Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: One Win, One Loss (1)
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Mujin unpacked his luggage at the Daeha Inn near the Nangong Family.
He planned to eat, sleep, play, and rest up fully before visiting the Nangong Family tomorrow. Registering for the tournament had been straightforward. Invitations had been sent directly to the young dragons participating in the Little Dragon Tournament.
The area around the Nangong Family was swarming with people, making it hard to secure a room at an inn, but the Hwangbo Family's influence had smoothed the way. Once Hwangbo Se-ryeong revealed her identity, everything fell into place. The backing of one of the Five Great Families was not to be underestimated. That was why everyone scrambled so desperately for fame and prestige.
He sat at a table on the inn's second floor. He didn't usually like eating in the dining hall, but the room setup made it inconvenient to dine there.
"What cold dishes do you have?"
"It depends on your taste. If you prefer sour and sweet, go for the sweet-and-sour cucumber. For spicy and salty, the spicy radish cucumber."
"Sweet-and-sour cucumber, braised beef, palace-style preserved eggs, mapo tofu, and knife-cut noodles to start. Father, how about the Gyeongjeong Princess baijiu?"
"Our Se-ryeong knows her liquor."
Mujin froze for a split second at Hwangbo Se-ryeong's bold admission, but as her prospective father-in-law, he supported his future daughter-in-law's affections.
Don't get the wrong idea.
He hereby declared to heaven and earth that he was not bewitched by the Gyeongjeong Princess. If anyone wanted to deny it, they could try withstanding ten strikes from the War King.
-Changed your mind again already? You're not the War King; you're thin-eared!
'You've got to shed preconceptions to grow.'
The Daeha Inn had ties to the Hwangbo Family. Its owner, Yi Hang-seong, had received a favor from them over thirty years ago and had maintained the connection ever since. Perhaps that was why they had reserved him the prime window seat on the second floor with the best view.
"When is Great Hero Hwangbo Jangseong arriving?"
"He said tomorrow at the Nangong Family. We should be able to meet before the tournament. Have a drink first."
"I'll have to greet him properly later. He might become family, after all. Ahh, this is good."
The Gyeongjeong Princess was a clear, transparent baijiu with a rich flavor and aroma, finishing clean. But its high proof meant gulping it down for the taste could lead to family disgrace in no time.
'It's the price, not the taste.'
Expensive liquor tastes good, period. Deny it if you want. Reality doesn't play nice. Think about why. Rarely is expensive liquor bad, but cheap stuff is bad more often than not. It's just value for money.
'Cost-performance matters regardless of time or place.'
-You're a real thief.
When I buy, it's cost-performance. When others buy, it's extravagance.
That was Mujin's life philosophy.
Someone might say, why not just drink the cheap stuff then? But Mujin knew his limits. He recommended cheap and tasty options.
And drank the expensive, tasty ones himself.
"The family made sure news of the So Ho Chae subjugation didn't spread. I hope that's not inconvenient for you?"
"With the Beggars' Sect and Hao Clan sniffing around, it'll leak eventually. No need to worry about such trifles."
The Daeha Inn was pretty good.
The booze was top-notch. It brought out flavors he'd never tasted before. Only those who could discern such subtleties truly knew their liquor.
"Father, you participated in the Little Dragon Tournament too, right?"
"Once, yes."
Taejin had sensed from his sect that no one liked talking about his father's tournament days. Nobody revisited those events. Knowing his father's strength, it was hard to understand honestly. The rumors of him being a wastrel—maybe a disguise to hide his true self? It was odd, but possible.
Hwangbo Se-ryeong and Cheol-ho perked up their ears too.
This was a rare chance to hear about this monster's past.
"How was it?"
"How was it? I got knocked out right away."
At Mujin's confession, Hwangbo Se-ryeong and Cheol-ho shook their heads. Even before his lucky break, was the skill gap that wide? It seemed like he was dodging because it was embarrassing.
'When you can't remember, it's best not to.'
With Mujin's skills back then, advancing in the Little Dragon Tournament was impossible even in his dreams. The family had pulled strings to send him as Cheongyang's representative. Truth be told, with few talents, he'd barely gotten the spot. But he dropped out spectacularly right away. His father and elders hadn't expected much, so no big disappointment.
'Muho shed blood because of me.'
Maybe that was why.
Mujin hadn't wanted to come to the Little Dragon Tournament. His son insisted, and his father pushed, so here he was.
-What a punk.
'That punk killed me!'
If you asked which family was renowned across the continent for its intellect, nine out of ten would say the Zhuge Family. It was an undeniable historical fact. With the Divine Strategists, known as gods of tactics, gathered as a clan, it was only natural.
Bloodline.
Can you completely ignore blood? Sometimes an unpredictable variable drops from the sky and creates a prodigy. But escaping bloodline's chains is hard.
"See the parents in the child," "a tiger under a great father"—why do you think sayings like that exist?
The Zhuge Family had long dominated the Murim Alliance's strategy division, producing grand strategists generation after generation. They faithfully played their role in every crisis.
The Zhuge Family, called the strategists' lineage.
None could match their intellect, they said. Satisfied with that? Far from it. They were a proper murim family too.
Mistake their martial prowess for weakness just because they were strategists, and you'd be dead wrong. Specialized in mechanisms, formations, and military strategy, they still possessed the might to rank among famed houses in pure martial arts.
Yet the Zhuge Family always thirsted for power. Their minds were rated number one in the world, but their strength never escaped the bottom of the Five Great Families.
The Twenty-One Supremes of the Divine Continent.
Producing one among twenty-one superhumans. The Zhuge Family didn't aim for the absolute top. They just needed a peerless master on that level.
The Zhuge Family needed to prove they weren't inferior to other famed houses in raw power, not just brains.
The Little Dragon Tournament hosted by the Nangong Family was part of that effort.
Representing the Zhuge Family, Hyun-ak Sword Zhuge Gun—brother of current head Zhuge Hyun—had brought Zhuge Min and Zhuge Muk to participate.
Zhuge Min, youngest son of the current head, was called Heavenly Mechanism Divine Sword for weaving heaven's mechanisms into his blade. Though he had two older brothers, his talent drew the clan's highest hopes. Zhuge Muk, same age as Min, faced entirely different expectations.
"Don't worry. Anyone but Min is no match for me."
"Tsk, overconfidence breeds mistakes. Always give your all. Don't think those who trip on rocks in the jianghu due to carelessness are beneath you."
Zhuge Gun emerged from the Nangong Family's guest quarters and stopped at an inn with his sons. The clan compared him to Min, but purely in swordsmanship, he wasn't far behind. His arrogance was understandable.
But underestimating the Five Great Families' later-generation disciples at the Little Dragon Tournament was dangerous. At least, he couldn't drop out before facing them.
"The seats?"
"We reserved one on the second floor, but with the crowds, the window's taken."
"So you can't give us the window?"
As his son bristled at the innkeeper's attitude, Zhuge Gun stopped him. In Yicheong, he'd indulge the complaint. But this was Nangong territory. Stirring trouble and becoming gossip wasn't wise.
"Lead the way."
"This way, please."
The innkeeper treated father and son cautiously.
Just their martial robes marked them as Zhuge Family. Warriors lived by pride. Especially now, when desired treatment was hard to provide, caution was key. A small slight could ruin an inn.
Up on the second floor, the father and son scanned the room. Eyes turned their way. Wearing the Zhuge Family's signature blue robes so prominently, it was expected.
Hmph!
To Zhuge Muk, backed by the Zhuge name, they all looked insignificant. Mere riffraff. Amid them, one group caught his eye. More precisely, a girl drew his gaze. Age didn't matter; men always noted beauties.
That's why they said you don't eat with beauties at inns.
Unless you're a peerless master.
"Hwangbo Family's child."
"Hwangbo Se-ryeong, the Hwangbo beauty."
The Zhuge intelligence might seem lacking compared to Beggars' Sect or Hao Clan, but in truth, the gap was small. Profiling each clan's figures was basic for them. In murim life, information was paramount.
"Who are they?"
"Doesn't ring a bell."
Zhuge Gun read his son's intent. He wasn't asking out of curiosity. Just needed an excuse.
"Ah, then I'll find out starting now."
"Don't be reckless."
Zhuge Gun and Zhuge Muk approached Hwangbo Se-ryeong and her group at the window.
'No drama, no inn.'
Mujin didn't like the two's attention but wouldn't make a fuss while eating for free. A real person remembers kindness received. Especially causing a scene in someone else's place based on mood was the act of a mannerless thug.
'Just here to greet.'
-You think?
'Quit snarking.'
-Wanna bet?
'This is delicious.'
Mujin changed the subject.
He never courted ankle-biters from the start. Life taught him boasts don't work. Mishaps could happen anytime, so caution in all things.
Hwangbo Se-ryeong stood to give Zhuge Gun the respect he sought. Famed houses bred natural self-assurance. Ignoring them meant insult in their eyes.
"Greetings, Great Hero Zhuge Gun."
"Over ten years, and you haven't forgotten. Mind if we join since we're here?"
Hwangbo Se-ryeong hesitated briefly, and Zhuge Gun caught it. She wasn't the table's host. Then the oldest here?
"He's sixteen, Great Hero Zhuge Gun."
Ahem!
Zhuge Gun had only glanced at Cheol-ho unconsciously, but Mujin helpfully pointed it out. The kid looked forty, but his heart was that of a spry sixteen-year-old.
Tsk tsk tsk!
Adults hurting kids' feelings.
The meddling sister-in-law, Mujin.
Grrrr!
Better to say nothing!
He'd turned Cheol-ho's insides upside down.
Said late, but his master always called him manly-looking. Also told him not to wander at night.
"And you?"
"Kang Mujin of the Pine Tiger Sect in Cheongyang County."
Mujin hadn't named it expecting recognition. Few on the continent knew the Pine Tiger Sect. The response would naturally be a question. Then a brief explanation sufficed.
"I remember."
"You do?"
"Unforgettable memory."
"I see."