An Incurable Curiosity
"Well, in times like these, it certainly invites disdain."
An era where chivalry had crumbled and righteousness was openly mocked.
And the Namgung Clan is the worst of them all.
They did not merely disregard chivalry and justice; they actively loathed them. For an inept coward under that roof to go about shouting of righteousness, such contemptuous treatment was only to be expected.
Yet that very fact only heightened Hong Jong's fascination with Namgung Yun.
Fascinating. An extraordinarily interesting fellow!
One rarely came across such an oddity these days. Disregarding the Sect Leader's horrified objections and forcing his way down here had undeniably been the right choice.
"So, having met him in person, what did you think?"
"What's this? Weren't you supposed to know everything? What was the point of that entire investigation report you gave me, then?"
"Ah, come on. Is scouring rumors and piecing together second-hand gossip the same as facing a man face-to-face? Isn't that precisely why you dragged yourself all the way out here, Elder?"
"I came under the solemn, august orders of our Sect Leader to—"
"Right, right. The only beggar in the Central Plains gullible enough to buy that excuse is some half-wit suffering from an upset stomach after digging through rotten scraps. Just give me a straight answer, will you?"
"......"
Hong Jong pondered for a brief moment how he might discipline this insolent rascal of a beggar to set a proper example, but he swiftly gave up on the thought.
Even to my own ears, that sounded entirely shameless.
"Still, you little brat. You call yourself an intelligence gatherer, yet you haven't even confronted him in person?"
"I caught a glimpse of him from a distance once. True to his pedigree as the young master of a prestigious noble clan, he's certainly handsome."
"That's all?"
"What else was I supposed to do? You know as well as I do that the Namgung Clan despises other martial sects throwing their weight around in their territory."
"Well, the Namgung Clan is notoriously prickly about that."
"An elder like you can easily suppress them with your towering prestige and martial seniority, but how could an ordinary beggar like me dare step out of line?"
It sounded plausible enough on the surface. However, Hong Jong narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Are you telling me that the branch manager overseeing the entirety of Anhui Province shrank back simply out of fear of a few ruffled feathers?"
Though the man looked comical now—cowering, taking a cuff to the head, and enduring a barrage of scolding—he was nonetheless the individual responsible for an entire province. Even the mighty Namgung Clan could not treat him lightly.
"The moment you heard I was coming, didn't you deliberately dump any potential fallout from contacting Namgung Yun straight into my lap?"
"Well, you were going to meet him anyway, weren't you?"
"......"
"Besides, whatever little reputation I have pales into nothingness before yours, Elder. I figured it was far wiser to entrust the meeting entirely to you while I focused on gathering surrounding intelligence."
"You always have to have the last word, don't you?"
"Heheh! If a beggar can't even wag his tongue properly, he'll starve to death. Surely you know that better than anyone, Elder."
"Ugh!"
"So, how was he? Namgung Yun, I mean."
"He is definitely no ordinary lad. When he deduced that I was an elder of the Beggars' Sect, and even when I revealed myself as the Eccentric Outstanding Celestial Beggar, he didn't show the slightest hint of agitation."
The two youngsters tagging along with Namgung Yun had practically panicked, which had made Yun's unruffled composure stand out all the more starkly.
"Though, it's possible he simply had no idea who the Eccentric Outstanding Celestial Beggar was."
"Ah, that is quite likely. From what we've gathered, until very recently, Namgung Yun showed little interest in the broader affairs of the Jianghu."
"Good grief. Even so, I'm quite well-known throughout the Central Plains, you know."
"Of course you are. Your notoriety resounds far and wide across the land."
"I'm merely an old man blessed with a healthy curiosity. It's truly baffling why people make such a fuss."
"The people caught up in that 'curiosity' of yours grind their teeth to dust, Elder."
"At any rate, beyond the fact that he seems exceptionally sharp, I can't say much else just yet."
Despite his indifferent words, Hong Jong's voice brimmed with unmistakable excitement.
The branch manager clicked his tongue inwardly.
Namgung Yun is in for an enormous headache.
To have caught the eye of this meddlesome old eccentric... Even if offered a mountain of gold, the manager would have declined such terrifying attention.
Well, it's not my problem anyway.
"Do you intend to keep investigating Namgung Yun for the time being, then?"
"Aye. Mark my words, that boy will soon stand at the eye of a coming storm. My instincts tell me that as long as I stick close to him, I'll never suffer a dull moment."
"Understood. I will dig deeper into Namgung Yun and the figures surrounding him. Oh, that reminds me—there is one more matter I must report."
"What is it?"
"Word has it that the Anhui Mo Clan is sending an envoy."
Hong Jong stroked his scruffy beard.
"Nothing benevolent, I presume?"
"They are bitter rivals fighting for hegemony over Anhui Province. There's no way their intentions are peaceful. They're likely using the recent jiangshi disturbance as a pretext to sniff around and pick a quarrel."
"If things go awry, this could escalate into a massive clash."
Shedding his previously playful demeanor, Hong Jong furrowed his brow.
No matter how much he relished disturbances and excitement, he was not insane enough to take pleasure in an all-out war between two titan families like the Namgung Clan and the Anhui Mo Clan.
"Who is leading the Mo Clan's delegation?"
"Their representative is the Heaven-Collapsing Hegemonic Blade."
"...They truly are hellbent on getting under the Namgung Clan's skin, aren't they?"
Mo Seok-heon, the Heaven-Collapsing Hegemonic Blade. Even within the Namgung Clan, where hatred for the Anhui Mo Clan ran deep, he was uniquely despised. The very moniker 'Heaven-Collapsing' was a blatant, deliberate slight against the heavens invoked by the Namgung Clan.
"Furthermore, he has brought four disciples along. While they haven't made names for themselves across the wider realm yet, every one of them is considered a prized prodigy of the Mo Clan."
"Then they haven't marched here for an outright war."
"Even the Mo Clan cannot easily overrun the Namgung Clan on their home turf. Still, the sparks could fly at any moment."
"Mmh..."
"What do you think? Should we step in and arbitrate if the worst comes to pass?"
"That wouldn't be a bad idea."
Handled properly, intervening would not only enhance the Beggars' Sect's prestige, but also place both great clans in their debt.
Yet if resolving such deep-seated grudges were that simple, conflict would have ceased to exist in the world long ago.
Still, since I'm already here, I ought to make an effort.
Even so, the brewing trouble was not entirely unwelcome.
I wonder how Namgung Yun will react to this.
No matter how brilliantly he had distinguished himself recently, he was still remarkably young. Caught between the grinding gears of two massive factions, it would be only natural for a boy his age to struggle just to protect himself, let alone influence events.
And yet, Hong Jong found himself harboring unreasonable expectations.
How would Namgung Yun—a youth who could rightfully be called the greatest anomaly in the present Murim—maneuver through this crisis?
More broadly, how would he leave his mark upon this world?
I'm definitely staying in Anhui for a while.
The Sect Leader would surely clutch his pounding temples in despair, and the Anhui branch manager would look on in sheer terror, but the Eccentric Outstanding Celestial Beggar—or rather, the Eccentric Beggar Inciter—merely chuckled to himself in pure, unadulterated anticipation.
That day, just as before, Namgung Yun stepped out of the clan estate flanked by Namgung Geol and Namgung Yeon.
It was their usual daily patrol.
However, an undercurrent of frustration had slowly begun festering within Namgung Yeon.
...What a waste of time.
Swinging his sword even once more back at the training grounds would have been vastly more productive.
Yet he could not simply declare that he wished to quit.
Yeon quietly studied the two figures walking ahead of him.
Namgung Yun and Namgung Geol.
Today was no exception; Geol was busy flattering Yun at every step, heaping praise upon him as the supreme paragon of chivalry and the living incarnation of righteousness. Yun, looking immensely pleased, threw his head back and laughed heartily in return.
Would corrupt officials exchanging brazen bribes and hollow compliments look like this? No, even venal magistrates possessed enough shame not to flatter each other so shamelessly out in the open.
And yet, their martial prowess was utterly disconnected from that ridiculous exterior.
Geol has grown terrifyingly stronger.
Even when he had trained in the Lower Training Ground, Geol had been exceptionally powerful. That was how he had earned a spot in the Intermediate Training Ground at such a young age. Even accounting for that innate talent, his recent rate of breakthrough bordered on abnormal.
Yet even that formidable Namgung Geol could not hold a candle to Namgung Yun.
No matter how sharp his natural instincts were, Namgung Yeon was still a mere Third-rate martial artist. Gaging the depths of a First-rate master like Yun was simply beyond his capacity.
Even so, whenever he listened to Yun's guidance and witnessed the swordsmanship Yun demonstrated...
He feels entirely different from every First-rate master I've ever encountered.
Even if that impression proved to be an illusion, reaching the First-rate Realm at Namgung Yun's age was more than enough to earn the title of an extraordinary prodigy across the entire martial world.
Then what of himself compared to the two of them?
Yeon slowly raised his hand and clenched his fist.
...I've definitely grown stronger.
Their initial meeting had come about solely because of an order from his father, Chief Administrator Namgung Uncheon. But what had compelled him to remain by Yun's side was the display of the Great Evolution Sword Art Yun had unveiled before his eyes.
Witnessing it had sent a profound shockwave through his soul.
Of course, it could have been nothing more than flashy posturing. In his current state, Yeon lacked the discernment to judge whether Yun's words were absolute truth.
Yet it isn't as if I could ever obtain the clan's supreme teachings anyway.
They might all share the blood of the same prestigious clan, but not everyone was granted equal access to the highest arts. Unless one stood among the chosen few destined to lead the clan into the next era—those permitted to learn divine legacies like the Heavenly Lightning Sovereign Divine Art or the Boundless Firmament Great Evolution Divine Art—disciples generally learned directly from their own parents.
And Namgung Yeon's father was Chief Administrator Namgung Uncheon.
A martial artist of the First-rate Realm.
In terms of raw realm, he stood no higher than Namgung Yun.
That stark reality had played a major role in solidifying Yeon's resolve to learn from Yun. And at least up to this moment, that choice did not appear to be a mistake.
Only a few days had passed since he had begun training under Yun's instruction.
Admittedly, the explosive, aggressive ferocity of his techniques had diminished considerably. To the other children in the Lower Training Ground who knew he had been associating with Yun, it seemed like a regression, earning him petty sneers and snide remarks.
Yet Yeon knew better than anyone.
He was walking the true, uncorrupted path.
The circulation of my internal energy and the transitions between forms have become infinitely more natural.
Furthermore, his comprehension of the Great Evolution Cultivation and the Great Evolution Sword Art had deepened by leaps and bounds. If he maintained this momentum, he would undoubtedly advance to the Intermediate Training Ground before long.
Considering that tangible progress, enduring these chivalric patrols alongside Namgung Yun and Namgung Geol was a price he was more than willing to pay.
Even so, the lingering thought that this time could be spent training remained hard to shake.
"By the way, Hyung-nim, have you heard the news?"
"What news?"
"They say the Mo Clan bastards are coming."
"The Mo Clan?"
Faint memories surfaced in Namgung Yun's mind.
Ah. The clan squabbling with the Namgung Clan over supremacy in Anhui Province.
"In the old days, those wretched scoundrels wouldn't have dared look our clan in the eye! Now they strut around barking about being the overlords of Anhui. Utterly infuriating insects, the lot of them."
Namgung Geol's venomous tone laid his raw contempt bare. Looking at Namgung Yeon, whose expression had darkened similarly, that hostile sentiment was clearly shared by the entire Namgung Clan.
The Anhui Mo Clan, is it...
In his past life, he had never even heard of them. Great sects and minor schools alike were all equally feeble insects before the Heavenly Demon, yet those possessing even a shred of genuine might had left some impression in his memory.
They must have risen to prominence after my invasion of the Central Plains.
The fragments of his borrowed memories gradually snapped into sharper focus.
Ah. They seized the opportunity to expand their territory when the Namgung Clan was crippled by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Even if the Namgung Clan had suffered heavy losses back then, expanding aggressively enough to threaten their dominion over Anhui Province was no small feat. They were certainly an ambitious and capable bunch.
"Hm?"
As they strolled along their regular patrol route, Yun spotted a familiar figure stepping out from a nearby shop.
The man also caught sight of Yun's party.
"Why, isn't that Yun?"
"Greetings, Chief Administrator."
Yun bowed respectfully.
The man was Namgung Uncheon.
"Greetings, Chief Administrator!" Namgung Geol chimed in, bowing right after him.
"Yes, it has been a while, Geol."
Namgung Uncheon's gaze drifted toward the last member of the group, Namgung Yeon.
Unlike the other two, Yeon simply lowered his head in a quiet, subdued bow. Uncheon nodded gently in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to Yun.
"What brings you all out here?"
"We were conducting our regular patrol."
"Ah. The chivalric deeds you children have taken up."
"Indeed, Chief Administrator!" Namgung Geol proclaimed, thumping his chest with pride. "It is a vital undertaking! We ensure that the common people can live in peace and safety, and make certain that no villainous rogue dares enter to torment them!"
"Haha. How reassuring that is."