Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 7

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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 7

 

 

All eyes in the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion focused on them.

The children’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

As if they were anticipating how the boy would scold Zhuge Munhyeon.

They probably felt the same way.

Like the boy, they had all been pushed to come to the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion by their parents’ nagging.

Of course, the servants who came with them could only stamp their feet anxiously.

They couldn’t interfere in their masters’ fight, but if they just left it alone, who knew what trouble might arise.

However, Sohye was a little different.

“Young Master, your words are too harsh. How could you say such things…”

“Shut up, you wench! How dare you run your mouth at me!”

Smack!

Sohye curled up after being hit in the face by a book the boy threw in his anger.

The book fell to the floor.

Seeing Sohye in pain made something like fire surge in his heart.

But Zhuge Munhyeon calmly walked over, picked up the book, and asked the boy quietly.

“Hey. I’m curious about something – that talk about lowly blood… were you talking about me? Or were you talking about my mother?”

“Hmph! Figure it out yourself.”

“Hmm, figure it out myself… is that it?”

Zhuge Munhyeon nodded at the boy’s sneer.

I see.

What he did to Sohye alone was already unforgivable, but he dared to insult my mother…

At this age, fighting with a kid over such reputation was ridiculous, but the lid on his seven-year-old head flew wide open.

I’ll figure it out for you!

The moment he made up his mind, his body moved.

His small step instantly closed the distance.

The boy tried to respond by moving his hands, having learned some basics of martial arts, but he was still just a child.

If his opponent were an adult it might be different, but on equal footing, how could he possibly block it?

The book in his swinging hand traced a clever curve and struck the boy’s nose.

Thwack!

The boy staggered backward, clutching his nose from the unexpected blow.

Of course.

He had hit him with the corner.

“Y-Young Master!”

The boy’s servant, who never thought he would actually hit him, was startled and tried to intervene.

But when the servant met Zhuge Munhyeon’s eyes, he flinched and stopped walking.

“Don’t interfere. Unless you want to die…”

At the chilling voice and fiercely flashing eyes, the servant unconsciously swallowed his saliva.

He’s only seven years old… what kind of look is that?

The servant hesitated as goosebumps rose on his body for a moment.

The boy grimaced and struggled frantically.

“You! Do you know who I am! I am…”

Thwack!

Before those words could finish, Zhuge Munhyeon’s fist, having put down the book, struck his face hard.

“Ahhh! …Blood! Blood!”

How impressive could the fist of a delicate seven-year-old who hadn’t yet begun proper cultivation be?

But if you get hit again where you were already hit, of course your nose will bleed.

And the moment blood appeared, their fight was essentially over.

That’s how kids are.

Blood is synonymous with fear.

At that age, both the one who got hit and the one who did the hitting often get scared when they see blood. But for Zhuge Munhyeon, it was just a familiarity temporarily buried in memory.

“I don’t care who you are. What matters is the fact that you insulted my mother.”

Thwack!

The third punch became even more indifferent.

From the fourth punch onward, he even grabbed the boy’s hair and swung mercilessly.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Blood splattered.

Not only the boy’s face, but Zhuge Munhyeon’s untrained fists weren’t unscathed either.

When the situation reached that point, the shocked servants began to pull Zhuge Munhyeon away.

“Y-Young Master! You mustn’t do this.”

It was adult strength.

It wasn’t a level Zhuge Munhyeon could handle.

However.

“I clearly told you to let go.”

“Y-Young Master.”

The servants ended up releasing the collar they had been gripping due to the spirit in that chilling voice.

Cold and murderous.

They could even feel an intimidating presence that made their bodies shrink back.

Though he might be young in age and small in body, in that moment he was the Heavenly Demon.

The punching didn’t stop, and the fallen boy was kicked and trampled.

Whether he screamed or not.

That’s when it happened.

“What is going on here!”

Weisa, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion inside, hurriedly blocked Zhuge Munhyeon.

“Move aside.”

“You cannot.”

“I told you to move aside.”

“…”

Even Weisa was surprised.

Blood dripped from the fists of a child who hadn’t even fully grown yet. The young venom in those eyes was so chilling it made his spine shiver and he unconsciously swallowed.

Weisa frowned and looked at the fallen boy.

He had already lost consciousness.

“This person is your cousin elder brother, Young Master.”

“So what?”

“Pardon?”

“What does that have to do with me? Move aside.”

His eyes had already rolled back.

He should try to persuade what could be persuaded.

Of course, Weisa was just troubled.

Though he didn’t yet know what had happened, it seemed like real trouble would occur if he left it alone.

“Young Master, please forgive my rudeness.”

Weisa had to stop Zhuge Munhyeon by force as he approached the fallen boy despite attempts to restrain him, so he reached out his hand.

It was a technique called Suppression Hand that only blocked movement since he couldn’t injure someone of Zhuge Family blood.

Though it was a simple technique, he thought it would be sufficient to stop Zhuge Munhyeon, who was still young and hadn’t learned martial arts.

However.

‘Huh?’

He couldn’t help but be flustered.

Zhuge Munhyeon, who had been approaching, lowered his stance and slipped away as if he knew the weakness of the Suppression Hand.

No matter how simple the technique was, it wasn’t something a mere seven-year-old should have been able to dodge.

‘W-wait a minute. If this continues…?’

This wasn’t a situation to be surprised about.

Weisa hastily twisted his body and tried to grab Zhuge Munhyeon’s shoulder.

The Grasping Hand that catches precise targets.

Even if it caused injuries…

But that too was in vain.

Weisa’s grip caught nothing but empty air.

‘Wh-what is this?’

He had missed.

The movements of a child who hadn’t even begun martial arts cultivation.

But how could he have known?

Though he had never cultivated, Zhuge Munhyeon, who had once been the Heavenly Demon, had already seen the Zhuge Family’s Golden Catching Hand through his father who had wanted to hold his hand.

Moreover, since that technique was far more advanced than Weisa’s, he could easily dodge hesitant touches that were trying not to cause harm.

“Ah…”

Weisa’s face contorted.

Zhuge Munhyeon didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping…

“Young Master!”

“…”

At that moment, Sohye covered the fallen boy’s body.

“Please stop. You mustn’t do any more. You must think of your parents.”

Only after Sohye’s plea did Zhuge Munhyeon’s movements stop.

 

* * *

 

The boy was immediately carried to the medical room.

Perhaps due to the swift efforts of the servants, news of the commotion at the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion spread in an instant.

“You bastard! Do you know what you’ve just done!”

A middle-aged woman who had rushed over upon hearing the rumors screamed with venomous eyes at Zhuge Munhyeon, who was kneeling in the front courtyard of the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion.

She was the boy’s mother.

Only then did he learn the boy’s identity.

Ten years old, Zhuge Mungi.

The son of Zhuge Domyeong, the fifth among the Family Head’s brothers, and a cousin three years older than Zhuge Munhyeon.

That was all.

What did he think he was, acting like he was something special just because he knew who I was?

Regardless of right or wrong, since a younger brother had beaten his elder brother, it was tantamount to disrupting the family hierarchy.

However, Zhuge Munhyeon held his head high and met the woman’s gaze.

“He deserved to be beaten, so he was beaten. He deserved to be hit, so I hit him.”

“What did you say?”

Rather than being frightened or intimidated by her shouting, his bold response only increased the woman’s fury.

“This brat doesn’t even know what he did wrong… What are you all doing! Beat him until this damned child admits his fault!”

Though the woman rolled her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs, the servants only glanced around nervously.

“You fools! Do you all want to be punished together!”

Just as her anger was about to spill over onto the servants.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“What?”

Zhuge Munhyeon spoke to the woman with an expression too calm for a child.

“How have you usually spoken about my mother?”

“What?”

“Mungi said so. That I was born with lowly blood. Perhaps you usually say such things?”

“What is that…”

“They say a child is a mirror of their parents. Mungi wouldn’t have said such things for no reason.”

At his words spoken while looking up with cold eyes, the woman seemed to be at a loss for words and closed her mouth.

He could tell immediately.

That Zhuge Mungi’s words had been learned from his mother’s habitual speech.

Her name was Dang Yeojin.

She was from a branch family of the Dang Family, one of Sichuan’s representative clans.

In contrast, Baek Suhyeon was a musician’s daughter.

That’s how martial artists are. They’re the type who think they’re the most superior.

Even those from Sanggye are often looked down upon, so how much of an eyesore must it have been to have a mother from an ‘mere’ entertainer family as a senior sister-in-law?

‘Dang Family, my ass.’

If he had the same power as in his previous life, he would have immediately cut off her head.

Then he would have taken that head to the Dang Family and annihilated them for the crime of not properly educating their children.

But now he was just a seven-year-old kid named Zhuge Munhyeon.

He had no power.

There was nothing he could do.

Even so, with his personality, how could he endure it?

To say what’s wrong is wrong, having a mouth is sufficient.

He fights with words befitting a son of the Zhuge Family.

He confronts with dignity.

“Aunt should apologize first.”

“What did you say?”

“The Bright Heart Treasure Mirror’s Chapter on Examining the Heart says: When you see someone’s fault, before criticizing it, reflect on whether you have the same flaw within yourself. How about properly teaching your son first before scolding me?”

He had known it originally, but since he had recently reviewed it at his father’s urging, he remembered it clearly.

Thanks to this, even though he was kneeling, he seemed to be questioning and teaching her instead, causing Dang Yeojin’s face to turn bright red.

“You bastard! How dare you look down on not only your elder brother but even your aunt!”

“I’m not looking down on you, but since you seem to know but not practice, I was informing you.”

“Shut your mouth!”

“If you just apologize, I’ll shut up anytime.”

It was for his mother.

For the person who had made him feel maternal love, he held his head even higher.

“Fine, you brat! Let’s see how long you can stay so stubborn!”

Finally, she snatched a club from a nearby servant’s hand and approached Zhuge Munhyeon.

That’s when it happened.

“What is all this commotion!”

As an angry voice pressed down on the courtyard, servants and warriors quickly prostrated themselves on the ground.

The Family Head, and his retainers.

Since the Great Hall wasn’t far from the Ten Thousand Books Pavilion, they had come directly.

However.

“Family Head! Please listen to me. How can such a thing be allowed?”

“…”

“Mungi seems to have misspoken in his childish mind. But how can a younger brother beat his elder brother? Moreover, Mungi was beaten so severely that he’s now hovering between life and death. When I scolded him for this, he glared straight at me and shouted. Please clearly reveal his wrongdoing and punish him.”

Suddenly dropping the club and collapsing while shedding tears, it was like watching a scene from an opera.

Was she in her right mind?

She called that a slip of the tongue?

How could she change her expression so completely in an instant?

Good grief, this is so absurd I can’t stand it.

Listening to this, I just can’t take it anymore.

But just as I was about to move my lips to protest her nonsense.

Zhuge Doyun walked through the middle of the commotion.

His footsteps were heavy.

“Munhyeon.”

“Yes.”

“You…”

At Father’s stern expression, Zhuge Munhyeon frowned.

It looks like he’s going to scold me.

Well, he’s also a member of the Zhuge Family.

No matter how much he loves Mother, there’s still the hierarchy of the Family Clan…

Fine, go ahead and get angry.

I reflected on my duties to my parents through my Bright Heart Treasure Mirror, but even if he is my father, I have no intention of backing down.

“Are you alright?”

“Pardon?”

“Your fists are badly injured.”

“Ah, that… well.”

It was unexpected.

Father knelt down with a deeply furrowed brow and tore his own clothes to wrap around my injured fists.

“You don’t think you did anything wrong, do you?”

“…Yes.”

“You won’t make excuses either, will you?”

“Yes.”

“I understand. I believe your words.”

“Pardon?”

“If it’s not your fault, then this father will always be on your side. Even if I cannot fight in your place and must bow my head in apology.”

Even though he arrived late and didn’t know the details of the situation, Zhuge Doyun asked his son nothing.

When told he had done nothing wrong, he simply said he believed him, patted his shoulder, and called for Sohye who had been anxiously pacing nearby.

“Sohye, take Munhyeon to the Medical Room. His hands are badly injured.”

“Pardon?”

“What are you doing?”

“Yes!”

Sohye ran over to support me.

“Ah, Father.”

“It’s alright. This father will handle the remaining problems, so don’t worry and just focus on getting proper treatment.”

At his bright smile, I felt unexpectedly choked up.

“Brother-in-law! What do you mean by that? Munhyeon is…”

“Sister-in-law.”

“…”

“Could you please tell me one by one what crimes my son has committed? If they are justified, I will personally punish him.”

At his calm words, Dang Yeojin closed her mouth like a mute who had eaten honey, and Zhuge Munhyeon looked at his father’s back as he turned away.

Having always been ahead of others, I had never gazed at someone’s back with such sentiment.

Because I had never relied on anyone.

But what did my own back feel like to someone in the past? Did it feel as large and reliable as Father’s before my eyes?

I wouldn’t know.

But I regretted rejecting Father when he had tried to hold my hand.

From now on, it seemed I could at least hold his hand.

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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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