WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 93: Brothers (2)
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No Ik-bong, a seventh-rank Inspector Censor.
Publicly, he was known as an official of the Censorate, but he had another, hidden position.
Seventeen years ago, the Imperial Palace had opened the Imperial Palace Martial Archive, which had remained tightly sealed to everyone but the imperial family, and secretly trained five organizations.
No Ik-bong was one of the three Squad leaders of the Flying Horse Brigade, one of those organizations.
The masters raised by the Imperial Palace all shared one trait.
It was their internal energy.
[Support them so that martial artists cannot hope to match them in internal energy.]
The Imperial Palace trained warriors in Martial Arts, but it knew it could not catch up to the martial world of the Central Plains in a short time.
Those people had passed down and developed their Martial Arts over countless years.
That was why they needed a different advantage, one gained by raising warriors with powerful internal energy.
The Imperial Palace and the authorities had acquired vast quantities of Elixirs and spirit herbs through their overwhelming wealth and manpower, then invested them into the warriors they trained.
As a result, most of the warriors raised by the Imperial Palace possessed internal energy equal to at least 30 years' worth.
'What is he kneading?'
No Ik-bong was dumbfounded.
He was one of the three Squad leaders of the Flying Horse Brigade.
To become a Squad leader in the Flying Horse Brigade, one needed more than forty years' worth of internal energy.
"Aren't you... in pain?"
"Why would I be?"
Mumu's response made No Ik-bong's brow twist fiercely.
'This insignificant second-rate warrior!'
A second-rate warrior possessed, at most, around ten years' worth of internal energy.
This dull-witted fool had reached seventeen with less than a quarter of No Ik-bong's internal energy, yet dared to mock him?
Filled with anger, No Ik-bong raised his Force of ki further.
'I'd thought the third level would be enough, but you brought this upon yourself.'
No Ik-bong immediately raised his Force of ki to the sixth level.
As he drew up more life energy, his hair and robes began to flutter.
He intended to break Mumu's shoulder for good.
-Crunch!
It did not matter how thick Mumu's muscles were.
If he could not do it directly, No Ik-bong would twist the muscles until the bone shattered.
Then,
-Creak!
'What?'
No Ik-bong was stunned.
He was putting sixth-level Force of ki into his hand, yet those thick shoulder muscles would not budge.
Had this brat specialized in external energy?
How could someone who was only a second-rate warrior endure his seventh-level Force of ki?
As No Ik-bong stood there in disbelief, Mumu spoke.
"Since you're even using internal energy, I guess you weren't just kneading my shoulder."
No Ik-bong frowned.
What was this bastard talking about?
He had been pouring internal energy into Mumu's shoulder to break it, yet Mumu had truly thought he was getting a shoulder massage?
Mumu suddenly nodded in understanding.
"Is this one of those random provocations people talk about?"
"What?"
Did this bastard take him for some street thug?
He would no longer hold back.
No Ik-bong gathered life energy in his foot and tried to kick Mumu in the leg.
But he could not do so.
The guard warrior from upstairs came rushing down again.
"What do you think you're doing?"
'Tch.'
At the guard warrior's question, No Ik-bong stopped his foot just before it moved.
Then he wiped away his earlier expression and smiled.
"Nothing at all."
"..."
The guard warrior looked at No Ik-bong suspiciously.
No matter how they looked at it, it seemed there had been some dispute between the two, but No Ik-bong was playing innocent as smoothly as a snake.
No Ik-bong shrugged, removed his hand from Mumu's shoulder, and whispered, "Kid. You're lucky."
"Lucky?"
Mumu tilted his head.
'Insolent brat.'
It was a shame, but there was plenty of time.
No Ik-bong had memorized the brat's face. He could deal with Mumu whenever he wished.
Just as No Ik-bong moved aside from where he had been blocking the way, the guard warrior spoke.
"Are you No Ik-bong?"
"Hm? I am."
"The Left Assistant Censor has summoned you to the reception room."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
At those words, No Ik-bong looked at Mumu and curled his lips into a sinister smile.
'It seems you are not so lucky after all.'
* * *
'Mumu?'
Yu Jin-sung's expression had not been good during the wait.
The ambitious Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu was one thing, but Yu Jin-sung knew better than anyone that Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong was not someone who made empty claims.
Still, it was hard to believe that Mumu had captured the person behind the murder of Elder Hang Yeon, formerly one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice.
'I heard he grew up under Father.'
Yu Yeop-kyung was not a warrior, but an official and a scholar.
Yu Jin-sung had personally introduced their biological younger brother, Yu Jin-hyeok, to the masters of the Kangxi Three Heroes and arranged for him to learn Martial Arts. But Mumu, their adopted younger brother, had not received the same opportunity.
Mumu had grown up in an environment where he could not properly learn Martial Arts.
'...I already thought it was strange that he was attending the academy.'
Yu Jin-sung had even wondered how Mumu had passed the academy entrance examination.
Those two would not make such confident claims carelessly, but something felt wrong.
-Knock, knock!
At that moment, the guard warrior's voice came through the door.
"I have brought him, Academy Director."
"Let him in."
Mumu soon entered the reception room.
After noticing Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong and Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu seated inside, Mumu bowed politely in greeting.
"Hello, Academy Director, Vice-Master."
Seeing Mumu's innocent appearance, Left Assistant Censor O Mu-yang inwardly let out a small laugh.
'This is that academy cadet?'
Both Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu and Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong had been so confident that O Mu-yang had expected someone with natural martial talent beyond that of an ordinary cadet.
But what was this?
No matter how O Mu-yang looked, Mumu did not resemble a master at all.
'Ah...'
O Mu-yang was not the only one who noticed it.
Yu Jin-sung also sensed the aura coming from Mumu and felt deeply troubled.
No matter how they examined Mumu, he was only a second-rate warrior.
Yu Jin-sung had hoped for some unexpected reversal, but this was the worst possible situation.
'...Is the Vice-Master trying to use me?'
Yu Jin-sung looked away from Mumu and stared at the Vice-Master with disappointment.
It seemed Dan Pil-hu had intended to use Yu Jin-sung, an academy graduate.
O Mu-yang did not know Martial Arts, so perhaps Dan Pil-hu believed Yu Jin-sung would be the only one capable of testing Mumu.
'Did he want me to lie because Mumu is my younger brother too?'
Mumu had effectively been made a hostage.
The Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu whom Yu Jin-sung had known during their academy days was certainly capable of such petty schemes.
Yet there was something they did not know.
No Ik-bong entered behind Mumu.
'As expected, he called for him.'
O Mu-yang had not become the Left Assistant Censor of the Censorate for nothing.
Having risen to that position after serving as an Inspector Censor and Registrar, O Mu-yang was both perceptive and exceptionally sharp-minded.
There was no way O Mu-yang would leave this entirely to Yu Jin-sung.
Yu Jin-sung saw Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong and Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu's expressions stiffen.
It seemed they were reacting that way because their plan had gone wrong.
But contrary to Yu Jin-sung's assumption,
'What?'
'What is this brat?'
Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong and Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu were not troubled by that.
They were shocked by Mumu.
'...Ha.'
'How could this happen in just one day?'
The reason they were surprised was Mumu's condition.
Only yesterday, Mumu had barely been on the verge of forming a dantian.
That was why Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong had wanted to take Mumu as a disciple. Mumu had no martial lineage and had never learned any special Martial Arts.
But overnight, everything had changed.
'second-rate warrior?'
'What happened in a single night?'
Only yesterday, Mumu had possessed no internal energy at all.
Yet overnight, he had gained the internal energy of a second-rate warrior.
It would have been somewhat understandable if Mumu had already possessed a dantian and his internal energy had simply increased.
The problem was that Mumu had not even formed a dantian before.
[I think I can just learn something like Martial Arts as a hobby at the academy.]
They had thought Mumu was taking Martial Arts too lightly because he was overly confident in his monstrous strength.
Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong swallowed dryly.
This was not the growth rate of someone who considered Martial Arts a hobby.
'What an impossible monster.'
Someone once said that the god of martial arts was an enormous miser who only gave something after being offered this and that.
Apparently, that was not true for everyone.
As the two were still astonished by Mumu, someone spoke.
"Inspector No has arrived."
"Inspector No?"
Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu finally looked at the sharp-eyed man who had entered behind Mumu, No Ik-bong.
Left Assistant Censor O Mu-yang smiled at Dan Pil-hu.
"Ah, I failed to mention it. Since this academy arson incident is such a major case, the Censorate dispatched two Inspector Censors."
That meant two high-ranking investigators had come.
No Ik-bong performed a fist-and-palm salute.
"I am Inspector Censor No Ik-bong."
'If you believed Yu Jin-sung was the only Inspector Censor, you were mistaken.'
O Mu-yang looked from Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong to Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu with a smug expression.
They were probably deeply flustered.
They must have expected O Mu-yang to ask Yu Jin-sung to test his own younger brother, Mumu.
O Mu-yang spoke to Inspector Censor No Ik-bong.
"I called you here because I have a request."
"What is it?"
"I heard that the academy cadet named Mumu standing before you captured the person behind the arsonists who set fire to the academy dormitories."
"What? This... child did?"
No Ik-bong's eyes narrowed.
On the way here, he too had heard that the person behind the arson was a top master powerful enough to kill Hang Yeon, formerly one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice.
And this brat Mumu had captured that top master?
'Impossible.'
It made no sense.
Mumu's external energy did appear stronger than his internal energy, but someone on the level of a former Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice member could be considered a master at the peak of the Master realm.
How could a mere seventeen-year-old brat capture someone like that?
"Ha ha ha. You also find it strange, I see. That is why the Academy Director and Vice-Master here said that, if you truly cannot believe it, you may test the academy cadet yourself."
"What do you mean by test him?"
"Can you spar with that academy cadet?"
No Ik-bong's lips twitched at those words.
He had suspected that being summoned had something to do with this brat Mumu, but they had laid out such an obvious opportunity for him.
No Ik-bong looked at Yu Jin-sung with a sinister smile.
Yu Jin-sung then performed a fist-and-palm salute toward O Mu-yang.
"Left Assistant Censor."
"Yes?"
"I have been focused on my official duties, so today is the first time I have seen my younger brother Mumu as well. Please allow me the chance to test my younger brother."
Yu Jin-sung finally stepped forward, believing this had to be stopped.
If No Ik-bong tested Mumu, it was obvious that No Ik-bong would provoke or antagonize Mumu by using a lethal move or seriously injuring someone who was only a second-rate warrior.
But Left Assistant Censor O Mu-yang shook their head.
"That would not do. Strictly speaking, this is to confirm whether the academy cadet Mumu truly possesses the martial prowess to capture the person behind this case."
"Fairly..."
"I trust you, but this investigation was personally ordered by the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and the ministers of the Six Ministries. We cannot handle it vaguely."
"..."
Yu Jin-sung fell silent.
There was nothing they could say in response.
Yu Jin-sung was inwardly furious that the Vice-Master's foolish move had placed the second younger brother they had only just met in danger, but now there was only one option.
'If it comes to it, I'll have to intervene.'
If Mumu's martial prowess proved insufficient, Yu Jin-sung believed there was no choice but to step in and stop No Ik-bong before something happened.
Left Assistant Censor O Mu-yang sneered at Mumu.
"You captured the culprit, did you? Show us your skill."
Mumu looked at Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong and Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu with a puzzled expression.
Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu said, "I'm sorry to call you here so suddenly, but I would like you to show the Censorate investigators your skill."
O Mu-yang shook their head.
The result was already decided, yet they were still putting on such a show.
O Mu-yang lightly gestured toward Inspector Censor No Ik-bong.
It meant not to hold back.
No Ik-bong nodded and smiled inwardly.
'That is exactly what I intend to do, Left Assistant Censor.'
He had never intended to go easy on Mumu.
Though Mumu was only a second-rate warrior, No Ik-bong had confirmed that the brat possessed considerable external energy. From the start, No Ik-bong intended to use the tenth level of Force of ki and unleash an Ultimate Technique mixed with a lethal move, crippling Mumu in one blow.
How would that usually calm Yu Jin-sung's face change after watching his younger brother become half-crippled right in front of him?
'This is exciting.'
No Ik-bong put some distance between himself and Mumu and assumed a form.
Mumu placed his left hand on a Ki-Restraining Bracelet and spoke.
"Should I do this properly?"
At that question, Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu waved a hand and answered as if giving a warning.
"Take it easy."
'Like hell I will.'
No Ik-bong sneered inwardly at their exchange.
It did not matter if Mumu had some hidden trick.
No Ik-bong had already seen that Mumu's external energy was not ordinary, so the moment it began, he intended to unleash a lethal Ultimate Technique with the tenth level of Force of ki and destroy Mumu at once.
"Shall we begin?"
"Yes."
The instant those words ended, No Ik-bong launched himself at Mumu.
He intended to finish it at once without giving Mumu a single opening.
'You're unlucky, kid...'
-Slap!
Just as No Ik-bong launched himself forward and tried to unleash a technique, Mumu's palm struck him across the face.
At the same time, the skin on No Ik-bong's left cheek twisted grotesquely, and shattered teeth scattered from his mouth.
'What in the world...?'
When did I get hit?
Why is my vision spinning?
The reception room is spinning around and around.
-Thud!
No Ik-bong lost consciousness on the spot.
'!?'
The eyes of Left Assistant Censor O Mu-yang, Yu Jin-sung, and everyone else widened at the sight before them.
No Ik-bong had launched himself forward the moment it began, only for Mumu to suddenly slap him.
At first glance, it had seemed like a light slap.
Yet No Ik-bong's body spun around six times at tremendous speed before crashing to the floor.
Mumu shook No Ik-bong and spoke.
"Huh? I hit him lightly. He's not dead, right?"
Footnotes:
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