Chapter 298
Chapter 298
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: Nangong Clan
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As the unorthodox warriors approached Kaifeng, the atmosphere among the righteous faction fighters grew a bit chaotic. The air was different from the day before, when they had confidently clashed head-on.
One day was too short to erase the memory of defeat, and compared to yesterday, the righteous faction's situation hadn't changed much.
It was only natural for the victors to envision a second win while the losers trembled at the thought of a second loss.
There was no reason to harbor dark thoughts in a string of victories, but once things started going awry, everyone began entertaining their own ideas. Naturally, the righteous faction warriors' attitudes shifted subtly.
The Beggars' Sect disciples had no intention of abandoning Kaifeng, the symbol of their sect.
However, the Shaolin monks believed it more realistic to cede Kaifeng, regroup on Mount Song, and then reclaim it.
Even those who were neither Beggars' Sect disciples nor Shaolin monks were prepared to give up Mount Song as well. Everyone had their own idea of a final defensive line.
In this situation, there were people even more aggressively stepping forward than the Beggars' Sect disciples: the warriors of the Nangong Clan.
"The vile bandits are closing in, so get up and take your weapons! We can't possibly yield the ancient capital of Kaifeng, can we?"
The Nangong Clan warriors seemed brimming with confidence, as if they hadn't truly suffered yesterday's defeat, or as if they genuinely believed they could defend Kaifeng.
But Nangong Myeong saw it differently.
What they hoped for wasn't victory, but defeat. A defeat that would leave only minor scratches on the Nangong Clan but deal a fatal blow to Shaolin.
Nangong Myeong raised his hand to touch his crooked nose. The nose broken by his father.
In the past, Nangong Myeong had considered such punishments natural. His father was a perfect man, always in the right, so corporal punishment was only fitting.
But now it was different. Doubting his father's perfection left him confused.
'Father. Were you always this petty? Or did you become petty while I was away?'
While Nangong Myeong was lost in thought, the mood shifted toward defending Kaifeng.
It was a predictable outcome. The Shaolin monks couldn't openly advocate retreat, but the Nangong Clan warriors and those from Kaifeng could shout emphatically that they must fight.
It was also a bit late to run by then.
The righteous faction warriors gripped their swords and charged at the unorthodox warriors. Suppressed breaths mingled with the clanging of metal echoing here and there.
At that moment, Nangong Myeong finished his deliberations.
Nangong Jincheon sought to drag Shaolin down to rise above them, but Nangong Myeong wanted no part of such methods.
Instead of pulling opponents down, simply leap higher than they could.
That was the kingly path in Nangong Myeong's mind, the most admirable way for a martial artist.
And fortunately, this battlefield offered the perfect stepping stone to propel Nangong Myeong the highest.
The Shadowless Guest. A dauntingly lofty platform, yet the rival who could launch Nangong Myeong to the greatest heights.
Nangong Myeong approached Dang Mujin.
"Mujin."
"Yeah?"
"I want to fight the Shadowless Guest again. That okay with you?"
Unlike usual, Nangong Myeong's voice was cautious.
Now that it was clear the Shadowless Guest was targeting Dang Mujin, the best option for him was to entangle himself with allied experts.
Staying by Venerable Manli would be ideal; if that was too much, he needed to stick amid crowds. In such situations, even the Shadowless Guest couldn't easily target Dang Mujin.
But for Nangong Myeong to engage him, Dang Mujin would have to remain somewhat isolated, as he had the day before.
Dang Mujin wouldn't be able to unleash his full strength and would risk his life.
Yet Dang Mujin turned the question back on him.
"If you want to fight, then fight. Why ask me?"
"Because I'd be using you as bait."
"Bait only works if it can get swallowed. You think the Shadowless Guest can kill me?"
As Dang Mujin finished speaking, a sword about a handspan shorter than an ordinary warrior's blade flew toward the back of his neck.
The Shadowless Guest had closed in unnoticed, swinging his sword in response to Dang Mujin's words.
Clang—
Nangong Myeong and Dang Mujin both swung their swords almost simultaneously, parrying the Shadowless Guest's strike.
"See? Transcendent or not, a guy like the Shadowless Guest can't kill me."
He spoke with brash bravado, but the skin on the back of Dang Mujin's neck stung, slightly torn. Contrary to his words, the Shadowless Guest's sword had grazed him.
Any other person would have frozen in terror, but Dang Mujin remained composed.
"You coated your sword with poison. Overambition Herb poison... Shadowless Guest. You think this'll work on me?"
The remark was a taunt aimed at the Shadowless Guest, but also consideration for Nangong Myeong.
That allowed Nangong Myeong to smile contentedly.
Nangong Myeong steadied his breathing and launched himself toward the faintly vanishing presence.
*
Just as martial artists' levels vary by attainment, assassins' skills in concealing their presence differ vastly.
A run-of-the-mill assassin hiding their presence simply means making no sound.
Humans rely most on sight among their senses, but when detecting nearby people, they depend on hearing nearly as much.
If no sound comes, it's hard to notice someone even right nearby.
Reaching a state where footsteps make no noise at all qualifies one as a full-fledged assassin.
A skilled assassin deceives a martial artist's qi sense.
Martial artists detect foes using not just sight and hearing, but qi sense.
Blocking strikes from outside their view or sensing approaches from beyond walls owes to keen qi sense.
Since qi sense is such an exceptional faculty, martial artists rely on it heavily. In emergencies, they might swing swords based on qi sense over sight.
If that heavily trusted qi sense fails to detect the foe, the gap becomes enormous. It means even decent martial artists can be killed like wringing a chicken's neck.
The Shadowless Guest had reached a stage beyond that.
He disrupted not just hearing and qi sense, but sight as well. Thanks to the one-of-a-kind Shadowless Step.
Hearing, qi sense, and now sight. No sense guaranteed survival against the Shadowless Guest. Eyes open, mind focused, ears perked—your head could still fly.
Even the Blood Mask Lord in life hadn't claimed to be the world's greatest assassin, all because of the Shadowless Guest and his Shadowless Step.
So assured was he as the pinnacle assassin that the Shadowless Guest saw no difficulty in taking Dang Mujin's head.
Yet Dang Mujin's senses were sharp enough to resist deception. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't be beheaded.
The problem wasn't Dang Mujin, but the one circling him.
'Like the Blood Mask Lord? No. Far superior.'
Keen senses, and decent at concealing presence too.
For the first time, the Shadowless Guest coveted another's talent. Taking Nangong Myeong as heir might make assassins the world's best in the next generation.
'Nangong Myeong, was it? I hear he's on rocky terms with the Nangong Clan.'
The Shadowless Guest shifted his sword to block Nangong Myeong's.
Then he asked curtly.
"Nangong Myeong, right? Straight to the point. Become my disciple."
Nangong Myeong replied as if he'd been waiting.
"I was wondering when you'd make the offer."
"What are you talking about?"
"Yesterday, I thought there was plenty to learn from you."
The Shadowless Guest chuckled darkly.
'...Yesterday?'
It sounded like today offered nothing worth learning. Cocky, or perhaps arrogant. But backed by skill and talent, it was forgivable.
So the Shadowless Guest decided. Requests from Blazing Yama be damned—he'd target Nangong Myeong now.
Show him the skill gap and make him his disciple.
The Shadowless Guest unleashed Spring Elm Shade, a Shadowless Step form infused with his own insights. In an instant, his presence sank into the earth, reappearing behind Nangong Myeong.
"Still nothing to learn?"
Nangong Myeong spun back, barely deflecting the Shadowless Guest's sword.
"You've still got one more trick up your sleeve. Enough to claim mastery."
"Thinking of becoming my disciple?"
"Sure. Why not."
Even as he spoke, Nangong Myeong swung his sword relentlessly.
The Shadowless Guest couldn't tell if it was sincere or jest.
But it didn't matter. Nangong Myeong had enviable talent, and such talent could afford some arrogance.
'He didn't joke about master-disciple ties lightly. I need to make him earnestly want it.'
The Shadowless Guest revealed more of his prowess, intent on overwhelming Nangong Myeong into submission.
But things didn't go as planned.
'...?'
At first, the gap seemed wide. The Shadowless Guest relentlessly exploited openings, forcing Nangong Myeong onto the defensive.
Yet after a brief time, the disparity didn't show as expected. The gap felt like it was narrowing.
Worse, their positions began reversing bit by bit. Nangong Myeong never missed the Shadowless Guest's form for an instant, while the Shadowless Guest occasionally lost track of his.
"Over here!"
Nangong Myeong even first detected the Shadowless Guest's presence and thrust his sword. A lifetime first, leaving the Shadowless Guest thoroughly rattled.
After a dozen more exchanges, Nangong Myeong lowered his sword and playfully cupped his fists.
"Master. Your disciple bids you farewell."
"...What the hell is that all of a sudden?"
"What else? I've learned all there's to learn, so it's time to descend the mountain."
"What do you—"
As the Shadowless Guest started to retort, Nangong Myeong stepped back.
In that moment, his lowered sword slipped behind like a veil, and his form vanished.
The Shadowless Guest was stunned breathless. What Nangong Myeong had just shown was Shadowless Step's first form, Night Curtain.
It was only the second time he'd seen someone perform Shadowless Step.
Naturally, the first had been through his master, Shred Moon Elder.
But after Shred Moon Elder's death, the Shadowless Guest had only performed it himself, never witnessed it.
A sudden thought struck him.
'Did that kid mimic my techniques?'
No, impossible. Martial arts weren't learned so simply.
Even with a solid foundation, it had taken the Shadowless Guest two full years to master Night Curtain, the first form.
'Then where did he learn it? From Shred Moon Elder...? No.'
Impossible. Nangong Myeong was young—born after Shred Moon Elder's death, no doubt.
His mind reeled.
'Did Shred Moon Elder have another disciple besides me? Did that hidden disciple teach Shadowless Step to this kid? How's he connected to the Nangong Clan? Or was Shred Moon Elder originally from the Nangong family?'
Noticing the Shadowless Guest's fluster, Nangong Myeong laughed lightly.
"You look utterly shocked."
"You brat, who's your master!"
"You were claiming to be my master earlier. Senility set in already?"
"Enough with the nonsense!"
At any rate, it was clear Nangong Myeong had mastered Shadowless Step.
How a young punk had survived before him, why his movements carried subtle stealth—it all made sense now.
Killing intent thickened in the Shadowless Guest's sword. No more talk of master and disciple.
'Shadowless Step must remain one-of-a-kind.'
For a technique passed to one heir, seeing an untaught person perform it meant they must die.
Thus, the Shadowless Guest felt no guilt toward this unknown fellow disciple—Nangong Myeong's master—he hadn't even known existed.
Shadowless Step was for him alone, and someday his own disciple.
The Shadowless Guest planted his heel firmly and unleashed Spring Elm Shade.
No learner of Shadowless Step could imitate this. Unlike other forms, Spring Elm Shade was his own creation, added later.
His form sank into the ground, reappearing behind Nangong Myeong.
Gripping his sword short, he thrust at Nangong Myeong's back without hesitation.
'It's over.'
But just before the blade struck, Nangong Myeong's foot touched ground. This time, his form dissolved before the Shadowless Guest's eyes.
The Shadowless Guest froze like stone.
Then Nangong Myeong's voice came from behind.
"Oops. You seem quite startled."
The Shadowless Guest's breathing grew ragged.
Any other form, perhaps—but how could this kid perform his personally devised Spring Elm Shade? Even Shred Moon Elder couldn't imitate it.
"Master. It's about time you went on your way."
Unlike before, no thought of retreat even crossed his mind.
The emotion he felt was akin to the shock of life stolen away.
The decades of contemplation to add one form to Shadowless Step, and the achievement he'd finally attained—all negated in an instant.
Only now did he realize Nangong Myeong's earlier master-disciple talk held some sincerity.
At last, the Shadowless Guest recalled a small consolation. He might leave his name in martial history.
He stammered.
"Mas... Yes. I'm your master, aren't I?"
"Of course."
It was no moment for laughter. Yet Nangong Myeong's voice brimmed with mirth.
"...Though you make several hundred other 'masters.' Still, you're undeniably one of mine. Even with hundreds more lighthouses guiding the way, a lighthouse remains a lighthouse, doesn't it?"
The Shadowless Guest couldn't grasp the meaning.
It wasn't from stupidity. Anyone would fail to.
As Nangong Myeong thrust his sword into the Shadowless Guest's back, he added one last line.
"When King Yama asks who sent you, say Nangong Myeong of the Six Venerables."
At last, Nangong Myeong began racing down his own path.