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Chapter 27 : Who I Am
Chapter 27 - Who I Am
“Young Master, we have arrived.”
“Ah, thanks. You did well.”
The carriage stopped in front of the huge manor gate tower of the Peng Clan District. I put away the secret manual I was reading and got off the carriage. Soon the coachman hurriedly followed me down and tried to carry the luggage for me.
“This one is fine. Ah, wait. Open the box. May I carry ‘that’?”
Ёnumа̊
“Pardon……? B, but this is…….”
“It’s fine. What’s the big deal when I am entering my own house?”
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At my gentle words, the coachman hesitated and untied the box containing the luggage. He took out one of the items inside the box, squeezed his eyes shut, and handed it over.
Receiving ‘it’, I pondered for a moment. Hmm, the impact is a bit lacking.
“Aha.”
A good idea came to mind soon. I took out the dagger I received from the Elder Hao Clan Leader from my bosom and carved a character on ‘it’. Since writing just one character was enough, fortunately, the space was ample.
Е̇n̊ um̌а.. і̂ď
– Peng.
I roughly wiped off the half-dried sticky blood and gripped ‘it’ in one hand. For reference, since I just came straight after a life-and-death battle, dried blood was heavily matted all over my body too.
An appearance that would look like a 10-year-old kid who was hit by a truck and walked into the emergency room alone if anyone saw. Since I needed exactly this much impact, it’s fine.
I turned my head toward the coachman.
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“Now, you hold ‘that’ well and follow me.”
“Yes, yes, Young Master…….”
Ẅ e̊ bn̂ о̊vе̃ l̀ Еn ǔ m á
The coachman turned his head avoiding my gaze with a pale face. I turned my body as it was and headed for our main gate. The martial artists of the Outer Hall guarding the gate tower were looking at me with astonished faces.
“Open the gate.”
“Yo, Young Master……. The, the wounds……!”
“Open. The gate.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
The martial artists quickly stepped aside from the gate tower. Gazes fix on me following my steps. The gazes of the Outer Hall’s martial artists, guests, and servants were following my every step and growing increasingly.
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I walked just like that. In the middle, Nang-rang ran over with an almost frightened out of her wits expression, but fortunately, I even saw Peng Jeon-gun stopping her. It seemed Peng Jeon-gun knew what I was trying to do.
Holding a half-broken sword, wearing a tattered martial arts robe, and covered in dried blood all over the body.
Crossing the threshold of the Inner Hall’s Mountain King Pavilion and entering inside the pavilion.
In front of the eyes of my respected Father and Elders.
And my brothers who gathered hurriedly hearing the news of my move.
Thud.
Wе b́ n̆ о̌ v̄ ê l̀ Е́ nù m̄ ӑ
I threw what I had been holding until now.
That heavy object rolled and stoped in front of Father’s eyes.
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“I have collected the blood debt.”
On Won-ho’s severed head, our family name was written.
Just like he stamped the White Lotus Cult’s seal on the forehead after killing our martial artists.
From behind my back, the pale coachman trembling all over his body barely walked over and carefully put down Won-ho’s remaining torso on the floor.
W̆ebn̆.оvė l̃ Е n̂ u m̌ ȧ
“Elder Hao Clan Leader personally performed the autopsy. This guy was the ringleader of the situation.”
“He looks like a guy barely in his early teens.”
“Yes, Father. Seong Won-ho, they say he was the second son of the Murder Hut Leader. He joined hands with the White Lotus Cult, and the Imperial Family, and struck our back. This guy was in charge of the Beijing Branch, and by triggering latent power with the Five Poisons Clan’s secret drug, he could show the power of a Peak Realm master for an instant.”
“……What?”
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Silence hovered inside the pavilion for a moment.
'The White Lotus Cult joined hands with the Imperial Family?'
Е̄n̆ ũ ṁ а̄
'And those guys joined hands with the Murder Hut?'
'Isn't the Murder Hut affiliated with our Dragon Slaughter League?'
'There is a drug that can mass-produce Peak Realm masters?'
'Why does the Five Poisons Clan come up here?'
'No, what is this talk about the Hao Clan Leader again.'
Countless question marks that could be interpreted in such ways are floating above the Elders' heads.
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Ah, do you not know? This is what a three-line summary is.
Thinking such thoughts, I walked in front of Father. Kneeling on one knee to show respect, I untied my waist sash and took out the half-broken blade.
The Peng Clan Blade. The basic form of blade issued to the Peng Clan's martial artists was full of cracks and chipped, perilous as if it would break at any moment.
Respectfully laying it down and offering it, I thought.
A boy who killed a (doped) Peak Realm master at age 10 (+27 years).
The game that gives a title if you catch a bear at age ten was merely mediocre. A bear? No way that's stronger than a Peak Realm master. It clearly means my side is superior.
Е n um̂а̊
“Mmm…….”
Father lifted the blade, which was on the verge of crumbling, from my hand and examined it with serious eyes. Only after examining it for a long time did Father's gaze touch me.
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“Do you have any injuries?”
“They are trivial.”
“Even so, there should be no negligence in tending to injuries. Stop by the Medical Hall as soon as you return.”
“Yes, Father.”
Е̃n̈úm а̇
“And…… hmm.”
Father looked repeatedly at Won-ho's head rolling on the floor of the Mountain King Pavilion, the blade in his hand, and me once again.
Soon, the Young Family Head of the Hebei Peng Clan smiles deeply.
“Excellent. You are already a respectable martial artist of the Peng Clan.”
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“Thank you. Father.”
Swish.
Ӗ ń u m a . īd̆
I feel a touch stroking my head. It seemed like the first time since I was five. Actually, at the age of five, I was indeed quite lacking. Since I hadn't even entered the gate of martial arts.
However, even so, I never considered Father's affection to be lacking. All major and minor affairs of the Hebei Peng Clan and the Dragon Slaughter League were being handled at the Young Family Head's level, and Father was one of the busiest people in this family.
Therefore, the time to teach me was at best once a month, but at those times, he always showed an affectionate gaze and sincere guidance. I wasn't a brat who sulked about a lack of parental attention either.
At that moment, the brat who does sulk about a lack of parental attention screamed loudly.
“Lies! It is a lie! What? Hao Clan Leader? Five Poisons Clan's secret drug? The Imperial Palace and the White Lotus Cult……? Where are there such convenient words! Cutting off the neck of a guy barely in his early teens and spouting such lies!!”
“Peng Hyeon-cheon. Be quiet.”
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“But, but Father!”
“You are rude.”
Father's gaze instantly carries pressure. This is not a metaphor. Just by glaring, even though it wasn't directed at me, I felt a tremendous pressure.
Peng Hyeon-cheon, my brother three years older than me, who faced that gaze head-on, collapsed onto his knees with a pale face and foamed at the mouth.
“The only ones who can speak in this place are the martial artists of the Peng Clan. Hyeon-cheon. You haven't even proven the qualification to hold a blade yet, so do you mean to dare oppose my decision?”
“Fath…… er……! Th, that is not it……!”
Е̌ n um̌а̊.id
“It is not difficult to grasp whether Hyeon-hwi’s words are true, and if false, he will naturally receive punishment. However, at this very moment when your younger brother has cut off and brought back the culprit's severed head, we must not call it a lie. Do you know why? Try saying it. What is our Family Motto?”
“Follow…… Only…… Follow the family…… Sir……!”
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Peng Hyeon-cheon bowed his head low as he said that. Glaring at him, Father stood up from his seat and scanned the other children.
It is enough to correct a mistake, and it is enough to teach if lacking. That was Father's philosophy. Father helped Peng Hyeon-cheon up with much warmer eyes and spoke.
“If there is a clansman who returned after crossing life and death for the family, we must definitely respect him. That is the reason we survived, and that is our law. Son. Your younger brother fought risking his life, and those traces remain intact on this blade body. One who speaks of suspicion first with this before his eyes can never lead the clansmen.”
This must be Father's studies of leadership. Be thorough with verification and validation, but in a situation where the subject is right in front, never attack him. If false, punishment can come later, but if true, it amounts to trampling on the trust of the retainers.
Е n̄ umǎ .і d
Did our third brother really understand the meaning of those words? Or is he just pretending to accept because he fears Father? Anyway, Peng Hyeon-cheon nodded and withdrew.
“Send this severed head to the Murder Hut Leader, and hold a memorial service for the dead clansmen. Where did the ones who died this time belong to?”
“They were Wind Protection Unit members of the Outer Hall.”
“Wind Protection Unit Leader.”
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“Yes, Young Family Head.”
“Did you retrieve the blades of the deceased?”
W̆.ēbnӧv е̄ l̀ Ѐn̈ um̆ а̀
“Yes, Young Family Head.”
“Melt the blade bodies together with this and reforge them.”
“That…… means……?”
Father handed the half-broken blade he received from me to the Wind Protection Unit Leader and said.
“Since Hyeon-hwi has become a respectable martial artist, he has the qualification to hold the Sword Wearing Ceremony.”
“But…… the Fourth Young Master has just turned ten.”
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“Since when was age important in our events?”
“……Yes, I will do as you commanded.”
The Wind Protection Unit Leader accepted the blade from Father and stepped back.
The short commotion ended. I was forcibly leaned against Nang-rang and dragged to the Medical Hall.
Honestly, I wanted to sleep first.
……
E ń úmа̃ . i̇_d
“Who am I? The man who killed a Peak Realm master at age ten.”
“Young Master, please.”
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“Who am I?”
“Stop that guy's mouth a bit. Nang-rang.”
“How could I dare stop the Young Master's mouth? You do it, Elder.”
“Do I have to change a snot-nosed kid's poop diaper at this age?”
Е n̆ú m̂ а. іd
Peng Jeon-gun and Nang-rang sat outside my tub, sighing while looking at me. I hummed while stuck in the terrible Peng Clan specialty event bath.
“Who am I? Top Graduate of the Dongsaengsi. The best brain in Beijing. The man with a sexy brain.”
“I’m really going crazy. Have you suffered Qi Deviation?”
“Elder Peng Jeon-gun. Can I perhaps create my own nickname?”
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“You are really trying to smear shit on our family's face.”
“How about ‘Possessor of Both Literary and Martial Arts’ Peng Hyeon-hwi?”
Ѐ nu m.a._і.d̀
“Nang-rang, bring Physician Jang. It seems this guy’s Qi and blood have twisted and soaked into his marrow.”
I giggled and looked at Nang-rang and Peng Jeon-gun. Even though my whole body was pickled in the stinging medicinal bath, laughter kept seeping out.
Peng Jeon-gun looked at me, exhaled a deep sigh, sat down next to me, and spoke.
“You rascal. Are you done joking?”
“Should I do more?”
“In the inner garden of the Peng Clan, it's okay to do guided sparring a bit intensely. It seems you are very restless.”
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Peng Jeon-gun grumbled for a while longer and said.
“You must know what the Sword Wearing Ceremony is. Now you will have to decide your position. Is there a place you have in mind?”
“Mmm…… Elder, do you have a place to recommend?”
“If you ask the Elders of the Mountain King Pavilion, you will unconditionally go to the Library or the Ten Thousand Blessings Hall. Since a direct lineage with a brain of your level is rare, it would be regrettable if they don't use this opportunity.”
“Hmm.”
“Yes, you bastard. If you go there, you can absolutely never aim for a position higher than now.”
Ēńū.m̃ а̇ . ї ḋ
In the government, there is something called a promotion-track position. It is a kind of ‘line’. For example, considering the Beijing government, passing the civil service exam, going through the Hanlin Academy, hitting the National Academy, and entering the Cabinet corresponds to a typical promotion-track position.
Besides that, up to the Six Ministries is fine, but if assigned to miscellaneous positions like the Court of Judicature and Revision, the Stables Bureau, or the Imperial Medical Bureau, you can consider your government career over. Because they are idle posts with clear limits on promotion.
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Likewise, within the Peng Clan, there are places corresponding to promotion-track positions.
Departments where one can build external achievements directly in the armed forces of the Outer Hall.
Or Inner Hall departments that directly promote the work of the Dragon Slaughter League.
The Outer Hall has been Second Brother’s root for several years, and Eldest Brother is already half-managing the Dragon Slaughter League. If compared to a Korean chaebol family, you can consider it as the brothers having each taken a seat in the Financial Group and Electronics Group respectively.
Ẁ.eb̌ nо v̆еl̀ Ĕn̆ uḿa
Then what's left now are idle posts where one lives quietly stuck in a corner of the Inner Hall. If a direct lineage serves there, there is no problem entering the Council of Elders after several decades, but it was a line of work where the family elders would never acknowledge the performance.
“I intend to go to the Mountain Moon Pavilion.”
“……What……?”
Peng Jeon-gun looked at me with a rarely flustered face. He was lost in thought for a long time and suddenly said,
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“Were you not intending to prepare for the Family Head succession war?”
“Well, I haven’t given up.”
W е b̈n̂о̃v̇.е̃l̀ Е́ ñ ü m̃ а̇
“And you know that the martial artists of the Mountain Moon Pavilion are never acknowledged by the clansmen?”
“The feeling is different from the Library or the Ten Thousand Blessings Hall not being acknowledged.”
“Yes, that side would hear criticism of being physically weak. If you go to the Mountain Moon Pavilion, you will be shunned.”
“Haha, Elder.”
I splashed the medicinal bath water and laughed.
“Isn't awe a word that starts from fear? I intend to buy fear first.”
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“It will be difficult to survive.”
“That would be my luck. How could a martial artist of the Peng Clan fight for survival?”
“You are all talk……! Enough! I am the moron for worrying!”
“You even worried about me. Touched. Overwhelmed with emotion. Astonished.”
“Aaaah!!”
Peng Jeon-gun threw a punch at me. I moderately lifted my left hand to block it and giggled.
Еǹûm̌а
Thinking about the Mountain Moon Pavilion.
The Mountain Moon Pavilion is a group created after the Third Ancestor founded the Dragon Slaughter League. It was an armed force with living history and tradition, easily 150 years old from now.
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Although its affiliation itself is set under the Inner Hall, their pavilion was pushed to the very edge even within the Outer Hall's territory. The reason was simple. Because the Mountain Moon Pavilion was founded to monitor the Hebei Peng Clan and the Dragon Slaughter League.
A group possessing the authority to ignore the Young Family Head, who manages all major and minor affairs of the family, and report directly to the Family Head.
An organization that mobilizes when the Peng Clan's armed forces and the Dragon Slaughter League violate the Family Law, collecting the blood of clansmen as blood debt. It was comfortable to think of it as a position like a Secret Royal Inspector.
Naturally, people can never like an inspection agency that monitors them. Therefore, the Mountain Moon Pavilion is shunned by all organizations of the Inner and Outer Halls, and receives restrictions preventing involvement in major and minor affairs within the family.
Е ǹ û m_ӑ.і̌d
Since they possess authority that is too strong in itself, it is a restriction to prevent interference in the family's politics. Indeed, it would be natural since they are not held accountable even if they directly kill an Elder-level clansman.
Therefore, the martial artists of the Mountain Moon Pavilion are selected looking only at loyalty, and they cannot hope for any reward or recognition after that. They were even frequently killed during operations.
Since they move keeping their events secret from all organizations within the Peng Clan, there is no way to avenge them even if they die away from home. It seems cases of being murdered by the hands of clansmen using this blind spot are not rare either.
Listening to this, one might wonder what kind of dysfunctional family this is, but naturally, one must consider that this place is a Black Way Unorthodox Sect. Since these guys are those who consider whatever they commit not wrong as long as it is under the pretext of ‘for the family’.
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And I plan to volunteer for such a place.
— How about doing this.
Ẅ е ḃ ṅо̊v̇ e l̆ .Е̃n u m̄ ӓ
Listening to the Elder Hao Clan Leader's words, it seemed right.
— The Black Forest Seven Moon Society extends across the entire Central Plains, and especially our Hao Clan monitors everyone regardless of Orthodox or Unorthodox. This means—
— Doesn't it seem to fit my aptitude?
— It means we can inform you of everything happening in the Dragon Slaughter League's jurisdiction.
— Devoting myself solely for the family without hoping for a reward, I mean.
— Why are you trying to help me to that extent?
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— If you become this lady's disciple, you would consider this a debt and show that loyalty to this lady, would you not?
— Is that all?
— Otherwise, if you truly push aside your brothers and become the Family Head, you would not forget the grace in that process. It is sufficient if you remember the fact that the Hao Clan helped you.
The Hebei Peng Clan never forgets a grudge.
This phrase also means they thoroughly reward grace as well.
……
Е n um а
“Uah, Young Tiger Hall!! I missed you so much……!!”
“Ah, right, Young Master. Quite a few letters have piled up.”
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“Letters?”
“Yes, from Lady Hwa-yeong…….”
Nang-rang said so and handed me a bundle of letters.
I flipped through the letters, where somewhat crooked but very neat sentences were written densely. Over the paper faintly imbued with the scent of irises, it felt like I could hear Hwa-yeong's voice.
W̌ e b̄ n о̊v ẽ.ĺ Еnǔ m̊а̇
The beauty of the night sky seen from the cliff of the Heavenly Mountains.
Worry sent to me seeing the weather getting colder.
Sentences cheering for my exam.
Even words boasting that she had a small achievement.
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And.
“……?”
Ӗǹum а̂
Something changes subtly every time I flip the letters. Should I call it the tone, or the habit of writing? In parts other than the handwriting, things like habits of constructing sentences were changing little by little.
Even though trivial grammatical characteristics or expressions were changing little by little.
At some moment, a very short sentence.
There was a letter written in a very rough tone.
[Why is there no reply?]
“Uh……?”
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After that, in the next letter, she returned to her usual self, continuing with chatter about worries for my health and newly acquired hobbies. It seemed she started learning hunting and cooking.
“What is this……?”
I organized the letters feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
I guess I really should write a reply.
Not because I'm scared, but since there was a lot going on recently. Just to let her know.
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