Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Standard of the Martial World (2)
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“How interesting.”
The plan was for the Hyeoncheon Sect to drag Old Man Yeongchun away, and we would intercept them nearby.
The plan had shifted slightly, but it wasn't a major issue.
If anything, Namgung Urin found this place called the martial world rather amusing, and a chilling smile spread across his face.
“Let’s go.”
The Five Spirits’ eyes widened, as if to say this wasn’t part of the plan.
“……Pardon?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? They’re being discarded after serving their purpose.”
He’d been suspicious from the moment they brought twenty men for a job that didn’t require nearly that many, but even Namgung Urin hadn’t expected things to unfold like this.
This also meant that the Hyeoncheon Sect wasn't acting on the Baekri Family's orders, but on their own.
That was why they were trying to erase their tracks.
The Hyeoncheon Sect probably figured they couldn't just be the Baekri Family's dogs forever.
They must have wanted to get stronger.
They must have wanted to lord over Anhui.
His anticipation, on the verge of exploding, only grew stronger. Just how incredible were the elixirs Old Man Yeongchun made for the Hyeoncheon Sect to betray the Baekri Family over them?
Namgung Urin moved. The Five Spirits followed close behind.
“Can’t you tell by looking? They’re being discarded after serving their purpose.”
Left alone, Geolgae mimicked Namgung Urin’s words with a sneer.
“Seriously. Trying to sound all profound. Who even says things like that anymore? Acting all high and mighty, using phrases even the old geezers have stopped using.”
Namgung Urin’s statement wasn’t wrong, but it was an expression that had long since vanished from the martial world.
It was the kind of stuffy phrase only a Namgung would use.
In the martial world these days, it was taken for granted that you’d use people up and throw them away.
And there was a single phrase to sum up such actions.
“They call it the standard.”
The standard of the martial world.
There’s a well-known saying that it’s not the strong who survive, but those who survive who are strong. This saying had been twisted and became the standard.
Cower before the strong.
Wield your sword against the weak.
Do whatever it takes to climb to the top.
The notion that reaching the top is all that matters had become the standard. It was very similar to the Demonic Cult, which pursued strength above all else. The Orthodox Faction, which was supposed to operate on justice and chivalry, felt like a tale from a bygone era.
No, it was becoming an Orthodox Faction that was even worse than the Demonic Cult.
Was that why?
Was that the reason the Demonic Cult had collapsed so easily in the War of Orthodox and Demonic Factions?
Of course, the Namgung Family’s role in taking down the Heavenly Demon and his Blood Fiend Corps was immense, but it was also true that the Demonic Cult had been unable to exert much force on other fronts against the Orthodox Faction.
It was the result of their actions, their desperate attempts to become stronger by any means. Their mindset—that as long as you grew strong and achieved good results, the process didn't matter—had proven successful.
Thus, the Martial Alliance Leader, the Murong Family, and the Baekri Family, who had all followed the standard of the martial world to the letter, grew even stronger. Meanwhile, the Namgung Family, which had not, ended up in its current state.
“That brat is definitely different.”
He seemed crazy, but also not. He had an innocent side, yet he was completely self-absorbed.
It was impossible to get a read on the guy.
Judging by his actions now, he was showing a side that was completely different from the Namgung of old.
“A Namgung wearing a mask.”
And his subordinates, too.
It was something unimaginable five years ago.
For some reason, this guy was far removed from the honor and pride of the Namgung.
Therefore…
There was no telling how the Namgung would change in the future. Whether they would walk the same path as before, or… whether they would follow this guy’s thoughts and methods…
If… if by some chance the Namgung Family were to operate according to his ways…
Crazy.
“Ugh. Just the thought of it gives me the chills.”
Geolgae calmed his trembling flesh and fixed his eyes on the interior of the Black Serpent Gang’s headquarters, where Namgung Urin’s party was entering.
* * *
*Creeak!*
The main gate of the Black Serpent Gang’s hideout opened with a chilling sound.
Namgung Urin entered first, followed by the Five Spirits.
Ingol flashed a bright smile and bowed deeply.
“Welcome.”
Behind him, all the members of the Black Serpent Gang bowed low.
“We’re glad to see you, Big Brother!”
Namgung Urin raised a hand in a welcoming gesture and approached Yeongchun.
“Sir. You’ve been through a lot. Please step back for a moment.”
“Oh, yes, of course.”
“You guys get back, too.”
“Yes, Big Brother.”
Namgung Urin took Ingol’s place. The Five Spirits then surrounded the members of the Hyeoncheon Sword Brigade.
It was absurd, but five people had surrounded nineteen. Such was their presence. The nineteen men, excluding the Hyeoncheon Sect’s Deputy Commander, were so overwhelmed by the masked Five Spirits’ aura that they couldn’t even muster their own.
‘Are they assassins?’
Though they wore masks, they didn’t feel like assassins. If anything, their aura was purer and heavier than that of the Hyeoncheon Sword Brigade, members of the Orthodox Faction.
‘Where in the world did people like this come from!’
And it was truly bizarre why such powerful individuals were siding with the Black Serpent Gang.
Namgung Urin’s masked gaze turned to the Hyeoncheon Sect’s Deputy Commander.
“……”
“Why the silence? Weren't you just running your mouth?”
‘Damn it!’
It was a trap.
He didn’t know who the masked man was or where they came from, but one thing was certain: the Black Serpent Gang had joined forces with this masked man to lure them into a trap.
The Deputy Commander’s furious eyes shot toward Ingol, who had retreated.
“How dare you…”
“That’s not the right word. ‘How dare you’ is my line, not yours. Wouldn't you agree?”
The tables had turned, after all.
“Hey. And you should be looking at me, not over there. At me.”
The Deputy Commander was now in a situation where he had to face the masked Namgung Urin, not the insignificant leader of a dark faction, Ingol.
The Deputy Commander’s gaze reluctantly shifted to Namgung Urin.
While the presence of the five masked figures surrounding his men was formidable, the masked man who had taken Ingol’s place before him emitted not even the aura of a third-rate martial artist.
Having no presence was synonymous with not being a warrior.
Yet, while the man before him was clearly the leader of those pressing down on his subordinates, the fact that he felt not even a speck of energy from him was, paradoxically, what terrified the Deputy Commander.
And.
‘…What is this?’
His eyes…
They were sparkling like those of an innocent child.
‘…Is he just a kid?’
That couldn’t be.
Although his eyes sparkled like a child’s, those abyss-like black pupils felt as if they could suck the Deputy Commander right in. Moreover, not even the leader of the Hyeoncheon Sect possessed such a gaze.
Perhaps.
‘Did he learn some kind of sorcery?’
The kind that could intimidate or control people with just a look.
A myriad of thoughts threw the Deputy Commander into confusion. His current predicament wasn't helping either.
The Deputy Commander did his best to hide his trembling fear and spoke.
“…Who are you?”
“…How baffling.”
Namgung Urin feigned extreme bewilderment, turning to the Black Serpent Gang members and shrugging. The gang and the Five Spirits snickered.
As if to say, what kind of idiot was this?
Even Ingol of the Black Serpent Gang, whom the Deputy Commander had looked down upon, hadn’t asked such a question.
“Can’t you see what I have on my face? You should be able to.”
“……”
“Like a man in a mask would ever reveal his identity. Don't you think that was a strange thing to say?”
‘Damn it!’
The Deputy Commander cursed himself for asking such a foolish question out of panic and fear.
Gritting his teeth in shame, he spoke again.
“What is it you want? Is it that old man you’re after? If so…”
“Nope.”
“Then?”
“I just don’t like what you bastards are doing.”
It wouldn’t have mattered if he revealed he was a Namgung, but it was still too early to let the Black Serpent Gang know his identity.
“When you say ‘you bastards’… are you perhaps referring to our Hyeoncheon Sect…?”
He hadn't been singling out the Hyeoncheon Sect, but rather lumping together everyone in the martial world responsible for the Namgung's current state. But if the thief was outing himself, there was no reason to stop him.
“You could say that.”
‘So, it’s not the Baekri Family.’
He had suspected it.
He thought the Baekri Family might have found out about the Hyeoncheon Sect’s secret movements and decided to intercept Yeongchun. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
‘Then who in the world are these people?’
From the looks of it, this Yeongchun and the masked man seemed to know each other.
Only unresolved questions swirled chaotically in the Deputy Commander’s mind.
“What should I do?”
Though hidden by the mask, the corners of Namgung Urin’s mouth shot up mercilessly.
He could see the man knew he was at a disadvantage and was trying to find a way to get out of here alive. But Namgung Urin played dumb.
“What about?”
“I’m proposing a deal.”
Even if they begged for their lives on hands and knees, their fate was already sealed.
A deal?
Alright, let’s hear it.
“Do you even have anything worth trading?”
“I will forget everything that happened today. And we will never seek out the Black Serpent Gang again. There is no reason for us to shed blood, is there?”
“Heh heh. Hahaha.”
It was just a few short laughs from Namgung Urin.
But it was enough to send shivers down the spines of everyone in the Black Serpent Gang’s courtyard.
The vibration of Primordial Chaos flowing from Namgung Urin’s emotions made everyone feel a winter chill in the height of summer.
“A little late for that, isn’t it?”
“No one is hurt, and no one has died. And I will return all the promissory notes in my hand.”
“That’s true. So, what if someone gets hurt, and what if someone dies?”
‘Damn it.’
He had roamed the martial world for years.
He knew what the masked man before him wanted. He was determined to see blood…
He couldn’t tell how skilled he was, but he had a nagging feeling that the man wasn't an expert so far beyond his reach that he couldn't challenge him.
“Your subordinates could also be seriously injured or killed.”
“Can’t be helped. They’ll die because they’re weak. This is the martial world. The weak get devoured. Isn’t that right?”
‘He’s saying that in front of his own men?’
He was completely insane!
He should at least pretend to care for his subordinates.
What kind of men in this vast martial world would follow a leader who treats them like objects?
Meanwhile,
The Five Spirits whipped their heads toward Namgung Urin, as if to ask what he was talking about.
‘…He must be joking.’
‘I told you. He’s the crazy Young Lord.’
‘No way, surely not.’
‘Why do you think the saying "surely not" gets people killed exists?!’
‘Well, he’s handsome, so it’s fine.’
Crazy!
After checking the eyes of the five masked figures surrounding his men, the Deputy Commander spoke.
“Their eyes say otherwise. So why don’t you reconsider?”
“Oh, them? This is their first real battle, so they’re nervous. They probably have all sorts of thoughts running through their minds. That’s why.”
“…Is that… true?”
He was quite sure there was no precedent in the martial world for someone to so openly reveal their weakness.
Not just sure, there was none!
Was he insane?
To proudly display one's weakness in a life-or-death situation.
“You don’t seem to believe me. But you can see for yourself, can’t you? Doesn’t their killing intent seem too weak for their aura? That’s probably what the killing intent of someone who’s never shed blood before looks like.”
“……”
It was true.
There was no way a Deputy Commander of the Hyeoncheon Sword Brigade wouldn’t know. But caught up in panic, fear, and the desperate will to survive, he had only just realized it.
And only after the masked man had pointed it out.
“…It’s true. …But why…?”
“Why am I telling you?”
The Deputy Commander nodded, wanting to know.