Chapter 303
Chapter 303
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 303
Chapter Title: Danri Mok's Choice
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The two corpse demons hurriedly finished their meal and left the inn. One of them grumbled.
“We didn’t even eat our fill, so why the rush?”
“Great Prince Yi Hwan is upstairs.”
“Really? Then let’s go kill him?”
“Hmm…”
The corpse demon let out a deep sigh and asked.
“Have you forgotten His Majesty’s orders to us again?”
“No way. He told us to find Yeon Kingdom’s martial artists and kill as many as possible. How’s that? I remember it right, don’t I? Heh heh heh.”
“Right. But what do you think would happen if we attacked the Great Prince here? Even if we took him down, we’d end up hunted by the Yeon Kingdom’s army. Then we couldn’t carry out our lord’s command.”
“Now that you mention it, yeah.”
“If you get it, then stop talking nonsense.”
“Got it. Sorry.”
“Let’s move somewhere else so we don’t cause trouble.”
The two corpse demons.
Named Cha Ryong and Ban Go, they were descendants of the Blood Demon from the Zhao Kingdom who had crossed into Yeon Kingdom on Jo Yun’s orders. Thus, they referred to Jo Yun not as His Majesty, but as their lord.
Just like the descendants of Daye Fortress’s Three Kings, their skills—never revealed to the world until now—were known only to Jo Yun.
“We’ll head to Hebei first. We can’t say we’ve properly carried out our lord’s command unless we crush the Hebei Paeng Family, right?”
“That’ll be fun. Heh heh heh! Leave it to me then.”
“We’ll decide after we check it out.”
“Got it. Heh heh heh!”
“But there’s one thing you need to keep in mind for sure.”
“What’s that?”
“Tone down your killing intent. If you go around killing people recklessly, you’ll gain infamy instead of fame, and you might even become a public enemy of Yeon Kingdom’s martial world. Got it?”
“Got it. I’ll hold back. Heh heh heh.”
* * *
Qin Kingdom, Jiangxi Province.
Dark clouds gathered over the Danri Clan—the rising star among the Qin Kingdom’s martial families—and soon rain began pouring down.
Whoosh!
Danri Clan Lord Danri Jung-hoe set down his brush for a moment and gazed up at the sky.
“This isn’t the kind of rain that’ll stop easily.”
“It seems like the rain’s coming more often and heavier than in previous years. People are starting to call it an ominous sign.”
Chief Steward Danri Hwang, who had been grinding ink, spoke with a worried expression. Danri Jung-hoe gave a wry smile and replied.
“The people are still uneasy because of the mad believers’ uprising. That’s probably why even a simple rain brings talk like that.”
“They say the people are deeply dissatisfied with the court’s aftermath handling. The victims haven’t received proper recovery aid or compensation even now.”
“Hmm. This is serious. How could I not know that the backlash after suppressing the uprising might be even greater? Tsk tsk tsk.”
“Indeed.”
It was then. A warrior approached.
“Clan Lord, someone’s here requesting an audience with you.”
“Really? Who is it?”
“Well, he won’t reveal his identity and insists on seeing you, refusing to leave.”
“You don’t know him at all?”
“No, we don’t.”
Chief Steward Danri Hwang stood up.
“I’ll go check it out.”
“Do that.”
* * *
The path to the Danri Clan’s main gate was flanked by a dense bamboo grove on both sides.
The bamboo forest stretching up to the ten-zhang-high gate was so thick and impenetrable that calling it a fortress crafted by nature would not be an exaggeration.
Beneath it, a gray-robed man was sheltering from the rain, sword hugged to his chest.
The warriors guarding the Danri Clan’s gate eyed him with displeasure, but the gray-robed man kept his eyes gently closed, unperturbed.
How much time passed like that?
Chief Steward Danri Hwang emerged from beyond the gate.
The gray-robed man finally opened his eyes.
“Who are you, seeking our clan lord?”
The gray-robed man approached Danri Hwang through the rain. The warriors placed hands on their sword hilts, bracing for any contingency.
“Are you the Danri Clan Lord?”
“I am the chief steward of this clan. The clan lord isn’t someone you can meet without an appointment, so state your identity and tell me your business first.”
The gray-robed man silently stared at Danri Hwang for a moment. Then he spoke.
“I’m a nobody without even a name, so call me the Nameless Sword. The reason I’ve come to your clan is to request a duel.”
“What? A duel?”
Danri Hwang looked utterly bewildered. The watching warriors even let out mocking laughs.
“Are you joking right now!”
A roar erupted from Danri Hwang’s mouth.
The Nameless Sword replied calmly.
“You can take that however you like. But if you ignore my request, starting tomorrow, rumors will spread that the Danri Clan fears even a nameless warrior and avoids fighting.”
Danri Hwang couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.
A man without even a martial name, calling himself nameless, had shown up out of nowhere and spouted such brazen nonsense—what was this?
In ordinary circumstances, he would have chased away the fool.
A duel within the same clan or sect was one thing, but with an outsider clan or sect was not a decision to be made lightly. All martial clans and sects were the same in that regard.
Yet the Nameless Sword was trampling on the Danri Clan’s honor. As a warrior, his pride wouldn’t allow him to ignore it.
“Before coming here, I defeated the Gangdong Twin Swords. I’d like to believe the Danri Clan’s arts aren’t inferior to theirs, so you’re not scared.”
“...!”
Danri Hwang was greatly shocked.
The warriors’ expressions were the same. The Gangdong Twin Swords were renowned experts nearby, coveted by many sects eager to recruit them.
And he had defeated them.
Whoosh!
A moment of silence passed amid the pouring rain.
It was then.
“What’s going on, Uncle?”
A young man appeared from behind, his deep voice accompanying him. It was the Danri Clan’s eldest son, Danri Mok.
“This man has requested a duel.”
“Has he?”
Danri Mok stared at the Nameless Sword, who stood obliquely amid the bamboo grove. Their gazes clashed across the air.
Danri Mok spoke abruptly.
“We’re not in a position to accept your request right now, so please withdraw for today. But tell me where you’re staying, and I’ll give you an answer soon.”
The Nameless Sword finally straightened up.
“I’ll await your reply at the Spring and Autumn Inn north of the cheap quarter. If possible, don’t let a day pass.”
“Understood.”
The Nameless Sword departed.
Danri Mok watched his retreating figure, his eyes settling into calm.
“He gives off a bad feeling. We should discuss this with Father, Uncle.”
“He’s no ordinary man, that’s certain, but I don’t think he’s cause for real concern…”
“I’ve seen a lot of people with that kind of aura while wandering the world with Young Master Yi Hwan of the allied army. Even the Yeon Kingdom’s Great Prince had a similar vibe when I first met him.”
“You mean the Yeon Kingdom’s Great Prince?”
“Yes.”
Danri Hwang’s face flushed with fresh surprise. But he soon gave a wry smile.
“You can’t judge someone just by their aura. Let’s head inside for now.”
“Yes.”
Danri Mok turned away.
But he felt deeply uneasy.
‘Uncle is a considerable master himself. For him to react like this, that man is either truly a novice… or such an incredible expert that even Uncle couldn’t gauge him—one or the other.’
A strong doubt surged here.
The Nameless Sword who had appeared out of nowhere to request a duel.
Ordinary people who challenged like this usually had one of two goals.
To prove their martial prowess by defeating a prestigious clan and raise their honor.
Or simply to test their skills against a famous clan.
As Danri Hwang said, you couldn’t judge by aura alone, but to Danri Mok, the Nameless Sword didn’t seem the type seeking honor.
‘…Then is he a warrior here to test his arts against our clan?’
But even that didn’t fit; the aura from the Nameless Sword had been chillingly sinister.
Danri Mok, lost in thought for a moment, couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling as he walked on.
* * *
That evening.
Whoosh.
Still pouring rain, Danri Mok sat facing his father, Danri Jung-hoe. Chief Steward and uncle Danri Hwang was not present.
Danri Jung-hoe set down his teacup, frowning.
Clink.
“You think we shouldn’t accept the duel? Are you worried about losing, by any chance?”
A faint anger simmered in Danri Jung-hoe’s heavy, subdued voice.
But Danri Mok replied calmly.
“No. Of course, with an unknown opponent, victory isn’t guaranteed, but I’m not so cowardly as to run from someone picking a fight with our clan’s pride.”
“Then why?”
“Because I can’t read his intentions.”
“Intentions?”
A question now appeared on Danri Jung-hoe’s face.
Danri Mok nodded and slowly continued his explanation.
“Yes. Every action has a reason. But I can’t find one with him. In such cases, there’s usually an impure motive. I don’t think we need to play along with the schemes of someone whose intentions we can’t read.”
Danri Jung-hoe gazed steadily at Danri Mok. His eyes, looking upon his beloved son as precious as life itself, were endlessly gentle and warm.
“Then what should we do?”
“Leave it to me.”
“To you…”
“I’ll meet him first. Talking face-to-face should reveal something, right?”
“And if nothing comes of it?”
“I’m sorry to say it, but I admire Allied Army’s Great Prince Yi Hwan. I learned so much traveling with him. So I thought about how he would handle a situation like this.”
“And did you find an answer?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me. What answer did you find?”
“I’ll report back after.”
Danri Jung-hoe subtly frowned at Danri Mok’s firmness. But with such resolve, he had no choice.
“Do as you will. But absolutely no mishaps. Understood?”
“Yes, Father.”
Danri Mok bowed his head and stepped out. A warrior awaited him outside.
“Did you look into it?”
“Yes. It’s true he defeated the Gangdong Twin Swords.”
“Alone against both?”
“Yes. It started one-on-one, but then they double-teamed him, and still lost.”
Danri Mok’s eyes darkened.
If he had beaten the renowned Gangdong Twin Swords—not one-on-one, but both at once—there was even more reason to suspect. For a master of that caliber to have remained nameless until now was suspicious in itself.
“I’m going to his inn. Prepare.”
“Understood.”
Danri Mok headed to his quarters.
He changed into fresh clothes, took up his sword, and stepped out.
‘First, I’ll stop by the Beggars’ Sect branch to gather info on him.’
Soon, at the main gate, several warriors awaited him.
“We’ll go to the Beggars’ Sect branch first.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
As Danri Mok left the clan, he thought of Yi Hwan.
Just as he had told his father, he had pondered what he would do in this situation.
And the answer he arrived at was this.
‘If it’s a duel with no gain for the clan win or lose, I have no choice but to make the choice best for the clan. He would surely think the same.’
Clench.
Danri Mok bit his lip gently and advanced into the rain.
Someone watched his retreating figure. It was Clan Lord Danri Jung-hoe.
Gazing at Danri Mok growing distant, he subtly narrowed his brow.
‘His aura feels different from usual…’
An unfamiliar side of Danri Mok he had never seen before stirred an inexplicable unease.
“Anything?”
The door opened, and a man appeared.
“Follow that child secretly. If a situation arises where you must step in, prioritize his safety above all.”
“Yes, Clan Lord.”
The man departed.
Danri Jung-hoe also turned away.
“I hope it’s just my imagination…”