Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Why Should I? (1)
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Namgung Clan wasted no time at dawn, rewarding the entrants who had placed in the top eight and sending them off promptly. The participants from the Five Great Clans couldn't shake their lingering unease, even with the generous prizes.
Before departing Hefei, the Hwangbo, Sacheon Tang, Zhuge, and Hebei Peng Clans gathered for a meeting. Things had taken a strange turn since yesterday, so they decided to discuss it briefly.
Tang Baekgi spoke first.
"It looks like something did blow up."
"We saw the Sword Tyrant, but I'm deeply concerned that something might have happened to him."
The Zhuge forces voiced their worries in perfect unison, like clockwork. Despite the humiliation at the Little Dragon Tournament, the Zhuge Clan's sharpness remained undiminished. On one hand, they fretted over the Sword Emperor; on the other, they probed for opinions on weighing the practical gains.
'Heh, these folks.'
Hwangbo Jangseong clicked his tongue at their ulterior motives, hoping the Namgung Clan would falter. He knew their feelings toward his own clan well enough, but profiting from others' misfortune wasn't righteous conduct. As a clan upholding justice, he ought to rebuke them.
'I'm just as helpless a man.'
Yet he held his tongue, fully aware of their intentions. If he alone harbored different thoughts in this gathering, he'd be no different from an enemy to them. Righteousness mattered, but he couldn't betray his clan.
"The Sword Emperor is one of the Ten Supremes of the Divine Continent. He'll surely appear unscathed before long."
"Indeed."
There might be a difference between the Sword Emperor at full strength and otherwise, but they wouldn't underestimate the Namgung Clan's power. They would simply adjust their approach to the situation.
'You live life so carefree.'
Unlike himself, locked in this invisible war of nerves and emotional drain, Mujin acted purely on whim. He envied that freedom from worldly constraints.
'Or maybe he just doesn't think at all.'
Truth be told, he still couldn't tell which it was. The more they talked, the less he could guess what went on in Mujin's head.
For Hwangbo Jangseong, the bitter reality of having to align with them without showing his hand weighed heavily.
"Still, the Pine Tiger Sect's rise is surprising."
"That little sect must have some real talent."
The Pine Tiger Sect's strong showing was a thorn in their side.
Far from capping off the Little Dragon Tournament in glory, they'd been stymied by the Pine Tiger Sect. Though they'd all tasted defeat, they couched their praise in roundabout terms. Deep down, they itched to erase the sting of loss.
"Luck played a part, I'd say."
"True, they couldn't have won without it."
"We can't get arrogant thinking it's all skill."
Hwangbo Jangseong found their words hollow. If they knew that man's true nature, they wouldn't speak so lightly.
'Ignorance might be bliss.'
No point in enlightening them anyway.
"How's it feel?"
"Up about half a jia."
"The effects are crystal clear. No sense of shame at all."
"Drug efficacy should be honest."
As the saying goes, spirit pills go to the first taker. Vow to consume them later in a safe spot, and they'll slip away the moment you turn your back.
Spirit pills or elixirs must be ingested as swiftly as possible to avoid such mishaps.
Oddly, whenever one lands in my hands, patients sprout up around me. They don't need that specific remedy, but they won't let go of the elixir I'm holding.
Becoming a true hero is tough, but any warrior with a shred of justice can't ignore the afflicted. Bluntly put, you can't pretend not to see them and then gloat about your boosted inner energy right in front of them.
The moment Mujin received the Heaven-Soaring Pill, he returned to the inn and had his son take it. He sealed off the surroundings for any contingencies and infused his energy to smooth the boy's qi circulation.
Though classified as a high-grade spirit pill that boosts half a jia of cultivation, fully absorbing its power was rare. Half a jia was the maximum for those who sucked it dry. For a novice without experience, it was just a beneficial tonic.
In truth, the Heaven-Soaring Pill yielded twenty to twenty-five years of cultivation. Pulling thirty meant he'd scraped every last drop, dregs and all. A true max extraction.
"When will our boy hit three jia?"
"Three Jia isn't some kid's name."
"This father has a thousand years of power."
"I get it already!"
Mujin stripped away the residues clinging to his son's body and incinerated them cleanly with Samadhi True Fire. He still had to clear the foreign matter from his clothes to kill any lingering scent.
"Hungry? Let's eat."
"I'll wash up and come down."
Mujin descended to the inn's second floor and ordered a simple meal.
Cheolho sat at the table with a sulky pout. His naturally fierce, killer-like features looked ridiculous twisted further.
"What's with the face now?"
"It's nothing."
"Nothing? You're scaring off customers—they come in, see you, and bolt. That's technically business interference."
"Isn't that going too far?"
"What did I do?"
"You only favor Taejin."
"Of course. He's my son."
If you're jealous, you should've been born my son... Nah, even that face would be too much for a father to handle. Parents are wired to favor their own kids. No matter how ugly or rotten, the arm bends inward.
History proves it. Even if their child was a dog, rulers executed the loyal advisors who warned them first. No matter how neutral they pretended, unless they were stark raving mad, they protected their own. That's the terror of blood ties.
"Feeling hard done by?"
"Wouldn't you be?"
"Wanna quit then?"
"Never!"
"Not bad."
The world is rife with injustice. True equality has never existed. Everyone dreams of an era where all live with dignity, but it's just an ideal. A perfect world won't come in a thousand years or the next. Why? Humans divide into hierarchies. No one wants others to have more than them.
If great souls truly celebrated others' happiness, wars never would have started.
"Still, my son comes first. You're next."
Cheolho brightened at the praise, only to furrow his brow again. Mujin smacked him for it. And his excuse? Never frown—take it with a smile.
Taejin finished bathing, donned fresh robes, and joined them at the table. He could guess the exchange from Cheolho's blazing glare.
"I won't lose to you."
"Sure, sure. As if."
"Mocking me? Duel!"
"Not now."
Taejin's cultivation had surged by thirty years. The wider the gap, the more Cheolho's jealousy exploded, fueling his own growth. Iron-Blood Lion Art was undeniably cheat-level.
Its creator was probably a massive inferiority complex incarnate. Explains the technique.
"Say what you will— you're still my son's worthy rival. No need to feel down."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"I'll surpass him soon."
"Hope's a good thing."
Mujin wielded the whip harshly but dangled the carrot sparingly—like beans in drought—to temper Cheolho. Past forty, yet his heart was softer than expected. Childlike innocence at that age was poignant.
After a light meal, as they packed to leave, someone was waiting.
"What's up?"
"What's up? Is that what you say now?"
Namgung Yeonhwa gaped in disbelief.
She knew his thinking was quirky from repeated encounters, but she never imagined he'd just grab the rewards and ghost. At this point, he was straight-up insane.
After yesterday's chaos, any normal person would check back for details. Ask how the aftermath was handled. That's what most folks would think. Am I the weird one?
"What did I do?"
"Not curious?"
"Nope."
"Why?"
"Should I be?"
"Obviously."
"I trusted you'd handle it fine."
His nonchalant attitude—like it wasn't his problem—stirred a deep-seated fury in Namgung Yeonhwa from the depths of her soul. For an incident like that, at least ask if everyone's okay. Especially since he'd predicted the signs.
"Ah, the Sword Emperor's fine, right?"
"Not like you're kowtowing."
His casual belated realization made her sigh. Hard to grill him now. Recalling yesterday's epic scene still made her knees weak. Could this guy really have beaten and beaten Grandpa... (Damn.) She doubted it.
How could someone so utterly carefree and thoughtless be monstrously strong?!
With other clans watching, she couldn't invite him that morning, but she'd expected him. For him to slip away without a word felt like betrayal.
"After all our time together, this is too much."
"Don't talk weird—my wife might hear."
Namgung Yeonhwa genuinely wondered about this man's brain structure. She wanted to crack it open, but feared the hasty fist.
"Uncle's dead."
"Got it."
"Not shocked?"
"The restriction triggered."
"How'd you know?"
"Guys using weird tricks? That's standard. You didn't think they helped for no reason, did you?"
Evil sorcery from unorthodox gates defied normal qi flow. Martial arts or sorcery—both defied heaven's logic, so human perspectives didn't apply. To grasp their strategy, think like them.
"Help me."
"Why should I?"
His unexpected retort left her speechless.
Normally, a plea warrants consideration, but he shut it down flat. Sounding so detached made her feel slighted.
After all those beatings, he owed her. So many hits! She'd even taken them well.
"Really gonna do this?"
"What did I do wrong? Warned you trouble might brew, subdued the rampaging Sword Emperor. What more?"
"Still."
His consistent recounting left no room for rebuttal, grudge aside.
Namgung Yeonhwa wasn't clueless.
Without Mujin, it would've been the Namgung Clan's darkest, indelible day in history. Facts crushed any counterargument.
"People should have shame—give and take. How do you ask for help empty-handed?"
"What do you want?"
"Settle yesterday first. Strictly money. Nothing else. Jewels or notes accepted."
"...?"
Not a loan shark, but the king of philistines. Martial arts or influence she'd understand. A warrior obsessed with cash?
But knowing his materialistic streak, it wasn't surprising.
"Money's enough?"
"Want to hand over a technique? Sadly, no need. As you know, I'm invincible under heaven."
"...!"
Relief mixed with boiling irritation she couldn't hide. Literally, Namgung techniques were worthless to him.
And he called himself invincible under heaven. Shamelessly. To think such absurd rumors stuck to this guy.
Treating the Namgung Clan like roadside pebbles, when sects lined up with treasures to ally.
"Know how many clans beg to ally with us?"
"Yeah, go ally with 'em."
She never imagined such childish banter. Hurt, she spat it out and regretted, but Mujin's oblivious comeback fueled her rage.
He was blatantly saying he wanted no ties.
'What does he take our clan for?!'
Father had warned of ulterior motives, but this man didn't even consider the Namgung Clan. She'd worried needlessly.
"How much?"
"Gotta say it? I trust the Namgung Clan's generosity fully."
Trust my ass!
Quote a fair price. She swallowed her rising fury. Pride aside, priorities mattered. Grandpa's life hung in the balance. Money was secondary if reasonable.
"Can you treat him?"
"No guarantees."
"What if not?"
"You know."
Unresolved restrictions kill or idiotize. The Sword Emperor endured; a normal man would've shattered.
She saw faint hope, but no promises it'd go smoothly.
Even if confident, Mujin wouldn't claim certainty. Variables happen; he refused the blame. The Namgung Clan bore full responsibility.
"Not saying it to dodge responsibility."
"Sharp. Correct."
He didn't deny it.
Namgung Yeonhwa itched to smash that glib mouth. No choice but to clutch this straw.
"Fine, let's go."
"Answer first."
"What now?"
"No grilling from your father or elders. Any funny business, I'm out."
"Do as you say?"
"Don't like it? Forget it."
Your loss or the Sword Emperor's.
Mujin was content crushing the Demonic Cult's plot and preventing clan discord. The Namgung weren't essential against the Demon God Cult later. Harmony was enough.
"You're such bad luck!"
"Mind your tongue, miss."
As Mujin clenched his fist, Namgung Yeonhwa flinched. Lecturing her like a maiden while acting like a thug.
"...Gonna hit me?"
"Naturally."
What's natural about it?!
Who boasts of beating a woman in broad daylight?! This guy treated it casually.
Philistine to the core, he ignored face or reputation. An extreme strength and flaw.