Chapter 359
Chapter 359
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 368
Chapter Title: Official Business
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Namgung Hyeok drew the sword hanging from his waist and let out a sly chuckle.
Amid the chilling shards of sword light, a sharp aura flared up.
It was no ordinary blade.
In truth, it was one hailed as a famed sword by the Iron Divine Sect, its value and prowess unmatched by any other.
“……Wow, he actually handed that over.”
“Tell me about it. Just asked, and he gave it.”
“Even threw in the scabbard, and a new sword to boot.”
Paeng Junghyuk gaped, Tang Myeongjin shook his head, and Hwangbo Chong trembled in fury.
Somehow, whenever Namgung Hyeok got involved, things just worked out.
And not just worked out—they multiplied the gains several times over.
Rustle rustle!
Hwangbo Chong gnawed at his lower lip, grinding a tree branch between his fingers.
‘Same job, but why’s it so different for him? Damn it, that demon sword he already had even got upgraded, didn’t it?’
Sure, the creepy demonic energy would invite misunderstandings left and right, but the sword was undeniably better now.
‘Iron Divine Sect, you suckers…… Ah, damn…….’
He couldn’t bring himself to call them suckers outright.
If he called the Iron Divine Sect suckers, what did that make the Hwangbo Clan?
“Jealous, so jealous. Envious. Jealous…….”
Paeng Yeonhwa muttered while clutching her massive bundle, glaring daggers at Namgung Hyeok.
To be precise, she couldn’t tear her eyes off the famed sword in his hands.
She twitched like she might bolt at any second and snatch it away.
“Why only the Namgung Clan? Why give it all to the Namgung Clan?”
She lamented, eyeing the Namgung brothers who’d brought back(?) a whole cart of Iron Divine Sect famed swords—one of the rarest kinds.
Look over there.
At Banharyeong on the opposite side.
Banharyeong gazed quietly at Namgung Ryong’s face.
Namgung Ryong, who’d been beaming contentedly at Namgung Hyeok this whole time.
Her eyes shifted to Namgung Hyeok, then slowly to the sword in his hand.
Then to the ten brand-new swords placed beside Namgung Ryong, before she murmured softly.
“Young master, do you want that sword?”
“……?”
“Wait just a moment. I’ll fetch you something even better! Where was that one? Hold on, I’ll find it and be right back.”
“It’s fine.”
“Oh, how can you be so considerate?”
Looks like she learned a different kind of “consideration.”
At any rate, the generous patron(?) was flopping about to shower him with even better stuff.
Paeng Yeonhwa sighed again at the sight.
Why didn’t she have a patron like that?
Hwangbo Chong watched it all and slowly shook his head.
To him, a fist fighter, that level of obsession and regret made no sense.
‘……They’re out of their minds.’
It was right in the thick of the noisy commotion.
Namgung Hyeok sheathed the sword from the Iron Divine Sect with a click and grinned.
“Nice.”
“Very nice.”
“……Ah, you startled me.”
“It’s such a great sword.”
Beside him, So Hye-yeon stared vacantly at the sword on his waist, thumbs both raised high.
“Usable enough, I’d say.”
It seemed decent as a replacement for the demon sword.
The Iron Divine Sect leader Ban Ho-jung would’ve clutched his neck and collapsed if he heard, but Ban Ho-jung wasn’t around right now.
Namgung Hyeok gripped the demon sword.
“……Y-You’re drawing it?”
From a safe distance, Geum Cheomsang wore a fearful expression.
“Can’t you draw it when you’re alone?”
“Piss off if you hate it. Why the fuss?”
“What fuss?”
Geum Cheomsang gestured around widely.
So Hye-yeon with her thumbs up, Hwangbo Chong whittling a branch into a knife, Paeng Yeonhwa chanting “jealous,” Tang Myeongok scribbling furiously in her notebook.
Even Namgung Ryong, who’d been gazing fondly at Namgung Hyeok, had put five paces between them.
“…….”
“You know plague, right? Plague?”
“You little shit?”
“That’s how scary it is! What the hell did they do to that sword?!”
Geum Cheomsang made a miserable face.
The energy pouring from the demon sword seemed hell-bent on biting into anything nearby.
Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue.
“Just don’t look at it.”
“…….”
“It doesn’t show when sheathed.”
“It’s worse when drawn.”
“Fair point. But…….”
Shing!
Namgung Hyeok drew the demon sword without hesitation.
Sword light scattered coldly, heedless of the flinching onlookers.
“Eek!”
“Uwooo!”
“About to go nuts again…… Hm?”
The screamers narrowed their eyes.
Wriggle wriggle!
The demonic energy writhing from the demon sword in Namgung Hyeok’s hand twisted, stretched, asserting its presence……
“……Somehow…… it feels less intense than the first time?”
Paeng Junghyuk muttered in confusion.
Was this really the demon sword the Iron Divine Sect failed to purify?
Everyone stared at Namgung Hyeok with puzzled faces.
Ignoring them, Namgung Hyeok lightly shook the blade.
Whooo!
With a light sword wind, the demonic energy surged then subsided back into the blade.
‘As expected.’
The sticky, clinging demonic energy now clung only to the blade itself.
‘Ho?’
The scabbard, made of sacred spirit wood and divine iron, seemed to have a purifying effect on the demonic energy.
And.
‘The Heavenly King Divine Art has sharpened.’
After carrying the energy-spewing sword day and night for three days straight, the Heavenly King Divine Art’s power had grown fiercer.
Before, it had simply devoured and erased the impure demonic energy like a plague.
Now, it could slice it away like a blade.
Thanks to those two factors, it wasn’t fully purified, but it was suppressed.
‘If I handle this right, it might become undetectable later.’
Talk about a jackpot.
“Ooooh!”
Namgung Hyeok admired the demon sword with a gasp.
Damn, what luck!
People watched him cackle then giggle and thought.
‘Whatever it is, he scored big.’
‘Even that cursed sword calmed down after three days with the Mad Dragon.’
‘……That madness treats people and things equally.’
Paeng Junghyuk suddenly asked.
“But, Young Master Namgung. What about the deal with the Iron Divine Sect?”
Namgung Hyeok, resheathing the demon sword at his waist, tilted his head.
“Deal? What deal?”
“The Family Head’s orders. The weapon trade with the Iron Divine Sect…….”
“Oh, right, forgot. I was just thinking of heading back.”
“…….”
Was that a joke?
No, with Namgung Hyeok, it could be real.
Paeng Junghyuk cleared his throat.
“Now that the demon sword’s fixed, you should handle business. Fix the Namgung Clan swords, open up trade.”
“Hm, yeah, should.”
“Yes, hurry up…….”
“But why are you more worked up than me?”
“Well…….”
I wanna see how you sweet-talk the Iron Divine Sect leader!
That’s what I wanna learn, why else!
Paeng Junghyuk smiled slyly.
“We’re allies, aren’t we? Namgung Clan business is our business!”
“Whatever.”
“Go sweet-talk him! Er, I mean, negotiate!”
“Sweet-talk who?”
“No, I meant fix my little sister’s sword too.”
Paeng Junghyuk rubbed his hands with a ingratiating smile, and the sullen Paeng Yeonhwa’s head snapped up.
“My sword? You’ll fix my sword too? Right! I’ll leave mine there too! Ahh, yes, big brother! If you’re ugly, at least try that hard!”
That damn little sister?!
Paeng Junghyuk ground his teeth, turned to Namgung Hyeok, and tried to drag him along, but Namgung Hyeok easily shook off his hand.
“What’s with you?”
“Don’t you need to wrap this up quick to head back to Hefei?”
“Ah, jeez. Such a pain.”
“Young master, let’s get it done fast. I’ll buy you a big round!”
“A round?”
“I’ll buy ten! Hurry!”
Paeng Junghyuk urged him on.
Boom!
Paeng Yeonhwa slammed her bundle down hard.
Namgung Hyeok blinked at the crater in the ground.
Whoa, check out her strength.
“Young master, please! Please, please!”
“…….”
Starting with her, Tang Myeongok, Tang Myeongjin, and even Namgung Ryong pressed him.
Namgung Hyeok scowled.
“Sheesh, since when were you all so proactive?”
“Be proactive just this once! Hurry!”
“You’re talking like I’m some bear doing tricks. Where’s the bear?”
“Don’t you always wrap things up quick? Hurry and negotiate! We gotta get back to Hefei!”
Under the group’s clamor, Namgung Hyeok reluctantly stood.
Namgung Ryong quietly grabbed his shoulder from behind.
“Ah, fine. I said I will.”
“…….”
“I will, okay?”
“…….”
“Yeah, trust me a bit.”
Namgung Hyeok let out a hollow laugh as Namgung Ryong released his shoulder.
Geum Cheomsang muttered from behind.
“That’s not it.”
“What then?”
“He said bring the contract when you come.”
“……For real?”
Namgung Ryong nodded quietly.
“Damn, seriously. Can’t even trust your own blood.”
Namgung Hyeok grumbled as he turned.
“Young master.”
“What now?”
“Other way.”
“……Right.”
Namgung Hyeok turned the other direction and walked off.
Only then did the others follow.
“……Less trust than a stray mutt passing by.”
Geum Cheomsang smiled at Namgung Hyeok’s lament.
“Not true. He trusts you more than anyone.”
“Oh, Cheomsang, that’s…….”
“That’s why he doesn’t trust you more than anyone.”
“…….”
Ah, this kid’s mouth has been a problem since day one.
Namgung Hyeok vowed to re-educate Geum Cheomsang once they got back.
‘Damn it, better wrap this up quick and go.’
* * *
“……Phew, it’s finally over.”
The Iron Divine Sect’s chief steward gazed at Ban Ho-jung, sweating bullets.
“You’ve worked hard, Sect Leader.”
“Ha, haha…… Burned me out white-hot. Even looking back at my youth, I’ve never been this busy.”
“Yes…… You’ve passed the crisis. Think of it as averting disaster.”
“Averting disaster…….”
This went beyond averting disaster.
It felt like his soul had toured hell and come back.
Sacred spirit wood sliced up, precious divine iron stripped away……
Even the swords the Iron Divine Sect called famed ones pried out(?).
At this point, the Wudang Taoists getting thrashed seemed trivial.
Excluding the Demonic Blood Tribulation, had the Iron Divine Sect ever seen such chaos?
“……It was a calamity.”
“Who’d have thought one sword could turn the entire sect upside down.”
“Ugh…… Haha, feels like my lifespan just shortened.”
The master smiths muttered blankly.
Ban Ho-jung gave them a faint smile.
“Now it’s all done, so put your worries to rest!”
Their faces lit up at his declarative tone.
It’s over.
No more seeing that fiend(?).
That one phrase reignited the spark in the smiths’ fading eyes.
Ban Ho-jung shouted to them.
“The crisis is past! Let’s wash away our fatigue!”
“Oooh!”
“Prepare a feast, wine, food…….”
His voice, rising in joy, hadn’t even finished.
Boom!
The sect leader’s office door flew open as if about to fall off its hinges, and someone stormed in.
Ban Ho-jung froze solid upon seeing who it was.
“Sect Leader!”
Ah, was that a demon’s cry?
Ban Ho-jung panicked.
He stared, pale-faced, at Namgung Hyeok entering the office.
“Wh-What is it? We’re done, no more business…….”
“Got something to discuss!”
“I don’t.”
“I do.”
“……What discussion?! We made the scabbards, gave the famed swords! No more…….”
“Ah! That was personal. That’s done.”
Personal?
It’s done?
Sweat poured down Ban Ho-jung’s forehead.
Namgung Hyeok’s lips curved in a long arc.
He sat with exaggerated nonchalance but spoke with utmost politeness.
“Now, let’s talk official business.”
“…….”
“There’s still the commission.”
……Ah, it’s not over yet?
The light rapidly faded from Ban Ho-jung’s and the Iron Divine Sect elders’ eyes, who’d just regained their spark.
Damn it.
We’re screwed.
“Now, let’s get started.”
The devil’s voice echoed through the Iron Divine Sect.