Chapter 17 - NScans - Novel Scans

Chapter 17




Chapter 17

Episode 17.
“Gaju, you’re such a little bastard, fighting over a single wish.”
There was only one other person, at least as far as I knew, who could criticize Gaju so bitterly.
“Why are you making a scene again?”
“What’s the fuss. Even you can see it.”
“Because it’s so much better than that.”
“You don’t like it anyway.”
I clicked my tongue at the way my aunt turned into a child at the mention of Gaju. I realized how deep her emotions were and how she didn’t like everything.
“Two more to go.”
“Yeah, well.”
“Arrogant. You’re so unconcerned.”
At my nonchalant demeanor, my uncle shook his head as if he didn’t like that either.
“You two, Nan Gonghyuk and Nan Gonggal, have certainly mastered the sword and the techniques of the Southern Palace. So don’t take credit for your victory over them.”
True to their uncle’s words, the men of Anhui’s Wu family were not in any danger as they faced off against the men from Anhui’s Wu Clan. Even when they rushed at me in droves, I gradually mastered the Iron Sword Sect, flowing naturally with my attacks, and victory always came my way.
It was no wonder. I may only be fifteen years old, but I’ve been holding a sword for decades. All honed by the blood and gore of battle.
To those who cried out in disbelief, I gave them the utmost tolerance.
I apologized for past misdeeds with actions and set the stage for the settling of scores.
“When has the world ever given me anything? I should say something ridiculous.”
“Tsk, I see you’re still burning a lot, so maybe you should try a little more spice.”
“You haven’t seen it yet.”
“Have you forgotten what I told you, I have a plan for you.”
“…….”
Ah.
Now that I think about it, that’s what she said before she got involved with Kang Woo-moon.
She told me to look forward to the arrangements she had made.
I was about to say something when I was interrupted by an incoming wave.
“Stir…….”
Sibi, carrying a tray of sweet refreshments and aromatic tea, cautiously circled in front of me.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you and bring you…… cow.”
“It’s okay, put it here.”
With an okay gesture, the old man pointed to the table, and Sibi walked over with a shuffling gait. As I watched him, my eyes were drawn to the tea, which made my nose tingle more than the refreshment.
“What’s the name of the tea?”
I couldn’t help but wonder what the name of the tea was. In my previous life, I had more time to drink my way through the day than I had time for such soothing tea, or else I would have died on a bloody battlefield.
By the way.
“What? Yes, that, that’s what…….”
Shibi blurted out. He was visibly sweating.
Is the name of the car difficult?
“You don’t look well, is everything okay?”
“Oh, no.”
“I didn’t mean to ask, you can go home. Thank you for taking care of me.”
Sibi bowed her head a few more times and then scurried away. I turned to the old man.
“He’s not so scared because he has a bad impression.”
“Bullshit. It’s because you’re asking questions that don’t belong to you, and I’m afraid you’re going to get bitten by some asshole.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have told you to stop drinking, since you’re not so defensive when you’re sober.”
The argument continued unabated, and when he was completely out of sight, he slowly opened his mouth.
“……Must be a joke…….”
Xibi’s gaze never left the teacup, for her wobbly pupils and dry swallowing were impossible to miss without mischief.
And it seemed the uncle hadn’t missed it either.
“I wonder who this man is,” he said, ”who dares to make such a bold move in the South Palace.”
“Why do you assume it’s a man? It could be a woman.”
My uncle and I both deepened our stares.
We were both sick, and we both had bone disease.
So we can’t decide, we can’t be sure. It was a moment when I had to doubt everything from beginning to end.
While I pondered this, my uncle shook off the moisture in his teacup and spat it out.
“There’s no pain, but your movements have become cozily sluggish. You’re a wretched bastard who makes it impossible to exert yourself. A single sip can keep me from exerting myself for six shijin, maybe twelve.”
My uncle-in-law, who had learned about the toxicity in a short time, narrowed his eyes. He seemed to take the situation more seriously than I did.
“Relax,” he said, ”you’ll alert anyone who sees you with your eyes glazed over.”
“How can you be so carefree when I could tear you apart and kill you right now?”
“Do you mean to tell me that you’re going to go rummaging around and ruin the sword council, or that you’re going to wade through all these people to find him?”
The old man snorted at my comment.
“Scattering the energy would mean disrupting the match.”
“They wouldn’t use a poison like this otherwise.”
“Then it would mean that if you ate it, you’d see someone using their ki more easily.”
“……No way.”
I stared at the now-cooled teacup, then turned to face my uncle.
“They say you have to go into the tiger’s den to catch the tiger.”
“And then if you don’t win, it’s all for naught.”
“Only because you still hate me so much.”
I stared at my mug of watery tea and quickly popped it in my mouth. My stomach immediately heated up. The aroma and flavor of the tea would have made the uninitiated swoon.
At the same time, I felt like my body was being drained of energy. The internal energy in my body was gathered like a rock without any movement. No matter how much I tried to move, I was stuck.
There seemed to be no other pain or damage, just a temporary inability to use her internal energy, as her aunt had said.
“Isn’t it painful?”
“Not much.”
“To a mere mortal, the value of one’s history is beyond compare.”
I smirked and shook my head, even though you were just a novice who had just gotten a taste of the power.
In my previous life, I knew more about poison than anyone else. No, I didn’t know well, but I didn’t recognize it and was poisoned a lot.
How insidious the frequent infiltration and sabotage of the military was.
Our food and water were often poisoned.
From mild food poisoning to life-threatening illnesses were not uncommon. It was not uncommon for hundreds or thousands of men to be poisoned at the same time, and to desert the battlefield and fight to survive.
It was I who lived in such a hell by enduring and surviving constantly.
It was also the poison that caused me to die amicably with the Grand Duke.
“Uncle.”
“Speak.”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“You don’t mean to say you’re sorry you can’t do it now.”
“Of course not. But I’m of the same opinion as you, and I believe that you should pay for what you’ve done.”
He glared at the old man, and the old man glared back.
* * *
The illusion that the fourth match would go smoothly was my own.
The arrangement that my aunt had made.
It caught me off guard.
“I’m Donghui of the Fengyun Mansion.”
“He’s a member of the Southern Palace Class of the Southern Palace Family.”
If they could make it to the quarterfinals, they were considered to have proven their skills. If only that were the case.
Ta-da-da-da-dang!
After ten sword attacks in a flash, I realized.
“……Huh.”
Blood oozed from my callused grip, indicating the impact of the blows. If he made a mistake, he would have dropped the sword in front of everyone.
Moreover, this young man, Dong Hui, was so relaxed.
“Huh.”
Embarrassment overtook me at the absurdity of the situation, but I blew out a light sigh and shook off my thoughts.
“How do you know your uncle?”
“He is the man who saved my life.”
“You should use the life you saved for yourself, not that drunkard.”
Dong Hui’s mouth tightened at that.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but don’t insult An Bai Dai Hai. I can give my life for him.”
“Pfft.”
He seems to be an unofficial disciple.
There were a few times when he would disappear without saying a word, and I wondered if he had gone to see this guy.
After a few more fights, I was outnumbered to the point of being unarmed. He was definitely not like the others, but he was a few steps above them.
“I’ve heard that you can’t use your inner ball, so I won’t use mine either.”
Donghui’s eyes narrowed as he practiced his stance. He’s only twenty years old, but he has a different attitude and a different pace.
The way he looks at the sword, and even his mind, which is like a refined blade hidden in a relaxed state.
They certainly look alike. With my uncle.
Even so.
“You’re so relaxed in front of me, I’m impressed.”
It made no difference.
What was the point of being outnumbered? The fight hadn’t even begun yet, and his opponent was a mere child, a novice who hadn’t held a sword for more than a decade.
“An Daehyeop begged me. Please do your best to press the bridge of his nose.”
“You.”
I raised the tip of the sword.
“Me?”
I realized as I emerged from the pile of bloodied corpses.
When I raised my sword, I realized that taking it easy was a luxury.
When Donghwi saw me on the ground, pounded, and slowly raising his sword.
I felt unworthy.
To hold a sword is to be near death.
Anything else is a luxury, and a luxury again.
In the past, when I hadn’t even reached my peak, I had dipped my sword countless times in the blood of peak masters.
Vigilance is not a word I dare to use.
The price of being too relaxed with a sword is a terrible word.
On the battlefield, the foolishness of inattention leads to death.
This young man trusted in his talent, let his guard down, and didn’t know the consequences. In other words, he was blind.
Then tell him.
Teach him.
That there are heavens above the heavens.
The Iron Sword Ten-Six.
Ten, the genus of the Heavenly Sword.
I dare to draw my iron sword against the heavens. It may be nothing more than a blade forged without spending a dime, but even it will not fully overcome the life of an iron sword.
Uncle.
You see me as water.
I am the one who has endured decades on the battlefield with nothing but the will to live, even when my hollow stem has dried up.
The tip of my sword, closing in on him, scatters into dozens of shards, gathering into one. And the tip of Donghui’s sword touches mine.
Tsk, tsk.
The tip of the sword slowly splits.
It was the same with the tip of my sword.
A sword strike that only someone who understands the sword can unleash.
Kugukuk.
The ease that had radiated from the young man named Donghui was gone. How could a man’s strength withstand the pressure of the rushing mountain?
His eyes glazed over with fear. Dong Hui tried to turn his body. A sense of urgency gripped his entire body, as if he would have to face death as he saw it otherwise.
“It’s too late, die now.”
Donghui’s eyes widened at my words. For a young man who had never faced death before in his life, the fear he felt for the first time was indescribable.
“Ah…… no, no!”