Jade Sword Flower: Namgung So-min (2)
“…Urk.”
Hyeon-eum Guest gritted his teeth as he used the power of the black smoke bomb to escape the Murim Alliance. His right arm wouldn't respond at all—his bones must have been shattered. Even the slightest movement sent agony searing through his entire arm, as if it were being burned alive. With the superhuman endurance befitting an assassin, Hyeon-eum Guest bore it, but his condition was far from good. On top of that, his legs had taken a heavy toll because he hadn't fully evaded the final strike of the Heavenly Bow Infinite Sword Technique.
At least I'm still alive. That's a blessing.
Whether unconsciously mindful of Baek Su-gyeong or not, Namgung So-min hadn't unleashed the Heavenly Bow Infinite Sword Technique at full power. And yet, here he was in this state. That was the difference between Hyeon-eum Guest, teetering on the edge of first-rate mastery and facing the wall of peak realm, and Namgung So-min, who appeared to have dwelled in the peak realm for quite some time.
Hidden by the darkness, his legs bore severe wounds. Blood dripped steadily onto the ground.
I have to get out of here.
Namgung So-min's flashy sword swings had set off alarms across the entire Murim Alliance. If it came out that he was carrying Baek Su-gyeong on his shoulder in this situation, things would get dangerous. As Hyeon-eum Guest tried to rise and flee, several streaks of golden sword energy sliced through the darkness and embedded themselves at his feet.
Perhaps too hasty in his dodge, he dropped Baek Su-gyeong from his shoulder and retreated, grinding his teeth.
“Urk.”
A faint groan escaped Baek Su-gyeong. Ignoring it, Hyeon-eum Guest looked ahead. In his vision appeared Namgung So-min, her high sword lowered, gazing at him.
“Jade Sword Flower…!”
“Leave him and go, you villain.”
“How did you follow me?”
“Who knows. Do I have any obligation to answer that?”
Namgung So-min smiled. A smile as cold as ice—a blossom carved from frost.
“If you're upset, prove it with your skills.”
Damn it…
At this rate, the mission would fail. But Hyeon-eum Guest valued his life more than the mission. By now, with the time he'd bought, Haomen's prison break operation should have succeeded anyway. Sensing the approach of Murim Alliance warriors, he gripped a black smoke bomb in his hand.
“This humiliation… I'll repay it someday!”
Boom!
The black smoke bomb obscured his vision, and Hyeon-eum Guest's figure sank into the earth like a ghost, vanishing without a trace.
Namgung So-min stood guard in front of Baek Su-gyeong, watching the spot where he had disappeared. A moonless night of utter darkness. The night's commotion ended just like that.
“Failed?”
Amhyang Bloodstain's voice rose at the end, his face twisted in displeasure. Across from him sat Iron Lion Soul, his beloved weapons—Lion Fang Iron Hook and Iron Claw—crossed and strapped to his back.
Tilting his liquor cup, Iron Lion Soul smirked.
“All that boasting, and it ends in failure, huh.”
“That idiot Hyeon-eum!!”
Amhyang Bloodstain couldn't hide his rage. Even for an In-killing Guest, they were the elite of the Dark Warriors he prided himself on. For Amhyang Bloodstain's Dark Warriors, who operated on a model of elite few, a mission failure meant a direct blow to their prestige. Grinding his teeth, he heard Iron Lion Soul speak from beside him.
“I told you not to underestimate them, Amhyang. Even if they're righteous faction vermin, that's the heart of the righteous sects. You should've at least sent a Ground-Killing Guest.”
“Shut your mouth!”
At Amhyang Bloodstain's retort, Iron Lion Soul shrugged and grabbed the money pouch on the table.
“Win or lose, a bet's a bet. Fifty nyang of gold comes to me.”
“Get lost!”
“Don't get so hung up on failure. Thanks to it, we saved Night Brain's disciple.”
“Get lost!”
Amhyang Bloodstain bellowed at Iron Lion Soul's provoking words. Just thinking that one of his subordinates had been used as bait to rescue a mere Haomen branch made his blood boil. Night Brain was one thing, but Iron Lion Soul was even more infuriating. As if teasing the grinding Amhyang Bloodstain, Iron Lion Soul leisurely exited the Night Emperor Hall.
Glaring at the spot where Iron Lion Soul had vanished, Amhyang Bloodstain gnashed his teeth.
“Damn it all. That worthless writer—one single abduction botched, and I suffer this humiliation?!”
Amhyang Bloodstain roared.
“From today, all In-grade scum enter three months of hellish training! Throw Hyeon-eum into the Heart Demon Cave!”
“Understood!”
The martial tournament was suspended. Naturally, since it had been under the pretext of selecting Baek Su-gyeong's escort, Namgung So-min—who had shone brightest in last night's incident—emerged as the frontrunner. This sparked two days of fierce debate. Wudang's insistence on taking the escort role made the competition intense, but with no one else having earned merits, the position went to Namgung So-min.
Hearing the news, Namgung Cheon pressed his forehead as if dizzy.
“In the end…”
“Waaah! The young lady's been selected as Teacher Su-gyeong's escort!”
Unaware of her master's turmoil, Jong-hwa—Namgung So-min's maid—sparkled with joy.
Namgung Cheon looked at his sister.
“Do you really have to go with that man?”
“It's already decided.”
Namgung So-min's expression was resolute.
“Moreover, since the unorthodox factions are targeting Teacher, there's no guarantee it won't happen again. That's why an escort is needed.”
“…Haa.”
Namgung Cheon sighed. It was odd to argue against a settled matter, but she was his only sister. Did she have to stand by some outsider's side?
“If I could, I'd take that spot myself, but they wouldn't allow it, would they?”
“…I'm sorry.”
“If that's your choice, so be it. But if he does anything disappointing, return to the family at once.”
“Yes.”
Two were already set to accompany Namgung So-min: her maid Jong-hwa and a surveillance agent assigned by Namgung Cheon. It might not be enough, but at least communication wouldn't be an issue.
Hiding his unease, Namgung Cheon said,
“If anything happens to that man, don't act rashly.”
“That's for me to judge, brother.”
“If you get hurt, Father will erupt like a volcano.”
“…I'll do my best.”
Mentioning Namgung Do made even Namgung So-min yield a little. After wrapping up final matters, she bowed to Namgung Cheon and left.
Watching his sister's receding figure with a bitter expression, Namgung Cheon shook his head.
“She's lost her mind. All for one book…”
Saying so, he pulled out a copy of Wudang Sword Hero from his bosom.
“Still, with So-min by Teacher Su-gyeong's side, I'll get new volume news first.”
He'd feigned dislike for Wudang Sword Hero, but Namgung Cheon was just as avid a fan as anyone.
“I'm sorry, Teacher. My skills were lacking…”
Upon waking from his pressure point paralysis, Kang Yu-pyeong prostrated himself before Baek Su-gyeong. Not only had he failed to protect his charge—the escort personally assigned by Jegal Yu—but he'd been knocked out by acupoint strikes while Baek Su-gyeong was kidnapped. He could kowtow in apology and it wouldn't suffice.
Of course, Baek Su-gyeong understood his feelings. Even so, he had no intention of berating Kang Yu-pyeong, who had never shirked dirty work for his sake.
“There's no need for Great Hero Kang to apologize. You've done enough.”
“Teacher…”
“Most business in Xuchang is wrapped up, so I plan to leave soon.”
“Then let me escort you…”
Baek Su-gyeong shook his head.
“Great Hero Kang must return to the Murim Alliance's Hubei Branch.”
“Then where will you go, Teacher?”
“Talks aren't fully concluded, but I won't head straight back to Wuan.”
“But then…”
“No need to worry too much, Great Hero Kang.”
Baek Su-gyeong's gaze shifted sideways. There stood Namgung So-min, her long hair cascading down.
“Lady Namgung So-min has agreed to be my escort.”
“Shaolin next, then definitely Huashan!”
“Nonsense, it's Qingcheng!”
“We'll settle it with a spar right here!”
“Make it a deathmatch!”
“Enough, all of you!!”
Watching the two Taoists bicker before him, Baek Su-gyeong's face darkened in despair. He truly had no idea how things had come to this. It started when Elder Beop-sang from Shaolin showed up out of nowhere to express thanks, and now elders from Huashan and Qingcheng were lobbying him to feature their sects as protagonists in his next work.
“Both of you, stop.”
Baek Su-gyeong sighed.
“Do the representatives of Huashan and Qingcheng intend to tussle like children?”
“This is a matter of utmost importance!”
“Don't you know the impact Wudang Sword Hero has had?”
Qingcheng's Elder Un-gyeong-ja and Huashan's Elder Thousand Illusion Sword Mae Jeong-do. These two had felt Wudang Sword Hero's ripple effects most acutely in the Murim Alliance. Their rival was none other than the world's foremost sword sect, Wudang. As fellow sword sects, how could there be no rivalry?
Baek Su-gyeong replied,
“How could I not know? I've heard Wudang's gates are flooded with aspiring disciples.”
“Exactly! Wudang, nearly sealed and waning, has not only regained its prestige but strengthened its voice in the Alliance!”
“Wudang Sword Hero has shaken the political landscape of the Murim Alliance.”
Ah, my head.
Resisting the urge to bang his head, Baek Su-gyeong looked at Un-gyeong-ja and Mae Jeong-do. He understood why they came lobbying, but he couldn't consent.
I'm scared of 5.7 quadrillion in compensation…
But there were lines that couldn't be crossed. Their request clearly fell on the wrong side.
Baek Su-gyeong spoke.
“One of my books nearly tarnished the Murim Alliance's dignity. Just yesterday.”
“That was…”
Baek Su-gyeong raised his gaze to the two elders.
“I'd sooner break my brush than witness swordplay over my books again. That's not why I wrote Wudang Sword Hero.”
“Teacher.”
This incident had made Baek Su-gyeong reconsider much. He realized he couldn't avoid it forever. Even if he denied it, Wudang Sword Hero's influence on the Central Plains was immense. The unorthodox factions—even the demonic cult—might take notice of him. Denial changed nothing.
He had to accept it.
“If you must lobby me, then kill me instead.”
“We'd never!”
“Kill you, Teacher? Don't speak such horrors! We'd never see another Wudang Sword Hero!”
Un-gyeong-ja and Mae Jeong-do were utterly sincere. Kill Baek Su-gyeong? Even Alliance Leader Jang Hyo-un had advanced his realm through the novel, becoming an unfathomable master. Slaying his devotee? Absurd. It would unleash a heaven-spanning net across the murim, with Jang Hyo-un himself drawing his sword. He'd become murim's public enemy.
“We don't want that nightmare, Teacher.”
“Forget we said it.”
“If you don't wish it, we won't force you—it's not the way of a murim warrior.”
Un-gyeong-ja and Mae Jeong-do both backed down. Baek Su-gyeong swallowed a sigh of relief inwardly.
“I'm glad you understand my position.”
“It's a shame your escort isn't from the Nine Great Sects.”
“But if there's no material after Shaolin, the Eight Great Families—or even the New Outer Paths—could work.”
At Un-gyeong-ja's words, Mae Jeong-do gaped at him, but Un-gyeong-ja remained composed.
It was a reasonable point. As Mae Jeong-do nodded reluctantly, Un-gyeong-ja continued.
“What do you think, Teacher?”
“Not a bad idea. I'll consider it. Thank you, Elder Un-gyeong-ja.”
Un-gyeong-ja beamed, stroking his beard in satisfaction at Baek Su-gyeong's thanks. Mae Jeong-do scowled beside him.
I got played!
To think he'd snag the honor of thanks from Baek Su-gyeong!
That sly fox!
The honor of Teacher Su-gyeong's thanks is mine now, Mae Elder!
Regardless of their petty war, Baek Su-gyeong bid them farewell with a lighter heart and left the reception hall. His long stay in Xuchang was drawing to a close.