The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 262

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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 262. Because I Had Forgotten

 

 

Morning had dawned.

The weather was even more pleasant than usual, as if the tremendous battle from the previous day had been a lie.

However.

The collapsed ruins of the banquet hall testified that the events of the previous night had indeed occurred.

The morning at the Namgung Family Estate was filled with an unusual silence.

It was only natural.

After experiencing such chaos.

It would have been stranger if things were as lively as usual.

Even so, people were awakening one by one.

The servants of the Namgung Family Estate came out with dazed expressions as if the previous day’s events were a dream, then came to their senses upon seeing the devastated state of the inner courtyard.

Namgung Hwa-u was facing the six surviving elders in the Elder Council.

“You brat. Even if you were going to cause trouble, you caused it on too grand a scale.”

Namgung Jong said with a furrowed brow.

“One must walk the righteous path.”

Namgung Hwa-u said calmly as he set down his tea cup.

However, Namgung Jong looked at Namgung Hwa-u as if he found him ridiculous.

“Wasn’t it because of your desire to become the Family Head?”

Namgung Jong’s eyes gleamed sharply.

Namgung Hwa-u nodded his head.

“I won’t deny it. I certainly had such desires. Since childhood. It was with such feelings that I wanted to go to the alliance. When I learned of Namgung Hwi’s existence, I also schemed with such desires.”

His tone was far too calm for someone saying such things.

Like a monk who had achieved enlightenment.

Namgung Hwa-u slowly lifted his tea cup, took a sip of tea, and set it down.

“But you see.”

The gazes of the six people gathered on Namgung Hwa-u.

“You all saw and experienced it, didn’t you? Last night.”

What Namgung Hwa-u was referring to.

The six of them knew all too well.

They could sit here like this because they had been shown mercy.

“It was all meaningless.”

Namgung Hwa-u’s murmur was filled with a sense of futility.

“The position of Family Head of the Namgung Family Estate that I so desperately wanted to become. Our great family was defeated, unable to stop just one martial artist…”

Last night.

After everything had ended.

When he entered his bedroom and lay down on his bed, the thoughts that filled Namgung Hwa-u’s mind.

It wasn’t the joy of finally being able to become the Family Head, the elation of achieving his goal.

It was the futility that his family.

The great Namgung Family Estate.

Had crumbled at the hands of just one person.

Regret.

Sorrow.

Pity.

All kinds of emotions swirled within him.

The picture Namgung Hwa-u had drawn was not like this.

Because it had been a series of such tremendous scenes.

Thoughts he hadn’t been able to organize.

He had just left it to the flow and kept running forward.

But this wasn’t the result he had wanted.

If he were to persuade the Elder Council and become the Family Head.

What would the people of the estate think?

Ha Mu-baek’s puppet?

An occupying force that Ha Mu-baek had put forward?

Right now everyone was too shocked to think about it.

But when day broke, it would probably be different.

Thinking this, he had barely managed to fall asleep.

Today, on his way to the Elder Council, he had met several servants from the inner courtyard.

From their gazes, Namgung Hwa-u confirmed that his predictions from the night before had been correct.

They bowed in greeting, but their eyes seemed to regard him with wariness.

A bitter smile naturally formed.

The gazes of the elders he faced were not much different from theirs.

Namgung Hwa-u, having finished his recollection, met Namgung Jong’s gaze again.

“I thought, what would be the point of becoming the Family Head?”

“Heh. After causing all this chaos, now you want to back out?”

Namgung Jong moistened his lips with tea and asked.

“I have no intention of backing out. I’m prepared to do anything for the reconstruction of the estate. But if I step forward to become the Family Head, it will only tear the estate apart. There will be quite a number of people who don’t look favorably upon me.”

“Someone like you would have calculated that too, wouldn’t you?”

“I had calculated it. But everything went wrong. Because of Ha Mu-baek. Because of that man.”

The reason Namgung Hwa-u’s calculations went awry was nothing else.

It was because Ha Mu-baek’s strength exceeded all imagination.

He never imagined that he would single-handedly bring down the Namgung Family Estate.

Who could have predicted that he would cut down the elders of the Elder Council like that?

“It’s a clear fact that my elder brother Namgung Hwa-hyeon lacks the qualifications to be Family Head. And the same goes for me.”

At Namgung Hwa-u’s appearance of readily stepping back, a look of interest appeared on Namgung Jong’s face.

‘Heh. Did he come to realize reality in the face of overwhelming martial prowess…’

It was an unexpected situation.

The night he had spent worrying about how to prevent Namgung Hwa-u from becoming Family Head seemed meaningless now.

“However.”

Namgung Hwa-u took another sip of tea and continued his words.

“However?”

“There’s something I promised to Namgung Hwi, Ji-hu, and Ji-yu.”

And Namgung Hwa-u slowly began to unfold his story about the new Namgung Family Estate he had envisioned.

After the not-so-short story ended.

“Huh…”

The elders let out deep sighs.

They had no choice.

Weren’t all six people present here from branch families?

The path Namgung Hwa-u presented was like a bolt from the blue for the direct line.

For the branch families, it was new hope.

To prioritize talent over bloodline.

To say that having the surname Namgung was sufficient for bloodline.

It was radical beyond mere change.

“I don’t know who will become the Family Head, but I hope this aspect will be reflected as much as possible. And I’d like Ji-hu to be given the Great Azure Spear Palace Sword.”

Having said that much, Namgung Hwa-u rose to his feet.

“Heh heh, heh heh heh. You’re the one who makes promises carelessly, and then tell us to take responsibility for the aftermath. Cunning fellow.”

At Namgung Jong’s words, Namgung Hwa-u hesitated.

“Now that you understand, withdraw.”

At Namgung Jong’s order to leave, Namgung Hwa-u bowed his head and turned around.

Just as he was about to open the door, Namgung Hwa-u stopped.

“I withdraw because I’ve realized I lack the qualifications to be Family Head… but I intend to devote all my passion and sincerity to making the Namgung Family Estate stand proudly in All Under Heaven once again.”

Only when saying those words did Namgung Hwa-u’s eyes shine.

As he was about to leave the Elder Council with a light heart, he suddenly realized something.

There was no law saying that beings beyond imagination like Ha Mu-baek couldn’t emerge from the Namgung Family Estate.

Though Namgung Hwa-u himself couldn’t become such an existence, he would become the foundation stone so that someone from the Namgung Family Estate could become that.

That had now become Namgung Hwa-u’s life goal.

‘Yes. That’s enough.’

On his way to his quarters, he encountered more servants.

Gazes filled with various emotions.

Having found a new life goal, Namgung Hwa-u was able to calmly bear those gazes as he walked.

 

***

 

Around lunchtime.

It was Namgung Hwi’s family who visited the Elder Council.

Namgung Hwi, Namgung Ji-hu, and Namgung Ji-yu.

They sat facing the six elders.

“Hwi. What do you plan to do now?”

“I’ve already achieved all my purposes. I should return.”

“Return?”

Namgung Jong was startled by Namgung Hwi’s answer.

He was a master who had completed the Emperor Sword Form.

And one who had reached the Super Peak realm at that.

Now that most of the elders who had served as Guardians had passed away.

In a situation where even one master was precious.

Namgung Hwi was saying he would return.

No, did someone from the Namgung Family Estate even have a place to return to after leaving here?

“I intend to return to the village that gave me a new life. I originally left prepared to die, but since I lived, I should go where I belong.”

“Then what about your martial arts?”

Namgung Jong’s question.

“I can give them up if you demand it. I can promise never to use Namgung Sword Techniques for the rest of my life. However, I cannot destroy my dantian.”

It was a calm but firm answer.

Namgung Jong’s gaze turned to the siblings.

“What about Ji-hu and Ji-yu?”

“We plan to return to Gyoryong Hall. We’re still second-year cadets after all. And we intend to change our names. Since we’re now branch family rather than direct lineage, we should use single-character names.”

Namgung Ji-hu spoke calmly.

“I plan to just be called Hu, removing the generation character.”

The generation character that indicated direct lineage rank.

Because it was mandatory in names, direct lineage names had two characters.

Namgung Ji-hu was saying he would remove that from his name.

“Me too.”

Namgung Ji-yu also said she would become Namgung Yu instead of Namgung Ji-yu.

“Hmm…”

Namgung Jong’s contemplation deepened.

“I heard the story from Hwa-u.”

At those words, Namgung Hwi smiled bitterly.

“You may disregard it. I was blinded by greed at that time. When all that mattered was the children’s safety. Please disregard everything and instead, I beg you to leave the two children unharmed.”

Namgung Jong looked at Namgung Hwi speaking thus.

Following Namgung Hwa-u, even Namgung Hwi showed such an attitude.

“We don’t really care either way. We’ll simply follow the family’s will. However, both Hu and I cannot destroy our dantians.”

Namgung Ji-yu, no, Namgung Yu spoke with a confident face.

Three people.

One family.

They seemed to have no lingering attachment to the Namgung Family Estate anymore.

Their attitude was somewhat understandable.

In fact, Namgung Jong felt the same way.

What was this mere family worth that he had devoted his entire life to it?

Such thoughts had occurred to him.

Ha Mu-baek’s martial prowess, which exceeded the realm of human imagination.

Had made them all this way.

 

***

 

The guest house was quiet.

It was natural if you thought about it.

The people of the Namgung Family Estate, knowing all too well who was staying here, didn’t even come near.

Chu Dong was holed up in his room.

While constantly drawing divination.

The divination that came out every time he drew was.

Seol – Tongue.

‘Wh-why… why…’

Chu Dong’s face was deathly pale.

Was the sweat he had shed yesterday, that drenching amount, not water after all?

Had his thinking been wrong?

Since he couldn’t draw divination at that moment, he had simply believed that and put all his effort into wagging his tongue.

The divination hadn’t changed. If water had been added to tongue, completing the character for ‘live’ with the three-dot water radical.

Now the divination for ‘life’ should have appeared.

But it was still tongue .

He had lost the gamble again.

It had been a bet with his life on the line.

Creak.

His room door opened.

It was Ha Mu-baek.

“Wh-what brings you here…”

Ha Mu-baek stared at Chu Dong intently.

“Your work is finished.”

Chu Dong’s expression changed strangely.

The divination still showed ‘tongue’ but the work was finished?

What was he supposed to do?

“But it’s not over.”

Ha Mu-baek’s following words.

“You’ll need to guard your tongue well. Last night’s events and rumors about the children. If you wag your tongue carelessly…”

He could understand the rest without hearing it.

Chu Dong nodded his head.

Now the secret of the divination was finally solved.

He had to watch his words until the day he died. Otherwise.

That monster would….

“I can quickly find out where you are by asking the Beggar Sect.”

He would even conduct surveillance through the Beggar Sect.

That monster was certainly capable of doing such a thing.

“Ah, I understand.”

Chu Dong answered with a trembling voice.

“Then, go. From now on, when you use mystical arts, when you run your mouth, think twice, three times. If something like this happens again….”

Ha Mu-baek turned his body.

He had already finished talking with Namgung Hwi, Namgung Ji-hu, and Namgung Ji-yu in the morning.

They had decided to send Chu Dong away like this.

The warning to guard his tongue well was solely Ha Mu-baek’s own idea.

If such a fellow wandered around spreading rumors carelessly, even non-existent rumors would arise, so this was a measure he took.

Chu Dong hurriedly packed his luggage and left the Namgung Family Estate just like that.

Under the sharp gazes of the Namgung Family Estate people, his legs moved really quickly.

“He’s gone.”

“Yes.”

Ha Mu-baek answered briefly to Gongsun Mu-oe’s words.

“I’m not sure if it was right to let him go like that.”

Gongsun Mu-oe spoke as if anxious.

He was a mystical arts practitioner who had no internal energy but could use mystical arts.

Since even Namgung Hwa-hyeon had been eliminated, there would be no reason for him to spare his body.

The worry was what if he used mystical arts recklessly like in this incident.

“I’ve taken measures. He won’t act rashly.”

“If you say so, then it must be so.”

Gongsun Mu-oe nodded his head.

“But did something happen last night?”

“Nothing happened though?”

“But you look like you have complicated thoughts.”

Old ginger is indeed spicy.

Gongsun Mu-oe immediately recognized Ha Mu-baek’s state of mind.

Ha Mu-baek only smiled bitterly.

“Well. Who am I to worry about, really. You’ll handle things well on your own.”

Then he went into his room.

Ha Mu-baek lightly leaped up onto the rooftop of the guest house.

It was a habit.

Climbing to high places and surveying all directions.

He didn’t know how he had developed such a habit.

But when his mind was complicated, climbing to high places and looking around helped ease his frustration a little.

“Jianghu….”

In fact, he had never thought about it until now.

He had lived for revenge.

He was living to finish his revenge.

The reason Ha Mu-baek had stood behind So Hwi-ung was because he hadn’t finished his revenge.

Take the Sanwol Great Wall for instance.

But now doubts had arisen.

Whether the Jianghu that So Hwi-ung desired was truly a Jianghu where he could finish his revenge.

The Jianghu that Ha Mu-baek desired.

There was no such thing.

He just wanted to finish his revenge.

“Does that not matter anymore now?”

Last night.

He had single-handedly brought down the Namgung Family Estate.

In fact, Ha Mu-baek himself was surprised.

He had thought he might be able to do it, but he had accomplished it much more easily than expected.

His life as an instructor at Gyoryong Hall had brought changes to Ha Mu-baek as well.

“Because I had forgotten.”

He had completely forgotten the thought that he needed to finish his revenge.

He had simply been faithful to each day at Gyoryong Hall.

Those troublesome fellows.

It was thanks to those fellows.

Last night.

When So Hwi-ung told him to try living for the Jianghu that Ha Mu-baek desired.

Only then did he recall his revenge.

“Living like this is also good.”

Ha Mu-baek muttered calmly.

A faint smile hung on the corners of his mouth.

 

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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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