Chapter 59
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: When Three Gather, Two Are Idiots
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Paeng Ha-ran smiled nonchalantly, not even twitching an eyebrow at that overwhelming pressure. He patted the hand of Namgung Seheon, who was gripping his arm.
“I knew the incantation, but I couldn’t quite get the feel for it. Thanks for demonstrating it personally.”
“You knew the incantation? Did you steal a peek at the Emperor Sword Form manual from the family library back then…? No, even direct descendants aren’t allowed to access that manual.”
“I didn’t steal a peek. I just saw it.”
The two of them were having a conversation only they understood, and I soon lost interest and plopped down on the floor. The problem now was how to restore that Buddha statue that was completely upside down and embedded in the floor back to its original state.
That train of thought was interrupted by Namgung Seheon’s irritated shout.
“Don’t make me laugh! How could you, bearing the Namgung name—no, a manual that only the family head and heir can see—how could you have seen it?”
Paeng Ha-ran stared at him blankly for a moment, then a lazy smile crept onto his lips.
“Sister Se-eun. Is that answer enough?”
“Sis showed the family’s secret technique to someone from another clan?”
Namgung Seheon asked repeatedly with a face that couldn’t believe it, but I understood his reaction perfectly, which was the problem.
To compare it to the Mount Hua Sect, it was like leaking the manual of the Purple Haze Divine Art, which only the Sect Leader could learn, to a disciple from another sect. Wow, that’s insane.
Even from back when she watched her younger brother get unilaterally beaten and just shrugged it off like it was a game before walking away, I knew she wasn’t normal, but there’s a limit to madness.
Even if it was a pitiful mercy toward a terminally ill kid, this was a bit much…. There’s a reason family secret arts are passed down to so few.
“Don’t worry. He didn’t even see it properly. All I saw were the incantations for the initial forms you showed in this spar. Speaking of which, it’s surprising that you, who aren’t even the family heir, learned the Emperor Sword Form.”
“That’s because Sis taught me a few forms…. Damn it, stop changing the subject and answer me.”
Namgung Seheon wasn’t the heir. I clicked my tongue, blaming my narrow perspective, but then paused at a sudden question.
Even a few forms—why bother teaching them to her younger brother?
It’s not like Uiseong, who taught me the first form of the 24 Plum Blossom Sword Techniques before I even formally joined Mount Hua….
‘She didn’t seem to care that much about her brother.’
Unlike the overprotective Namgung family head, she had witnessed her brother getting beaten but didn’t save him or even get mad at me—instead, she dismissed it as a game and turned away.
And, though it was just a fleeting moment, the satisfied glint in her eyes that flashed by.
My eyes, honed from reading atmospheres, caught that subtle twist, even if brief. Even if that innocent idiot didn’t notice.
Anyway, he was still a direct descendant qualified to become the young heir. And he wasn’t without talent in the sword.
‘Why does this bother me when it’s none of my business?’
I tapped my cheek with my hand propping up my chin as I thought. But since badmouthing family makes me the bad guy, I’d let him figure it out himself.
Paeng Ha-ran slapped away Namgung Seheon’s hand and shrugged his shoulders.
“Would I not even show that much mercy to a terminally ill kid who’s going to die young anyway? I barely saw the incantations for the first few forms of the Heavenly Bow Free Sword—how could I grasp their essence? Besides, he won’t even be able to hold a sword much longer.”
He let out a short laugh mixed with self-deprecation and scorn, then glared at Namgung Seheon with cold eyes.
“You’re the only one who shows such open regret that I won’t live past twenty-five, Namgung Seheon. So if you’re going to pity me half-heartedly, treat me like Biyeon does.”
Paeng Ha-ran tossed his sword at Namgung Seheon’s feet, reached out, grabbed his collar roughly, and growled in a low whisper.
“I don’t care how you badmouth me behind my back—just don’t pity me to my face. Don’t make me more miserable by treating me ambiguously and forcing pity from trash like you.”
I was startled by my name suddenly popping up. Hey, don’t compare me to someone who knows you’re terminally ill.
“Ah, is that so? You should’ve said so earlier.”
Ignoring it, Namgung Seheon shook off Paeng Ha-ran’s hand on his collar, calmly picked up his sword, and smirked.
“Everyone kept saying I had to handle you carefully, so I thought that’s how it was supposed to be.”
Paeng Ha-ran looked a bit dazed at his bold declaration that he’d treat him as desired from now on. Then he rubbed his brow and added a word.
“I didn’t say not to be careful—I said don’t pity me.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
Namgung Seheon turned to me as if demanding an explanation, with eyes saying he didn’t get it, but my head was spinning from the complicated conditions too.
So, be considerate but don’t make it obvious you’re treating him like he’s about to die?
How the hell had I been treating him to pass that picky standard?
Paeng Ha-ran sneered irritably.
“As expected, talking to an idiot like you just suffocates me.”
Why was I taking the hit when Namgung Seheon was the one called an idiot? Sorry for being the idiot who doesn’t understand.
As awkward silence lingered, the temple door burst open.
“Youngest!”
The owner of the booming shout rushed straight to Paeng Ha-ran and scooped him up.
“How can a weak kid stay in a dusty pit like this! You didn’t get too much sun on the way here, right?”
…It’s super clean here. Cleaner than my room in the Upper Palace Hall. He’d faint if he saw that.
His second brother fussed over Paeng Ha-ran, checking everywhere for injuries, then noticed us a beat late.
His gaze on us standing there dumbly was prickly. He made no secret of his displeasure and opened his mouth.
“You guys, once you found the kid, you should’ve brought him back right away…. What the hell is that?”
But he couldn’t finish his sentence.
He had spotted the Buddha statue upside down and stuck in the floor.
Seeing his eyes widen in shock, I could feel just how big a mess we’d made.
Visions of the Penance Cave flashed before his eyes. Amitabha Buddha.
At that moment, a voice like salvation rang out.
“Our combined work?”
Paeng Ha-ran’s finger pointed at Namgung Seheon, who stood facing me.
“Y-youngest, you’re joking, right? Haha, a weak kid like you wouldn’t….”
His second brother stammered, then laughed in denial, but
“Brother, are you looking down on me now? Have you forgotten I have the highest proficiency in the Five Tiger Gate Entrance among us three brothers?”
Paeng Ha-ran shot back with a bright smile, and his brother’s face quickly turned to one of headache.
Whoa, saved. This is the taste of rivers and lakes righteousness and brotherhood.
Relief at the Penance Cave receding from right in front of me was short-lived.
‘What if he exposes the truth? We’re done for.’
I swallowed dryly and glanced at Namgung Seheon. Our eyes met as he subtly shifted his gaze to me.
Surprisingly, he kept his mouth shut tight, ruffling his hair in annoyance. I thought he’d whine about why only I got off scot-free, so I was a bit shocked.
Paeng Ha-ran’s second brother, who had wiped his face dry, set Paeng Ha-ran down and hoisted the Buddha statue back onto the altar.
But he couldn’t hide the shattered temple floor or the dents on the statue. Letting out a deep sigh, he placed a hand on Namgung Seheon’s head and said,
“Fine, let’s say I was teaching this guy a lesson and it ended up like this.”
I was impressed by how he excluded his brother entirely while giving Namgung Seheon no escape.
But even though Paeng Ha-ran had an out— he hadn’t done anything wrong to begin with—he shook his head.
“Brother, you’re not young enough to brush this off as a kid’s mistake.”
“But I don’t have the confidence to just watch my frail youngest get scolded. I’d rather take the punishment myself!”
Namgung Seheon stared in disbelief, but Paeng Ha-ran’s second brother ignored him and thumped his chest.
Paeng Ha-ran smiled brightly in front of him.
“It’s fine, brother. I’m terminally ill, right? They won’t scold me too harshly. It’ll be way lighter than you getting punished.”
“Ugh, our youngest! Even heaven is heartless. A kid this sweet and kind…!”
His second brother hugged Paeng Ha-ran tightly with a face mixed with sorrow and emotion, while Paeng Ha-ran patted his back. I clicked my tongue watching them.
And yet, once that terminal illness is cured, he’ll kick the blankets off at night.
* * *
And so, the temple Buddha statue incident seemed to resolve peacefully (at least for me).
I heard Namgung Seheon, who got chewed out, was confined to the guest quarters.
“No one believed I knocked away that guy’s sword with my own power or dropped the statue.”
Paeng Ha-ran, relaying Namgung Seheon’s situation, covered his mouth with his sleeve and laughed.
Unlike Namgung Seheon, who was grounded, Paeng Ha-ran could move freely. But whenever he tried to leave the guest quarters, his brothers appeared from somewhere to block him.
‘Well, I did knock away that bastard’s sword, so it’s not wrong….’
Remembering the scene I saw in the temple that day, I muttered indifferently.
“The adults can’t recognize a genius of the world.”
“I’m really grateful they covered for me. Even saying stuff like that.”
Paeng Ha-ran giggled, taking it as lip service, but I was serious.
If a guy who replicated the 24 Plum Blossom Sword Techniques after seeing it once isn’t a genius, then I, who barely managed it after ten tries, would be the world’s idiot.
Looking at his gently smiling face, I slowly broached the subject.
“So, ready to tell me now?”
“Huh?”
“You said you’d tell me why you were depressed if I cheered you up.”
At that, the smile faded from Paeng Ha-ran’s face, and he cast his gaze into the air. His tightly shut lips finally parted after a moment.
“I wonder if I should tell you.”
“Why? Is it that serious?”
“Well, it’s serious if it’s serious. My friend died.”
It hit hard from the start. Damn, did I ask for no reason?