Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: An Order
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A bewildered Zhuge Siyeon spoke up.
“Drinks…?”
Baekri Jang-won said confidently.
“Yes, drinks. Why, can’t you drink? Should we make it something else?”
“…No, I like to drink. It’s fine, but… you really want to drink with me? Why?”
“It’s not often I get a chance to drink alone with such a beauty.”
“…Right. I am a beauty. I know, but… still, why me? Don’t you get it? Me being here is the same as saying I’m your enemy. Did that duel a month ago mess with your head a little? Are you trying to collude with the enemy?”
Shouldn’t he be grinding his teeth in anger?
Beside them, the Five Swords of Namgung nodded enthusiastically, as if to say, ‘She’s right.’
The corners of Baekri Jang-won’s mouth lifted. But strangely, it didn’t look obnoxious.
It wasn’t a smirk that mocked Zhuge Siyeon.
“I’m not an enemy anymore. Ah, of course, our Baekri Family might still be an enemy, but I am not.”
…What kind of nonsense was this?
If the Baekri Family was the enemy, then shouldn’t Baekri Jang-won, who was to become their Young Lord, also be an enemy?
And yet, he claimed he wasn’t.
If this wasn’t nonsense, what was it?
Moreover, it was truly impressive how shamelessly he could spew such drivel. This side of him seemed to resemble Namgung Urin, sending a shiver down the spines of the Five Swords of Namgung.
Dumbfounded, Zhuge Siyeon spoke again.
“You’ve definitely lost your mind.”
“There are things you don’t know. So, are we doing this or not?”
“Let’s do it. Fine.”
Zhuge Siyeon was confident she wouldn't lose to Baekri Jang-won anyway. So, the scenario of sitting down for drinks with an enemy would never happen.
“Don’t you want anything?”
“Nothing.”
She just needed to vent the frustration Namgung Urin had caused her on Baekri Jang-won.
And so, the sparring match between Baekri Jang-won and Zhuge Siyeon began.
From the start, Zhuge Siyeon went all out, intending to teach him a lesson.
Clack!
The crisp sound of a wooden sword struck Baekri Jang-won, but he remained largely unfazed.
‘Well, well! Not bad.’
Zhuge Siyeon hadn’t thought Baekri Jang-won would be an easy opponent. However, her conviction that she would ultimately win remained unchanged.
Zhuge Siyeon’s fierce attacks continued relentlessly as she mentally chanted ‘Down with the Iron Blood Sect.’
But Baekri Jang-won’s defense was not easily breached. The pathetic figure who had been so thoroughly crushed by Namgung Urin was nowhere to be seen.
‘What is this?’
He’s this strong?
Wasn’t she using her full strength right now?
Of course, since this was a spar and not a fight to the death, there was a limit to her full strength.
Still…
This was more than she had expected. No, it completely defied her expectations, almost mocking them.
Baekri Jang-won spoke with a relaxed expression.
“Shall we get started for real now?”
…Get started for real now?
Did that mean while she was using her full strength, he hadn’t been?
Indeed, his face looked far too composed.
Zhuge Siyeon’s face flushed red and purple.
“What’s this bastard saying! Who are you to act so relaxed!”
“You’ll see from now on. My turn to attack.”
Baekri Jang-won boldly swung his wooden sword at Zhuge Siyeon.
Crack!
The sound from the wooden sword was so sharp it seemed like it would shatter.
‘Damn it!’
A curse instinctively rose in Zhuge Siyeon’s throat.
Baekri Jang-won’s face still held a relaxed air, but the wooden sword in his hand showed no such leisure. It pressed Zhuge Siyeon with even greater speed.
Smack!
Crack!
With a look of utter disbelief, Zhuge Siyeon was continually pushed back.
And Baekri Jang-won’s face was still overflowing with composure.
That wasn’t all.
Baekri Jang-won was pressing her at a speed just fast enough for her to block. Furthermore, he was only using enough force to avoid causing any internal injuries.
‘This bastard is this strong?!’
Then…
Just how strong was that bastard, Urin?
She couldn’t imagine it.
It was impossible to imagine. How could she, when she couldn’t even begin to fathom it?
As Baekri Jang-won’s relentless attacks continued, Zhuge Siyeon no longer had the luxury of thought.
And the man pushing her back, Baekri Jang-won, was beginning to look different.
She had never met a man this strong before.
With the exception of Namgung Urin.
* * *
A thousand years…
It was easy to say, but wasn’t it a span of time impossible to grasp?
He was saying they had lived for that long, that immense period, silently waiting for the Master of Primordial Chaos.
It was something impossible for a human.
Humans were fundamentally driven by instinct. Yet this man, possessing such powerful martial arts—no, sorcery—had never once set foot in the martial world for a thousand years?
It was a feat nigh impossible for a human.
Namgung Urin, who had become solemn, spoke.
“Please rise.”
Seeing a white-haired old man kneeling before a young man like himself, didn’t it make him look like a complete brat?
“I cannot. I can only rise after you have accepted my loyalty, our loyalty.”
They had waited for a thousand years. Blindly. It was like their destiny.
“…”
Was he really pledging allegiance just because he had learned the Primordial Chaos Art?
If he ordered him to die on the spot, would he actually do it? He was curious, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
If he said it and the man actually died… he wouldn’t just be a brat, he’d be a truly terrible person.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot accept. I cannot blindly trust someone I know nothing about.”
“How may I earn your trust?”
His eyes were desperate, but this wasn’t an issue that could be resolved so rashly. Pledging and accepting loyalty meant a lifetime commitment. Making a decision about lifelong companions on the first meeting?
This wasn’t some love-at-first-sight romance.
And Namgung Urin wasn’t the type to use people when convenient and discard them when they weren’t, like so many in the current martial world. This wasn't a problem that could be solved by desperation alone.
The Martial Alliance Leader, Moyong Gu, would have accepted in a heartbeat.
“From my perspective, you seem to be of a considerable age. I trust you are well aware that faith and trust cannot be formed overnight. Or perhaps, is the loyalty you speak of something that can be used when needed and cast aside when not?”
‘Ho ho. He is no ordinary man.’
The reports had described him as a Mad Dragon, very impulsive. The leader of the Illusionary Shadow Sect was realizing anew that one could only know a person’s true nature by meeting them in person.
The face of the Illusionary Shadow Sect’s leader, still kneeling on one knee, brightened considerably.
“I was too hasty. I will heed the Master’s words. Then, please forgive my rudeness in testing you for a moment, and allow me to introduce myself.”
The leader of the Illusionary Shadow Sect straightened his knee and stood up. But then he bent his knees again. Now both of his knees touched the ground.
He was bowing to Namgung Urin.
“I am Sa Jung-u, the chief of the Primordial Chaos Village. I offer my deepest gratitude to the heavens and to you, Master, for allowing me to behold your esteemed face in my lifetime.”
Namgung Urin also showed his respect, though he did not go so far as to bow.
“I am Namgung Urin, the Young Lord of the Namgung Family. Now, may I ask one thing?”
The chief of the Primordial Chaos Village, Sa Jung-u, rose from his position and bowed his head respectfully.
“I am listening, Master.”
“Did you truly wait a thousand years for me, or rather, for one who has mastered the Primordial Chaos Art? And what is the reason?”
Chief Sa Jung-u opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for the question.
“Our Primordial Chaos Village has two great tenets. One is to not record anything about the village. Thus, it is not exact. We only remember what has been passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, and from that, we can only make a rough guess. The thousand years I mentioned is a very conservative estimate of our village’s history.”
“I see. Then what is the other tenet?”
“‘Do not enter the martial world until the Master of Primordial Chaos appears.’ However, this was broken two hundred years ago.”
“That coincides with the time the Primordial Chaos Art appeared in the martial world.”
“Indeed. We believed that the one who mastered the Primordial Chaos Art would emerge from within our village. It seems that was everyone’s hope. But for many long years, no one mastered it. They must have grown weary. I can understand. Eventually, those who gave up on mastering the art discovered a new chaos. No, I heard it was not chaos. It was said to be something with properties opposite to chaos. In the end, they left the village, vowing to return once they had the martial world at their feet.”
Namgung Urin, who had been listening intently, spoke.
“So you cast the Primordial Chaos Art into the martial world, hoping someone would master it and stop them.”
In conclusion, even this man, the chief of the Primordial Chaos Village, did not know who created the Primordial Chaos Art or how.
It also meant that people who couldn't overcome human desire existed everywhere in the world.
“That is correct.”
“Then, it means you waited for the Master of Primordial Chaos in order to emerge into the martial world.”
“No. I don’t know how it was in the past, but that is not the case for us now. To be honest, we were skeptical. After all those years, no one had mastered the art. So we were simply living our lives, entrusting ourselves to the flow of time.”
“Then can’t you just continue to live that way? You don’t have to kneel before a young man like me. Doesn’t it seem servile? To kneel for no reason?”
“Frankly, if the one who mastered the art had been unimpressive and incompetent, that might have been the case. But having met you in person, Master, I see there is no need for such worries. So please, accept us. This was the reason for our village’s existence, our longing for countless years.”
The village chief prostrated himself once more.
“Let us observe each other. We have plenty of time. By the way, where is this Primordial Chaos Village?”
“It is in Mount Huang.”
Mount Huang was located in the southern part of Anhui Province.
“…Mount Huang, you say? For a thousand years?”
“Yes. The Primordial Chaos Village cannot be moved. We cannot use our chaos arts anywhere else.”
So there was another secret.
For a place to have gone undiscovered for a thousand years…
Didn’t So Hwi, the Anhui branch leader of the Lower Five Gates, say so?
That no one even knew where it was.
“Would you like to go there now?”
“No. I will make time for it later. Let’s leave it here for today.”
He was curious, but he felt no need to hurry.
“I will visit you often.”
…Well, do as you please.
Namgung Urin quickly turned to head back to Bright Moon Pavilion.
No, he started to leave, then turned back.
“By any chance…”
“Please, say anything.”
“The illusionary arts you showed me earlier… can I learn them too?”
There was no reason why Namgung Urin, who had mastered the Primordial Chaos Art, couldn’t learn it. He was simply asking if the man could teach him.
Chief Sa Jung-u’s lips stretched wide into a grin.
It was strange enough that he was white-haired yet had no wrinkles, but his double eyelids were also incredibly thick. On top of that, he even had dimples, unbefitting of his age…
His smile looked just like that of a pervert who was into men.
“I thought you might ask, so I came prepared.”
The chief took a thick book from his robes and politely handed it to Namgung Urin.
“You’re very well-prepared.”
“Hahaha. It is nothing.”
Chief Sa Jung-u laughed again.
“Uhm…”
“Please speak.”
“Don’t smile like that in front of me.”
The chief, his face still smiling, looked slightly flustered as he spoke with a bewildered smile.
“…Why do you say that… If this is an order…”
Laughing a lot was one of the joys of his old age. And they said laughing often helped you not to age quickly…
“It’s an order.”
Though there was still no trust or faith between them, Namgung Urin had urgently issued his first command.