Chapter 53: The Namgung Family Head Spoke
The man calling himself the Namgung family head spoke.
"Hand over the Azure Stone Oil. Then this old man will turn a blind eye to that demonic brat. What do you say? Of course, if you refuse, you'll have to forfeit your life!"
"……."
"……."
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them and rose to my feet. Yahul grabbed my wrist. When I pulled my hand free, shock flashed across his face.
That's why I didn't want to bring him along.
I headed toward the back of the room, to the bed, and retrieved the black porcelain jar I'd hidden there. From the moment I pulled it out, the old man's gaze never left it.
"Take it."
As the old man reached for the jar in my hand, I gripped it tightly.
"But in exchange, please vouch for Yahul's status."
"Vouch?"
"Yes. If Yahul's demonic arts ever come to light, you'll have to protect him, sir."
The old man furrowed his brow. I pressed on.
"My father overlooked Yahul's demonic arts because he cares for me. And he couldn't tell Uncle Namgung Wan because of my treatment."
"Hmph. So?"
"Even if the Namgung family learns about Yahul, please make sure it doesn't come back on my father."
The old man narrowed his eyes at me.
"Such deep filial piety. And clever, too."
The old man let out a hearty laugh.
"Fine! This old man will vouch for him!"
I started to hand over the jar, then gripped it again. Flames seemed ready to shoot from the old man's glaring eyes.
"Are you toying with this old man right now?!"
"But sir... you're not actually the Namgung family head, are you?"
"……."
As expected of someone with such profound cultivation, his expression betrayed nothing. I continued.
"Think about it—I already gave the Azure Stone Oil to Uncle Namgung Wan."
"I know."
"If you really needed it that badly, you could just ask your son for it. Why bother demanding it from me?"
He knew Uncle Namgung Wan's personality. If he found out I'd been robbed by the family head, his reaction was obvious.
The old man snorted dismissively.
"What's his is his, and what's mine is mine."
I nodded as if to say fair enough, then continued.
"Then it wouldn't bother you if I went to Uncle Namgung Wan and said the family head took the Azure Stone Oil I gave him, so could I have it back?"
"You little...!"
"What's his is his, and what's the family head's is the family head's, right?"
The old man glared fiercely at me. I smiled brightly.
"Oh, of course, I have no intention of doing that."
Not with Yahul's life on the line. I extended the porcelain jar to the old man again.
"I won't pry into who you really are, sir. Just promise you'll firmly vouch for Yahul's status?"
"You're saying that without even knowing who I am?"
"As you said yourself, sir, you're someone who can roam the Namgung family freely. That means you must have a deep connection with the real family head, right?"
Otherwise, no matter how mighty his personal strength, he couldn't wander a place teeming with experts like the Namgung family unchecked. He must have been granted permission from the start. And someone close enough to learn in half a day that Namgung Wan had obtained the Azure Stone Oil—and that I had two jars.
The old man let out an exasperated breath.
"Hah! You're not just clever—you're sly! Fine. This old man is not the Namgung family head. But I swear on my name to protect the boy. Now hand over the Azure Stone Oil!"
I started to hand it over, then gripped it once more.
"One moment."
"What now?!"
The old man bellowed. The sheer power in his voice made my eardrums ring. Realizing he'd shouted, he glanced around cautiously.
"Don't you have something to say to me?"
"Tch, as if this old man has anything to say!"
I tilted my head coyly.
"You should apologize to me."
"What?"
"You nearly killed me by stabbing my vital point. I already thanked you for saving my life... but surely you're not planning to just brush off almost murdering me?"
"……."
The old man looked utterly incredulous.
I waved goodbye to the old man storming out.
"Take care!"
I perked up my ears, listening for sounds outside. Had he gone? Had he gone? After a long wait with no noise, I finally removed my blindfold and checked with both my eyes and senses. Confirming he'd truly left, I let out a sigh of relief.
"Haa."
Good thing I hid one jar.
I'd originally found three. Just in case, I'd only shown Namgung Wan two—and that caution had paid off.
No choice.
One was for my father, and one I'd hidden to consume when the chance arose... but now I'd have to give mine to Father instead. It hurt to lose it, but if the old man was who I suspected, we'd gotten through this unscathed.
"Looks like he's really gone now."
Turning to Yahul, I saw him staring at the floor, fists clenched tight.
"Yahul."
"……."
"Yahul."
"……."
It took calling him four times before he looked up.
"Because of me...……."
I cut him off.
"Heavenly Mountain Salt Master Gu Hongma."
"...…?"
"That's the old coot's true identity. It's not your fault."
"Heavenly Mountain... Salt Master?"
"Yeah. You've heard of him?"
Yahul shook his head. A righteous sect disciple who didn't know the Heavenly Mountain Salt Master?
"Uh, he's one of the Eleven Supreme Masters of the World... Famous for living by his own rules, neither righteous nor demonic. A total eccentric."
Though unknown to the world, he was sworn brothers with the true Namgung family head, Namgung Mu-cheol.
So the Heavenly Mountain Salt Master is still alive at this point.
Gu Hongma would pass naturally in a few years, his arts lost forever without even a disciple to inherit them.
"How could you stop one of the Eleven Supreme Masters when he's dead set on taking it? Even Father couldn't have. Not your fault."
"……."
But it didn't seem to comfort him much. Suddenly, I recalled something Yahul had said recently.
"Yahul, Yahul."
I waved my hand in front of his downcast eyes.
"So now you can't say your life has no value. It's a life bought with Azure Stone Oil."
I said it playfully, then chuckled haha. In that instant, Yahul lunged at me.
Well, more like hugged me—or clung to me, really.
"……."
I stared blankly at the head buried in my arms.
The next day, I received an invitation from the lady of the house to dine at the Azure Pavilion. The Azure Pavilion was renowned in the region for its stunning scenery within the Namgung estate. A pavilion on a serene blue lake, I'd visited a few times during the day in the past. Back then, lotuses blanketed the water in a spectacular bloom, but now they were scarce. Instead, paper lanterns floated on the lake, scattering gentle twinkles across the rippling surface. Their soft glow was subtle enough that I could remove my blindfold.
Ascending the pavilion stairs, I widened my eyes in surprise. The entire Namgung family was already seated.
I thought I came early...
Flustered, I bowed in greeting.
"Sorry I'm late."
The old man at the center spoke.
"No, we arrived early because we have matters to discuss."
His eyebrows were half gray, but his eyes were still sharp and piercing. The wrinkled fierceness around them matched Uncle Namgung Wan's exactly. This was the true Namgung family head, Namgung Mu-cheol.
Not just in appearance—the vast light in his dantian rivaled the Salt Master's. But the energy's hue was entirely different. The Salt Master's was a vivid crimson, while Namgung Mu-cheol's matched Namgung Wan's coral shade—though denser, more profound.
In truth, the Salt Master's flashy color was the outlier.
I offered a respectful clasped-hands salute.
"Baek Ri-yeon of the Baek Ri clan greets the esteemed members of the Namgung family."
To Namgung Mu-cheol's right sat Namgung Wan and the lady of the house; to his left was the man of the hour, Namgung Ryu-cheong.