Chapter 18

WALK!
I cringed and spat it out as blood rushed up my throat and filled my mouth.
“Namgungsae wins! Fengyun Mu Guan loses to Dong Hui!”
Tenth Elder Nam Gung Ho stood in front of the young man named Dong Hui. If the wound on Dong Hui’s gasping shoulder was any deeper, he would have been crippled, unable to hold a sword again.
If it wasn’t for Namgung Ho’s timely parrying and hemostasis, the sword tournament would have turned into a bloody scene.
“……Take the iron sword to the councilor right now!”
Two of the Iron Sword Squad members who were standing beneath the stage of the Sword Festival lightly lifted Dong Hui and hurriedly disappeared.
A hush fell over the room.
I could feel their gazes on me as I tucked the dulled iron sword into my waistband. I could feel Namgung Ho staring at me.
His eyes were a mixture of astonishment, disbelief, and seriousness, and he shook his head to himself as he tried to pout at me.
“Now go downstairs and prepare for the next match. And get some medical attention. I will not speak of the Grand Duke’s overzealous hand.”
“I will.”
If Namgung Ho hadn’t struck at just the right time, he would have gotten another yell from his uncle. I was satisfied that I had stopped it. If only I could drown out her nagging with a sip of blood.
I slowly made my way down the bluestone arena without any cheers or shouts. I felt a strong sense of exhilaration, like I was a real criminal.
I’m going to get beaten until the next match.
As I was descending, ignoring the salivating spectators, a voice shook the sword circle.
“Brother! My brother, Seung! That’s my brother! Hehehe!”
What’s so good.
What a joy.
The crowd came to their senses as the South Palace Wall smiled brightly and waved both hands to announce his presence.
Pa, pa, pa, pa.
A single clap, started by someone, gradually spread and grew. For once, the applause was directed at me and no one else.
“You’re the winner. It is the fate of the winner to enjoy the leisure of the winner, and the loser to feel the responsibility of the loser.”
I see.
Is this what my uncle meant by the leisure of a winner?
I didn’t feel too bad about it, so I straightened my shoulders and smiled at Namgung-wall and Mrs. Baek. Namgungwal also smiled at me, and Mrs. Baek bowed to me with a stern look.
Chu Yue.
As I sat down and made a groaning sound, I could feel Inseochuck sitting down next to me.
“……You’ve done a good job.”
“I didn’t make you do that.”
“My eyes were deceiving me, too.”
“No, I wasn’t. How far are you looking? I’m looking very far, and I’m still looking, and I’m not going to be recognized for it, or I’m going to be cussed out for it.”
“…….”
I can feel my uncle’s gaze on me.
“I thought you were a drunkard, but I didn’t realize you were secretly cultivating a pupil. You’re a fox and a wretch. A very old and nasty fox.”
“Is that a compliment or an insult?”
“Let’s call it both. Agogo, Saxin, more than that.”
I looked at my uncle, then at Donghui’s back as he was being carried away.
“Why does he have to raise a disciple like you. You’re so stubborn, you won’t even try.”
“I dug my own grave.”
“That’s impossible. A swordsman should have that much stubbornness.”
“……What’s the matter, you’re the one singing my praises.”
“So.”
At my rambling, the uncle turned to me, his eyes twinkling.
“No way.”
“You’re right.”
“And now you’re going to take away my apprentice.”
“I have no use for him anyway.”
“I don’t know what’s going on in your head.”
“It’s not the first time you’ve seen it.”
“…….”
How dare you be so confident.
At my aunt’s speechless expression, I shrugged.
“By the way, you’re going to get quite a bit of attention.”
“Yeah, but only for a little while. I’m sure there will be some people who won’t like it. No, more than a few.”
“Old foxes, yes, but there will be others who have been waiting for the right time.”
Well, they’ll show up when the time is right.
“You’ve finished reinterpreting the Iron Sword Ceremony.”
“Not yet.”
Even as I said that, I was convinced that if I could just get a little stronger, I would be able to perform it more perfectly.
It was a combination of experience combined with insane talent that allowed me to complete the Iron Sword Sixty-Six and the Great Kite in just one year.
Damn.
Now that I thought about it, I felt like I was being unfair.
Talent was such a ridiculous thing.
“By the way.”
I blurted out, meeting my aunt’s gaze.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“What look are you talking about?”
“That smug look. It’s disgusting.”
With that, the uncle turned and walked away. I scratched my head as he disappeared. My whole body tingled.
* * * *
He even defeated the late Jiuzhi, who was rising with a stormy momentum and was called the Donghui of the Fengyun Academy, by pressing down with overwhelming energy and strength.
The crowd could not help but be amazed that he could exude such majesty at the age of only fifteen. But the most surprised were the elders of the Southern Palace.
They hadn’t even looked at him for a long time because he had been labeled as a fool.
“…… What the hell.”
“Heh.”
“The Grand Duke has suddenly…….”
The elders’ expressions changed from moment to moment. Their expressions were no different from Tenth Elder Namgung Ho’s.
Especially Second Elder Namgungbon’s expression was distorted, but he quickly hid his discomfort.
“Nothing has been decided yet. Let’s just wait and see what happens.”
“Then, if the real Grand Duke wins and is appointed as the Sojourner, we’ll be able to……!”
“Hmph, even if he were to become the Sovereign, there’s no way he’d be able to climb to the position of Sovereign without a backup, and the Third Duke’s side will be busy. We should see them and make our move. Don’t do anything that will get you caught.”
The second elder, Nangongbon, calmed the elders’ faltering hearts.
He was the strongest man in the Southern Palace of Changcheon.
The countless people of Anhui who followed him.
Furthermore, with the division between the Second and Third Dukes, making a move too soon could draw attention to themselves.
That was the last thing he wanted.
“……However, the Iron Blood Sword Castle is personally watching our backs. Isn’t it risky?”
“Don’t expect the world’s prejudices to change so easily. It’s the public opinion that can’t be turned over like the flip of a palm, and you can’t win it by being a mere martial arts master. To be the head of the Southern Palace family and the head of the family must be able to encompass such a heart.”
That’s why he was so sensitive to public opinion and rumors about the Second Duke. Even though he had never shown his face to the world, he had a very good public spirit, and he was inwardly satisfied that after all his hard work, he was viewed favorably.
“Time is on our side.”
“I understand. We will not rely on the second elder alone.”
Third Elder Namgung Hua Min and Fifth Elder Namgung Dek nodded in relief and left the room, their faces stoic.
By this time, Elder Four, Elder Six, and Elder Seven had turned pale as death.
This was due to the voice of Namgung-ho shouting from the stage, on the floor of the Qinggangseok.
“Namgungse defeated the Third Duke Namgunggal!”
It was the worst.
Gone were the days of being the Grand Duke of the Namgung Clan, and at this moment, when they were in the limelight, they had already been defeated, just as they were closing in on their goal of winning the Sword Festival.
The three elders’ eyes went blank.
* * *
Looking away from the elders, who were preoccupied with their own concerns, Namgung Ho wore a serious expression.
“Namgungse is defeated by the Third Duke Namgunggal!”
Although he shouted it with his own words, it was because an unnatural picture came before his eyes. His opponent, who had obviously risen, was also of the strongest axis. It was obvious that he hadn’t come up for nothing.
But even if he had, he hadn’t been able to overwhelm Namgungal, who was a member of the Southern Palace, and who the elders saw potential in and supported.
I could see the party squirming. He was even grinding his teeth and looking around with bloodshot eyes.
The winner was already on his way down, enjoying his leisurely descent, and Namgunggal, feeling Namgungho’s gaze, tried to speak up about the situation.
“My, my gongyi……!”
Nam Gung-gal was about to say something when he realized that the crowd was watching him, and he struggled to keep his mouth shut. Realizing that something was wrong with his spontaneity, he became dizzy and allowed himself to be attacked several times before he was pushed back and fell to his knees.
The feeling of despondency and helplessness that came over him as he realized that his spear, one of his proudest and most accomplished techniques, had stopped moving was indescribable.
“How dare you. How dare you!”
Namgung Ho also sensed something was wrong and rushed over to Namgungal.
“What’s wrong, Third Gongzi?”
“The …… is not moving.”
“What’s wrong. Why can’t my ball move?”
Seeing Nam Gung-ho’s bewilderment, Nam Gung-gal also expressed his frustration and opened up about his symptoms.
“I can’t even think about listening to what you’re saying because my internal energy is gathered like a stone, and a feeling of exhaustion is rushing through my whole body…….”
Nam Gung-ho stopped talking as soon as he heard the story and immediately grabbed his wrist and inserted a single gong. It was clear that something was wrong with Namgungal, as his symptoms were relatively detailed and specific.
Although she was only thirteen years old, Namgungal knew from a young age the attitude and demeanor of a third-ranked member of the Namgung family, and the mindset of a member of the Namgung family. He knew not to speak in vain.
That would mean that someone had manipulated him.
Namgung Ho’s head spun tensely.
And then.
Suddenly, he remembered the competition they had just had.
“I’ve heard that you can’t use the inner ball, so I won’t use it either.”
It was none other than a young man named Dong Hui from the Fengyun Pavilion who spoke up.
The young man said.
“…… up to the Grand Duke.”
After the Grand Duke, the Third Duke was in trouble…….
Something was going wrong.
But we shouldn’t get carried away. There were a lot of eyes on this place right now, including Gu Feifang and the other members of the Six Great Families.