The Hwangbo Clan’s Beloved Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 89
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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 89
Swish! Crack!
Ropes shot out one after another.
The ends were bluntly twisted several times over, and these things flew like iron flails attached to whips.
Their strikes were heavy, yet their changes were countless.
A troublesome weapon indeed.
Thwack! Crack!
“Damn.”
Xie Baowei dodged some and deflected others.
The rope was too thick to cut through, and when he tried to strike it away, it curved back toward him.
“This bastard really.”
What was more troublesome was that Zhang Jing’s body wasn’t staying still.
Usually those who wielded long weapons like spears or whips had flashy techniques at the tip while keeping their base firmly rooted.
But Zhang Jing moved.
And forward at that!
“Doesn’t know how to.”p>
Xie Baowei shouted as he charged forward.
To throw away the advantage of a long weapon himself – how grateful!
“Have a proper conversation!”
Didn’t anyone teach you manners!
Swish!
As both figures moved forward, the distance between the two men closed in an instant.
Xie Baowei’s blade cut through the air first.
It was only natural.
Even in this darkness, gauging the opponent’s distance was the foundation of all martial arts, and knowing one’s own reach – height, arm length, and blade length – was the beginning of that.
“Damn it.”
Creak.
Xie Baowei clenched his teeth hard.
Though he rarely panicked, this time he was flustered.
One step further.
Zhang Jing’s body penetrated deeper.
Swish.
Having closed to punching distance, he swung the rope he held short right in front of Xie Baowei’s face.
There was no dodging or deflecting it. Zhang Jing’s left hand moved strangely as it reached out to grab Xie Baowei’s wrist.
“Ugh.”
Xie Baowei groaned as he retreated.
His body, which had been leaning heavily forward, creaked in various places, but he managed to step back appropriately.
However.
“Where do you think you’re going.”
Zhang Jing wouldn’t just stand still.
As the rope he’d held short was released, it maintained its flying speed while only extending in length. Exactly as far as Xie Baowei had retreated.
His left hand was the same. Advancing as much as the retreat while swinging greatly up and down.
Indeed, just like his nickname!
Net Entangler
“Ghost Hand! Don’t let him catch you!”
Dangyeonhwa shouted.
Hearing her voice that was close to a scream, Xie Baowei drew in a short breath.
When changing the situation after already giving up the initiative, there were several methods – one was to solidify one’s defense and wait for an opening.
The other was.
“Ha!”
Breaking the pattern.
Xie Baowei’s body surged forward again. His joints creaked once more from the sudden braking.
As he stepped forward, his left knee lost strength. His body twisted without him realizing it.
His left leg was something that occasionally caused problems even when things were going well.
But sometimes, such movements could be advantageous.
The unexpected movement created an opening.
He raised his left hand and grabbed the rope that couldn’t correct its trajectory in time.
Even in that moment, Zhang Jing twisted his hand and the rope wound tightly around it.
His right hand was given to Zhang Jing. But before it could be twisted and broken, he was able to close in first.
What remained was the face of the sea man facing him at one step’s distance.
Grin.
“Disgusting.”
From the intense movement, faint heat radiated from his entire body.
Xie Baowei grumbled at Zhang Jing’s smile.
He could feel strength entering Zhang Jing’s hand that wrapped around his right hand. He was helplessly dragged by the pushing and pulling force.
Rather, this was what he’d hoped for.
This time his left leg held firm. He stepped deeper with his right foot. To others it would look like he was being dragged and falling, but well.
Zhang Jing’s widened eyes approached in an instant.
Crack!
“Urgh!”
…Nngh.
Thud. Thump.
Zhang Jing staggered backward.
The rope that had wrapped around Xie Baowei’s left arm came loose and fell. The hand that had been gripping his wrist was the same.
Instead, what he was holding was his own forehead.
It was a damn brutish headbutt.
Even though I had responded properly, my skull rang.
“Ugh.”
I barely managed to hold my throbbing head and look ahead, only to see Xie Baowei also clutching his forehead and glaring at me.
“Crazy… Do you train that separately or something?”
I’m clearly the one who hit him, so why do I feel like I’m in more pain?
Xie Baowei rubbed his forehead.
What should have been a smooth forehead now had a bump protruding from it. He had to rub the horn-like protrusion several times.
Even in that moment, it was Zhang Jing who had met him head-on. But no matter what, he was the one who had struck first.
Moreover, when it came to having a hard head, he himself was no pushover either.
“Hmph. …Well, trying to beat a sailor’s thick skull, are we?”
Zhang Jing raised his head while rubbing his own forehead.
A sharp horn had also sprouted on his forehead.
It was clearly throbbing with pain, yet his face showed no change.
No. He was clearly forcing himself to endure it.
“Does the sea breeze train your head too?”
Xie Baowei grumbled as he responded.
While doing so, he glanced at Zhang Jing.
His rough aura was still fierce like crashing waves. Even so, he didn’t feel as tense as before.
It was because he had backed down after just one headbutt.
If life and death had been at stake, he wouldn’t have relaxed his strength even if his forehead had split in two.
Zhang Jing opened his mouth with a growling tone.
“What did you come here to say? If you simply came to stop us, you’ll have to stake your life on it.”
Good grief.
Xie Baowei shook his head from side to side.
“Are sailors’ introductions always like this? If we have two more conversations like this, there won’t be any head left.”
“It depends on who you’re dealing with.”
Zhang Jing answered without backing down.
Still maintaining his stern aura, Xie Baowei fumbled in his robes.
Soon, thud.
Something fell between them.
It was a tassel that glowed yellow in the moonlight even in the middle of the night.
“This is the sword tassel of someone called Namgung So. If you’re from Hwahung Trading Company, there should be someone who recognizes it.”
Though he couldn’t bring the actual sword, what this meant was clear.
As Zhang Jing stared at it intently, one of the guards stepped forward, picked it up, and brought it to Zhang Jing.
“Heavenly Sword Hall expresses deep regret about this incident. This was not the Hall’s intention, but arose from a misunderstanding with a guest of the Hall, and they wish to apologize on their behalf.”
Xie Baowei continued quietly.
This was nothing less than Heavenly Sword Hall’s acknowledgment and apology. Of course, it wasn’t delivered directly, but considering they had sent medicine and supplies all this time without a single word, this was a world of difference.
As Zhang Jing remained silent, unrest could be felt among the guards.
Xie Baowei observed the atmosphere and quietly kept his mouth shut.
He could continue delivering his message as planned, but sometimes silence speaks louder than words.
The side that couldn’t endure it was, as expected, the guards.
“Ahem. Captain, let’s at least hear what he has to say…”
“You were saying to just destroy and burn everything.”
“Why be so stubborn? Things that can be resolved through dialogue should be handled nicely.”
“You were saying to charge in right away instead of waiting to get beaten.”
“In the end, didn’t we wait a bit?”
“You were saying we came all this way only to hesitate like idiots.”
“Hehe, well. When did our captain become such a coward?”
Zhang Jing glared at the man whispering beside him.
No. That wasn’t all. The bastards who had been ranting about not trusting those dirt-eating scoundrels were now playing innocent.
“Damn bastards.”
Zhang Jing inwardly sighed.
Still, it was good that things were resolved this way. He could still see quite a few who were still dissatisfied, but that was fine.
If this fox-like bastard had resolved it, he would handle the persuasion himself.
What happened next would depend on the results of the upcoming ‘dialogue.’
Though he was the only one who ended up taking a hit for nothing.
Phew.
Zhang Jing looked up at the sky once.
It was a night with truly bright moonlight.
It was also a night too precious to waste on setting out with murderous intent.
The spring breeze carried flower petals as it blew.
Holding his throbbing head and facing a man with a clearly troubled face, his own situation seemed ridiculous.
Moreover, hadn’t this limping cripple come running as if this matter that wasn’t even his own was his own business?
…The Northern Barbarians were as fearsome as the Japanese pirates of the South Seas.
Stories had already reached them on the sea breeze that the Huangbo Family’s son-in-law had been injured while blocking the Northern Barbarians.
With such a body, he had caught Tougui… What was it called? Mad Dog Fox?
How fitting.
Zhang Jing rubbed his protruding forehead again and stared intently at Xie Baowei.
“Ah, stop pulling on my clothes.”
The man who had been emanating a spine-chilling aura just moments ago was now grumbling at the young Dang Family girl as if nothing had happened.
While the young man from the E Family beside him and even the Nangong maid were still tense, he alone was comfortable as if he were in his own room.
What remarkable composure.
No matter how much his subordinates’ mood was lightening, maintaining one’s composure while surrounded by more than twenty guards was no easy feat.
Zhang Jing deliberately spun the rope whoosh, whoosh, in a crosswise pattern a couple of times before wrapping it around his waist.
The rope made a sharp sound as it was wound.
“Good. Let’s try this thing called conversation. What do you have to say? It better be more useful than this building.”
“…If we were going to do this, we should have talked it out from the beginning.”
Damn it. This hurts like hell.
Xie Baowei grumbled.
***
Nothing is more useless than a warrior’s pride.
Xie Baowei truly believed this.
His still throbbing forehead was proof of that, wasn’t it?
“Yes. Then I’ll relay it as is. I don’t think the Alliance will have anything different to say either. Isn’t that right, Leader?”
The one who answered respectfully was a man named Sa Yun-geol.
He was the strategist of Byeogosamdae and the guard who had just picked up Namgung So’s golden technique and handed it to Zhang Jing while whispering in his ear.
He had stepped forward with his head held high and a stern expression, but became increasingly respectful as Xie Baowei explained the mediation plan.
Of course, when discussing the details, he did look around for openings, but he couldn’t match Dangyeonhwa, who had seized the initiative with a magnanimous attitude of giving and taking.
Zhang Jing watched Sa Yun-geol quietly, then bowed his head.
“Hmm. I heard the Wulin Alliance’s proceedings are fair. Indeed, it truly is so.”
Still, the Southern Dragon Alliance had received considerable concessions.
Seeing his rough eyes curve into circles was almost chilling.
“You won’t go back on your word, will you?”
Though those smiling eyes were quite menacing.
“This is Miss Namgung Hee, the precious daughter of the Heavenly Sword Hall Master.”
“Oh my. How rude of me.”
Tiger eyes instantly changed to puppy eyes.
No, since he was a sailor, it would be more appropriate to say shark eyes changed to whale eyes.
Anyway, no matter what description you applied, it still didn’t suit him.
Sa Yun-geol let out a servile laugh and spoke up.
The writing he had scrawled with swift strokes of his brush was neatly written on two documents.
Though he seemed to be writing hastily, his handwriting was neat.
“To summarize, Hwahung Trading Company will establish an independent logistics warehouse and trading post base at Cheongwolpo on the east side of Qiulong Town. In return, Heavenly Sword Hall will open the distribution network in the Hubei and Anhui regions to Hwahung Trading Company and take responsibility for coordinating administrative friction with government offices.”
Is that correct?
Sa Yun-geol looked at Xie Baowei in that manner. Yet his gaze was directed toward Namgung Hee.
Hey, I’m the one in charge here.
Xie Baowei pursed his lips for no reason and nodded.
Sa Yun-geol glanced at Namgung Hee again. She just sat there motionless like a doll.
…That means she agrees, right?
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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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