The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 36
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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 36
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he assessed the situation, hardened his face, and shot forward.
Though his age was said to be the same as Dongpae and Hwangbo Seungjeong, his ferocity was no different from any young men.
The great sword made a dot in the sky and drew a line through the air.
It was a clean stroke that would send chills down anyone’s spine who saw it.
Even the long-haired man didn’t dare face it and pulled his body back in a long retreat.
Thud. A sound like empty air being torn apart rang out.
“…Crazy.”
The long-haired man unconsciously opened his mouth, then immediately turned his back.
Fang Maqing shouted.
“Where are you going!”
“We’ll meet again next time, Alliance Leader. The Sword Society hasn’t disappeared yet.”
Fang Maqing, who had no intention of letting him escape, put strength into his legs again, but a round explosive dropped where the long-haired man had leaped.
The Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s large body sharply twisted and jumped to the side.
-Bang!
Thick dust scattered from the explosion that occurred nearby.
Though it couldn’t compare to military explosives, it had enough power that no one could remain unharmed if hit directly.
It was when Xie Baowei lowered the arm covering his face and looked into the dust.
“Go!”
Thump.
A loud battle cry pierced through the smoke and flames between the dust, and a black shadow greatly cut through the air.
In an instant, the dust split cleanly in half as if heaven and earth had been divided.
Behind it, a heavy wind blew, thinly dispersing the thick dust.
Through it, the angry Alliance Leader’s eyes examined the remaining Tougui and the fleeing long-haired man.
At the end, his eyes met with Xie Baowei’s.
Xie Baowei trembled momentarily at the murderous gaze like that of an enraged tiger.
Soon hesitation filled the Alliance Leader’s glaring eyes, then he nodded heavily toward Xie Baowei and disappeared into the darkness.
“…Ha. They said he was dying of old age, but he’s not human.”
Tougui, Yan Hui said.
He too seemed to fall into contemplation after seeing the Alliance Leader.
As he alternately looked between where the Alliance Leader had appeared and himself, Xie Baowei spoke.
“Trying to run away?”
“I’m not an idiot, you see.”
“They said you fight wildly without retreat.”
“Going to stop me? Then I’ll kill you.”
Indeed, you can’t believe all rumors.
Xie Baowei shrugged and straightened his body.
He examined the blade and put it in its sheath.
“Ha. Not even making a pretense of stopping me? The Alliance Leader seemed to be asking.”
“I just saw his face once.”
Was there really a need to risk his life? His arm was throbbing too.
The dead guards and scholars of Gungrije were regrettable, but…
“My heart isn’t with the Alliance.”
“…You’re certainly an interesting fellow.”
Tougui’s lips twisted.
Fighting spirit and killing intent mixed and surged before disappearing.
“Well then, see you next time.”
Saying this, Tougui turned his back.
The remaining guards flinched and surrounded him.
Tougui shook his head as if he had no interest in them, then suddenly.
“Ah. I remembered.”
He turned back again.
“Sandong Daeyun. Don’t tell me. Are you that son-in-law of the Hwangbo Family?”
What a damn nickname.
Xie Baowei frowned and nodded.
“…Ha. Well, this is something. Strangely, I keep getting entangled with the Hwangbo Family.”
What.
At the incomprehensible words, Xie Baowei’s face hardened.
Tougui spoke as if amused.
“About 20 years ago, when I first ventured out, the one I met in Shandong was the prospective head of the Hwangbo Family. He wasn’t my first opponent though. He was quite a hero. It was interesting. Really. He was the real deal I met just when my martial journey was getting boring.”
Hehe.
Tougui chuckled as if remembering an amusing memory.
Ah. Xie Baowei’s hand gripped the Qinghan Sword again.
“That’s when I knew. My life is here. This is my life! What does age difference matter! If only he could have lived, I would have served him as my elder brother and fought such battles every other day!”
As if it had truly been interesting, as if it had truly been regrettable.
Tougui clenched his fist and shouted.
His face was full of excitement.
In Xie Baowei’s mind, Hwangbo Yeonhwi’s stern face and the gentle expression that didn’t suit it appeared simultaneously.
Hwangbo Laiyan’s hearty laughter was the same.
Hwangbo Yeonjae’s embarrassed smile, who had come to see Xie Baowei despite being busy with his studies in Qufu.
And even Hwangbo Seungjeong’s wrinkled face.
-Take care of yourself, Brother-in-law Xie.
The father of the three brothers and the eldest son of grandfather.
He was referring to Hwangbo Shangping.
Though he had never seen him, strangely his heart boiled furiously.
The grip that strongly held the sword hilt stung.
Without realizing it, he drew his sword.
“Well, what could I do? I couldn’t spare him. I couldn’t spare him. I won, and he lost. In the gap between life and death, victor and vanquished are distinct. Life and death must also be divided for a perfect ending, wouldn’t you say?”
So I killed him.
Tougui said proudly.
Xie Baowei untied his armband and pressed his identification tag against his broken left arm, binding it tightly.
Before long, Tougui had also drawn his blade.
Fighting spirit surged with his greatly excited momentum.
His mouth chattered incessantly.
“Then recently I met that niece of his. Was her name Hahee? When I told her this story out of fondness, she went crazy and raged, you know?”
Ah.
Xie Baowei actually relaxed his strength.
His furrowed brow smoothed out.
Emotion disappeared.
His heart cooled rapidly.
“Did you touch her?”
“Unfortunately not.”
What?
Tougui now seemed to know what he should touch.
“Instead, I think I left a sword mark on her cheek.”
That’s enough.
Thud!
Xie Baowei’s foot heavily pushed against the ground.
His greatly extended stride shook his body greatly and pulled him forward.
In an instant, Tougui’s face drew near.
His opponent’s eyes gleamed with joy.
“Excellent!”
Clang! Crack!
Clang!
Harsh sounds that were hard to believe came from sword and blade rang out continuously.
The Qinghan Sword that Xie Baowei wielded showed different variations with each swing.
Sometimes the boldness of the Five Great Swords, sometimes the heaviness of Mount Tai’s Giant Fist, sometimes the endless variations of Yijiaopian, sometimes the lightness of the Pleasant Three.
However, Tougui directly parried them all.
Sparks flew with each clash of blades, and the blade tips aimed only for the neck and heart.
Cutting, dodging, thrusting, deflecting – all of it was filled with killing intent.
At this, Tougui laughed like a madman.
“Good! Excellent! This is it!”
Clang! Crash! Clatter!
Tougui went wild as if possessed by a god.
Xie Baowei also faced him without retreating an inch in those precarious moments, living by the blade’s edge.
Crack.
Then suddenly, an ominous sound was heard.
Naturally, it came from Xie Baowei’s sword.
Thang!
Soon, the Qinghan Sword snapped clean under Tougui’s fierce blade strike.
“Ha!”
In that moment of gap, Tougui’s face, twisted with ecstasy, filled with killing intent.
His blade pierced the sky.
Slash!
A rough line came tearing down like it would rip everything apart.
Thud.
Xie Baowei barely managed to turn his body, but from his left shoulder to his side was slashed open in a long line.
“…Damn bastard.”
Xie Baowei staggered back, clutching his shoulder.
Tougui spoke with a growl.
His eyes turned to the broken blade fragment that Xie Baowei had kicked in the final moment and where it was embedded in his own abdomen.
However, the broken sword had cut deeper.
Even while being cut by his own blade, the swing had nicked his forearm.
“Not bad, not bad at all.”
Really not bad.
Even so, Tougui smiled as if he was in a good mood.
“Stop it, Tougui!”
Tap. Patter.
Soon, several more people came running.
Their steps were light. Each one was clearly a master not easily seen.
One of them was strikingly handsome enough to make eyes widen.
It was that ‘Nam Gilin’ who had been with Jegal Seolhye.
Their eyes fixed on Tougui’s wounds.
“What a pity. Such a pity.”
Even so, Tougui’s eyes only followed Xie Baowei.
He drove his blade into the ground and then boldly stripped off his martial robe.
This revealed a hideous torso covered entirely in scars, thick iron plates wrapped around both arms, and tough leather cloth bound around his abdomen.
No wonder the sound was strange.
Xie Baowei pursed his lips.
To think that just a few skin wounds were the result of his fierce battle.
Regardless, Tougui pulled out and threw away the blade fragment that had pierced his belly, then pulled the leather cloth tight and tied it.
Then he even removed the iron plates from both arms.
Thud. Thump. Thud. Thump.
The iron plates were so heavy that dust rose each time they hit the ground.
His legs were the same.
“Now I can move properly.”
During this time, one master who attacked had his shoulder blade dislocated after being thrown.
Even while moving violently, Tougui without his iron armor was more agile and fierce.
Nam Gilin rushed in but allowed consecutive strikes to his chest and retreated.
“Heh. You cheeky little bastard.”
Instead, he carved another deep scar on the forearm that Xie Baowei had cut.
The gaze that had been fixed on Xie Baowei shifted for the first time.
Tougui looked at the deep sword mark carved into his arm. His face twisted like a demon’s.
Grip.
He switched the embedded blade to his left hand.
His eyes alternated between Nam Gilin and Xie Baowei.
His face was hungry like a beggar with two dishes before him.
Meanwhile, warriors who appeared one after another surrounded Tougui, but he paid no attention.
The fighting spirit that had been spreading slowly devoured the space.
Even though surrounded by masters praised by many, it was rather Tougui who dominated.
Gulp.
It was when someone swallowed their saliva.
The tension of not knowing when he might strike was thick, like facing a wounded tiger.
Then.
-Whistle.
Along with a distinctive whistle sound, a column of black smoke rose.
“…Damn.”
Tougui’s face twisted mercilessly.
Whether it was regret at having to stop the fight or for some other reason was unclear.
But it was certain that his anger had risen to the top of his head.
The fighting spirit that had made the space his own turned to killing intent, chilling spines.
“Next time, …see you next time.”
Tougui, suppressing that fury, leaped back.
The surrounding warriors rushed in like a tide, but they couldn’t stop the bastard who wielded his blade like a ghost even with one arm.
“Get away!”
At the same time someone shouted, several round objects flew from all directions.
The warriors retreated like an ebbing tide.
Thud. Whoosh.
However, the fire bombs that fell to the ground only spewed smoke instead of flames.
In an instant, thick smoke rose so densely that nothing could be distinguished.
“Cough.”
Xie Baowei covered his mouth with his arm, clutched his shoulder, and staggered to sit on the ground.
Having lost so much blood, he had no strength.
“Monster-like bastard.”
As he was grumbling, some presence approached and knelt on one knee in front of Xie Baowei, stretching his neck long.
His face came closer.
It was Tougui.
“Haven’t left yet?”
Tougui stared intently at Xie Baowei.
His face moved away.
“What is your main weapon?”
“Spear.”
“…Damn it. Next time won’t be fun.”
Should I just kill him now?
“I’ll make it entertaining for you.”
“Hah.”
Xie Baowei, reading the killing intent, spoke with complete sincerity.
Tougui let out a hollow laugh as if amazed and stepped back.
Until we meet again.
Whoosh.
Tougui disappeared.
The long night came to an end.
***
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Xie Baowei met Jegal Seolhye with bandages wrapped around his body.
His eyes had sunk deep.
Her face didn’t look good either.
“They were good children.”
“…They must have been.”
To her, they were just names in documents.
Names she would have passed by without knowing, but had only seen once because of Xie Baowei.
Who knows, perhaps someday they would have become great figures she’d come to know.
But now, such words were meaningless.
Xie Baowei covered the mat over the two young corpses, burned and slashed.
The faces of Wijimun and Jeyun-jung disappeared beneath the mat.
“…I spoke needlessly. He’ll be waiting.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
Though it was a brief connection, they had truly cherished the boy. Even without words, he would surely be waiting inside.
What could he say about these precious lives?
Xie Baowei bit his lips bitterly.
It hadn’t even been a year since he left the battlefield, yet his heart had already grown soft.
He thought he had been endlessly worn down and dulled until death meant nothing to him.
No. In truth, it had never meant nothing.
“I’m ashamed.”
Jegal Seolhye said, rubbing her forehead as if embarrassed.
Xie Baowei shrugged as if it was nothing.
What fault was there of hers?
“What was it?”
However, he was curious about the reason.
Jegal Seolhye smiled bitterly.
“Let’s move somewhere else. You don’t look well either.”
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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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