Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: VIP Guest and Illegitimate Son 2
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Baek Moo-jin emerged carrying the silver box and stopped by the Execution Hall to request that they deliver the substantial sum he'd received from the Alliance Leader to the Snow Mountain Baek Family. The Execution Hall held Baek Moo-jin in extremely high regard. Even without him emphasizing the point, they assured him it would be sent safely and put his mind at ease. Moreover, from the Pavilion Leader down to the lowliest member, they were already diligently using the title "Snow Mountain Baek Patriarch." His seniors whom he knew personally called him "Baek Patriarch," while those he wasn't acquainted with respectfully addressed him as "Lord Baek Patriarch."
Baek Moo-jin could only shake his head ruefully as he left the Execution Hall.
"...They're certainly quick on the uptake."
Since the Execution Hall was the organization tasked with relaying the Alliance Leader's orders to the others, they had learned of it first.
In any case, Baek Moo-jin still had thousands of nyang in promissory notes untouched from slaughtering the Red Joy Merchant Group's thugs, so there was no real need for him to personally keep hold of the silver box.
Baek Moo-jin paused for a moment, thinking of Snow Mountain.
"They'll all be shocked."
It was as if his words before departing the Snow Mountain Baek Family—that he would earn money—had come true. And not just any amount, but a massive sum in a short time, no less.
As he made his way back to his lodgings, Baek Moo-jin recited the most memorable word from what Goo Yang-hoo had said.
"Family..."
It wasn't something that could happen right away.
For starters, Baek Moo-jin wasn't even married yet, and he had no "retainers"—the key figures who formed the backbone of a family. Transforming the Snow Mountain Baek Family into a true family would inevitably take quite some time.
Goo Yang-hoo, fully aware of the Snow Mountain Baek Family's circumstances, had spoken those words out of consideration for Baek Moo-jin's future prospects. That was the righteousness he meant.
"There are plenty of ways."
If establishing a family right away proved difficult, Baek Moo-jin could found a sect instead. But that didn't need to happen immediately either. His fame hadn't yet spread across the entire martial world, after all.
Before then, Baek Moo-jin had much to accomplish.
Baek Moo-jin wasn't the impatient type. Whether it became a family or a sect, he viewed such things as developments that would unfold naturally and steadily along his path, and with that thought, he continued on his way.
2.
Baek Moo-jin arrived at his lodgings and paused to gaze at the entrance to the main hall.
"What to do about this Seo Moon Dan-cheon."
In truth, Baek Moo-jin had been fighting grueling battles day after day, so he needed time for quiet recovery. Not just to restore his internal energy, but to rest both body and mind. Over the past few days, he'd killed so many people he couldn't even count them.
But having sensed that the Seo Moon brothers were still lingering inside the main hall, he had a bad feeling that trouble was brewing the moment he became a VIP guest of the North Heaven Alliance.
"Tch..."
There were plenty of reasons to hold back, and just as many not to. Baek Moo-jin stood there blankly for a moment, weighing his options. But he wasn't one to dwell on dilemmas for long, so he flung open the main hall doors decisively and strode in, thinking:
"This isn't something that'll resolve with brooding. I'll see for myself and judge."
Inside the main hall Baek Moo-jin entered, Seo Moon Dan-cheon was drinking alone with Seo Moon-geuk seated before him. Seo Moon-geuk, wearing a deeply sullen expression as he stared at his brother, spoke up in a tone unlike his usual self when Baek Moo-jin appeared.
"You're back?"
Seo Moon-geuk looked utterly deflated. Baek Moo-jin glanced back and forth between the two before asking in a flat tone,
"You're drinking here?"
Seo Moon-geuk shook his head as he replied,
"I haven't had any. My brother said it's fine since he's a guest."
"A guest..."
Baek Moo-jin nodded and moved to enter when Seo Moon Dan-cheon, already quite drunk, called out to him.
"What's got you in such a hurry? Come, have a drink."
Baek Moo-jin halted and glanced over, only to see Seo Moon-geuk slip his hand under the table and gesture for him to just leave.
Baek Moo-jin smiled at the gesture.
He had a stubborn streak too. He'd been planning to ignore it and walk away, but upon seeing Seo Moon-geuk's signal, he walked expressionlessly to the table and sat directly across from Seo Moon Dan-cheon.
Baek Moo-jin stared steadily at Seo Moon Dan-cheon, thinking,
"In any case, this guy's a guest of the North Heaven Alliance too. Better not lay a hand on him."
Seo Moon-geuk let out a sigh and asked Baek Moo-jin,
"At least chat a bit before you go. So, what gift did the Alliance Leader give you?"
Talking about becoming a VIP guest would smack of self-praise. Baek Moo-jin deliberately omitted that and replied,
"The ones I killed had pretty hefty bounties on their heads. I got a reward for it."
With those words, Baek Moo-jin tapped the table rhythmically with his right index finger—tap, tap.
Baek Moo-jin's gaze was directed at Seo Moon Dan-cheon.
3.
Seo Moon-geuk, caught in the middle, watched the two with anxious eyes.
"Ah, this is trouble."
Seo Moon-geuk wasn't stupid. No, he was quite clever. He had a rough sense of both Seo Moon Dan-cheon's and Baek Moo-jin's skills.
"If Brother Dan-cheon loses, it'll put Brother Baek in my father's bad books..."
The best outcome was for things to pass quietly.
But as Seo Moon-geuk examined Baek Moo-jin, he noticed his demeanor was entirely different today. That nervousness made incoherent babble spill from his lips.
"I asked the passing maids, and they said rumors of your exploits have spread throughout the North Heaven Alliance—apparently incredible feats all by yourself. What on earth did you..."
Seo Moon Dan-cheon slammed his cup down with a clang, cutting off Seo Moon-geuk.
"Little brother, you're being noisy."
"Yes."
But this time, Seo Moon-geuk began nagging his brother.
"Brother, drink in moderation. Father could arrive anytime, and what kind of behavior is this for a guest of the North Heaven Alliance?"
Though Seo Moon-geuk was speaking to Seo Moon Dan-cheon, the intent was aimed at Baek Moo-jin. A plea to go easy since alcohol was involved.
In Seo Moon-geuk's view, his brother Seo Moon Dan-cheon was no weakling.
He was the young master of the Seo Moon Family—one of the five great families said to be the strongest among all martial clans.
There was a significant gap between him and Seo Moon-geuk himself.
Seo Moon-geuk had shown remarkable talent since childhood but had fallen out of favor with the family head due to his wide-ranging interests. The family's atmosphere had led him to give up on his own ambitions to some extent.
But Seo Moon Dan-cheon was different.
Setting aside personality, he was the young master destined to inherit the Seo Moon Family. Under the family head's strict regimen, he'd been forced to devote himself solely to martial arts, making his life quality arguably more miserable than Seo Moon-geuk's. The family head's training methods were that brutal.
Even so, Seo Moon-geuk frowned.
No matter how harshly his brother had trained under their father, clashing with Baek Moo-jin would surely end in humiliation.
"I need to stop this."
As the atmosphere grew heavy, Seo Moon Dan-cheon looked at Baek Moo-jin and said,
"I've heard about it. You pulled off quite the feat yesterday. What was it? Single-handedly beheading the Iron Blood Gang Leader? Ha ha ha! An absurd accomplishment. Must've netted you a nice reward. So, how much was it?"
Even as Seo Moon Dan-cheon prattled on, Baek Moo-jin offered no reply. Instead, he stared at him as if urging him to continue. Seo Moon Dan-cheon glanced up at the ceiling and said,
"The young hero's a man of few words. Little brother."
"Yes."
"How strong is the Iron Blood Gang Leader among the Black Path of the North Martial Forest? I'd like to hear the opinion of my knowledgeable little brother."
"One of the Black Path's top ten swordsmen, I'd say."
"Swordsmen? I heard he wields a great axe. In any case, is that your guess?"
"Yes."
"Then, stronger than me?"
"I don't know."
"Why not? You're so good at guessing."
"You can only know for sure after clashing. Unless there's an overwhelming gap, the day's condition and mentality are variables too, aren't they? Martial arts have counters as well. Only third-rate sect warriors boast about winners with their mouths."
"Ah, so in other words, you're saying there's no overwhelming gap between the Iron Blood Gang Leader and me."
Seo Moon-geuk shook his head as he replied,
"That's not what I..."
Seo Moon Dan-cheon grinned slyly and said,
"You've memorized the Martial Prowess Records from memory since you were a kid."
"The last Martial Prowess Record I saw only listed Father. And the records don't guarantee everything."
"What about me?"
"You haven't been active, have you? Never entered a martial tournament either. You'll probably make it into next year's or the year after's edition. But only if you leave some mark in the meantime."
"Smart kid."
Seo Moon Dan-cheon smirked at Baek Moo-jin and said,
"My little brother's pretty sharp, isn't he?"
Baek Moo-jin nodded and replied,
"I know."
"If he'd focused solely on training with that talent, he might've even surpassed me."
"I think so too."
"What?"
As Seo Moon Dan-cheon's eyes flared fiercely, Baek Moo-jin repeated firmly,
"I think he would have."
Baek Moo-jin answered as he pleased.
Seo Moon Dan-cheon's flushed face turned to Seo Moon-geuk as he said,
"Little brother, then if I defeat Baek Moo-jin—the young hero of the North Heaven Alliance today—I'll be stronger than the Iron Blood Gang Leader. I'll leave my mark and get my name in the Martial Prowess Record. What do you think, Baek Moo-jin?"
"Ah... Brother..."
Seo Moon Dan-cheon raised a hand with a stern expression, cutting off Seo Moon-geuk, and turned to Baek Moo-jin.
"I asked what you think."
"Very..."
Baek Moo-jin trailed off with a sigh, then tapped the table—tap, tap—with his finger. To Seo Moon-geuk's eyes, it looked like Baek Moo-jin was barely suppressing his anger.
Seo Moon Dan-cheon smiled and prodded,
"Very... what comes next? Go on."
At that, Baek Moo-jin smiled back and replied,
"Very arrogant words."
At those words, Seo Moon Dan-cheon's left hand trembled as if squeezing something invisible before rising, his index finger jabbing toward Baek Moo-jin.
"I..."
At that instant, Baek Moo-jin—whose finger had been tapping the table—channeled the Cold Moon Finger Technique, wrapping it in pure white frost, and slammed it down with a thud.
A crackling followed as pristine white chill spread from the point of contact.
The pure white frost first blanketed the cups and bottle, then with a dripping sound, sharp icicles poured down beneath the table.
Seo Moon Dan-cheon and Seo Moon-geuk had already startled backward.
Now, Baek Moo-jin sat alone at the table entirely encased in white frost, staring at Seo Moon Dan-cheon.
Baek Moo-jin echoed Seo Moon Dan-cheon's words back at him.
"I... what comes next? Go on."
But Seo Moon Dan-cheon merely swallowed hard, his eyes flicking between the now-pale table and Baek Moo-jin, unable to respond. Too shocked to speak, his chest heaved dramatically beneath his tightly shut mouth.
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