Surviving as a Cripple in Murim – Chapter 79

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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-Clatter Clatter Clatter-Clatter!

Inside the spacious, well-appointed carriage that resembled a luxurious room, Sima Bu slowly blinked awake.

‘Of all the dreams I could have, why that one?’

It was a memory he should never forget, but it was still a humiliating past.

Especially to his family, it was a secret. It was embarrassing.

He could imagine Cheoni’s dejected face and his peculiar way of speaking as he stealthily backed away.

“Dressed as a girl, traveling across the Central Plains and even to the Western Regions? And you even received confessions from several men?”

“Teehee… I don’t like this Papa… I want a new one…”

He was a kind and gentle child, like his mother, so he probably wouldn’t say that, but still, he didn’t want it to happen.

Even if there was a reason, he could never reveal that he had dressed as a girl in his early teens.

Naturally, the existence of Sima Hwa, the alias he had used back then, should also remain a secret.

It was a secret he would take to his grave.

Anyway, he must have fallen asleep while working on the documents, something unusual for him. He was probably just tired.

Sima Bu looked for the stack of documents to finish his work, but they were already neatly organized.

Yeonhwa’s beautiful red eyes sparkled as she placed the last document gently on the table.

“If you were tired, you should have slept more.”

She scoffed at the head of the family, who couldn’t even manage his own health and fell asleep while working.

It was a typical taunt, aimed at an opponent who had shown a moment of weakness.

Normally, Sima Bu wouldn’t let such a challenge slide and would have retorted, but

-Rustle Rustle…

he wasn’t in the mood right now. He silently scanned the organized documents.

There were no mistakes. Ironically, as he spent more time teaching Yeonhwa martial arts, he ended up teaching her how to handle his work as well.

“Good work. Thank you.”

He voiced his thoughts and turned to look out the window.

“Excuse me?”

Yeonhwa, who had been preparing for a verbal sparring match, anticipating dozens of possible responses, was momentarily stunned by his simple reaction.

“You showed a moment of weakness before me, and now you’re thanking me?”

She narrowed her eyes, suspicious.

“What are you… plotting…?”

“I said thank you because you did a good job. Nothing more.”

There was nothing she could say to that. A strange silence filled the carriage.

Awkward by the unexpected atmosphere, Yeonhwa also turned to look out the window, idly punching the soft, cotton-filled cushion.

“Why is this carriage unnecessarily large, and why do we have escorts, a chef, a physician, and servants? Are we moving? Is this a mass migration?”

“You are a symbol of the alliance between the Sima family and the Bai Hua Sect. It would be troublesome if you were injured or kidnapped while carelessly wandering around.”

Sima Bu’s gaze shifted from the window to Yeonhwa.

Reflected in Sima Bu’s amber eyes, eyes that seemed to flicker with flames, Yeonhwa saw a girl who slightly, very slightly, resembled her younger self.

“And no matter what anyone says, you are nominally my adopted daughter.”

He uttered the promise he had made long ago, a promise that had become tattered and worn, a promise he had failed to keep more often than he had kept.

“As long as I am the head of the Sima family, Sima Clan members will eat the best food, wear the best clothes, and receive the best treatment. No exceptions.”

A self-deprecating smile touched Sima Bu’s lips, as if he found his own words amusing.

“Well… now there are only three of us left who can be considered true Sima Clan members: me, you, and Cheoni.”

Perhaps it was because of his unusual demeanor, or perhaps it was because he had granted her request to visit her brother at the Martial Alliance headquarters.

Yeonhwa stopped being confrontational and offered words of comfort, befitting the Saintess of the Bai Hua Sect.

“That will… naturally be resolved if my brother and I work hard.”

“……?”

Even if he wasn’t a father figure she admired,

she had nominally been his adopted daughter and had been cared for, so she intended to repay his kindness by creating a large family with her beloved brother.

However, creating children required ‘that’ act, and…

imagining the shape of her brother’s ‘thing’ as described by the maids, Yeonhwa blushed and quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway! Don’t worry! More importantly…”

A serious expression settled on her beautiful, porcelain doll-like face.

“Is my brother alright?”

“He’s at the Martial Alliance headquarters, so he should be fine. But he got involved with the Nangong Family.”

“Are they that dangerous?”

She had done some research beforehand, but all Yeonhwa knew about the Nangong Family was that…

after the previous head couple was brutally murdered, Nangong Lin, Nangong Xian’s younger sister, became the head, but the family was internally divided due to suspicions that she had assassinated her own brother to seize power.

And as a devout Zoroastrian, Yeonhwa found this incident utterly incomprehensible.

She couldn’t understand Nangong Xian, who had married another woman despite having a younger sister in his family, but she found it even more baffling that a sister would kill her own brother for mere power.

‘The people of the Central Plains are barbaric.’

As Yeonhwa was thinking this, Sima Bu frowned and shared what he knew.

“To be precise, it’s the previous head, Nangong Tian. He’s the dangerous one.”

Martial artists started incorporating titles like King or Emperor into their aliases after the War of the Eight Princes,

a conflict among eight princes of the Sima Clan.

After the War of the Eight Princes,

the Five Barbarians (Xiongnu, Xianbei, Di, Qiang, and Jie) invaded the Central Plains and established numerous short-lived kingdoms during the Sixteen Kingdoms period.

It was a time when anyone who conquered a piece of land declared themselves king, so the title of king became insignificant, and…

seeing this, martial artists…

“Wow~ everyone’s calling themselves king. I want to be king too. From today onwards, I’m the Sword King!!”

“Then I’ll be the Fist King, since I’m good with my fists!”

started incorporating “King” into their aliases.

When the chaotic era ended and a unified dynasty was established, they discreetly dropped the “King” from their titles, but even with the current Deng Dynasty watching,

there was one who stubbornly used the title of Emperor.

That was one of the Ten Great Masters, the Thunder Emperor, Nangong Tian.

“A megalomaniac playing the role of retired emperor behind the scenes, pulling the strings.”

“And a madman who ordered the assassination of his own son, Nangong Xian.”

Listening to Sima Bu’s quiet words, Yeonhwa finally understood

why he was so against her getting involved with the Nangong Family.

It wasn’t just because Nangong Tian was dangerous, but also because…

Sima Bu was involved in the assassination of Nangong Xian, the previous head of the Nangong Family and the father of Nangong Xiaoshao, who was currently traveling with her brother.

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t kill him. I just brokered a deal and introduced an assassin.”

“An assassin…?”

“There is. He could have lived a peaceful life if he had stayed with me.”

He recalled Wu Ming, who had calmly replied, “I’ll go die then,” when he was told he was going to die, and then…

said, ‘Sorry, Senior Brother. I promised them I’d kill whoever they wanted,’

before severing their brotherly bond and going to assassinate the Crown Prince. Just remembering Wu Ming’s face made Sima Bu’s blood boil.

“That crazy bastard obsessed with chicken porridge, who became a public enemy of the martial world.”

‘Chicken porridge? Public enemy?’

Confused by his cryptic words, Yeonhwa simply tilted her head cutely.

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Hefei, Anhui Province, the location of the Nangong Family’s main estate.

A cold beauty with navy blue hair streaked with gray.

Nangong Lin, the puppet head of the Nangong Family, gathered the traitors who had colluded with the Sun Moon Holy Cult, following the orders of her father, the true head of the family,

Nangong Tian, who was visiting the main estate after a long absence.

“What is the meaning of this?! You bitch! You’re getting too big for your britches just because Father favors you!!”

Nangong Tian had many children, and…

“Father won’t stand for this! Release us now!”

Nangong Che, unable to grasp the situation he was in, was one of them, shouting pathetically.

Nangong Lin didn’t respond to her relatives’ protests.

The reason was simple. She didn’t have the authority to. So, she simply waited in silence.

And now, the time had come. Suddenly, the air in the room shifted. A sharp, electric current surged through the air.

“Now, now, Che, don’t get so worked up.”

Confident eyes, black hair streaked with white, a neatly trimmed beard and hair, a benevolent yet stern face.

A tall, dignified elder.

“I just have a few questions for you. That’s why I arranged this meeting.”

“Why did you collude with the Sun Moon Holy Cult?”

Nangong Tian, one of the Ten Great Masters, the Thunder Emperor, entered the room.

“Now, tell me everyth…”

“F-Father! I don’t know what this wicked woman has told you, but I’m innocent… Aaagh!?”

A blade flashed, severing Nangong Che’s ear. It had been drawn from Nangong Tian’s waist in the blink of an eye.

“Who gave you permission to interrupt me?”

The benevolent face from moments ago was gone, replaced by the cold visage of a ruthless tyrant.

“Who gave you permission to make excuses?”

Emperor’s Sword Stance.

An overwhelming, invisible pressure filled the room.

“Just answer my questions.”

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Swossh an ear begone 😶