The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 64

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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 64

“…If it’s the Xiao Qi Battalion, isn’t that a terrifying place?”

“It’s directly under the Imperial Court. Right now they’re following the Crown Prince around.”

When Hwangbo Yeonghil asked, Namgung Bin answered.

Wow… Imperial Court. Hwangbo Yeonghil’s mouth fell wide open.

“Wow…? That’s amazing, right? Then? Wow. That uncle was really a scary uncle.”

Dangyeonhwa opened her mouth.

Of course, no wonder he seemed so unusual.

As she nodded while muttering the same thing, Dang Cheongi smacked her forehead.

“As if anyone could be as unusual as you.”

“…Ugh. I’m telling you that uncle was really a weird uncle.”

And then she went on to say,

How much they had suffered coming here, not avoiding sleeping outdoors even with two children, eating only bland food, being somewhat meddlesome, appropriately giving and receiving bribes while not crossing the line,

Anyway, he didn’t treat them like children at all.

From the adults’ perspective, just bringing along this brazen little kid would have been troublesome enough, but the girl spoke as if she had been the troublesome one instead.

“Rather, this little brat is the weird one.”

She said, pointing at Yingying.

“Anyway, well. If it’s the Crown Prince, he must have some influence…”

“That’s a bit ambiguous though.”

“Huh? Why?”

“There are such things.”

Dang Cheongi smiled bitterly. Young Yeonhwa wouldn’t understand yet, but adult circumstances were quite complicated.

Especially if those were the circumstances of the Imperial Court, no, this nation’s next emperor.

“Still, it is impressive.”

Peng Sohui said blankly.

Xie Baowei, who had declared his credentials, was slowly walking alone on horseback through the enemy soldiers.

“It’s literally not an exaggeration to say one against a hundred.”

“He was from Jingtianhao. Is commanding a thousand men easy?”

Ahem. Hwangbo Yeonghil spoke unconsciously with a proud voice.

Peng Sohui glanced sideways at the back, at the other commander they had just seen, and said.

“Same rank of commander, but worlds apart.”

“…How could these rear guard soldiers who just transport and guard supplies be the same as a border commander.”

Dang Cheongi said, shrugging his shoulders.

Looking roughly behind, the atmosphere had changed a lot.

From the soldiers’ standpoint, it was like getting something for nothing, but from the higher-ups’ perspective, their money source was about to fly away.

Still, well, there was nothing they could do about it…

“…I should go first.”

Namgung Bin quietly observed the situation and then spoke.

“Eh? What? Young Master Namgung?”

“Something seems strange. It was unreasonable from the start to target us. Their reaction is also a beat slow…”

“…You’re going to look for Qitian? Now?”

“He couldn’t have gone far.”

Namgung Bin said that, then muttered something to Namgung Seol, and finally glanced once at Hahee before turning his head.

His body leaped as if flying and ran toward where the Imperial Army commander was.

Soon, there was a brief commotion in the area, then a horse with gray spots on its white body began running like an arrow.

It was Namgung Seol’s horse, Liuhua.

“What should we do?”

“What do you mean what should we do. We watch and then run away.”

Dang Cheongi answered Peng Sohui’s question.

Then, Hwangbo Yeonghil shouted.

“Huh? Hey! They’re, they’re fighting!”

“What? Damn it!”

***

Clatter!

Chun-gil jumped back to dodge.

“A horse? Backwards?”

Not just backwards, but sideways too.

Xie Baowei, who had kicked away the guard who struck at empty air, turned his head and struck to the side.

Thud!

The iron mace that couldn’t dodge in time made a loud sound like hitting a leather ball.

With this, twelve had already fallen.

“One cavalry… worth a thousand.”

Even though he was only facing about thirty guards, those words naturally came to mind.

They say one cavalryman can face a thousand. How many such people could there be…

“Are all soldiers of the Xiao Qi Battalion like you?”

Ha Cheoljin asked as if dumbfounded.

If all Imperial soldiers were like that, he’d have to fold up the mountain retreat and run around hiding.

“…Well. Roughly.”

Xie Baowei nodded with an ambiguous expression.

Since it was right for bandits to fear the Imperial Army, he thought there was no need to say otherwise.

“That can’t be. If that were true, there wouldn’t be so many bandits running wild across the nation.”

Ha Cheoljin chuckled.

Wasn’t he also a bandit?

“Why ask when you already know?”

Clang!

The horse charged forward in an instant.

The one that had been standing still leaped so powerfully that the impact shook the ground.

Even though he had released fifty percent of the force, it felt like his grip would tear apart.

“Hup!”

However, he endured it.

Ha Cheoljin’s upper body swelled greatly.

What he feared most now wasn’t that long mace, nor Xie Baowei who wielded that heavy weapon like chopsticks,

but that horse.

Thump!

He planted his feet deep and leaped forward.

As his upper body bent like a bow, his body shot out like an arrow.

Strike before the horse can turn around!

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Scrape scrape scrape!

The dirt ground was scraped, raising dusty clouds.

Bang!

“Crazy.”

However, it was Ha Cheoljin who was defeated again this time.

Ha Cheoljin, who barely managed to block the striking long mace, trembled his thick forearms in shock.

“…Is that really a horse?”

He thought he was looking at a tiger or wolf.

It was the first time he’d seen a horse that had leaped forward scrape the ground and instantly turn around.

Combined with those fierce large eyes, the saliva and misty breath spraying from its muzzle, the cry that shook his mind, and the heavenly general-like human on top of it, it was exactly like a monster from stories.

“Are you blind?”

Creak.

Even when struck from above, he endures.

What tremendous strength!

Xie Baowei grinned wickedly.

Xie Baowei swiftly raised his spear. In response, Chun-gil also lifted his front hooves high.

Well then, let’s see if you can endure this too.

Toward the enemy hastily retreating, Chun-gil leaped forward on his hind legs alone.

Along with that, Xie Baowei’s descending spear split the air.

Thud!

The solid ground trembled.

Huff. Huff.

The metallic scent of blood was felt from his bitten lips.

Ha Cheoljin rolled on the ground, barely dodging, and stood up again.

They had only properly clashed for a few exchanges, yet cold sweat poured down.

Clip-clop.

Horse and rider now leisurely turned their bodies.

Their movement was as if they were one body.

They say the Northern Barbarians are like that, but are all the elite soldiers at the border truly like this?

There were only allies around, yet no one dared to raise their head and face him.

Even Ha Cheoljin himself.

Grind.

He gritted his teeth.

Living through the turbulent martial world, when had he ever felt such powerlessness?

When his mother fled in the night? When his younger sibling starved to death? When he was captured by bandits and worked like a slave?

Countless events came to mind, but no matter how much he searched, none involved facing a person.

In this case, it’s not a person but…

“…I’ve changed my mind. Get off your horse. I propose single combat.”

“I refuse.”

“Damn it.”

Ptui.

Ha Cheoljin spat sharply.

After pondering for a moment, he gripped his iron axe tightly.

“What do you intend to do?”

Xie Baowei shrugged his shoulders.

It wasn’t as if he had any particular plan either.

“Disperse. Well… unless you’re really planning rebellion. Looking at your faces, it seems half of you aren’t even here by your own will.”

“Half are here by their own will. We do need a place to settle.”

“Then blend in.”

Hah.

Ha Cheoljin smiled crookedly.

“We came to this land abandoning our homeland, ancestors, and customs. Yet they still insist on dividing and discriminating, which is why things are like this.”

Xie Baowei’s mouth shut tight.

What could he say?

“…Did you plan to spend your whole life doing menial work? You don’t seem like that type of person.”

Xie Baowei tilted his head.

Looking at those pigs behind him and the rough bandits, it seemed quite different from this strong man’s desires.

Yet there must have been a reason he stayed…

“Hmph. The victor’s arrogance is excessive.”

Ha Cheoljin frowned deeply, then shook his head.

“I’ll take care of the bandits myself. …Can’t you just leave the residents alone?”

“Hmm.”

Xie Baowei pondered.

In truth, though he stood here, he didn’t know the detailed circumstances.

Why was Lüli fighting the Imperial Army, and yet the other side wasn’t helping either?

When did the Nangong siblings arrive?

He could only guess from the faces and expressions of the gathered people.

Xie Baowei spoke to Ha Cheoljin.

His eyes were gloomy.

“That’s not for me to decide. It’s something the people here must decide.”

“If no one protects them, who would accept them?”

“…”

Sigh.

Xie Baowei couldn’t give any answer. Several things came to mind, but none served as an answer.

So he quietly uttered words that sounded like excuses.

“…Sunmu will soon calm down. There are no seeds of rebellion.”

Seeing that the Nangong siblings had come, he knew Qitian’s scheme had reached this place.

Since this side hadn’t been broken, now it was the other side’s turn to break.

Though the boundaries between provinces are thick, the people of Sichuan aren’t inherently harsh by nature.

Given time, they would eventually blend together.

…As long as those above don’t do anything harsh.

“Is that so?”

Ha Cheoljin smiled bitterly.

Looking back at the Guizhou people, his face showed not a trace of trust in the government.

There was only concern about where to lead these people.

“What’s your name?”

Suddenly, Xie Baowei asked.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t even heard his name.

At that, Ha Cheoljin chuckled and held up the iron axe in his hand.

“…I must be getting old. You can’t tell even after seeing this?”

“I can’t tell?”

“…It’s Ha Cheoljin.”

“Oh?”

Oh?

…Damn it.

Ha Cheoljin’s face contorted as if he’d eaten dung.

What a truly magnificent exclamation.

“Take care.”

I wanted to see you once, and here I am seeing you like this.

Xie Baowei gave a slight nod and turned his horse around.

It was time to go see my beloved who had been running toward him but stopped.

***

On a ridge where the entrance to Chenggu was barely visible, a man stood.

He was the one called Lim Junggeol, or perhaps Qitian.

No matter what, it seemed difficult to easily change his appearance, as he maintained his gaunt and tall middle-aged form.

His eyes continuously tracked below the ridge.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

“There’s a treasure buried in the soil over there.”

A man behind him asked as he climbed the ridge.

Despite the rough and difficult mountain trek, his voice was calm as if it were nothing.

They were about ten paces apart.

“I was pondering how to use that raw stone to make it shine beautifully.”

Lim Junggeol, speaking thus, finally withdrew his gaze from Xie Baowei and Yingying.

Turning his head, he saw a very handsome man.

It was Namgung Bin.

Strangely, he was covered in wounds.

These weren’t injuries from fighting the government soldiers.

Blood dripped steadily from fresh wounds that seemed recent.

He took another step forward.

Now they were nine paces apart.

“Being so perceptive must make for a tiring life. Don’t you think?”

“The early bird catches the worm.”

“Am I the bird in this case?”

“Then try getting bitten by a worm.”

His limbs trembled and his body lacked strength.

After overexerting his entire body, he had squeezed out even his recently recovered internal energy.

Even so, there was no sign of distress on Namgung Bin’s face.

No situation seemed to feel like a crisis to him.

Lim Junggeol smiled broadly.

“A worm. That hardly suits you.”

Perhaps because he himself didn’t feel that way.

He possessed a brilliant and serene confidence that couldn’t be diminished no matter how much one tried to cut it down.

The vast self-respect inherent to someone who had shouldered and surpassed endless expectations and admiration would support him.

Lim Junggeol acknowledged this.

He was a man who deserved such recognition.

“Thanks to you all, four months of work has crumbled, so how about showing some mercy?”

Lim Junggeol spoke with a face showing no regret whatsoever.

“You’ve lost nothing, yet you complain so dramatically.”

Namgung Bin stepped forward again, speaking as if amazed.

Seven paces.

From what I could see, Qitian had been the architect of this plan, but not the investor.

Turning a village into a fortress, gathering people, paying bribes…

All the money for that would have come from merchants.

That was Qitian’s way.

But did those merchants suffer only losses?

No.

Hadn’t they seen the potential?

Moreover, without revealing their true identities, they had put forward small trading companies connected through two or three intermediaries, making it safe.

In the end, they would cover their tracks.

“Oh my. I lost Tougui to that one, and Gwanghwa to you. On top of that, didn’t my precious time and plans go to waste?”

“Yes, yes. It must have been truly difficult for you.”

“…I heard you were a humorless man, but I didn’t know you had a talent for irritating people.”

“I’m rather quick to learn.”

Thinking of the stoic man he had traveled with for a while, Namgung Bin took another step forward.

Six.

“What a pity. To clip a phoenix’s wings.”

Lim Junggeol sighed as if truly regretful.

“Don’t feel sorry. Dragons have no wings.”

Five.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, guards poured out from what had seemed like a place with only two people.

Namgung Bin stabbed and slashed them as if accustomed to it.

One step.

Another step.

Three.

In an instant, thirteen guards fell.

Taking a large step forward, Namgung Bin swung his sword.

Five guards fell at once.

What remained was one.

Just one pace.

Namgung Bin stood tall.

“You brought three Guryeongdan units, thirty-nine in total, and you single-handedly annihilated them, then cut down the Obangwi in one stroke… This is quite something. I nearly made a big mistake.”

Thirteen, nine, five,

“Isn’t that right?”

Three.

Huff. Huff.

The sword stopped just an inch away.

A whip wrapped around his arm, a halberd piercing his side, and a weighted club embedded at the tip of his solar plexus.

And one more.

“…Qitian.”

The martial arts world had countless organizations, and their systems were diverse too.

Generally, they were heavily influenced by Buddhism and Taoism in matching numbers,

Among those influenced by Taoism, Heaven-Earth-Man, Five Elements, and Nine Palaces were very common.

However, after a certain organization appeared and fell, cases of incorporating all of these at once and even matching thirteen became very, very rare.

“What… are you… really?”

Namgung Bin spoke with an unusually hardened expression.

For someone who rarely showed panic, this was a face not easily seen.

Lim Junggeol scratched his cheek thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded.

“Thanks to you, I’ve had a good idea, so I’ll tell you.”

With a clear smile,

“Allow me to introduce myself properly.”

Bowing his waist exaggeratedly in greeting,

“I am the current Magyo leader, Lim Junggeol.”

What people call the Magyo, don’t they?

Qitian, no, the Magyo leader smiled wickedly.

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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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