The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family – Chapter 102

I stared at him with a look of surprise.
At the same time, I understood why he had wanted to speak with me so secretly.
I never expected Lee Tae-gyeom’s name to come up here.
I spread my energy and erected a barrier of qi around us.
Even though I had confirmed there were no people nearby, one could never be too careful.
“Is what you’re saying true?”
“Yes.”
“This is…”
Those Black Night Fortress bastards seemed to be genuinely trying their hardest to stab me in the back.
There was no other reason they would attempt something like this.
I felt fortunate that I could at least learn of it this way.
But questions still remained.
“Why did you come to me instead of my father… the Family Head?”
“As you know, my relationship with my older brother is not good.”
Jin Yu-seong explained in a calm voice.
“Besides, I’m not entirely sure, but I heard you’re the expert when it comes to those people. You were also instrumental in bringing back your uncle and driving out Lee Tae-gyeom.”
“I won’t deny that.”
“Furthermore, it seems their target is you, so there was no reason not to tell you. That’s why I came to find you.”
“I see. I’ll express my gratitude to you, Uncle.”
Thanks to Jin Yu-seong’s confession, I had narrowly avoided the worst possible scenario.
What if he had succumbed to the enemy’s temptation?
A rebellion might have erupted while I was away from the family, traveling outside.
In that case, the Main House would have fallen into considerable chaos.
‘No matter how much the Great-Uncle is there, one can never be certain.’
Unless Black Night Fortress were fools, they would have certainly prepared countermeasures for that.
It truly would have been dangerous.
“If you had joined them, Uncle, it would have been gravely perilous.”
“Probably so.”
“But I have one question. Is there a reason you rejected their words and confessed to me like this?”
In a sense, it was a sensitive question.
I was essentially asking him outright why he hadn’t betrayed me.
But my uncle, Jin Yu-seong, was a man with ambitions for power.
If I didn’t clarify this matter, an unexpected variable might arise.
“There are two reasons.”
“Please tell me.”
“First, I cannot trust those people. Staging a rebellion based solely on their words? I wouldn’t earn the respect of the family members, and there’s no guarantee of success. Even if it succeeded, there’s no certainty I’d become the Family Head. In other words, it’s a dangerous gamble with almost no chance of success.”
“That’s true…”
“From the start, the family’s support has been concentrated on you. Because of the achievements you’ve demonstrated, there’s no gap to wedge into. In such circumstances, if I were to covet power, I would only lose everything.”
He was a sharp man.
I couldn’t help but think so.
My uncle Jin Yu-seong seemed far more quick-witted and perceptive than I had initially assessed.
“…What is the second reason?”
“I thought that if I revealed this fact beforehand and earned your gratitude, the probability of you granting my request would be higher.”
“A request for me?”
“Yes.”
Jin Yu-seong spoke with a serious expression.
“Allow me and Jin Cheon-hui to establish a branch family of the Bukcheon Sword Family.”
“…!”
I couldn’t help but be surprised once more.
A branch family, no less.
I had no idea Jin Yu-seong harbored such an ambition.
After gathering my thoughts for a moment, I asked him.
“Why would you make such a request?”
“I’ll be honest. I love power. I’ve always wanted to be the best in the family, and in the past, I competed fiercely with my brother for the position of successor.”
“I’m aware of that fact.”
“But now, because of your existence, no matter how hard I struggle, I cannot seize power. The same applies to my son, Jin Cheon-hui.”
Indeed, the power of the Bukcheon Sword Family is now thoroughly concentrated in my father and myself.
“So I want to request permission to establish a branch family. If we leave the main house and create our own nest, we may not become a dragon’s head, but we could at least become the head of a lesser serpent.”
“You are truly…honest.”
“I saw no reason to lie. Especially in a situation like this, it seemed better to meet with sincerity rather than heap on unnecessary flattery.”
Jin Yu-seong spoke thus, his eyes gleaming.
“So, what do you think?”
“I will support you, Uncle.”
At my answer, given without a moment’s hesitation, Jin Yu-seong’s eyes gleamed with surprise.
“Truly?”
“Yes. Did you perhaps think I would refuse?”
“I certainly considered the possibility. Establishing a branch family would inevitably weaken the main house’s power.”
“Conversely, it also means gaining influence through the branch family that cannot be obtained from the main house. To be frank, I see no reason to object.”
“Hmm.”
“Moreover, you revealed all the facts to me first and made this proposal, did you not? So I felt I too must uphold my honor.”
I was sincere.
If he had continued hiding this information, that would be one thing.
But he came to me immediately upon learning of it and revealed everything.
There may be reasons or circumstances for not revealing it sooner, but….
In any case, he had chosen to stand with me.
Then I ought to reciprocate accordingly.
“Thank you.”
Jin Yu-seong, or rather my uncle, spoke those words while looking at me.
I smiled faintly and met his gaze.
We stared at each other for a moment, as if confirming each other’s true intentions.
“So, what do you plan to do now?”
“I need to deal with those who have sunk their fangs into the family. But if I try to eliminate them outright, I’ll only be able to cut off their tails.”
“That’s true. They approached me quite cautiously as well.”
“Then I should use this situation to our advantage. Uncle, do you have any talent for acting?”
“You’re planning to use me as bait?”
“Yes. If you pretend to cooperate with them, we can draw out their full strength and expose any remaining spies within the family. I believe you’re capable of this.”
“Hmm. Very well. But you’ll need to meet my conditions properly.”
“Of course. I’ll explain the situation well to the Family Head.”
“Good. Then I should take my leave now. I’ll contact you again later.”
With those words, he tossed something with a flick of his wrist.
It was a folded piece of paper.
When I unfolded it, I found a brief record of everything that had happened so far.
I bowed to him and tucked the paper into my robe.

* * *

After finishing the meal naturally, I headed straight to the Family Head’s Administrative Office.
Father and Great-Uncle happened to be gathered there in conversation.
I asked them both for a private word and relayed what I had heard from my uncle.
“Hmm….”
“Those wretches! They still haven’t abandoned their lingering attachment to the Main House!”
Father wore a puzzled expression, while Great-Uncle was furious.
But I spoke with a calm demeanor.
“This will continue to happen in the future. At least until either Black Night Fortress or the Main House falls, it will be the same.”
“So you’re saying we should use this opportunity to eliminate all remaining collaborators.”
“Precisely. If my uncle performs well, we should be able to achieve significant results.”
“Sigh. More than that, I was surprised. That fellow actually requested a branch family….”
Father rubbed his face.
“May I ask why you accepted such a request?”
“As I mentioned, I thought it was reasonable. The Main House wouldn’t suffer greatly from establishing a branch family, and if we create a branch family in regions where the Main House’s influence is weak, the overall influence of the entire Bukcheon Sword Family would expand significantly.”
I paused for a moment before continuing.
“It could also serve as a contingency plan for the future. Should the Main House ever come under attack and be partially destroyed, we could send our people to the branch family for safety. In that sense, I thought granting your uncle’s request was not a bad decision.”
“I see. That child always wanted to be the best.”
Father spoke with a serious expression.
“In some respects, he was actually more capable than me. But according to the principle of primogeniture, he couldn’t become the Family Head, and now he’s destined to be relegated to a cadet branch. So rather than waste away in the Main House, he probably wanted to become the master of a branch family.”
“I think the same way.”
“Yes, I understand. Yu-seong is too valuable to waste away without a proper position. The inferiority complex and anger he harbored in his heart will likely subside as well.”
I agreed with him.
In the end, it was a matter of emotion.
What must it feel like to watch from the sidelines something you could never obtain for your entire life?
It would likely be agonizing enough to drive one to despair.
Yet my uncle had never overstepped his bounds, despite his ambitions.
‘Perhaps it was the restraint that still remained within him.’
Still, dark emotions must have accumulated in his heart over the years.
Even knowing that the position of Family Head was not without its burdens, it made no difference.
There was a high likelihood he believed he could achieve better results.
But if we gave him this opportunity and made him the head of a new organization….
There was a strong chance the resentment he had harbored would dissolve.
Perhaps he could even achieve genuine reconciliation with Father.
“I should have a conversation with that fellow someday.”
“Not immediately, sir. We risk drawing attention from our enemies if we make any conspicuous moves.”
“True. I understand that much. We should have that discussion only after most matters are settled.”
“Yes, I think that would be best as well.”
With that said, I changed the subject.
“You’ve reviewed all the documents my uncle provided, haven’t you?”
“I have.”
“I believe their next move is outlined there. Take this passage, for instance.”
I pointed to a specific line in the documents.
[Make the Bukcheon Sword Family and Sadoryeon enemies of each other.]
“I suspect they intend to isolate us more directly. They’ll employ whatever means necessary, even if it requires pushing the boundaries.”
“Hmm. But our relationship with Sadoryeon isn’t deep enough for them to go that far, is it?”
“Yes, didn’t I mention it? Sadoryeon agreed to compensate us for what occurred at the Founder’s false tomb. And in my assessment, they’ll use that as a pretext to cultivate a favorable relationship with us.”
“Why would they?”
“Because I exist.”
No one failed to understand what that meant.
Perhaps the greatest prodigy of this generation.
Whispers already suggested I was destined to become one of the Thirteen Venerables, considering my age.
Thus, they would likely seek to cultivate good relations by looking to me.
It was an arrogant statement, yet both men nodded readily.
My position had naturally risen to a level where such declarations came naturally.
“Then if they intend to make Sadoryeon our adversary….”
“They’ll employ some scheme in between. For example, they might attack those bringing us our compensation.”
In any other place it might be different, but if such an incident occurred within Bukcheon Sword Family territory, it would be all too easy to pin the blame on us.
Moreover, whoever comes as their envoy—if they were captured and controlled through some method like isolation….
We might be struck from behind when we least expect it.
And as a result, they could slander our family or spread rumors about us.
“Therefore, I shall take charge of this matter myself.”
I rose from my seat and spoke.
“I shall go personally to receive the envoys of the Sadoryeon.”
That way, I could respond flexibly to any unforeseen circumstances that might arise.

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