Chapter 17
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Heaven Above the Heavens
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Chapter 17.
That fool of a Family Head, making such a big deal over a single wish. How pathetic.
As far as I knew, there was only one person who could so scathingly criticize the head of the Namgung Family.
Why are you making a fuss again?
What fuss? Cant you see it too?
Its much better than some empty justification.
In any case, I dont like it.
I clicked my tongue at my uncle, who turned into a child whenever the Family Head was mentioned. How deep did the emotional rift run for him to be so displeased with every little thing?
Two more to go.
Yeah, well.
So arrogant. You dont seem worried at all.
My uncle shook his head at my nonchalant attitude, as if even that displeased him.
From what Ive seen, Namgung Hyeok and Namgung Gal have certainly mastered the Namgung sword and internal arts. So dont get cocky just because you beat the previous opponents.
As my uncle had said, I hadnt faced a single crisis while fighting the members from the martial halls of Anhui. Even against their relentless onslaughts, I parried their attacks as naturally as the Iron Sword Ten Forms became second nature to me, and victory was always mine.
It was only natural. Though I was in the body of a fifteen-year-old, I had lived for decades with a sword in hand. My skills were forged and refined through the blood-soaked experiences of the battlefield.
To those who shouted in disbelief, I showed the utmost tolerance.
And through my actions, I offered a brief apology for my past wrongdoings, creating an opportunity to resolve any lingering resentment.
When has the world ever given me anything? What nonsense are you talking about?
Tsk, seeing youre still so cynical, it seems you need a harsher lesson.
You still dont get it after all this time?
Have you forgotten what I said? That I have a little something prepared for you.
...
Ah.
Come to think of it, my uncle had said that before my match with Gangumun of the Gangu Martial Hall.
He told me to look forward to the arrangement he had prepared.
Just as I was about to say something, I paused at the sound of an approaching presence.
Um...
A servant girl, holding a tray with sweet refreshments and fragrant tea, stood hesitantly before us.
I I apologize for interrupting your conversation.
Its fine. Place it here.
My uncle gestured toward the table, and the servant girl approached with faltering steps. As I watched her, my gaze was drawn not to the refreshments, but to the tea that tickled my nose.
What is the name of this tea?
I found myself curious about its name. In my past life, I had more days drowning my sorrows in alcohol than sipping tea that could soothe the body and mind like this. If I hadnt, I would have lost my mind day after day on the bloody battlefield.
However.
Huh? Y-Yes, that that is
The servant girl couldnt bring herself to speak. Her face was pale, and beads of cold sweat were visible.
Was the name of the tea that difficult?
You dont look well. Are you alright?
N-No, Im fine.
It was a pointless question. You may go. Thank you for bringing this.
The servant girl bowed several more times before scurrying away. Watching her go, I turned my gaze to my uncle.
Shes scared of you because you have such a grim expression.
Nonsense. Its because you asked such a ridiculous question. She was probably afraid that mad dog would bite her.
You argue so well when youre not drinking. Perhaps I was wrong to make you quit alcohol.
Our bickering continued until the servant girl was completely out of sight, at which point I slowly opened my mouth.
...It seems some mischief is afoot...
The servant girls eyes had been glued to the teacup. Her trembling pupils and the way she swallowed nervously were things that couldnt happen unless there was foul play.
And it seemed my uncle hadn't missed it either.
I wonder what kind of bastard would do this. To be so bold as to pull something like this in the Namgung Family, they must have some nerve.
Why do you assume its a man? It could be a woman.
My uncle and I exchanged a look, our eyes deepening simultaneously.
This family was sick, truly and deeply sick. Rotten to the core.
That was why nothing could be taken at face value, nothing could be certain. It was a moment where everything, from beginning to end, had to be doubted.
While I was lost in thought, my uncle flicked the condensation from his teacup, swished it in his mouth, and spat it out.
Theres no pain, but the flow in my dantian is becoming sluggishly calm. A nasty concoction that prevents one from using their internal energy. A single sip would likely block it for at least twelve hours, and possibly up to a full day.
My uncle, having assessed the poisons properties in a short time, furrowed his brow. He seemed to be taking this situation more seriously than I was.
Relax your face. If you glare like that, youll put everyone on edge.
How can you be so calm when I want to tear them to shreds this instant?
Are you planning to ruin the Sword Assembly by searching for them now? Or are you going to weave through this crowd and find them yourself?
At my words, my uncle snorted.
Disrupting my internal energy must mean they intend to interfere with the matches.
Theres no other reason they would use such a poison.
Then if I drink this, I should be able to see who can still use their internal energy freely.
...You brat! Surely you dont mean to.
My gaze, which had been on the now-cold teacup, turned to my uncle.
They say you have to enter the tigers den to catch the tiger, dont they?
And if you fail to win after that, it will all be for nothing.
You still have so little faith in me.
Staring at the teacup, I downed it in one gulp. A warmth spread through my stomach. For those who hadn't cultivated internal energy, they would have praised the teas aroma and taste.
At the same time, a wave of lethargy washed over me, and my body went limp. The internal energy in my dantian, instead of circulating, solidified like a rock. No matter how I tried to move it, it remained motionless.
Just as my uncle had said, there seemed to be no other pain or harm; it simply rendered me temporarily unable to use my internal energy.
Is it not painful?
Not particularly.
To a martial artist, internal energy is more important than anything else.
My uncle added that I was just a novice who had only recently tasted the power of internal energy, but I just smirked and shook my head.
In my past life, I knew more about poisons than anyone. No, it wasn't that I knew them well, but rather that I had been poisoned so many times without being able to distinguish them.
The infiltration and sabotage by spies in the military were just that cunning.
It was common for our food and water to be laced with poison.
Incidents ranging from simple food poisoning to life-threatening situations were frequent. How many times had hundreds, even thousands, been poisoned simultaneously, forced to abandon the battlefield just to struggle for survival?
And I was the one who had endured and survived that hell.
Wasn't it poison that had brought me and the Great Young Lord to our deaths together?
Uncle.
Speak.
I have a favor to ask.
Youre not about to tell me you cant do it now, are you?
Of course not. Its just that I, like you, believe that whoever did this must pay for their crimes.
I shook my head and grinned at my uncle, who slowly nodded in response.
My assumption that the fourth match would also go smoothly was mine alone.
The arrangement my uncle had prepared.
That was what tripped me up.
I am Donghui of the Pungun Martial Hall.
Namgung Ban of the Namgung Family.
I had assumed that anyone who made it to the quarter-finals from the martial halls must have proven their skill to some extent. I thought that was all there was to it.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
It was only after clashing swords ten times in an instant that I realized.
...Well, Ill be.
Blood seeped from my calloused palm. The impact had been that great. A slight misstep, and I would have dropped my sword in front of everyone.
And yet, the young man named Donghui was perfectly at ease.
Ha.
Faced with this absurd situation, bewilderment washed over me, but I let out a light sigh and cleared my mind of distractions.
How do you know my uncle?
He is the one who saved my life.
You should use your saved life for yourself, not for that drunkard.
At my words, Donghuis expression hardened.
You may insult others, but do not insult Master An Baek. I would lay down my life for him.
How noble.
He must be some kind of unofficial disciple.
There were days when my uncle would disappear without a word. Was this who he went to see?
After a few more exchanges, I was pushed back to the edge of the dueling stage. He was clearly a cut above the riffraff, a swordsman of a higher caliber.
I heard you cannot use your internal energy, so I will not use mine either.
I narrowed my eyes at Donghui as he took his stance. Though he couldn't be more than twenty, his presence and composure were different.
His perspective on the sword, the refined, blade-like spirit hidden beneath his calm exterior.
He certainly resembled him. My uncle.
Even so.
To be so relaxed in front of me. How amusing.
Nothing had changed.
So what if I was on the defensive? The real fight hadn't even begun. My opponent was just a fledgling, a greenhorn who had held a sword for barely a decade.
Master An earnestly requested it. He told me to put you in your place with all my strength.
You?
I raised the tip of my sword.
Me?
When I returned alive from a pile of blood-soaked corpses, I came to a realization.
To be at ease while holding a sword is a luxury.
Paaat! As Donghui saw me kick off the ground and slowly raised his sword
I felt it was utterly pathetic.
To hold a sword is to have death at your side.
Any other feeling is a luxury, and a luxury alone.
In my past life, even before I reached the peak, my sword was tempered in the blood of countless peak masters.
The word carelessness could not even begin to describe it.
The price for being relaxed while holding a sword was a gruesome end.
On the battlefield, the folly of carelessness leads directly to the consequence of death.
This greenhorn, trusting only in his talent, knew nothing of carelessness or its price. In other words, he couldn't see what lay ahead at all.
Then I would have to tell him.
I would have to teach him.
That there is a heaven above the heavens.
Iron Sword Ten Forms.
Tenth Form, Heavenly Sword.
I dared to channel the heavens into my iron sword. It might be nothing more than a sword strike created without an ounce of internal energy, but even so, he would not be able to withstand the entirety of the Iron Swords legacy.
Uncle.
Youve greatly underestimated me.
I am the one who survived for decades on the battlefield, driven by the sole will to live even on days when my internal energy ran dry.
My approaching sword tip splits into dozens of afterimages that converge into one. And it touches the tip of Donghuis sword.
Crack.
The tip of his sword began to fracture.
The same was happening to the sword in my hand.
A sword strike that could only be executed by one who truly understood the sword.
Creeak.
The composure that had radiated from the young man named Donghui was gone. How could a mere human block the pressure of a collapsing mountain?
His eyes shimmered with fear. Donghui tried to twist his body away. A sense of crisis, a feeling that he had to face the death right before his eyes, dominated his entire being.
It is already too late. Just die.
At my words, Donghuis eyes widened. For a young man who had never faced death, the terror he felt for the first time was beyond words.
N-No No!