Turmoil in Anhui, Beauties Gather
Anhui, home to the Nangong family headquarters, was in an uproar like never before. People were flooding in from every corner of the Central Plains—no, the entire world. Mourners. An enormous throng of them.
It was only natural. A figure of that stature had passed from the world.
Nangong Myeong, the Heavenly Sword King and head of the Nangong family—one of the Five Great Families that stood alongside the Nine Great Sects as the twin pillars of the orthodox Murim. A peerless master whose fame shook heaven and earth, worthy of the title "Sword King." His status and renown alone were enough to draw mourners to Anhui in droves.
Yet the atmosphere in Anhui felt oddly off, more than just the bustle of crowds. Chaotic might be the better word. The family head had died far too suddenly. For a master of his caliber, such a thing was almost unheard of. Unverified rumors and wild speculations were running rampant as a result.
"The investigation must be over if they're starting to receive mourners now, right?"
"Over and done with. They say it was natural causes."
"What? Natural causes? You serious?"
"No way it adds up. Who was the Nangong head? The Sword King. A guy like that dying of old age just past sixty? Come on."
"H-Hold up. So you're saying the Nangong family is deliberately hiding the true cause of death?"
"Could be."
"Hey now, how dare you suggest the mighty Nangong family would cover up a death?"
"Exactly. That's an insult to Anhui's Murim."
"Think what you want. I'm just going by my own judgment."
"I agree with him. It's entirely possible."
"You lot—seriously! What possible reason could there be?"
"Plenty. Take deviation into obsession, for instance. If the lord of the Nangong family succumbed to deviation into obsession, it'd crack their pride wide open. Of course they'd hide it."
"D-Deviation into obsession?!"
"That... that actually makes sense! Sounds totally plausible!"
"What nonsense!"
In a packed inn in Anhui, swarming with mourners, the heated debate raged on. Self-indulgent rumors and guesses, spewed without a care. This was hardly the only spot—no doubt the same scenes were playing out all over Anhui.
For the Nangong family, it was anything but welcome. Still, they couldn't take action just yet. They had their hands full with the funeral rites for their deceased head.
But then.
"You all might want to refrain from spouting such useless drivel. For your own good."
A woman's voice cut through the din from the inn's entrance. Crystal clear, piercing the noise with unnatural ease. All eyes snapped toward the door on reflex.
A woman in mourning garb. Dressed for bereavement right here in Anhui? She had to be from the Nangong family.
Confusion rippled across the mourners' faces. They'd been caught red-handed by someone from the bereaved side.
But these weren't pushovers—they were Murim folk who threw their weight around in their own backyards. Clamming up without a peep would bruise their egos. Besides...
Mourning in full swing, and she's wandering around outside? Not direct kin, probably not even branch family. Sent on an errand by a superior, most like. Heh, low-rank nobody putting on airs.
Most likely some low-level Nangong warrior. The mourners sized her up. Still, she was Nangong, so outright confrontation was off the table. Their choice?
"Ah, that's a misunderstanding. We haven't said anything improper."
Rather than silence, they opted for polite deflection—respectful, yet not groveling under the family's prestige. A face-saving move. The man who'd first dismissed natural causes as impossible chose it.
"Indeed. We were merely discussing current Murim affairs in a constructive manner."
Even the one pushing deviation into obsession chimed in.
"Oh, really?"
The mourning woman nodded, her expression impassive. No one noticed. Her tone had shifted to curt informality.
But they soon would.
She didn't accept it and withdraw. Instead, her voice turned icy, the informal edge sharpening.
"So my ears are playing tricks on me? I clearly heard you yapping about the main family hiding the cause of death. Even deviation into obsession as the culprit."
Pressure mounting on the mourners. But admitting it now? No chance. Deny as a group, and there'd be no proof.
"You must have misheard..."
Whoosh.
Before he could finish, she swept aside the black veil covering her face.
That instant.
Some mourners who recognized her gasped in shock.
"G-Galaxy Sword Hero?!"
"N-No way?!"
Their reactions said it all. Her identity.
Nangong Bi-yeon, the Galaxy Sword. A super peak expert, the deceased head's youngest sister—direct kin through and through. No comparison to these local blowhards lording it over their home turf. She was a heavyweight.
"......"
"......"
The faces of the men who'd spewed baseless rumors drained white. They clamped their mouths shut, speechless.
Thud. Thud.
Nangong Bi-yeon approached the two who'd called it a misunderstanding. They looked ready to lose their minds—or their bladders—their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Thump! Thump!
As if on cue, they dropped to their knees, foreheads slamming the floor. Pure survival instinct.
"Thank the heavens it's mourning time. No blood will be spilled."
"U-Ughhh..."
"A-Aaahhh..."
Weird, terrified groans from the two, like utter fools. She gazed down coldly and spoke clearly.
"Listen up and listen good. The family head died of natural causes. There are no suspicions whatsoever. What was that?"
"N-N-Natural causes! Natural causes! Natural causes! Natu—"
"W-We commit a mortal sin! A mortal sin! A mortal sin!"
Like madmen, they bashed their heads on the floor, chanting endlessly. The once-rowdy inn fell silent, filled only with their voices.
Nangong Bi-yeon's gaze swept over the rest. Heads bowed low in unison, mouths sealed tight as clams.
Her dry voice struck their ears.
"We won't receive condolences from anyone here. Don't wait in line—leave on your own. Even if some feel wronged, it doesn't matter. The main family is the most outraged by Anhui's rumors right now."
Just like that, the mourners waiting in the inn were all booted out at once.
The rumors spread like wildfire. Even to Jegal Cheongha's group, who had just set foot in Anhui.
"D-Did you hear, Military Strategist Jegal?"
Gok Wi-gang came panting back from scouting the streets teeming with mourners.
"Of course. The commotion last night."
Jegal Cheongha replied calmly.
"Heh, as expected from you, Strategist. How do you always hear things so fast?"
"Not hard if you keep your ears open."
"......"
Gok Wi-gang knew arguing with this eccentric would get him nowhere, so he jumped to his point.
"What do you make of it? The mighty Nangong family chasing out mourners? And not just one or two..."
"A warning."
"A warning?"
"Telling everyone not to wag their tongues about the family head's cause of death."
"So last night's incident wasn't just the Galaxy Sword Hero acting on her own?"
"Naturally. It has to be the family's will. Even as the deceased head's sister, she wouldn't impulsively eject mourners on a whim."
Jegal Cheongha's unhesitating conviction. Her flawless logic was instantly convincing. The Murim Alliance's strategist position wasn't won by bloodline alone. Her mind stood out like a crane among chickens among the tacticians.
"Th-Then shouldn't you hold back too, Strategist? If the Nangong side takes offense..."
Gok Wi-gang had already pieced together that Jegal Cheongha wasn't here just for condolences. She aimed to verify suspicions swirling in her head with her own eyes.
"Don't worry. I'll handle it."
"......"
But that left him awkwardly silent. Social skills weren't her strong suit. Born into privilege with that personality? Pure luck. Even if she snapped at someone, bootlickers would abound.
Worried for nothing, what a reaction.
Gok Wi-gang grumbled inwardly.
"Then go register our turn, Hero Gok. I'll secure lodging."
"R-Right."
Gok Wi-gang moved out again.
"Su-rin sister, go register our turn at the Nangong family."
A woman veiled in thin silk. Even her silhouette screamed extraordinary beauty.
"Yes, Deputy Leader."
The female warrior attending her bowed. That face was unmistakably Yeon Su-rin, the Broken Heart Heroine.
Which made the veiled woman's identity obvious.
Hwang Bo-seol, deputy leader of the Golden Dragon Battlefield. The foremost beauty of Jiangnan—now better known as the Living Buddha’s wife—had finally set foot in Anhui.