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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: cyno
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“What do you mean by ‘work together’?”
“Well… let’s talk about Gayeong.”
This guy, at least put some saliva on your lips before speaking.
“About the lady?”
“Well, you see… haha. I’m not usually this nervous, but…”
“You seem too excited.”
I can understand Zhen Guangwu’s position.
He must be in a hurry.
He needs to suppress his rival, Jin Gayeong, as quickly as possible.
It’s almost impossible for a martial artist who became the head of a family to fall ill at such a relatively young age.
In other words, the family head must have been weakened by someone’s schemes.
There are two people who benefited from the family head falling ill.
Zhen Guangwu, who was the de facto power behind the Taiyuan Zhen Family, and Jin Gayeong, who took control of the scattered family power.
But Jin Gayeong would have inherited the full power of the family head eventually anyway.
Since there was no eldest son, she would have inherited the family head’s power smoothly.
So, it must be Zhen Guangwu.
“Ahem… sorry, I made a fool of myself.”
“Go ahead and speak.”
He used schemes to weaken the family head and, when Jin Gayeong returned, had him killed to make it look like a natural death.
Up to this point, it had nothing to do with me.
Whether the family head died or not, whether Zhen Guangwu did something unethical or not, it had nothing to do with me.
If it were the days when I was overflowing with righteousness, I might have cared.
But Zhen Guangwu’s ultimate goal was…
“Gayeong, she’s been through too much, don’t you think?”
That.
“…….”
“That child has to play the role of the Grand Lady, the chief mourner… ugh, it’s pitiful every time I see her.”
The real power of the Taiyuan Zhen Family.
For that, Jin Gayeong, his niece, is nothing but an obstacle to Zhen Guangwu.
“So, what I’m trying to say is…”
“…….”
“Take care of Gayeong for a while. I heard you’re closest to her these days. You’re always by her side.”
The word “take care” had another meaning, which I didn’t need to repeat to understand.
“Don’t let her get any wild ideas, you know what I mean? Why, sometimes people take on too much because of a sense of duty and end up stumbling. I’m talking about preventing that.”
He’s asking me to take care of Jin Gayeong until he secures real power.
“I’ll give you anything you want. I know your strength and value. How about becoming the leader of the inner sect? Or maybe a position in finance? As long as you don’t take too much, I’ll turn a blind eye.”
“…….”
“So, what’s your answer?”
Zhen Guangwu smiled amiably and asked.
What should I say?
No matter what, I have no intention of moving according to his wishes, so it’s meaningless, but…
“Let’s talk about it later.”
“Oh, you need time to think?”
“I guess so.”
I stood up, ending the conversation.
Just as I was about to leave the room, he called out to me.
“Thinking is something you can’t do for too long.”
With a hint of killing intent that he had never shown before.
I had to suppress the sneer that threatened to burst out, like a fox trying to follow a wolf.
After escaping from Zhen Guangwu and returning to the mourning hall…
In the center of the now nearly empty mourning hall, Jin Gayeong sat with her knees hugged, her eyes hollow.
She turned her head blankly and called out to me.
“Uncle.”
“Yes.”
“It’s time to send my father off.”
“Yes.”
Did she know?
That it was undoubtedly Zhen Guangwu who had killed the family head.
Normally, she would have figured it out, but given her current state of grief, there was a chance she hadn’t realized it yet.
“This unfilial daughter wasn’t by her father’s side when he passed, so how lonely he must have been.”
“Over the past three days, the family head must have been pleased to see your sincere demeanor.”
“But even so, this isn’t enough.”
“……?”
“Father shouldn’t be lonely on his journey to the afterlife. He needs companions.”
As she spoke, Jin Gayeong spread her knees.
Where her head and hands had been resting… was the name “Zhen Guangwu” written in small letters.
She wasn’t as fragile as I had thought.
“Uncle, have you ever taken revenge?”
“Revenge?”
“Yes, holding a grudge against someone, tearing their flesh and blood, and thoroughly destroying them socially and mentally, reducing them to something worse than trash before meeting a miserable end.”
“…….”
It’s better not to mention that I’ve done it so many times that I’m sick of it.
“I thought so. You’re too kind to have done something like that.”
“Hmm……”
“I’ll show you. How severe revenge needs to be to resolve resentment.”
“Show me.”
“You’re not going to stop me? I thought you’d say something like, ‘Revenge won’t bring the dead back.’”
“Revenge is for the living.”
“…Even so, I thought you’d say something like, ‘Nothing remains after revenge.’”
“It depends on the person. Some might find enlightenment through revenge.”
“Hmm… I never thought of it that way.”
By the way, Jin Gayeong-style revenge.
I’m kind of looking forward to it.
“Actually, I just came from meeting Zhen Guangwu.”
“Huh? Uncle? Why?”
“He called me. He wanted me to keep an eye on you while he secures power.”
I told her everything he had said afterward.
“Ha, Uncle really is something else.”
“The rest is up to you.”
“Yes, I’ll handle it without bothering you.”
“You don’t have to. I’m your servant.”
“Then you should only do what I tell you. What I’m telling you is to just watch.”
I had always thought of Jin Gayeong as just a kind person.
But during the bandit incident and the Namgung Soso incident, she had shown a hidden fierceness.
Even now, she was smiling, but her eyes were filled with venom.
‘Does she have a plan?’
I’m not sure what Jin Gayeong’s plan is.
But for someone as young as her, Zhen Guangwu isn’t an easy opponent.
Since Jin Gayeong told me to just watch.
I’ll have to keep a close eye on what Zhen Guangwu does next and what schemes he’s plotting.
The Black Ox Fist King
The Black Ox Fist King, Gu Taewoo.
The leader of the Black Dao Alliance, the Dark Lord, and one of the Twelve Supreme Masters.
“So, the conclusion is… you’ve captured twenty minors who aren’t even of age?”
“Yes, they’re all orphans, so there won’t be any repercussions no matter how we use them.”
“Damn it, how many of those brats will be useful? Still, just in case, check their bone structure, and if they’re useless… send the girls to the brothels and cut off the boys’ legs and make them beg.”
“Will the Beggar’s Sect take them?”
“I’ll let the faction leader know, so send them there. But don’t make it too big of a deal to reach the leader’s ears. It’ll be a hassle.”
“Yes, understood. Then the next agenda is……”
The name of the giant man is Gu Taewoo, the Black Ox Fist King, the Dark Lord.
The leader of the national Black Dao Alliance, the Dark Lord, and one of the Twelve Supreme Masters.
“The matter of the White Blade Guest who appeared in Shaanxi.”
“The White Blade Guest, I’ve heard about him. They say he’s stronger than most masters?”
“I’ve brought Wang Sabang of the Wangsa Faction. He’s faced the White Blade Guest directly, so he might be helpful.”
“Let him in. Wang Sabang, that guy’s quite sharp.”
“Yes, Wang Sabang! Come in!”
Creak…!
The large door opened, and Wang Sabang shuffled in through the gap.
As soon as he stood before Gu Taewoo, he knelt and bowed his head.
“I greet the Alliance Leader! I am Wang Sabang, leading the Wangsa Faction!”
Gu Taewoo, true to his Black Dao origins, waved his hand dismissively, as if formalities were a bother.
“Enough, I saw you last time. Cut the useless talk, you’ve met the White Blade Guest, right?”
“Ah, that, that is…!”
“I’ve heard. You attacked the Hangshan Sword Sect, right? Even bribed the Martial Alliance?”
“I’m sorry!”
“No need to apologize. In fact, you did well. You have guts, execution, and can plan. We need people like you in the Black Dao.”
“Thank you……!”
Experiencing the praise of the Black Dao’s emperor with his entire body, Wang Sabang bowed his head even lower.
“Enough of that, let’s talk about the White Blade Guest. What did he look like? How strong was he? What kind of personality or values did he seem to have?”
“His face… I’m sorry. He was wearing a white mask, so all I could see was his white hair.”
“That’s a shame. What else?”
“His personality seemed gentle. He didn’t seem to want to fight unless provoked.”
“That’s just the nature of reclusive experts. Anything special?”
“His voice was very rough. Like Yeyang, who swallowed charcoal to prepare for revenge. Ah, and he said something strange.”
“Something strange?”
As Gu Taewoo leaned forward with curiosity, Wang Sabang cleared his throat and imitated the White Blade Guest.
“When I hid my strength and did good deeds, they called me a fool. When I revealed my strength and walked the path of slaughter, they called me a great man.”
“……?”
“That’s what he said.”
“What a strange guy. Well, anyway, you remembered well. Anything else? Tell me about his martial arts.”
“His martial arts… were strong. No words could do it justice. My brother, a peak expert, couldn’t even lift a hand against him.”
“Give me an example. Among the people you’ve met, who does he resemble the most?”
“Well… that……”
“Don’t hesitate, speak confidently. We’re not those hypocritical Taoists, why bother with etiquette?”
“Well… he seemed similar to you, Alliance Leader.”
“Hmm? To me?”
“I’m sorry! You told me not to hesitate, so……”
“I’m not going to say anything, so don’t worry. Well… he might really be able to rival me.”
“Thank you…! I… I’ve said everything, so can I leave now…?”
“No, wait a moment.”
Gu Taewoo rested his chin on his hand and began to ponder.
He was curious about the White Blade Guest’s origins and identity, but that wasn’t immediately important.
What he needed to decide now was how to handle the White Blade Guest to benefit the Black Dao Alliance.
“He’s from the Taiyuan Zhen Family, right?”
“Yes, the White Blade Guest of the Taiyuan Zhen Family.”
“Hmm……”
The three strongest forces in Shaanxi: the Hangshan Sword Sect, the Taiyuan Zhen Family, and the Wangsa Faction.
In this incident, the Hangshan Sword Sect suffered a major blow, and the Wangsa Faction also took significant damage.
And the Taiyuan Zhen Family… grew stronger.
Two of the three pillars supporting Shaanxi’s cauldron have collapsed.
“Wang Sabang.”
“Yes…!”
“You, gather information on the Taiyuan Zhen Family. And get close to them.”
“Get close, you mean……”
“You can’t bring down the rising sun, so you might as well cling to it. The Hangshan Sword Sect will destroy itself. Their ultimate weapon, Bihwa, has also disappeared.”
“Ah, yes! I’ll follow your orders!”
After Wang Sabang left, Gu Taewoo spent a long time pondering the White Blade Guest’s identity.
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