Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Buried Sons
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Joo Hyung-un and the sect leaders looked up at Namgung Hyuk with anxious, fidgety expressions.
The sect leaders groaned repeatedly, stealing glances at him.
Joo Hyung-un narrowed his eyes fiercely and said,
“Where are my boys? They’d better be safe!”
He didn’t need to spell out the rest—any three-year-old could guess what he meant.
Namgung Hyuk chuckled slyly.
“They’re safe. I’m not that evil.”
It was already a major crime.
If he weren’t of Nangong blood, they would have beaten him to a pulp and dragged him off in a coffin.
“See for yourself.”
Namgung Hyuk jerked his chin, and the Thunder Dragon Squad stepped aside, glancing toward the rocks.
The Iron Cloud Pavilion Master furtively checked his surroundings before moving behind the rock.
The sect leaders followed warily, keeping an eye on the Thunder Dragon Squad.
The Iron Cloud Pavilion Master scanned the area with fiery eyes.
“…Yun-ryong.”
He softly called Ma Yun-ryong’s name.
Wriggle!
The ground seemed to undulate.
The Iron Cloud Pavilion Master’s head snapped around.
“N-No way!”
He rushed over, calling Ma Yun-ryong’s name.
“Yun-ryong! Is that you, Yun-ryong!”
As he crouched low to lift his fallen son, the Iron Cloud Pavilion Master froze.
“W-What…?”
Something round protruded from the ground like a watermelon.
Moonlight filtering through the clouds perfectly illuminated the round object.
As the object’s true nature slowly revealed itself, the Iron Cloud Pavilion Master screamed in horror.
“N-Nooo! Yun-ryong! Aaaah, Yun-ryoooong!”
Joo Hyung-un shot forward like the wind at the sudden wail.
“Ja-cheol! Ja-cheol!”
He gathered his inner energy and swept his gaze around.
“This is…”
Ten heads lay neatly arranged on the moonlit ground.
The moment he saw the swollen, crushed heads oozing blood like pulp, he felt the blood drain from his own head.
Joo Hyung-un’s fists trembled as energy gathered in them.
The dirt cratered under his feet, and he glared at Namgung Hyuk with bloodshot eyes.
“You filthy Nangong spawn. Do you even realize what you’ve done? Today, I will judge you and make you pay!”
“…A-Ah, Father. Sp-Spare me. Sp-Spare…”
“My son didn’t come back alive, so how could… Huh?”
Son?
Joo Hyung-un startled and looked down.
Joo Ja-cheol’s battered face was twitching.
It had just moved… right?
A chill ran up his spine, and Joo Hyung-un jumped back.
“Damn it, you scared me!”
On pure warrior instinct, he kicked out.
Smack!
“Guh!”
Seeing the head groan, Joo Hyung-un screamed again.
“Ah, my son!”
The heavy impact against his foot startled him, and he dropped flat, stroking Joo Ja-cheol’s face.
“What the hell happened to you! Look at the state you’re in!”
At Joo Hyung-un’s voice, Joo Ja-cheol burst into sobs.
“Ah, Father! Hic, Father, hic, hic! Fatherrr! Waaah! I-I’m innocent, sob sob! That bastard, hic sob!”
Joo Hyung-un’s mind reeled at the bizarre sight of snot and tears streaming down together.
He couldn’t make out a word.
He blinked and glanced aside—the Iron Cloud Pavilion Master was clutching Ma Yun-ryong, wailing loudly.
‘…So they weren’t severed heads—they were buried alive?’
Buried alive?
Beaten nearly to death and then buried alive?
Not content with reducing his precious son to this state, they’d shoveled dirt on him too?
Snap.
His last thread of reason frayed.
“You wretch!”
Joo Ja-cheol straightened his waist and snorted.
“What the hell is this! No matter your Nangong blood, I won’t let this slide! I will judge you!”
The Iron Cloud Pavilion Master and the sect heads raged too.
“I will make you pay dearly! I won’t forget this day! Without just cause, you’ll get a beating from me today!”
“I’ll report this to the Nangong Family Head!”
“For a Nangong scion to commit such an outrage—it’s lamentable! Have you even lost your sense of chivalry?”
“Shameless cur!”
Arrows of condemnation flew at Namgung Hyuk.
At the same time, Joo Hyung-un swelled his aura, intimidating him.
He planned to call in the waiting warriors for a proper thrashing if any tricks were tried.
Their sons’ survival was confirmed anyway.
Joo Hyung-un was ready to go all the way.
‘That thunderbolt bastard!’
The other sect leaders stood beside Joo Hyung-un, glaring sharply at Namgung Hyuk and the Thunder Dragon Squad.
But those glares didn’t last.
Namgung Hyuk grinned and said,
“You wrecked my Heavenly Pavilion, then on the boat you lured them to for fun, they drew blades and threatened me. I could do this much, right?”
“...?”
“Your sons drew swords and swung fists at me first.”
Joo Hyung-un and the sect leaders faltered at his repeated claim.
They had provoked the Nangong scion first?
All ten of them, even drawing swords?
Joo Hyung-un glared at Joo Ja-cheol.
“Is that true?”
“Ah, Father, no! W-Would I be crazy?”
“Are you sure!”
“W-Well.”
Joo Ja-cheol flinched and rolled his eyes.
“W-We weren’t trying to kill, just scare…”
Joo Hyung-un felt a dizzy spell.
‘…Not trying to kill?’
Then everything Namgung Hyuk said was true—they’d drawn swords, thrown punches, and caused a scene at Heavenly Pavilion!
Did they not know what it meant to mess with Nangong blood?
Nangong Family.
Even if their prestige wasn’t what it once was, their position in Anhui Province was absolute.
No matter how fierce White Shadow Sect was, if Nangong got offended and stirred, they’d shatter like dry leaves in an instant.
And not just mess with him—they dragged him onto a boat and drew swords?
If word reached the Family Head!
Joo Hyung-un’s face paled.
“Y-You, youuu…”
“Father, it’s like…”
His eyes met Joo Ja-cheol’s aggrieved stare, and the last thread of reason snapped.
“Die, you little shit!”
Joo Hyung-un smashed his fist into Joo Ja-cheol’s face.
The heavy blow sent Joo Ja-cheol’s jaw flying.
“Ah, Fa— Guh!”
That was just the start.
One wasn’t enough—Joo Hyung-un grabbed his hair and pummeled away.
Thud! Thud!
“Guh, ack! F-Father! Kek, kgh!”
“Die! Die! Die! Die, you double-cursed bastard, die! What’s the point of living—die!”
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Joo Hyung-un mercilessly hammered Joo Ja-cheol’s face.
“Gaaaaah!”
As Joo Ja-cheol’s screams echoed, the Iron Cloud Pavilion Master, who’d been dazedly watching, suddenly grabbed Ma Yun-ryong’s face.
“You didn’t, right? Yun-ryong, you didn’t. Right?”
“Ah, Father! I didn’t know it’d turn out like…”
“Damn you, you little shit!”
Smack!
The Iron Cloud Pavilion Master’s pot-lid hand slapped Ma Yun-ryong’s cheek.
He stood and began stomping viciously.
Crunch crunch!
“Die, you die too!”
“Ah, aaaah!”
The other Ten Great Sect heads’ expressions changed instantly as they started stomping their own sons.
“Waaaah!”
“Kaaaah!”
Thud thud thud thud thud! Boom boom!
The heads protruding from the ground wailed in agony.
“Father, not me, Father! I didn’t even fight!”
“You wretch! Just being there is a grave sin—don’t you know!”
“No, I really did nothing… Kyaaak!”
Do Tak-ryong foamed at the mouth and passed out.
The Anhui Ten Swords’ screams rang endlessly.
Geum Cheom-sang scratched his head as he watched the beating from a distance.
“Young master, they might actually die like this.”
“…Yeah. Didn’t expect them to beat them that hard.”
“What if they do die?”
“What do you mean? They die.”
“…Ah, yes.”
“Well, if they die, burying them will be easy. Just one shovelful each.”
Ten graves might conveniently appear.
As Namgung Hyuk chewed jerky and watched, the violence suddenly stopped, and the screams ended.
The heads protruding like watermelons lolled out long tongues, eyes rolled back.
The sight was grotesquely eerie.
A brief silence.
Joo Hyung-un, shoulders trembling as he stared at the ground, whipped around.
Mad light poured from his bloodshot eyes, the mood sinking heavily.
“Young master.”
In his low call, he raised his bloodied hand high.
As the Thunder Dragon Squad stepped forward, hands on weapons,
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Sudden applause made them pause with puzzled looks.
Joo Hyung-un wore the brightest smile, as if he’d never scowled.
“Splendid, young master! You did wonderfully! My foolish spawn dared offend you. I’m in awe of your mercy and inaction in giving these whelps a proper lesson.”
…Huh?
“An honor to witness the Nangong Family’s glory! My eyes are dazzled—dazzled!”
Joo Hyung-un bowed deeply to Namgung Hyuk.
Even Namgung Hyuk’s eyes widened in surprise, and Geum Cheom-sang spat out his tea.
The standing sect heads stared at Joo Hyung-un in bewilderment.
But soon, they too prostrated awkwardly, awkwardly, absurdly following suit.
“Aigoo, young master. Forgive us!”
“Please overlook it with your vast mercy—just this once!”
“Y-Yes, young master! I’ll punish my boy myself, so with your boundless mercy…”
The Ten Great Sect heads pleaded desperately.
Joo Hyung-un’s voice was loudest.
“Thank you for sparing these sons who deserve death a hundred times over. I, Joo Hyung-un, have never seen such noble character and mercy as yours, young master!”
Geum Cheom-sang’s head tilted sideways.
Character? Mercy?
‘Spouting nonsense?’
Geum Cheom-sang shook his head.
Namgung Hyuk eyed Joo Hyung-un like a curiosity.
A switch in stance even unorthodox sects wouldn’t match.
Had that guy been unorthodox in a past life?
Undeterred, Joo Hyung-un shouted,
“Command me as you will! Grant me the honor of being your limb!”
Namgung Hyuk smirked and patted his back.
“Hey, no need to overreact like that.”
“Aigooo, young master!”
“Ah, enough. I don’t want to make a big deal.”
Relief bloomed on Joo Hyung-un and the others’ faces.
“As expected of the young master! Truly the bearing of a great hero!”
“Hahaha! Rumors don’t do you justice.”
“The Nangong Family Head must be so envious. To have such a son! Heh heh heh heh! Uh, uh heh heh!”
Namgung Hyuk smiled faintly at Joo Hyung-un.
“Haha! We help each other. We’re all Anhui folk, right?”
“Aigooo, such words are an infinite honor! We see you as more than family, young master!”
“Then, to celebrate us as family, let’s each write a pledge.”
“Yes! Of course— Huh?”
Pledge?
What pledge?
Namgung Hyuk explained kindly.
“Write the pledges, and I’ll call it all even.”
“…”
“Don’t want to?”
“…No.”
“You’re gritting your teeth? You hate it?”
“It’s so good, I’m afraid I’ll scream.”
Namgung Hyuk reached out to Geon Cheon-hwi.
“Bring me a wooden plank.”
“Yes, young master!”
As Geon Cheon-hwi fetched a large plank from the abandoned shrine, despair shadowed Joo Hyung-un and the others’ faces.
‘…Damn it, we’re screwed.’
He didn’t know what the pledges would say, but he knew they were screwed.