My Father Is the Number One Under Heaven - Chapter 74

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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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Episode 74. Like a Snake
Hmm.
A dark night.
An elderly man with a small frame and a seemingly gentle expression sat in quiet contemplation, savoring his tea.
He was Jang Cheong, the Chief Elder of the Murim Alliance.
He was a talent who had held the position of Chief Elder for a long time, even through two changes of Murim Alliance Leader.
Once, he had even risen to candidacy for the position of Murim Alliance Leader, though he never assumed it.
The reason was that he himself claimed to be overwhelmed by his role as Elder, and so he declined with great earnestness.
That act only deepened the respect others held for him.
Thus was he a figure held in great esteem both inside and outside the Murim Alliance.
But did the world know?
That beneath it all, he was far more avaricious than anyone.
Most would assume that if a man craved power, he would naturally covet the position of Murim Alliance Leader—but such thinking overlooked half the picture.
Here at the Murim Alliance, where the Orthodox Martial World’s greatest power converged, to hold a position and wield authority for the longest time possible, the Elder’s seat was in fact ideal.
Moreover, the title of Chief Elder granted influence second to none—an arrangement beyond reproach.
Thus Jang Cheong, exploiting his position and authority, had conducted countless acts of malice beyond the world’s imagination.
He sold the Murim Alliance’s most guarded secrets to the Evil Sects for profit, and continued to perpetrate deeds so vicious that even those dark powers recoiled.
The benevolent countenance he now displayed while leisurely drinking tea was nothing but a meticulously constructed falsehood.
“Late. He’s late.”
Of late, there was one person whose actions had begun to grate on Jang Cheong’s nerves considerably.
For some reason, it seemed this man had begun relentlessly digging into his affairs.
No matter how carefully he kept his secrets hidden, the mere existence of an investigator conducting a covert inquiry into him was deeply troubling and exhausting.
At first, he thought the man would back away on his own.
Then he believed that gentle persuasion would settle the matter, but the other proved frustratingly unmoved.
Instead, he only dug deeper.
Worse still, he showed not a shred of flexibility—no enticement seemed capable of swaying him.
Then a problem arose.
Evidence documents proving that Jang Cheong had sold Murim Alliance information to the Evil Sects had fallen into his hands.
The moment Jang Cheong heard this, he decided he could remain passive no longer.
So he made one final offer to the man, couched in veiled threats; if he refused, Jang Cheong resolved to end him cleanly.
Yet then, out of nowhere, an incident erupted in Hebei, and the military commander Jegal Mun had sent him there—not as a regular dispatch, but singled out for this mission.
Could it be that the military commander already knew? That Jang Cheong meant to dispose of this man?
Perhaps he had engineered this pretext to extract his brother from danger.
In any case, Jang Cheong had issued orders.
Find where those evidence documents were hidden and secure them—with all possible speed.
Yet no matter how many men he sent to search the man’s quarters, he could not locate where these crucial proofs had been concealed.
His head ached.
What if the man had removed everything before fleeing to Hebei?
What if he exposed it all when he returned?
A great many troublesome affairs would surely follow.
But now the man had returned. His investigation complete.
Jang Cheong had thought he meant to hide away in Hebei, but it seemed not. Or perhaps he had removed the evidence documents and come back alone.
Either way, it was fortunate.
If the documents could not be found, eliminating the man who possessed them would suffice.
As of today, the source of his unease would vanish.
If a man could not be turned to his side, such a person was best disposed of quickly.
So he waited now for that result.
Yet the result was taking longer than expected.
By now, his subordinate should have returned, but there was no word.
That was not good.
Such matters required swift and precise execution; delay was an ill omen.
Then, at that moment, he felt a presence from outside.
“Who is it?”
“It is I, Jegal Gil.”
What?
Jang Cheong’s face twitched at this unexpected turn.
But before he could speak, Jegal Gil burst through the door and strode into the chamber.
Then—
Whoosh—
Thwack, thwack, thwack.
Jang Cheong’s subordinates emerged swiftly from the darkness, cutting off his path.
Three blades had already positioned themselves at Jegal Gil’s throat.
“What’s this about? So sudden at this hour.”
Jang Cheong played dumb, feigning ignorance as he spoke.
At that, Jegal Gil let out a soft chuckle.
“You don’t know what this is about?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea what you mean.”
“Weren’t you waiting for me to arrive? Or rather—weren’t you waiting for my head to arrive?”
“Do you understand you’re crossing a line right now?”
At Jegal Gil’s words, the benevolent expression that usually softened his features turned to ice.
A keenly sharp, savage face emerged in its place.
This was part of his true nature, known to no one in the world.
Most ordinary people would have shrunk back under such killing intent, but Jegal Gil remained utterly unmoved, his expression flat and composed as always.
“I see. Hmm. At this rate, we’ll only keep scratching the surface of things. Very well.”
Thud.
Jegal Gil placed something wrapped in cloth on the table.
Blood dripped steadily from it.
“What is this?”
Jang Cheong’s eyes narrowed to slits.
To his question, Jegal Gil offered a grim smile.
“A gift you sent me.”
In the same breath, Jegal Gil unwound the cloth wrapper, revealing the severed head of the man who’d come to kill him.
“…What in blazes do you think you’re doing? Do you truly wish to die here today?”
“No. I wish to live.”
Then Jegal Gil withdrew something else from his robes—a bundle of papers.
He placed this too upon the table.
At that, one of Jang Cheong’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
“What is this?”
“Everything I’ve uncovered about your past indiscretions, Chief Elder. The contents should become clear if you read through them.”
……!
In that instant, Jang Cheong’s eyes widened.
He quickly gestured for his subordinates to stand down.
And then he stared at the bundle of papers.
He brought this to me willingly? Why?
What game is he playing?
Jang Cheong suddenly could not fathom why Jegal Gil would do such a thing—unless the man had lost his mind entirely.
Yet,
Jegal Gil stepped to the side and knelt.
Jang Cheong’s head tilted in bemusement.
“What are you doing?”
“I believe I have already amply demonstrated my capabilities, Chief Elder. Please… take me under your wing.”
“What?”
For the first time, genuine shock crossed Jang Cheong’s face.
This lay entirely beyond what he had anticipated.
In that moment, Jegal Gil spoke with an earnestness unlike any before.
“I wish to swim in deeper waters. I wish to earn great wealth, to gain high station and renown. I have no desire to live out my years in squalor.”
“You? I thought you cared nothing for such things.”
Jang Cheong asked in puzzlement, and Jegal Gil shook his head.
“How could a man not care for wealth, honor, and power? I merely waited for the right moment. And because that moment would not come of its own, I moved to create it.”
“So you dug into my past for this?”
“Forgive me. To leave a lasting impression and prove my worth to you, I saw no other path.”
“Yet you are of the Jegal Clan. Why seek this elsewhere?”
“As you know, I shall never inherit the Jegal estate. That position belongs to my eldest brother. And the Murim Alliance already has my second brother as its military commander.”
Blood vessels rose visibly in Jegal Gil’s eyes.
“My whole life I have been overshadowed by two elder brothers, merely for being the youngest. Should I not carve out my own path?”
“What…? Ha ha ha ha!”
Jang Cheong erupted into loud laughter.
There was logic to his words.
Moreover, it was true that Jang Cheong had indeed been impressed by Jegal Gil.
His method had worked.
Until now, he’d thought of Jegal Gil as nothing more than the younger brother of General Jegal Mun.
What’s more, the man seemed utterly unbothered after killing someone who’d been his friend.
Interesting. So this is what he’s truly like.
They say you can read ten fathoms of water but never one fathom of a man’s heart.
“I’m aware of how people around me judge me. But I simply didn’t reveal my true nature until the most opportune moment arrived.”
“Ha. So that’s how it was.”
“I mention it only so you won’t worry, but these Evidence Documents are all I possess.”
The documents he’d already laid out covered the desk entirely.
Jang Cheong picked through a few of them casually.
“Hmm…!”
He let out a sharp breath.
Remarkable. So thoroughly had this man dissected everything about him.
Had he remained an enemy until the end, Jegal Gil would undoubtedly have been the first to die.
But if this man became an ally instead, he might well prove to be the finest shield of all.
Jang Cheong nodded and studied Jegal Gil carefully.
“And from this point forward, if there’s any risk of exposure that concerns you, I will—with your permission—manage and contain it all myself. I beg you to trust me with this responsibility. I will make it flawless.”
“What do you want?”
Jegal Gil answered Jang Cheong’s question without hesitation.
“To become like you. I want to have money, honor, and everything else.”
“What? Ha ha. This one’s more ambitious than he looks.”
Jang Cheong burst out laughing.
Such naked honesty was almost comical. No—it was refreshing.
There was no one easier to control than a man driven by such desire.
This was entertaining.
The man he’d taken for a troublemaker was instead the one straining to become his own instrument.
But one thing was certain.
His capabilities were exceptional.
There would be many uses for him going forward.
Jang Cheong asked Jegal Gil with a satisfied smile.
“You realize you might be betraying your own brother in the process?”
“Upon reaching adulthood, I already severed my ties to the Jegal Clan and began my own path.”
Jegal Gil spoke with unwavering resolve.
“And if such meaningless sentiment could bind my feet, I never would have started in the first place.”
“I see.”
Jang Cheong looked once more at the documents Jegal Gil had offered, and then at the severed head of the man he’d killed.
Such ruthlessness.
He’d never imagined Jegal Gil possessed this capacity.
Yet he was deeply pleased with what he saw.
“Good. I’ll accept you.”
“You truly mean it?”
“After going to such lengths, how could I turn you away? I look forward to working with you.”
“Thank you.”
Jegal Gil prostrated himself before Jang Cheong.
Jang Cheong nodded, thoroughly satisfied by the sight.
“This should prove most amusing. Ha ha ha!”
Jang Cheong’s laughter echoed through the room.
But did he see it?
In the eyes of Jegal Gil, still bent in that bow, a fire still burned with the same righteous fervor as before.
‘Become wiser than the wicked.’
From this moment forward, Jegal Gil intended to honor that vow completely.
He would become more cunning than evil itself, and through that cunning, he would mock them.
Yes. Like a serpent.

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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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