Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 26

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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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#026

The Confidential Discussion Hall behind the thick oak tree gate was a massive cavity.

All sides were a harmony of marble and granite with a pale white base, and patterns were drawn connecting the floor and walls as if swept by a giant brush.

-Thud.

The massive oak tree gate opens and closes, completely cutting off the outside world.

Bi Dam Yeon.

The Namgung Family, leading even among the Five Great Families of the Martial Arts World.

Under the current Crazy Dragon of Anhui, five hidden dragons of Ilgidangcheon from across the entire Martial Arts World gathered, and countless factions wanting to follow and submit to those five hidden dragons came together under the Namgung surname to form one collective – that is the current Namgung Family.

What proves the important positions that move that massive Namgung Family is the qualification to participate in the regularly held Monthly Political Gathering.

And the place where even that Monthly Political Gathering shows incomparable absolute obedience, where the leadership among leadership gathers, is precisely this Bi Dam Yeon.

-Whooom…!

White light was pouring down through the marble that filled the ceiling, shining white.

It was like moonlight.

Quiet silence filled the cavity.

“This way.”

The Maid Manager quietly places me in the center of Bi Dam Yeon, in the middle of the cavity covered with red silk.

I face forward, bathed directly in the white moonlight.

“Young Master,”

In the span of one breath.

The Maid Manager moves her lips slightly as she passes by.

‘-Good luck.’

The Maid Manager clenches her teeth with a tense expression. She steps backward. As if melting away, she seeps into the darkness at the edges and disappears.

“….”

I can see the vacant seat of the family head directly ahead.

As if guarding that family head on both sides, the seats of five war generals and three Soga Clan candidates surrounded it in an arc.

That place is the pinnacle and summit.

The one seat where the five war generals show absolute obedience and no one raises any objections.

A seat where one can implement and materialize their will without needing to bow their head to anyone.

And….

‘The destination of this life of mine.’

Certainly, unlike when I came before, the scenery of everything was different.

The bluish light like moonlight that filled the massive cavity.

What could be seen below was the cavity walls wrapped in marble and the history of Namgung densely written there.

Above those densely written passages, a giant blue dragon was surging as if coiling around them in blue paint.

-Flicker.

Nearly a thousand candles burning before my eyes all danced in unison and scattered under the moonlight like living souls.

How ridiculous.

My fingertips tremble white and minutely.

Is the smile forming at the corner of my mouth a manifestation of tension?

I, who lived like a vicious dog receiving cheap pennies from dozens, hundreds, nearly a thousand bottom-dwellers of the Martial Arts World, rolling in mud with the lowest classes, fighting life-and-death battles, am now trembling minutely while looking at that seat carved from jade and gold.

I’m nervous.

The beginning of my story.

My own goal that I set while beginning this life of mine.

If there was absolute proof I could present as the most certain difference from my hellish previous life, I thought it would only be that.

I swallow dry saliva.

Like a completely dried corner getting a very fine crack, and water seeping out through that fine crack, the thought that comes is-.

‘…Can I do it?’

An assassin must be realistic.

An assassin must be cold.

An assassin must be more critical than anyone and always think of both Plan A and Plan B simultaneously.

That’s how you survive.

Cooling my head that heats up until the very end, stepping back and gauging that possibility is also a reflection of having lived a full previous life as an assassin who survived and broke through a thousand life-and-death battles.

‘Someone like me…?’

‘I’m just a bottom-tier assassin.’

‘I was a mule…’

Deep-rooted inferiority complex.

No matter how successful an assassin becomes, they’re just consumables for warriors….

They say convincing yourself is the hardest thing.

I thought I had proven myself countless times, but my subconscious still craves that the proof is insufficient.

I too am human.

Nothing is guaranteed.

Looking at that lofty seat, and looking at the eight competitors, obstacles, or perhaps enemies surrounding it, I think.

The ridiculous thought in one corner of my heart: do I dare look up at them?

No matter how much I try to kill such thoughts, if I let my guard down even a little, they slyly raise their heads.

It’s a thought that seeps out like mold in one corner of my heart that I could never tell anyone else, even if I bit my tongue and died.

Whether I can prove that I’m better than those flashy and brilliant-looking people.

I have returned from the past.

So I also know about things that will happen in the future.

I might know who they are and what happens to them in the future.

But that’s all.

No one guarantees that things will flow exactly as I think.

So while I make decisions outwardly and charge forward, I’m always more anxious than anyone.

What if ‘this time’ things don’t go as I think?

What if this time the changes so far alter the next result?

What I can do is run forward with all my might, believing that what I know will become reality.

Selecting and choosing the information I know to suit me as much as possible and doing my utmost with what I can do.

Even when I want to retreat, enduring with all my might.

That’s all.

I lived half my life as a mule and lived a life of helpless defeat while hoping for the next chance.

That’s why I still wake up every morning struggling with nightmares.

Wanting to return to the past way of living is like being pulled down from a cliff and falling to the ground.

The moment I allow even one retreat, the moment I let my guard down even slightly, everything I built up wanting to change will scatter like a mirage and I’ll tumble down to become that bottom-tier mule crouching in the abyss.

I open my eyes, look at reality that’s improving even if just a tiny bit, and move forward telling myself, reassuring myself that yes, I am changing.

And it’s the same now.

Even amid all these foolish thoughts, the thought that serves as both period and conclusion.

…It’s not whether I can do it.

I have to do it.

After returning and starting my current life, I am thoroughly alone, thrown into this world.

I must move forward.

I must handle it.

Don’t act spoiled.

Sharpen your mind like a blade.

Burn it.

Chew on the shame.

Remember that burning pain of death, writhing helplessly with belly turned up like a midsummer cicada…!!!

-Rustle.

As if cutting through all those thoughts,

the eight bamboo screens covering the Five Great Patriarchs and three princes seated on either side of the Master’s chair sway.

-Is that him?

In front of each bamboo screen, another pair of large candles was placed.

Those candles flutter with a crackling sound as if scattered by the wind.

Whether it was because the formal business of Bi Dam Yeon had ended, or because I wasn’t yet a complete member of Bi Dam Yeon, bamboo screens were set up in front of everyone.

The candles in front of each bamboo screen had different colors matching each patriarch. Each time they flickered, white smoke scattered beyond the hazy moonlight, as if the candles were facing each other and conversing.

-There were dozens of reports, but this is the first time seeing him.

-…Rumor has it he crushed four men with martial arts alone. But though he’s trained, his frame isn’t as good as expected.

-His relationship with the current Master is-.

-Sword Master Hwirong, are you in your right mind?

-…What is the Master thinking.

Faint sounds heard in various ways.

Besides Sword Master Hwirong and Sword Master, the other three patriarchs would be seeing me for the first time. Along with the voices of the remaining three princes, multiple voices mixed in the air with me at the center.

And cutting through that, among the whispers from the bamboo screens where candidates targeting the three young masters gathered, one sound struck like lightning.

-Ha, just that pathetic…?

A coldness worse than any insult.

The harsh reality of my current position.

Such attitudes and behavior itself would mean that in their eyes, I’m still lacking.

Regardless of attitude, if they really thought I was a big shot, they wouldn’t have spoken out loud like that even in Bi Dam Yeon.

They don’t need voice transmission, thinking that with such gentle whispers like a breeze, I can’t hear while they can hear each other.

And that statement is half correct.

I can’t hear clearly.

My currently recovered strength is forty percent of my Dark Emperor days.

Above all, only two of the four forms of Pasabeolsik are currently open.

Body that reinforces the physical form.

Speed that reinforces acceleration.

Though I had to prioritize opening these two for survival first, if I had been standing in this place with even a portion of the third form opened, I surely could have secured many more cards to catch them off guard.

‘I need faster growth.’

Even in my previous life when I possessed the skills of Dark Emperor, though I was extremely exhausted, I was still defeated by warriors, no, by cult members, captured, had my hands crushed, and burned to death.

To reach the absolute position I envision, completing my previous life’s Dark Emperor skills is the beginning, and aiming for something beyond that would be the point of transformation advancing through martial arts .

“Sorry for the long wait. The matters discussed in this meeting have been compiled and organized, so please focus everyone.”

From the darkness at the edge, the man who appeared was Namgung Seong-tae, the deputy master.

He stood at the deputy master’s seat, one level below the master’s chair, looking down at everyone.

“….”

“….”

The gaze looking down at me was cold with contempt.

With a snorting sound, he pretended not to see me.

Stroking the tip of his goat-like beard, he read through the documents in his hand.

“Since the current master of Namgung is absent, I will organize the agenda raised centered on the five patriarchs. Regarding the overlapping business territory rights raised by Sword Master Amyeong and Sword Master Yeomjak, the circumstances have been fully understood-.”

Namgung Seong-tae glanced at me.

“This doesn’t need to be reported to the master, so under my authority as deputy master Namgung Seong-tae, who manages the Namgung Family’s affairs, I will approve the agreement between the two.”

“Deputy Master, are you certain? Of course we’ll double-check, but are you sure this doesn’t need the master’s approval?”

“Ahem, I am Namgung Seong-tae. Deputy Master Namgung Seong-tae.”

He looked at me, speaking clearly as if directing his words toward me.

“The master has also recognized my talent regarding financial matters, including quarterly reports, and given me executive authority. There will be no problem.”

Then he looked at me again and curled up the corners of his mouth.

It felt like he was saying, ‘Behold my power that a wretch like you doesn’t know.’

“With this, I declare the conclusion of five important agenda items, including the proposals previously presented by Sword Master Baekrang and Sword Master Yeomjak. Additionally, as you all received notice yesterday, we will address the final agenda item urgently added at Sword Master’s suggestion. That is-.”

A fleeting expression crossed the deputy master’s face.

“The matter concerning the newly selected fourth prince.”

I sense it instinctively.

This is the reason they called me here, the main point.

“As you all know, the fourth prince Namgung Hwi, who has been included as a member from this Bi Dam Yeon onward, was certainly legitimately approved and processed through the Heir Apparent Selection Competition. However, after discussing with the master and several individual Bi Dam Yeon members, it was determined that there were significant inadequate measures. So at the very end of this Bi Dam Yeon, we unavoidably added this final agenda item.”

“Correct. I particularly initiated this agenda item.”

The bamboo screen opposite the deputy master swayed, and a pair of candles flickered with gray light.

‘Sword Master…!’

The voice is familiar.

Though hidden by the bamboo screen, judging by the shadow beyond, my suspicion became certainty.

“This is an important position for selecting the heir to the Namgung Family, but since everyone was focused on operating and managing their respective businesses, it seems the gravity was overlooked.”

Now I understand.

Currently, the one with the most ill feelings is Sword Master, one of the Five Great Patriarchs.

He must have strongly suggested this situation to the deputy master.

And the deputy master is holding the knife handle to execute me in this Bi Dam Yeon.

“I can’t agree with that.”

Opposite the gray candle, a pair of candles flickered.

They were blue.

“Sword Master and Deputy Master, what exactly are you talking about? From what I saw, there were no inappropriate procedures in that process.”

“Sword Master Hwirong.”

The deputy master frowned while looking at the blue flame.

Sword Master Hwirong?

I look at the bamboo screen beyond the blue flame.

Is that person Sword Master Hwirong?

The person who supposedly supported me through Wu Biaoyun.

And the Five Great Patriarchs I hear about from time to time.

I didn’t expect anyone to take my side when attending this Bi Dam Yeon.

But if I’m not mistaken…

That Sword Master Hwirong was definitely defending me.

Why?

He couldn’t possibly know me.

Actually, I had prejudices about the Five Great Patriarchs.

In my past life, I never once encountered them—the five beings who reign above the clouds even within the vast Namgung Family.

To them, I am less than an ant.

“What? Sword Master Hwirong, from earlier—.”

“Please wait, Sword Master. Let me speak.”

Bugaju restrained the agitated Sword Master as he spoke.

“Sword Master Hwirong’s reaction regarding the Boatman is somewhat unexpected, but what do you mean there were no improper procedures? I was about to explain that from now—.”

“If you’re going to pick a fight to beat someone up, at least pick a fight over something that makes sense.”

The blue flame snapped sharply.

“It was clearly finished one-on-four. Besides, I’m Bugaju, I’ve never had a meeting with you, and I’ve never heard or seen anything about discussing the Boatman as the final agenda of this Bi Dam Yeon.”

The Five Great Patriarchs, in their original lives, would have had no connection with me, and it would be natural for them not to care what happened to someone like me.

The Sword Master Hwirong from my past life was the same. I had so little connection with him that I didn’t even know his face.

Yet that same person, though I might be mistaken, was clearly showing a sharp reaction on my behalf, for me who didn’t even have the right to speak at this moment.

“Sword Master Hwirong, if Sword Master Yeomjak or the others said such things, I would understand, but I don’t think you, of all people, should say you couldn’t consult with me.”

“Why?”

“I remember it clearly.”

“What.”

“I tried to consult with you five times, even grabbing your sleeve and dragging you, but in the end you shook off my hand saying, ‘Today is the one day a month I break my alcohol ban and drink, even if the sky splits in two I must go to Tui Hua Lou, so please keep it secret from the Family Head!’ then knocked down a guard, jumped over a wall and ran off.”

After a brief silence, the blue flame spoke.

“Now that I think about it, this discussion about the Boatman seems legitimate.”

…Is that bastard insane?

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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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