Chapter 35
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: I Am the Divine Sword's Disciple (2)
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‘Hah. These country bumpkins. To think I treated them with some respect because they’re family.’
Jegal Eun-hye’s head throbbed at the sight of these bumpkins acting so brazenly, as if they owned the place.
If Tang Jin-seong, the young master of the Tang Clan, hadn't been with them, she would have turned them away at the gate or stuck them in some other guest quarters.
But she couldn't afford to mistreat Tang Jin-seong, whom she hadn't seen in five years.
Completely oblivious to this, Jin Je-yong and his junior brother Jeok-sam were running wild.
“Do you have any idea where you are, acting so recklessly?”
“The Jegal Clan’s estate.”
Jin Je-yong answered nonchalantly.
“The rising generation of the Five Great Clans are gathered here. Do you understand the consequences of drawing your sword?”
“I do.”
Jin Je-yong replied as if Jegal Eun-hye's veiled threat meant nothing to him.
Watching from the side, Lee Geum-yeong clutched his churning stomach and approached Jeok-sam.
“Young Master Jeok, shouldn't you stop him?”
“Why?”
“Because Young Master Jin is about to make an enemy of the entire Five Great Clans!”
“So what?”
“What? I mean…”
Lee Geum-yeong frowned.
She had already tried to stop them several times and realized it was futile.
‘What gives these country bumpkins the nerve to be so arrogant?’
Jegal Eun-hye watched Lee Geum-yeong trying to intervene and Jeok-sam scoffing as if nothing was wrong.
The other disciple, Nam Gyeong, had already drawn his sword and taken a ready stance.
His dazed look from before had vanished, replaced by a palpable killing intent.
“I was trying to be patient for the Jegal Clan's sake.”
Namgung Yong-yong, who had been watching quietly, stepped forward. The rising stars of the Namgung Clan stood beside him.
The previous head of the Namgung Clan, the Azure Sky Sword King, also held the title Sword of Completion. This was why Namgung Yong-yong, who had remained silent until now, had finally stepped forward.
Jegal Eun-hye wondered how to stop them.
Although she had provoked them by badmouthing the Sinnae Sword School, she didn't want trouble at a gathering hosted by the Jegal Clan.
‘I may not like her, but she's still my sister-in-law. That damn woman.’
Any dishonor from this incident would fall not on Hwa Wol-lyeong, but on the Jegal Clan for accepting her as a daughter-in-law.
Jegal Eun-hye thought that after her warning, these clueless disciples from the Sinnae Sword School would have taken the hint.
But as expected, they were as dense as their master, Hwa Wol-lyeong.
“Wait. Young Master Namgung, let's…”
“This is tiresome. I'm done talking.”
Just as Jegal Eun-hye tried to resolve the situation, Jin Je-yong stepped forward.
At his words, Namgung Yong-yong scoffed dismissively and gestured with his hand.
And that hand, severed at the wrist, flew into the wall.
“Kuaargh!”
Namgung Yong-yong screamed in shock.
Jin Je-yong spoke with impassive eyes.
“Your neck is next.”
“D-don't be ridiculous!”
Namgung Yong-yong's cousins instantly surrounded him.
A yellowish energy formed on their swords.
It was sword energy.
The members of the Namgung Clan present were of the rising generation, but they were all skilled enough to be called masters.
Watching this, Jegal Eun-hye felt her stomach ache.
She clutched her throbbing stomach and shut her eyes tightly.
‘I tried to stop them. But…’
As Jegal Eun-hye's eyes darted around, wondering how to stop this, they met Lee Geum-yeong's.
The Lee Geum-yeong she saw was a handsome young man, but his complexion was poor, and he was bent over as if suffering from a stomachache.
He, too, seemed to be agonizing over the current situation, just like her.
* * *
“A sneak attack! You coward!”
“I showed you consideration for the Jegal Clan's sake, yet you unorthodox scum… Gack!”
The sword was thrust into the mouth of the shouting young man from the Namgung Clan.
This time, it wasn't Jin Je-yong, but Nam Gyeong.
“Wh-what are you trying to say? A-are you calling us unorthodox?”
Nam Gyeong spoke, having already shoved his sword into the mouth of the Namgung Clan's rising star.
He was so agitated that his eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred.
But his sword never faltered.
“The neck.”
Amidst the chaos, Jin Je-yong spoke.
A thin red line appeared on the necks of the Namgung Clan's rising stars.
No one in the hall had seen Jin Je-yong's sword move.
“A-a demon!”
“Murderer! Killer!”
The one screaming was a rising star from the Hebei Peng Clan. The powerfully built man shouted as he watched the Namgung Clan members collapse, spurting blood.
But a moment later, the blood flowing from their necks miraculously stopped.
“Who said anyone died?”
Jin Je-yong had already used his sword to press their acupoints and stop the bleeding.
The rising stars who witnessed this held their breath.
Only then did they realize that Jin Je-yong was a master far beyond their capabilities.
“You villain! What were you thinking, hiding your skills and infiltrating this place!”
The one who shouted again was Peng Dohyeon, the same rising star from the Peng Clan.
Seeing that the Namgung warriors' wounds were shallow, he seemed to gain confidence and stepped forward.
He thought it was his chance to make a name for himself in front of the terrified women.
‘Right, this is the Jegal estate. He wouldn't dare kill anyone here.’
That was his reasoning.
The commotion would surely draw the heads of the Five Great Clans and their masters.
Among them was the Azure Sky Sword King, known as the Sword of Completion, one of the Twenty-Two Masters Under Heaven. He wouldn't stand idly by after seeing his grandson's hand severed.
“Hiding? My skills?”
Jin Je-yong tilted his head at Peng Dohyeon's words.
“Me?”
Then he nodded again.
“I was merely holding back out of consideration for my in-laws. I suppose you could see it that way.”
“Hmph! No matter how strong you are, I, Peng Dohyeon, will not yield to a villain!”
“A villain…”
Jin Je-yong smiled bitterly.
Then he sheathed his sword.
Peng Dohyeon, taking this as a sign of victory, shouted with even more confidence.
“Behold! Before Peng Dohyeon of the Peng Clan, even a ruthless villain who learned from some street thug will kneel—”
But his words were cut short.
Peng Dohyeon was slammed into a wall as if struck by something immense, twitching and coughing up bloody foam.
“How dare you insult my school. Do you think you can look down on us just because we're from the countryside?”
His voice was quiet, but in the chilling silence of the hall, everyone heard it.
Snapping to her senses, Jegal Eun-hye stepped forward, her face pale.
“B-brother-in-law, that's not what we meant.”
“Your attitude changes once a sword is drawn. How regrettable. Now I see how my senior sister is treated in the Jegal Clan.”
Jin Je-yong sighed deeply before speaking again.
His voice was filled with sorrow.
“My kind senior sister rarely gets angry.”
‘Kind? More like stupid.’
Jegal Eun-hye thought of her sister-in-law, Hwa Wol-lyeong, who always walked around with a silly grin.
That constant smiling, no matter what, always infuriated Jegal Eun-hye.
“Hmph! You treacherous fiend! You may be a little stronger than us, but you won't be able to stop those who are coming!”
Jegal Eun-hye had an ace up her sleeve.
On the floor directly above the hall, the heads or representatives of the Five Great Clans, excluding the Tang Clan, were holding a meeting.
“A little? Those who are coming?”
Jin Je-yong let out a long breath.
He knew what she was counting on. He could sense the presences upstairs and see her gaze fixed on the ceiling.
“Why wait for them?”
“What?”
Jin Je-yong drew a circle on the ceiling with his blade.
A cleanly cut section of the ceiling dropped down.
The heads and representatives of the Namgung, Jegal, Peng, and Murong Clans, who had been sitting at a round table, jumped down in surprise.
“What in the…”
“Who dares cause a ruckus at a meeting of the Five Great Clans!”
“Hoho, has some demon from the Greenwood or the unorthodox path appeared?”
The heads and representatives of the Namgung, Peng, and Murong Clans assessed the situation, unfazed by the sudden intrusion.
Jegal Hap, attending as the Jegal Clan's representative, spotted Jegal Eun-hye and cried out.
Jegal Hap was representing his father, who was serving as the strategist for the Righteous Alliance that day.
“Eun-hye!”
“B-brother!”
Jegal Eun-hye breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her only brother, Jegal Hap.
While Jegal Hap's martial arts might be lacking compared to the other clan heads, he was still one of the most skilled practitioners of his generation.
Moreover, he was so intelligent he was known as the brains of the righteous faction.
This was the moment for his wisdom to shine against a villain like Jin Je-yong.
“Brother-in-law, so you were there.”
Jin Je-yong also spotted Jegal Hap and spoke.
Despite seeing his brother-in-law for the first time in a while, there was no hint of warmth in his greeting.
Jegal Hap saw Jin Je-yong and immediately understood the situation.
“B-brother-in-law! I'm sorry. I have committed a crime worthy of death!”
He slammed his head against the floor until it bled, kowtowing to Jin Je-yong.
Jin Je-yong's indifferent gaze fell upon the back of Jegal Hap's head.
Meanwhile, the other clan heads were speechless at the sight of the young master of the Jegal Clan prostrating himself so violently.
Hearing him call Jin Je-yong "brother-in-law," they figured it was a rather intense family dispute, making it awkward for outsiders to intervene.
“If you've committed a crime worthy of death, then you must die.”
The moment Jin Je-yong spoke, the other clan heads decided they had to step in.
They had detected a demonic killing intent in his completely monotone voice.
“Wait! Young warrior, I don't know what's going on, but there are lines that shouldn't be crossed, even among family!”
The man in the scholar's silk robes was Murong Geon, the head of the Murong Clan.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, he gripped his beloved iron fan in case of an emergency.
“You are the ones who crossed the line.”
“You insolent...! Do you have any idea who these people are...”
“Eun-hye! Shut up!”
Jegal Hap shot up, grabbed Jegal Eun-hye by the hair, and slammed her face into the ground.
Jegal Eun-hye was stunned that her usually gentle brother was treating her so roughly, like an object.
It wasn't just her; Murong Geon, who had tried to mediate, was also shocked.
Jegal Hap rarely raised his voice; he was known for leading people with his calm demeanor.
“W-wait, Young Master Jegal, even if she is your sister, how can you treat a woman like…”
“My apologies, Clan Head Murong. This is a family matter. I appreciate your concern, but please, I ask for your consideration.”
Jegal Hap spoke firmly to Murong Geon.
He was like a different person from the man who had been laughing and discussing the future of the Righteous Alliance and the martial world just moments before.
“Ahem! Very well.”
Murong Geon couldn't intervene, for the sake of the Jegal Clan's honor.
As he stepped back, the other clans also took a step back to observe.
“Brother-in-law, this is my fault. I was too busy with work and neglected my family. Please, can you let this go in exchange for my life?”
“Are you asking me to make my senior sister a widow?”
As Jin Je-yong spoke, not a shred of emotion could be seen in his eyes.
Jegal Hap felt as if he were talking to a stone statue.
And he remembered why, in the past, he had been slapped by Hwa Wol-lyeong over five thousand times.
‘I-I need Wol-lyeong!’
In this desperate situation, Jegal Hap desperately wished for his wife.
* * *
[Master, isn't this a bit much?]
Nam Gyeong glanced around and sent a subtle telepathic message.
A bit much? I don't know what kind of treatment my senior sister has been enduring in the Jegal Clan, and she could be mistreated again after I leave.
The easiest way to stop them from acting recklessly is to instill fear in them.
[Still, unlike that foolish sister-in-law, my brother-in-law has some sense.]
[He wouldn't have been able to marry Senior Master otherwise.]
Of course. My senior sister was like a mother and an older sister to me. No matter how prestigious the Jegal Clan was, if they made her life difficult, I was prepared to crush them at any time.
And from the attitude of the sister-in-law before me, it seemed she was playing the part of a wicked sister-in-law to a tee.
[She's here.]
[Senior Master? Then it's time for you to stand down, Master.]
“Je-yong!”
The hero always arrives last.
The doors to the assembly hall burst open, and Hwa Wol-lyeong appeared.
It was the first time I'd seen her in ten years. Other than her hair being tied up and her clothes being a bit more luxurious, she hadn't changed at all.
I suppressed my delight and schooled my expression.
“It's been a while, Senior Sister.”
I raised my sword, pointed it at Jegal Eun-hye, and continued.
“It's been ten years... How has your married life been?”
Feeling the pressure directed at her, Jegal Eun-hye's face turned pale.
Hwa Wol-lyeong glanced at Jegal Eun-hye and then opened her mouth to speak.