My Younger Siblings Are the Greatest Masters in the World - Chapter 137

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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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137.

Hwangbo Hyeonguk said.

“About a thousand men isn’t more than I expected.”

Jegal Jaeryeong raised her arm high and patted Hwangbo Hyeonguk’s head.

“Oh my, our young master is quite naive.”

“Wh-what?”

“Do you think what you see now is all there is? If you see one cockroach, is that one cockroach all that’s in the house?”

“There are more than that?”

“Probably about ten times more, don’t you think?”

“You’re saying they’ve raised that many private soldiers prohibited by national law? That would cost a lot of money.”

“If there’s a possibility of becoming emperor, there would be many sponsors too. And if he’s royalty, his wealth would be enormous. Seeing that makes me realize we’ve entered a tiger’s den.”

“Come on, it’s not that bad. We’re guests of Habuk Paengga.”

“We’re not guests.”

Jegal Jaeryeong’s expression as she watched the cavalry was bleak.

“It’s better to think of Habuk Paengga as enemies.”

“What do you mean by that…”

“Those cavalrymen’s expressions. The clouds of war are gathering.”

“Are they heading to battle right now?”

Jegal Jaeryeong shook her head.

“Not right now, but I think they’re preparing for a fight. We should hope we’re not their opponents.”

Seol Mujin, who had been listening to the conversation, spoke.

“It’s good to be tense, but there’s no need to be frightened. Negotiations require flexible responses, so we can’t become rigid.”

Seol Mujin smiled brightly, and seeing that smile made Jegal Jaeryeong feel much more at ease.

“How are you so confident, Mujin oppa? Do you adapt to crises after overcoming many life-threatening situations? Experience really is important. But what kind of life-threatening crises could you have overcome at nineteen?”

Seol Mujin quickly turned his head away.

Then Jegal Jaeryeong burst out laughing.

“Mujin oppa is cute.”

“There’s nothing cute about it…”

“You were thinking, ‘So this is how it feels when someone else knows your heart,’ weren’t you?”

Seol Mujin looked at Jegal Jaeryeong again.

“How about this expression?”

“Hmm, not very good. That’s my weakness… so something like ‘that’s why I don’t have a boyfriend,’ I suppose.”

“Correct.”

“Ugh! I get it! I just won’t read minds!”

Seol Mujin patted Jegal Jaeryeong’s head.

“That will require training too. It must be difficult for Miss Jegal as well. Others train to read people’s inner thoughts, but you have to do the opposite.”

“Sob!”

“Why are you crying again!”

“As expected, Mujin oppa is the only one who understands my heart!”

Sang Chiyeon whispered to Hwangbo Ryeoseon.

“That method of appealing to sympathy seems pretty good, doesn’t it? Seol Podoo is kind after all.”

“Could we pull that off?”

“That’s true.”

Who knew that having no pitiful aspects would be such a disadvantage.

Still, thanks to Jegal Jaeryeong, they were able to somewhat ease their tension as they entered Habuk Paengga.

Hwangbo Hyeonguk stepped forward to reveal their identities and requested to meet the family head.

The person who came out to greet them was Dangsukju, the chief steward of Habuk Paengga.

Dangsukju, with his neatly groomed beard, looked more like a government official than a martial artist.

“Distinguished guests have arrived. The family head has urgent business and will likely arrive in about half a hour. Please wait in the reception room until then.”

Thus they settled in the reception room.

After the maid who brought delicious tea left, they were left alone.

Hwangbo Hyeonguk slurped his tea and said.

“They don’t seem to show any particular hostility?”

After speaking, Hwangbo Hyeonguk glanced at Jegal Jaeryeong.

Jegal Jaeryeong hadn’t even touched her tea and was deep in thought about something.

Hwangbo Hyeonguk asked.

“What’s wrong? Is there poison in the tea?”

“Tension, awkwardness, slight hostility, a little pity. There was no welcome from the chief steward.”

“Are you sure about the pity?”

At Seol Mujin’s question, Jegal Jaeryeong nodded.

“Yes. There’s only one reason to pity us, isn’t there?”

Hwangbo Ryeoseon asked.

“What’s that one reason?”

“You’re already guessing it too, unnie.”

“I have a guess, but it’s not realistic. Are you saying Habuk Paengga wants to kill us?”

“I’m not certain that it’s Habuk Paengga who wants to kill us. The hostility wasn’t that strong to be from Habuk Paengga.”

“There’s no way Habuk Paengga would want to kill us. They could just refuse the alliance. Right?”

Jegal Jaeryeong had to agree with that statement.

“That’s right. Even if we become enemies, that would be later, and killing us now to become enemies with Jegal Family and Hwangbo Family would be foolish.”

Jegal Jaeryeong scratched her head with her index finger and muttered, “Did I read it wrong?”

Seol Mujin asked Jegal Jaeryeong.

“Does Habuk Paengga know we’re visiting?”

“Jegal Family sent word in advance through Jeonseoggu. It’s proper etiquette.”

“So that’s why the chief steward wasn’t surprised by our visit.”

“What do you think, oppa? Would Habuk Paengga try to kill us?”

“There’s no immediate reason for them to do so…”

But given the abilities Jegal Jaeryeong had shown so far, he felt uneasy.

Well over the half hour Dangsukju had mentioned, after a full hour, they were summoned by Paeng Duhyeong, the head of Habuk Paengga.

Paeng Duhyeong had such a large frame that even sitting in a chair, he looked like he was standing.

He had grown a thick beard and his eyes were bloodshot, perhaps from fatigue.

“We greet Uncle.”

Hwangbo Ryeoseon and the others bowed politely toward Paeng Duhyeong.

Seol Mujin bowed his head slightly later than the others in greeting.

“I greet the family head.”

“You’ve worked hard coming such a long way. It’s good to meet you too, Seol Podoo.”

Paeng Duhyeong pointed to the table placed in the center of the reception room.

“Everyone sit.”

Shortly after, a maid brought tea.

Only the faint sound of teacups clinking drifted around them.

As Paeng Duhyeong only drank tea, Hwangbo Hyeonguk, unable to bear it, spoke up.

“Before leaving Jegal Family, we received the letter you sent, Uncle.”

Slurp—!

Paeng Duhyeong replaced his answer with the sound of drinking tea.

“So we came to visit, hoping you might reconsider once more.”

Paeng Duhyeong’s mouth opened.

“My mind will not change. Habuk Paengga will not join the Odaesega alliance.”

Jegal Jaeryeong asked directly.

“Is it because of Yeongchun Wang?”

The tip of Paeng Duhyeong’s left eyebrow twitched.

“I don’t see any reason to tell you that. Are you doing this because of the Third Prince?”

“I didn’t know Uncle was this foolish.”

“Show proper respect.”

“This concerns the survival of Habuk Paengga. Do you really not understand the current situation? The Third Prince and Yeongchun Wang. Who do you think is closer to the throne? Yeongchun Wang can never become emperor, neither in justification nor in power. Are you too foolish to judge that, Uncle?”

Paeng Duhyeong shot up from his seat.

“You’d better leave now.”

Hwangbo Hyeonguk said in panic.

“Uncle, please calm down. Jaeryeong, you shouldn’t speak to Uncle like that either.”

Jegal Jaeryeong also stood up abruptly.

“I have no intention of staying here any longer either. I’m disappointed in you, Uncle.”

Hwangbo Hyeonguk called out to Jegal Jaeryeong as she left the reception room, but couldn’t stop her.

Since Seol Mujin also followed Jegal Jaeryeong, the rest had to leave the reception room as well.

“Jaeryeong! Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

To Hwangbo Hyeonguk’s question, Jegal Jaeryeong said.

“I think we’re in real danger.”

“What?”

“I sensed anguish and guilt from Uncle Paeng.”

“What does that…?”

Seol Mujin asked Jegal Jaeryeong.

“Is Habuk Paengga trying to kill us?”

“I’m not certain about that. Whether it’s emotions about killing us, or emotions from having to stand by and watch our deaths.”

Hwangbo Ryeoseon asked.

“Couldn’t it be emotions from not being able to join with Odaesega?”

“It wasn’t that level. Anyway, we need to get out of here quickly.”

Sang Chiyeon said.

“Wouldn’t whoever touches us be making a mistake? Honestly, with this level of strength, I think we could fight Habuk Paengga.”

Hwangbo Ryeoseon nodded.

“That’s not wrong.”

Jegal Jaeryeong said with an incredulous expression.

“Fight Habuk Paengga with just five people? Do you really think there’s a chance of winning?”

Sang Chiyeon asked Seol Mujin.

“Seol Podoo, you can beat the Peng Patriarch, right?”

“We’d have to fight to know.”

“You’re confident though, aren’t you?”

“I don’t think I’d lose.”

Jegal Jaeryeong was shocked.

“You really think that way? No, you think you could win if you fought!”

“Probably?”

“Do you know how strong the Peng Patriarch is?”

“About the same as the other Odaesega patriarchs, isn’t he?”

Jegal Jaeryeong looked at Seol Mujin with an astounded face and asked Hwangbo Hyeonguk.

“Does Brother Mujin know what level the Odaesega patriarchs’ martial arts are at?”

“He probably knows roughly? Honestly, hyung’s martial arts are probably higher than father’s.”

Jegal Jaeryeong, mouth agape, asked Seol Mujin.

“How are your martial arts so high? You’re only nineteen years old.”

“Ah!”

Seol Mujin, upon being asked, suddenly let out an exclamation as if realizing something.

“What is it?”

“Yeongchun Wang!”

Jegal Jaeryeong also exclaimed “Ah!”

“That’s right! The fighting spirit that appeared in that cavalryman! The target is probably us!”

Hwangbo Ryeoseon said.

“Then as you worried, Jaeryeong, Yeongchun Wang’s soldiers are trying to kill us?”

“That’s highly likely. Whether Habuk Paengga will lend their strength to that is unclear.”

Hwangbo Ryeoseon’s eyes sparkled.

“Battle with cavalry. I’d like to experience that.”

Seol Mujin quickened his pace and said.

“There’s no need to experience such things.”

“Seol Podoo, you’ve experienced it, right? How was it?”

“I was cavalry back then too. What’s certain is that it’s completely different from Murim fighting. The enemy on horseback is in a high position. Regardless of martial arts level, it’s quite troublesome.”

“I’d like to try fighting once though.”

Sang Chiyeon said “Me too.”

They quickly left Habuk Paengga.

Fortunately, no one stopped them.

Hwangbo Ryeoseon asked Seol Mujin.

“Are we really leaving like we’re running away?”

“Do you really want to fight cavalry?”

“But we came here and accomplished nothing.”

“Just confirming Habuk Paengga’s intentions is a harvest. There’s no need to fight battles we don’t have to. And fighting cavalry isn’t a good idea.”

“We have horses too.”

“You want to fight on horseback?”

After thinking for a moment, Hwangbo Ryeoseon shook her head.

“That won’t work.”

Having never even thought about it, naturally they hadn’t even practiced.

Returning to the inn, they found their horses and headed toward Shandong Province.

“Seol Podoo, you felt it too, right?”

At Hwangbo Ryeoseon’s question, Seol Mujin glanced back.

“We’ve been under surveillance since Habuk Paengga.”

“Should we take them out?”

“There’s more than one or two, so we won’t be able to eliminate them all.”

If Seol Mujin were alone, he would abandon his horse and use light body technique, but the rest of the group clearly couldn’t keep up with Seol Mujin’s Manrimuhunpung.

So they left Qinghe County as quickly as possible.

Seol Mujin continued to survey the surroundings while riding.

While leaving the residential area and crossing one mountain, he felt no signs of pursuit.

It seemed their movement was faster than the enemy expected, so they couldn’t follow.

But that expectation was spectacularly wrong.

It was Jangcheong Plain, located at the point where Qinghe County and Jangbok County meet after crossing two mountains.

The post-harvest fields were firmly hardened, with brown rice straw rolling around.

At the end of Jangcheong Plain, mountain shadows could be seen faintly.

In the bleakly blowing wind, an alien sound was heard.

Seol Mujin realized the identity of that sound and stopped his horse.

When Seol Mujin stopped, the group also pulled their reins.

“What’s wrong?”

To Hwangbo Ryeoseon’s question, Seol Mujin looked toward the end of Jangcheong Plain and said.

“It seems Yeongchun Wang moved much faster than we thought.”

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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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