The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 46

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 46

 

When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

 

My whole body was throbbing and I had no strength.

 

I tried to lift my arm, but it wouldn’t move.

 

When I turned my eyes to look at my left arm, it was tightly bound.

 

It was red, as if blood had seeped through.

 

“Ugh.”

 

I turned to the right and tried to sit up… Thud, I lay back down again.

 

I was too dizzy to get up.

 

I could barely turn my head to look around, and saw two other people lying down besides myself.

 

But I couldn’t tell who they were even looking at them. My vision was blurry, and my head was foggy.

 

My thoughts weren’t working properly.

 

Whew.

 

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

 

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

 

Making noise as soon as I opened my eyes, trying to sit up before checking my surroundings…

 

How careless could I be.

 

Regardless of whether my body hurt or not, this was a matter of habit.

 

“Mmm.”

 

A groan escaped involuntarily.

 

Making noise like that. This was also a matter of habit.

 

However, it had been a while since I felt such pain.

 

When was the last time I was pushed this far?

 

The battle in Guizhou was my last battlefield. …No. That was more of a massacre than a battle.

 

Let me redirect my thoughts.

 

First, there were no enemies around. The shallow breaths I took were thick with medicinal scent.

 

This wasn’t a physician’s place.

 

Though it was a shabby room, it was clearly a guest room. A boarding house… no. An inn.

 

Now that I thought about it, this ceiling wasn’t so unfamiliar after all.

 

The medicinal scent was coming from my left arm… no, from my whole body?

 

Purple gromwell, coptis, mugwort leaves…

 

Panax notoginseng? That’s quite a precious medicinal ingredient. Hmm. Rhubarb? That’s not for me.

 

Cucumber herb, scutellaria, and lithospermum ointment. One of the two lying here has severe burns. Or maybe both.

 

“Huff.”

 

At least, it was certain I was receiving treatment.

 

That meant I was safe.

 

Considering the situation before I collapsed, I wasn’t sure if I should call this fortunate or expected.

 

Xie Baowei groaned and sat up.

 

Every muscle in his body ached as if torn. His body felt heavy, as if something was pulling him down beneath the bed.

 

His throat was parched, but he had no energy to look for water. His head was foggy and his heart was pounding.

 

His neck felt clammy, as if he had broken out in cold sweat.

 

These were typical symptoms of excessive blood loss.

 

In times like this, even ‘true words’ weren’t very useful.

 

It might have been different before losing blood.

 

He couldn’t circulate his internal energy either. His dantian felt tingly, clearly from overexertion.

 

His throat was burning with thirst.

 

Even if they couldn’t stay by the patient’s side, shouldn’t they at least leave a cup of water?

 

Thud.

 

“Are you awake?”

 

A gentle voice, an indifferent expression.

 

It was Namgung Bin.

 

-Would it be alright if I served you as my elder brother?

 

Xie Baowei collapsed back onto the bed and turned over.

 

He thought he had heard something that wasn’t there.

 

“Aren’t you thirsty?”

 

Hmm.

 

But turning back over was too painful. Still, what choice did he have.

 

Xie Baowei sighed and sat up again, turning around.

 

His body felt like it was breaking apart.

 

He accepted the bowl with tea leaves floating on top, as if telling him not to drink hastily, and looked at Namgung Bin.

 

The strangely closer sense of distance felt odd. I’m sure I didn’t say anything.

 

“What. Shall I feed you?”

 

So. Why are you acting familiar on your own?

 

That’s what he wanted to say, but no words came out.

 

He needed to drink water first.

 

However, before he could even bring the bowl to his lips.

 

Patter patter.

 

Light footstep sounds were heard, then something soft pressed against Xie Baowei’s side.

 

“Cough!”

 

Xie Baowei coughed as if spitting blood. The water bowl fell near his legs and spilled over.

 

Yingying was startled and pulled back, which he caught by reaching out his hand.

 

Even then, the coughing and pain didn’t stop, and he writhed for a while.

 

Whew.

 

After finally calming down, he moistened his mouth with the remaining water.

 

When he turned his head, Yingying’s large eyes were full of tears.

 

“You’re safe.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Good that you understand.

 

Xie Baowei nodded and held out the water bowl.

 

Namgung Bin chuckled and poured more water.

 

What’s this. Xie Baowei frowned and was about to speak.

 

“Are you awake?”

 

Namgung Seol followed behind and entered.

 

Namgung Bin’s face immediately returned to that familiar indifferent expression.

 

Rather than being uninterested or in a bad mood, it was a firm expression that seemed unshakeable.

 

“What’s the situation?”

 

“There doesn’t seem to be any pursuit.”

 

“Hmm. As expected.”

 

It seemed he had gone out to check the situation.

 

While listening to their conversation, he looked to the side and saw that the ones lying down were indeed Wei Zibai and Huashen.

 

Despite all that chaos, not a single person had died. It was fortunate.

 

Slurp.

 

The water tasted good.

 

As expected, the water in this area tastes amazing…

 

…No.

 

No. Wait a minute.

 

If the reason this inn room felt familiar was what he thought, this was the village they had stopped at three days ago.

 

The place where the group had agreed to meet again.

 

That village.

 

Xie Baowei had just opened his eyes.

 

That is to say.

 

“…How long has it been since I collapsed?”

 

At the sudden question, the two siblings turned around.

 

“About four days?”

 

“How did we get here…”

 

“I thought we were handling a corpse. I understand how undertakers feel.”

 

Namgung Bin spoke in a calm voice.

 

“They say it took two days to carry you here and arrive. First among us.”

 

Next came Huashen and Yingying, and last to arrive were Namgung Seol and Wei Zibai.

 

So they had arrived yesterday.

 

How moving their reunion must have been was proven by Namgung Seol’s puffy, swollen eyes.

 

“…Mm.”

 

Slurp.

 

The water tasted good as expected.

 

Under Namgung Bin’s gaze, Xie Baowei sipped from the bowl.

 

“It’s empty.”

 

Namgung Bin poured him more water.

 

“…Thank you.”

 

The water tasted very good.

 

***

 

As Namgung Seol had said, there was no further pursuit.

 

That meant many things.

 

At least it meant the Six Demons’ journey to Sichuan wasn’t just to set a trap.

 

“They must be plotting something.”

 

Namgung Seol was most shocked by the fact that Tougui had died.

 

Only after confirming it several times did he nod his head.

 

Though his expression showed complete incomprehension, he accepted it faster than expected.

 

“Tougui earned the resentment of many people. There were many who targeted him. Though he was a dangerous figure, he wasn’t one with high danger priority.”

 

It was because he was a martial artist.

 

Though families wronged by him harbored deep grudges, it was hard to create an atmosphere for open assassination.

 

“Qitian is different. His actions always brought chaos.”

 

He made the Moyong Family embark on their martial world journey.

 

He dared to toy with the Emperor’s daughter. The Imperial Guards assembled.

 

Claiming to be an envoy of the Southern Dragon Alliance, he made the Wulin Alliance dance to his tune. At one point, most of Jawunyeong and Cheongjukrim had gathered.

 

The Namgung Clan Head formally protested at Pojeongsa in Anhui.

 

All of these were matters precariously straddling the boundary between government and martial world.

 

The journey to Central Plains by a prestigious family carrying the blood of an ancient kingdom mixed with Imperial Guards trying to establish the Emperor’s authority, warriors from the Wulin Alliance and Southern Dragon Alliance gathering together, and Jiangnan’s powerful figures clashing in pride.

 

“This time he coveted the mixed-blood girl.”

 

Namgung Seol said.

 

Yingying had fallen asleep beside him again today. Xie Baowei’s hand rested on her blanket.

 

“They say refugees from Guizhou are gathering in Sichuan.”

 

Xie Baowei squeezed his eyes shut.

 

People died, and died, and died, and died

 

And died again.

 

Not Northern Barbarians or Waegu or bandits, but common people, the nation’s people killed by the nation’s soldiers.

 

“What are you trying to say.”

 

It was unbelievable.

 

He didn’t want to believe it either.

 

It had been barely over a year since the Guizhou massacre ended.

 

And yet again?

 

He shook his head.

 

Namgung Seol looked at her brother with fearful eyes.

 

“Rebellion.”

 

Mmm.

 

At Namgung Bin’s heavily uttered word, groans flowed through the gathering.

 

They sat in a circle with only one candle lit.

 

Wei Zibai, reddened and burned, and Huashen, still pale, had barely managed to sit up.

 

Xie Baowei likewise had a wan complexion.

 

“How dare they.”

 

Xie Baowei spoke as if chewing and spitting out the words.

 

How dare they.

 

Whatever the Rebel King’s cause had been, Xie Baowei could not understand it.

 

In truth, he knew a little.

 

Just as an orphan’s life was harsh, what must life have been like for butchers and courtesans, especially those of foreign origin.

 

But he could never agree with it.

 

Countless lives and families had collapsed.

 

He had to destroy them with his own hands.

 

Thinking of how his dream had been simply a small, harmonious family, it was a bitter irony.

 

“…It must not reach the government’s ears.”

 

And so with desperate feelings, Xie Baowei spoke.

 

We must stop it before then.

 

The urgency to silence them came before those words.

 

His eyes gleamed. Even those present here right now.

 

“Please calm yourself.”

 

Suddenly, Namgung Bin’s voice pulled Xie Baowei’s mind back.

 

It was firm and low. Its center was straight and not easily shaken.

 

Snapping back to his senses and raising his head, he saw everyone looking at him.

 

Huashen’s face trembled palely.

 

Xie Baowei forced open his hand that he had clenched until it went numb. His knuckles ached.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“We cannot rashly assume. Whether that is Qitian’s intention, or if he’s simply trying to shake others again for his own benefit.”

 

Namgung Bin continued.

 

Qitian was a unique individual. Though rumors circulated that he had earned tremendous wealth, it was unknown whether he actually spent that financial power.

 

Even after throwing the world into chaos, it was unknown what benefit he gained from it in the end.

 

Whether he simply desired chaos or sought profit within it was also unknown.

 

That’s why he was the most dangerous person.

 

“To speak of defying heaven, there’s too little center.”

 

Though it was a dangerous thought, the Rebel King had been a great figure.

 

Many had risen to overthrow the nation, but few had grown as large as him.

 

Even if remnants were gathering in Sichuan, they were literally just remnants.

 

Most of those who had held the center were dead, and those who survived were either bandit groups or the most lowly people.

 

“Let us separate.”

 

This is not something we can do alone.

 

Namgung Bin said.

 

Wei Zibai tried to resist, but it was unavoidable.

 

He had suffered severe burns on his left side. He would need quite a long recovery period to heal.

 

Huashen was the same. That he lived after being deeply stabbed in the chest was heavenly fortune.

 

As treacherous as the path here had been, the return journey with two patients would be no easy matter either.

 

It was a place where even healthy people died coming and going.

 

And what about the bandits.

 

“Stay behind.”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

Namgung Bin tried to leave Namgung Seol behind, but both sides refused.

 

“Thorns. You could just rest a bit before going.”

 

Still with a sullen face, unable to follow along.

 

“Instead, make sure to kill that bastard Gwanghwa.”

 

Preferably burn him to death, or beat him to death, or slice open his belly, or blow off his limbs to kill him—but cutting off his head should only be done when you’re really pressed for time.

 

Wei Zibai said.

 

Huashen just nodded with his gaunt face.

 

The path they had come was long, but the path ahead was even longer.

 

No matter how treacherous the return journey might be, the path going inward was even more serious.

 

This was why the injured Huashen was contemplating whether to return to Xi’an instead of Chongqing, his hometown.

 

The problem was the interior.

 

“There’s no telling what might happen inside.”

 

Sichuan was always closed off.

 

News was hard to come by, and hard to spread out.

 

The reason the Wulin Alliance began to be called the Wulin Alliance was after it joined hands with the Shu-Chuan Xiapeng.

 

Diancang, Qingcheng, Emei.

 

Not to mention the lofty temples and Domun,

 

‘That’ Dang Family was there.

 

“We’ll have to trust Young Master Dang.”

 

“Well. There’s really no one else to trust besides that gentleman.”

 

At Wei Zibai’s words, Namgung Seol frowned with a grunt.

 

Wei Zibai, being a senior guard of Cheongjukrim, seemed to have worked alongside people from the Shu Alliance before.

 

So he would know.

 

How should I put it… the Dang Family was…

 

A truly peculiar place.

 

“…Sister Ha is there too.”

 

Namgung Seol said while glancing at Xie Baowei.

 

Xie Baowei stiffened slightly once again.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“I wish you good fortune in martial arts.”

 

“You two also return safely.”

 

The group split up.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————