Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 6

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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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#006

Looking back on my prime days as an assassin, I really thought that no one knew who was on whose side.

Everyone just changed their flags and fought again.

Night was longer than day,

masters trusted their fists more than laws,

and chose to speak with blood rather than promises.

Orthodox, Evil, Demonic, Blood.

I believe it was around several decades before my birth when people began dividing the Martial Arts World into these four branches.

Those who claimed to follow the righteous path were grouped together and called the ‘Nine Sects Alliance,’ and recently that group has been growing stronger, but whether they truly are orthodox sects pursuing ‘chivalry’… well.

Even among the ten families in the Martial Arts World,

three families were cast out,

and the remaining five families came to be called the ‘Five Great Families’ around the time I was born.

Well, it’s a story that has nothing to do with me anyway.

I was just a bottom-tier assassin in the Martial Arts World.

I couldn’t know the mainstream flow, only survive here and there in the gaps of that chaos.

Ah. Come to think of it.

Suddenly awakening from the hazy memories of my previous life that I had been wandering through in confusion, I remind myself again as I face the morning of this new current life.

‘I’m no longer an assassin anymore.’

***

Anhui Province Tianzhou Mountain.

Mount Cheonju, where Taecheong-won, the main compound of the Namgung Family, was located, remained unchanged from my memories. The cold wind coming down the mountain ridge brushed against my collar.

“Young Master Hwi, you may wait here.”

The maid who had guided me bowed her head respectfully and answered.

Going deep into Taecheong-won, the heart and center of Namgung, you could see the massive Jeongmu Hall paved with white marble.

As if symbolizing how numerous factions under the Namgung name gathered as one, dozens of seats were arranged in a circle around a huge central space.

This was where the regular monthly meetings, the Monthly Political Gathering, took place.

But this place, which should have been bustling with political discussions in full swing, was completely empty.

“…This can’t be right.”

As far as I knew, there was only one case when the Monthly Political Gathering would be postponed.

“Is the Family Head currently conducting a Secret Banquet?”

“Yes. It was suddenly convened… The Monthly Political Gathering ended early half an hour ago, and instead all of the Five Great Patriarchs who were attending the existing Monthly Political Gathering and the three young masters up to the fourth in succession ranking remained and went straight into the Confidential Discussion Hall. This too is scheduled to end soon.”

Crossing Jeongmu Hall, I could see the massive oak door in the distance.

The black lacquered door had panels that each far exceeded the height of an adult man.

‘That place is…’

In my previous life, I had never even been invited to the Monthly Political Gathering with the qualification to discuss politics, and I had never even seen the entrance to the secret chamber where the Secret Banquet was held.

A world beyond worlds.

A place where only those who were completely in the heavens above gathered, while I was like an ant even within the Namgung Family.

Right now, I couldn’t even imagine entering there.

‘A Secret Banquet at this time.’

It was where direct bloodline members and key constituents of the family gathered once a month to discuss major family matters. If there was the Monthly Political Gathering, then one level above that was the Secret Banquet.

The Secret Banquet was held irregularly, and when hosted by the Family Head, it took priority over all other Namgung Family events and meetings.

Indeed, beyond that massive and thick dark brown oak door that separated this meeting hall from the inner courtyard, agitated voices were flowing out from the distance.

I strained my ears just in case, but as expected, whether some special formation was applied or not, I felt an artificial scattering with a humming sound.

I waited in Jeongmu Hall for the Secret Banquet to end.

Meanwhile, I organized my thoughts.

Certainly, throughout my previous life, I had never once been invited to this Jeongmu Hall.

But if I was summoned this time, then.

‘Is it because of Namgung Cheon after all?’

At this current point, with roughly two months left until the Heir Apparent Selection Competition to choose the last Soga Clan heir candidate who would inherit the title of ‘Fourth Prince’ of the Namgung Family.

One of the four children who were direct bloodline of the Family Head had become incapacitated.

No matter how much they covered it up saying he was injured falling into a well, given the timing, there was no way it wouldn’t attract attention.

I was planning to change my previously twisted life anyway, and Namgung Cheon’s destruction was a predetermined step in that process, so I was prepared for a certain level of change resulting from that and had no regrets.

But regret was regret, and cold facts were facts.

My greatest asset was ‘knowing the past.’

But the moment I deviated from the predetermined path, the past would change, and that change would soon become my weakness.

This incident was unavoidable, but from now on, I had to move while minimizing those changes.

I was still weak.

At minimum, in order to move forward overwhelmingly without being dragged around by variables, I had to possess incomparably greater skills than my past self before the past changed completely to a degree I couldn’t handle.

The minimum I was thinking of was to restore all the achievements my past self had accomplished within at least six months, or at most within a year, as the top priority.

At the end of that, to find the traitor who had burned me to death, who would have originally devoured this entire Namgung Family, and finally devour this Namgung Family myself.

‘For that purpose too, the Soga Clan Heir Selection Competition… I must overcome this.’

For that purpose, I couldn’t be restricted now.

I spoke to the maid beside me.

“I came because the Family Head told me to attend the Monthly Political Gathering. Anyway, he probably didn’t call me with the official qualification to discuss politics, but as a witness to ask and confirm something. But is it right to keep waiting here? Shouldn’t you inform the Confidential Discussion Hall that I’ve arrived?”

“That’s not the case.”

The maid readjusted the lantern in her hands.

“Regardless of the detailed circumstances, with the Heir Apparent Selection Competition right around the corner, the Five Great Patriarchs in the Confidential Discussion Hall are prohibited from face-to-face contact with anyone.”

“Hmm.”

“Especially while the Secret Banquet is in progress, even the bamboo screens that cover the main faces of the Five Great Patriarchs have been removed, so Young Master Namgung Hwi cannot enter the Confidential Discussion Hall. If the Family Head truly summoned you, the bamboo screens will be lowered as soon as the Secret Banquet politics end, so according to protocol, you should be able to enter then.”

That made sense.

The Five Great Patriarchs.

Five absolute pillars personally chosen by the Family Head.

They were those specially affiliated with the Namgung Family who were allowed even external surnames as direct subordinates of the Family Head.

They were core power that could be counted on one hand even within the Namgung Family, and each hall possessed enough power to annihilate a minor family.

In short, what the maid was saying now was that I wasn’t yet at a level to dine with them, so I should wait.

‘Well, the atmosphere in the Namgung Family has become quite sharp lately too.’

The Bright Dragon of Anhui, Family Head Namgung Cheonhyeok, had completely withdrawn from the frontlines of family affairs since some incident several years ago.

Seeing him always with dead, empty eyes, there were even rumors among the gossips of the Martial Arts World that he had retired.

In that process, it was natural that who would become the vacant Soga Clan leader was a matter of utmost interest.

In the midst of this, Namgung Cheonhyeok made an announcement.

-The next Soga Clan leader who will lead Namgung will be selected based solely on ability, not primogeniture.

The only vacant position now was the last fourth spot among the Soga Clan heir candidates, the Four Great Princes.

And what would determine that fourth candidate prince was the so-called ‘Soga Clan Heir Selection Competition’ to be held in sixty days.

‘For anyone interested in influence within the Namgung Family, all attention would inevitably be focused on the heir candidates.’

In that sense-.

“Namgung Hwi?”

The door to the Confidential Discussion Hall opened, and the first man to come out.

I could understand why Vice Family Head Namgung Seong-tae, who was making a rotten expression in front of me, had such an expression.

“Uncle, have you been well?”

“Uncle?”

Vice Family Head Namgung Seong-tae frowned and approached.

“This is Taecheong-won, the heart of Namgung. Can you not properly address me as Vice Family Head?”

Vice Family Head Namgung Seong-tae.

To me, he is my father’s younger brother and my uncle.

Officially, he holds the position of Vice Family Head with first place in the succession order for the next Namgung Family Head position.

By natural order, aside from the Young Master, he is the only one in this household who possesses enough legitimacy to ascend to the Family Head position following the current Family Head Namgung Cheonhyeok, who has lost all motivation.

‘Still the same.’

There’s no difference from my memories of the previous life.

Vice Family Head Namgung Seong-tae is the typical type who prefers to compete with tongue, mind, and politics rather than martial prowess.

Even now, there are occasional voices among the elders saying he should be established as the next Family Head, but clearly he doesn’t catch the eye of Namgung Cheonhyeok, the Mad Dragon of Anhui.

He probably intended to push Namgung Cheon into the final vacant Young Master position alongside the Sword Master, competing for the last heir position.

And that plan was disrupted because of me, so he must be viewing me as a thorn in his side.

He gestured at me dismissively as if telling me to leave quickly.

“I don’t know why you’re loitering around here, but the Family Head is in the middle of a Secret Banquet meeting. Come back another day.”

“Even if it’s not the Secret Banquet, even if I’m not an official member, I am still someone who has received formal orders from the Family Head to attend the Monthly Political Gathering.”

“You must be mistaken. You at the Monthly Political Gathering?”

Namgung Seong-tae frowned.

“You’re not one of the Five Great Patriarchs, nor a succession candidate, you’re nothing but a direct bloodline of the Family Head… and just the youngest at that. An invitation? Ah, I suppose it’s because of that incident.”

Namgung Seong-tae snorted and approached.

Then he glared down at me.

“I don’t know where you might have gained some similar fortune, but don’t have childish fantasies that the world revolves around your whims.”

“…”

“I know. You can tell a promising sprout when you see one. For someone like you who is so small and lowly-born that being called a warrior is itself shameful, the Namgung surname is a luxury. Understand?”

Namgung Seong-tae poked my chest with his finger.

“I’ve never once thought of someone like you as family. Including the Family Head.”

“…”

“You’d better watch yourself. You know that Namgung Cheon was also strongly pushing the Sword Master as a succession candidate, right? Do you know that the Sword Master has started holding a grudge because of this incident?”

“The Sword Master, you say?”

“That’s right. The Sword Master, one of the Five Great Patriarchs. Who do you think could protect you? Of course, I could, but…”

Namgung Seong-tae whispered.

“If you earnestly begged me, saying you depend on me for everything, who knows. I might even protect you and, if you’re thinking about the succession competition, I could even arrange the tournament bracket for you—”

“The Secret Banquet has ended.”

A maid’s clear voice echoed through the meeting hall.

“And the Family Head says that Young Master Namgung Hwi should enter the Confidential Discussion Hall immediately.”

“…”

The massive oak door opens before me.

I passed by Namgung Seong-tae’s side.

And I stopped.

“Uncle.”

Namgung Seong-tae frowned.

“I clearly told you not to call me uncle—”

I came to a halt.

Without turning my head, I continued in a calm voice.

“When those without ability demand authority beyond their means, they invite ridicule.”

“When those who aren’t respected try to show off their power, only wretchedness remains.”

“And when those who haven’t proven themselves force one-sided humiliation on those below, they eventually face disaster.”

I took a beat to steady my breathing and looked back.

“The next time there’s an occasion like this.”

I looked at the Vice Family Head.

“You may make requests of me anytime, but please don’t forget what you just said. Vice Family Head.”

“…What?”

Namgung Seong-tae opened his mouth.

“What, what did you say? How dare a mule like you…!”

A trembling voice.

But nothing more followed.

Our gazes met and held.

My eyes were boring into Vice Family Head Namgung Seong-tae.

“Well then, since the Family Head is calling, I’ll go ahead.”

I turned around and entered the open Confidential Discussion Hall.

“That, that bastard…!”

Whatever had risen to Vice Family Head Namgung Seong-tae’s throat behind me never managed to burst out.

His breath was too choked to continue speaking,

His heart, crushed by the overwhelming presence, wouldn’t support him to voice it.

Namgung Seong-tae muttered increasingly weakly to the sound of my retreating footsteps.

“…Did, did I see wrong?”

I don’t know what Namgung Seong-tae saw.

Slowly, a beat late, cold sweat flowed across his wrinkled forehead.

“For a moment, those eyes were like…”

***

“…This Secret Banquet is hereby concluded.”

A low voice echoes from the high throne.

“Since the official Secret Banquet has ended, except for the Sword Master and Dragon Master, the other patriarchs with business may appoint their vice-patriarchs and stewards as representatives for the Monthly Political Gathering and withdraw first.”

With those words, the black bamboo screens covering the Five Great Patriarchs all came down at once.

The bright hall grew dark.

Candles were lit.

At the voice that rang out marking the end of the Secret Banquet, all the shadows behind the black bamboo screens rose in unison and paid their respects.

Behind the bamboo screens, the three succession candidates composed of shadows also bowed their heads in unison.

There was no hesitation, no defiance whatsoever in their actions.

There was only absolute obedience and loyalty.

Three shadows among the five rose and withdrew, and beside those bamboo screens, each patriarch’s steward and vice-patriarch took their positions.

“Family Head, Young Master Namgung Hwi has arrived.”

The maid’s voice rang out.

“…”

And I slowly walked toward the center, following the maid who guided me.

A bluish light was streaming down from the ceiling.

A bluish light like flickering moonlight, I stood in the center.

As if they didn’t want to show me, who had no official qualification to participate, even a glimpse of the actual appearance of the Confidential Discussion Hall, the heart of hearts of the Namgung Family, everything around was shrouded in darkness.

It felt like being a prisoner.

The central light surrounding me was relatively bright, so I couldn’t properly see anyone’s faces.

Only dim outlines were visible.

From that, I could tell.

“Namgung Hwi.”

A candle flickered in the distance.

What I could see beneath it was my father.

And the Mad Dragon of Anhui who created this Namgung Family.

It was the Family Head, Namgung Cheonhyeok.

“I have come at your summons. Family Head.”

“Now that the person in question is here, I’ll speak directly. Accepting the Secret Banquet’s opinion, I intend to impose a prohibition on you.”

Namgung Cheonhyeok spoke.

“Do you have any last words?”

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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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