Chapter 352
Chapter 352
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 361
Chapter Title: Just Given
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Ban Hojung carefully placed the demonic sword into its scabbard and spoke.
"It'll take at least five days. I'll prepare a place for you to stay in the meantime."
"Oh, thank you. I was just wondering what to do."
"Even setting aside the eerie aura and murderous intent on the blade, the demonic sword you brought is more than worthy of being called a divine sword. For this old ironsmith, it's a chance that won't come again."
Ban Hojung spoke with utter sincerity.
Namgung Hyeok grinned.
"Then I'll leave it in your hands. Please tame it for me. Every time I carry it around, it attracts challengers."
"Don't worry. Though my skills are modest, I'll do my utmost."
Namgung Hyeok smiled faintly at the sight of the Iron Divine Sect leader—hailed as the Central Plains' greatest artisan—showing such humility.
"I'll count on you."
"I'll have someone show you to your accommodations for your stay."
Ban Hojung nodded, and one of the servants stepped forward.
Namgung Hyeok, Namgung Ryong, and the others rose and followed the servant.
As they exited the grand hall and glanced back, Peng Junghyuk stared fixedly at Namgung Hyeok.
'...How did it end up like this?'
The Iron Divine Sect, which had repeatedly declined requests from the Hebei Peng Clan, eagerly accepted Namgung Hyeok's demonic sword.
Rather than feeling bad, it just seemed absurd.
The deal had gone through so easily that it even felt hollow.
Just look at Peng Yeonhwa spacing out beside him...
"...I sent them five times, I sent them five times, I sent them five times..."
Get a grip, man.
I'm baffled too.
Peng Junghyuk took a deep breath.
'Who sends a letter like that in the first place?'
Who asks the world's premier forge—the Iron Divine Sect—to dull a sword's edge?
It's like going to a high-class inn and asking them to make food waste.
'Fine, the sword's a pain, but still...'
Upon arriving at their quarters, Peng Junghyuk quietly asked.
"Weren't we supposed to make the deal right away?"
"My sword comes first."
"Isn't the clan matter first?"
"Why are you so interested in other families' business?"
"...Aren't we on the same side?"
"Oh."
True enough.
"I'll talk clan business later."
That's what I came to see.
Peng Junghyuk smacked his lips in disappointment.
"Isn't now the perfect chance? They're favorably inclined toward you, and they're distracted by the sword."
God knows what about him earned that favor.
Namgung Hyeok shrugged.
"I need to see their skills."
"Pardon?"
"I'll decide on the deal after checking their skills."
"You're going to test the Iron Divine Sect's skills?"
"Yeah."
What nonsense is this?
Peng Junghyuk paused for a moment.
He opened his mouth slightly before speaking in a serious tone.
"Young master, do you even know what the Iron Divine Sect is?"
"It's the Iron Divine Sect."
"It's the world's greatest forge. How could we question—"
They supplied weapons to the Justice Heaven Alliance and earned recognition for their prowess.
Moreover, among the weapons forged by the Iron Divine Sect were some ranked among the Ten Great Legendary Weapons of the world.
Every sword they produced was hailed as a famed blade without exception, and even their lower-grade ones fetched at least a thousand taels of silver.
What more verification could such a place need?
Namgung Hyeok replied.
"I need to see their skills. If they can tame my sword, I'll acknowledge them. If not, there's no need to leave Anhui Province's forges just for standard-issue weapons."
"Haha! The Iron Divine Sect's swords are top-quality, top-quality. That's why their reputation has spread even to Hebei, isn't it?"
"Yeah. That's the problem."
"Pardon?"
"Any forge makes ordinary swords, not famed ones."
"...!"
Did he even consider that?
'Ugh!'
Peng Junghyuk, who had focused solely on famed swords because of the Iron Divine Sect's name, felt like he'd been struck in the back of the head.
Regaining his composure, Peng Junghyuk said.
"Still, their skills are first-rate. Sect Leader Ban is called the Iron Forger—Iron Master—for good reason; he's one of the greatest craftsmen around."
Why else would they say that anything Ban Hojung touches turns into a divine sword, even a mere twig?
Namgung Hyeok shrugged.
"We'll see."
A demonic sword shouldn't be ordinary.
It was a demonic sword that even Poison Master coveted in his prime.
Few blades like this existed throughout history.
'If we're talking all history, it'd be scrap metal anyway.'
In any case.
A demonic sword wielded by the Demon Lord doesn't appear every generation or two.
Maybe one per era.
'Refining vengeful spirits isn't easy.'
It was while Namgung Hyeok was lost in thought.
"Forget the evaluation, crap. Just take whatever they give. Even a twig they toss out gets hailed as a divine sword if you polish it up."
Namgung Hyeok subtly turned his eyes.
Hwang Bo-chung muttered in exasperation.
"Damn it, in the end, they're just bragging about their ancestral iron mines? Ha, unbelievable."
Namgung Hyeok's eyes narrowed.
Peng Junghyuk subtly averted his gaze.
Hwang Bo-chung, who had been muttering, sensed something off and looked up.
Their eyes met in that instant.
Hwang Bo-chung's pupils quaked.
"Uh, w-well, I mean..."
"It's fine. That can happen."
"Uh, r-really...?"
Thwack.
Huh?
What's this?
Namgung Hyeok smiled faintly as he looked at the twig now in his hand.
"Polish that into a divine sword by tonight."
"...Pardon?"
"If you can't, I'll tie you to the smelter and roast you day and night for three days straight. I do what I say."
Hwang Bo-chung stared blankly at the twig in his hand at Namgung Hyeok's words.
The slender twig was already half-broken.
Hwang Bo-chung opened and closed his mouth soundlessly.
"Wow, now the Namgung clan's weapons can all be divine swords polished by Bo-chung here?"
Hwang Bo-chung looked utterly dejected at Namgung Hyeok's words.
Peng Junghyuk clicked his tongue pityingly toward Hwang Bo-chung.
"You get it, right."
Ah, Peng hyung's the only one...
"The Hwangbo clansmen always have tongues too loose for their size."
...That damn Peng bastard.
Peng Junghyuk avoided Hwang Bo-chung's gaze and subtly glanced at Namgung Ryong.
'Namgung Hyeok's silver tongue and antics aside... how the hell did Namgung Ryong get a sword from the Iron Divine Sect?'
If anything, this was more astonishing.
Action leads to results, after all.
You have to talk to make a deal, but Namgung Ryong...
"...By the way, young master. How did Namgung Ryong get his sword?"
"Beats me."
"..."
"I don't know either. Bro, how'd you get yours?"
Namgung Hyeok was curious too.
Namgung Ryong, who had been sitting silently, turned his head.
"...They gave it."
"Huh?"
"Just gave it."
Gave it?
Just like that?
Namgung Hyeok tilted his head.
Peng Junghyuk's eyes widened.
"...What do you mean by that?"
What kind of Namgung clan magic is this?
No, Light Dragon from a filial house?
Just like that?
What?
Bloodshot veins appeared in Peng Yeonhwa's large eyes.
Her grievance was plain on her face.
"How? How does it just work? I prayed day and night for three days straight and got nothing! It didn't work for me, it didn't!"
"...It did for me."
"For me toooo! For me toooo... Why only the Namgung clan? Whyyy?"
"Just."
So how did it happen?
Peng Junghyuk, Peng Yeonhwa, and everyone else's curiosity peaked.
Is ordering a custom sword ever that simple?
Custom blades require precise measurements for weight, grip feel, and more—there's no way they'd settle for letters.
'It can't just happen. There must be something special.'
From Peng Junghyuk's perspective, it was obvious.
Deals always involve something special.
That special something...
Special...
"Huh?"
Peng Junghyuk, glancing outside absentmindedly, flinched.
"What? When did all these people gather?"
He blinked at the figures crowding the walls.
Murmur murmur.
What's going on?
"Are they here because of us?"
Tang Myeongjin nodded awkwardly.
"S-seems like it?"
"Ugh!"
Well, it's newsworthy.
"The younger generation reps from the Five Great Clans gathered."
Peng Junghyuk, Tang Myeongjin, and Hwang Bo-chung all nodded.
Is this any ordinary gathering?
The heirs representing the Five Great Clans had all visited the Iron Divine Sect at once.
No wonder people flocked.
"I-I've never gotten this kind of attention before."
Tang Myeongjin peered outside with an awkward expression.
Compared to Light Dragon, Sword Dragon, or Blade Dragon, he fell far short.
He even lagged behind Little Sword Comet or Hwang Bo-chung.
For Tang Myeongjin, who had never drawn this much notice even in Sacheon Castle, it was natural.
Peng Junghyuk muttered.
"...Am I imagining it?"
"Pardon?"
"Why does it feel like it's all young ladies?"
"Huh?"
Over there—young ladies.
This side—young ladies.
That one—married women.
...What?
It wasn't his imagination; every group surrounding the walls was women.
Is this really happening?
Tang Myeongjin muttered.
"...Isn't this the golden era that comes once every hundred years?"
"Golden era?"
"Being surrounded by swordswomen."
"Ah!"
As their eyes met those of the women lining the walls, the reaction exploded.
"Eek! He looked at me!"
"So handsome, so handsome!"
"He's even more dashing than the rumors!"
"How is his skin better than a woman's?"
Peng Junghyuk, Tang Myeongjin, and Hwang Bo-chung glanced at each other's faces.
'As expected, it's because of me? My fame's beyond ordinary.'
'Probably me, the youngest. Better than this bear or that kid.'
'No way it's the Tang or Peng brats.'
In the pleasant mood, each dreamed their own delusions.
Namgung Hyeok, Peng Yeonhwa, and Tang Myeongok clicked their tongues in disdain.
That was when.
Amid the growing murmurs, the people camped by the walls and gate flinched.
"What's all this racket outside when guests are in the guest hall!"
At the sharp, powerful voice, the crowd parted like waves.
Through the gap strode a tall woman with skin lightly tanned by the sun.
The crowd gaped at her extravagantly ornate palace robes.
'What’s that?'
'Hm?'
'...Overkill?'
Her hairpins were bundled like a flowerpot's bouquet.
As the crowd was entranced by the splendor, the robed woman approached and bowed gracefully.
"Hello. I'm Ban Ha-ryeong, daughter of the Iron Divine Sect leader."
Peng Junghyuk stepped forward.
Namgung Hyeok didn't care for formalities, and Namgung Ryong was silent, so as the eldest, he should take the lead.
"I'm Peng Junghyuk, young lord of the Hebei Peng Clan. Nice to meet you, Miss Ban. This is from the Namgung Clan..."
Hey?
Excuse me?
Ban Ha-ryeong tilted her head with a faint smile.
Peng Junghyuk looked dumbfounded.
"...Miss Ban?"
"Ah, good thing you're not dead."
"...Pardon?"
"..."
Peng Junghyuk, hearing Ban Ha-ryeong mutter dreamily, subtly stepped aside.
Her head straightened vertically as he moved.
"..."
Peng Junghyuk blinked and looked behind him.
Ban Ha-ryeong's gaze was fixed precisely on Namgung Ryong, who had been right behind him.
Uh...
Namgung Ryong.
Ah.
Peng Junghyuk scratched his head lightly and turned toward the women peeking over the walls.
"Eeeeek! He looked at me!"
"Oh my, oh my, why are these bear, kid, and stick blocking our Namgung Ryong young master?"
"Move aside! I can't see!"
...
Ah, they all came for Namgung Ryong.
Ah, damn it.
So frustrating.
Peng Junghyuk bowed his head as Namgung Hyeok chuckled beside him.