Chapter 357
Chapter 357
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 366
Chapter Title: Gazing at the Sky Through the Hole
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Hyunwonja stared up at the sky with a dazed expression.
Between the gaping hole punched through the workshop ceiling, a speck of blue sky was visible.
A faint breeze blew over his swollen, battered face.
The wind brushed against the gaps where half his beard had been torn out, bringing a strange sensation.
‘I... I... What the hell did I...’
Who could have ever imagined that, even after passing the age of not-one-doubt, he’d end up getting beaten like a dog?
He, the master of Wudang Sect’s Jade Form Pavilion, no less.
Having gone through something he’d never even dreamed of, a hollow laugh escaped his lips.
“Ha... hahaha...”
So even after passing forty, you could still get thrashed.
A ridiculous new truth dawned on him, mingled with trembling rage.
He tried to vent that fury as it was, but his throat wouldn’t cooperate.
“Keuugh... ugh... grrrk!”
How badly did they have to beat him for his voice to come out like this?
As he twitched and turned his head, he jolted in horror.
It was because Cheongsong, turned into a bloody pulp with a face swollen like a balloon, was groaning beside him.
“Ugh... ugh...”
Oh no, oh no, my nephew Cheongsong.
He remembered how Cheongsong had gotten up from the floor while he was being pummeled and charged in, ending up like this.
How could he forget that fearless charge at the demon-like Mad Dragon!
You got this way protecting me.
Got this way...
“I-I didn’t do anything wrong. It was Uncle Master who told me to... Uncle Master... I-I’m just your nephew... stop, stop hitting...”
...Cheongsong?
As Hyunwonja stared in bewilderment, Cheongu approached from the side, drooling and slurring his words.
“Hehe, hehehehe, Uncle Master! This must be the Peach Blossom Paradise. The floor’s all warm and toasty, and I swear I hear tinkling music. Hehehe!”
The warmth was from the furnace right behind them, and the tinkling music was the blacksmiths’ hammer strikes.
“Hehehe, it’s great coming to see the Primordial Heavenly Venerable together. Hehehe. Stars flashed, and it felt like I was flying through the sky, right? I ascended, didn’t I? Hehehe.”
His head had gotten lodged in the ceiling.
Hyunwonja let out a groan.
What the hell had happened to his two nephews!
His gaze turned to glare at the demons gathered far off in the workshop.
Especially taking in Namgung Hyeok, the culprit behind it all, with both eyes.
That damned bastard!
Those heaven-cursed scum!
Beating people like this?
Like this?!
Oh, my poor aching body.
Over forty years old, and this...
Just then, Namgung Hyeok, sensing the stare, looked straight at him and spoke.
“That snout-faced guy’s glaring at me right now, isn’t he?”
No, no he’s not.
My eyes are closed?
Hyunwonja squeezed his eyes shut tight to avoid the gaze.
“Hey, what’re you talking about? He’s passed out.”
“Passed out?”
Thud. Thud!
Footsteps echoed, and suddenly something sharp jabbed into his side and withdrew.
Pok!
“......”
Pok pok pok!
Y-You bastard?
Pok pok pok pok!
“Stop that, you bastard! Hack! Hack!”
Hyunwonja screamed and opened his eyes.
Namgung Hyeok looked down at him with a sly grin.
“See? He’s awake.”
“Y-You son of a—!”
“Hey, why’re you yelling like that.”
Hyunwonja boiled over.
“Are you persecuting Wudang Sect disciples, you fiend! Aren’t you afraid of Wudang, you bastard?!”
Namgung Hyeok picked at his ear nonchalantly.
“That’s why I said you’d regret it.”
“You deaf bastard! What you—”
“Hey, who touches someone else’s sword?”
“That blade is surely one that thirsts for blood! That demonic energy will corrupt the bearer’s humanity and turn him into a murderous demon without a doubt! I sought to destroy it to prevent that!”
At that moment, Geum Cheomsang piped up from behind, bristling.
“Daoist! Watch your words!”
“Oh, my Cheomsang...”
“The young master’s humanity is already beyond corruption! He’s absolutely not a murderous demon!”
“...Get down.”
“N-No, words must be chosen carefully.”
Geum Cheomsang slunk back and hid behind Namgung Ryong.
Namgung Hyeok cleared his throat and waved his hand dismissively.
“Anyway, mind your own business. I’ll handle it.”
“You fiend! Are you truly deaf to my words? That must be destroyed—a demonic sword!”
“Hey, quiet down before I destroy you first.”
“......”
“Treated you soft ’cause we’re both upright sects, and now your mouth runs wild. Back in the day, I’d have hung you over the furnace for a chat. Tsk!”
Hyunwonja gaped at Namgung Hyeok, who clicked his tongue in regret.
That was no line from an upright sect disciple.
“Y-You. You’ve already been consumed by the demonic qi! You must be purified, purified...”
“Want me to purify you for good?”
“......”
“Behave. Wouldn’t want you meeting the Primordial Heavenly Venerable. Looks like the guy next to you already has.”
Hyunwonja clamped his mouth shut as Namgung Hyeok chuckled and turned away.
‘Amitabha... But why am I getting so sleepy? No, my tongue’s going numb...’
Huh?
That in his hand...
Saliva?
Dang Myeong-ok spoke quietly.
“Paralysis will set in soon.”
“The old guy’s got some solid inner energy; he’s twitching like a fish.”
“He’ll be stiff as a board for about three hours, so don’t worry.”
“Tang Clan poison’s reliable.”
Y-You, y-you...
“Sis, that’s Soul-Scattering Poison.”
“Oh, mixed it wrong?”
“You maniac!”
“It’s fine; his inner energy’s strong enough he won’t die.”
Namgung Hyeok burst into laughter.
“You’ll really meet the Primordial Heavenly Venerable now.”
Y-You damned hellspawns!
Grrrk!
Namgung Hyeok snorted as Hyunwonja frothed at the mouth and collapsed.
“Guts as small as his. Can’t even handle poison.”
“Psychological warfare.”
“Yeah, true. But there was no real poison, right?”
“A little sting. Gotta make it hurt a bit. Not Soul-Scattering Poison.”
“Oh, got it.”
Namgung Hyeok shook his head at Dang Myeong-ok.
Tang Clan folks.
Hwangbo Chung, who had watched the whole ordeal, chattered his teeth in shock and terror.
‘These lunatics are pickling Wudang Daoists now?’
They beat the crap out of them just for trying to destroy that damned sword—like wringing out laundry.
Whoa, whoa...
“What’re you staring at?”
“N-Nothing!”
Bam bam bam bam bam!
Hwangbo Chung freaked out and frantically rubbed his wooden splinter.
Namgung Hyeok returned and stared silently at Ban Ho-jung.
“Now, let’s continue our talk.”
Ban Ho-jung broke out in cold sweat.
“W-What do you plan to do with W-Wudang Sect?”
“Eh, we’ll figure it out.”
“Wudang’s position...”
“What about my position?”
Namgung Hyeok’s eyes gleamed.
“I came quietly to fix my sword, and some snout I don’t even know tries to smash it. You expect me to just sit there?”
“W-Well, that’s true, but...”
“Solve it with talk?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“I’ve met plenty of snouts in my life, and they’ve never been talked down. Always ‘the Dao this, Amitabha that.’ If you tell them to go meet the Primordial Heavenly Venerable first since they love it so much, they all charge in droves.”
Ban Ho-jung stared at Namgung Hyeok with blank eyes.
What the hell is he talking about?
Namgung Hyeok waved it off.
“Anyway, that’s not the point.”
“......”
“What about my sword?”
Namgung Hyeok sighed deeply and lifted the demonic sword.
The wildly writhing demonic qi had calmed down by now.
But the ominous energy and aura still oozed from the swirling blackness, chilling to the bone.
Gulp!
Ban Ho-jung swallowed dryly.
“I-I’ll find a way. I handled your sword too rashly. Underestimated it...”
“It happens.”
“My apologies.”
“I’m not that inflexible. How many variables are there in the world? How often do things go to plan?”
Ban Ho-jung’s expression softened a bit.
Relief washed over him seeing Namgung Hyeok, who’d seemed ready to throttle him, remain surprisingly calm.
At least he wouldn’t end up like the Wudang Daoists.
“If you’ve no teeth, chew with gums, and pheasant for chicken, right?”
“Y-Yes, exactly. I’ll definitely repair that sword...”
“So give me a divine sword instead.”
“......Huh?”
“A divine sword to replace the demonic one.”
Ban Ho-jung blinked.
......Almost fell for it.
“D-Divine swords don’t just pop out...”
“Mine turned into this in a snap?”
“......”
Damn, no comeback.
Ban Ho-jung’s eyes darted around.
He couldn’t think of any way to persuade Namgung Hyeok into letting him fix the demonic sword.
But trading a divine sword for it? No way...
Wait.
No teeth, chew with gums?
Pheasant for chicken?
Ban Ho-jung’s eyes lit up.
“Young Master Namgung! I’ve got a method!”
Everyone, including Namgung Hyeok, perked up at his triumphant shout.
Namgung Hyeok narrowed his eyes.
“You’re not smashing it, right?”
“Of course not! Would I use such a crude method? I’m a master artisan, a true craftsman!”
“Then what’s the method?”
As Namgung Hyeok looked skeptical, Ban Ho-jung spoke gravely.
“Young Master Namgung, if you look at the demonic sword itself, calling it a divine sword wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Admit that?”
Namgung Hyeok nodded.
The sword alone was peerless, a divine blade without peer.
They only noticed it because of the demonic qi and wanted to fix it; the blade itself was one-of-a-kind.
“Admitted.”
“Good. Then how about this?”
Ban Ho-jung spoke with serious eyes.
“We make a scabbard. One to contain the demonic qi...”
His confident words trailed off as he saw Namgung Hyeok’s sour expression.
“......So, make a scabbard to contain the demonic qi—what do you think?”
“Oh, a scabbard.”
Namgung Hyeok grinned, grabbed a random scabbard from the workshop floor, and shoved the demonic sword in.
Puk! Shlick!
The sword sliced through it like tofu, emerging from the other side as people gaped.
“......Whoa.”
“It just shredded it.”
“Snikt, shink?”
Namgung Hyeok smirked at the bisected scabbard.
“Like this?”
“......”
“Fine, whatever. The insane cutting power aside, what about this energy?”
Ban Ho-jung groaned again as the scabbard rotted away where the demonic qi had brushed it.
Whoa...... I sharpened that sword real good.
Too good.
Ban Ho-jung snapped to.
“Young Master! Obviously, a normal scabbard can’t hold that demonic sword. We need one worthy of it.”
“Like?”
“Gather divine materials that can purify—no, block the demonic qi—and craft it!”
“Materials?”
“Yes! If we get the materials, I’ll...”
“Sure. Then go get them.”
Huh?
Huh?
What?
“Get them?”
“Yes.”
“Me?”
“Who else?”
Ban Ho-jung’s rising voice faded as his mouth closed.
He pointed at himself and looked up.
“......M-Me?”
“You expect me to go?”
“Uh......”
“Should I?”
Namgung Hyeok eyed him crookedly.
Cold sweat beaded on Ban Ho-jung’s forehead.
Oh...... Gotta watch my words here.
“Five days enough?”
“......F-Five days?”
“Then three?”
“......”
This guy...
Namgung Hyeok smiled faintly.
“What’re you waiting for? Five days, remember? Get moving.”
“......”
“Now.”
Ha......
Hahaha......
It was the moment moisture welled in Ban Ho-jung’s eyes.
As he moved, he thought.
If he could go back to before curiosity got the better of him and he touched that demonic sword, he’d sell his soul for it.