Return of the God of War - Chapter 29

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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 29. The Betting Stake I Would Demand
Not content with having demolished the wall of his quarters and forced his way inside, the man now spoke of taking a disciple?
At such an absurd pronouncement, Muk Yeojin found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
Moreover, the fact that the Palace Lord of Sado Six Palaces was taking on a disciple carried no small weight.
It was tantamount to placing him among the candidates for Successor Palace Lord.
And yet, in Muk Yeojin’s recollection, the Sword Palace Lord had never taken a disciple, not even in that final moment when Sado Heaven crumbled.
Muk Yeojin’s mind spun.
If the Sword Palace Lord were merely a double-edged blade, he would seize it without hesitation and wield it freely.
But.
What if the very handle were wrought of sinister steel?
And what if its edge were coated in a virulent poison?
He could not yet trust anything.
“Are you testing me again, sir?”
Muk Yeojin asked directly.
The Sword Palace Lord laughed then, a dry chuckle, and replied in his characteristically unhurried voice.
“You think I’d resort to such tricks again, after being called out by a youngster for petty amusement? I’m in earnest now.”
There was indeed a difference from their last encounter.
Above all, his gaze was entirely transformed.
Before, it had brimmed with an inscrutability that concealed cunning.
But now, within the irises fixed upon him burned a flame.
Not mere curiosity or caprice—clear desire and fervent intent lay there.
Which is why the question all the more gnawed at him.
What is it you truly see in me, Sword Palace Lord?
“Why did you choose me, sir?”
“Because I wanted to see.”
At those pregnant words, Muk Yeojin’s brow furrowed.
“What do you mean?”
Without hesitation, the Sword Palace Lord continued.
“Three years ago, when I first saw you at Mangdam Hall, you offered me novelty. The second time, at Manryeon Palace, you piqued my interest. The third time, you made off with my sword, and the fourth time, you provoked my anger.”
The Sword Palace Lord burst into laughter and went on.
“In all my years, I’ve never encountered anyone quite like you. That’s when it struck me: ‘Ah, this wretch is a tiger cub.’ One of those common wolves running about everywhere, ready to tear out the throats of lesser beasts—that’s what you are.”
In plain terms: he had glimpsed potential.
The Sword Palace Lord’s eyes narrowed.
“I want to see how far that tiger will soar if I give it wings.”
The proposal that one of the finest masters within Sado Heaven itself would become his wings.
Had a true Junior Scholar of this generation stood in that room, such honeyed words would surely have set every heart aflame.
But the figure standing here now was a Man of the Rivers and Lakes, one who had weathered the world’s storms down to his very marrow.
He was not the sort to be easily swayed by an old man’s honeyed tongue.
Muk Yeojin looked at him with composed eyes and spoke.
“If you’ve mistaken a mongrel with a few black marks scratched upon its hide for a tiger, what do you intend to do about it?”
At that, the Sword Palace Lord gave a light shrug and smiled.
“Then it becomes a winged dog—and watching that has its own peculiar charm.”
He was making clear he had no intention of wavering.
Muk Yeojin fell silent in thought.
‘In truth, becoming the Sword Palace Lord’s disciple would provide a foundation more certain than anything else.’
Once secured, neither rival factions nor brothers vying for supremacy could easily pressure him.
Yet there were many reasons he could not decide this lightly.
The greatest among them, without question.
“Lady Namgung Ryeongryeong will not take it lying down.”
Contrary to his expectations, the Sword Palace Lord seemed utterly unconcerned.
“If she doesn’t take it lying down, what of it? I have already given what there was to give. In fact, I’ve repaid far more than what I received from that scoundrel.”
That scoundrel he spoke of was Hye Pyeong, the patriarch of the Namcheon Hye Clan and the father of Namgung Ryeongryeong.
Muk Yeojin’s eyes gleamed.
‘Then the Sword Palace Lord’s support for Namgung Ryeongryeong was purely a matter of transaction.’
Not a relationship woven thick with political and personal bonds.
‘Indeed, in my past life, though the Sword Palace Lord ultimately supported Namgung Ryeongryeong, he took no decisive action on her behalf.’
He had not known this reason lay behind it.
Of course, at that time, with Muk Iyeon still holding firm as the leader of the Jeokrang Faction, Namgung Ryeongryeong’s influence remained formidable for a long while.
In any case.
For now, the situation made sense.
If Muk Yeojin grasped the hand extended by the Sword Palace Lord, it would be no different from gaining Thousand Armies and Ten Thousand Horses.
But…….
“The sound of your scheming echoes through heaven and earth. What troubles you so greatly?”
At his question, Muk Yeojin spoke honestly, without circumlocution, what was on his mind.
“I simply cannot bring myself to trust you, sir. Might there not be some dark scheme hidden away that I have failed to foresee?”
It was a remark that could have wounded his pride.
Yet the Sword Palace Lord merely laughed, seeming well pleased.
“Bold, as expected! Yes, yes—my disciple must possess that degree of obstinacy. So then, how can I win your trust?”
At those words, Muk Yeojin’s gaze suddenly shifted toward the Sword Palace Lord’s left hand.
In that hand lay a sword, white as freshly fallen snow from blade to hilt.
It was the Baek Wol Sword—the one of the White-Night Dual Swords remaining to him, the brother blade to the Heuk Ya Sword.
Seeing the direction of that glance, the Sword Palace Lord’s face contorted into something fierce and terrible.
“You want this?”
“I have wagered my body on this game table, sir. Surely you must stake something of equal weight for the stakes to be matched.”
The Sword Palace Lord trembled with indignation.
“This is worth more than your body!”
“Then make the sword your disciple and be done with it.”
Blood vessels rose at the Sword Palace Lord’s temples.
Fixing Muk Yeojin with a cold stare, he cut out sharply.
“You little wretch! It’s enough that you’ve taken my son. Now you covet my wife? Absolutely not. There is no man in this world who gives up his wife to the man who has already taken his son! Ask for something else!”
The Heuk Ya Sword was his son. The Baek Wol Sword, his wife.
The word “eccentric” nearly escaped him unbidden.
From his reaction, it seemed unlikely he would surrender the Baek Wol Sword simply because the argument grew more eloquent.
What then should be demanded as the betting stake?
Something halfway would not suffice.
Muk Yeojin had no intention of leaving the Sword Palace Lord to second-guess him from behind.
If he was to join hands with the man, he would see him seated upon this game table and make him stake everything he possessed.
Even as Muk Yeojin stroked his chin in thought, he sensed a group rushing hurriedly toward the sleeping chamber.
They were the armed retainers of the quarters, who had heard the commotion caused when the Sword Palace Lord shattered the wall.
Among them was Namgung Ryeongryeong.
She arrived first and kicked open the chamber door.
“Yeojin! What in the heavens is happening?”
For a moment she was startled by the sight of the Sword Palace Lord’s face and the state of the chamber, but once she confirmed that Muk Yeojin was unharmed, relief washed over her.
And what followed was rage.
Crack-crack-crack.
The Heavenly Thunder Qi, suddenly unleashed in full force, raced up through her upper dantian and swept through the room.
A dominating current of qi, as though storm clouds were gathering.
Deep within Namgung Ryeongryeong’s eyes, Lightning Fire began to blaze and flare.
“Sword Palace Lord, what manner of thing is this?”
Her voice carried unmistakable killing intent.
The Sword Palace Lord inwardly marveled.
‘Namgung Ryeongryeong. Has this woman always possessed such strength?’
The Sword Palace Lord certainly remembered Namgung Ryeongryeong from more than a decade past.
At that time, she too had been a martial artist who keenly aroused his interest.
Though the details remained unclear, she had set down her sword, and he had lost interest in her thereafter.
Yet this degree of formidable power?
Namgung Ryeongryeong’s Heavenly Thunder Qi was more savage and fierce than before.
The qi radiating from her was of such force that it made the very space resound.
It was far more than simply taking up a sword she had once abandoned.
Her sword had been honed far more keenly since then.
Yet what was truly intriguing was not the height or depth of martial prowess.
Standing before him, a pillar of the Sado Six Palaces and the Sword Palace Lord himself, she showed no sign of stepping back even an inch.
The eyes of a Fierce General, bearing the aura of one who would not hesitate to embrace death itself.
The Sword Palace Lord glanced sidelong, alternating his gaze between Muk Yeojin and Namgung Ryeongryeong with interest.
‘I thought there was only one tiger cub. But a Great Tiger has been hiding away, sharpening its fangs and watching for the moment. Ha ha ha.’
In this moment, the atmosphere between the Sword Palace Lord, her mother, and Namgung Ryeongryeong hung on a knife’s edge.
‘Ah!’
A flash illuminated Muk Yeojin’s mind.
It came to him.
The way to lay all of the Sword Palace Lord’s cards upon the game table.
A brilliant scheme to wring every last drop of honey from him.
* * *
The Geom Gung Lord regarded Namgung Ryeongryeong through his Heart Eye.
For now, her skill fell short of his own and that of the other Palace Lords of the Six Palaces.
But considering how long it had been since Namgung Ryeongryeong had set down her sword, it would be premature to judge her martial prowess so hastily.
More than anything, there was her bearing.
The aura that radiated not from her inner force, but from Namgung Ryeongryeong herself as a person—it drew admiration from him unbidden.
For a moment, the competitive spirit to cross blades with her surged up without warning.
Yet the Geom Gung Lord was not so lacking in judgment as to draw his sword in this place.
He sheathed the Baek Wol Sword he held and bowed with a respectful gesture.
“It has been long, Lady Namgung. This old man’s desire to take your son as a disciple has led me to commit a breach of courtesy. I humbly beg your generous understanding.”
Namgung Ryeongryeong’s brow furrowed.
“…A disciple, you say?”
“Indeed, madam. Though he lacks much, I wish to make young Master Muk Yeojin my successor and inheritor.”
Her gaze turned toward Muk Yeojin.
The look in her eyes asked: ‘Is this man’s word true?’
Muk Yeojin nodded.
Then Gam Mo and a dozen warriors arrived.
They were the elite who had undergone rigorous training under Gam Mo all this time.
Clang!
The sound of them drawing their weapons rang out as one.
All of them knew their opponent was the Geom Gung Lord, yet they did not hesitate.
The Geom Gung Lord marveled once more at the sight.
“Impressive. Impressive indeed. Your subordinates possess no ordinary mettle.”
Before the situation could grow more complicated, Muk Yeojin stepped forward.
“Master Gam, it’s all right. Please withdraw the warriors.”
“But Master Muk—”
“Stand down.”
At Namgung Ryeongryeong’s command, Gam Mo and the warriors reluctantly withdrew outside.
Namgung Ryeongryeong, who had been watching the Geom Gung Lord quietly, unfurled a thick Qi Barrier.
“What is your true aim?”
“To take a disciple—what hidden aim could there be?”
Namgung Ryeongryeong’s eyes grew sharp once more.
Naturally, she did not believe his words.
And such doubt was hardly unreasonable.
A sense of frustration stirred in the Geom Gung Lord.
“How might I prove this old man’s sincerity to you?”
“There is a way.”
“Hmm?”
Both turned their heads at Muk Yeojin’s voice.
“There exists something most suitable to serve as your betting stake and as a bond of trust to bind us firmly together.”
“And what is that?”
The Geom Gung Lord could not fathom it.
After a brief pause, Muk Yeojin spoke.
“The Sword Palace.”
For a moment, the Geom Gung Lord did not grasp the meaning and tilted his head in confusion.
But at the words that followed, he could only stare in shock.
“Sword Palace Lord. Place my mother in your seat as Sword Palace Lord. Then I shall become your disciple and be reborn as a winged tiger beneath your tutelage.”

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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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