Arrival at the Namgung Clan
"Hey. Are you serious?"
After 'correcting' Jihyeon, who had been far too masculine, we made haste and finally arrived in Anhui Province, located in the eastern part of the continent.
Nestled here was the prestigious family boasting a long history and tradition—and the very people who would soon be handing over my money: the Namgung Clan.
Hoping to gather some basic information before our visit, I struck up a conversation with Namgung Hyeok.
Scratch, scratch.
"Yes. The Patriarch—that is, my father—is indeed the Sword Emperor, Namgung Seon."
"..."
The Sword Emperor, Namgung Seon. I recalled hearing that name during Yeop Huhu's lessons. He was said to be a legendary figure, incredibly famous throughout the Murim.
But the reason I was currently dumbfounded upon hearing that name was...
"How old are you?"
"I have reached the age of majority this year, so I am twenty."
"Isn't the Sword Emperor eighty right now?"
"T-that is correct, but..."
A twenty-year-old calling an eighty-year-old man his father. Of course, he was his biological father, but it still felt incredibly bizarre.
So he had this kid when he was sixty? Talk about incredible stamina.
Scratch, scratch.
"Well, it's not my place to judge."
Whether he fathered a child at sixty or a hundred, it was none of my business.
"Is there anything we should keep in mind when we visit? Any taboos or things that might be considered rude?"
"Since you are coming as an honored guest, there is nothing in particular to worry about. However..."
"However?"
"It is an internal family matter, so I cannot go into detail, but the Patriarch is currently bedridden with an illness. Please do not be too disappointed if you are unable to meet him."
"Oh... He must be in a really bad state."
If he couldn't even meet the person who saved his youngest son's life, his condition had to be extremely critical.
Then again, eighty was an age where even a master of the Transcendent Realm would start breaking down. Unless, of course, they achieved the legendary Rejuvenation.
Step, step.
"Anything else I should know?"
"Currently, my uncle is serving as the Acting Patriarch..."
Step, step.
"And the current Young Patriarch is my eldest brother."
"How old is your eldest brother?"
"He turns sixty next year..."
Step, step.
We walked for several hours, chatting along the way. Finally, the grand main gate of the Namgung Clan came into view.
"What? It looks perfectly fine."
Contrary to the rumors that the clan was going through difficult times, the main gate was magnificent and imposing.
It looked like a scaled-up, grander version of Gwanghwamun Gate.
The stone blocks were so perfectly polished that they practically reflected my face, and despite the wood clearly being ancient, a faint, refreshing scent of the forest still lingered from it.
Neighhh!
Clack-clack, clack-clack.
Carriages constantly streamed in and out of the four side gates, showcasing the sheer grandeur and influence befitting a family hailed as the greatest under heaven.
Murmurs.
"Hey, stop pushing!"
"I was here first!"
With the main gate radiating such authority, it was only natural that visitors lined up in droves.
The queue stretched so far back that I wondered if they would even manage to process everyone today.
If I stood at the end of that line, I'd probably wait all day only to be told, "Come back tomorrow."
Step, step.
"Benefactor, let us go."
Hehehe.
But that didn't apply to me at all. After all, the youngest son of the Patriarch himself was acting as my personal guide!
Step, step.
"Hey! Everyone else is waiting, how dare you cut in—gasp?!"
"Young Master Namgung?"
"It seems he has returned from his righteous travels."
Namgung Hyeok confidently strode past the queue toward the main gate.
Following closely behind him, I couldn't help but puff my chest out a little too.
Legal line-cutting. Few things in life are as thrilling as this.
Bow.
"Welcome back, Young Master!"
The guards stationed at the gate bowed deeply the moment they saw Namgung Hyeok.
Without exaggeration, if they had bent any lower, their foreheads would have scraped the dirt.
"Yes. I trust nothing untoward has happened in the clan during my absence?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary, Young Master. But this person..."
Glance.
In response to the guard's questioning look, Namgung Hyeok smiled and spoke up.
"This lady is the benefactor who saved my life during my travels. Though she is a year younger than me, her martial achievements are far beyond my own."
"W-what?!"
Murmurs.
"What did he just say?"
"Superior to the Blue Dragon, Namgung Hyeok?"
"Hmph, he's probably just flattering her to save face."
At Namgung Hyeok's words, the onlookers gasped and began whispering among themselves.
Still, lowering himself in public to elevate me... He really is a decent guy at his core, isn't he?
Step.
"May we enter, then?"
"Ah, well... Even if she is a guest, she must first lift her face veil and state her identity..."
Frown.
"How dare you! I just told you she is my benefactor! Are you trying to make me look like an ungrateful wretch?"
"But we still must report..."
"Or do you doubt me? Do you think I, Namgung Hyeok, would bring a spy of the Blood Sect into our home?"
Flinch.
Whoa, that startled me.
How does this guy have such crazy intuition? I mean, I'm not a spy, but still!
Bow.
"My apologies, Young Master. This fellow is still a recruit... Please calm your anger, we will open the gate immediately."
Technically, Namgung Hyeok was throwing his weight around, but it wasn't as if he lacked the authority to do so.
He probably just wanted to show the utmost hospitality to the person who saved his life.
Creeeeak.
In the Central Plains, etiquette dictated that even the smallest distinctions carried weight.
The gate we were about to enter was not one of the side gates used by carriages.
Thud.
The central gate, painted a brilliant sky blue, swung open just for us. It was the Blue Sky Gate.
"Ohhh..."
"Seeing the Blue Sky Gate open is always a magnificent sight."
Since it was a gate rarely opened, the onlookers buzzed with excitement, but...
Hmm...
My attention was captured by something else entirely.
It really is as unique as they say.
Hanging above the gate was the plaque of the Namgung Clan.
It was a highly famous plaque, crafted not from wood, but from Thousand-Year Cold Iron.
Legend had it that when the ancestor of the Namgung Clan first decided to settle in Anhui, he carved the characters with a single stroke of his sword—not with a brush, but with a blade.
Scratch.
This feels weird.
Looking at the plaque made me feel as if I were being sucked into it. It felt like that fleeting moment right before falling asleep, hovering on the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Is everyone else unaffected?
As I stared at the plaque, utterly spellbound—
"Benefactor! Is something wrong?"
Startled.
"Ah, no! It's nothing."
Namgung Hyeok approached me with a worried expression. Startled, I quickly shook my head.
"Then let us head inside."
"Y-yes!"
That plaque... there was definitely something mystical about it.
Would I get another chance to examine it later?
"If you wait just a moment, my eldest brother will come out to greet you."
"It's not like I'm dying to meet him..."
"Haha, please don't feel pressured. He is a good man, so I am sure you will like him, Benefactor."
Namgung Hyeok seemed practically desperate to introduce his brother to me.
In this world, connections were worth more than gold, so I had no reason to refuse, but it was still a bit overwhelming.
Scratch.
"The 'Young Sword Emperor'..."
"It is a bit of an awkward title, isn't it?"
He's turning sixty next year and they still call him 'Young'? What is he, Prince Charles?
Still, his skills were the real deal. According to Namgung Hyeok, both the Sword Emperor and the Young Sword Emperor were masters of the Transcendent Realm. Just because there was a 'Young' attached to his title didn't mean he was someone to be trifled with.
Sip.
"More importantly..."
"Is it that obvious, even to you, Benefactor?"
"Sorry for doubting you."
On our way in, I had noticed that the clan's finances were definitely tight.
While the areas visible to outsiders were well-maintained, the hidden corners often had peeling paint or visible damage.
The foundation was sturdy, but the estate felt like it was slowly decaying.
It was strange that they were short on funds despite so many carriages constantly coming and going.
As Namgung Hyeok and I continued our conversation—
Creeeak.
The door to the reception room finally opened. Two elderly men stepped inside.
"Two of them?"
"Ah! Brother! And Uncle!"
The brother was obviously the Young Sword Emperor, and the uncle had to be the Acting Patriarch.
Step, step.
Hug.
"Hyeok! I heard the news. I am so glad you returned safely."
"Haha, Brother!"
Despite their thirty-nine-year age gap, the brothers shared an incredibly close, informal bond.
For them to be this close, both of them had to possess exceptionally warm and easygoing personalities.
"Then, is this..."
"Yes. This is Lady Yeonhwa, my benefactor."
Clasp.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Namgung Geon."
The Young Sword Emperor, Namgung Geon, greeted me with a formal fist-and-palm salute.
Since a man forty years my senior was saluting me, I couldn't just give a simple nod.
"I am Yeonhwa."
I politely returned the fist-and-palm salute.
"To think you were able to defeat Hyeok. Frankly, it is quite astonishing. Perhaps later, we could have a detailed chat—"
Shout.
"And that is precisely the problem!!!"
A voice dripping with irritation rudely cut Namgung Geon off mid-sentence.
The owner of that voice was, of course, the Acting Patriarch standing beside him.
Scratch.
"Uncle Jaeyeong. Brother was in the middle of speaking—"
Thud.
"If you lost, you lost! How could you boast about it right in front of the main gate?! Have you no thought for what others will say about you, or about our Namgung Clan?!!!"
He glared in my direction, shouting as if he couldn't stand the sight of me.
Since they called him Uncle Jaeyeong, his name must be Namgung Jaeyeong. Unlike the Young Sword Emperor, he seemed to have a thoroughly rotten personality.
Sigh.
"Ahem, Uncle Jaeyeong."
"Address me as the Acting Patriarch!"
"In any case, it is no great tragedy that Hyeok lost a single match. Reputation can always be rebuilt. When that time comes, the rumors of the masses will flip like a hand turning over."
"If he hadn't opened his mouth, there wouldn't be any rumors to begin with! I was against bringing this girl here from the very start!"
Stomp, stomp, stomp.
Namgung Jaeyeong stomped his feet loudly, making sure everyone knew he was furious as he stormed out of the room.
"Sigh... Uncle! I mean, Acting Patriarch!"
And Namgung Geon also let out a helpless sigh and quickly followed to placate him.
As a result, only Namgung Hyeok and I were left in the room.
Scratch.
Sweat.
"A-ahem... I am deeply embarrassed."
"Is he always like that?"
Even if he was the Acting Patriarch, throwing such a massive tantrum when the Young Patriarch was standing right there was hard to comprehend.
"Well... the truth is, my uncle harbors a lot of resentment. He has been stuck in the Peak Realm for a very long time."
"Ah. I get it now."
His brother was in the Transcendent Realm, his nephew was also in the Transcendent Realm, while he was stuck alone in the Peak Realm. No wonder he was losing his mind.
To make matters worse, seeing a nineteen-year-old Peak Realm master like me must have made his inferiority complex completely explode.
Glance.
"Namgung Hyeok."
"Yes, Benefactor."
"I think I'd like to stay here as a guest retainer for a while."
"What?!"
I had originally planned to just take my money and leave, but I had a change of heart.
Between that mysterious plaque and the intriguing dynamic between the Young Patriarch and the Acting Patriarch, my curiosity had been piqued.
Sweat.
"The thing is... I doubt my uncle will allow it. He holds almost absolute authority over the clan's internal affairs."
"Hmm, is that so?"
He had hated me from the very start, so there was no way he'd willingly accept me as a retainer.
"Hmm... Ah, right!"
I have that thing I was given for exactly this kind of situation, don't I?
Rustle, rustle.
Pull.
I pulled out the letter of introduction I had carefully kept in my robes and handed it to Namgung Hyeok.
"Take this."
"What is this?"
"It's a letter of introduction a friend gave me a while back. He told me to show it to anyone if I ever wanted to stay somewhere as a guest."
"Um... I don't think a simple letter of introduction will solve this—"
"Don't be like that, just show it to him. Who knows? It might actually work."
"Tsk!"
Namgung Jaeyeong was fuming in the private annex reserved for the Acting Patriarch.
Such was the moment when Steward Yi approached him, quickly trying to curry favor.
"Patriarch, has something upset you?"
He was only the Acting Patriarch, but Steward Yi addressed him as the Patriarch when they were alone. Such was Steward Yi's survival instinct.
Tremble.
"Sigh... It is nothing."
He could hardly admit that his long-standing inferiority complex toward his genius nephew had completely erupted upon seeing a nineteen-year-old girl who had defeated that very nephew.
Swallowing his anger, Namgung Jaeyeong sat down on a chair draped in white tiger pelt.
Looking around, not only the chair but also the desk, candlesticks, and other furnishings were all extravagant luxury items.
It was a scene entirely unbefitting a clan supposedly tightening its belt.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
"Acting Patriarch. May I enter?"
"Enter."
Upon his permission, the door adorned with ebony wood opened, and one of the clan's servants stepped inside.
"What is it?"
"The guest brought by the Young Master wishes to stay as a guest retainer for a time..."
*Snap.*
The long pipe in Namgung Jaeyeong's hand snapped in two.
"What? A retainer?! What shameless gall does that wench have to ask to be a retainer after bringing shame upon our Namgung Clan?! I will personally throw her out this instant—"
"S-she also asked to deliver this letter of introduction."
"What?! A letter of introduction now? You should have ripped it to shreds immediately! Why did you bring such trash to me?! Do you take me for a fool as well?!"
Hummm.
Ominous killing intent surged from his enraged body. Trembling violently, the servant spoke up in a desperate bid to save his own skin.
"The quality of the paper was extraordinary... I believed it was only right to deliver it to you first..."
"The quality of the paper?"
The unexpected response caused Namgung Jaeyeong's killing intent to recede slightly. He waved his hand.
Wave.
"Steward Yi. Take that precious letter and read it. If it is nothing of import, I will have this servant beaten to death."
"Eek...!"
"Ahem, understood, Patriarch."
Unroll.
Spread.
The letter of introduction was handed over to Steward Yi.
True to the servant's words, the paper was of such exquisite quality that not a single crease remained even after being unfolded.
Read.
"Yeonhwa, the bearer of this letter, is my dearest friend. I expect you to treat her with the same respect you would show me. Furthermore, do not speak a word of my true identity to her under any circumstances."
"Ha! How utterly laughable! She must have seduced some spoiled young master from a wealthy family."
"It certainly appears so, haha."
Steward Yi chuckled, readily agreeing with Namgung Jaeyeong's sarcasm.
But then—
Flinch.
"Gasp...!"
Steward Yi abruptly stopped reading and began to shake like a leaf.
"What is the matter, Steward Yi? Why have you stopped reading?"
"T-that is..."
Tremble.
Despite Namgung Jaeyeong's urging, the steward could only break out in a cold sweat, trembling uncontrollably.
Finally—
"Tsk, give that here!"
Snatch.
He roughly snatched the letter from the steward's hands and held it up to his eyes.
Only then did a certain line at the very bottom catch his attention.
"Gasp...!"
Just like the steward, Namgung Jaeyeong sucked in a sharp breath.
Tremble.
"P-Patriarch! What should we do?!"
"What do you mean, what should we do?! Hurry up and prepare to welcome our new guest retainer!"