Chapter 77
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: The Fourth Guest
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I had a rough idea of that much.
But I would be satisfied just with his return.
"Well then. Shall we begin?"
I drew my sword, but the Great Heavenly Demon didn't budge an inch.
"What are you doing?"
"Show me that iron ball again."
Iron ball?
Why was he asking for the iron ball again?
Just a few days ago, Myeong-gak had asked where it was.
But I couldn't remember for the life of me.
"I don't know where it is."
"Didn't you just toss it carelessly under the daybed?"
Ah...
Now I remembered.
"Is it fine to leave your master's memento abandoned like that?"
Pretending not to hear the Great Heavenly Demon's words, I reached under the daybed and pulled out the iron ball.
As I picked it up, the Great Heavenly Demon closed his eyes and sat down.
"Read it."
"What are you doing?"
The Great Heavenly Demon bellowed.
"I told you to read it!"
The Great Heavenly Demon had always been intensely interested in the indecipherable script on the iron ball, whose beginning and end no one knew.
Whether it was because he sensed something there that might surpass his own martial arts, I couldn't say, but he had always paid close attention to it.
I turned the iron ball this way and that, then began reciting from the first characters that caught my eye.
Some of the already faint writing had been worn away further from using it as a mortar.
But I already had all the characters memorized in my head.
Without looking at the iron ball, I freely recited the words from memory.
"Color. Origin. Emptiness. Nothingness..."
The Great Heavenly Demon seemed lost in meditation.
He looked like a high monk endlessly pursuing the path of enlightenment.
I recited all one hundred and eight characters for him, then quietly watched.
How much time passed?
"Do it again."
This time, I recited the one hundred and eight characters in a jumbled order.
The iron ball in my hand had already been returned under the daybed.
Until dawn approached, the Great Heavenly Demon sat there in silence.
After lunch and my midday nap, I felt an odd sensation.
I dressed and stepped outside to find the junior disciples practicing martial arts in the courtyard.
I sat on the porch, staring at the gate.
Perhaps finding it strange, Zhuge Ji paused his training.
"Is something the matter?"
"We have a guest."
"Pardon?"
The other junior disciples also stopped and looked at me with puzzled expressions.
At that moment, the gate opened, and a strikingly handsome middle-aged man entered.
Leading ahead of him was a young man in shabby plain clothes, head bowed low.
"Father."
Seeing Namgung Hye rush forward joyfully, I realized he was Namgung Jak, Namgung Hu's father and one of the Five Great Kings.
Following him was another middle-aged man.
"Father."
This time, Zhuge Ji ran forward happily.
'Zhuge Zhong.'
The man smiling brightly at Zhuge Ji was the head of the Zhuge Family.
They nodded in greeting to the junior disciples who clasped their hands in respect, then turned their gazes to me.
I rose silently from my seat and gave a slight bow.
Namgung Jak's eyes flashed with keen interest, while Zhuge Zhong's gaze deepened even further.
"This fellow seemed to be secretly watching the Seok Family, so we caught him. He said he knew the master of this place well, so we brought him along."
The young man Namgung Jak had brought was none other than the assassin subordinate, Guijong.
"I have no face to show, milord."
Guijong dropped to his knees and lowered his head.
I bowed politely and made my request.
"He was watching the Seok Family on my behalf. Please let him go."
No matter that he was watching from outside the Seok Family, it was impossible to fool the eyes and ears of the Five Great Kings from the start.
Yet Namgung Jak had spared his life and brought him here, when he could have killed him on the spot.
"That's no great matter, but I need to know why he was watching the Seok Family."
"You'll learn naturally in time."
Hm.
After staring into my eyes for a moment, he nodded and granted my request.
"Can you prepare a meal?"
Namgung Jak asked politely in a pleasant voice.
"Please, come inside."
As they followed my guidance into the kitchen, they waved off the junior disciples trailing behind.
"You all continue with your training."
Once seated in the kitchen, Namgung Jak and Zhuge Zhong quietly watched me prepare the meal.
"Would you like some liquor?"
I asked without even turning my head.
"Just one bottle, if it tastes and smells good."
I ladled liquor from the jar into a bottle and set it on the table with some salted greens.
"The meal will take some time, so please wait a bit."
"We have plenty of time, so take it slow."
His words about having plenty of time somehow felt like he intended to observe me closely.
Sitting in a chair and watching me, Namgung Jak pointed to the sword leaning against the wall.
"May I take a look?"
"Please do."
He fetched the sword leaning against the wall, drew it from its sheath, and examined the blade.
"It's soaked in blood. Not just one or two people's."
The Five Great Kings apparently had a different way of appraising a sword.
He sheathed it and leaned it back against the wall.
Until then, Zhuge Zhong, who had only watched me with profound eyes, finally spoke.
"The guests who stayed at the Seok Family called you a marvel. My daughter, too, upon returning to the family, made every excuse to come back here. It all seems to be because of you. Care to tell us who you are?"
As I sprinkled spices, I gave my name.
"Un-san. Go Un-san."
"I didn't ask for your name."
"There's nothing more to reveal about my identity."
As Zhuge Zhong fell silent, Namgung Jak spoke next.
"I have one son... do you happen to know him?"
My hands, trimming vegetables, paused briefly before resuming.
"I do. We lived together on the mountain for a few years."
I didn't hide the past.
Namgung Jak and Zhuge Zhong had clearly investigated me to some extent at the Seok Family before coming here.
Pyeong Cheon-ho and Yeong-gae were still staying there.
"I see. So you and the Seok Family's instructor are the junior brothers my son has been desperately searching for."
Namgung Jak's voice grew much more relaxed.
But I wasn't particularly pleased by it.
As I remained quiet, Namgung Jak's thick brows twitched.
"Hu told me that his eldest junior brother is profound, broad-minded, and possesses profound martial arts. But seeing you myself, it seems my son's eyes were mistaken."
I placed the steamed fish on a large dish and set it on the table.
"Please, eat."
"You... this simply won't do."
Finally, Namgung Jak rose from his seat.
As if I'd been waiting, I picked up the sword leaning against the wall.
"Shall we step outside? You came here to test your sword against mine anyway."
Hmm...
"My son was right about one thing. You catch on very quickly."
With the junior disciples and Zhuge Zhong watching, Namgung Jak and I faced each other in the middle of the courtyard.
"I'll yield the first move."
I couldn't help but smirk.
How were all the righteous faction masters so alike?
"What's so amusing?"
"If you yield the first move, you might lose your head."
"How dare you...!"
A roar erupted, and a flash of light gleamed from Namgung Jak's waist.
Clang!
Sword met sword, sparks flying.
In an instant, his sword claimed the left side, slicing toward my shoulder—heavy and flashy.
Clang... clang clang!
Swords clashed repeatedly, and I was pushed back two or three steps by the force.
Even without infusing internal energy, the pressure of his sword exceeded my expectations.
Clang! Clang clang clang...!
After deflecting his blade over a dozen times as it targeted my chest, my form split apart.
Whoosh! Pop! ...!
My divided forms, tearing through the air, were successively shattered by Namgung Jak's sword.
"Impressive."
Namgung Jak retreated six or seven steps, his eyes blazing with the thrill of battle.
As he channeled internal energy into his sword, a pale sword aura swirled along the blade.
"Try blocking this."
The pale sword aura expanded massively in an instant, crashing down over my head.
In that moment, the sword in my hand enveloped my body, whirling around me.
Kaboom!
Aura clashed against aura, warping and exploding the space.
Namgung Jak leaped back, withdrew his energy, and sheathed his sword.
"We're not enemies, so it's best we stop here."
The battle lust in his eyes had already settled into calm.
"Thank you."
I sheathed my sword and bowed my head.
Gazing at me intently, he turned to the junior disciples standing to the side, watching.
"Clever bunch."
As if realizing the implication, Myeong-gak and Cheongpung bowed their heads deeply, chanting "Amitabha" and "Tao," while Zhuge Ji and Namgung Hye blushed and averted their eyes.
Zhuge Zhong, who had watched alongside them, fixed a profound gaze on Zhuge Ji.
"Not even offering your father a cup of tea?"
"Please come inside, Father."
As Zhuge Zhong entered a room with Zhuge Ji, Namgung Hye followed, escorting Namgung Jak.
Myeong-gak and Cheongpung smacked their lips, still unsatisfied.
Smack...
"The Sky-Piercing Sword King has some astonishing sword arts... what a shame."
"Indeed."
I ignored their words and retrieved the iron ball from under the daybed.
"Here it is."
Myeong-gak, receiving it, was overjoyed.
Ooh.
"Finally found it, my iron ball."
His excessive delight was amusing, and a smile crept onto my lips unbidden.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
The question carried more curiosity than reproach.
"Milord really dislikes big brother. So please keep it a secret from Father too."
Huh...
Namgung Jak couldn't understand Namgung Hye's words.
Namgung Hu was a son to be proud of anywhere.
No one who envied him disliked him either.
He was that discerning and humble.
"Why is that?"
No longer able to hide it, Namgung Hye recounted what she knew of the mountain days.
"Apparently, milord's master showed favoritism. Milord handled almost all the chores, and later, he made big brother call him 'eldest senior brother.' Father knows big brother's personality well. He pesters people he likes to the point of annoyance, so milord must dislike him for that."
Tsk tsk...
Namgung Jak clicked his tongue in pity.
Truth be told, his son Namgung Hu was fine in every way except he pestered those he liked excessively.
There was even one such person in the family who eventually grew fed up and avoided Namgung Hu.
Constant visits to discuss martial arts, drink, and chat—anyone would tire of it.
"That boy has that side to him. Probably because I raised him too strictly when he was young."
"If big brother learns milord is here, he'll drop everything and come running. Milord isn't easygoing either. And with his junior brother, the Seok instructor, gone missing, he's in a foul mood now. Be careful, Father."
I knew that from Yeong-gae.
The Demonic Cult kidnapping the Seok instructor meant they were very interested in that man too.
While carefully observing Namgung Hye's expression as she spoke, Namgung Jak suddenly asked,
"Hu wants to pair you with one of his junior brothers. What are your feelings on the matter?"
A blush spread across Namgung Hye's cheeks.