Chapter 80

A life-and-death crossroads, as if a blade is at my throat.

“Hoho~ Cheok, don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of killing you.”

In the frozen atmosphere, Namgung Cheon immediately collected his energy and relaxed his expression. He slowly looked at the relatives gathered here.

“Scholars say they would rather live a life of poverty and contentment in the mountains than dirty their bodies.”

His eyes, filled with a mix of ambition and madness, glimmered with a blue aura.

“…But that’s wrong. The world cannot be obtained with a clean body.”

“In the chaotic times, Cao Cao survived by slaughtering the Lü Bu family, and even the righteous Liu Bei betrayed his own relative, Liu Zhang, for the dream of reviving the Han dynasty.”

Drops of blood fell from the blade in his hand.

“Those who can change the world are not afraid to get dirty and dive into the mud.”

Namgung Cheon gently stroked Namgung Cheok’s cheek with a sense of pride.

“Now, speak up. What grand dream did you have that made you join hands with the filthy Demon Sect to kill your only niece?”

The assassination plot against Namgung Sososo using the Ilwol God Sect.

Namgung Cheok’s heart sank as he realized that even his most important secret had been exposed.

No excuses would work now. In fact, given his father’s temperament, making excuses here would be the worst move.

So, Namgung Cheok, trembling, honestly revealed his dirty desires.

“I… I just wanted to become the family head.”

“Family head?”

“Yes… I wanted to succeed you as the head of the Namgung Family. I wanted to reach the pinnacle of the righteous martial world.”

To be precise, he wanted the sweet power that came with the position, but Namgung Cheok had enough sense not to say that.

“Sigh… You joined hands with the Demon Sect for just that? Foolish child.”

To Namgung Cheon, it was a disappointingly small ambition. And the method was all wrong.

“Even if you killed Sososo through the Ilwol God Sect and caused internal strife to become the family head, do you think they would just leave, saying, ‘Our role ends here. Now live well’?”

“They would make you a puppet family head and slowly devour the Namgung Family.”

Namgung Cheon’s face softened as he looked at his disappointing child. When you’re too disappointed, you don’t even get angry.

“You’ve always been like this. Ambitious but short-sighted. You can’t see the future.”

He had only cut off the ear of the one who had been caught preparing a rebellion as a warning.

Since he had no intention of killing, Namgung Cheon’s blade returned to its sheath.

“…And that’s why you’re still alive.”

Namgung Cheon turned away as if he was no longer worth dealing with and calmly ordered Namgung Rin, who was following him.

“Tell the Ilwol God Sect that the deal has changed from Cheok to me. Let’s discuss the world beyond the martial world.”

“Understood. What about Sososo’s assassination?”

“Of course, it’s canceled. Assassinating our dear Emperor is unthinkable.”

Namgung Rin was confused. Namgung Cheon had known from the start that Namgung Cheok was being used by the Ilwol God Sect.

He also knew that they were trying to kill Sososo to further destabilize the Namgung Family.

…Yet, he sent Sososo, his most cherished relative, on a journey alone without proper protection.

It was practically sending her to her death.

As Namgung Rin showed a confused expression at this contradiction, Namgung Cheon smiled with satisfaction and strode forward.

“Rin, what do you think is the most important virtue for an emperor who seeks to rule the world?”

“A powerful army, and the justification and resources to maintain it.”

“That’s also correct. But there’s something even more important.”

Namgung Cheon pointed his finger at the ceiling, towards the sky.

“It’s luck. The fate bestowed by heaven.”

Namgung Rin was speechless at this unexpected answer from the always calculating Namgung Cheon.

She couldn’t understand how this pointless question and answer session was related to the life of Sososo, her only niece and the precious child of her admired brother.

“During the Chu-Han contention, Liu Bang suffered a great defeat at Pengcheng against Xiang Yu.”

The Battle of Pengcheng.

Where Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, led 30,000 elite soldiers to crush Liu Bang’s 530,000-strong coalition army at Pengcheng.

“Xiang Yu and the Chu soldiers charged to tear Liu Bang to pieces. And when they were right in front of Liu Bang…”

“A sudden whirlwind appeared, blocking the Chu soldiers’ vision. Liu Bang seized this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to escape.”

Namgung Rin’s face hardened as she understood Namgung Cheon’s meaning. A chill ran down her spine.

“Father… Are you saying you were testing Sososo’s… luck?”

“Namgung’s daughter will become king.”

Unable to contain his joy, Namgung Cheon’s lips twisted into a grotesque smile.

“Sososo has it. The luck to overcome crises! The fate bestowed by heaven!”

A mad laughter echoed.

“She was born with the virtues of an emperor!!”

And her martial talent is no less. With her frail body, she has reached the level of displaying the Emperor’s Sword Form.

The crybaby who used to seek her parents at every turn has grown into a vessel fit for the destiny bestowed by heaven.

Indeed, it was the right decision to have Wujie Wudi kidnap Sososo and then order her parents to be killed before her eyes.

Her beloved son, Sososo’s father, Namgung Seon.

At first, it was a pity to lose such a capable successor, but his choice was not wrong.

For nothing fuels growth like the desire for revenge.

“Sososo will, as prophesied, destroy Deng and establish a new dynasty. And I…”

Namgung Cheon’s eyes glimmered coldly as he found a fragment of the dream he thought he could never achieve.

“Like Cao Cao and Sima Yi, I will be recorded in history as the Emperor of Chuchun.”

“If… that young man Sima Mantian hadn’t intervened… Sososo might have really died.”

Namgung Rin, unusually, squeezed out her voice to criticize Namgung Cheon.

“That too is Sososo’s ability.”

“…What?”

Namgung Cheon didn’t care at all. He never expected a sparrow to understand the will of a phoenix.

“Just as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei followed Liu Bang, who was just a mat seller, those with the virtues of a king naturally attract outstanding warriors and heroes.”

“Sososo’s charm captivated the hero Sima Mantian, and that’s why she survived. This too is proof that Sososo has the destiny of an emperor.”

Namgung Rin could say nothing. Or rather, she chose not to.

Her eyes, filled with a terror that couldn’t be understood as a daughter looking at her father, shook.

Words didn’t work. Their very thought processes were different.

A madman consumed by ambition.

Truly, an emperor madman.

***

Mantian lightly swung a wooden sword in the Martial Alliance’s training ground.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot.

Sososo had promised to teach him some basic sword techniques.

While waiting for her to change into comfortable clothes, he was idly swinging a wooden stick around.

…Come to think of it, I used to enjoy reading sword-fighting manga like “Blade of the Wind,” “Vagabond,” and “Shigurui.”

Especially “Shigurui.” It was grotesque, and the art style wasn’t my taste, but it had a strange pull that made it enjoyable.

The protagonist was a samurai, but the author’s view that blind loyalty to one’s lord was just masochistic submission to the strong was quite unique.

Two swordsmen carrying the weight of twisted friendship, love, family revenge, and ambition.

The life-and-death struggle between the blind, crippled swordsman and the one-armed swordsman was truly a masterpiece.

…But what left the deepest impression was.

Holding the wooden sword in reverse, he firmly planted the tip into the ground.

The swordsmanship created by the blind, crippled swordsman. Honestly, that’s why I still remember it.

Leaning on the sword like a cane, he focused all his strength into the sword planted in the ground.

A one-strike, sure-kill drawing technique using the entire body, with the immovable earth as the scabbard—the Invisible Demon Sword.

“Nameless Reverse Flow—!!”

As I shouted the technique’s name and bent my body into a ‘ㄱ’ shape while playing around.

“Really… your posture is a mess.”

A refreshing breeze blew in, and I couldn’t help but shiver.

“Gasp! You, you’re the Martial World’s lemonade maker! The Ice Witch! Seol Wonhwa!?”

“Who’s the Ice Witch!?”

Apparently, the nickname I came up with on the spot didn’t sit well with her.

The white-haired, snow-white beauty, the princess of the North Sea Ice Palace, Seol Wonhwa, placed her hands on her hips and thrust her chest forward, declaring without a hint of shame.

“I am the noble snowflake of the martial world! The younger sister of the Ice Dragon, the Snow Phoenix, Seol Wonhwa!!”

In any case, caught off guard, I shivered like a scared raccoon.

“Sir Sima, I’m sorry. It’s just… I ran into Wolhwa on the way, and she suggested we have lunch together.”

Sososo, who appeared with Wolhwa, apologized for making me wait after promising to teach me sword techniques and suggested we have lunch together.

“Since it’s about time, would you like to join us?”

…And I, seeing Sososo nervously checking my reaction, smiled and approached her.

“I was just getting hungry too. Let’s go eat.”

Even though she’s clearly older than me, she’s so small that I could probably pick her up if I hugged her from behind. She somehow triggered a protective instinct in me.