EP.33 In Search of the Secret Vault. (1)
In Search of the Secret Vault (1)
Nangong Tianjun was trembling violently, clutching his groin.
Unable to even scream, blood dripped steadily from his nose and mouth along with saliva from his gaping mouth.
The elegant young master who once overflowed with dignity was quite a wreck now.
The great Nangong Family.
The center of the Four Great Families and the greatest pillar of the Orthodox Faction.
Nangong Tianjun was the man who would become the master of such a massive family.
Yet that very man was crawling on the ground in a miserable state.
"Don't be a baby, it's not broken."
Proper moderation.
Hurting to the point of feeling like breaking, but ultimately not breaking—or rather, inflicting injuries at a level that could be healed completely.
I had done this exhaustively in my past life.
Even if my body changed, it wasn't too difficult.
'If I kicked a little harder, he would've been fucked.'
...I almost really did break him.
As long as it's not broken, what's the big deal.
"Y-You... d-damn... bastard..."
"Wow, you can still talk even in this state."
I thought he'd be rolling on the ground for at least a few more minutes, but he had more guts than expected.
I approached him and twisted one of his arms.
Crack!
"Keugh...!!"
He tried to subtly circulate his internal energy, so I twisted and grabbed it first.
Even in this situation, his eyes were thick with killing intent.
The killing intent that kept tapping at my crown made the corners of my lips curl up.
"See, why did you cross the line? If you hadn't revealed your killing intent, I would've let it slide."
Nangong Tianjun was serious.
Both the amount of internal energy loaded into his wooden sword and the killing intent he unconsciously emitted.
He genuinely intended to kill me.
A momentary mistake driven by emotion? If so, his current gaze and energy were inexcusable.
Filled with certainty, I asked him.
"How many people have you killed?"
At my question, Nangong Tianjun's energy momentarily wavered.
"At least dozens, right?"
"What... nonsense are you spouting!"
Panic was mixed in Nangong Tianjun's voice.
Whether he denied it or not didn't matter. I was already certain.
Did he kill villains who threatened others or committed atrocities? From what I could see, that didn't seem to be the case.
It was quite thick.
A killing intent so thick it was hard to possess at this age. Others might not know, but there was no way I wouldn't.
Why did Nangong Tianjun, a blood relative of the Orthodox Faction's representative noble family, harbor such a strong killing intent?
Thinking of the Nangong Family Head from my past life, it wasn't particularly shocking.
-Creak
"Keuhh..."
I applied force to the twisted arm. He groaned.
'What should I do?'
I could break it just like this, or I could dislocate his shoulder bone.
Making it permanently unusable was out of the question. It seemed like it would be too difficult to clean up if it went that far.
Even so, the option of going easy on him never existed from the start.
Letting it slide when the opponent had even raised his killing intent was for fucking idiots.
"Young Hero Gu...!"
While I was pondering what to do, Dang Juyaek hastily approached.
"Wouldn't it be best to stop here? The duel is already..."
How ridiculous.
It was such a laughable statement that I couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
Dang Juyaek flinched at my laughter.
I immediately asked Dang Juyaek.
"Couldn't you feel the killing intent this bastard was radiating? I'm sure you did."
Others might not know, but at Dang Juyaek's level, he must have felt it.
That the bastard had radiated killing intent toward me.
As proof, Dang Juyaek couldn't give a straight answer either.
"He loaded internal energy into his sword. Raised his killing intent too. And yet, I should go easy on him?"
As a martial artist, he shouldn't do that.
Seeing the fangs bared at me and ignoring them was unacceptable.
Even if I couldn't take his life, I had to pull out all his fangs.
"Or perhaps you think this was a mistake made out of immaturity? This bastard is older than me."
In reality, I was about twice his age, but that wasn't the important part right now, was it? I slowly applied more force to his arm.
Then, the groans mixed with screams grew louder from Nangong Tianjun's mouth.
Dang Juyaek hastily added.
"...Tianjun is a Nangong. If something worse happens here, unfortunate things could occur for you, Young Hero."
"Yes, a Nangong. But do you know that?"
Crunch.
"Keuaaah!!"
"He's alive right now because he's a Nangong. I'm holding back a lot because he's a Nangong. What if the positions were reversed?"
The Gu Family was a noble house, but compared to the Nangong, it was far behind. But what if the positions were reversed?
His life would probably be spared, but would he have ended up in one piece?
What if the positions were reversed with any of those rising stars watching this place with anxious eyes?
The answer was simple.
"I held back a lot. Young Master Dang probably wouldn't understand, and I'm not asking you to."
While speaking to Dang Juyaek, I finished my deliberation.
I drew internal energy from my dantian and channeled it into my arm.
Similar to the amount of internal energy Nangong Tianjun had loaded into his wooden sword.
With that, I broke Nangong Tianjun's arm.
Snap.
"...!!!"
Nangong Tianjun trembled violently.
Soon after, a belated scream echoed through the training ground.
The screaming was too loud, so I struck the back of his neck and knocked him out.
Seeing that, Dang Juyaek wiped his face with his hand.
Since he had essentially lent the training ground and an accident occurred, it was a headache for him.
Even so, that wasn't a reason for me to go easy on this bastard.
'Did I cause an accident?'
Suddenly, I recalled Elder Lee telling me not to cause trouble.
If I told him I beat the Nangong Family's son into a bloody pulp, what would he say?
'Well, at least I left him alive.'
If I explained the situation, he'd probably say that.
Since things turned out this way, I wondered if the Nangong side would try something later.
But thinking of the current Family Head, they probably wouldn't.
'There are witnesses, and the Nangong bastard started it first.'
Above all, they wouldn't dare touch the 'Gu Family' of all places.
Leaving the unconscious Nangong Tianjun behind, I stood up.
For some reason, Dang Soyeol was sitting on the ground looking this way with a flushed face, and Nangong Bia was still expressionless.
It was strange that she maintained that expression even though her own younger brother was a mess.
There was no resentment or anger. It was a peaceful gaze, like a calm river.
"Over here...!"
In the distance, people from the Dang Sect appeared.
Probably to take Nangong Tianjun to a physician.
Then, people from the Nangong Family also appeared. Were they escorts? Perhaps because they were one of the Four Great Families, every single one of the figures that appeared had strong energy.
One of them approached me.
"I am Ma Cheol, the young lord's escort."
The man slightly bowed his head to me.
He looked like a quite strong martial artist.
"Since the duel... is over, we will escort the young lord back."
"Seeing as you're not saying much, I'm guessing you saw everything that happened?"
The man named Ma Cheol didn't answer my question.
As expected.
So the faintly felt gazes were from them.
"I don't care whether you take him or not, so do as you please."
His arm would suffer for a few days, but the rest would heal in a day.
As for the kicked area... I think I gave it a bit too much, but it shouldn't be a problem.
...Or maybe it will be.
Nangong Tianjun was carried away, and his bloodstains remained on the training ground floor.
Dang Juyaek seemed to be repeatedly thinking with a troubled face.
Wasn't he actually the biggest victim?
'Shouldn't have called me then.'
I decided to just shamelessly walk out.
It was all the Nangong bastard's fault anyway, why did he pick a fight.
"It doesn't seem like a place to stay for long, so I'll be leaving first."
Could I use this as an excuse to skip tomorrow's Dang Martial Assembly? Then I'd gain another day to search for the secret vault.
'I'll probably get an earful at the Family, but the important thing is the secret vault.'
My father wouldn't care, and if I had to guess, the Steward or Elder Lee would say a word or two.
Even Elder Lee, once he heard the circumstances, would say I restrained myself well since I didn't kill him, so I'd just have to listen to the Steward's nagging.
As I was subtly trying to slip away.
"Hm...?"
Someone grabbed my sleeve.
It was Nangong Bia.
"What is it?"
The Nangong Family's people had already disappeared taking Nangong Tianjun, so why was this one still here?
Did she have something to say regarding Nangong Tianjun?
After staring into my eyes for a while, Nangong Bia opened her mouth.
"Name..."
"...What?"
"Tell me your name."
"I already told you."
I clearly said the three syllables, Gu Jeolyeop, did she forget in that short time?
Nangong Bia answered with unwavering eyes.
"That, is a lie."
"...."
"A lie. Tell me your real name."
What the, how does she know?
There wasn't a hint of doubt in Nangong Bia's eyes; she believed my name was fake.
This foolish girl, just like before, was sometimes sharp in the most useless places.
"...Before that, let me ask you one thing."
"Yeah."
It was an important question. I looked into her eyes and asked.
"Why do you keep speaking informally?"
"..."
Nangong Bia averted her gaze as if she couldn't answer this question.
Is she really trying to pick a fight...?
Nangong Bia stared at me intently, then spoke as if she had no choice.
"If you don't tell me, I'll keep following you... sir."
...Is she crazy?
For a moment, I almost grabbed the back of my neck and collapsed.
Setting aside the fact that she noticed the lie, did she know I'd be uncomfortable with it?
'This.. crazy bitch, was she like this in the past?'
"I'm the person who beat your younger brother into a pulp, do you realize that?"
"That, Tianjun was in the wrong."
"Still, why do you keep approaching the person who beat your own brother?"
No matter how much I pushed her away, Nangong Bia seemed determined to go all the way and wouldn't let go of my sleeve.
If her stubbornness had already reached this point, she wouldn't back down easily.
'...If this keeps up, won't she really follow me around forever?'
It gave me chills.
To say otherwise, remembering the crazy things this girl had done in my past life, I couldn't easily dismiss the possibility.
"Why are you so curious about my name?"
Nangong Bia didn't answer my question.
She just stared at me intensely.
Feeling burdened by her stare, I wiped my face with a frown.
Ah, how did it come to this.
"...If I tell you, will you stop being annoying?"
"Yeah."
"Speaking informally too?"
"Yeah. Yes."
Haa.... I let out a deep sigh at Nangong Bia's answer.
It felt like I'd been sighing a lot more lately. After hesitating for a moment, I opened my mouth.
"....Cheon."
"Hm...?"
"Gu Yangcheon."
I spat out the name shortly.
Clicking my tongue briefly at the three syllables I barely uttered.
"Are we done? I'm leaving. Don't bother me anymore."
With that, I turned my back and walked away quickly from Nangong Bia.
Nangong Bia repeated the name that was spat out.
"Gu Yangcheon."
Dang Soyeol, who was watching from afar, was surprised to see Nangong Bia's face.
Nangong Bia whispered quietly.
Gu Jeolyeop was fake.
"This one... is real."
Nangong Bia, who said so, was smiling.
So much so that it brightened the surroundings.
******************
After the duel ended, I returned to my quarters.
Wi Seol-ah didn't seem particularly upset that I had disappeared.
She said she had a lot of time and played enjoyably with the servants, but hearing that made me secretly mischievous, so I flicked her forehead with a pop!
Night had already fallen, and I was eating dumplings while sitting next to Wi Seol-ah who was eating yakgwa.
'...I caused an accident.'
I should have let it slide moderately. Such a thought crossed my mind.
To be exact, I shouldn't have gone to the meal at all. Of course, I don't regret beating the Nangong bastard.
I should have rather pulled out his arm and made him a one-armed man, but I kindly stopped at just breaking his left arm.
I even felt quite proud of myself for holding back this much.
'It was a bit close.'
Nangong Tianjun was an outstanding swordsman.
Compared to his trash personality, his trained body had the dignity worthy of a noble family.
It was just that the sword of the Nangong Family was the problem.
The Nangong sword that I had seen to the point of exhaustion.
Because of that crazy bastard who went around meeting every swordsman in existence to eliminate the chronic problems said to exist in sword techniques.
It was a sword dance I couldn't help but become forcibly familiar with.
The reason I spat out a name as if I couldn't resist Nangong Bia's stubborn questioning was also due to my rat-sized conscience.
...Actually, the bigger reason was that it really felt like she would cling to me annoyingly.
Still, I could secure an excuse.
That I felt sorry for causing an accident and probably couldn't attend the Dang Martial Assembly.
Even if the Dang Sect tried to hold me back, what could they say if I insisted I was too sorry and skipped out?
The remaining issue was when I returned to the Family, I'd just get scolded a bit and... ah, the Steward getting angry is scary.
While I was lost in thought, Wi Seol-ah offered me something.
It was a yakgwa.
"Young master."
"Hm?"
"Should I give you one yakgwa?"
"...You're offering me food?"
Good heavens, what is going on!
When I made a slightly overly surprised expression, Wi Seol-ah made a resentful face.
Seeing that, I laughed out loud.
"...Ah, that's funny. So why are you suddenly offering?"
"Because your face looks too complicated, young master..."
Did I look like that?
Wi Seol-ah offered the yakgwa with trembling hands.
I received it as if there was no refusal.
Wi Seol-ah making a futile expression as if saying 'I can't believe he actually took it when I offered...!' was cute... funny.
And as if to show off, when I tossed the yakgwa into my mouth in one bite, Wi Seol-ah's expression was dyed with despair.
Watching that was so funny that I felt a bit relieved.
"Yeah, an ignorant guy trying to think about things."
"Hey... you ate the yakgwa in one bite..."
Leaving the despairing Wi Seol-ah behind, I quickly got up, sent her out, and entered my room.
Let's not think about complicated things.
'First is the Geumcheon Yeonga.'
From tomorrow onwards, I really had to move busily.