Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: The Namgung Young Lord's Provocation
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Baek Yang-hui let out a silent whistle to himself.
'Whoa, check out that murderous glare.'
Well, it was only natural for him to look at them that way.
The operation they'd meticulously prepared had gone up in smoke because of this side.
He had no idea it had all crumbled to dust due to their intervention, but even so.
Just the difference between him being at the Sword King's Hall and holding the Blood Demon Sword was enough to sour anyone's mood.
'Come to think of it, he hasn't asked about it. I figured he'd grill me about the Blood Demon Sword the moment he saw me.'
He planned to play dumb about the sword's whereabouts, but he at least expected questions about how Baek Yang-hui himself had wielded the demonic blade without issue.
'Well, jumping straight to that would be weird anyway.'
A mischievous impulse suddenly bubbled up.
Why not poke the bear a little?
"Young Lord Namgung, I'm truly relieved to see you're fully recovered. I thought you'd need much longer to recuperate."
Namgung Cheon-hu's eyebrow twitched upward.
He was trying hard not to show it, but he was clearly pissed.
"Thanks to you, I recovered quickly. Allow me to express my gratitude."
"Just words?"
The unexpected retort made Namgung Cheon-hu's eyes widen slightly.
A scoff escaped him soon after.
"Ha! Quite a different attitude from before, huh?"
Before? Oh, right—he'd groveled first last time to spare his brother the humiliation as much as possible.
"Well, doesn't a person's demeanor shift with the situation?"
"I heard the Baek Clan Lord is an upright exemplar of righteousness, yet it seems his son didn't inherit that. Oh, wait—is it because you're adopted?"
He must have thought that was a killer blow.
Baek Yang-hui just grinned and confirmed it.
"Yep. As you know, I'm just gutter trash who begged for scraps. Shall I apologize properly?"
"……."
Who did this pampered young master of a prestigious clan think he was, trying to win with words?
If he wanted to beat swords with silver tongue, he'd need to roll in the wanderers' world for ten years first, kid.
"……Where is the Baek Clan Lord? He hasn't shown himself even with guests here."
Scratch that. This guy knew how to get under one's skin.
"Wouldn't it be proper to show respect to the family lord first?"
"Hm. This young lord returns respect in kind to what he receives."
"Ah! In that case, I'll speak more freely, Young Hero Namgung."
Baek Yang-hui stared at Namgung Cheon-hu, whose eyes were hardening, and flashed a deliberate grin.
You thought I'd back down from that, kid?
"Young Hero, why the sour face? Do you know what 'turning the tables' means?"
A surge of energy emanated from Namgung Cheon-hu.
Baek Yang-hui matched it, unleashing his own aura in response.
The tension was building...
"Senior Brother!"
Zhuge Seol-ha, who had caught up unnoticed, tapped Baek Yang-hui's shoulder.
All eyes from the Namgung Clan warriors locked onto her face.
Only then did they realize she wasn't wearing her veil.
"Oops. My veil."
Namgung Cheon-hu, having composed his emotions, addressed Zhuge Seol-ha.
"And you are...?"
"You must be the Namgung Clan's Young Lord. I've heard so much about you. I'm Zhuge Seol-ha of the Zhuge family."
As Zhuge Seol-ha finished and beamed a bright smile, another wave of stir rippled through the Namgung warriors.
'Look at Namgung Cheon-hu blushing at a girl even younger than his little brother.'
What a waste of age.
Of course, Seol-ha's beauty was extraordinary.
Ever since it had blossomed like a flower in full bloom, even Baek Yang-hui himself had been startled each time before he got used to it.
If he hadn't seen her grow up from childhood, he might never have adjusted.
-Senior Brother. How can you talk like that to the Namgung Clan's Young Lord?
So that's why she'd suddenly appeared and butted in—out of worry.
-No matter how I talk, it won't change anything. Might as well rile him up.
-What are you saying?
-The Namgung Clan won't just let the Baek Clan be.
-Huh? Why us?
-Long story. I'll explain later.
He could grovel if needed.
But bending wouldn't alter the Namgung Clan's attitude or decisions.
Since they'd come this far, conflict was inevitable.
"Young Hero Namgung. What brings you all the way out here? My clan doesn't welcome uninvited guests."
In wanderer slang, that meant "get lost."
He knew they wouldn't budge, so it was also to seize the initiative.
"If you have business, head to the reception hall, state your purpose, and wait. That's the courtesy uninvited guests should show, no?"
One of the warriors accompanying Namgung Cheon-hu could no longer hold back and bellowed.
"You brat! So insolent for your age! How dare you speak such nonsense to our lord!"
It was natural for them to rage, with their clan's—Namgung Clan's no less—Young Lord being disrespected.
Baek Yang-hui had provoked exactly this reaction.
"What does it matter who he is? This young master is merely pointing out basic etiquette."
"You insolent—!"
A murderous intent gripped Baek Yang-hui's entire body.
Fierce enough to kill a weak ordinary person on the spot.
Baek Yang-hui didn't even blink.
"Enough. All Soaring Heaven Sword Corps members, restrain yourselves."
"……Understood."
"Understood."
Namgung Cheon-hu glared at Baek Yang-hui with deep, piercing eyes.
'Stare all you want—nothing's coming out. Whatever your business, you'll have to spit it out first.'
With that thought, he eyed the Soaring Heaven Sword Corps members Namgung Cheon-hu had brought.
Weren't they the same ones from the Sword King's Hall last time?
They'd seemed unremarkable then—what made them so much stronger now?
'Ah, back then he only brought his sworn loyalists.'
Now, every single one was at the Peak Realm.
Meaning this visit wasn't his solo decision.
If it was at the clan lord's level, how far should they prepare...?
Sigh, scheming was such a hassle.
He suddenly wanted to raise a scholar-disciple to handle the brainy stuff.
That was when it happened.
"Young Master Baek."
The form of address had changed. He'd called him by full name at first, then "you" thereafter—now showing proper respect.
"I apologize for treating you familiarly due to our prior acquaintance. My clan aligns with the Baek Clan's will, coming here to exemplify words matching deeds."
Only his speech showed courtesy.
The emotions in his eyes, the anger in his aura.
Everything but his words screamed Namgung Cheon-hu's fury.
Just like a true Namgung—arrogant, yet willing to bend for now.
'This guy's come with a script?'
Someone with a rotten heart doesn't change tactics unless they want something.
"I see. Please wait in the reception hall, and I'll inform the clan lord to arrange a meeting."
"Very well."
After herding the Namgung group into the reception hall,
Baek Yang-hui immediately summoned Baek Mu-ryang from his training and explained the situation.
"Hm. They came to exemplify words matching deeds? I can't make sense of it. The Namgung Clan has no reason to think well of us, yet here they are."
"Their intentions are surely dark."
Baek Mu-ryang didn't spout naive nonsense like "A righteous Namgung Clan wouldn't do that."
Even the righteous and orthodox could scheme.
"From the Namgung Clan's perspective, our growing power right next door in Gangseo must be a thorn in their side. Especially now that we've expanded into Namchang."
"Exactly. This visit has ulterior motives."
"I'll keep it in mind. Let's go welcome the guests first."
The Namgung clansmen in the reception hall maintained the same demeanor as outside.
Strict and disciplined, as befitted those who valued law and order—or perhaps simply tense in enemy territory.
Either way, it didn't matter.
"Young Lord Namgung. I am Baek Mu-ryang of the Heaven-Covering Baek Clan."
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Namgung Cheon-hu, son of the Namgung Clan Lord."
After brief introductions, Baek Mu-ryang cut straight to it.
"I know it's improper, but I can't contain my curiosity. What brings you to my humble clan?"
"Lord Baek, you declared the righteousness of Heaven-Covering in Namchang, unyielding under your clan's banner and protecting all."
'This punk's dropping the honorific again?'
While Baek Yang-hui itched to snap at him, Baek Mu-ryang showed no sign of caring.
"Indeed, I did. But what does that have to do with the Namgung Clan traveling all this way...?"
"Simple. Our clan lord was deeply moved by the Baek Clan’s banner. With the underworld running rampant in western Gangseo, he commanded us to lend a hand in carrying out Heaven-Covering righteousness"
"I see."
Gangseo's underworld forces were already plotting a massive uprising.
Having declared Heaven-Covering righteousness, they had the justification—and no intention of leaving the Baek Clan idle.
The Baek Clan was already preparing countermeasures.
"Of course, the Heaven-Covering Baek Clan needs no aid from us. But many hands make light work. Please allow us to join your righteous campaign."
-It's a checkmate.
-We can't refuse.
More forces would make purging the underworld easier, reducing harm to the common folk.
For a clan upholding Heaven-Covering righteousness, rejecting the Namgung Clan's help was impossible.
'Not purely altruistic, that's for sure. Having multiple Peak Realm experts with hidden agendas by our side during the underworld conflict.'
What was their game?
Just adding a spoon to the table?
Or swapping the spoon's owner?
Maybe flipping the table entirely?
Namgung Cheon-hu's meaningful smile irked him for no reason.
'Whatever it is, I'll twist it to our advantage. I always do.'
And on top of that, his gut was twisting—he wouldn't let it slide easily.
Since they'd hosted the uninvited guests, courtesy demanded making full use of them.
"Clan Lord. I have something to say."
"What is it?"
"These esteemed guests have come with noble intentions. We should hold a banquet to welcome them."
"You're right."
Baek Mu-ryang agreed but wore a faint puzzled expression.
This wasn't like Baek Yang-hui at all.
"However, a banquet needs entertainment to liven things up."
"Hm? What entertainment do you mean?"
"We can arrange something perfect. How about advancing the match with the Southern Heaven Martial Hall?"
He turned to Namgung Cheon-hu and explained in detail.
"My younger brother has a sparring bet with the hall's young master nearby. If it pleases the Young Lord, we could hold it as banquet entertainment. What do you say?"
"As guests, we can't refuse the host's request. Sounds entertaining—proceed as you wish."
Namgung Cheon-hu accepted lightly.
His rolling eyes suggested new schemes, but it didn't matter.
Things wouldn't go his way.
'First off, Namgung Cheon-hu, I'm ruining your mood once.'
Guessing at Namgung Cheon-hu's feelings toward Namgung Cheon-yeong, Baek Yang-hui curled his lips into a sly grin.