Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: If We're Family
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“Yes. Inspector Myeong.”
“This time, I absolutely want to conduct the inspection in Poyang County. My close friend who was dispatched there has gone missing. I want to know why the censors are disappearing. Can you help me?”
“Can't you just borrow the power of the local government?”
I politely refused.
“That's exactly why I'm saying this—the Gangseo government offices can't be trusted either. A report requesting aid was sent to them, but when I asked, they claimed there was no such request from the censor. And only the government knows that I've taken this route. Yet they ambushed me precisely along the path I took. I don't believe that's a coincidence.”
If even the government couldn't be trusted, it would be hard for escort warriors who weren't even first-rate masters to survive.
“But I have my own duties to attend to, so helping you, Inspector Myeong...”
Myeong Woojong grabbed my hand.
“It's not that you value this one life of mine too much. There have been disturbing reports from Poyang County and the surrounding areas. Word is that people are dying in droves from the officials' exploitation and tyranny. But the investigators who went there claim nothing's wrong, which is why censors are being sent.”
I didn't see this issue as simple.
It involved the Demonic Cult.
It was connected to the martial world as well.
It felt like something censors alone couldn't resolve.
Though an army might solve it, there needed to be justification to mobilize one.
We didn't even have the slightest evidence yet.
“For now, your escorts need time to recover, so leave after the sixtieth birthday celebration. I'll think it over until then.”
Myeong Woojong stared at the departing scholar for a long while.
After the ambush, he realized he couldn't resolve this on his own.
He berated himself for naively thinking six escorts would suffice.
'Scholar Cheon can kill Demonic Cult elites with a mere gesture. With his help, I can succeed in this mission.'
With Scholar Cheon alone, there'd be nothing to fear.
Even as an official, he knew there weren't many warriors on Scholar Cheon's level.
'One of the escorts said it—a scholar can't have that kind of skill. He must hold a special position in the Murim Alliance. Then I can borrow the Alliance's power too.'
Myeong Woojong pondered ways to draw Scholar Cheon in.
'Yes, that should work.'
He summoned one of his escorts whose condition was the best.
He handed him a letter.
Leaning close to the escort's ear, he gave quiet instructions.
“Understood.”
“Yes, you must retrieve it no matter what. Explain the situation, and if they still won't listen, show them this.”
Myeong Woojong handed over not his censor's badge, but one gleaming with gold.
It was a command plaque stamped with the seal of the Chief Inspector of the Censorate.
The Chief Inspector's plaque held authority equal to an imperial edict.
“Got it.”
“It's urgent, so move quickly.”
The escort slipped out of Hyeoncheon Gate.
Cheon Taesan mulled over Myeong Woojong's words and shook his head.
Getting involved in government affairs didn't seem like a good idea.
As he approached Yeongbin Pavilion, he overheard someone muttering while gazing at it.
It was Songran.
Songran thought it best to leave when Yeongbin Pavilion was bustling.
So she planned to depart that night.
For the person who loved her most. For the person she loved most.
Staying longer would bring those hunting her right to the door.
'The moment I used the Soul Subjugation Divine Eye, they must have sensed my presence.'
Those with the Soul Subjugation Divine Eye could sense each other.
Songran told Cheongyo she was stepping out for some night air and left her room.
“Sister, please forgive me for leaving like this. You treated me like family and cherished me, but I can't stay by your side any longer. It would put you in danger too. I don't want to leave either. But I hate the thought of you being in danger even more.”
Songran bowed deeply toward Cheongyo's room.
“Please stay well.”
Tears streamed down Songran's face.
The thought of never seeing Cheongyo again shattered her heart.
She was the first person in Songran's life to treat her like family, to teach her the warmth of human bonds.
Songran half-closed her eyes and took a step forward.
During the day, she kept them shut out of fear of meeting someone's gaze, but at night, even eye contact wouldn't expose her— they couldn't see this eye.
She needed a cane during the day with her eyes closed.
With a simple bundle and her cane, she slipped out of Hyeoncheon Gate.
The unorthodox fighters lingered late into the night due to the birthday celebration, so no one noticed Songran.
She had just exited Hyeoncheon Gate and was walking along the road.
“Leaving won't solve anything.”
Songran halted abruptly.
She murmured softly toward the voice.
“Me leaving is for the best.”
“Lady Cheong considers Lady Song family. Do you think she'll stay sane if her family suddenly vanishes one day?”
“But...”
“Leaving isn't for Lady Cheong—it's for Lady Song's peace of mind.”
“What do you know? The moment I opened my eyes to fight the Poison People, they've been tracking me. They'd kill everyone I love just to find me.”
“That's exactly why you should stay. If you think of her as family.”
“Easy words for someone else to say.”
“If Lady Song leaves, Lady Cheong will live with the guilt of failing to protect her sister— it won't be living at all. What would set her apart from the Poison People then?”
“...”
A long silence followed.
Cheon Taesan spoke to the trembling Songran in a voice so calm it bordered on cold.
“That's all I have to say. I won't stop you if you leave now. But tomorrow, I want to see Lady Cheong smiling.”
Songran's shoulders shook as she stifled her sobs.
Cheon Taesan left his final words.
“True family lives together—and dies together.”
From morning, the sixtieth birthday sparring tournament made the place a cacophony of noise.
Junior unorthodox disciples continuously mounted the four sparring platforms as called, clashing in brutal combat that left even me tongue-tied.
I'd seen plenty of Murim Alliance tournaments, but this shocked me.
Deaths occurred one after another.
Yet no one complained or made an issue of it.
That was the unwritten rule—no gripes even in death.
Occasionally, some used the spars to settle grudges.
Unlike the Alliance, they weren't strictly policed.
Unorthodox folk kept their distance from rules by nature.
Of course, they wouldn't tolerate outright chaos.
This was still an extension of the birthday celebration—no defying Mok Yeohyeon's nerves.
I briefly circulated my three vital energies, sensing the blood flow and auras of the warriors around the platforms.
'Nothing special.'
I was checking for anyone with Seven Stars Seven Origins vital energy, but there were none.
Possessors of Seven Stars Seven Origins energy often exhibited near-maniac madness, easy to spot.
Moreover, having absorbed three vital energies—and those of spirit beasts—I could now sense Seven Stars Seven Origins energy through aura perception alone, without taking pulses.
Without this ability, I'd have had to set up a clinic like Jong Sobin and check pulses one by one.
'Better to die than do that.'
Thinking back, it was a barbaric method.
It had seemed natural before, but now it was unthinkable.
Recalling Jong Sobin made me wonder if she was absorbing the Solar Meridian energy well in prison.
'I taught her how to absorb it there, so she should manage.'
As I headed to Yeongbin Pavilion, Yeoseol called out.
“Big brother.”
“Yeah?”
Yeoseol had followed my instructions perfectly.
She hadn't left Yeongbin Pavilion since we arrived at Hyeoncheon Gate.
With so many unorthodox warriors around, someone might notice something special about her.
At least Mok Yeohyeon, unlike Nangong Hak, hadn't visited my lodgings.
Nangong Hak didn't know Yeoseol's uniqueness, but a Transcendent Realm master like Mok Yeohyeon might discern it.
“They called me to eat together.”
“Who?”
“Ran sister. She cooked today, somehow, even without seeing. She wants us to eat together.”
I smiled faintly.
Relieved not to see a sad face.
“Sure.”
I followed Yeoseol in a good mood.
Yeoseol gripped my hand tightly and said,
“Big brother, Songran sister said earlier you're a really good person.”
“Did she?”
“So I told her—don't get any ideas about my big brother. I'll find his woman myself.”
“Hahaha! Yeoseol's finding my woman?”
“Of course. Someone prettier, kinder, smarter, and stronger in martial arts than me.”
“Does such a girl exist?”
“Probably.”
Yeoseol giggled, clinging to my arm as she dragged me along.
We gathered for the first time in a while.
Nangong Cheolwoong, Nangong Hwajun, Nangong Pyo, Cheongyo, Songran, Eunbi, and Yeoseol.
The three Nangong Family escorts spent the day in Yeongbin Pavilion's guest training hall.
No point going out and bumping into unorthodox folk, so they treated it as closed-door training and focused.
Their dedication looked good.
I gave them some pointers before leaving.
They no longer needed lengthy explanations like before—they grasped my words quickly.
Their understanding had broadened that much.
'They'll master the Vault of Heaven Unfettered Sword Technique soon.'
Still short on time for its essence. A few more years of refinement needed.
But that was achievement enough.
They were becoming true Nangong Family elites.
As I stepped out, Songran passed by and whispered,
“I've decided to stay. No more running.”
I replied to her back,
“Good choice. Paradise isn't found in flight. You'll realize you've left what's most precious behind.”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
Then Cheongyo approached, holding Yeoseol's hand.
“You two having a secret chat? Looks like you've grown close to Ran.”
“Cheong sister, I told Song sister—don't eye my big brother.”
Songran burst into bright laughter at that.
“Hohoho, Yeoseol. Sorry, but I can't see, so no eyeing possible. Rest easy.”
“Huh? Sister, trying to reassure me?”
“Ahaha, no.”
Hearing Songran's bright laugh, I headed out.
Then a Geumcheon Escort Agency escort found me.
“Scholar Cheon, the commission is complete. We're bringing the slash-and-burn farmers to Hyeoncheon Gate now.”
“Ah, good work. First, take them all to Hwaryeong Village.”
“There's a bit of a problem.”
“What is it?”
“There are far more than you mentioned. You said around fifty, but it's nearly two hundred.”
“Why's that?”
“Word spread that Scholar Cheon is giving farmland to slash-and-burn folk, so others gathered too. We've brought them, but what now?”
“It's fine. The whole area's my land—I'll divide it up.”
“Pardon?”
The escort looked at me in shock.
“Don't worry—just bring them all to Hwaryeong Village.”
The escort turned away, still dazed.