My Younger Siblings Are the Greatest Masters in the World - Chapter 55
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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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55.
And fortunately, Seol Mujin had a way to meet someone who might have a solution.
“Thank you for the good advice.”
“Me? What advice?”
“There’s something like that. I need to go first.”
Seol Mujin immediately went to find the Triplets.
“Get lost! I’ll just smack this little brat!”
“Sister! Let’s play together! I bought a really bouncy ball this time! If you don’t like playing with the ball, how about jump rope? I practiced a lot!”
As he left the back garden, he saw Seol Ryeoseon arguing with Hwanggeum-i.
Unable to bear it any longer, Seol Ryeoseon grabbed Hwanggeum-i’s ear and pulled it.
“You brat! Stop bothering me!”
“Oww―!”
Seol Mujin hurriedly ran over and stopped Seol Ryeoseon.
“Stop it! You’ll tear the kid’s ear off!”
Seol Ryeoseon at least listened to Seol Mujin.
“If you weren’t my brother, you would’ve lost an ear today! So don’t bother me anymore!”
“Waaah! Sister, don’t hate me! I like you!”
“I’m not your sister, you brat! I’m your grandmother! Grandmother!”
Seol Mujin examined Hwanggeum-i’s reddened ear.
“Isn’t this bruised?”
There was something dark behind Hwanggeum-i’s ear.
Looking closely, it wasn’t a bruise but four moles.
“It’s okay. Sister did that because she thinks our Hwanggeum-i is cute.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Ugh―! So frustrating! Ugh―!”
Seol Ryeoseon could only beat her chest in frustration.
Jang Jangsim appeared late and took Hwanggeum-i away.
“Ryeoseon, do you know where those people who were following us are?”
“Why those guys?”
“I have something to tell them.”
“They were outside until a moment ago.”
Then Seol Changho and Seol Mantong appeared and told them their exact location.
“Those guys came as customers. It looked like they went into the Plum Blossom Room on the second floor.”
Seol Mantong continued what Seol Changho said.
“I told Hyeonwol to overcharge them big time.”
Seol Mujin immediately ran to the Plum Blossom Room on the second floor.
In the room, two courtesans were preparing to set the table.
“Sisters, could you step out for a moment?”
The two courtesans who had hugged Seol Mujin in delight obediently left the room.
Seol Mujin closed the door and turned toward the two men.
One of the men, trying to compose his flustered expression, asked.
“Who are you to suddenly come in and send the courtesans away?”
Seol Mujin sat across from them and said.
“You shouldn’t say that when you’ve followed me all the way here from the Namgung Family.”
“What do you mean by that…”
Seol Mujin hardened his expression.
“When I’ve come this far to meet you, making excuses is disrespecting me.”
The man with the large nose on the left said.
“Don’t think we have anything to say to you. We have nothing to tell you.”
“I have nothing to hear from you either. You just need to relay my words to the Namgung Family.”
“Relay words…”
“That I saw the contents of the wooden case.”
The two men looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
Seeing that they didn’t understand what Seol Mujin meant, they apparently weren’t high-ranking enough to know the secret between the Namgung Family and the Third Prince.
“If the Namgung Family doesn’t contact me by tomorrow, the contents of the wooden case will be revealed to the world.”
“What’s in the wooden case that you’re saying such things?”
“It’s a very secret matter of the Namgung Family. Should I tell you?”
The man with the large nose hurriedly waved his hands.
“No! There’s no need to hear it!”
He was wise enough to know that secrets could be dangerous.
“Tomorrow.”
“No matter how fast we ride, we can’t even reach the Namgung Family by tomorrow…”
“There’s an excellent means of communication called carrier pigeons.”
Having said that, Seol Mujin stood up.
“Make sure to relay this too. I’m so angry right now that my patience is almost at its limit.”
***
Namgung Bongseong, the head of the Namgung Family, threw the message that came via carrier pigeon onto his desk.
Namgung Cheolsang, who sat in the chair across and confirmed the contents of the message, furrowed his brow.
“We got hit hard in the back of the head by this Seol Mujin fellow. I made a mistake. I should have captured Seol Mujin and tortured him.”
“Since the Hwangbo Family intervened, you can’t say you made a mistake. But why did this Seol Mujin send such a letter?”
“Does he think this is the Namgung Family’s weakness?”
“Is he trying to extort something from our Namgung Family using this?”
“There’s no other reason he would suddenly send such a letter.”
“Did he seem that foolish to you?”
After thinking for a moment, Namgung Cheolsang shook his head.
“He wasn’t a foolish person. Rather, he was a young man with exceptional intelligence.”
“Then there must be a valid reason for sending this letter…”
“I’ll go myself.”
“Take the heads of the Azure Dragon Hall and White Tiger Hall with you.”
“The two with the strongest martial arts among the hall heads?”
“Nothing is more important than being prepared.”
“Understood.”
Namgung Cheolsang, who had risen from his seat, suddenly remembered and asked.
“How about traveling with Hyemin?”
“Why Hyemin?”
Namgung Cheolsang told him about the meeting between Seol Mujin and Namgung Hyemin.
“So Hyemin’s pride was hurt?”
“Hyemin has been holding a grudge. If things go well, we might be able to resolve this without bloodshed.”
The relationship with the Third Prince is a crucial matter that determines the fate of the Namgung Family.
Since there must be no mistakes, they should use every available method.
“Hyemin’s safety must be minimized.”
“Of course. I’ll depart now.”
Before leaving, Namgung Cheolsang sent a carrier pigeon first.
Since it was impossible to reach Jinan by the deadline Seol Mujin set, he had to send a letter first.
Although he didn’t like the Namgung Family being led around by a mere merchant, the person holding the knife right now was Seol Mujin.
‘What on earth is this guy thinking?’
***
The ones who had been tailing Seol Mujin’s group were the heads of two of the twelve divisions within the Namgung Family.
The Namgung Family considered this matter so important that they assigned division heads as surveillance operatives.
Baek Seongok, head of the Red Character Division, spoke to Seol Mujin.
“The Namgung Family will arrive sometime tomorrow morning.”
“Who’s coming?”
“The letter didn’t specify that much.”
Even if he knew, he probably wouldn’t tell him.
“The meeting place is the abandoned shrine on the mountainside of Cheonho Mountain.”
“Not here?”
“If you prefer a place with many watching eyes, here would be fine too.”
“No. The abandoned shrine on Cheonho Mountain. What time?”
“The end of the Wei hour (1 PM―3 PM).”
“Understood.”
After parting with the two division heads, Seol Mujin met with the triplets at home two hours later.
“Brother, you know this is dangerous, right?”
“I know. In the worst case, the Namgung Family will try to kill and destroy me.”
Seol Changho said.
“Not the worst case—that’s what will happen nine times out of ten.”
“That’s why I need you guys to help me out a bit.”
“Of course. Were you really planning to go alone?”
“I’d prefer if you didn’t step in unless I’m in real danger.”
Seol Mantong asked.
“What do you mean by that?”
“If a fight breaks out, I want to use this opportunity to see how strong I am.”
Seol Ryeoseon grinned.
“Brother’s become a real martial artist now.”
Seol Changho also nodded.
“Right. Who do you think will come from the Namgung Family? Surely the family head Namgung Bongseong won’t come personally?”
“That won’t happen. It’ll probably be someone like Namgung Cheolsang.”
“That guy seemed pretty formidable too.”
Seol Mantong waved his hands dismissively.
“Ah, that level of amateur is no match for big brother.”
“He’s the brother of the Namgung Family head. He could easily be among the top ten masters of Anhui Province. Plus he’ll have plenty of experience.”
Seol Ryeoseon agreed with Seol Changho’s words.
“Right. The power of experience can never be ignored. Brother wants to fight alone to gain that experience, doesn’t he?”
“It might work out well through dialogue. That would be best.”
Though Seol Mujin said this, the triplets thought, ‘There’s going to be a fight.’
How many opportunities would Seol Mujin get to fight against a master from the Namgung Family?
While Seol Mujin went to meet Go Bongsu who was imprisoned, the triplets huddled together and whispered.
And their conclusion was that they had to somehow provoke a fight.
“Those Namgung Family bastards will see brother as a thorn in their side too, so if we poke them in the ribs a little, they’ll explode. Hehehe…”
***
The reason Seol Mujin specifically chose the abandoned shrine on the mountainside as the meeting place wasn’t because of other people’s gazes, but to prevent collateral damage if a fight broke out.
The triplets followed Seol Mujin from a distance.
If a fight broke out and the triplets had to step in, their martial arts would be exposed, but since lives were at stake, they had to endure that much.
Seol Mujin arrived at the shrine exactly at the end of the Wei hour.
The stone wall was half-collapsed and the courtyard was full of weeds.
The plaque that had hung above the shrine door, with one side fallen off, was gone.
Seol Mujin stepped on the dirt-covered stairs and entered the shrine.
The painting of the guardian deity visible at the front was almost erased, making it impossible to tell who it was.
Sunlight entering through the doorless window illuminated the floating dust, and also revealed the people standing among it.
There were three of them.
One was Namgung Cheolsang, and the other two were unfamiliar faces, but their outwardly displayed aura was sharp.
“We meet again like this.”
Namgung Cheolsang spoke first.
Seol Mujin briefly bowed his head out of courtesy.
“I didn’t want to meet like this, but circumstances led to this. This matter must be important indeed. For the Chief Elder to come personally.”
“Regarding this important matter, you lied to me.”
“I just wanted to avoid troublesome affairs. I had no intention of revealing it in the first place.”
“Yet you’ve already summoned me over this matter. Why?”
“Someone important to me has been imprisoned.”
Namgung Cheolsang’s brow furrowed.
“What does such a matter have to do with this case?”
“Because the imprisoned person is the Magistrate of Jinan.”
“So?”
Seol Mujin briefly told him about the circumstances of Go Bongsu’s imprisonment.
“So I need the Third Prince’s power. Since it’s a matter of state, it’s difficult to resolve with just my martial strength.”
Namgung Cheolsang smiled wryly.
“So this is… a kind of blackmail. If we don’t comply with your demands, you’ll expose the relationship between the Third Prince and our Namgung Family.”
“I won’t deny it.”
“To whom would you expose this? Will you shout about it in the market street?”
“Why is the Third Prince the Third Prince? There’s also the First Prince, and the Second Prince and Fourth Prince as well. What would happen if this fact reached their ears?”
Of course, Seol Mujin couldn’t know what would happen after that either.
He was just probing.
“Do you think a mere porter could meet those personages?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t be able to meet them? Do you really want to take such a risk?”
The possibility of Seol Mujin meeting the imperial family members somewhere up in those clouds was slim.
But since Namgung Cheolsang didn’t know this fact, he was just throwing it out there to see.
Since this matter was so important to the Namgung Family, even a one percent possibility would loom as large as a mountain.
“I thought you were a smart fellow, but you’re foolish. If you had such plans, you shouldn’t have come here in the first place.”
The changed energy from Namgung Cheolsang was killing intent.
A chilling aura like a thin layer of ice covered the abandoned shrine.
Even so, there was no change in Seol Mujin’s expression.
“Didn’t you think the Namgung Family would kill me to silence me? If you saw me as such a fool, I’m disappointed in your judgment, Elder.”
From the moment Seol Mujin entered, Namgung Cheolsang had mobilized all his senses to survey the surroundings.
He even had twelve subordinates brought from the Namgung Family guarding the perimeter.
Nothing caught his senses, and if Seol Mujin had companions, his subordinates would have signaled.
“Empty bluffing.”
“How about this, for instance? If I die here, I’ve arranged a mechanism to report the close relationship between the Third Prince and the Namgung Family to the other princes.”
Namgung Cheolsang’s silence was because such a possibility was highly likely.
There was no way Seol Mujin would have appeared in this place, no different from a tiger’s den, without such safeguards.
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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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