
“…”
“Oh, right. Everyone here?”
Nangong Hyeok glanced around.
Nangong Ryong was picking at snacks nearby, while the Thunder Dragon Squad trio huddled, eyeing the bottles and gulping.
Across from them, Tang Myeong-ok scribbled furiously in a notebook, and Tang Myeong-jin slumped in a daze.
“Everyone’s here?”
“Lady Sword Marquess is missing.”
“Why would she come to a clan meeting?”
“Ah.”
He’d assumed So Hye-yeon would tag along, but fair enough…
“Then who’s that?”
Peng Junghyeok nodded toward So Hye-yeon, quietly nestled amid the Emperor Sword Squad.
Nangong Hyeok let out a hollow chuckle.
“She’s poison.”
So Hye-yeon slipped deeper into the Emperor Sword Squad.
“If she stirs up a spar, tie her up and toss her into the sea off Hangzhou. Got it?”
The Emperor Sword Squad leader flinched at Nangong Hyeok’s threat.
He knew the man followed through on his words.
A sigh was inevitable.
Nangong Hyeok shook off his hands and rose languidly.
His unhurried movements suggested a casual stroll.
No stranger would guess he was representing the Nangong Clan for a summit with the Huangbo Clan.
It was a stark contrast to the experts from each clan, weighed down by tension.
Peng Junghyeok quietly asked Nangong Hyeok.
“How do you plan to handle the summit?”
“The summit?”
“Yes. The summit.”
“What’s there to it? Just showing face.”
Peng Junghyeok was stunned by Nangong Hyeok’s nonchalant reply.
“It’s an important gathering, Second Young Master!”
“Yeah, sure it is.”
“Treating a meeting where we represent our clans so lightly…”
“Pfft, of course we’ll talk.”
Nangong Hyeok grinned.
“We’ll have a little chat.”
Everyone perked up, ears straining.
They were dying to know his direction for the summit—and it would surely unfold that way.
“Friend or foe, right?”
“...?”
“By my side or beneath me. If talk fails, I can’t trust ’em with the rest.”
Nangong Hyeok flashed a toothy grin.
Mouths gaped wide.
‘That crazy bastard…’
‘Madness in his eyes just now.’
‘He means it.’
‘Insane! He’s aiming to turn the Huangbo Clan into his puppets?’
Despite the word “talk,” it registered entirely differently.
Deep unease gripped them over what chaos Nangong Hyeok might unleash.
Even Nangong Ryong, who’d been smiling warmly, broke into a cold sweat.
“Hyeok, at least try talking…”
“I said I will.”
“So, talk it out…”
“I will talk.”
“Please, just talk…”
“Jeez.”
“…”
Nangong Ryong clamped his mouth shut, abandoning his final plea.
Everyone shook their heads.
Fine, that’s Nangong Hyeok for you.
Common sense of the orthodox factions didn’t apply to him.
Heading to a summit of four of the Five Great Clans with that mindset.
‘Better stay quiet.’
The thought struck every soul present.
Nangong Hyeok stretched grandly.
“Alright, let’s move.”
Clomp clomp.
Watching Nangong Hyeok saunter ahead without so much as a bundle, they shook their heads.
Nangong Ryong fell in beside him, Thunder Dragon Squad behind, Emperor Sword Squad mobilizing.
Peng Junghyeok and Blood Lion Squad followed, with the Tang siblings and Green Shadow Blood Guards bringing up the rear.
Seeing Nangong Hyeok bite into another bottle, the Emperor Sword Squad leader groaned inwardly.
‘…Patriarch, I resent you for the first time. Why assign me, of all people, to guard that wretched mutt—no, the Second Young Master?’
Damn, the other squad leaders must be living it up back home, laughing their asses off.
The squad leader sighed at his grim reality.
Mid-sip, Nangong Hyeok glanced sideways.
Snap!
So Geol-gae, tailing stealthily, got nabbed by the collar and grinned sheepishly.
“What’re you?”
“Heh heh… Beggars’ Sect can’t miss out on this, right?”
“Yeah, you’re missing out. Scram.”
“But I’m sorta part of the clan…”
“You look like you couldn’t beg a meal.”
“Come with us.”
“Stay and chow on stew, punk.”
Nangong Hyeok waved him off, and Tak Hyeok-dong from behind dragged So Geol-gae away.
“Ah, Young Master!”
“Let me go!”
“Damn it!”
So Geol-gae smacked his lips as he was hauled off.
Gawking at the Five Great Clans’ summit would be a lifelong brag—and prime intel for the sect.
‘But damn, Nangong Hyeok’s the rep?’
Wait, aren’t the clan reps going?
So why’s everyone just following him?
‘Lackeys? What?’
Yeah, lackeys it is.
So Geol-gae chuckled wryly as he was dragged away.
The Five Great Clans are in for a show, huh.