The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family Chapter 35

The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family

Chapter 35

Ha Hyeon’s eyes suddenly opened from his cross-legged meditation position.

He involuntarily squinted at the strong sunlight coming through the window.

“It’s morning already.”

From the birdsong and the angle of the sun, it seemed like dawn had long since broken.

Throughout the night, Ha Hyeon had fought in his mind against a warrior using Namgung Min’s martial arts.

No, it couldn’t really be called fighting.

Ha Hyeon desperately tried to block even a single attack.

Ten times, a hundred times, two hundred times…

Ha Hyeon was killed endlessly.

But that didn’t mean there was no achievement at all.

After countless attempts, Ha Hyeon succeeded in deflecting one strike from the warrior.

Of course, he couldn’t block the next move and was immediately killed.

“I stayed up all night.”

Ha Hyeon’s expression was bright.

This was because he gained confidence that he could improve further after barely managing to block the attack at the end.

And perhaps thanks to the continued qi circulation? Not only did he not feel tired at all, he even felt refreshed.

It made him wonder if this was why Namgung Min practiced qi circulation all day.

Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, Ha Hyeon decided to just go out.

He wished training time would come as soon as possible.

From the day before until this morning, he had gained numerous insights.

And so today too, Ha Hyeon progressed one step, no, several steps further than his yesterday self.

* * *

For a full day, Chwiwol Geolgae had been using his movement techniques while feeling the weight of the A-frame carrier (a triangular-shaped rack used to securely hold and transport large, flat items like glass or stone slabs) on his back.

The process of escorting the suspicious person captured by Namgung Min and Ha Hyeon to the Murim Alliance had been smooth so far.

They were in a situation where they could arrive at the Murim Alliance in about half a day more.

‘Tsk tsk.’

He clicked his tongue internally while looking at the Murim Alliance warriors following behind.

Although he had chosen fast individuals for the urgent journey to Jeongdeok, their faces had turned pale and they were noticeably slowing down as both their stamina and internal energy seemed depleted.

In fact, it was seriously abnormal that Chwiwol Geolgae had been running all day while carrying a person, but Chwiwol Geolgae didn’t even think that was the case.

“Hey, shall we take a break?”

“Yes! Elder!”

The Murim Alliance warriors’ faces lit up.

Chwiwol Geolgae gave them a look of contempt before surveying the surroundings.

“That spot looks suitable.”

Finding appropriate shade under a tree, he put down the carrier.

Being a beggar by original profession, Chwiwol Geolgae plopped down on the dirt ground without caring, and recalled the sense of incongruity he had been thinking about.

“No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.”

“Elder, is there a problem?”

“It’s not exactly a problem, but even thinking logically, it’s just odd.”

The warrior showed a puzzled expression, unable to guess what the issue might be.

Chwiwol Geolgae clicked his tongue at him and said:

“Just being a martial artist isn’t about training martial arts diligently. You need to use your head to become a true martial artist. Think about it. Think!”

Chwiwol Geolgae grumbled in a small voice ‘Though it doesn’t seem like you’ve properly mastered martial arts either’ before continuing.

“Don’t you find it strange no matter how you look at it? That only three of them attacked such a large estate is one thing. And if money was their goal, they only needed to take the money – why make such a big fuss about it?”

The two warriors showed bewildered expressions at Chwiwol Geolgae’s words.

“And while giving off just enough of an evil sect vibe to make people think they’re from the Demonic cult.”

“Is that so? To be honest, I’m not sure what’s strange about it.”

Frustrated that the warrior didn’t understand right away, Chwiwol Geolgae shouted:

“What I’m saying is, when someone is this obvious about it, there’s always something else going on behind the scenes!”

Chwiwol Geolgae spoke to the startled warriors.

“Well, they might have been planning to kill everyone in the estate, but that’s strange too. If I had sent them, I wouldn’t have sent just three – I would have sent more powerful experts in greater numbers to ensure there would be absolutely no interference.”

Chwiwol Geolgae’s expression became quite serious.

“And though you haven’t seen it yourself, haven’t you heard countless times? That the Demonic cult has as many experts as there are ants.”

“You mean…”

The Murim Alliance warrior trailed off with an uneasy expression.

He couldn’t easily voice the thought that ‘this incident might not be the Demonic cult’s doing.’

“Why stop talking when you’re halfway through! What’s the big deal about saying that guy might not be from the Demonic cult? Anyway, we’ll know for sure once we take him to the Alliance.”

Chwiwol Geolgae glanced at the man presumed to be from the Demonic cult, who hadn’t regained consciousness since yesterday.

He had been tied up properly, remaining secure despite all the running Chwiwol Geolgae had done.

“Elder Chwiwol Geolgae.”

“What?”

Just then, another warrior who had been surveying the surroundings called out to Chwiwol Geolgae.

“I see someone over there.”

“Someone?”

Chwiwol Geolgae asked reflexively.

They were currently resting deep in the mountains.

It was even more strange to encounter someone since Chwiwol Geolgae had been cutting straight through the forest instead of following mountain paths.

“They’re holding a sword. Looks like a martial artist.”

“A martial artist?”

“Yes. Wearing yellow martial clothes…”

Chwiwol Geolgae quietly stood up and looked in the direction he was pointing.

Though his behavior appeared normal, his eyes were sharp.

“Let me see…”

There was no one visible in that direction.

In that moment, Chwiwol Geolgae moved like lightning to push the watchman away with both arms.

Swoosh-

And as an energy instantly rushed to exactly where the warrior had been standing, Chwiwol Geolgae drew his beggar’s staff and countered the force.

Clang-!

Though nothing was visible, a sharp sound rang out when Chwiwol Geolgae swung his staff.

It was sword energy.

“Sword energy?”

Chwiwol Geolgae was startled.

Normally with this level of force, he should have sensed it beforehand, but he hadn’t felt anything at all.

He turned his head toward the direction the sword energy had come from.

Thump-

A man burst out from the forest and swung his sword at Chwiwol Geolgae.

Though Chwiwol Geolgae easily avoided the sword, the man’s target wasn’t him.

“Elder… ugh.”

A long cut appeared across the chest of the warrior standing behind Chwiwol Geolgae.

Chwiwol Geolgae quickly approached the Murim Alliance warrior to check his condition.

“This is…!”

“I-I’m fine.”

“Fine my foot! Don’t move.”

Chwiwol Geolgae pressed the warrior’s pressure points to barely stop the bleeding and laid him on the ground.

“You bone-chewing bastard. Where did you come from?”

“…”

The man gave no answer.

Chwiwol Geolgae instantly observed his appearance and energy.

“Covering your face?”

He had only his eyes exposed through a mask of the same color as his martial clothes.

Moreover, his emanating presence was so faint it was almost undetectable at first glance.

But rather than feeling reassured by this faint presence, Chwiwol Geolgae felt his skin crawl.

He sensed that the presence wasn’t faint because the man was truly weak, but because he had perfectly contained and hidden his energy within.

‘An expert capable of controlling his energy.’

Chwiwol Geolgae frowned.

As an elder of the Beggar Sect known for being well-informed about martial arts world affairs, he prided himself on knowing almost everything that went on, but it bothered him that he couldn’t even guess who this opponent was.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes!”

While keeping the yellow-clothed man in check with his staff, he motioned with his chin toward the A-frame carrier and spoke to the one remaining Murim Alliance warrior.

“Get your wits about you and take care of that one. This guy… he’s no ordinary person. While I deal with him, you take that carrier and run to the Murim Alliance as fast as you can.”

“But Elder…”

“You fool! Just because I’ve been traveling with you for a few days, do you think you’re my equal? You’ll only get in my way, so hurry up and run with that thing!”

“Ah, understood!”

At Chwiwol Geolgae’s stern rebuke, the Murim Alliance warrior seemed to come to his senses and began slowly moving toward the carrier.

The yellow-clothed man’s gaze shifted in that direction as if Chwiwol Geolgae wasn’t worth his attention.

That’s when Chwiwol Geolgae shouted:

“You insolent bastard! Is this the time for you to be looking elsewhere?”

But the yellow-clothed man ignored Chwiwol Geolgae’s words and swung his sword with incredible speed.

Swoosh-

Clang!

Once again, his target wasn’t Chwiwol Geolgae but the Murim Alliance warrior.

Having predicted this, Chwiwol Geolgae barely managed to extend his arm and deflect the sword energy, and the yellow-clothed man finally faced Chwiwol Geolgae directly.

“Why you, using the same move twice. Who do you take for a fool? I don’t know where you learned such petty tricks, but you need a good beating today. You, run quickly!”

“Yes sir!”

As soon as Chwiwol Geolgae finished speaking, he launched himself at the yellow-clothed man, while simultaneously the Murim Alliance warrior shouldered the carrier and started running down the mountain.

Swish!

The beggar’s staff made a sound like it was tearing through the air as it swung.

Beggar’s Eighteen Strikes – Yellow Dog Prostrating to Heaven

“A technique perfectly suited for a dog in yellow clothes!”

Bam!

The yellow-clothed man blocked Chwiwol Geolgae’s staff with his sword, but seemingly unable to completely handle the force, he tumbled backward.

Though it wasn’t considered the highest level technique among those Chwiwol Geolgae had learned, when combined with his formidable experience, it showed tremendous power.

However, Chwiwol Geolgae didn’t look particularly satisfied.

“I thought it wouldn’t be easy, but to block it so perfectly…”

As Chwiwol Geolgae said, the yellow-clothed man smoothly stood up again.

Though his clothes were torn in places and he had scratches, he certainly didn’t appear fatally wounded.

“Haah!”

This time Chwiwol Geolgae let out a battle cry as he stepped into his footwork.

His usual leisurely demeanor was nowhere to be seen, replaced by the fierce presence of a tiger.

* * *

Quite some time had passed since the fight between Chwiwol Geolgae and the yellow-clothed man began.

During that time, they had exchanged dozens of moves.

At first, Chwiwol Geolgae had clearly dominated the yellow-clothed man.

True to his renowned reputation in the martial arts world, Chwiwol Geolgae had pressed forward aggressively, while the yellow-clothed man had struggled just to defend.

But as the attacks continued, the yellow-clothed man gradually handled Chwiwol Geolgae’s attacks more easily.

As if he was adapting to his attacks.

“Where did someone like you come from? Hey, what’s your background?”

“…”

The yellow-clothed man remained silent once again.

Chwiwol Geolgae analyzed the yellow-clothed man based on the information he had gathered during their clash.

“You’ve been distracted this whole time. Are you worried about the one I sent ahead? No… you’re concerned about the one loaded on the carrier.”

As Chwiwol Geolgae finished speaking, the yellow-clothed man’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.

Though it was an extremely subtle movement, Chwiwol Geolgae wasn’t one to miss it.

“So that means… you’re alone? And being alone means…”

Swoosh!

As if trying to silence Chwiwol Geolgae, another sharp sword energy flew toward him.

Now the yellow-clothed man’s eyes were flashing intensely at Chwiwol Geolgae.

The atmosphere was clearly different from before.

“Fine. I’ll make you open that mouth.”

Chwiwol Geolgae acknowledged that the yellow-clothed man was by no means inferior to him.

Swish-

He tucked his beggar’s staff back into his waist.

Then he began gathering true energy in his now-free hands.

Rumble-

Even the yellow-clothed man showed signs of unease at the storm of true energy surging forth.

“Young ones these days don’t seem to know… but palm techniques, not staff techniques, are my specialty. Child.”

Seeming unwilling to just watch Chwiwol Geolgae gather energy, the yellow-clothed man swung his sword, sending sharp sword energy flying toward Chwiwol Geolgae again.

Swoosh-!

But Chwiwol Geolgae had apparently anticipated this, leaping over the sword energy and closing the distance with the yellow-clothed man.

“You, is this all you can do? Strange how you’re physically tough and have some tricks, but that’s your limit. Haah!”

Chwiwol Geolgae used his footwork to quickly approach the yellow-clothed man and stretched out both palms.

Bam!

The yellow-clothed man barely blocked Chwiwol Geolgae’s palm strike with his sword.

Though it was human flesh meeting metal, the sound that rang out was like being struck with an iron club.

Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms.

The Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms, ranked as one of the most powerful martial arts even within the Beggar Sect, manifested in Chwiwol Geolgae’s hands.

Originally passed down only to sect leaders, it was sometimes also transmitted to Beggar Sect members who were very close to the sect leader and held important positions in the clan – Chwiwol Geolgae was exactly such a case.

Though Chwiwol Geolgae was also skilled with the beggar’s staff, it was this Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms that had made him a master acknowledged throughout the martial arts world.

Bang bang bang!

As if one strike wasn’t enough, Chwiwol Geolgae moved his arms like lightning, striking all over the yellow-clothed man’s body.

Though the yellow-clothed man barely managed to block Chwiwol Geolgae’s attacks, his reaction speed began slowing down as he seemed to be losing sensation in his arms and legs that were blocking the attacks.

A momentary lull occurred as the yellow-clothed man leaped backward.

Instead of immediately pursuing, Chwiwol Geolgae regained his usual leisurely manner and said:

“You… or should I say ‘you all’? You’re not from the Demonic cult, are you?”

“…”

“You’re impersonating the Demonic cult. Trying to redirect attention there.”

Flinch-

For the first time, the yellow-clothed man showed a reaction large enough to be visible.

A deep smile formed on Chwiwol Geolgae’s lips.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

If you would like to support these translations or read advanced chapters, you can do so by unlocking them.

Your support will allow for the continued translation of this novel.