Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: VIP Guest and Illegitimate Son 3
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As Seo Moon Dan-cheon said nothing, a tense silence settled over the grand hall for a moment. Baek Moo-jin glared at him, waiting for his words.
But unless Seo Moon Dan-cheon was a fool, there was no way he'd speak carelessly to Baek Moo-jin. That silence itself felt like a profound humiliation. Rage boiled inside him, yet his body remained rigid.
In that not-so-long stretch of time, Seo Moon Dan-cheon wrestled endlessly with his thoughts. Considering his pride as the young patriarch of the Seo Moon Family, charging at Baek Moo-jin would have been the right move. But to preserve his own life, holding back was the wiser choice.
Baek Moo-jin's fingers had already unnerved him in a strange way.
He had clearly seen the cold energy swirling around them.
Yet to freeze the entire table solid with what seemed like a casual finger technique—that was something Seo Moon Dan-cheon hadn't anticipated.
Moreover, the white icicles stretching beneath the table revealed that Baek Moo-jin's internal energy had surpassed the ordinary, reaching a realm far beyond Seo Moon Dan-cheon's grasp.
At that moment, with a creak, the doors to the grand hall swung open. An Execution Hall member strode in and unfurled a decree to either side, as if proclaiming the Alliance Leader's command. It was a perfectly timed interruption that shattered the silence.
Having roamed various parts of the North Heaven Alliance, the Execution Hall member hadn't fully surveyed the hall's atmosphere before diving straight into the matter.
"I bring the words of the Alliance Leader."
At this, the maids who had been waiting tensely at the back of the hall rushed forward in a clamor. Only then did the Execution Hall member notice the table blanketed in pure white frost and the Seo Moon Family brothers standing there with rigidly tense expressions.
'Hmm? What happened here?'
But delivering the Alliance Leader's message took priority. Clearing his throat, the Execution Hall member addressed the gathered crowd.
"This is the Alliance Leader's decree. First Grade Warrior Baek Moo-jin has slain the Iron Blood Gang Leader and pursued and executed the Nine Heavens Alliance Chairman, earning great merit. Accordingly, the Alliance Leader shall treat First Grade Warrior Baek Moo-jin not as an Alliance member, but as the patriarch of our allied faction, the Snow Mountain Baek Family, and honor him as a distinguished VIP guest of the North Heaven Alliance. Henceforth, all North Heaven Alliance members must show utmost respect and courtesy to Patriarch Baek Moo-jin, the Alliance's honored VIP guest. That is all."
The Execution Hall member swallowed unnecessarily, then offered a formal fist salute toward Baek Moo-jin, who sat alone at the table.
"With that, Patriarch Baek, I take my leave."
As he turned to go, he paused awkwardly and also paid respects to Seo Moon Dan-cheon standing in the hall.
"Please rest well, Young Patriarch Seo Moon."
But with the atmosphere utterly frozen, no one returned the courtesy. The quick-witted Execution Hall member hastily shut the doors behind him.
With a thud, he tilted his head quizzically as he withdrew, and the maids, who had politely received the Alliance Leader's decree, bowed their heads once more and scurried out with hurried steps.
It was truly exquisite timing.
2.
Seo Moon-geuk glanced at the still-silent Seo Moon Dan-cheon, swallowed once, and attempted to mediate. But Baek Moo-jin's demeanor was so unlike his usual self that even Seo Moon-geuk had to tread carefully. Above all, he knew all too well the state of mind Baek Moo-jin was in, having often felt his own anger flare up during conversations with Seo Moon Dan-cheon.
"Brother Baek—no, I suppose it's Patriarch Baek now. Congratulations. You've more than earned it."
Baek Moo-jin made no reply.
"......"
Seo Moon-geuk realized he was the only one who could possibly calm Baek Moo-jin down. He wet his dry lips and clapped his hands loudly.
"Come now, Brother Patriarch Baek, let's put the anger aside."
Where in the world had anyone ever heard "Brother Patriarch Baek" before? Still, Seo Moon-geuk racked his brains to thaw the mood.
The hollow sound of applause echoed emptily through the grand hall once more.
Clap......!
"Come on, brother, take a breath and calm down."
Clap clap......!
"The table's a bit chilly now, but we can just move to another spot. Plenty of tables around. Right? Let's grab a drink together to celebrate our new VIP guest Patriarch Baek..."
Suddenly, Baek Moo-jin rose from his seat.
Startled, Seo Moon Dan-cheon instinctively staggered back, tripping over his chair and toppling backward.
But a master like Seo Moon Dan-cheon wouldn't just fall flat. In the midst of stumbling over the chair, he swiftly twisted his body mid-air, tapped the ground with his right hand, leaped upward, spun several times, and landed gracefully.
It was a maneuver to avoid falling, but it was utterly flashy and unnecessary.
Baek Moo-jin and Seo Moon-geuk watched as Seo Moon Dan-cheon landed in the center of the grand hall after his aerial flip. Despite his foul mood, Seo Moon-geuk barely suppressed a burst of laughter. He had to bite back curses instead.
'Damn it...... I can't laugh.'
Seo Moon Dan-cheon's face flushed beet red, not from drink but from sheer embarrassment. Baek Moo-jin looked at Seo Moon-geuk, who was desperately holding back laughter while facing him, and finally let his anger subside.
Baek Moo-jin spoke flatly to the speechless Seo Moon Dan-cheon.
"Young Patriarch, set aside differences in martial prowess, family status, or age—observe basic courtesy. You looked down on me thinking I was weaker, dismissed me because you'd never heard of my family, and belittled me for my youth. Isn't that right?"
"......"
"I already knew I was stronger than you. I knew my family's honor rivaled the Seo Moon Family's. And though I'm a patriarch myself, out of respect for my sworn brother, I treated you with deference as his elder brother."
"......"
Neither Seo Moon Dan-cheon nor Seo Moon-geuk could utter a word.
Baek Moo-jin concluded.
"This is my limit. If you cross the line again, the entire Seo Moon Family will have to face me. I certainly won't spare you your misfortune. Do you understand my meaning?"
Seo Moon Dan-cheon's face twitched at Baek Moo-jin's words. Seo Moon-geuk cautiously took Baek Moo-jin's side.
"Brother, Patriarch Baek is right..."
Only after hearing his younger brother's voice did Seo Moon Dan-cheon snap back to his senses. He raised a hand to silence Seo Moon-geuk and replied to Baek Moo-jin in a subdued tone.
"I apologize, Patriarch Baek."
It was a meager apology, but to Seo Moon-geuk, it was truly astonishing.
Even as Baek Moo-jin silently departed the grand hall, Seo Moon Dan-cheon stood frozen in place, unable to say another word.
Seo Moon-geuk broke the silence by righting the toppled chair and sitting before the frozen table. He tapped the iced-over liquor bottle with a finger, producing a clear, ringing sound. It revealed not just frost-covered chill, but a solidly frozen block.
Even in this moment, Seo Moon-geuk was gauging Baek Moo-jin's martial prowess from every angle.
'Just how strong is he? Or did something happen while I wasn't looking that made him even stronger?'
Then, with a creak, Seo Moon-geuk turned to see Seo Moon Dan-cheon opening the doors and leaving.
As Seo Moon Dan-cheon vanished wordlessly, Seo Moon-geuk let out a deep sigh alone in the hall. Suddenly, he drew an iron rod from his waist and sliced off the top of the frozen liquor bottle.
He seized the bottle and tilted it back to drink. But the liquid inside had frozen solid too, mocking him as only a few drops plinked out.
The shock of Baek Moo-jin's martial arts wasn't limited to Seo Moon Dan-cheon.
It was a massive blow and stimulus to Seo Moon-geuk as well.
Seo Moon-geuk could be sly and mischievous around others, but when alone like this, he often sank into deep melancholy.
His emotions were a tangled mess.
He despised Seo Moon Dan-cheon.
He envied Baek Moo-jin's prowess.
Above all, he found his own situation ridiculous.
Staring at the table encased in white ice, Seo Moon-geuk thought.
'My brother and I—we're both pathetic in our own ways.'
Today more than ever, being the illegitimate son of the Seo Moon Family Patriarch grated on him like never before.
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