Chapter 209

Unlike Paeng Gong, whose breathing had turned ragged, Taecheon was still breathing as calmly as ever.

“Tsk, tsk. What was that? One Emperor and Eight Kings? Are you kidding me? Look at the state of you.”

Paeng Gong had nothing to say.

“I’ll do as you say, sir.”

When he lowered his head, Jeok Mugun said,

“Starting today, you train with those brats.”

Paeng Gong’s head snapped up.

“Pardon?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me. Put on those black bands and train with the youngsters. Starting right now.”

“R-right now?”

“That’s right. I ought to call in the other Eight Kings and test them too. If you lot fight White Horse Heaven in this condition, we’re in serious trouble.”

White Horse Heaven?

What was that supposed to be?

“What are you waiting for? Get those black bands on.”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

A promise was a promise.

Paeng Gong wrapped the black bands around himself as instructed.

Stagger—

They were heavy.

They’ve been holding the horse stance wearing this much weight?

His son, Paeng Cheon, looked at him with pity.

Paeng Gong clenched his teeth.

There was no way he could show weakness in front of his own son.

Pretending nothing was wrong, he settled into the horse stance.

Jeok Mugun’s gaze shifted toward Hwangbo Su and Namgung Baek.

“You two, join him.”

“Pardon? U-us too?”

“Not just you. Call every bastard you brought with you. Honestly, the state of the martial world worries me. How the hell are we supposed to fight White Horse Heaven with a bunch of chaff like this?”

He shook his head and sighed, then suddenly roared at Hwangbo Su and Namgung Baek, who were still standing there blankly.

“What are you doing? Move!”

“Yes? Yes!”

*******

Paeng Gong sat there with a vacant expression.

It had been a very long time since he had trained until every last ounce of strength had been wrung out of him.

And the horse stance had only been the beginning.

There had been running, climbing cliffs, and endless saber swings.

Until today, he had believed his saber art was perfect.

It wasn’t.

The Heavenly Martial Emperor had chewed him out so thoroughly that Paeng Gong felt as though he had received a lifetime’s worth of scolding in a single day.

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

Even so, he found himself smiling.

This was an opportunity everyone in the martial world would covet.

He had received instruction from the Heavenly Martial Emperor himself.

Thanks to that, even flaws in the saber form he had practiced incorrectly for years had been corrected.

A habit ingrained over a lifetime would not change overnight, but once he fixed it, he would undoubtedly become stronger than he was now.

It also felt strangely good to be back in the days of his youth.

“Father. Are you all right?”

Paeng Cheon asked cautiously.

Paeng Gong laughed.

“Of course I am, you brat. What about you?”

“I’m fine. I’ve been doing this for several days now, so I’m starting to get used to it.”

“Work hard. Receiving instruction from the Heavenly Martial Emperor is no different from a fortuitous encounter.”

“Yes.”

“Come to think of it, we really are lucky. Father and son, both receiving the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s instruction at the same time.”

“That’s true.”

Father and son looked at each other and smiled.

“But if the other Great Families find out you’re receiving instruction like this, do you think they’ll sit still? I bet they’ll come running immediately.”

“How would those bastards even find out?”

“The Azure Sky Unit and the Heavenly King Unit are here.”

“Ah!”

Paeng Gong had been so absorbed in training that he had forgotten about them.

“Surely they wouldn’t report that I’m training here.”

“They probably will.”

“Ugh. Then they’ll come swarming in before long.”

“You need to establish yourself here before they arrive.”

“Exactly! Starting tomorrow, we train even harder.”

“Yes!”

Someone happened to overhear the conversation between father and son.

Jeok Wigang.

He had merely been passing by, but a smile appeared on his face as he listened.

An idea had occurred to him.

What was the strongest driving force for a martial artist?

The desire to become stronger than everyone else.

Competition.

If he used that, they would drive themselves harder without anyone needing to force them.

Perhaps he should start with the Five Great Families.

He had already seen the Azure Sky Unit and Heavenly King Unit send letters back to their families earlier.

The heads of those two families would probably come running soon enough.

He should send letters to the Zhuge Family and Tang Family as well.

******

Namgung Cheon’s hands trembled as he unfolded the letter.

“Paeng Gong is receiving instruction from the Heavenly Martial Emperor?”

He read further.

Apparently, Paeng Gong had gone to the True Martial Sect to verify the situation himself, only to get caught by the Heavenly Martial Emperor and dragged into training.

Namgung Cheon looked at the chief steward standing before him.

“Surely you’re not thinking of going.”

“Going where?”

“You’re not planning to go there, are you?”

“Can’t you see this? That bastard Paeng Gong is receiving personal instruction from the Heavenly Martial Emperor! And you expect me to sit here doing nothing? Are you insane? Do you want to see the Namgung Family fall behind the Paeng Family? Huh?”

“W-well... the Family Head leaving his post would violate family law....”

“And if I obey every one of those antiquated rules, we’ll end up falling behind!”

“At least summon the elders first and—”

“I told you there’s no time! You convince them. I’m leaving for the True Martial Sect right now.”

“F-Family Head. Please calm down.”

“Calm down? Paeng Gong is getting stronger than me as we speak! You’ve always gotten along well with that bastard. What, are you taking his side now?”

“W-what are you talking about? O-of course not!”

“Then why are you stopping me?”

“As I said, family law—”

“If they don’t like it, tell them to replace the Family Head. I’m leaving.”

Namgung Cheon stormed out.

The chief steward watched him go with a deep frown.

“Good grief! I hope he goes there and gets that damned temper beaten out of him while he’s at it.”

He grumbled, then sighed.

“How am I supposed to convince the council of elders...?”

He thought about it for a moment.

Then his eyes lit up.

“Right. The elders hate the Paeng Family’s guts too. I’ll use that.”

******

Hwangbo Hyeong received a letter in the middle of a family council meeting.

“Hm?”

His expression changed as he read it, prompting the Hwangbo Family elders in attendance to ask,

“What is it that has surprised you so?”

“The Head of the Paeng Family is apparently receiving instruction from the Heavenly Martial Emperor.”

“What? What are you talking about? That bastard Paeng Gong is receiving the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s instruction?”

“It says he followed the others there, got caught, and is now being forced through training.”

“Family Head! What are you doing? Why haven’t you started preparing to leave?”

“What?”

Hwangbo Hyeong stared at the elders in bewilderment.

“What is there to be confused about? You just said it yourself! The Head of the Paeng Family is receiving instruction from the Heavenly Martial Emperor! Why are you still sitting here instead of hurrying to the True Martial Sect?”

“Make haste! Take one of the family’s secret spirit pills and use your lightness arts at full strength! We need to obtain the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s instruction as well!”

“This is a chance to obtain a fortuitous encounter most people could not gain even in an entire lifetime! What are you still doing here? Move!”

“A-are you serious? If I leave, what happens to the family...?”

“We’ll handle the family. Go! Hurry!”

“You still haven’t gotten out of your seat! Get up already!”

“Yes? Yes. A-all right.”

“Hurry! Go at full speed!”

Practically shoved out by his own elders, Hwangbo Hyeong reluctantly set off for the True Martial Sect.

******

Zhuge Ho, Head of the Zhuge Family, was leisurely tending an orchid.

“Family Head! A letter has arrived from the True Martial Sect.”

“Oh! Has it? Read it.”

“Yes!”

As Zhuge Ho listened, his expression stiffened.

“What do you mean the heads of the other families are gathering at the True Martial Sect?”

“They say they’re gathering to receive instruction from the Heavenly Martial Emperor. The Head of the Paeng Family is already receiving his instruction.”

“Should I... go too?”

“If you don’t, won’t we fall even farther behind than we already are?”

“You’re good at many things, but must you put everything quite so bluntly?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Ugh....”

“Don’t worry about the Zhuge Family. Go pack your things.”

“You want me to go?”

“I just told you. If you don’t, we’ll fall behind. Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to make the Zhuge Family stronger?”

“That was why I sent our Hyeon—”

“The Family Head needs to be strong too if the family is to command respect. Hurry.”

“Ugh. Fine.”

Truth be told, he was curious.

He wanted to know exactly what kind of training the others were receiving.

And while he was at it, he had been curious about the True Martial Sect as well.

Perhaps a visit would not be such a bad idea.

*******

“I wish to receive your instruction as well!”

Namgung Cheon abruptly threw himself down before the Heavenly Martial Emperor and made his request.

Jeok Mugun grinned.

“I like you. Straight to the point.”

“Thank you!”

“Fine. You can train with the others.”

“Thank you!”

“Before that, I’ll seal your pressure points so you can’t use inner qi. Any objections?”

“Pardon? My inner qi?”

“Why? Not confident? That bastard over there is running around just fine without any.”

He pointed toward Paeng Gong.

Fire flared in Namgung Cheon’s eyes.

“What are you talking about? I can do better than him!”

“Oh? Then let’s see it.”

“Go ahead! Seal them! I’ll show you!”

“Good! Let’s see what the Namgung Family is made of.”

Tap-tap-tap—

The instant his pressure points were sealed, the inner power that had filled his entire body was locked away inside his dantian.

His body suddenly felt heavy.

Foreign.

As though it no longer belonged to him.

Then again, he had spent his entire life with inner qi. There had not been a single day when he had lived without it.

He put on the black bands as instructed.

They were heavy.

They’re moving around like that while wearing these?

Paeng Gong gave him a mocking smile.

Namgung Cheon clenched his teeth.

I will not lose to you!

Jeok Mugun watched the two of them and laughed in delight.

“So Wigang schemed something up again. Hahaha. That’s right. Nothing makes people stronger quite like competition.”

The heads of the other Great Families would arrive soon enough.

Once he gathered all of them together and put them through training, they would compete with one another and push themselves harder without needing to be told.

******

“Hello.”

Someone called out to him.

Namgung Baek turned his head, then stared in surprise at the familiar face.

“Hm? You are...?”

His eyes widened.

“Gang Wi?”

Namgung Baek approached Jeok Wigang with obvious delight.

“It’s been a long time. Have you been well?”

“Of course I have. Do you have any idea how long I spent searching for you?”

“For me? Why?”

“Why else, you fool? You saved my life. I wanted to bring you back to the Namgung Family and make sure you lived in comfort for the rest of your days. But you’re with the True Martial Sect now?”

Jeok Wigang smiled.

“Yes. And first, I owe you an apology.”

“An apology? What for?”

“My name isn’t Gang Wi. It’s Jeok Wigang. I’m the eldest son of the True Martial Sect.”

“Ah! I-is that so?”

“I’m sorry for deceiving you. At the time, I had no choice but to hide my identity.”

“No, no! It’s quite all right! I always thought there was something too refined about you for you to be the son of an ordinary household.”

Namgung Baek was genuinely stunned.

The man who had saved his life had turned out to be the eldest son of the True Martial Sect—and the grandson of the Heavenly Martial Emperor.

“Our Wigang saved your life?”

A voice came from behind them.

They turned to find the Heavenly Martial Emperor standing there with a smile.

“Sir! You’re here.”

Namgung Baek bowed in greeting.

“Mm.”

Jeok Mugun smiled.

“When did you two {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} form a connection?”

“I helped him once when I was younger.”

“Hahaha. So you were already like that even as a child?”

Namgung Baek stared at the Heavenly Martial Emperor in surprise.

I didn’t know that man was capable of making such a gentle expression.

“More importantly, why are you wandering around instead of training?”

“Pardon? I need to remain nearby while the Family Head is training.”

“To protect him?”

“Not so much protect him as attend to him. The Family Head might need something.”

“He can take care of himself. You go put those on too.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah!”

Tap-tap-tap—!

Before Namgung Baek could react, his pressure points were sealed.

He stared in bewilderment.

“Now go put them on.”

“W-well, that is....”

“You bastard. What are you waiting for? Put them on! And you two over there, come here too.”

Jeok Mugun beckoned.

Standing where he pointed were the Leader of the Heavenly King Unit and the Leader of the Iron-Blood Unit.