Chapter 193
Chapter 193
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: Doubts
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As we reached the front courtyard of the residence, a familiar figure came into view.
“Welcome, esteemed guests. Please, come inside.”
Elder Gok, still exuding that fresh, immortal-like aura, greeted us warmly.
With a smiling face, we followed our host into the room.
“Please wait just a moment. I’ll prepare some tea.”
“No need to trouble yourself...”
Despite my polite refusal, Elder Gok left the room again and returned with a teapot and cups, pouring tea for us.
-Splash splash
The clear sound of tea filling the cups.
At the same time, a subtle, refreshing aroma wafted through the room.
It looks like plain green tea, but this fragrance...
Is this some kind of sorcery too?
“So, what brings you here?”
While I was lost in thought, Elder Gok finished pouring his own cup and asked the reason for our visit.
Jegal Geunyung first informed him of his succession to the clan head position.
“Ah, congratulations. I’m sure the branch head will handle it splendidly.”
“Thank you.”
“But you didn’t come all this way just to share that news, did you?”
Jegal Geunyung took a sip of tea and shook his head.
“No. Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask...”
“What would that be?”
“I was wondering if you could tell us why you’ve chosen to stay with our clan.”
Since it was a rather sensitive topic, Jegal Geunyung asked cautiously, and Elder Gok stroked his beard.
“Hmm, didn’t the previous clan head tell you anything?”
Jegal Geunyung nodded gravely.
“Yes. Since I wasn’t formally appointed, my father never passed on the reason to me. Could you please tell me?”
“You don’t need to be so cautious. It’s not that grand a reason. It was a promise.”
A promise? Just a promise?
Elder Gok gave a wry smile as we tilted our heads in confusion.
“Of course, to a sorcerer, that promise carries a bit more weight.”
“More weight?”
“Could you explain in detail?”
At my question and Jegal Geunyung’s, Elder Gok kindly explained his circumstances.
“In the past, I owed my life to the clan head before last. He recognized me as a sorcerer and demanded a ‘blood oath’ from me.”
“A blood oath...?”
“Hmm, explaining it in full would take too long. Simply put, it’s a promise a sorcerer can never break. That’s a blood oath.”
A promise you can never break? What’s that about?
I asked with a skeptical look.
“What happens if you break that blood oath?”
“In severe cases, death. At the least, you’d lose the ability to use sorcery.”
“...You’re joking, right?”
Elder Gok smiled faintly at my retort.
But there was no hint of mischief in his wrinkled eyes.
His answer was far more brutal than expected, making me frown involuntarily.
No, isn’t that basically a curse?
“...So, what was the content of that blood oath?”
At Jegal Geunyung’s question, which matched my own grimace, Elder Gok spoke lightly of a grave matter.
“It was a promise to remain with the Jegal Clan and assist it in every way possible.”
“...That’s it? That loosely?”
No time limit set either?
...This is a scam slave contract!
My impression of the clan head before last plummeted to the bottom of a mud pit.
Jegal Geunyung seemed the same, stammering in bewilderment.
“Th-then, you’ve been bound by that promise all this time?”
“Hahaha, yes. It’s been over fifty years since I came here.”
“......”
“......”
At our stunned gazes, Elder Gok chuckled again.
“I know what you’re thinking, but it wasn’t so bad. I received plenty of upkeep allowance during that time, you see?”
...Your appearance doesn’t exactly scream “plenty of money,” though?
I tilted my head, eyeing Elder Gok’s clean but worn robes that carried the weight of years.
“On top of that, I no longer had to worry about pursuit from the Brocade Guards. Truly grateful for that.”
Oblivious or not to my thoughts, Elder Gok—who was defending the previous clan head—detailed the situation back then.
“At the time, I was being chased by the Brocade Guards’ pursuit squad. In my youthful recklessness, I used sorcery in a crowded place and got caught.”
“So that’s when you met that clan head before last?”
“Yes. He even stepped forward in front of the Brocade Guards to hide me. If not for him, I’d have died long ago.”
...And thus began the scam slave contract?
I tilted my head slightly toward Jegal Geunyung and muttered softly.
“At least they didn’t work you for free. Small mercies?”
“I’m not sure if we can call it a mercy...”
Jegal Geunyung replied with a troubled expression.
His heart must be complicated by the misdeeds(?) of both the previous and the one before last clan head.
But he soon shook his head, straightened his face, and spoke firmly.
“I’m glad you weren’t inconvenienced, Elder, but as the new clan head, I can’t tolerate such unfairness.”
“Hm? No, it’s fine...”
“I’m not fine with it.”
Elder Gok was left speechless, mouth agape, at Jegal Geunyung’s resolute words carrying considerable dignity.
His trembling pupils betrayed his fluster, like an earthquake had hit.
And Jegal Geunyung pressed the advantage without mercy.
“How can that blood oath be undone?”
“Y-yes?”
“Surely it doesn’t activate just from a verbal promise?”
“Yes, it does, but...”
Unable to withstand the relentless assault, Elder Gok hesitated before fetching a small scroll.
Unrolling it revealed the contents he’d mentioned earlier, stamped with what looked like a bloody fingerprint.
“Here, next to my print... the direct descendant of the clan head before last’s blood print...”
Without waiting for him to finish, Jegal Geunyung pricked his thumb, drew blood, and stamped it.
Suddenly, flames erupted on the small scroll, burning it to ash in an instant.
“Huh...”
Elder Gok let out a small gasp at the sight.
His face showed utter bewilderment at this sudden freedom.
But Jegal Geunyung’s offensive wasn’t over yet.
“Now, let’s make a new contract.”
“A... new one?”
“Yes. If you have no objections to staying with the clan, that is.”
Of course, Elder Gok had no such objections and agreed to a new contract, complete with proper clauses.
“You mentioned an upkeep allowance earlier—what exactly was it?”
“About five taels of silver per month...”
Jegal Geunyung frowned at the answer and raised the amount.
“We’ll make it five taels of gold. Considering your abilities, that seems appropriate.”
“Ah, no. Even that much, I have no use for...”
“And on top of that...”
Thus began the contract negotiations, which dragged on for a full hour before finally concluding.
*
“...Merchants are truly worthy of respect, I must say.”
At the end of the exhausting negotiations, Elder Gok muttered in a weary voice.
“I apologize. But contracts must be fair.”
Hearing this, Jegal Geunyung offered an apology that rang rather hollow as he tucked away his copy of the contract.
Having served as branch head in a commercial city, he was thoroughly meticulous about these matters.
“No, it’s fine. You’ve been so thoughtful—I should be grateful, not complaining.”
“...You look quite fatigued.”
Elder Gok’s face had paled in the short time since, barely managing to curl the corners of his mouth.
Perhaps feeling a twinge of guilt at the sight, Jegal Geunyung rose promptly.
“We’ll leave you to rest now. Young Master Goon, shall we head out?”
“Ah, hold on a moment.”
Instead of rising with him, I asked permission and turned to Elder Gok.
Truth be told, there was one more thing I wanted to ask.
Sensing my intent, Elder Gok spoke first.
“It seems the young master has something else to ask. What is it?”
“Should I step out?”
I shook my head at Jegal Geunyung’s question as he stood there.
“No, Clan Head. It’s better if you hear this too.”
“Me as well?”
Jegal Geunyung sat back down, puzzled.
He soon hardened his expression upon hearing my words.
“Actually, I wanted some advice on the Bloodburst Technique.”
“Bloodburst Technique... that demonic art?”
Elder Gok looked unsure how to respond.
“I’m sorry, but I’m no expert on martial arts...”
“I know. That’s why I’m asking. I suspect the Bloodburst Technique might not even be a true martial art.”
“...What do you mean?”
I recounted the characteristics of the Bloodburst Technique from the records of the Elder Council member we’d found in the cave last time.
That you could master it just by memorizing the incantation once.
That your attainment grew the more blood you consumed.
“Honestly, from what I know, this doesn’t make any sense.”
Fundamentally, internal arts involve breathing according to formulas to gather natural energy into the body and dantian, then circulating it through the meridians to form your own true qi.
Yet this skips the entire process—just memorize the incantation in your head and gorge on blood, and your attainment rises?
Can we even call something that ignores the basics a martial art?
Jegal Geunyung countered my thoughts.
“But the results have already proven it, haven’t they?”
“Yes. Fair point.”
Despite my suspicions, the Bloodburst Technique performed the role of an internal art perfectly—aside from its severe side effects.
That damned blood prison had tormented me endlessly with its surging energy.
“Demonic arts are inherently perverse techniques that defy heaven and common sense. Isn’t it natural for them to not align with reason?”
“That’s the preconception I’m questioning.”
“Preconception?”
Jegal Geunyung tilted his head briefly, then widened his eyes, looking back and forth between Elder Gok and me.
“Could it be...?”
She’s caught on.
I nodded and spoke.
“Yes. I suspect it transcends reason altogether—from the fundamentals.”
“In other words.”
Elder Gok, who had been listening to our exchange, opened his mouth.
His fatigue had vanished entirely, replaced by a serious expression as he voiced what I’d been about to say.
“You believe the Bloodburst Technique is closer to sorcery than a martial art?”