I Became the Namgung Clan’s Omnipotent Item-Powered Martial God - Chapter 71

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 71
71 — Fang Ya
#1
So Un, proprietor of the Cheongyang Tavern.
The youngest child of a merchant family that once flourished in Cheongyang.
There was a time when he lacked for nothing, but a single misfortune sent him plummeting into ruin.
Fraud.
His father had taken on a staggering debt to build this tavern.
That young So Un could not have foreseen the enormous trap hidden within that transaction.
His father had constructed Cheongyang’s grandest establishment, yet he never became its true master.
That long shadow of karma had passed through his brothers and now settled upon him.
“Sigh…….”
He sat atop the empty tavern, exhaling deeply.
Every coin earned vanished into the Fengyang Escort Agency’s coffers, leaving him scarcely enough to eat.
Worse still, his family’s land was native terrain where Yellow Tea—the region’s prized specialty—grew wild.
At first they merely collected their shipments on schedule, but now they moved openly to seize the land itself.
Vultures, the lot of them.
And there was nothing he could do, not with the Namgung Family’s backing.
“Tavern Master, you have a visitor.”
“I wish to be alone.”
“But—surely not—the guest comes directly from the Namgung Family…….”
“What?”
He sprang to his feet.
Why had he never dared approach the Namgung Family directly?
Because a master of the Martial Realm stood watchful, barring his every escape.
Whenever So Un tried to slip away from Cheongyang, this sentinel would intercept him, trapping him in this place.
Yet now—they came to him directly?
Unease blossomed in his chest.
‘Could the Fengyang Escort Agency have sent someone to pressure me……?’
He could not know whom the Namgung Family had dispatched.
That uncertainty only deepened his dread.
The Great Namgung Family.
Even if he owned a tavern this grand, a single word from them would strip it away in an instant.
What was he to do?
So Un deliberated for a moment.
But if he refused to meet this emissary of the Namgung Family…….
He shook his head and spoke again.
“Show them in.”
“Yes. I shall bring them at once.”
His face had always worn brightness, yet his racing heart could not be hidden.
As a merchant, as a tavern master—he had worn masks throughout his life.
A life without his elder brother who had fled, his elder sister who had vanished, his mother who had chosen the ultimate escape—he alone endured.
His father’s dying wish was that he protect this tavern to the end. That was his burden.
The situation seemed hopeless—could he yet grasp a thread of salvation?
The door creaked open, and a stern-faced martial master entered.
“Welcome. I am So Un, proprietor of the Cheongyang Tavern.”
“Park Man-ho. I come from the Namgung Family.”
“Please, sit.”
The two men settled into their seats, aware of a subtle current between them.
Moments later, steaming cups of Yellow Tea were served.
Man-ho gazed silently at the luminous, jewel-like brew.
‘Exquisite fragrance. Remarkable color. So this is Cheongyang’s renowned Yellow Tea…… indeed…….’
Even to an untrained eye like his own, the tea spoke of quality.
So the Fengyang Escort Agency was purchasing this for pittance and reaping massive profits? So that was it.
The picture became clear in Man-ho’s mind.
‘Then…… do I need to seek out that woman, Wol Young, or whoever she is?’
He was confident in his martial prowess alone; such matters lay beyond his expertise.
Yet the connections that Young Master Namgung Yeon had scattered about were tools he could certainly employ.
He took a sip of tea, then spoke.
“It seems you are being treated most unfairly.”
“…You’ve noticed, then?”
“On that matter, I have something pressing to discuss with you.”
Man-ho wasn’t a silver-tongued speaker, but he pushed forward with his words, imagining how Yeon would have handled it.
What would one do for someone who could be called a friend?
“Let’s do this together. Here—funds for the project.”
Click.
He untied the bundle and decided to show only about half of it at first.
Stones that gleamed with such brilliance and luminescence that they made the Yellow Tea look utterly ordinary.
It was only natural that the tavern master’s jaw fell open.
#2
While Man-ho was meeting with So Un, the renowned young proprietor of the Cheongyang Tavern, Namgung Yeon was simultaneously meeting with Park Mu-seong, who had become a well-known young master builder in Anhui.
“Young Master! I trust you’ve been well these past days?”
“Thanks to your clean work, I’m living quite comfortably. I’ve had the land cleared, though.”
“The plot has grown quite expansive. What are you planning to construct this time?”
What Namgung Yeon intended to expand was a closed training hall.
A structure built from extremely solid stone, designed so that Internal Energy circulates perfectly.
Beyond that, he planned to orient it so a gentle wind would flow through, allowing the movement of medicinal essences and beneficial qi without obstruction.
“My word… Then we’ll need to summon a master craftsman.”
“Do you know someone?”
“Yes. A friend of mine—he’s extraordinarily skilled in this field.”
“Could it be… the person known as Shin Ki-yeom?”
At Namgung Yeon’s words, Park Mu-seong’s eyes widened in surprise.
As if asking how he could possibly know.
Namgung Yeon simply gazed silently at the plot of land.
“Ah! I see you know of him too, Young Master. That’s right. A craftsman of considerable renown, that one.”
“Then it will do to work with him.”
“Yes, I’ll make inquiries at once and bring him here straight away.”
“Do so. I’ll be away from here for more than a month, so you can proceed with the work in the meantime.”
Park Mu-seong assented, bowing repeatedly.
This was precisely the sort of opportunity one could never afford to miss.
Two weeks.
That was ample time to drag his eccentric friend out from whatever corner he’d barricaded himself in with his books.
The man known as Shin Ki-yeom was a peculiar character.
He didn’t accept commissions from just anyone, but the results of his work were nothing short of miraculous.
To be honest, he was a bit uneasy about it.
“Um, Young Master.”
“Hmm.”
“Do you perhaps know the rumors concerning Shin Ki-yeom?”
“An eccentric who only contracts with those who please him, or so the tales go.”
As he spoke, Park Mu-seong fell silent under the cool gaze of the Namgung Young Master, who regarded him with such a penetrating look.
He already knew everything.
If that eccentric streak manifested before the Namgung Family…
‘I’ll need to have a firm word with him.’
Park Mu-seong thought as much and spoke again to Namgung Yeon, redoubling his assurance.
Asking for mercy would be the proper course in such circumstances.
“Still, please don’t worry. I’ll make sure to brief him thoroughly.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
Namgung Yeon’s gaze remained cool, but his tone had softened.
Yet that subtle contrast only made Park Mu-seong more afraid.
‘Surely he doesn’t mean he’ll simply kill him if he’s displeased…?’
The atmosphere had grown so ominous that such terrible thoughts crossed his mind.
But Namgung Yeon’s thoughts were entirely different.
Because the method to capture the attention of the man known as Master Craftsman Shin Ki-yeom was simplicity itself.
“He’ll be so absorbed in the work, without doubt.”
In fact, he would create the masterpiece of his life.
Because that was Namgung Yeon’s intention.
Among the many advantages granted by repeated regression, surely the greatest was understanding people.
Shin Ki-yeom’s nature was no exception.
“More than you’d expect, he’s a man who loves money.”
“……”
Park Mu-seong stared at Namgung Yeon with open disbelief.
It wouldn’t take long for that skepticism to curdle into shock.
Park Mu-seong bowed quietly and withdrew from the training grounds.
“I’ll return by tomorrow.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Namgung Yeon watched Park Mu-seong’s receding figure hurry away.
And the next day.
A man appeared whose profession—vagabond or architect—could not be determined at first glance.
Everyone who laid eyes on him took a step back.
‘What is that smell…’
‘This man—how many days has it been since he last bathed?’
‘I’ve never let myself get that bad…’
Even Ho Ho, whose nature was gentle, retreated at the acrid stench that emanated from him.
Namgung Yeon regarded him with empty eyes, though it was Park Mu-seong who appeared flustered.
“My apologies. Bringing him here on time left little room for, ah…”
“It’s fine. Let’s move to the main matter then.”
“…….”
The grime-covered middle-aged man—Shin Ki-yeom, also known as Bang Ya—opened his mouth slowly as he observed Namgung Yeon.
“Yes, but… a young master like yourself building a structure, you say—”
“Mind your tongue!”
Even getting a blow from a friend was a scene deeply familiar to Namgung Yeon.
#3
“So you’re saying… you’ll build a training hall using Formation Arrays?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm… I find myself growing interested…”
Bang Ya and Namgung Yeon spoke as they toured the plot of land.
The moment Bang Ya heard Namgung Yeon’s proposal, intrigue kindled in his eyes.
The fusion of Formation Arrays and architecture.
The Jegal Family already employed such techniques extensively, but Bang Ya’s particular gift was different.
It was the fusion of Formation Arrays with the interior of a building.
Rather than multiple structures arranged in the shape of an array, his method involved embedding an array within a single structure.
‘Though it can only produce simple effects, that much is sufficient.’
The purpose, after all, was merely to ensure the medicinal essence circulated well and ventilation remained adequate.
And if Bang Ya applied his particular mastery to the work, something even finer would emerge.
“Ahem, ahem. Young Master. I’ll tell you plainly—I’m not a man who moves for money.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I work only for my own interest. The world calls me eccentric, but that is my creed.”
Namgung Yeon laughed softly.
Seeing this, Bang Ya grew even more animated, beginning to speak with greater fervor.
His foul breath began to permeate the air around them.
“I’m grateful you don’t call me filthy, Young Master, but still—”
“Books on Formation Arrays.”
“…Pardon?”
“And a hundred silver taels as a deposit.”
“…….”
Namgung Yeon understood.
He understood that Bang Ya’s eccentricity was performance.
He understood what Bang Ya’s true ambition was.
He even understood why the man deliberately refused to bathe.
“From now on, you’ll work only for the Namgung Family. I believe in your artistic sensibility.”
“…….”
“Of course, I’ll offer you a sum of money that would be impossible to refuse.”
Bang Ya’s eyes shifted.
From a dull, listless gaze to one brimming with ambition.
There it was.
It would be far too much to refuse.
“Well? Will you do it?”
“…Yes.”
“Remember this.”
Namgung Yeon turned his gaze toward the sprawling plot as he continued.
His words were sharp as a blade, cold as frost.
They were calm, yet a reminder of where Shin Ki-yeom stood.
“Now it falls to you to prove yourself—to me, and to the Namgung Family.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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