Chapter 63. Inferiority Complex

A searing heat surged in Namgung Gangchang’s chest, as if it would explode. As the son of the Grand Elder, there was only one person Namgung Gangchang could not surpass among the juniors.

Young Lord Namgung Jin.

Yet, in that moment, he felt that same insurmountable wall from that bastard.

To feel such a thing toward that illegitimate wretch—Namgung Gangchang could not accept it. He forced a nonchalant smile.

“Hey, Namgung Hyun!”

Namgung Hyun’s gaze slowly drifted over. His eyes, as clear as a breeze over the lake, made Namgung Gangchang’s face contort. He lost his composure in an instant and shouted.

“Y-you bastard, don’t even think of getting cocky! These guys are just spouting nonsense because they lack taste.”

At those words, the bastard smiled.

“This son of a… why are you smiling?”

When Namgung Gangchang barked, Namgung Hyun responded in a gentle voice.

“It’s not my fault that you’re unlikeable.”

“What? You—”

“I’m not here because I want to be, so don’t make more noise.”

Just as Namgung Gangchang was about to curse, Namgung Hyun cut him off.

“Once the Clan Head finishes eating, I’ll return right away.”

“Oh, you’re going back to your quarters?”

Satisfied with the answer, Namgung Gangchang let go of his anger. His lips began to curl upward when the young men of the Namgung Clan suddenly turned pale and stood up.

“Hey, no way!”

“Is this guy crazy? Go where! You’re staying here until the end today!”

“Someone get some rope! Tie him to the chair!”

Just as Namgung Gangchang was about to scold them for the commotion, a soft voice pierced his eardrum.

“Oh? There’s someone I haven’t seen before in Namgung.”

Looking toward the voice, a martial artist from the Hwang Bo Clan was standing there. The Hwang Bo Clan was seated at a relatively distant spot and must not have heard the earlier commotion.

“Lady Hwang Bo, you’ve come to the Alliance of Noble Clans again this year. It’s been a while. Please, have a seat over here.”

A Namgung martial artist seated at the end of the row quickly stood and guided the Hwang Bo group.

“Shall I? I was actually curious to ask who from Namgung would be participating in this year’s Martial Arts Tournament.”

The ladies of the Hwang Bo Clan naturally passed the offered seats and sat beside Namgung Hyun.

The Namgung martial artists, thinking it better than leaving the seats empty, smiled and continued the conversation.

“Surely, Lady Hwang Bo, you’re participating as well?”

“Yes, I’m joining this year.”

“Oh, braver than you look.”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“I heard a direct disciple of the Tai Chi Sword Saint is entering this year, so I postponed my participation until next year. I don’t fight battles I know I’ll lose.”

At the candid response, the Hwang Bo lady curved her lips into a smile.

“I heard that rumor too, but I decided to participate anyway. I might beat the Tai Chi Sword Saint’s disciple, you know? You won’t know until you try.”

“Haha, of course. I’m sure you’ll do very well, Lady Hwang Bo.”

“What’s this, not saying I’ll win?”

“Here, why don’t you take this drink first.”

The Namgung martial artist smoothly dodged the remark and filled the Hwang Bo lady’s cup.

A cheerful atmosphere returned to the table.

Namgung Gangchang, too, gradually shed his sulky expression and joined the conversation. The awkwardness quickly faded, and the table grew lively again. But then, one lady said something tactless.

“Hmm, why haven’t you introduced that person? I recognize everyone else, but I’ve never seen him before.”

A Hwang Bo lady seated at the far end urged an introduction of Namgung Hyun.

Namgung Hyun met the gazes turned toward him and smiled. The noisy setting, from which he had nothing to gain, annoyed him—but even so, he couldn’t thoughtlessly reveal his irritation.

“I’m Namgung Hyun. It’s my first time at the Alliance of Noble Clans, so I was a bit awkward and late in greeting you.”

“Hyun, you say? I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”

“If you’re Namgung Hyun, then could you be the Clan Head’s…”

The woman who had been speaking suddenly covered her mouth.

“Goodness! Now that I think about it, you do look a lot like Young Lord Namgung Jin.”

“Ah, you must be the Young Lord’s younger brother.”

“Young warrior Namgung Hyun, you must be skilled in martial arts as well. If you’re a direct descendant, then you must have learned a lot of impressive techniques, right?”

The previously quiet women of the Hwang Bo Clan suddenly began to pepper him with questions, as if they had been waiting for this moment. Watching them, Namgung Gangchang’s fury boiled over.

What the hell do they see in that bastard?! That pale face—what’s so great about it?! What rotten taste these people have!

Biting his lip, Namgung Gangchang barged into the soft conversation.

“Just because someone’s a direct descendant doesn’t mean they’re taught secret techniques or advanced martial arts. And if his mother was a lowly courtesan, how can he be treated the same as the Young Lord? That’s quite rude of you, Lady Hwang Bo.”

A chilling silence immediately fell over the table.

Anyone even slightly familiar with the Namgung Clan knew that the Young Lord’s younger brother was illegitimate. But still, no one ever brought up his birth mother.

The Alliance of Noble Clans wasn’t a casual drink with close friends—it was a networking opportunity among the noble clans’ young successors.

Politeness and pretense for the sake of reputation were a given.

The martial artists of the Hwang Bo Clan didn’t look pleased, but Namgung Gangchang was already too far gone. Rather than preserve his own dignity, he was more eager to smear Namgung Hyun’s.

“The Clan Head himself doesn’t seem to care much, so there’s little chance he’ll ever be taught any advanced martial arts. Ah, but he does have some talent in calligraphy, so maybe he’ll end up working in the martial arts archive someday, reading a few techniques off the shelves.”

One of the Hwang Bo ladies, glancing around, forced an awkward smile and tried to change the topic.

“Come to think of it, I think I’ve heard about this from my father. The handwriting was so refined that the Alliance Leader asked the Namgung Clan Head to send the person who transcribed his letters to Summer Pavilion. Could that have been you, Young warrior Namgung Hyun?”

Lady Hwang Bo brought up an old rumor that had once spread through the Murim to salvage Namgung Hyun’s standing.

As a child, Namgung Hyun had often transcribed letters on behalf of the Clan Head. The Alliance Leader, impressed by his handwriting, had even personally requested the Clan Head to send him to the Four Seasons Hall.

In short, everything Lady Hwang Bo said was true.

And that, once again, grated on Namgung Gangchang’s nerves. With an exaggerated sigh, he cut in.

“Yes, yes, what an incredible event that was. The Clan Head, feeling sorry for the boy, tried to send him to the main house. But the bastard caused such a disgrace to the clan that it all came to nothing. The fact that the Clan Head didn’t cast him out just because he’s blood—well, it really makes you wonder what blood ties even mean.”

With that continued provocation, the martial artists of the Hwang Bo Clan finally showed displeasure on their faces.

“What do you mean, ‘what blood ties mean’? In a noble clan, blood is everything.”

“Exactly. Young warrior Namgung Hyun, don’t worry. Opportunities always come around.”

“Still, I’m curious. If even someone who disparages you acknowledges your handwriting, it must truly be something beautiful.”

As things didn’t go as he’d hoped, Namgung Gangchang’s rage flared further.

What enraged him even more was how the bastard, despite being showered with compliments by all these women, didn’t even look pleased—only offering a faint smile.

That—that smug bastard! Too full to even appreciate it!

Fuming, Namgung Gangchang grabbed a wine bottle to fill his cup. But the bottle was empty.

“You’ve got to be kidding me… Hey! Isn’t this wine bottle empty?!”

Namgung Gangchang shouted angrily, looking for a maidservant. But none of the maidservants attending the Namgung table were in sight. Just then, a maidservant managing the Peng Clan’s table quickly brought over extra wine and tea.

“Here you go.”

Namgung Gangchang glared at the Tang Clan’s maidservant and spoke coldly.

“Don’t you know that, at a gathering like this, it’s basic courtesy to keep the food and drink full at all times?”

“I apologize.”

“No need to apologize.”

Namgung Hyun, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

“When one leaves their seat after barely filling a cup, it’s only natural that a lot of wine ends up wasted. How could the maidservants possibly predict something like that?”

As Namgung Hyun defended the maidservant, Namgung Gangchang, glancing between the maidservant and Namgung Hyun, let out a snort.

“So that’s your taste, huh?”

The maidservant had a pleasant enough face. But she wasn’t an exceptional beauty.

Well, considering he’s of low birth, I suppose that’s the kind of woman he’d be into.

This is what you call a difference in taste.

Namgung Gangchang scoffed inwardly at Namgung Hyun and downed his drink in a single gulp. As he tilted his head back, his gaze drifted—and landed on the bridge by the pond. His brows furrowed.

A man and woman he had never seen before were crossing over in this direction. He nudged one of his followers sitting beside him and asked:

“Who are they?”

“Not sure. I’ve never seen them either. Who could they be?”

“Judging by the light green robes, maybe they’re from the Tang Clan? Don’t they usually wear green for the Alliance of Noble Clans?”

Apparently others had noticed them as well, since the answer came promptly.

Keeping his gaze fixed on the bridge, Namgung Gangchang refilled his cup.

“Strange. If someone like that were in the Tang Clan, there’s no way I wouldn’t know.”

Straight shoulders, a long, graceful neckline, and a small, well-proportioned face—this was nothing like the hunched posture of the average maidservant.

Yes, that’s more my type.

A woman worthy of this body’s refined taste—unlike Namgung Hyun’s cheap preferences.

As Namgung Gangchang took in the woman’s attire and the ornaments in her hair, interest sparked in his eyes.

Though her clothing was simple, her accessories were clearly expensive. Fine silver threads gleamed between mother-of-pearl inlays. Beyond the value of the materials, the craftsmanship was exceptional. Even the hairpin securing her side hair was made entirely of gold, encrusted with countless tiny jewels.

Raised as the cherished youngest of the Grand Elder’s children and having seen all manner of rare and precious things, Namgung Gangchang swept his gaze from the woman’s head to her toes, his lips curling slightly.

She must be the daughter of someone holding a high position within the Tang Clan.

Having completed his evaluation, he mentally added her to the list of women he wouldn’t mind forming a connection with.

Then—an irritating voice tickled his ear.

“Young warrior Namgung Hyun, why are you staring that way so intently?”

Snap.

Namgung Gangchang reflexively turned his head.

Namgung Hyun was indeed staring toward the bridge. And what’s worse, he didn’t even deny it when Lady Hwang Bo asked.

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