Chapter 235: The Namgung Clan Is in My Hands (5)

Chapter 234 – The Namgung Clan Is in My Hands (5)

“You bastard… Say that again. What did you just say?”

Yun Cheom-san walked down slowly, his cheeks trembling.

Having come all the way down the front steps, Yun Cheom-san glared intently at Bok-seong, his eyes wide.

Since he was even emitting a faint killing intent, Bok-seong’s knees trembled so much that it was difficult for him to even stand.

But…

‘I can’t collapse here! The N-Namgung Clan rests in my hands!’

Bok-seong swallowed hard and calmly met Yun Cheom-san’s fierce gaze, even though he was trembling.

“Did I not ask you? I asked what you said!”

A roar erupted from Yun Cheom-san’s mouth once again.

The momentum was so fierce that even the two gate guards flinched and stepped back.

Even so, Bok-seong kept his eyes wide and did not back down.

Instead, he harbored only one thought in his head.

‘If it were the Young Master…! If it were the Young Master…!’

Finally, as if possessed by something, Bok-seong stood with his weight on one leg, squared his shoulders, and raised his chin.

Then, just like Namgung Cheon, he spat out his words in a somewhat smirking manner.

“Did you not hear me? I said that if you do not help the Namgung Clan right now, our Young Master will turn Young Master Yun Jong-seung into the biggest pushover in the Martial World! Not only that, but he will beat him to within an inch of his life, making him a half-cripple who can’t even function as a human being. If you want him to eat with healthy hands and defecate sitting up properly, shouldn’t you help our clan? Unless you want him to defecate lying down!”

“…”

“…”

Now, not only Yun Cheom-san but even the gate guards stood with their mouths wide open, unable to make a single movement.

‘What on earth is that crazy guy thinking…?’

‘Oh my, that servant is surely going to die today!’

The gate guards looked at Bok-seong with gazes that now even contained pity.

Yun Cheom-san was so red-faced with anger that his entire face was dyed crimson.

Even so, Bok-seong did not avert his eyes.

“Have you truly gone mad because you want to die…”

“But!”

“…?”

Bok-seong clenched his fists tightly.

Having overcome his fear, he now only had a do-or-die attitude.

“If you help our clan, we will definitely reward you! Our Young Master is someone who clearly distinguishes between favors and grudges! He will also appropriately reward Young Master Yun!”

“Ha! I have lived long enough to hear such bizarre words from a beggar-like servant bastard! How could a mere servant like you guarantee such a promise?”

“…!”

A strange light momentarily flashed in Bok-seong’s eyes.

‘It worked…?’

Yun Cheom-san still had a face like an active volcano, glaring at him as if to kill him.

But it was different.

His attitude now was slightly different from when he first dealt with him.

Bok-seong was sure.

‘This is working!’

If it had been completely absurd, Yun Cheom-san would have thrown a punch instead of answering by now.

But wasn’t Yun Cheom-san pressuring him to guarantee the promise?

“I am a servant who has served the Young Master by his side for his entire life, since the moment he was born. I know him better than anyone else! Everything I said is true. If I am wrong… I will proudly commit suicide in front of the Clan Leader!”

Sincerity dripped from Bok-seong’s expression.

Yun Cheom-san glared at Bok-seong with a somewhat complicated gaze.

He knew well that Namgung Cheon was not at the Namgung Clan right now, since his son Yun Jong-seung had recently sent word that he was leaving for Hebei with Namgung Cheon.

The problem was…

‘Just as that guy said, Namgung Cheon is a guy who is more than capable of doing that.’

Even so, Yun Cheom-san was the one who had built up the Yun Clan of Mount Huang to this extent.

He had been keeping a close eye on the changes in the Namgung Clan.

Indeed, the Namgung Clan had been changing rapidly of late.

And at the center of that change was undoubtedly Namgung Cheon.

The fellow who returned alive from the dead suddenly won the Joint Conference, saved the Gold King’s daughter, performed meritorious deeds in Guangxi Province, and even blocked the unorthodox martial artists who raided the Seven Great Clans.

Moreover, wasn’t there widespread word-of-mouth about how he had prevented the downfall of the Paeng Clan and the Eon Clan this time?

At this rate, honestly, even if someone said Namgung Cheon knew how to turn plain water into wine, one might just accept it.

On top of that, Yun Jong-seung was even showing an attitude of strangely worshipping Namgung Cheon…

‘Damn it…’

Although it displeased him, it was not something to be rejected hastily.

How had the Mount Huang Yun Clan come this far?

Wasn’t it by latching onto a great power… no, because of their ability to read the trends of the times well?

A new wind was blowing through Mount Huang.

If so, would it not be bad to latch onto the squirming Namgung Clan this time… no, to help the Namgung Clan and build a close relationship?

Noticing that Yun Cheom-san’s mind was moving in a complicated manner, Bok-seong quickly added more words.

“Although the identity of the enemies who attacked our clan is still unknown, if our clan collapses like this, only your noble family will remain near Mount Huang. Then, the Yun Clan will not be safe either.”

“Are you daring to threaten me right now?”

“From earlier until now, I have only spoken the truth!”

Yun Cheom-san, who had been stiff as a stone, let out a long sigh.

“How many enemies are there?”

Bok-seong snapped his head up.

Yun Cheom-san’s mind had finally moved.

However, he did not know exactly how many enemies there were.

So, applying what he had heard from the gate guards, he made a rough guess.

“It is not certain. However, I believe they are more than twice the size of our clan.”

“That many…”

Yun Cheom-san furrowed his brow.

There were definitely many enemies.

If he brought all the martial artists of the Mount Huang Yun Clan, the numbers would at least be balanced.

But the problem was that the enemy’s numbers were not certain.

If the enemies were too numerous, the Mount Huang Yun Clan would also be in danger.

It could end up being like jumping into a neighbor’s house that was on fire for nothing.

However…

“Please make a bold decision, if only for the sake of Young Master Yun!”

That dog-like fellow was using his son like a hostage.

“Mmm.”

Letting out a groan, Yun Cheom-san spoke in a stiff tone.

“Our clan is helping the Namgung Clan solely because we cannot stand by and watch a neighbor’s misfortune!”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Bok-seong shouted while banging his head on the ground.

* * *

“Pant, pant, pant…! Ugh!”

Having run so relentlessly, Yun Jong-seung leaned on his knees and even dry-heaved.

A majestic city wall was visible in the distance.

It was Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province.

Namgung Cheon’s group had run day and night since departing from Jinzhou the other day to reach Hefei.

However, they still had a long way to go.

To run all the way to the Namgung Clan in Mount Huang, they would have to run for nearly a full day while constantly performing lightfoot techniques.

The problem was that their stamina was already hitting rock bottom.

This was not just a problem for Yun Jong-seung.

“Pant, pant, pant…! It’s Hefei. Let’s rest a bit before going! Pant, pant, ugh…!”

Paeng Su-hyeok quickly swallowed his rising nausea and snorted loudly, pretending as if nothing were wrong.

Yu Hyeon’s face was also pale as he breathed heavily. He was somewhat more stable than Paeng Su-hyeok, perhaps benefiting from taking the Lesser Restoration Pill that Namgung Cheon had given him.

Still, the future was the problem. If they ran recklessly like this, they would not have any strength left to fight once they arrived at Mount Huang.

“Whew, whew. Just as Young Hero Paeng said, how about we rest a bit and set off tomorrow morning?”

“No. We will be late.”

At Namgung Cheon’s firm reply, the cadets’ expressions turned gloomy.

Paeng Su-hyeok flared up and shouted.

“Hey! How do you know if we’ll be late or not? We might not be late!”

“What if we are late then? Could you think that way if the survival of your own clan were at stake?”

When Namgung Cheon asked while casting an indifferent gaze, Paeng Su-hyeok winced and soon scratched the back of his head.

“Sorry. It was a slip of the tongue. But if we keep going like this, it will be a problem no matter how much of a crazy monster you are. How can you even fight for your clan when your internal energy is depleted?”

“Paeng Su-hyeok’s words make sense. Let’s think of a way.”

Even Jin So-hong stepped forward to dissuade Namgung Cheon.

It was not that Namgung Cheon had not thought about that either.

Therefore, while he was lost in thought for a moment, Paeng Su-hyeok spoke again.

“If we absolutely cannot rest, there is a Martial Alliance branch in Hefei, so let’s borrow horses from there.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea! If we ride horses, we’ll be able to save our internal energy!”

Yun Jong-seung and the other cadets also actively agreed. Namgung Cheon did not object to that either.

Thus, Namgung Cheon’s group immediately entered Hefei and sought out the Martial Alliance branch.

The two martial artists guarding the front gate saw the cadets and asked.

“Stop. Who are you?”

“We are Martial Alliance cadets.”

As the cadets stepped forward one by one to reveal their identities and state their business, the gate guards’ expressions changed strangely.

It was a face that seemed somewhat deeply moved, as if looking at someone they were glad to see.

While the cadets tilted their heads in confusion, one of the gate guards even welled up with tears as he spoke.

“Young Master Namgung! It is indeed Young Master Namgung! To think you have grown so splendidly!”

“Huh?”

“Are you acquaintances?”

The cadets looked back with wide eyes, but Namgung Cheon only tilted his head.

That was because Namgung Cheon’s memory only began after he woke up from death.

The gate guards vied to speak.

“I am Oh Hyeong-wi, who used to belong to the Namgung Clan’s Boundless Sky Corps! I heard you became the Young Patriarch! My sincere congratulations!”

“I am also Song Myeong, who was part of the Namgung Clan’s Boundless Sky Corps! It is an honor to meet the Young Master again like this!”

“Ah…”

Only then did Namgung Cheon give an ambiguous response.

It seemed that all of them were martial artists who once belonged to the Namgung Clan.

Among the martial artists who had scattered after the clan’s fortunes declined, quite a few had come to work here at the Hefei branch.

In any case, they had been considering returning after hearing news that the Namgung Clan was recently being rebuilt.

Therefore, they could not help but be deeply moved when the Young Patriarch, who was raising the Namgung Clan once again, appeared before their eyes.

“Is the Clan Leader doing well?”

“I miss the other family members as well!”

While the gate guards spoke with excited hearts, Namgung Cheon quickly brought up their business.

He understood their feelings, but this was not a situation to indulge in small talk.

Upon hearing their business, the gate guards’ expressions instantly stiffened.

“So such a thing happened! I will report to the Branch Leader right away! Please wait a moment!”

As the gate guard hurriedly went inside, Paeng Su-hyeok smirked and said to Namgung Cheon.

“See? I told you people have to use their brains. That way, the hands and feet can be at ease. And as a bonus, you get to meet old acquaintances.”

However, when the gate guard who went inside returned, he wore a quite embarrassed expression.

“Young Master. The situation has become a bit difficult.”

“What is it?”

“They say that because the Alliance is currently at war with the unorthodox paths, the procedures have become strict. They say they cannot lend horses until your exact identity is verified.”

At that, Paeng Su-hyeok stepped forward with an incredulous expression.

“No, didn’t you say you know Namgung Cheon? Couldn’t the two of you guarantee his identity?”

“Of course we tried. But the Branch Leader said it is late today, so we should come back tomorrow…”

“What?”

By this point, Paeng Su-hyeok flared up and stepped forward.

“Did you convey the situation properly? I told you we received information that the unorthodox paths have swarmed toward Mount Huang and are on our way there now! Every second counts, yet you tell us to come tomorrow?”

“I said the same, but the Branch Leader is someone who values procedures very highly…”

“What kind of dogshit talk is this? The clan is in immediate danger, so what fucking procedures…!”

It was then.

“You brat! How insolent!”

At that moment, a sharp voice echoed from inside the main gate, and a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache appeared.

He had slitted eyes like a weasel and a rather irritable-looking impression; he was the Hefei Branch Leader of Anhui Province.

Glaring fiercely, the Branch Leader stared at the cadets.

“What did you just say?”