Chapter 202
Chapter 202
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: I Had to Hold Back
I had to endure it.
In that brief instant, three or four reasons flashed through my mind. Fighting Namgung Cheon-yeong right here would bring nothing but losses.
For starters, Taeho was Namgung Clan territory. If things escalated to the extreme, my life could even be in danger.
Besides, if we were going to fight, I had to win. Regardless of whether I could or not, smashing the Young Clan Heir of the Namgung Clan in front of so many watchful eyes would be a loss in itself.
I'd deliberately kept my abilities hidden, but this would expose them to the entire world.
If that was the plan, I would've spread the word far and wide that I was the disciple of the Sound Demon.
Moreover, I'd been holding back the card of Namgung Cheon-hu's misdeeds to play it at the right moment, but mishandling it now could ruin the whole board.
But.
Even so.
One look at Namgung Cheon-yeong's face, and I no longer felt like holding back.
'Why are you the one getting angry first, Namgung Cheon-yeong?'
We'd never even exchanged words, yet rage toward me seethed from him?
There was only one reason.
Namgung Cheon-hu and Namgung Cheon-yeong were brothers with a deep bond.
'Your brother means that much to you, huh, you bastard.'
It was a bit unexpected, but all the better for it.
His wound was in plain sight—one that would hurt if I scratched it.
-You half-baked brat, where do you get off baring your teeth? Don't you know your brother got his life ruined mouthing off to me?
Namgung Cheon-yeong's face twisted savagely. A small spark of pleasure rose within me.
Yes, he cherished his brother, yet in my previous life, they'd committed such atrocities.
Namgung Cheon-hu had fallen into ruin but hadn't died.
That meant this punk had never experienced the sorrow of losing a brother.
'Come on, then. Your precious brother was insulted. Let your rage take over.'
Namgung Cheon-yeong's sword began to flicker like a restless puppy. I inwardly cheered.
For the Young Clan Heir of Namgung to swing his sword without any formalities?
With so many watching, the justification would be mine.
It meant I could thrash him soundly.
But disappointment crossed Baek Yang-hwi's face.
Someone had stepped in front of Namgung Cheon-yeong.
"Young Heir. Please wait a moment."
"Uncle. But..."
"Conversation must always come before action."
The Clan Lord's younger brother and elder, Namgung Sa-geom, turned his head toward Baek Yang-hwi.
"How have you been, young hero? Seeing a junior whose name has risen so high lately fills this senior's heart with joy."
This was getting troublesome. Just from that first greeting, I could tell what kind of man Namgung Sa-geom was.
'A political schemer.'
In front of all these people, he'd defined our relationship as senior and junior.
It meant I had to show the proper respect as a junior.
Failing to do so would hand him the justification.
'Well, it's not like there's no way around it.'
If juniors had manners to show seniors, then seniors had their own obligations toward juniors.
Counterattacking with a sharp tongue wouldn't be hard.
But... right now, I didn't feel like it.
Setting aside pros and cons, I had no desire to treat anyone bearing the Namgung name with senior's respect.
'I'll make sure you don't even dream of it.'
"Come to think of it, this junior was late with his greetings! I am..."
The moment I raised my voice loud enough for everyone gathered to hear.
Namgung Sa-geom cut me off and took the lead.
"No! We should be the ones greeting first! More precisely, offering a second apology! On behalf of former Young Heir Namgung Cheon-hu and the misdeeds he committed against the Baek Clan, I sincerely apologize."
With his shout, Namgung Sa-geom performed a bow of apology so formal it bordered on excessive.
This was the man known to hold power second only to the Clan Lord in the Namgung Clan—so-called Soaring Heaven Sword Clan among the Five Great Clans of the world.
"Former Young Heir Namgung Cheon-hu committed an unforgivable act against the Baek Clan, even if he was lost to demonic obsession. I apologize from the heart!"
Namgung Cheon-hu had once joined hands with the Black Path to annihilate the Baek Clan.
He'd joined under the pretext of aiding the Baek Clan's justice, only to leak information bit by bit and even open the path to assault the Baek estate.
An outrage that defied heaven's will, unbelievable for the Young Heir of a famed orthodox Namgung Clan.
But.
Rumors about Namgung Cheon-hu hadn't spread widely.
Even though a Shaolin elder had vouched for his crimes and it was declared before countless witnesses.
'Hahaha, how interesting. Namgung Sa-geom, you're more than just a schemer.'
It felt like having ice-cold waterfall water from deep in the mountains dumped over me—chilling to the bone.
My mind sharpened instantly.
'I've been arrogant.'
"Baek Clan's Great Young Lord. Will you accept this Namgung's apology?"
"......"
The reason rumors about Namgung Cheon-hu hadn't spread widely.
The Namgung Clan had clearly manipulated the information.
That's why Baek Yang-hwi had planned to expose it at the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly at the right moment.
The less it was known, the greater the disgrace it could bring.
'The card is exposed. And by someone else's hand.'
The Namgung Clan was one of the Five Great Clans of the world. Those bearing the title of "world" wouldn't be pushovers.
I knew getting swept up in emotions was never good, yet I'd decided not to hold back today?
Pure arrogance.
'Ever since turning back time... I've been on a straight path to success until now.'
Until now, the Baek Clan had built its power with Gangseo as the main stage.
As a result, we'd earned the title of clan—not just the top in Gangseo, but one commanding the world.
From now on, things would have to change in many ways from before.
The opponents ahead would all be far from easy.
I felt that reality keenly, thanks to Namgung Sa-geom.
'I'm grateful, truly.'
A grin crept up. I'd lost my composure seeing Namgung Cheon-yeong's face directly, but this enemy Namgung Sa-geom had snapped me out of it.
If he knew, would he think he'd missed a golden opportunity?
"Of course, Great Hero Namgung. The Soaring Heaven Sword Clan is a pillar of the orthodox sects, a house that has upheld justice and chivalry for ages. How could I doubt its true intentions!"
It was praise for the Namgung Clan, but Namgung Sa-geom's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly—imperceptible to most.
I'd read the intent behind it.
'As expected. This uncle's no ordinary man.'
"The former Young Heir's faults will be corrected by the current Young Heir. Our Namgung Cheon-yeong is truly a genius of this generation without peer! So please, give him the chance to make amends?"
"There will be plenty of opportunities soon enough. The Dragon-Phoenix Assembly is right around the corner."
"Correcting faults is best done swiftly. For the harmony of our two clans as well. Young heroes bond through shared sweat! What do you say?"
Namgung Sa-geom had clearly shown displeasure at Namgung Cheon-yeong drawing his sword rashly.
Yet now he was the one bringing up a spar first?
He'd caught on.
That Baek Yang-hwi, having regained composure, knew drawing blades now would be a loss.
'Haha, this is genuinely fun.'
A man who read intentions one step ahead and struck first with clever words.
I'd thought sly foxes like him couldn't compete anywhere.
But seeing Namgung Sa-geom's verbal dance ignited my competitive spirit.
"Our Namgung Clan values propriety and law as much as justice and chivalry. For warriors, the simplest way to show respect and adhere to rules is through a spar! What say you, Heaven-Covering Sword Dragon of Gangseo?"
-Doesn't a brat without manners need some etiquette drilled into him? Like a teacher wielding the rod.
Even using a transmission only I could hear to rile me up?
It was a favorite tactic of mine when bored, but being on the receiving end felt refreshingly new.
Baek Yang-hwi coldly surveyed the surroundings.
'The mood... has shifted.'
If a spar was to happen, it should've been earlier.
When Namgung Cheon-yeong, swept in fury, had charged without decorum.
Now, a spar with him would only be a loss.
'I still want to smack that face on sight. But now's the time to hold back.'
The problem was that Namgung Sa-geom didn't seem like he'd back down easily.
Like a snake that found a weakness, he'd cling tenaciously—it was obvious.
I needed a move to deftly escape the current situation...
Chime!
It was then.
Chime, chime!
A pleasant melody rang out.
It wasn't just sound. It carried something more—power, or perhaps an aura woven into the notes.
"Hm?"
"What's that sound?"
As dozens of young heroes began murmuring, the noise grew quite loud.
Yet the melody drifting from afar remained clear, unburied.
As if engraved in relief.
"Hey, look over there!"
"Something's... Whoa!"
"No way! How can such a person exist in this world...!"
Those who turned their heads froze, mouths agape.
Their gazes fixed, unable to tear away, faces growing dazed.
It was inevitable.
Approaching from afar along the calm lakeside of Taeho, she was.
A beauty who commanded everyone's entranced stares.
Chime! Chime!
Step by step, the sound of jade beads rolling echoed—stepping jade melody.
As she drew nearer, her unique presence and aura enveloped all the young heroes.
So captivating and intense that the mounting tension between Baek and Namgung clans, on the verge of eruption, dissolved in an instant.
"Sound Demon's Jeon Seol-ha!"
"No way! That young lady is her?"
"It is! Disciple of the Heaven-Shaking Sound Demon, none other than the one called Closed Moon Jade Phoenix!"
Closed Moon was a moniker praising her among the top three beauties through the ages.
Her beauty so stunning it made the moon hide in shame.
Jade, too, was a gem of cool elegance, a symbol of beauties since ancient times.
Thus, Closed Moon Jade Phoenix.
'Sound Demon and Closed Moon Jade Phoenix, huh. You've earned quite the splendid title while I wasn't looking, Seol-ha.'
Her light steps had closed the distance to where her expression was discernible.
The young heroes noticed Jeon Seol-ha wore a faint smile.
So beautiful that no man could withstand without his heart pounding.
Only then did they catch the emotion in her smile.
It stemmed from joy at reunion.
"Ahahaha!"
She kicked off the ground with a laugh clearer than Lake Taeho's waters, cooler than the azure sky, and soared lightly into the air.
'This feels strangely familiar.'
Jeon Seol-ha always pulled a surprise attack whenever we met after a long time.
Considering her tomboyish personality now, she'd surely strike this time too.
No doubt.
So I thought.
Whoosh!
My hands blocked nothing. Her action was far from what I'd expected.
Instead of attacking, she landed right in front of me and thrust her face close.
Sweet fragrance. So close.
Her eyes, mere half-inch away, looked vast as a deep lake.
She whispered.
It was words, yet it felt like a caress on the skin.
"Have you been well, Hwi oraboni?"