Chapter 78
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Fifth Guest (1)
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"You seem to have some interest."
"I'm not sure yet. And I don't like competing with other women over a man."
There was no need to ask who that rival was.
The Zhuge Family had always been blessed with sharp minds and the foresight to see far into the future.
A genius of that house like Zhuge Ji wouldn't pass up such an extraordinary young man.
"Has nothing happened while you've been staying here?"
Hmm.
Namgung Hye let out an odd hum, and Namgung Jak quickly averted his gaze.
"It was just a casual question."
Namgung Hye didn't bring up the matter again.
"You'll be forming the Murim Alliance soon, won't you, Father?"
"You knew about it too?"
"I had a hunch when I saw Alliance Leader Paeng staying with the Seok Family instead of returning to his own house. I figured they'd all gather there to discuss it."
Namgung Jak had no choice but to nod.
Just as Namgung Hye said, they would soon establish the Murim Alliance.
"The Divine Monk has also agreed to attend."
"Was the master of that formation you brought back to the family the owner of this place?"
Zhuge Ji readily admitted the truth.
"Yes, Father."
"I thought so. Our Zhuge Family already owes a great debt to this man named Go Gong."
"Yes. A debt we couldn't repay even with our lives."
Zhuge Zhong couldn't deny his daughter's words.
The Zhuge Family was using that formation to build an impregnable fortress.
But that wasn't all.
"On top of that, we've gained something here even greater than the formation."
She was secretly compiling Go Un-san's swordsmanship into a book, even if she could only imitate it outwardly.
It was all for the family.
"Something greater than the formation... Does that young man named Go Gong teach you martial arts?"
"You could say that. Not just me—Myeong-gak of Shaolin, Cheongpung of Wudang, and even Namgung Hye are learning from his techniques. We don't know the inner workings, so we're just mimicking the forms, but it's still been immensely helpful. It's given us a fresh perspective on martial arts."
The pinnacle of the jianghu were the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families.
But among them, the Zhuge Family had the weakest martial arts.
Of course, they were still far superior to ordinary sects or clans, but the Zhuge Family dreamed of becoming a renowned house through martial prowess as well.
"Whatever you do, I'll support you. Pursue what you desire."
"Thank you, Father."
"No, thank you."
The barely escaped Gui Jong sat under a tree, letting out a sigh of relief.
Whew...
'The Five Heavenly Kings truly live up to their name. Without the Silver Duke's help, I would've lost my life right there.'
He had spotted a group entering the Seok Family grounds and hidden away to observe them secretly.
But midway through, a middle-aged man entering had suddenly turned and stared right at his hiding spot.
He had kept his distance from the main gate out of caution for the Poison Army and Shadow Elder, yet that man pinpointed him exactly.
But he soon turned away and went inside.
Thinking it a fluke, Gui Jong continued watching from hiding. About an hour later, the middle-aged man emerged with another.
The sky-blue uniform and white one signified the Namgung Family and Zhuge Family in the jianghu, but who could have guessed they were the Sky-Piercing Sword King and the Zhuge Family Head?
The middle-aged man vanished in an instant before his eyes.
Only then did Gui Jong sense the danger and whirl around, only to find a razor-sharp blade inches from his throat.
"You look like an assassin. Who are you hiding here to kill?"
The deep, resonant voice sounded like the reaper's to Gui Jong's ears.
"I'm only observing, not here to assassinate anyone."
"Just observing? Whom are you watching?"
With the sword at his neck, the assassin couldn't reveal his target.
As Gui Jong stayed silent, Namgung Jak smiled faintly.
It was the smile of the grim reaper.
In that brief moment, countless conflicts raged in Gui Jong's mind.
Accept death quietly, or call on the Silver Duke's aid?
After wrestling with it, he made his choice.
"...Someone who knows me well is here. Could you hold off on killing me until then?"
"Someone you know well... I'm not sure if an assassin's acquaintance will pique my interest."
It was enough to spark curiosity, allowing him to survive.
'This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you, so stay there as long as possible. In time, that place will become a dragon-and-tiger den teeming with perils. Survive it, and you'll survive anywhere in the jianghu. Remember that.'
Those were his father's parting words before sending him away.
As promised, every moment here sent chills down his spine—a true dragon-and-tiger den.
'I have to complete the mission.'
Rising, Gui Jong hurried toward the Seok Family.
If his surveillance target slipped away in his absence, it would be a disaster.
Grind...
Seok Ja-kyeong's eyes blazed with fury as he emptied his bowels in the outhouse.
Forcing the family's top prodigy into this was infuriating enough, but the women watching him from afar made his heart feel like it would burst.
'Me... to suffer this humiliation...'
He already knew every martial art of the Seok Family by heart.
Given time, they would all be his, and he would dominate the jianghu.
'I should beat those wenches to death...'
Breathing in the stench, Seok Ja-kyeong glared at his watchers.
They were no longer blood kin—just the family head's minions who had reduced him to this misery.
It was all because of that Seok Gyo-du's brother and Myeong-gak.
Without them, the incident would have blown over quietly.
As Seok Ja-kyeong glared at the women, an old beggar approached, and he quickly bowed his head.
That beggar was the Beggar Clan's Shadow Elder, with eyes that seemed to pierce into one's soul—utterly unsettling.
"So you're Ja-kyeong."
"Greetings to the Beggar Clan's Shadow Elder."
Hiding his inner thoughts, Seok Ja-kyeong politely clasped his hands in respect.
Even after the bow, silence stretched on, so he peeked up.
The moment he did, he met ash-gray eyes devoid of any emotion.
Startled, Seok Ja-kyeong hurriedly lowered his head again.
Then the Shadow Elder's voice reached his ears.
Tsk tsk.
"How could someone so timid commit such a vicious act?"
Seok Ja-kyeong's heart plummeted.
"What do you mean...? I have no idea what you're talking about, Elder."
"You can fool people, but not heaven."
The Shadow Elder left those words and walked away from Seok Ja-kyeong's sight.
Staring at the ground, Seok Ja-kyeong's eyes trembled violently.
That old man knew something and was certain of it.
As a Beggar Clan elder, he might know more than most.
'Damn it... How did he find out...'
If the Beggar Clan elder reinvestigated, his crime could come to light.
'Stay calm, stay calm. Only calmness will keep you alive, Seok Ja-kyeong.'
Composing himself, he pulled the cart full of waste.
He planned his escape.
'Strike at dawn when surveillance slacks. That's the only way out safely. Then hole up in some remote village away from the jianghu until I've mastered the arts fully. After that...'
Once he had the power to rule the jianghu, returning to the family would be trivial.
The women would welcome him with open arms.
'No. I'll found my own Seok Family.'
"I'm forty-seven now. In three years, I'll be half a century old. I've wandered the jianghu murim for over a decade by my count. In that time, I've visited every famed inn and restaurant in the world. But... I've never seen a place charge so much for drinks. Fifty nyang of silver for just two meals? Do you think that's reasonable?"
Namgung Jak, one of the Five Heavenly Kings, was haggling over a mere fifty nyang of silver.
But I didn't bat an eye.
"Take Namgung Sojeo here, who's been staying in my home. Do that, and I won't charge a single nyang."
Namgung Hye, watching from the side, raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that, Go Gong?"
"I believe she's gained things here far more valuable than fifty nyang while staying in my home. Am I wrong?"
Namgung Hye, who had been fuming, quickly composed herself.
"You're right. Here you go, Father."
Huh.
Namgung Jak looked back and forth between me and Namgung Hye in disbelief.
But soon he pulled a money pouch from his bosom and handed over a bill.
"Two hundred nyang. Please take good care of us in the future. I'd love to stay a few more days to enjoy the scenery, but duties in the jianghu call me back to the Seok Family."
I accepted the bill with pride and pocketed it.
After handing it over, Namgung Jak gave me a lingering look before turning.
"Let's go, Zhuge Family Head."
"Very well."
Zhuge Zhong also handed me a bill—three hundred nyang, even more than Namgung Jak's.
"Take care, Go Gong."
"Safe travels."
Having fleeced five hundred nyang from the two, I was immensely satisfied.
"I'll visit again. No need to see me out."
As Namgung Jak and Zhuge Zhong exited the gate, Namgung Hye and Zhuge Ji went to see them off.
"Are the next guests your masters?"
When I voiced my guess, Myeong-gak and Cheongpung bowed deeply.
"My master and Cheongpung's don't carry much silver. For our sake, please don't overcharge them. We earnestly beg you."
"I always consider faces when I charge, so don't worry too much."
"Thank you truly. If you do that, we'll serve you with all our hearts from now on."
"When I visited the Namgung Family, their head offered his own neck to protect the house. A century later, the Namgung Family has changed much. Truly worthy of the Five Heavenly Kings."
The highest praise from the Great Heavenly Demon's lips.
"Between him and the Infinite Sword Demon, who would have the edge?"
"What do you think, you brat?"
The Great Heavenly Demon turned the question back on me.
"The Infinite Sword Demon."
"Well seen. His true skill far surpasses that brief clash with you."
"How did you... Ah... I asked the wrong question."
Heh heh heh...
"If we're talking pure martial arts, Moon River Asura Scripture isn't the strongest among the Five Great Venerables. But his version seems a step beyond the original—likely he's grasped its essence and glimpsed an even higher realm."
As the Great Heavenly Demon said, the Infinite Sword Demon felt different from other experts.
He seemed less a demon cultist and more a pure warrior.
"In temperament, he's quite similar to you."
I let the Great Heavenly Demon's words flow past.
"Among the Demon Cult's Five Emperors' arts, Black Heaven Asura's Asura Demon Scripture is the strongest. But just as the orthodox sects are no longer what they were a century ago, neither is the Demon Cult. Things are about to get interesting."