Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 65

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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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#065

 

‘…It felt draining.’

 

Despite everyone’s attempts to dissuade him, Namgung Hwi personally escorted me all the way to the entrance of Sichuan.

 

He watched with pleased eyes until he could confirm with his own two eyes that I had boarded the golden carriage that came to meet me there.

 

“Son-in-law, you’re no longer alone now. So wherever you go, take care of yourself.”

 

“As I mentioned, I’m not your son-in-law…”

 

“I think you’re handsome. Bring me anyone who says you’re ugly. I’ll melt them down first before we start.”

 

“…”

 

Throughout the entire journey, the conversation between Namgung Hwi trying to persuade me to become his son-in-law and me defending against it caused mental exhaustion comparable to a life-and-death battle with Elder Dang Mutai.

 

There was one reason I stubbornly refused the position of son-in-law.

 

‘The moment I accept the son-in-law position, the entire martial arts world will focus on me.’

 

The Sichuan Tang Family, who would be second to none in excluding outsiders, had accepted an outsider,

 

Moreover, the fourth young master of the Namgung Family, one of their competing great families, as their son-in-law.

 

This was a story that even the Beggar’s Sect, who had been begging for scraps, would overturn their bowls and sprint at full speed to listen to.

 

That absolutely cannot happen.

 

What I’m currently aiming for myself.

 

I absolutely must not receive any half-hearted attention.

 

Right now, when it’s not clearly specified who my enemies will be, including the remaining three young masters I’ll have to face to become the heir, regardless of which opponent becomes my enemy, the key was to make them underestimate me at minimum.

 

My martial arts skills,

 

My background,

 

Including all the power I possess that I can mobilize.

 

“If that’s really what you say, how about this?”

 

So finally, just before boarding the golden carriage, what Namgung Hwi proposed as his last suggestion was as follows:

 

Unofficial son-in-law.

 

Hoyeon (Guardian of Fate).

 

One might say this is just wordplay. However, this was also the best compromise that Namgung Hwi had reached with understanding after I had strongly explained for an entire hour why I couldn’t receive attention in the martial arts world right now.

 

“Actually, whether it’s Hoyeon or unofficial son-in-law, that’s just me accommodating you because you find it burdensome. To me, you’re still my child’s one and only son-in-law. Wherever you are, whoever is in front of us, I don’t care and will call you son-in-law.”

 

“…”

 

“Tell me when you think you’re ready. Then I’ll make it official. By the way, I can’t compromise any further than this.”

 

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

 

Namgung Hwi smiled with satisfaction.

 

“And one more thing. With your perceptiveness, you probably already know, but just in case, I’m adding this.”

 

Namgung Hwi said.

 

“Our Yuni is a girl.”

 

“…?”

 

I wondered what this was about.

 

“We dressed her like a boy and called her by the childhood name Yun, believing it would help her live longer. But that’s no longer necessary now.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

“Her true name, chosen together with my wife, is Danghwayun. At the same time, you’re also the first outsider in this martial arts world, excluding Tang Family members, to learn this fact.”

 

“…”

 

“Please understand that we truly, sincerely consider you family to this extent… and this is a gift.”

 

Namgung Hwi handed me a dark iron plaque with a black dragon and willow tree engraved in red.

 

“Isn’t this from Kunlun?”

 

“You recognize it, as expected.”

 

I looked at the back of the iron plaque.

 

[Blood Punishment of Private Demons, Faith and Righteousness Must Be Repaid]

 

-With blood, slay the private and demonic, and repay faith and righteousness with one’s life.

 

“How does the family head possess a treasure plaque from Kunlun, which was destroyed over ten years ago…?”

 

“The Kunlun Taoist I mentioned who helped carve the child and dragon together. I received this after saving that person… It seems like it would be more helpful to you, who has enemies in the Namgung Family, than to me stuck in this Sichuan region. As you know.”

 

Namgung Hwi made a sound and held back his words.

 

“That person is there, isn’t he? Does he still spout a lot of incomprehensible nonsense?”

 

I smiled faintly.

 

“I haven’t had that many conversations with him, but what you’re thinking is probably correct.”

 

“Then you’ll need it even more. And feeling it again now, you have truly excellent perceptiveness.”

 

Namgung Hwi’s eyes sank into a wolf-like form.

 

“So with those eyes, when you see me again next time, weigh me once.”

 

“Weigh you?”

 

“See if I’m a person worth your consideration. Until now, even I think I’ve been neglecting myself. I’m thinking of putting full effort into restoring myself now, and that’s also my pride. If when we meet next time, my level still doesn’t meet your standards, feel free to be disappointed. And then, if you refuse the son-in-law position in front of me, I’ll accept that too.”

 

That was also the family head’s own resolution.

 

Feeling that determination, I nodded.

 

“I understand. And if the family head says that much, I feel the same way. When we meet again next time.”

 

Namgung Hwi smiles broadly.

 

Toward him, I bow with the utmost courtesy and sincerity I can offer.

 

“I promise that I too will have become completely different from who I am now.”

 

…

 

…

 

.

 

“Phew…”

 

I emerged from deep contemplation.

 

“…Did I stay up all night again?”

 

The thunderous roar of massive water currents fills my eardrums.

 

Tianwang Bidao (Heavenly King’s Secret Path).

 

Where I am now is a massive lake located at the summit of Mount Cheonju.

 

Excluding the family head, the most sacred yet secret space that only I, possessing the key to Tianwang Bidao, can enter.

 

In this place alone, I can train with all my might without worrying about anyone’s gaze.

 

It was also a place befitting my intention to hide my skills as much as possible while growing freely.

 

Before I knew it, a month had passed since I returned to the Namgung Family.

 

Whether Namgung Seong-tae fainted while foaming at the mouth upon seeing the half-destroyed golden carriage along with the golden treasures sent by the Sichuan Tang Family,

 

Or whether all the maids were buzzing with gossip, these were secondary matters.

 

For me, absorbing the enlightenment I had gained through this process into my body was the priority, so I tried to seclude myself in Tianwang Bidao along with my report, setting aside everything else.

 

Perhaps heaven helped.

 

The Five Great Patriarchs, including father and family head Namgung Cheonhyeok, were absent from Mount Cheonju.

 

Naturally, I was able to have training time until there was a summons.

 

‘Since my diet is poor, I’m losing weight immediately.’

 

I bounce in place a few times to objectively assess the weight I feel on my toes.

 

‘My body will recover smoothly if I just increase my food intake.’

 

Speaking of food, I thought of Brother Wu, Wu Biaoyun, who’s staying at the annex.

 

When I returned to the annex after a long time, Wu Biaoyun, who had been watching the house, welcomed me back with genuine familial warmth.

 

‘Wow. You’ve gotten gaunt as a ghost again in such a short time. Was the Sichuan food not to your taste, or did you suffer that much?’

 

‘Both. The suffering aside, the food was a bit… anyway, that’s how it turned out.’

 

Sichuan in particular had many freshwater fish dishes.

 

While I usually endured and ate anything for training purposes, the fishy smell had been nothing short of torture since my past life when I was a picky eater, no matter how hard I tried.

 

‘Oh dear.’

 

Wu Biaoyun clicked his tongue and suddenly sprang up from his seat.

 

‘Just trust me. I haven’t been idle either. I figured you’d come back and eat massive amounts while catching up on training, so I specially prepared something other than meat so you wouldn’t get sick of it.’

 

Suddenly, an ominous feeling crept over me.

 

‘…Something… other?’

 

Wu Biaoyun shrugged and puffed out his chest.

 

‘Fish.’

 

‘…’

 

‘I suddenly remembered when we were eating before. I had sneakily placed fish among the meat, and you ghostly pushed it over to me. How did you know I liked fish? So this time, delicious fish! I bought a mountain of it so we could eat our fill together.’

 

‘…’

 

‘Ah, you hate wasting time so you always boiled meat in large quantities, right? I put the fish in the same pot when boiling the meat, so don’t worry.’

 

‘…Together?’

 

‘Hehe, you’re truly moved… huh? Namgung Hwi! Where are you suddenly going? Why are you running? You need to take the food containers with you!!’

 

-….

 

I let out a deep sigh and deliberately turned my gaze away from the empty food container bundle before me.

 

Instead, I filled my mind with the results I had organized over the past month regarding my gains.

 

“…My body’s recovery is proceeding smoothly, and I’m finishing the organization of the internal strength I gained through this process without problems.”

 

As soon as I arrived, I secluded myself at Cheonwangbido and devoted all my energy to internalizing what I had gained over the past month, achieving three fruits of my labor.

 

First,

 

Using the book that condensed twenty-one secret manuals from Manaakdangmun Samok and the knowledge gained from dismantling Mancang Huaweng in reverse order, I deduced and reverse-engineered techniques through countless trials and errors at Cheonwangbido.

 

Though it might seem little compared to the effort I put in, feeling my qi boiling and blood vessels twisting over a thousand times even with my constitution that has low risk of qi deviation, I ultimately succeeded in extracting two powerful techniques derived from the Tang Family.

 

‘These are the first techniques based on superior martial arts I’ve ever obtained in my life…!’

 

I don’t dismiss the strength of Namgung Family martial arts.

 

Most of those who might become my main enemies are positioned within the Namgung Family.

 

In other words, this also meant that the methods to counter those martial arts were as clear as daylight to my enemies.

 

If I had limited time and effort as resources, then to strike at my opponents’ weak points, blades forged outside their standards had to become my mainstay.

 

Of course, they wouldn’t become my main focus, but if there were opportunities to learn the Namgung Family’s superior martial arts according to my status to counter enemy techniques, I wouldn’t refuse that either.

 

Second,

 

The existing Pasabeolsik that I had been strengthening by consuming internal energy also reached mastery.

 

I established twelve levels as the standard for peak mastery and could clearly objectify and organize my current level as follows.

 

Body Five levels

 

Speed Four levels

 

Movement One level

 

In particular, I’m attempting to assist my body’s movements with internal energy like a martial artist while simultaneously operating Pasabeolsik,

 

What I newly discovered this time was that when operating Body in this process, I could enhance not just simple self-defense but also physical strength and recovery beyond the existing basic protective applications.

 

I decided to train Body to peak mastery before Speed and Movement, if only to enhance quick recovery after intense physical training.

 

The final third point.

 

‘This… is the problem.’

 

In fact, I’ve been racking my brains over this more than training for the past few days since coming to Cheonwangbido.

 

Bukmyeong Singong.

 

The abyss of Buk Hai worn down during the regression process from my past life, my fundamental source.

 

It’s also the most important thing for me as I lead this crude body forward, practically creating new streams.

 

Without this, I couldn’t have attempted the insane idea of simultaneously growing Pasabeolsik and danjeon internal energy.

 

The beginning of this divine art was modest.

 

It was unavoidable since it was born inferior, created as a desperate measure by somehow preparing insufficient internal energy and complementing inferior martial arts and mental cultivation methods for rapid growth.

 

However, I possessed a constitution presumed to have strong tolerance for other energies and low risk of qi deviation.

 

Therefore, I continuously tried to solve the problems of this divine art by testing them on my body in various ways during every breathing meditation session, seeking stability through that process.

 

Particularly, the biggest headache—the slow absorption speed that caused most of the internal energy extracted from opponents to scatter—was solved with the assistance of the Ebony Dragon Bracers, thus completing all problems related to Bukmyeong Singong.

 

With that as the final step, I briefly believed that all problems with my wretched body were now resolved.

 

And…

 

‘My body… my blood vessels can no longer withstand the overload of internal energy…’

 

At first, I thought my body condition that day was just a bit strange.

 

But when I deliberately pushed my body’s limits at Cheonwangbido, training with maximum internal energy and Pasabeolsik, and coughed up blood for the third time, I realized something was wrong.

 

‘It’s holding me back like this?’

 

Gold Gate Prison Needle Technique.

 

These were gold needles applied throughout my entire body in childhood that even I wasn’t aware of.

 

Though I said I’d remove them quickly, my original blood vessels had shrunk and were on the verge of adhesion due to the Gold Gate Prison Needle Technique.

 

After removing the Gold Gate Prison Needle Technique, my halted physical growth resumed, and I thought I was fine now after eating and resting.

 

‘No, was the rapid growth itself the problem?’

 

If I had lived at the level of an ordinary martial artist, I would never have faced such problems.

 

Past karma.

 

As I struggled with all my might to escape from the past,

 

That darkness from the abyss finally raised its head again and began pulling my ankle back below the surface.

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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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