Chapter 132
Translator: penny
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Lying Dragon Hall
Black Tortoise Hall, located to the north of the Murim Alliance.
Heading a bit further northwest from here brings you to Lying Dragon Hall, where members of the Zhuge family reside.
In fact, the Murim Alliance was unique in granting a separate building to an entire family like this—the Zhuge family was the only one.
So why did only the Zhuge family receive such privileges?
To be precise, it wasn't a privilege.
The site of the Murim Alliance had originally been the Zhuge family's land.
The Murim Alliance had been established about a hundred years ago.
It was a time when unorthodox martial artists had formed a massive coalition called the Four Black Alliance and were indiscriminately attacking the righteous faction's warriors.
Back then, the Nine Great Sects, representing the righteous faction, had fought separately out of arrogance and suffered massive losses to the unified Four Black Alliance. Only belatedly did they establish the Murim Alliance.
The one who led that effort was the head of the Zhuge household at the time, Zhuge Ho.
Fearing that the righteous faction would collapse at this rate, Zhuge Ho traveled around the Nine Great Sects, insisting that they must form the Murim Alliance.
To set an example, he offered up all his family's wealth and land—and that became the site where the Murim Alliance now stands.
Having lost all their family wealth, the Zhuge household fell from its position among the Five Great Families, reduced to living within the Murim Alliance under their name alone.
However, this wasn't a one-sided loss.
In return, the Zhuge family secured the position of Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance for their generations. And now, they effectively controlled even the Finance Pavilion, which managed all the finances of the Murim Alliance, backed by the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.
In other words, while the Zhuge family had vanished as a clan, they had succeeded in grasping the colossal power of the Murim Alliance in their hands.
'Of course, that doesn't mean they can run the Murim Alliance however they please...'
Zhuge Wei, the eldest son of the Zhuge family and the Murim Alliance's acting strategist, frowned at the document before him.
At the top of the document were the words "Murim Alliance Leader Recommendation."
'The Mok Family Clan...'
He had heard of them.
After all, the first thing children of the Zhuge family memorized was information on every sect and family in the Central Plains.
But the line written in this document was utterly incomprehensible.
'Exceptional martial arts prowess for his age?'
Normally, he would dismiss such subjective opinions without a second thought.
But when it was written in a recommendation from the Murim Alliance Leader himself, he couldn't ignore it so easily.
It was the first time since current Alliance Leader Heo Eunchang took office that he had exercised his recommendation authority.
Of course, he knew the Moyong household had pulled some strings for the recommendation, but the contents here were written by Heo Eunchang personally.
'Mok Jimyeong... I don't like the sound of that.'
He might even be stronger than me.
The Murim Alliance Leader wouldn't write nonsense in an official document.
But the biggest problem wasn't the guy's martial prowess.
'This bastard is dating the Sword Phoenix?'
This wasn't from the recommendation letter.
It was information he'd obtained from within Black Tortoise Hall.
As Zhuge Wei scowled and stared at the document, his door suddenly burst open.
"Lying Dragon!"
One of the few who could barge into where Zhuge Wei stayed.
The Sword Dragon, Namgung Chan.
Knowing where he had gone, Zhuge Wei looked puzzled.
"Hm? The meeting with the Sword Phoenix ended already?"
"Lying Dragon, why didn't you come?"
He seemed rather aggressive, as if something unpleasant had happened.
But Zhuge Wei chuckled and replied.
"I told you earlier. I'm too busy to attend."
Namgung Chan shut his mouth, as if recalling their prior conversation.
He soon tossed out another question.
"The Sword Phoenix's companion. You knew about him, didn't you, Lying Dragon?"
Of course he did.
Wasn't he just reviewing documents on the man?
Still, Zhuge Wei pretended to ponder for a moment before speaking.
"Hm... You mean the guy called Mok Jimyeong?"
"...Yeah. And you knew what his relationship with the Sword Phoenix is too, right?"
"Who knows. Are they dating or something?"
Zhuge Wei was still playing coy, but Namgung Chan had already seen through his true feelings.
They weren't strangers after all these years.
Namgung Chan plopped down in a chair at a small table with a teacup, a short distance from Zhuge Wei's desk.
Then he grumbled toward Zhuge Wei.
"No liquor instead of tea?"
"What kind of liquor do you keep in an office?"
"So you don't have any?"
"...Give me a moment."
Zhuge Wei pulled two hidden bottles from under his desk and handed one to Namgung Chan.
Then he asked.
"So, what did you think after meeting him?"
"Damn it, I should've expected it when you said you weren't coming..."
Namgung Chan muttered under his breath, then chugged from the bottle.
Zhuge Wei frowned slightly at the rude behavior right in front of him but said nothing and waited quietly.
Namgung Chan finally set down the bottle and began his complaints.
"She looked pissed off the whole time I was there. Nearly drew her sword on me."
"...That bad?"
Zhuge Wei, who knew how much Namgung Chan cared about his image in front of others, was quite surprised.
'She only shows that side to me.'
And even this hadn't been long.
It was only after the Sword Phoenix left the Murim Alliance that they started meeting privately, so Zhuge Wei had only seen this side of Namgung Chan less than two years ago.
Since then, he'd shown it every time in front of him, which was annoying.
In any case, knowing full well how thoroughly Namgung Chan wore his mask, Zhuge Wei was shocked by his claim that she "nearly drew her sword."
And that meeting had even included Moyong Hui.
'What if they had actually fought?'
He had to admit what was true.
Namgung Chan's skills were a notch above his own—no, at least two notches, to be exact.
The top late-stage genius, Namgung Chan.
Mok Jimyeong, praised by the Murim Alliance Leader as having "exceptional martial arts for his age."
Namgung Chan obviously thought he'd win, but Zhuge Wei wondered who would actually come out on top if they clashed.
'...The Sword Dragon would still win, right?'
Namgung Chan had already reached the peak of the supreme realm, showing skills that could faintly match even transcendent masters in spars.
No matter how talented Mok Jimyeong was, unless he'd trained martial arts from his mother's womb, he couldn't have reached the transcendent realm at just twenty.
As Zhuge Wei pondered Mok Jimyeong's skill level, Namgung Chan—who had already emptied his bottle—spoke up.
"Damn it, that Hui bitch is just like all the other bitches."
Zhuge Wei's brow twitched at the disparaging remark about his beloved Sword Phoenix, but he calmly asked back.
"What happened?"
"Ugh, that Mok Jimyeong punk has a pretty face. She's probably head over heels for that mug."
Zhuge Wei realized Namgung Chan was pretty drunk.
He hadn't even circulated his internal energy to dispel the alcohol.
Feeling a bit irritated by that, he asked again.
"So what exactly happened?"
"The bastard wrapped his arm around Hui's waist. And that bitch just smiled like she loved his sleazy touch..."
It grated on Zhuge Wei's ears too, but he quickly composed himself.
That much was already expected once he heard they were dating.
'I just didn't think she'd do it in front of others...'
No, he'd even considered that possibility.
That was why he hadn't gone to the meeting with the Sword Phoenix today—he didn't want to see something nauseating.
"Fucking bitch. Acts all high and mighty alone, then falls head over heels for a pretty face..."
Namgung Chan's head was slowly drooping toward the table.
'Tsk tsk, looks like he pounded a ton before coming too.'
Staring at Namgung Chan's crown, Zhuge Wei tossed out a remark.
"So you're giving up then?"
He expected the obvious "no way."
But Namgung Chan's sudden head snap and words exceeded expectations.
"Yeah! A dirty slut like that! She says she hates me now!"
"...You serious?"
"Hoo, I'm Namgung Chan... You think I lack for women? I'm the one rejecting that flawed bitch now!!"
Namgung Chan bellowed before his head thudded onto the table.
Seeing that, Zhuge Wei's mind grew quite troubled.
'A flawed bitch?'
He might be right.
What did it mean for a woman to have a boyfriend?
And she'd already let him put his hand on her waist, no less.
But to Zhuge Wei, no other woman besides Moyong Hui seemed fit for him.
'All the better. My strongest rival is out.'
Of course, Mok Jimyeong was still around, but in Zhuge Wei's eyes, Namgung Chan had been the far greater threat.
Whether background or fame, Namgung Chan outshone Mok Jimyeong by miles.
And Mok Jimyeong had a glaring weakness.
'They've only known the Sword Phoenix for less than half a year?'
How thick could trust built in that time be?
A one-night fling leaves no embers by morning.
That was what Lying Dragon Zhuge Wei believed.