WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 5: Haggling (1)
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‘!?’
Go Chan’s face stiffened at Mok GyeongUn’s words.
Since the Manor Lord was safe, this was something that could have been kept hidden. He had never expected Mok GyeongUn to mention it so openly.
‘No, why would he...?’
Was Mok GyeongUn truly so desperate to provoke First Madam Seok?
It was practically her secret.
If he claimed to know about it, it would not have been strange for her to try to kill him to silence him right here.
‘Damn it!’
Go Chan tensed and looked at Lady Seok.
Sure enough, her expression had become more vicious than usual.
Yet anger did not immediately spill from her lips.
That was because...
‘This brat...’
She had come here in the first place because she suspected Mok GyeongUn might have seen or learned something.
But this attitude was entirely unexpected.
Admitting that he knew her secret was no different from asking to be killed.
‘What is he after?’
Did this wretch think holding her weakness gave him the courage to act so boldly?
If so, he had made a foolish move.
In any case, Mok GyeongUn was someone she would need to deal with once Mok YeongHo became the Manor Lord.
Whoosh!
Lady Seok’s hand shot out like a snake hunting prey and seized Mok GyeongUn by the throat.
Seeing that movement, Go Chan became certain.
As someone from Jinhua Seok Manor, a martial household, she was undoubtedly an Advanced master.
‘Only Senior Martial Brother Gam could match her.’
Which also meant she was an opponent Mok GyeongUn could not handle.
‘Oh?’
A glint appeared in Mok GyeongUn’s eyes as his throat was gripped.
The strength of her grasp and her unusual technique surprised him.
‘This woman is strong.’
The information sheet had said that, as someone from Jinhua Seok Manor, her Martial Arts would likely be quite good.
But she was far stronger than Go Chan.
‘How interesting.’
Lady Seok’s wrist was slender.
It looked no different from that of any other woman, yet it held such power.
The power of Martial Arts truly was wondrous.
Seeing Mok GyeongUn’s reaction, Lady Seok narrowed her eyes.
‘This brat...’
She had seized his throat to frighten him, to show that she could take his life at any moment. Yet he did not even look flustered.
She had not seen much of him because he was not her child, but had this boy always possessed such nerve?
She had thought he was the most timid of all his half-brothers.
“You...”
At that single word from Lady Seok, Go Chan swallowed dryly.
Had she found out?
Now that he thought about it, would someone at the Advanced level not be able to tell merely by gripping someone’s throat whether they practiced Martial Arts?
Then Lady Seok said,
“...Have you been hiding your true nature?”
‘!?’
Go Chan was dumbfounded.
Should he consider this fortunate?
Or had she become even more wary of Mok GyeongUn?
She had not suspected him, but it seemed Lady Seok had reached the wrong conclusion.
“So this is your true face...”
At that moment, Mok GyeongUn opened his mouth.
“That... isn’t... what matters... is it?”
“What?”
“If the Manor Lord... should pass away... it will be difficult... for the eldest young master... to become Manor Lord.”
“You wretch!”
Squeeze!
Lady Seok’s grip tightened.
“Insolent brat. Do you think I cannot kill you here and now? Who do you think you are, trying to bargain with me?”
“This... hurts a little.”
Lady Seok frowned at his words.
At this much pressure, breathing should have been difficult. Yet his expression barely changed.
Was he not in pain?
As she wondered about it, Mok GyeongUn said,
“I see... It seems... a bargain is only possible... when there is some wariness... toward the other party.”
“Wariness? Do you think I would feel such a thing toward the likes of you?”
Of the Mok Family’s four sons, Mok GyeongUn’s Martial Arts were the most insignificant.
Moreover, his mother was dead, and his maternal family was practically ruined. What could possibly make Lady Seok wary of him?
That was when it happened.
“Demonic Monk.”
The instant those words left his mouth...
Flinch!
A chill so cold it made her spine prickle seized Lady Seok.
Then something unseen struck her and forced her backward.
Skrrrk!
After being pushed back about four paces, Lady Seok’s eyes shook.
‘What was that just now?’
Something invisible had touched her.
She had instinctively roused her ki and invoked Reflective Force, yet she had still been pushed back. The sensation was more than unpleasant. It made her skin crawl.
“Whew.”
Mok GyeongUn raised his upper body and rolled his neck.
Crack! Crack!
“Having someone grab your throat is not a particularly pleasant experience.”
At Mok GyeongUn’s seemingly relaxed tone, Lady Seok glared sharply at him and said,
“You... What did you do just now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just now, you clearly...”
She could not explain it.
It was not as if Mok GyeongUn had done anything to her directly.
Then what was that bizarre sensation?
As she struggled to understand, Mok GyeongUn sat on the edge of the bed.
“Do you feel like bargaining now?”
“Bargaining? How laughable. It seems you had some hidden trick, but do you think luck like that will keep working for you?”
“Not yet, I see. Then shall we use one of the maids?”
“What?”
“The one on the left will do.”
“What do you mean, the left...?”
Before she could finish asking,
“Ah!”
Everyone turned toward the sound.
‘!?’
Lady Seok’s eyes trembled.
Not only hers. Everyone inside the Medicine house stared wide-eyed.
One of the maids Lady Seok had brought was floating about a jang in the air.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
The maid seemed to be trying to scream, but it was as if something had covered her mouth.
Everyone was left speechless.
What was happening?
Why was a perfectly healthy maid floating in the air like that?
‘Th-that is impossible.’
Lady Seok’s mind raced at this strange phenomenon.
She had heard that some masters with profound internal energy could manipulate objects with life energy.
But there was no chance that this child was such a master.
Moreover, if he had used enough life energy to lift a maid, she should have sensed some trace of it.
‘What, what is this?’
Go Chan was just as startled.
What in the world was going on?
Had the false Mok GyeongUn been hiding such a bizarre ability?
Mok GyeongUn casually raised one hand and drew a finger across his throat.
That instant,
“Ghk!”
The floating maid’s facial veins bulged. Her eyes rolled back as though an invisible grip had seized her throat.
She looked ready to breathe her last at any moment.
‘Th-this...?’
The corpse of the dead Taoist occultist came to mind.
Alarmed, Lady Seok shouted,
“S-stop!”
“What do you mean?”
“You are doing this! I do not know what kind of sorcery this is, but stop it at once!”
“Well.”
“You!”
“I am merely proving that I have the standing to bargain with First Madam. Surely it is acceptable to take one life for that purpose?”
Mok GyeongUn smiled brightly.
Lady Seok’s expression only hardened further.
The maid was on the verge of dying.
Had it been an ordinary maid, it might have been different. But this was the servant who had attended Lady Seok since her time at the Seok family home.
Grit!
Lady Seok bit her lip and shouted,
“Stop! Stop it! I will hear what you have to say about this bargain, so stop at once!”
Mok GyeongUn lightly nodded.
Then...
Thud!
The maid, who had been on the verge of suffocation, fell to the floor unconscious.
“So Hwa! So Hwa!”
Another maid hurriedly checked the unconscious servant’s condition.
Fortunately, So Hwa’s life did not seem to be in danger, and the maid let out a breath of relief.
Lady Seok was relieved as well, but she was even more doubtful of Mok GyeongUn’s strange ability.
What was it?
It was a power far removed from ki.
It was closer to sorcery or some uncanny force.
When had he learned such a bizarre ability?
‘...This brat.’
Her mind was full of questions, but she could not determine what this power was. It was too risky to press him recklessly.
She should have brought only bodyguard warriors who knew Martial Arts.
Lady Seok stared at Mok GyeongUn before opening her mouth.
“...What do you wish to bargain for?”
“The Manor Lord could die any day now. Do you not need the Manor Lord’s seal?”
“...”
She did not answer, but neither did she deny it.
There was no reason to deny it.
It was the only way to secure the succession.
Yet she did not understand.
“If you knew that, you could have kept it hidden. Why tell me?”
“Why tell you?”
“Yes. You are also part of the Mok Family. You must want to become Manor Lord.”
That was what troubled her.
She could not understand why he was raising a matter that he could have kept hidden.
With the seal as proof, he could gain the retainers’ support.
Yet...
“I do not particularly want it.”
“What?”
Lady Seok was momentarily speechless at Mok GyeongUn’s words.
He did not want to become Manor Lord?
He could become the head of an old martial family that held power throughout northern Anhui, yet he did not want that?
“...Do you expect me to believe that?”
“Is it so hard to believe?”
“If you were in my place, would you believe it?”
“I would not. I might think it was a lie.”
“Unless you have a convincing reason...”
“The first reason is that I have no interest in it, as I said. The second is that I do not wish to join a succession struggle and fight.”
“You do not wish to fight?”
“Yes. More precisely, I have no interest in it, and I do not want to waste time on something pointless.”
Lady Seok frowned at his words.
Was this brat calling the matter of deciding the next master of Yeonmok Sword Manor a waste of time?
How much effort had she put in to make her child, Mok YeongHo, the Manor Lord?
In a different sense, it was absurd.
Lady Seok stared at Mok GyeongUn before saying,
“...If you truly want nothing, tell me where the Manor Lord’s seal and the martial arts book are. Then I will believe you have truly given up.”
Mok GyeongUn snorted.
“I cannot do that.”
“Then I cannot fully believe your words...”
“Do not believe me, then. I will make the same bargain with the Second Young Master’s side.”
“What?”
Lady Seok’s composure wavered at once.
“What are you saying...?”
“Exactly what you heard. You seem to have difficulty understanding, First Madam, so I will explain kindly. I may not want the Manor Lord’s seal, but do you think you and Elder Brother Mok YeongHo, the eldest son, are the only people who do?”
‘!!!!!’
Her expression froze completely.
Mok GyeongUn smiled.
“It seems you now understand who holds the hilt.”
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