Chapter 13
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Sword Branch Assembly Begins
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The Sword Branch Assembly began with spectacular fanfare, amidst fervent cheers and anticipation.
I want to face the Great Young Lord.
Considering the humiliation our Taesan Martial Hall suffered two years ago, you have no right to say that.
Shut up. My father collapsed. And it was all because of that bast no, because of the Great Young Lord.
Yet, amidst all that fervent cheering and anticipation, I was the only one not welcome. So many people stared at me during the bracket selection that, in a way, it felt like the event was all for me.
My uncle was right. They're all chomping at the bit to tear me apart.
The young men swarming forward all growled at me.
But what good would that do?
Only one person can fight me at a time, and even that is decided by a fair and impartial drawing.
There are easily thousands of people in Anhui Castle. Do you think only one or two of them are participating?
Just because someone participated last year doesn't mean they can't this year, and there were quite a few who had reasons to participate multiple times.
There was even one who openly sneered at me.
Truly impressive. The sheer audacity to show your face here after making an enemy of all of Anhui Castle.
The one snickering was Namgung Gyeon, the one I had mentally renamed son of a bitch. When I sighed at him, he bristled and strode toward me.
Don't get so cocky just because you landed one hit when I was off guard. I'll make it so you can never lift your head in front of everyone again.
Yes, yes. I'm sure you will.
It seems he completely missed the fact that I didn't just land one hit, but also sparred with Black Tiger.
Did you properly apologize to Byeok?
Apologize? Apologize for what? What did I do wrong? Besides.
Namgung Gyeon scoffed, trailed off, and turned his head. Following his gaze, I saw Namgung Byeok.
It was truly a welcome sight to see him waving at me with a bright smile, then looking surprised by the sea of people.
That's right, Byeok.
The world you see will be filled with nothing but warmth and bright days. I will make it so. So only see good things, and only hear good things.
Just as I was lost in thought, a coarse voice shattered the mood.
What's there to respect about him? A brat raised by a lowly mother from an insignificant background.
My gaze shifted to him. But he showed no intention of stopping his bullshit.
Whatever talent he might have, it's already too late. By then, I'll have already earned the family's recognition.
That triumphant smile on his face.
Those eyes I thought were filled with jealousy and envy.
That moment I believed the strained relationship between brothers was due to the competition for the family head position.
Namgung Gyeon's incessant babbling made me realize.
He was irredeemable, a piece of human garbage that needed to be disposed of. At the same time, I found the root cause that created this irredeemable trash.
Where I turned my head, four women were sitting side by side.
Among the three women, excluding Lady Baek who was holding Namgung Byeok, one bore the strongest resemblance to Namgung Gyeon.
And in her eyes, I could see glimpses of the same greedy glint as Namgung Gyeon.
My eyes fell on Namgung Mubaek's fourth wife, the woman called Lady Pyeon. Then, looking at the grim-faced Black Tiger standing behind her, I smiled faintly.
At the end of that smile, I looked at Namgung Gyeon and spoke softly.
How fortunate. It seems I'll be able to pay my respects to you sooner than I thought, brother.
What are you talking about? Mumbling to yourself. Hmph!
Watching Namgung Gyeon turn away, I gave a cold smile.
Just you wait. Brother Namgung Ban.
Eradicate root and branch.
The source that has sickened the family is right there.
You have all waited long. First, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has come to the Sword Branch Assembly of the Namgung family, the representatives of Anhui. I am Namgung Ho, an elder of the Namgung family. My fellow martial artists have given me the undeserved title of 'Gale Sword'.
The stage, built from bluestone over twenty years ago, looked untouched by time, drawing admiration from all who saw it. It was sturdy, and though not ornate, its solid and unyielding appearance perfectly matched the atmosphere of the Namgung family.
The one who stepped onto that bluestone stagethe only place in Anhui Castle large enough to accommodate the massive crowd and host such an eventwas none other than the 10th Elder, Namgung Ho.
It's the Gale Sword!
Gale Sword! Gale Sword!
Please return to the martial world! Bestow your positive influence on these harsh lands as you once did!
Waaaaaah!
Everyone who saw him responded with glad voices and bright faces; some even waved their hands.
This reaction was because he was the Namgung elder who had most recently been active, wielding his sword for the sake of the Orthodox Faction and making a name for himself as a righteous warrior.
Of course, there were also those who looked sullen.
Doesn't it seem like the other elders just dumped the work on the youngest because it was a hassle?
Is that how it looks to you, too?
What's there to say?
Anyway, I don't like those old geezers.
The two men, who looked nothing alike, strangely resembled each other in the sullen expressions they wore with their arms crossed. One had to wonder if this was how a conversation between an uncle and nephew was supposed to go.
In any case.
You said you wanted my acknowledgment, did you not?
I did.
This is the stage you've set.
What are you trying to say?
So I, too, have prepared something.
The nephew felt a sense of foreboding for some reason. Finding his nephew's expression amusing, the uncle's lips curled into a smirk.
Look forward to the arrangements I've made.
Hah.
The nephew, about to sigh and question what arrangements he meant, had to stop as Namgung Ho continued speaking.
Now, I will call forth the ones who will open the Sword Branch Assembly.
Namgung Hyeok! Namgung Hyeok!
Namgung Gal! Namgung Gal!
Namgung Gyeon! Namgung Gyeon!
The moment Namgung Ho spoke, the crowd began chanting names.
Everyone's expectations are high, and so are mine! Now, the first match is!
The moment Namgung Ho checked the nameplate for the first match, his eyes widened. The first match was crucial.
It needed participants who could meet everyone's expectations and heat up the atmosphere to truly kick off the festival. Namgung Ho was fully prepared to deliver.
However.
Why him, of all people.
Seeing the name on the plate, he couldn't help but despair.
Why did this brat's name have to come up first?
But there was nothing to be done. He couldn't change the bracket now, and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to handle the backlash.
The, the first match is
Seeing Namgung Ho hesitate, the expressions of those watching from below the stage grew puzzled.
It was only natural to be curious when Namgung Ho, who had seemed ready to announce the start at any moment, was faltering.
The first young lord of the Namgung family, Namgung Ban, and the second son representing the Gang-u Martial Hall, Gang-u Mun. Will the two who have been called please come up to the stage.
And just like that, their curiosity was resolved.
At the same time, the heated atmosphere cooled in an instant, as if doused with ice water. Not just one or two, but countless people stiffened.
Yet, amidst that cold reaction, one person walked onto the stage, composed and unfazed.
I'll be going.
The nephew who had been standing beside his uncle calmly walked up. As the two young men ascended the stage amidst a barrage of insults, another wave of confusion arose.
Huh?
What is it?
Which of the two is that good-for-nothing scoundrel?
The, the left one? The right one?
The piece of trash I remember was
The crowd looked back and forth between the two young men with bewildered eyes.
The person in their memory was definitely
Fat, wasn't he?
He had those eyes that looked full of greed, too.
He was someone you could call a little devil, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration. But what on earth
Such comments followed, but no matter how they looked, they couldn't tell. All they knew was
The one wearing the Namgung family crest must be the scoundrel, but
Is, is that even possible? To change so much in less than a year.
The spectators' jaws dropped. Among them were more than a few who had been directly harmed by the scoundrel.
Though they couldn't say a word due to the Namgung family's power, most of them had witnessed the incidents caused by the scoundrel with their own eyes on more than one occasion.
Because of that, he wasn't easily forgotten. No, they couldn't forget him even if they tried.
That's what they had thought, but
Hah, he's quite stately.
He looks like the Namgung Family Head when he was young
My, my, how can this be?
Glancing at Namgung Mubaek, who stood aloof among the numerous elders with the four women behind him, the spectators let out gasps of admiration without realizing it.
Anyone could see he was Namgung Mubaek's son.
Scoundrel or not, blood is thicker than water, it seems.
Following the crowd's reaction, the members of the other Six Great Families and the Nine Sects One Union also perked up their ears.
Is that the one they call the Namgung family's scoundrel?
He doesn't look like much of a scoundrel.
A greedy pig, an immature child unaware of his duties as the Great Young Lord. For such an assessment, the aura he projects seems quite disciplined for a martial artist.
The Daoists.
The monks.
And the members of other families all wore puzzled expressions.
And they could only come to one conclusion.
The Namgung family deceived the world. They were hiding the Great Young Lord all this time, just to reveal him like this, in front of everyone!
Their conclusion was far more dramatic than the reality.
In any case, that was the conclusion they reached.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have described someone so stately, with the aura of a swordsman, as a scoundrel.
But the crowd's expressions and words say otherwise.
Indeed. They all look like they've bitten into something sour.
I can't make heads or tails of it.
It wasn't just the people of Anhui, the other families, and the other sects who were confused.
When did the Great Young Lord become so
The way his energy is controlled, it seems the stories of his efforts weren't false.
Forget his energy, his physique no, his entire body has changed, hasn't it? It feels like just yesterday he fell from that horse.
Hmph.
Even the Namgung family elders doubted their own eyes. Amidst everyone's shock, if there was anyone who wasn't surprised
It was none other than
The uncle staring sullenly at his nephew.
And a beautifully dressed woman with a child nestled in her arms.
It's big brother! Big brother! You have to win! Brother Ban!
Seeing that single ray of light in the midst of all the hostility, the Great Young Lord of the Namgung family broke into a wide grin.