Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 114

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 114

 

 

“Hahaha! The Young Family Head of the Zhuge Family is quite witty indeed.”

“Not at all. Please have another cup.”

I can hear voices before even fully descending to the first floor.

Pointlessly harmonious and damn annoying.

They’re so pleased they could die, absolutely thrilled to death.

From what I can hear, he seems to be putting on quite the performance in front of an elder.

I can practically hear the jingling sounds.

No matter how exceptional a master may be regardless of political affairs, for a Young Family Head to be so lacking in sense…

The future of the Zhuge Family is far too dark.

Just as I was coming down to the first floor, I could see Zhuge Domyeong’s face sitting across from Namgung Ilhak.

His lips were twisted in a bizarre manner.

If I had seen it for the first time, I might have thought he was angry, but having seen it often, I understand.

He’s smiling?

A person who’s supposed to be a family elder!

Meanwhile, why are those bastards acting like that too?

Gwan and Hwi were standing at a distance with their ears perked up.

Such idiots!

And you call yourselves guards?

The enemy leader who was fighting for his life against us just moments ago has entered my house, yet instead of guarding the Young Family Head nearby!

Look around. Everything is a weapon.

The chopsticks in the container and the wine cup in hand are hidden weapons.

A blow from a wine bottle could crack a skull, and the chair he’s sitting on could be used as a blunt weapon at any time.

Yet seeing him carelessly treat Namgung Ilhak so familiarly made me feel like I might burst.

That’s when it happened.

“Hey, Munhyeon.”

“What!”

“Why have you been so angry since earlier?”

“What?”

“I mean, the way you acted toward Master Mujin and now too… your expression is too murderous.”

“…”

“Lighten up your face. Geomchi came all this way to meet you… that’s disrespectful to Senior.”

Has he lost his mind?

Taking Namgung Ilhak’s side right in front of me?

I wanted to smack his head, but thinking about it, his words made sense too.

Why am I getting angry?

Don’t tell me I’m feeling jealous because some distant junior has gained some popularity?

That can’t be.

I’ve lived without wanting for anything.

I once held the position of being the best under heaven, experienced reincarnation that others cannot, made the powerless Zhuge Family rise again as the master of Hubei, and now I’m the great one who even defeated that inhuman ascetic.

‘Hmm, thinking like this puts my mind at ease.’

They say even dog dung has its uses in medicine, and Zhuge Pyeong is occasionally helpful too.

Right, why should I be angry?

Since when have I lived caring about reputation, popularity, or others’ gazes?

Moreover, Geomchi is a junior.

He’s not even a figure of the highest caliber under heaven, just someone who gained some popularity in the provinces.

The very scale of popularity is different.

Local versus national.

One was respect and the other was curses, but they say all extremes connect.

Let me treat him magnanimously.

Aren’t I the one who even received the title of Heavenly Demon?

“Ahem!”

Perhaps the sound of my throat clearing to compose myself caught attention, as Zhuge Domyeong waved his hand welcomingly.

“Has Munhyeon come down? Come this way and pay your respects.”

Zhuge Domyeong gestured with his hand.

Pay respects my ass, what’s so precious about him…

But I am magnanimous.

I’m a son of the Zhuge Family who knows how to greet even those I dislike.

“I am Zhuge Munhyeon.”

The greeting was brief.

Though I had become magnanimous, not offering words of praise for the other party was my pride as the Heavenly Demon.

But such an attitude seemed to appear as confident composure instead.

“Haha! Indeed as dignified as I heard. I am Ilhak of the Namgung Family.”

“I heard you wanted to meet me?”

“That’s right. Though I’m in a position of staying in the back room, after hearing about you, I became so curious I couldn’t bear it. I persuaded the Family Head who was strongly opposed and made this disgraceful visit.”

“My story?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought only bad rumors would have reached the Namgung Family.”

Words densely bristling with subtle thorns.

I said it hoping he’d be hurt and upset.

But Namgung Ilhak nodded with an unconcerned expression.

“There are such words quite often too. You did trample on the hegemonic ambitions that the main house held, after all.”

This junior is quite something.

To think he’d readily admit it.

But hegemonic ambitions?

Does that mean he was dissatisfied with the Namgung Family’s actions this time?

But then Namgung Ilhak smiled and spoke.

“However, a disciple I cherish tells a different story.”

“Pardon?”

“He said he had never seen such swordsmanship before. It was like looking at the heavens, he said?”

“…”

Disciple?

Who is he talking about?

I wasn’t the type to remember every trivial detail of past events.

There were countless who fell with a single gesture, so how would I know which one was his disciple?

Moreover, none of those who fought on the battlefield at that time returned. Since no negotiations were made, they were all captured and held at Yungzhong Mountain.

“Oh my, it seems you don’t remember.”

“Well…”

“That brat Cheonwoong would be disappointed if he heard. To think he wasn’t even memorable enough to be remembered. Hehe.”

Finding something so amusing, Namgung Ilhak giggled without dignity. Somehow it felt like he was gloating.

But Cheonwoong…

Who was that again?

I remember So Rokpa and Mok Jaun.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Namgung Ilhak, who had been laughing for a while, spoke.

“Nine Wall Sword, that is.”

“Ah!”

I remembered.

That bastard was the first among the Namgung Family members I had met.

“You beat him up quite thoroughly. His face turned so blue it was hilarious to see.”

“That, that was…”

“I’m not saying this to blame you. I had hoped for such a thing to happen.”

“…?”

“He gained great strength at a young age and thought he was the best, which displeased me, so I scolded him, but it didn’t work well. After getting beaten by you like that, he seems to have come to his senses. Should I have used the rod after all? In any case, this was something I definitely wanted to thank you for someday. I’m grateful.”

When Namgung Ilhak suddenly bowed his head, I was utterly bewildered.

His disciple got beaten, yet instead of getting angry, he was giving thanks…

Still, seeing that he knew arrogance could be poison, he probably cared for his disciple.

‘He’s a good master.’

Now I seemed to understand that feeling.

In the past, when I saw someone with potential, I taught them thinking of raising them as rivals, so I was often quite disappointed by their shortcomings.

But after teaching someone in this new life, my thoughts changed considerably.

It was the same with Zhuge Munho and Gwan Hwiping, and with Mujin.

The fun of watching them grow was quite enjoyable, and I found myself worrying about not being able to teach them more.

It was probably because I had aged.

Though my body was young, my mind had lived for over a hundred years.

However.

“Senior, what do you mean by that?”

“Hm?”

“You’re saying Munhyeon fought with Nine Wall Sword?”

When Zhuge Domyeong tilted his head, Zhuge Munhyeon, Zhuge Munho, and Gwan Hwiping all flinched in surprise at the same time.

The fight with Nine Wall Sword.

The family didn’t know the details of it.

It might have been the cause of a fight between the Namgung and Zhuge families…

“Ah, you didn’t know? You see, when that Cheonwoong fellow was returning with Cheonpungjo after failing to pass through the Zhuge Family’s formations…”

“Elder Geomchi!”

“…”

When I tried to stop him from speaking, the words “Elder” automatically burst out toward this junior.

At this point, it wouldn’t matter if it became known, but secretly committed acts tend to invite nagging.

I hated that more than anything else.

It was torture.

The less I heard of it, the better.

“Ha ha! What’s the point of talking about past events? We merely compared our martial arts briefly, and that would be a great wound to someone’s pride. Come, please accept a drink from me.”

Zhuge Munhyeon hastily picked up the wine bottle.

What are you doing?

Are you performing a memorial service after filling the cup?

Empty it quickly so I can pour the wine.

Drink and shut your mouth.

Making a silent protest, Zhuge Munhyeon respectfully filled the junior’s cup.

“Hmm, is that so? That could be the case. From Cheonwoong’s perspective, it would have been a painful defeat… Thank you for being considerate.”

“Oh, not at all. Ha ha ha!”

Zhuge Munhyeon, who laughed louder than usual, felt inexplicably annoyed and tried hard to manage his expression.

To think I’d end up acting cute in front of a junior.

Nagging really was the problem.

“But is that why you wanted to see me?”

“Could there be a more important reason?”

“Pardon?”

“When I hear that a disciple I raised with all my heart and soul was defeated by you, how could I resist the urge to move? Isn’t it natural for a martial artist to feel competitive spirit toward a strong opponent?”

“…You feel competitive spirit toward me, who is much younger? We’re from different generations.”

“How can martial artists be distinguished by age? Before the sword, everyone is equal, so it’s natural to feel competitive spirit regardless of age. Moreover, wouldn’t it be even more so if someone is strong despite being young?”

“Well…”

I understood.

I too had once traveled around seeking the masters of All Under Heaven for such reasons.

Rather than the fact of winning, I felt exhilaration in learning from them and improving.

It was precisely the people of the Central Plains who made me stronger.

Namgung Ilhak was probably a similar type to myself.

“I put effort into changing and teaching my sword strikes, but to think he’d lose so futilely.”

At his muttering, I unconsciously mumbled a thought that suddenly occurred to me.

“It seems you were the one who taught the direction for developing the confined Boundless Sky Sword technique.”

“That was… Hm? What do you mean by that?”

“Pardon?”

“The confined Boundless Sky Sword technique? Don’t tell me you knew the original form of that sword?”

Namgung Ilhak’s eyes grew wide.

It was a mistake.

I had blurted out words that suddenly came to mind without refining them.

How could a martial artist from the Zhuge Family, who had lived secluded on Yungzhong Mountain, say such things about knowing the true form of Boundless Azure Sky?

“What I meant wasn’t that…”

I tried to redirect my words, but Namgung Ilhak’s eyes were already sparkling as if they had returned to his youth.

“Hmm, that might be possible.”

“…”

“I’m not saying this just because he’s my younger brother, but Munhyeon once completely transformed the Main House’s martial arts, which everyone had turned away from, into something entirely different.”

Don’t brag about such things, you bastard!

Zhuge Munho’s words, meant to help, were no different from pouring oil on fire.

“Changed martial arts?”

“It was probably when he was around ten years old. I had only guessed at it… but thinking back recently, it seems Munhyeon’s perspective was completely different from ours from the beginning.”

“T-ten years old?”

“Yes. Of course, I can’t tell you what kind of martial art it was.”

You’ve already said everything with your own mouth, and now you’re keeping secrets?

But that wasn’t the important part.

As Zhuge Munho spoke proudly and felt pleased with himself, Gwan Hwiping also nodded beside him.

“He really is an amazing guy.”

“Should I call it unparalleled talent under heaven?”

“It would be good if only his personality could be fixed…”

Those, those crazy bastards!

Either keep your mouths shut, or just grumble and curse like before!

Why the praise when it doesn’t even suit you!

But those words, which seemed to not only pour oil but also fan the flames, had already changed Namgung Ilhak’s expression.

I had raised my brothers wrong.

But anyway, Namgung Ilhak’s expression, eyes, and even breathing…

It was me.

I had been like that too.

When this type of person hears such things, they can’t think of anything else afterward.

Based on experience…

“Would you perhaps be willing to have a martial duel with me?”

“…”

Ah, as expected.

He was no different from his past self.

The only difference was whether force was involved or if it was just a request.

Now that he thought about it, perhaps that had been Namgung Ilhak’s purpose for coming here from the very beginning.

Hah, what should I do?

When it came to fighting, he would jump up even from sleep, so his heart raced the moment he heard the word martial duel, but right now he didn’t want to fight.

Not because he was afraid of Namgung Ilhak, but because I’m afraid of myself.

If I start a martial duel, I naturally have to win.

But my body hasn’t fully recovered yet, and my realm is also ambiguous, so I’d have to give my all, which means I might not be able to control my strength.

He’s supposedly a renowned martial artist of the Namgung Family, and apparently quite popular too…

Even if left alone, he looks like he’d live about twenty more years, so I should send him back warmly.

If I send him back with his body cold and stiff, it’ll be war again.

I had just met an ascetic and my dreams of Ascension to Immortality had swelled greatly…

I was about to begin taking the first steps to restore my prestigious family’s authority and seriously start my martial journey while searching for Half-Immortals, but now this obstacle appears.

Meanwhile, seeing Namgung Ilhak’s bright, sparkling eyes, it seems like he’ll stubbornly persist to the end.

Just like I had done.

‘Hmm, it’s too bothersome to worry about this—should I just kill him instead?’

He’s practically begging to be killed like that.

Should I take this opportunity to sweep away the Namgung Family and expand my territory all the way to Anhui?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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