Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 17

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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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#017

Five days have passed.

The Fourth Young Master’s ascension ceremony and document verification.

Official registration as the Fourth Young Master in the Namgung Family’s genealogy.

The conferment of titles and public announcement were all completed.

I officially inherited the golden seal that marks me as the fourth official Young Master of the Namgung Family, with my name and the Tianwang Bidao jewel embedded in it.

At the same time, I received a generous monetary gift and was granted a day of rest.

According to the original schedule, to complete all the countless procedures ahead, only one half-day of rest should have been allowed during the five days.

However, all these procedures were expedited thanks to the strong request from the Apothecary, who had connections with the chief administrator overseeing the process, insisting that I needed rest as soon as possible.

Anyway, what I had to do before leaving Taecheongwon Headquarters was already decided.

Of course, one of those things was to visit the brothel for a celebration according to the waning full moon.

Additionally, there was one more thing,

something I absolutely had to do beforehand, but that also required waiting until the full moon.

So during the day of my allotted time, I rested well during the daytime and took care of the scheduled tasks.

And one of those pending tasks was—.

“…What is this? Is this really true?”

I gave half of my monetary gift to Wu Biaoyun, who came after receiving my message.

“I didn’t intend to receive this much.”

“You’re going to take the money you agreed to receive from Sword Master Hwirong but not take my money?”

“Huh? Your way of speaking has become softer.”

Wu Biaoyun scratched the back of his head.

Seeing that, I chuckled as well.

“…I suppose my heart feels somewhat at ease after overcoming a major hurdle.”

I pondered for a moment.

Then, thinking of it as a gesture of goodwill, I opened my mouth.

“Brother Wu, you’ve worked hard too.”

At the casually thrown words “Brother Wu,” Wu Biaoyun’s mouth stretched into a wide grin.

Still, I had somewhat suspected this person.

Thinking the story might spread, I was thoroughly guarded when talking with him.

But after several days passed, not only did the story not spread, there wasn’t even a similar rumor about what had happened.

Wu Biaoyun—he was at least someone who clearly understood what trust meant.

Moreover, eating together and going through hardships during this time, this somewhat clumsy and bumbling person gave me new memories in this annex that had always been filled with hellish recollections, and it felt somewhat healing.

It would be ridiculous not to develop internal intimacy through all that process.

“Hehe, that’s good then. In that spirit, can I stay at the annex a bit longer?”

I tilted my head.

“Aren’t you leaving now…?”

“Staying at the annex puts my mind at ease, and more than anything.”

Wu Biaoyun scratched his head.

“Don’t you need someone to cook for you? My cooking is better than what the servants prepare.”

“Cooking… you mean?”

“Yeah. Cooking. Well, you know, that thing where you rotate between beef, pork, and fish combinations—I really like eating alongside you. Drinking plum syrup at the end too—I used to think it was a bad taste, wondering why anyone would drink something sweet after stuffing themselves, but when I tried it, it somehow cleanses the palate and aids digestion. Now I can’t overeat without it.”

“….”

“And the food expenses aren’t insignificant either, and ah, I don’t really like that you absolutely never drink alcohol, but anyway… so.”

“….”

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Wu Biaoyun hastily added.

“Well, you know! You said my eating so deliciously was helpful! Didn’t you always struggle with eating because you have such a small appetite? But when I eat voraciously beside you, you feel some kind of competitive psychology and end up eating more without realizing it!”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. And I’m good at steaming fish too. I grill meat excellently.”

“I acknowledge Brother Wu’s meat cooking, but your fish cooking skills aren’t that good. I even felt nauseous last time because of the fishy smell.”

“I’ll work on it! And it’s not just food—medicine, various errands, those extraordinary errands that only you would think of! There’s no one who understands as perfectly as I do, right?”

I remained silent for a moment.

Finally, I sighed and waved my hand dismissively.

“Alright, alright. As the Fourth Young Master, I’ll notify the annex—.”

“Thank you!!”

“….”

It wasn’t purely out of goodwill that I agreed.

Anyway, I had more than one or two things to do.

If nothing else, having someone verified to be tight-lipped handle household affairs while simultaneously understanding what I want and the direction I’m heading wouldn’t be bad.

Moreover, he’s not someone deeply involved in the martial arts world.

‘This is just the beginning.’

Since returning to this time and starting my life anew, I’ve never forgotten.

That faceless masked being who devoured the Namgung Family.

The being who ambushed me and ultimately burned me to death.

According to that person, the Namgung Family, which had become the greatest family among the Five Great Families, had completely fallen into their grasp.

Certainly, at that time in my previous life, I had dismissed it, but there were news I had secretly heard through the underworld.

Officially, Namgung Cheonhyeok had gone into seclusion, but he had actually been killed long ago, and the remaining direct bloodline members were all dead.

At that time, my own circumstances were chaotic, and the Namgung Family was like an irreversible nightmare of the past and a sticky hell that I desperately wanted to turn away from as I lived the life of an assassin.

So even when I heard such things, I didn’t think to investigate further, and rather, Namgung Cheonhyeok remained such a strong impression in my memory that I dismissed it as nonsense.

Moreover, after my master’s death, when my life as an assassin became established, I was almost buried in seclusion from the martial arts world.

I only met with people who brought me contracts, focused only on immediate tasks, and deliberately cut myself off from any new news of the martial arts world, making it even more so.

Jeongsamahyeol—among the four major factions that make up the martial arts world, I was so ignorant even about news from the Jeongpa faction I belonged to, let alone the other factions.

But now I could understand.

It was all real.

Eight cult members using demonic arts, presumably from the northern Demonic Sect, the Sun and Moon Sect, centered around Namgung Family members, ambushed and killed me.

In a situation where the righteous path and demonic path joined hands to kill me, what unrealistic event couldn’t happen?

The current martial arts world is quiet and peaceful.

But underneath, something is already happening in full swing.

I still don’t understand why they killed me and burned me.

But I will definitely find out.

The traitor who betrayed and devoured the family, colluding with the demonic path.

And the one who burned me to death in my previous life and, only after returning to this current life, I discovered had embedded gold needles in my body.

Because of those gold needles, I couldn’t do anything and lived miserably as a beast until the end of my original life, spending my days in bloody tears just trying to survive somehow.

For the one who prevented me from enjoying the life I should have originally had, this official position as the Fourth Young Master is precisely the beginning of that counterattack.

This was the first gamble I absolutely had to achieve since returning to this life, and by overcoming one of the major gateways I had to pass through, the hidden forces behind must have been greatly flustered.

‘Wait. I’ll tighten the noose step by step and find every last root to eliminate them all.’

I am certainly growing steadily and rapidly.

I will deal with anything.

I will no longer stand by and let my life be manipulated by others’ hands.

Even if there are massive allied forces in that process.

Even if it is.

“…Even if it’s the Sun and Moon Sect…!”

“Huh? The Sun and Moon Sect?”

At Wu Biaoyun’s bewildered question, I snap out of my thoughts.

“Why suddenly mention that demonic group stuck up north serving their cult leader?”

“….”

I looked at his good-natured appearance and let out a small sigh.

Somehow, just talking with this person makes my heated emotions feel foolish.

At the same time, it’s tiresome to respond to each one individually.

I let out a small sigh and mumbled evasively.

“There are such things. By the way, Brother Wu, you haven’t left yet? I thought you had already gone.”

“The Sun and Moon Sect, so you’ve heard that story too. Well, even a commoner like me who’s clueless about martial arts world affairs knows about it, so naturally you’d know too.”

“…?”

Something about this conversation is strange.

Rather than me being puzzled, Wu Biaoyun scolds me instead.

“You didn’t know? Even though the friction between the righteous and demonic sects happened a hundred years ago and is someone else’s business, how could you not know such big news? Everyone’s been making a fuss about it lately.”

“What exactly are you talking about…?”

“Oh my, this person really doesn’t know. Even so, you’re now one of the Four Great Young Masters of the Namgung Family, how can you be so deaf to current events?”

Wu Biaoyun spoke as if he was dumbfounded.

“The Sun and Moon Sect has been in complete chaos lately due to internal strife. Right now, a new fanatical group has risen up claiming to represent the true orthodox lineage, causing an uproar by trying to establish a new Absolute Demonic Sect.”

I blink my eyes.

“…What?”

“Anyway, before the fire spreads to our side, they’ll sort it out among themselves and things will go back to normal as if nothing happened. It’s none of our business, but watching fights between others is always the most entertaining. Anyway, what was the name of that new group? It was really strange… That… that… Ah, that’s right!”

Wu Biaoyun clapped his hands.

“Cheonmasineugyo… I think that’s what it was called?”

***

I departed as soon as night fell.

As the night deepened, the world grew pitch black, and at the same time, a full moon began to rise.

“Fourth Young Master.”

“You may pass.”

“Loyalty.”

This was also likely due to Taecheong-won, where the family head’s influence reaches most powerfully.

Once I leave Taecheong-won and Mount Cheonju, there will be people who are just now learning the news that I’ve become the Fourth Young Master, and those people will gradually change their attitude toward me, albeit reluctantly.

But certainly, the attitude of the people I encountered here at Taecheong-won had definitely changed.

Everyone who made eye contact with me bowed politely.

And once I moved even slightly away from the cramped quarters of the annex, there were no warriors who would block my path with spears held in defiant postures.

Especially the gatekeepers of Cheonwangbimun who guard the entrance to Mount Cheonju, the sacred mountain of the Namgung Family, had a different gravitas from the mere gatekeepers who guard places like the annex of the Namgung Family and the entrance to Taecheong-won, and they cupped their fists as soon as they saw me, as if they had been waiting.

“From here begins the territory of Cheonwangbido. As the successor to the treasured jade of Cheonwangbido, we welcome Young Master Namgung Hwi’s first visit.”

“Thank you for your service.”

I gazed at the path leading up Mount Cheonju, neatly paved with stones and stretching out under the moonlight.

“Has anyone else passed through today besides me?”

“….”

At my question, which could be considered somewhat out of the blue, the gatekeepers looked at each other and gauged the situation, unable to either deny or confirm.

At that, I let out a small laugh.

“It’s fine. It was a meaningless question anyway.”

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

The gatekeeper bowed once more as he spoke.

“Furthermore, Young Master. For your very first time passing through Cheonwangbido’s formation, we recommend going unarmed.”

“The second time is fine then?”

“Until the formation completely recognizes someone who is qualified, this is to prepare for the unlikely event that the formation malfunctions.”

“It’s almost like a living creature.”

“Yes, and if the formation should happen to activate—”

The gatekeeper looked troubled.

“In this current era, no one can break the formation and extract you, Young Master. Of course, from the second time onward, there should be no problems.”

“I understand.”

Weapons are meaningless anyway.

I took out the protective dagger I was carrying in my robes.

“Ah, wait a moment.”

And just before handing the dagger to the gatekeeper,

-Swish!

As soon as I drew the blade, I spun it once to sharply trim the tip of my opposite hand’s thumbnail, then handed over the dagger.

I briefly explained to the puzzled gatekeeper.

“My nail was a bit long, so I took care of it while I was at it.”

“Ah, yes. Please be careful.”

I pass by them and climb toward Cheonwangbido.

Cheonwangbido is a massive lake nestled at the peak of Mount Cheonju.

This place that no one would visit is anyway the top of the sacred mountain that only one person—the bearer of Cheonwangbido’s treasured jade and the master of this house—can visit.

Asking such gatekeepers who guard that entrance about who has visited would be meaningless.

Because.

“…Did you choose this knowing it would come to this?”

A massive blue full moon.

Before the tranquil lake of Cheonwangbido stood a man.

Searching through my memories from my previous life,

Even the Five Great Patriarchs cannot dare to have a private audience with him unless there’s some special incident or report that must be submitted.

No one can have a private audience with him carelessly, and they can only converse while being conscious of others’ eyes and ears.

That’s why this was the only way.

This was the final gambit of this bet—challenging for the position of Fourth Young Master in the Soga Clan competition.

I swallowed my dry saliva.

“How could that be possible.”

The absolute master who raised and created the current Namgung Family, which leads even among the great families.

“Family Head.”

The Brilliant Dragon of Anhui.

Before me, with his back to the moonlight, Namgung Cheonhyeok was glaring at me with fierce eyes.

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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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