Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 36

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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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#036

 

-Chirp chirp….

 

The night had passed.

 

I sat on the eaves and gazed at the rising sun of dawn.

 

“….”

 

I watch the golden dawn.

 

Watching this golden dawn rising in the early morning was not originally a habit of mine.

 

It’s a habit that developed after I started this new life, after my hands—which had been my lifelong pride—were crushed and burned to death.

 

A sudden thought struck me that since starting this life, I had never slept through an entire night…

 

Of course, it’s not a big problem.

 

My life is proceeding well as I pursue what I’ve set out to do.

 

But at the same time, I realize that these things aren’t naturally guaranteed, but results I’ve desperately struggled to obtain.

 

I stare blankly at the dawn sky. I recall one by one the conversations I had with the Master late into the previous night.

 

“Master Namgung Hwi, you’ve worked hard.”

 

Behind me was Steward Gam.

 

“You’re up early…. Was your sleeping quarters perhaps uncomfortable?”

 

“Ah, good morning.”

 

“I tried to be considerate, but compared to the Namgung Residence where you usually stay, it must have been shabby and lacking. As Sichuan’s steward, I’m so sorry I don’t know where to put myself.”

 

“No. Shabby? That could never be the case.”

 

I recalled the room in the annex where I had been staying. What was certain was that even if I divided last night’s room into four parts, each would still be larger than the annex room I originally stayed in.

 

The old man smiled warmly at my words.

 

“Thank you for being considerate. All under heaven knows of the Namgung family’s wealth, yet Master Namgung Hwi even possesses humility.”

 

…It’s not humility though.

 

“Elder Yi was quite displeased and worried about what kind of person would come, but I think it’s quite fortunate that someone like Master Namgung Hwi has arrived.”

 

“Elder Yi was displeased?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“After my conversation with the Master last night, I was told that Elder Yi would personally discuss matters related to the mine today… How coincidental.”

 

“After all, even within the Sichuan Tang Family, the silver mine is directly under Elder Yi, Dangmutae’s jurisdiction.”

 

“…Well, I can understand why Elder Yi would have a sensitive reaction to my dispatch.”

 

The silver mine is Sichuan’s property, no matter how much trade relations have been established.

 

No matter how much the current martial arts world’s noble families take a more open stance toward profit and wealth management compared to sects, their basic position is still that of martial artists.

 

And for martial artists, honor and face in the martial arts world are such sensitive matters that sometimes they won’t compromise even if a lifetime’s accumulated wealth burns away.

 

No matter how much it’s not an official public stance, it’s about Sichuan’s private property, and there’s certainly justification in the form of the other family sending someone to question why proper supply wasn’t maintained.

 

‘But… it seems like that’s not all there is to it.’

 

I recall yesterday’s events with the Master.

 

To conclude, the Master ultimately did not resolve the lingering uneasiness in a corner of my heart yesterday.

 

After our conversation, the way he looked at me clearly changed, and his attitude toward me definitely shifted.

 

But he didn’t tell me who was suffering at the end of the Hundred Flowers Incense,

 

nor why the Master’s complexion and the overall atmosphere of the Sichuan Tang Family seemed strange,

 

and what exactly had happened regarding the silver mine.

 

‘All these events are karma for my failure to properly serve the previous generation…. I should never have become the Master… this is all to punish my lack of virtue, so whom can I blame.’

 

Dangmujin muttered this, told me he would convey it to Elder Yi so I should hear the circumstances directly from him tomorrow, then simply went inside.

 

“…As you saw yourself, young master, the Tang Family’s atmosphere is not what it used to be.”

 

Steward Gam gave a bitter smile while observing my expression.

 

“Ever since the Young Master fell ill.”

 

…So it was the Young Master who was sick after all.

 

“It doesn’t seem like a simple illness.”

 

Steward Gam looked surprised at my question instead.

 

“…Remarkable. How did you know that?”

 

“The overall atmosphere of Sichuan and the behavior and look in the Master’s eyes were completely different from the dragging yet exhausting atmosphere that naturally emanates from someone who has been caring for a long-term patient.”

 

What I felt from the Master yesterday was like the dynamism, vitality, and vividness that someone who had just suffered an unexpected accident might emit.

 

Lastly, though somewhat speculative… I had felt a sense of despair.

 

“Master Hwi has keen insight.”

 

Steward Gam trailed off.

 

“Your speculation is entirely correct…. I see that the Master didn’t say much to you yesterday either.”

 

“No.”

 

Since I’m asking, I ask more.

 

“The Master also seemed unwell somewhere. Did something happen?”

 

“That’s a matter from the past. It has nothing to do with this incident.”

 

…He withdraws.

 

After all, I’m an outsider.

 

A moment of awkward silence followed.

 

Steward Gam suddenly let out a deep sigh.

 

“…I apologize for the sharp reaction.”

 

“Not at all. I would have done the same. I apologize for the presumptuous question.”

 

“But the Master’s poor physical condition is truly from past events. It has nothing to do with the Young Master or current affairs… please don’t mind it.”

 

“In that case.”

 

I spoke in a calm voice.

 

“Would it be alright to ask what ‘currently’ has happened? The Tang Family’s affairs are also the Namgung family’s affairs, and even if I can’t be of great help, perhaps some answer might emerge through the process of speaking to me.”

 

“…An answer, you say?”

 

“I think conversations between people don’t always flow with the sole purpose of seeking answers. Sometimes, from brief stories shared without expecting answers, solutions that wouldn’t emerge even from careful deliberation just pop out.”

 

“…Master Namgung Hwi.”

 

Steward Gam said.

 

“Not only is your insight unique… but you speak differently from other typical noble family young masters.”

 

“Differently?”

 

“It’s a compliment.”

 

“If it’s a compliment, please take it back. I know there are countless more excellent and noble… such noble family successors. I’m barely a fourth son.”

 

“…If I may tell you the situation.”

 

Steward Gam let out another heavy sigh and finally began his story.

 

“Everything… started when the Young Master collapsed from an unknown illness.”

 

“Poison?”

 

When I asked directly, Steward Gam’s eyes widened.

 

“…Yes. But strangely, even after changing all the tableware to silver, there was no improvement.”

 

“What are the symptoms?”

 

“On his body… purple and black spots appear intermittently. Exactly like… the traces of the deadly poison ‘Jacheonamsa’ that was known to have been lost decades ago.”

 

I pressed my brow.

 

“Jacheonamsa… isn’t that the ultimate technique, the poison skill used by the previous Patriarch Tang Eul-jin who led the Tang Family’s golden age? That should be known in the Central Plains as having been lost with no successor.”

 

At my words, shock crossed Steward Gam’s face.

 

“That’s correct. But that’s a fact known only by a few elderly people in the Central Plains. How could a young master like you know….”

 

“How strange. Though it’s not my specialty, as far as I know, that poison should be an instant death poison that kills before taking three steps.”

 

Steward Gam sighed.

 

“Yes. That very point is what’s driving everyone mad. What we see is certainly the same as the previous Patriarch’s ultimate technique, Jacheonamsa. But it doesn’t cause instant death, and as if mocking us, like an invisible hand slowly choking the Young Master’s breath, it’s leading him to death with a slow but irresistible touch. Like a curse demanding payment.”

 

“If what’s visible is poison, shouldn’t there be an antidote? Especially for a poison from the Tang Family, there should certainly be a countermeasure.”

 

“Yes, of course. The only antidote is Hundred Flowers Peach, but… this is meaningless anyway.”

 

Steward Gam trailed off his words.

 

Seeing his expression, I guessed the situation.

 

“It must be very rare, or obtainable but in a very inconvenient location.”

 

At my words, Steward Gam let out a deep sigh as if resigned.

 

“…You really are quick-witted. Yes, it’s closest to us right now, but unfortunately it’s in the hands of the Hwangbo Family. For reference, the Hwangbo Family had a major confrontation when the Master rejected their proposal to raise tolls in the border region, completely souring relations. It’s the worst situation where we can’t extend our hand now, and if the Hwangbo Family learns of this situation, we can’t even imagine what they might demand using the Young Master’s life as hostage. They are, after all, the famously greedy Hwangbo Family.”

 

Steward Gam sighed.

 

“If I had known it would come to this, I should have persuaded the Master more, following Elder Yi’s words to compromise with the Hwangbo Family and keep things amicable.”

 

“If the Hwangbo Family won’t work, you could inquire throughout the Central Plains to obtain it.”

 

“Of course! But… as if refusing to allow even that, coincidentally even our Tang Family’s only main source of income, the silver mine, seems cursed as our lifeline has been cut off.”

 

I narrowed my eyes.

 

“…This time too?”

 

“That’s right. The miners died from poisoning similar to the Previous Patriarch’s poison techniques. Elder Yi sent an investigation team, but even they were wiped out, and the three surviving martial artists who barely lived left testimony to Elder Yi who was handling the situation that they had seen the ‘Previous Patriarch’s specter.’ In the end, no workers are willing to work there, so the mine is currently temporarily closed.”

 

“The Previous Patriarch’s poison, the Previous Patriarch’s specter….”

 

I murmured quietly.

 

“All arrows point to the Previous Patriarch, so the Master considers it his karma and has fallen into self-blame.”

 

Steward Gam hung his head.

 

“…That’s right. All of this is interconnected, weighing down on the Master. Moreover, the Previous Patriarch greatly disliked the Current Patriarch.”

 

Steward Gam said he had cared for the current Tang Family head since childhood.

 

“Therefore, for everyone’s sake, he absolutely shouldn’t act this way, and some even say he lacks the qualifications to be head…. But I understand the current situation humanly. And I understand the Master’s reaction too.

 

“…I see.”

 

Having finished his long story, Steward Gam bowed his head.

 

“Regardless of the circumstances, I apologize for showing our Sichuan’s unseemly state to a guest from Namgung.”

 

“I thought there must be unavoidable circumstances anyway. And hearing the details, I understand now.”

 

This wasn’t empty words.

 

No matter how declined, this was the Sichuan Tang Family.

 

Even though they had become so weakened and dispirited among the five great families that dominated the martial world, with talk of disappearing and giving up their position as the fifth family to the Taeul Family that was rising as a new power in the Northern Hebei Region, they were still certainly one of those five great families, the Sichuan Tang Family.

 

At minimum, the family head I had faced in my previous life was quite different in presence, spirit, and imposing aura.

 

That’s why I had been tense.

 

That’s why, while pretending to be calm on the surface, I was truly giving my all to maintain the thinnest mask of composure while staying alert to handle any adverse situation.

 

But the Tang Family’s master, Tang Mujin, was at a level that was hard to believe he was nearly the same caliber as the family heads I had encountered.

 

Despite talking at such length yesterday, I never felt the suffocating pressure I had experienced from family heads in my previous life.

 

Even while glaring at me, it felt like his energy was leaking away.

 

Even while looking at me, it didn’t seem like he was really looking, and even while talking, it felt like his mind wasn’t fully focused on me and our conversation but rather floating.

 

His fingertips trembled, creating constant tiny ripples in the wine cup he held, his legs shook, his breathing was shallow, and he drank continuously. His muscles were slack, and his fingertips looked dull. It was like talking to a half-mad scarecrow, a blunted awl.

 

I don’t know the detailed circumstances, but I understand.

 

The Young Master’s illness is one thing, but this must be some old burden of the heart that only Tang Mujin, the Tang Family head, carries regarding the Previous Patriarch, festering until it finally burst.

 

I too….

 

Know what that feeling is because it’s similar.

 

“The reason for calling Namgung was to somehow bring change to the current deadlocked, stagnant situation.”

 

“Yes, and a famous saying in the martial world helped my decision. They say that promises made with Namgung’s Golden Maniac involving gold are kept even if the heavens split in two.”

 

…What kind of reputation is that bastard Vice-head Namgung Seong-tae building for Namgung in the Central Plains?

 

“Even if it couldn’t be a direct solution, I thought the Master might come to his senses if external forces questioned the Tang Family about agreements and provided various external stimuli. No, even if it was futile struggling, as a steward I had to do something.”

 

Steward Gam spoke bitterly as he took something out.

 

“Come to think of it, I definitely promised this when requesting help from Namgung.”

 

It was a golden toad the size of a fist.

 

“First, though it’s modest, please accept this as a down payment. Of course-.”

 

Steward Gam said.

 

“This is purely for Young Master Hwi personally.”

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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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