Chapter 39
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: The Seeds of Discord
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Flap, flap!
Black Tiger narrowed his eyes as he watched me crumple up a note and tie it to the leg of a flapping carrier pigeon.
Why the sudden need for a carrier pigeon?
Because there are suspicious circumstances, and I can't just let them be?
Are you suspecting Lady Dang?
Yeah.
Based on the circumstances, we can't be certain of anything yet.
That's why it's suspicion. Not certainty, suspicion.
Black Tiger seemed worried that my suspicions would needlessly escalate the situation. I didn't feel the need to respond, but if I had to say something
It's better to confirm a suspicion than to let it linger. You have to see it with your own two eyes, not just stand by. Otherwise, you'll always have this nagging feeling whenever you try to move forward.
There's a saying about knocking on a stone bridge before you cross. Right now, my greatest weaknesses were Byeok and my mother, Lady Baek. It was unlikely, but if the seeds of unease I'd left in the Namgung family were to reach Byeok and my mother, I would surely crumble.
I fear this will only make them more wary.
That's why I wrote it carefully. Is this how you do it?
The one who needed to receive this note was Namgung Yeoul. He was the only person in the Namgung family I could trust completelymy master, Namgung Yeoul.
What if.
I looked up at Black Tiger's words.
What if Lady Dang is truly behind a plot like this, or is causing trouble out of her own greed? What do you intend to do?
What do you think?
What more needed to be said?
I'll have to show her who she's dealing with.
But.
Black Tiger couldn't bring himself to say it. What could the Great Young Lord, who was facing punishment because of him, possibly do?
Especially with the Iron-Blood Sword Saint An Baek accompanying them, he felt there was no way.
Black Tiger. Don't worry. I'm not the one who will be dealing with them directly.
I was kind enough to explain.
What do you mean by that
The look in his eyes
This guy is at it again.
was something like that. A depth of thought far too profound for a mere fifteen-year-old boy.
Black Tiger was astounded by the unfathomable depth of his mind, unable to guess just how far ahead he was looking.
We can just use the people nearby. There's no need for us to go to the trouble of acting ourselves.
Throughout my time on the battlefield, I'd had to devise countless operations and strategies. In terms of numbers and fighting spirit, the Red Turban Rebels were formidable opponents.
Nevertheless, I had to rack my brain to overcome the situation. I even instigated internal conflicts among them, blinding them with the promise of merit, and achieved some decent initial results in the process.
Why do you think they say you can know the depths of the sea but never a person's heart? Everyone thinks differently, so if you just gently poke at that, they'll all start to make their move.
I had no intention of just sitting back and taking it.
The Poison Flower, Dang Miyeon.
If she was truly the one behind this, then she was just another source of the disease sickening the family. I would ensnare her, trap her, and make her feel the biting sting of who she dared to provoke.
A dark, damp place where not a single ray of light entered, the foul air making it hard to even breathe.
Inside a cold iron cage, someone was squirming, barely crawling on the floor, wetting their throat with a drop or two of falling water.
Guuuh.
It was Namgung Sun, who just a few days ago had been the revered Eighth Elder of the Azure Sky Namgung Family.
The once vast energy in his dantian was completely gone, and a dark energy that had invaded his vital pointshis neck, heart, and solar plexuswas continuously eating away at him.
I will not kill you. For now begins the assassin's hour.
Ever since Black Tiger's energy had invaded his body, Namgung Sun had been dying a slow death.
He lamented his pathetic state, struggling as he died. He was just a martial artist who had dreamed of a supreme position under the same sky.
To think that, do you not feel you chose the wrong path? Had you truly chosen to support and back someone, it would not have come to this.
Step. Step.
The person speaking to Namgung Sun in this sunless place, the Black Cell.
First Elder.
The Second Elder has been here, I hear.
Namgung Yeoul met the gaze of Namgung Sun, who squirmed and barely managed to lift his head.
Even so, do not be tormented after death, Eighth Elder.
At those words.
At the First Elder's words.
Namgung Sun felt a tear roll down his cheek. Had he ever been so miserable in his entire life?
His martial skill, which was second to none.
From a position no one could treat lightly.
What he never should have dared to covet.
The line he had dared to cross.
He regretted, and regretted again, his own futile choice. And so, a self-mocking voice escaped the lips of a man who had now become a mere commoner.
What do you want?
Namgung Sun's choked voice echoed through the Black Cell.
To kill with a borrowed knife.
At Namgung Yeoul's calm words, Namgung Sun let out a hollow laugh.
You've changed a lot too, First Elder. Was the disciple you took in your later years truly that precious?
He is a disciple I gained in my twilight years. What would I hesitate for?
After a long moment of contemplation, Namgung Sun struggled and barely lifted his head. With a desperate will to look upon Namgung Yeoul's face.
I ask you to look after my granddaughter.
The reason Eighth Elder Namgung Sun had to accept Namgung Yeoul's proposal while making such a desperate plea was
Do not worry. I have already secured her.
Thank you.
He, too, was a man who loved his own flesh and blood.
How is the Great Young Lord?
Fortunately, he is safe. Though I heard he was on the brink of death.
It made sense.
If something had happened to the Great Young Lord, the First Elder wouldn't have come all this way to make such a proposal.
Even so, seeing the First Elder move personally, it seems your political instincts haven't died.
What are you talking about?
The smile that played on Namgung Yeoul's lips
This came from the mind of the boy you tried to kill.
left an eternal brand upon Namgung Sun's heart. One he would never forget, even in death.
CRASH!
The table split in two and kicked up a cloud of dust, but Fourth Elder Namgung Gun paid it no mind. Biting his lower lip, he met the eyes of the two elders before him.
Right now.
Sixth Elder Namgung Gil and Seventh Elder Namgung Je were avoiding his gaze.
So. You're saying you'll pin everything on me and run away. Is that it?
Fourth Elder! How can you say such a thing?
Hmph, Fourth Elder, calm yourself.
Unable to meet Fourth Elder Namgung Gun's bloodshot eyes, the two elders scrambled to speak.
Who would have known the Eighth Elder would implicate you, Fourth Elder?
The commotion left behind by Lady Pyeon no, by Lady Pyeon, hasn't even died down yet in the Namgung family. Why did you side with the Second Elder? Without even telling us.
At the words of Sixth Elder Namgung Gil and Seventh Elder Namgung Je, Fourth Elder Namgung Gun let out a hollow laugh, not realizing he was doing so. How could they be so shameless while wearing human skin?
They were truly beasts with human faces.
Who colluded with the Second Elder? Besides, wasn't this something you both agreed to?
Come now, Fourth Elder, what does that matter? What's important is that the Eighth Elder pointed to you and the Second Elder before he died.
As he said, Eighth Elder Namgung Sun was dead. The crime of slandering and attacking the Great Young Lord was unforgivable. It was said that as soon as he was captured, he was thrown into the Black Cell, where he squirmed like an insect until he died.
The problem was what came next.
I was framed. I intended to die in silence, but this is too unjust for me to simply let it pass. Family Head, do not trust the Second Elder and the Fourth Elder.
As his last act, the Eighth Elder threw out a final statement, claiming he was framed by the Second and Fourth Elders, and it sent a chill through the Namgung family.
As a result, Namgung Mubaek tightened his grip on Second Elder Namgung Bon and Fourth Elder Namgung Gun. At the same time, he stripped all the elders of their authority.
From now on, nothing shall be done without my approval. If anyone dares, they will face my wrath. Furthermore, know that the door to repent for one's sins is always open.
Namgung Mubaek unleashed all the power he had been hiding.
Ungang, Pyoyeong, Pyoil, and two others made their move, while First Elder Namgung Yeoul, Ninth Elder Namgung Su, and Tenth Elder Namgung Ho openly followed behind Namgung Mubaek.
Fourth Elder, there is only one way to survive.
After clearing his throat a few times, Sixth Elder Namgung Gil faced Fourth Elder Namgung Gun with an intensely serious gaze.
Let's be the first to confess what the Second Elder did, the things he proposed to us. If we fall out of favor with the Family Head, we'll end up losing our limbs one by one.
That's right, Fourth Elder. We must act quickly.
Fourth Elder Namgung Gun seethed as he watched the two elders fidget nervously, terrified that the flames might spread to them.
Just what
what wealth and glory had he been chasing to have trusted these men and come this far?
Fourth Elder Namgung Gun's face seemed to age rapidly. Unable to overcome the emptiness that filled his heart.
At the same time, the Second Elder was also on the move.
Second Elder Namgung Bon.
Do you really think I will die alone, Third Elder, Fifth Elder?
Second Elder Namgung Bon's expression grew cold as he looked at Third Elder Namgung Hwamin and Fifth Elder Namgung Deok. The two elders standing before him feigned ignorance.
But what can we do, Second Elder? Our only crime was following you.
Even if you say otherwise, it will only magnify your crime. Take responsibility and pay the price.
Fifth Elder Namgung Deok lowered his head and spoke softly.
If you do, we will help you recover quickly, both materially and spiritually. Have we not shared a bond all this time?
At those words, Second Elder Namgung Bon gritted his teeth. His eyes took in the two elders' slick, smooth-talking faces.
I will handle this myself. Just you wait.
Swallowing the rage boiling inside him, Second Elder Namgung Bon barely managed to leave the elders' office.
And so, the ripple that had started in the Namgung family with a single pebble thrown by a boy slowly spread, consuming the family. It was a ripple that would not easily subside.