The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 18

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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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Chapter 18

“…Ugh. Uncle smell.”

Ju Yeongyeong of the Ju Clan Trading Company wrinkled her delicate brow.

Seolmujin was about to sigh again at such childishness but stopped himself.

Well. It wasn’t exactly wrong, was it?

He heard the man wasn’t even thirty yet? So he wasn’t that old, but….

Most of the kids here were between sixteen and eighteen.

And look at that appearance.

“…They said his leg was crippled. It’s really true.”

“Look at those scars….”

Being people of martial families, they had never seen anyone without scars.

However, these children had been raised too gently to witness such a rough life.

Naturally, the children took a step back.

With Xie Baowei’s appearance, a strange sense of solidarity arose among the children.

Xie Baowei seemed unbothered by such gazes and naturally walked over, sitting down on a small stone by the pond’s edge.

Then he simply plucked grass to fiddle with while gazing at the carp visible among the lotus flowers.

“He’s not really going to compete with us, is he?”

“Heh. Are you scared?”

“This girl?”

“What did you say, you bastard.”

Hoxiong and Gayan started bickering again nearby.

Before Seolmujin could intervene again, another voice interrupted.

It was Yeomseorae.

“Indeed, his face isn’t ugly.”

“Seorae.”

“But brother. Those scars don’t look that hideous, do they?”

“A person’s character isn’t judged by appearance.”

“But everyone said so. That the Hwangbo Family’s jade rolled to him because of his handsome face.”

“…That was when you were three or four years old.”

“I can’t help remembering it. Brother. It was a story that circulated for quite a long time after that too.”

The love story between the Hwangbo Family’s precious daughter and an orphaned woodcutter was no exaggeration to say it once shook Shandong, no, the entire nation.

So to these children born and raised in Shandong, he was no different from the incarnation of a fairy tale protagonist.

Therefore.

Soon, the children’s eyes turned to Xie Baowei with different meaning.

Xie Baowei only smiled bitterly.

Uncle, they said.

…It was true though.

…It was true, but still.

Damn it.

***

Martial arts tournaments and competitions are held occasionally everywhere.

Sometimes they select heroes for honor, and sometimes they test qualifications with prizes for difficult missions.

The Taishan Alliance decided not to do that. They gathered to do well together, but to determine superiority and inferiority? That would be asking for death.

So instead, they held Biwuyan for the younger generation.

Not even a formal tournament, but just telling the kids to practice together. They simply provided the stage.

“So you actually saw Tian Shan?”

“I almost lost all my toes there.”

I was lucky it only ended with limping.

Xie Baowei lifted his leg to show them, speaking playfully.

The children’s eyes turned to Xie Baowei’s leather shoes. So, did he lose his toes? Or were they fine?

“You fought Northern Barbarians too?”

“Originally it was a situation involving bandits from Qinghai Lake. But then, those barbarian bastards were also after the same treasure. Can you see the scar on my eyebrow? If it had been deeper, I would have become one-eyed.”

Every time Xie Baowei continued his story, the children stirred.

Even the children trying to ignore him couldn’t help but turn their eyes.

One by one, more children began moving their steps closer.

“Did you actually see the Rebel King too?”

It started with some young friend’s furtive glances.

Xie Baowei suddenly struck up a conversation with a child who had been stealing glances at his scars.

This was lost here, this was cut there.

“Indeed, his presence was tremendous. Though it feels wrong to speak that way about someone who dared to falsely claim the title.”

It was a completely different story from what the children had been thinking.

A battlefield story told by the protagonist of a tragic love affair between a poor peasant and a noble family’s precious daughter.

Hmm. It wasn’t uninteresting at all.

“I’m only telling you this, but I almost stood there too.”

“Eh?!”

“Ahem. I told you about being sold as a slave, right? Well, the guy who was captured with me then.”

There were no children who maintained distance due to different status.

Other voices had long since fallen silent.

“I cut down with my own hands the guy who became a standard-bearer of rebellion. I gave one finger for it… But wasn’t that worth giving to someone who might have remained a friend?”

“Ahh.”

Clearly Xie Baowei was speaking to three or four people nearby, but sighs were heard from multiple places simultaneously.

Even children standing one step or several steps away turned their bodies toward Xie Baowei.

Even the children who had been maintaining their pride turned their backs and pricked up their ears.

And Xie Baowei’s voice was loud enough.

“…Hmph.”

The only ones left were the children on the hall.

“He directly cut down a standard-bearer of rebellion? A mere guy who was sold as a slave, served bandits as a servant, fled to Tian Shan, got swept up by Northern Barbarians and became arrow fodder, surrendered to serve as a common soldier, then returned home with an injured body—him?”

“You listened quite carefully.”

When Gayan teased, Hoxiong’s face reddened.

But he didn’t open his mouth further.

Because his mouth was itching all the more.

If he had his way, he wanted to invite him to the alliance and listen to stories all day long….

“Hmph. It’s all bragging.”

He said that and stopped.

The children who had gathered began asking their own curious questions one by one.

Then the stories became harder to hear, which made him feel unpleasant.

“It’s all bragging! Hah. Climbing Tian Shan with bare hands? Getting a true word from the Residual Soul Alliance at Qinghai Lake? Running across grasslands with Northern Barbarians, fighting under General Guo Weilong’s command, and even subjugating the Rebel King together with Xiao Tian—you expect us to believe that?”

“You listened quite carefully.”

Hoxiong burst with frustration.

It was because those little brats were chattering noisily.

Gayan teased.

She also looked displeased.

“Then let’s verify it.”

“What?”

“Let’s verify it.”

Suddenly, a boy who had been quiet until now spoke up.

The boy, no, young man who had just turned nineteen was called one of his family’s three heroes and had even earned the proper nickname “Swift Whirlwind.”

In the past, the name Shandong had been attached before that title.

Akmungi of the Shandong Ak Family stood up, taking his spear.

***

Biwuyan usually started that way.

The children of martial families couldn’t just engage in idle chatter.

As they talked, they would naturally compare the martial arts they had learned and test their skills against each other. Everyone had gathered knowing this would happen, so it was a natural process.

It usually started with those from humble families first.

As they squabbled among themselves, the stage would grow larger.

By the time that blade reached Geomun, the guests from the main family would also gather one by one.

Therefore, Akmungi stepping forward was both a perfectly natural occurrence and a special event.

“Did you really fight for three days and nights?”

“I’ve walked for two full days before.”

“All night?”

“A person can sleep while walking.”

“What if you get attacked then?”

“You must control your mind. In the end, breathing is what matters.”

“Bah. Anyone can say such things.”

Xie Baowei smiled gently and answered sometimes playfully, sometimes seriously.

The children, who had initially been intimidated by his rough scars and large stature, gradually approached him comfortably to ask questions.

“I am Akmungi of the E Family.”

Pushing past them abruptly, Akmungi strode forward and stood before Xie Baowei.

“The more common the saying, the more important it tends to be…”

Xie Baowei had already noticed him approaching but deliberately pretended not to see and turned his head away.

But the children couldn’t do the same.

Even those who had been listening innocently were startled and stepped aside.

“I would like to witness your martial arts.”

Only then did Xie Baowei raise his head.

“…I’m just a soldier returning home.”

“That doesn’t matter. I’m simply curious.”

Hah.

Xie Baowei let out a deep sigh.

Huangbo Lüli, who stood at the entrance with his arms crossed and back against the wall, pressed his forehead and glared at Xie Baowei.

‘This is different from what you said.’

Even his gaze felt like profanity.

Xie Baowei turned his head, trying his best not to meet his eyes.

“…Are all of the E Family like this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ak Munheon. He was the same. He wouldn’t open his mouth at all, but once he did, he always followed through.”

Damn it.

Xie Baowei muttered lowly and deliberately made groaning sounds as he supported his leg and stood up.

“I thought there was supposed to be an order.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He really won’t listen, will he.

Looking around, the children were also watching Akmungi with somewhat bewildered expressions.

…No, what am I supposed to do if the E Family steps forward already.

Xie Baowei felt the same way.

“My, I’m worried this might damage your reputation.”

“That also doesn’t matter.”

Damn it.

While reputation doesn’t determine everything, the public generally believes it does.

That’s what Xie Baowei had been aiming for.

He thought he could naturally resolve the situation without much trouble by sparring with the children, creating the appearance of an adult teaching children.

After all, his target was Jang Sahyeon.

But the E Family…

This way, he’d really be an idiot whether he won or lost.

Damn. What can I do about it.

Xie Baowei deliberately limped once more and loosened up his body.

I’ll have to win first and think later.

“Well. Let’s have a go then.”

As soon as he accepted, a space was instantly created.

The children surrounded them in a circle, forming a wall.

The senior members of Geomun who had been on the hall already came forward and stood with their arms crossed.

“Weapons?”

“How could I bring dangerous things to where children play.”

When Xie Baowei, having steeled his resolve, smiled broadly, Akmungi’s face hardened.

He too had been inwardly looking down on Xie Baowei, so he was offended by the attitude that seemed to regard him as inferior.

And rightly so.

What had been Xie Baowei’s nickname in the past? Wasn’t it the Ignorant Worm?

At that, Akmungi’s eyebrows twitched and he planted his spear firmly in the ground.

“Then I too will face you with bare hands.”

“…Isn’t that cheating?”

Who here doesn’t know the reputation of the E Family’s bare-handed fighting?

As Xie Baowei grumbled, the veins on Akmungi’s forehead became more prominent.

Hardening his square jaw, Akmungi spoke in a low voice.

“I’ll yield the first move.”

“I was going to anyway.”

Xie Baowei responded as if he had been waiting for those words.

There seemed to be a light stomping sound, then the next words were heard from right beside him.

“Do that.”

Thump!

The stepped deeply in front of Akmungi was filled with tremendous spirit.

He contained calmness (Water) in his exhaled breath, spread vitality (Wood) in his strong steps, firmly (Metal) clenched his fist, then thrust it out like fire (Fire).

All of this was embraced (Earth) in his dantian – this was the Five Elements Heart Technique.

The basic technique of the Huangbo Family flowed through Xie Baowei’s body and extended straight forward.

Crack!

What met it was the famous bare-handed fighting of the E Family.

The confusion from Xie Baowei’s fiery attack that contained both the advantage of first strike and surprise was only momentary.

Akmungi’s hands changed according to the situation.

In an instant, his hands floating through the air to a dizzying degree extinguished the flames – truly scattered (: to scatter) hands.

He spread his clenched fist like a hawk, breaking the momentum – this was the famous Eagle Claw Fist.

While Xie Baowei hesitated, the fist thrust deep like a spear strike – truly the E Family’s fist techniques could be called remarkably sharp.

In that instant, over ten exchanges passed, and the two separated.

The children’s expressions were subtle, but Akmungi’s face was clear.

“…May we go once more?”

“Of course.”

Xie Baowei brushed off his hands.

Akmungi brushed his chest once and with a hardened expression pulled out the spear he had set aside.

“The first move?”

“You yield it.”

Before the words were even finished, Akmungi charged forward.

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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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