Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: The Righteous Arhat's Inquiry
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Law-Gak's demeanor was utterly stern.
His face seemed less fueled by rage over their transgressions and more pained by the choices of those he believed walked the same path.
"Did the Namgung Clan truly collude with filth-tainted wretches to oppress the righteous path, and in their insufficiency, even seek to kill this young one?"
It was merely words. Nothing more than a question.
But.
The one uttering them was Law-Gak, disciple of the Shaolin Abbot, an elder, and bearer of the moniker Righteous Arhat.
That made all the difference.
'If it had been me asking.'
What reaction would the Namgung Clan dogs have shown?
Even in the same situation, they would have sneered. Dismissed it.
Or perhaps raged that he dared tarnish the lofty name of Namgung.
Regardless of the truth.
In other words, there would have been no meaning in asking.
Why?
Because nothing would change, no matter the answer.
That was the reality of a minor young master from a mid-tier martial family in Jiangxi.
'A bit depressing. Though it's only natural.'
Thus, the Righteous Arhat Law-Gak's question carried weight.
He was qualified to serve as a witness.
In the martial world, where might made right, he possessed a power more certain than any other.
'Namgung Cheon-hu had me so frustrated that I even entertained such absurd thoughts.'
Despite circumstantial evidence, suspicions, and even confirmation through Chui-dal.
The Baek Clan could not punish Namgung Cheon-hu.
Nor could they publicize what they had uncovered.
There was no proof.
Hence, he had idly wished for some artifact that could perfectly record past events like a painting.
'Of course, no such thing exists.'
Thus, exposing someone's misdeeds required a witness.
One who could vouch for their own words.
In short, someone whose accumulated past vouched for them.
Whether the power of their clan or their own.
'The Righteous Arhat Law-Gak is perfect.'
Could anyone cry out, "That monk speaks lies!" if a Shaolin elder like Law-Gak staked his name as witness to the Namgung young clan leader's wrongs?
Not even the Namgung Clan head.
Such was the tangible and intangible might Law-Gak commanded.
"Why no answer? I ask again. Did the Namgung Clan truly collude with the unorthodox to harm the righteous path?"
Namgung Cheon-hu gave no reply. From the moment Law-Gak appeared, he had kept his eyes gently closed, doing nothing.
Instead, Namgung Cheon-hu's subordinates moved.
The Great Namgung's Soaring Heaven Sword Unit members simultaneously aimed their swords at the young clan leader.
Click. Click. Click. Click.
"I report to Elder Law-Gak of Shaolin. I wish to relay a message left by the Namgung Clan head. I am Namgung Seong-il, Second Captain of the Soaring Heaven Sword Unit of the Namgung Clan."
Namgung Seong-il, who had politely sheathed his sword in salute, continued.
"What you witnessed is all true. However, we of the Namgung Clan have not strayed from the righteous path, nor do we intend to."
"Then what is it this monk beheld?"
Namgung Seong-il looked toward Namgung Cheon-hu.
An utterly emotionless gaze, unimaginable for a subordinate toward his superior moments ago.
"I assume Shaolin knows of the bloody incident at the Sword King Tomb."
"Mm. You mean the assault by those demonic seeds?"
"Correct. At that time, the young clan leader suffered a grave wound from a demonic seed and fell into heart demon possession as a result."
"Heart demon."
Law-Gak immediately grasped what Namgung Seong-il intended.
"All these deeds stem from the young clan leader's heart demon? Then you lot, by following him, abetted it, did you not?"
"That is true. But this was to gauge the severity of his heart demon while investigating the Baek Clan."
"Investigating?"
Namgung Seong-il turned his head.
'Why the hell is this bastard looking at me out of nowhere?'
"The main clan suspects the Baek Clan may have been touched by demonic filth."
"What grounds for suspicion?"
"Suspicious actions at the Sword King Tomb."
A scoff escaped in sheer absurdity.
"Suspicious? What did this young master do?"
"Amid the massive current, someone saw the Baek young master clutching a demonic sword as he fled."
Even knowing it was nonsense, it still gave a start.
'No one could've seen me bring that sword to the main clan, right?'
Absolutely not. Impossible physically.
Yang-hui's group hadn't been swept by the current; they'd escaped through a ceiling crack.
In other words, the bastard was spouting lies.
But...
Proving them false was impossible.
In the martial world, when the powerful wielded tyranny, the weak had no choice but to suffer.
"Of course, witnesses in the chaos may have been mistaken. But as a righteous famed house, the Namgung Clan bore the duty to investigate."
"Continue, patron."
"Thus, the main clan merely sent the young clan leader and Soaring Heaven Sword Unit to uncover the truth at the Baek Clan."
"The heart demon-possessed young clan leader?"
Namgung Seong-il gave a wry smile.
"The young clan leader is a man of true heroic mettle. We believed... he could overcome it. Though in the end, he could not."
Despite Namgung Seong-il's melancholic demeanor, Law-Gak furrowed his brow and pressed again.
"Yet you sought to kill the Baek Clan's young one."
"We only meant to test the extent of the young clan leader's heart demon. Had he not relented even at the brink of death, we planned to escort him back."
In essence, Namgung Seong-il's claim boiled down to this.
'It was all a grand act, pinning every blame on Namgung Cheon-hu.'
Scapegoating. A time-honored fix for covert misdeeds exposed.
Particularly bold, using the young clan leader as the tail to cut.
"Haha... So even this far was accounted for by the clan head. Hahaha..."
The hollow laugh came from Namgung Cheon-hu himself.
Namgung Seong-il raised his voice to silence any further words.
"Young clan leader! Please, escape the heart demon's grasp! Please!"
It was a desperate plea, but it framed anything he might say next as born of heart demon madness.
'Hm. At this point, no further words or logic will matter.'
A throat-tightening frustration was only natural.
Yet Yang-hui felt a refreshing clarity.
One that bubbled forth as laughter.
"Hahaha!"
Law-Gak's gaze turned at the sudden outburst.
"Patron. Why do you laugh?"
"How could I not? It's a tremendous relief!"
"...?"
"To learn the shadows over our Baek Clan stemmed merely from the young clan leader's heart demon! I feared the Namgung Clan sought to crush us outright!"
Yang-hui continued, eyeing Namgung Seong-il's stiffening face.
"Truly fortunate! And tragic. To think the heart demon gripped him so viciously, driving such heinous acts. As representative of the Heaven-Covering Baek Clan, I extend our deepest condolences to the Namgung Clan and affirm we harbor no grudges over past events!"
Namgung Seong-il offered Yang-hui a sword salute.
"We sincerely thank the Baek Clan's magnanimity and apologize for the misunderstandings and circumstances that led to this."
A polite front, but the bitterness peeked through.
He must feel like he was chewing on pure gall.
'Come on, spit it out, you punk. Gratitude and apologies demand follow-through.'
The Namgung Clan head had prepared to discard Namgung Cheon-hu as a scapegoat.
But he couldn't have foreseen Law-Gak's arrival.
Even Yang-hui hadn't factored in the monk; it was pure heavenly fortune.
"Though meant to clear misunderstandings at the Baek Clan..."
'Bastard's laying the groundwork to the end. Well, with Law-Gak watching.'
"It was still unseemly. The Namgung Clan shall duly repay the Baek Clan's generous grace."
"Oh, really? We'd never refuse. But what form does this repayment take, specifically? Ah, forgive me. Dealing in commerce has made me all too calculating. Surely the Namgung Clan's repayment won't be paltry, haha!"
"..."
"You have our trust?"
"...It falls to the clan head, but we shall surely meet your expectations."
"You see, Great Monk Law-Gak? A mere accumulation of misunderstandings. This should suffice."
Law-Gak stared at Yang-hui with a dazed look for a moment.
'So that's why he said to simply follow his lead.'
Law-Gak wasn't blind to the suspiciousness of the situation.
Thus, he felt admiration for Yang-hui.
'What a shrewd patron. His mind runs deeper than a thousand-league well.'
Even borrowing Law-Gak's prestige couldn't punish the Namgung young clan leader.
He was Namgung blood, and disciplinary authority lay with the clan.
Especially with the heart demon pretext.
'When frustration and rage should overwhelm him, he extracts maximum gain with his three-inch tongue.'
Law-Gak's gaze shifted back to Namgung Cheon-hu and Namgung Seong-il.
"Amitabha."
Anger laced the involuntary chant.
He knew not the full details, but the Namgung Clan's dark intentions were clear.
'But... if it's the victim's own wish.'
"Amitabha. Having heard you both, I understand the circumstances. Yet sin is sin, even under heart demon sway! The Namgung Clan must impose fitting punishment on the young clan leader's misdeeds."
"Of course, Great Monk."
"Relay this to the Namgung Clan head: This Righteous Arhat Law-Gak shall watch."
"That too shall be conveyed."
"Furthermore, Shaolin shall circulate notices to various patrons, stating that Namgung Cheon-hu, young clan leader, fell to heart demon and committed evil."
"...As it should be. Our clan head shall announce it first, showing remorse."
Hearing this, Yang-hui inwardly cheered once more.
'Meeting the monk was heavenly luck upon reflection. Far greater damage than anticipated.'
Not only extracting compensation but drawing Shaolin's scrutiny upon Namgung.
They had planned to wipe their mouths clean by scapegoating Namgung Cheon-hu, but now impossible.
And topping it off with dishonor of colluding with the unorthodox!
'The greatest asset of the Five Great Clans... is reputation.'
The adulation as paragons of the righteous path.
Over half the Nine Sects and Five Clans' might stemmed therefrom.
In short, the Namgung Clan had tried to swat a Baek Clan rat only to get bitten and wounded.
'A mere fingernail scratch, but satisfying enough.'
To a mouse, a fingernail wound was fatal; to a man, a mere scrape.
He hadn't expected this to topple Namgung.
Still, it would sting badly.
'Ideally, the extradited Namgung Cheon-hu deepens the wound.'
In that vein, being unable to kill him was a boon for the Baek Clan.
A boon was a boon, but revenge for his vile deeds was due.
In that sense.
"Great Monk."
"Speak, patron."
"Rather than linger here, why not head to our clan manor first?"
By now, Father and the Tang Clan folk should have returned.
Plus, local notables would have gathered as pre-instructed.
'Can't kill him? Then humiliate him utterly before sending him back. Oh, this'll be fun.'