Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 56
>Chapter Title: Loyalty (1)
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A room with only a single candle lit.
A small-statured man who appeared to be in his early thirties sat cross-legged in front of the bed.
Lying on the bed was a tall, handsome man with bandages wrapped around his right eye and the side of his head. He was none other than Na Yul-ryang, the great disciple of the Heaven-Earth Society Leader.
Na Yul-ryang’s left eye, which had been closed as if he were dead, opened.
-Whoosh!
Na Yul-ryang turned his head and looked at the man sitting there with his legs crossed.
Noticing this, the man shook his head slowly and spoke.
“You really don’t look the part.”
“......”
Though he spoke in a thick voice, it oddly resembled the tone of a boy before puberty.
Na Yul-ryang stared fixedly at the man before opening his mouth.
“How long have I been like this?”
“Three days.”
“Three days?”
At those words, Na Yul-ryang snorted in disbelief.
After reaching adulthood, he had never suffered any particular injuries, let alone been unconscious for so long.
-Grind!
Everything from his fight with that bastard flashed through his mind.
All the way up to when the final poison clone had embraced him.
-Sting!
But why did his right eye hurt so much?
That wasn’t all.
There was pain in his right wrist and right ankle as well.
Puzzled by this, Na Yul-ryang received a tsk from the man.
“Your right eyeball is gone, and the bones in your right wrist and right ankle are crushed.”
“......”
Na Yul-ryang’s expression twisted at those words.
More than any other injury, the news about his missing right eyeball set his nerves on edge from head to toe.
*Not a feeling I particularly like.*
It was an emotion he was experiencing for the first time.
He had always gotten angry before, but it had ended as mere displeasure. This lingered far longer.
Was this what rage felt like?
As Na Yul-ryang revealed his anger, the man said,
“It’s a relief you’ve woken up. That lord of yours was throwing a fit about fighting the Islet Poison King, and I broke quite a sweat holding him back.”
“Islet Poison King?”
“Yes. Why on earth did you fight that dangerous old hag? Did you suddenly want to crush the Five Kings with sheer force?”
At the man’s words, one of Na Yul-ryang’s eyebrows shot up.
Yet the man showed no fear whatsoever as he continued.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“......”
No one else would dare speak so bluntly to the great young master Na Yul-ryang.
However, though Na Yul-ryang showed displeasure at the man’s words, he did not lash out directly.
Was it because he trusted the man that much?
At that moment, Na Yul-ryang stared fixedly at the man and spoke.
“Does everyone know I ended up like this?”
“No. Of course not. This isn’t a minor injury—if word got out, it would shake things up considerably even internally.”
They had blocked all information to keep it hidden from everyone.
At the man’s words, Na Yul-ryang let out a faint sigh and said,
“So only you, Mo-yak, and that old man know?”
“Yes. That one came barging in so recklessly; there was no helping it.”
The man shrugged with a weary expression.
Na Yul-ryang then asked,
“Did you tell him not to do anything reckless?”
“I told him that if he cared about you, he should hold off until you woke up.”
“......Well done.”
If his severe injuries had become public knowledge, it would have led to all sorts of awkward situations.
Mo-yak’s judgment had been correct.
The man called Mo-yak was Na Yul-ryang’s closest confidant among his subordinates.
No, he was the only one with whom Na Yul-ryang interacted without regard for status.
“What will you do?”
“Hm?”
“The eye can’t be helped, but even with restorative arts, it’ll take at least a month to heal those broken bones.”
“......”
“Can you hold out until you’re fully recovered?”
“Hold out? No.”
He could not.
Separate from his own injuries, if they didn’t deal with that bastard now, it was highly likely he’d become a major nuisance.
He had witnessed him attaining enlightenment right before his eyes and breaking through a wall.
The monster possessed talent equal to his own.
For now, he held the advantage, but leaving such a guy alone would only allow him to keep growing.
*I want to kill him myself.*
But that would be inefficient for the time being.
There was no need to act on emotion.
The bastard had received help from the Islet Poison King Baek Sa-ha anyway, so he wouldn’t complain if they mobilized them.
“Pass the word to the old man.”
“You’re going through with it after all.”
“I don’t have time to wait until I’m fully healed.”
At his words, Mo-yak shook his head as if he had expected as much and said,
“Of course you would. But before that, you should hear this first.”
“Hear this first? Unless it’s urgent...”
“It’ll feel urgent to you.”
“What is it?”
“The movements from Second Brother Jang Neung-ak’s side and the youngest lady Wi So-yeon’s side don’t look normal.”
Na Yul-ryang scoffed at that.
“Leave them be. Those guys aren’t important. More than that...”
“It seems like they’re joining hands.”
“......What?”
Na Yul-ryang frowned.
What was this about?
Jang Neung-ak and Wi So-yeon joining hands?
“No way.”
They were as good as sworn enemies.
Both Jang Neung-ak and Wi So-yeon were desperate to become the successor.
Why would those two suddenly join forces?
But it didn’t end there.
“I thought the same at first, but while you were lying here, young master, things got even more complicated.”
“More complicated?”
“Yes. Last night, all the executives supporting those two disciples gathered for a meeting. And it wasn’t just them.”
“Not just them, so someone else was there too?”
“The Islet Poison King and the Dark Clan Leader were there together.”
‘!?’
Na Yul-ryang’s expression hardened at those words.
Not only had the executives supporting Second Brother Jang Neung-ak and the youngest Wi So-yeon all met in one place, but the Islet Poison King and Dark Clan Leader had joined them too?
“......These bastards.”
Their support bases had each been at a level not worth checking individually up until now.
But if the Five Kings’ trio—Myeong Do King, Pa Bu King, Islet Poison King—joined forces with two of the Three Clan Leaders—the Dark Clan Leader and Water Clan Leader—along with two of the Four Valley Leaders—Cheo-eum Valley Leader and Yang-am Valley Leader—the situation changed.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say their combined power already slightly exceeded half the council.
‘How did they...?’
It was a situation he couldn’t comprehend.
These people all pursued different goals, so they weren’t the type to join hands like those two disciples.
Yet they were suddenly teaming up?
This was...
“It looks like they’ve set their minds on properly challenging you, young master.”
“......Properly challenging me?”
“Yes. There’s no other way they could exploit your severe injury in this situation so cleverly.”
“......”
“That damned Islet Poison King old hag wouldn’t stir up something like this just to prepare for what happens when you wake up. That doesn’t make sense.”
‘!?’
The moment he heard those words, something flashed through Na Yul-ryang’s mind.
It was none other than Mok Kyung-un’s face.
‘Ha?’
Come to think of it, that Mok Kyung-un bastard had become the Islet Poison King Baek Sa-ha’s disciple too.
If he was a joint disciple of both the Dark Clan Leader and Islet Poison King, he could move those two at once.
Now the picture was starting to fit.
He didn’t know how he had persuaded those oil-and-water disciples, but they hadn’t created this board.
“Mok Kyung-un.”
“Yes?”
“That Mok Kyung-un bastard set this up.”
“......What are you saying right now? Mok Kyung-un—the new disciple the Dark Clan Leader took in, the hostage from the orthodox faction?”
“Yes. He did it.”
Mo-yak spoke in a tone of disbelief at Na Yul-ryang’s confident words.
“Young master... even so, isn’t that too far-fetched? That kid’s only been the Dark Clan Leader’s disciple for a little over half a month. What could a brat like that possibly do...”
“That brat did this to me.”
“A brat like that did this to you... Yes? What did you just say?”
“I said that bastard did this to me.”
‘!!!!!!!!’
Mo-yak stared at Na Yul-ryang with eyes wide as saucers in shock.
What was this about?
This severe injury wasn’t inflicted by the Islet Poison King?
“......Impossible. Even if he topped the Blood Point Valley trial, he’s only captain level at best. How could a kid like that...”
“He broke through the wall during our fight.”
“The wall?”
Mo-yak was dumbfounded.
For a moment, he doubted his own ears.
That orthodox faction hostage kid was barely seventeen.
“The wall? No way. Breaking through the wall means...”
“He reached the Flower Realm.”
Mo-yak stared piercingly at Na Yul-ryang.
It absolutely wasn’t a joke.
No, Na Yul-ryang didn’t joke in the first place.
There was no way words from his mouth could be lies.
Mo-yak shook his head wearily and said,
“If that’s true, his growth speed is utterly ridiculous. Breaking through the wall mid-fight? This is really...”
He couldn’t finish his sentence, but his intended meaning was clear.
A monster.
He had surpassed the limits of an ordinary human.
The only beings Mo-yak considered as such were his lord, Great Young Master Na Yul-ryang, and that guy called the strongest among the Five Tigers.
And now another monster had appeared? It was straight out of a legend.
Still dumbfounded, Mo-yak finally spoke.
“Are you really certain that this Mok Kyung-un is the one who orchestrated all this?”
“......”
Though he gave no answer, Na Yul-ryang was convinced.
That bastard was his own kind.
This wasn’t a scheme that could come from the heads of those two disciples or stubborn old men like the Islet Poison King.
It was a move to check—no, to confront—him.
‘You, who aren’t even my fellow disciples, dare challenge me to a proper fight?’
What a gutsy bastard.
“Ha...”
“Young master?”
“Heh... hahaha... hahahahahahaha!”
Suddenly, Na Yul-ryang, who had been scowling, burst into mad laughter.
Mo-yak couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the sight.
If what Na Yul-ryang said was true, this was an extremely serious matter.
So why was he laughing like this?
He had rarely ever seen him laugh like this before—it felt like ages since he last bared his teeth in a grin.
After laughing for a long while, Na Yul-ryang stopped.
Then,
“Not bad at all.”
“......What isn’t?”
-Roarrrrr!
At that instant, an immense aura and murderous intent emanated from Na Yul-ryang’s entire body.
“There’s value in killing him now.”
Finally, a prey worth hunting had appeared.
Na Yul-ryang felt genuine competitive spirit for the first time.
An enemy worth staking everything to crush had emerged from within.
This exhilaration was something he hadn’t felt since that day.
Na Yul-ryang looked at Mo-yak and said,
“From now on, I’ll enter the Nine Palaces Seclusion Chamber to recover and reawaken my senses.”
“Yes? The Nine Palaces Seclusion Chamber?”
Mo-yak couldn’t hide his inner surprise.
Recovery was a given, but entering the Nine Palaces Seclusion Chamber meant he intended to train in some way.
“It won’t take long. Mo-yak, in the meantime, sway all the remaining executives claiming neutrality.”
At those words, Mo-yak’s eyes gleamed.
He had worried that the severe injury might sap his lord’s will.
But at this rate, there was no need to worry.
If anything, that Mok Kyung-un bastard had made a mistake.
Na Yul-ryang had already deemed his fellow disciples no longer rivals, so he hadn’t expanded his forces or checked them further.
But now his lord recognized Mok Kyung-un as prey—and an enemy.
For that bastard, this was nothing short of disastrous news.
* * *
Meanwhile, at around the same time.
In a deep forest near Changning in Hubei Province.
Mok Kyung-un, Main Branch Third Escort Captain Seop Chun, and Mong Mu-yak—son of the Vice Leader—had pushed north with lightness skills for three straight days without proper rest to reach the rendezvous point on time. They decided to camp here for the first time and conserve their strength.
Having assigned roles, they separated for a while.
The surroundings were damp from recent rain, so Mong Mu-yak went deeper into the mountains to gather dry kindling. Mok Kyung-un went hunting for food, and Seop Chun prepared the campsite while setting traps around for any contingencies.
-Crack!
Mok Kyung-un grabbed a rabbit’s neck and twisted it.
For Mok Kyung-un, who had lived in the mountains for so long, nighttime hunting was no great feat.
He already held two rabbits he had caught earlier in his left hand.
-This should be enough, right?
-Yeah. Rabbit meat... It’s been ages since I’ve had any.
At Cheong-ryeong’s words, Mok Kyung-un replied,
-Really? Then I’ll knock one out, and you can possess it for a bit to eat?
-Ho. Shall I?
She had been feeling cooped up inside the wooden doll for too long.
Just like back at Timber Sword Manor, she wanted to possess someone and enjoy a meal for once.
With that, Mok Kyung-un returned to the designated campsite.
Seop Chun seemed experienced too, as he had tidied up the area nicely.
-Perfect, he’s not back yet.
Mong Mu-yak was still gathering kindling, it seemed.
With the trees wet, finding dry branches wouldn’t be easy.
However,
-......Why is that guy staring at me like he’s got some heavy burden?
At Cheong-ryeong’s words, Mok Kyung-un tilted his head.
The moment Mok Kyung-un appeared, Seop Chun had fixed him with a stare, wearing an suspiciously anxious expression.
-Hm.
It didn’t seem like hunger.
If he were hungry, he’d be eyeing the rabbits Mok Kyung-un had brought back.
-You know he’s been sneaking glances at you the whole three days, right?
-Roughly, yeah.
It would be weirder not to notice such stares.
He had been on guard somewhat, wondering if it was some secret order from the Leader or Vice Leader.
It was right then.
Seop Chun looked around and abruptly stood up, approaching Mok Kyung-un.
Whatever it was,
-Whoosh!
Mok Kyung-un formed a sword gesture with his index and middle fingers.
If he tried anything foolish, it was better to handle it preemptively.
However,
“Mok Kyung-un.”
“What is it?”
At Mok Kyung-un’s question, Seop Chun came within five paces, scratched his head awkwardly, and said,
“I’m not good at this sort of thing, so it feels awkward...”
“Aware of awkwardness?”
“Yeah. It’s just... saying this first to a kid even younger than me and all.”
“......What are you trying to say?”
“Sheesh. Don’t be so impatient. I said it’s embarrassing.”
“......”
What was with this behavior?
As Mok Kyung-un puzzled over it, Seop Chun cleared his throat toward him and said,
“Ahem. If you become the Leader’s disciple, wouldn’t you need a loyal right-hand man?”
‘!?’