Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Part 16: Village of the Elders
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The Luoyang Sword Clan, also known as the Heavenly House, was home to many bizarre places befitting its fame.
The Primordial Pavilion, said to bloom with flowers in all seasons, never wilting even in the depths of winter.
Behind it stretched the forbidden zone all the way to Mount Song: the Demonic Forest Realm.
The Family Head's quarters, the Deep Sanctum, where anyone without authorization who set foot there was beheaded without trial or question.
The deep underground Thunder Prison, said to eternally confine rakshasas and asuras, forcing them to slaughter one another.
The Phantom Pavilion, residence of Elder Lady Tang, where those who failed to visit at the precise time and hour vanished without a trace.
There were other wondrous realms in the Luoyang Sword Clan, shrouded in rampant rumors but never dared to be spoken of openly.
Among them was a place that appeared, from afar, as nothing more than an ordinary village of old folks gathered at the foot of a mountain slope, known as the Village of the Elders.
Those who knew its true nature called it the Luoyang Sword Clan's Elder Council, their voices laced with respect and fear.
* * *
Early dawn.
Luoyang Sword Clan outskirts.
The Elder Council Lord, known as the Little Giant, was climbing a hillside.
Along the hill, fresh barley sprouts rose verdantly, alongside fields of green onions, garlic, spinach, and other greens enduring the winter.
Even before the sun had fully risen, diligent old men were already inspecting the fields.
Among the old men in their threadbare clothes were some whose faces he recognized, but the Elder Council Lord paid them no mind.
He acted as he had been taught by the previous Elder Council Lord.
Those who had amassed wealth, fame, and power that no one in the world could envy now lived here like mere villagers—there was a reason for it.
The old man who had just herded a flock of goats past him was the former Guest Reception Hall Master, who had retired before even ascending to Elder rank.
The old man meticulously examining the barley sprouts with delicate hands was once the Luoyang Sword Clan's top swordsman, who had harvested enemy heads with those same hands.
The Elder Council Lord passed them by and soon reached the village entrance.
“This is the Village of the Elders. What is your business here?”
Two middle-aged warriors in worn guard uniforms stared at him intently.
Like the warriors guarding the Primordial Pavilion, they were retired martial artists belonging to the Elder Council's special task force.
“…I am the Elder Council Lord of the main house. I have an appointment with the village chief.”
The warrior made him wait and went inside to confirm.
Even though he had clearly come with an appointment, the elders hadn't bothered to inform the gate in advance—he let out a small sigh at their behavior.
They did not welcome those still active in power, and even despised them.
“…I hear the sound of slaughtering pigs.”
The guard replied indifferently to his question.
“Yes.”
“Is there some kind of feast?”
“No idea.”
“…I see.”
A short while later, the middle-aged guard returned.
“Please leave your weapons here. You cannot carry them inside.”
“I don't have any.”
“Internal energy usage is strictly prohibited inside.”
“I know.”
“Raising your voice or causing a disturbance may result in expulsion.”
“Understood.”
The Elder Council Lord swallowed a sigh as he answered each trivial warning one by one.
* * *
In the modest, rundown village hall, old men huddled together around a fire, chatting idly.
They were too aged to even farm.
The Elder Council Lord entered, but no one spared him a glance.
“This humble disciple Wang humbly comes before the clan elders to receive your teachings.”
The Elder Council Lord bowed politely, but all he received in return was cold snorts.
“The punk who came bragging about becoming Elder Council Lord—that was his first and last visit. What teachings?”
The Elder Council Lord sighed inwardly.
“…It was not to brag, but to receive the Elder Council's formal approval as per procedure.”
“Look at this punk talking back.”
“Ungrateful wretch. Punks like him always come crawling back later begging us to clean up their messes.”
Fingers pointed at him, accompanied by baseless insults.
The Elder Council Lord inwardly etched the character for "endure" again and again.
An old woman holding a staff that seemed to carry an extraordinary air raised her hand, and the room fell silent.
Her disheveled white hair hung freely—she was the village chief, Sovereign of the Elder Council.
“Very well, state your business.”
She did not even offer him a seat.
Standing in place, the Elder Council Lord spoke with utmost courtesy.
“I came seeking guidance on Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon's seclusion, but the Supreme Operations Council already reached a decision yesterday.”
“Starting from the hour when official duties begin today, the order lifting his seclusion will be proclaimed. We know.”
Her cloudy eyes turned toward the Elder Council Lord.
“That is precisely why we approved your visit request only for today.”
In short, they had no desire to offer advice on the Eldest Young Master's seclusion.
“…If you refuse to advise even me, the main house's Elder Council Lord, on such a grave matter, what is the point of the Elder Council's existence?”
The Elder Council Lord intended it as a sharp retort, but the elders were astonishingly unperturbed.
“This is merely a village where jobless, rootless old fogeys gather to live.”
“Our role is to ensure the clan's young calves grow strong and the crops thrive well—not to affirm anyone's power.”
The Elder Council Lord wanted nothing more than to turn and leave right then.
But he held back, recalling the previous Elder Council Lord's exhortation.
He had said that the success of the Elder Council Lord position depended on how much advice one could draw from the Elder Council.
“…Are you not the revered elders honored and respected by the main house? How can you refuse to advise on the matter of the Eldest Young Master?”
Nothing could be read from the Sovereign of the Elder Council's wrinkled face.
“The respect and honors we receive are merely recompense for our past devotion to the main house.”
The metal ring dangling from her staff swayed, emitting a clear chime.
“Beyond that, we are nothing but humble villagers.”
The Elder Council Lord wore an incredulous expression.
“Humble villagers? Do such humble villagers hold veto power over the main house's Elder Council Lord, nomination rights over the Protectors' Council Lord and Disciplinary Council Lord?”
He took a step forward.
“Do they select the Supreme Councilors who lead the main house's Supreme Operations Council?!”
Even as he raised his voice, he regretted it.
The eyes of the old men huddled in the narrow hall all turned toward him at once.
Each one had once been a figure who dominated an era.
Their gazes held no intimidation, no grandeur.
He could not move a muscle.
The Sovereign of the Elder Council lightly shook her staff, and once more the clear chime rang out.
The Elder Council Lord snapped back to his senses and looked at her.
“We are humble villagers with no interest in influence, authority, or power.”
A faint smile crossed her lips.
“That is precisely why such grave authorities have been granted to us, is it not?”
"...."
She waved her hand dismissively at the Elder Council Lord, who could find no words.
“If you have no further business, leave.”
The other elders chimed in one by one.
“Yeah, go on back.”
“Play your power games with the kids down below.”
The Elder Council Lord closed his eyes briefly, then bowed once more with courteous formality.
“…Might this humble disciple perhaps receive any advice on the main house's current succession issue?”
“…Was there a succession issue in the main house?”
“I know nothing about such complicated matters.”
The old men fiddled with their ears or gazed into space, pretending ignorance.
The Sovereign of the Elder Council clicked her tongue.
“You're the type who'll never make it into the Elder Council.”
“…What do you mean?”
The surrounding elders spoke up in her stead.
“Don't meddle.”
“Don't interfere.”
The Sovereign of the Elder Council pointed her finger at him.
“See nothing, hear nothing.”
Wrinkles deepened on the Elder Council Lord's forehead.
“…Those are the first lessons taught to underlings entering the main house.”
“Do you feel so grand now that you're Elder Council Lord? 'Little Giant' this, people flattering you, so you think you're something special?”
“…Are you rebuking me for arrogance?”
The Sovereign of the Elder Council gazed at him with distant eyes.
“Do you know why a colossal clan like the main house has no clear rules for selecting a successor?”
“…To select the successor each time with the wisest method available?”
One old man burst into laughter, and the others joined in, spitting as they mocked him.
The Sovereign of the Elder Council shook her staff, quieting the laughter.
“The main house belongs to the Yeon family, and in every generation among the direct Yeon line, there has always been one true prodigy who stands above the rest. That is why, to this day, the Yeon family has no fixed rules for succession.”
The Elder Council Lord thought of the current successors.
Every single one was an outrageously formidable candidate, with nothing to distinguish them.
“…Then this must be a truly extraordinary era.”
“No, this era is no different from any other.”
The Elder Council Lord sighed.
“I hesitate to say this, but the main house now is on a different level from when you elders were active. It has grown far larger, far stronger, and correspondingly more complex.”
It was a jab at her for describing the current Luoyang Sword Clan as merely the Yeon family, as in the old days.
The Sovereign of the Elder Council bared her missing teeth in a grotesque sneer.
“The Elder Council Lord two generations back strutted around as one of the Thirteen Councilors of the Emergency Measures Council and vanished. You'll end up the same.”
The Elder Council Lord ground his teeth.
“…I am too dull to comprehend your teachings.”
“Our advice ends here.”
The Sovereign of the Elder Council struck her staff down forcefully.
“Leave this village at once.”
* * *
The Elder Council Lord descended the hill, outwardly polite but inwardly seething with anger.
In the village hall, the elders clicked their tongues.
“No point talking to someone who won't listen.”
“No use showing something to someone who won't see.”
They did not stint on advice for the sake of posterity.
Do not become engrossed in power games.
The main house is the Yeon family's house.
Among the main house's direct descendants, there is always one true prodigy who stands apart.
So do not act as if you are something special.
Do not meddle,
do not interfere,
do not pretend to hear,
do not pretend to see.
There is currently no succession issue in the main house.
* * *
The old men rose from their seats one by one and headed to the wide yard where pigs were being roasted in full swing.
As they walked, they chatted among themselves.
“With the main house's greatest worry—the succession issue—finally resolved, this is cause for celebration.”
“What better day to slaughter pigs?”
“'That one' coming to his senses is a blessing.”
“Still, this time 'that one' didn't weed out any Supreme Councilors.”
“Eh, 'that one' has such discerning eyes for people.”
“Indeed.”
“In a clan this massive, finding someone decent enough for 'that one's' approval is proving this difficult…”