The Blade Princess Confronts the Young Tyrant
"Th-that's ridiculous!"
As expected, Paeng Ha-ryeong was the first to raise her voice in response to Dokgo Bin's shocking declaration. She strode past Hwa Yeok-pil and positioned herself protectively in front of Namgung Woo before removing her veil. Although she had revealed her bare face to the people of Cheongsumun during her fight with the Blue Dragon Spear No Hae-rip, she had continued wearing the veil ever since. Naturally, she had kept it on even within Gyeong County. The same had been true when she and Namgung Woo first arrived at Guya Manor to accept the commission. In effect, this was the first time Paeng Ha-ryeong's face had truly been revealed.
Yet her fame was limited to the Hebei region. Let alone in Gangnam. While the people marveled at her beauty, none recognized her identity.
"Who are you?" Dokgo Bin asked, tilting her head slightly. Her tone suggested she held no particular interest but would ask since the other woman had stepped forward. That only irritated Paeng Ha-ryeong even more. To think this girl would dare act cute in front of Gaga to win sympathy. She absolutely could not back down.
"I am...!" Paeng Ha-ryeong opened her mouth to declare boldly, but the words suddenly caught in her throat as if she had slammed into a wall. Removing her veil out of competitive spirit toward Dokgo Bin's appearance was one thing. Her face had already been seen once, and the only additional people present were the two craftsmen of Guya Manor and Dokgo Bin herself. But was it truly wise to reveal her full identity here?
Namgung Woo's gentle voice transmission resonated softly against her eardrum. The Four Seasons Commission was over. From now on, she would gain fame simply by having commissioned the lord of Guya Manor. There was no longer any need to worry about her reputation dragging her into troublesome matters. They would become entangled anyway.
The moment she received Namgung Woo's permission, confidence flowed from Paeng Ha-ryeong. The Dokgo Family? Fine. She acknowledged it. Among the Four Great Houses that formed the core of the Black Alliance, they stood supreme. But what of it? The Hebei Paeng Family was also one of the Murim Alliance's Seven Great Houses. Although the overwhelming dominant power of the Xianyuan Family existed unlike with the Dokgo Family, even the Dokgo Family's influence fell short before them. The authority of the Hebei Paeng Family, which possessed the Twelve Venerables, could be considered equal to that of the Dokgo Family!
Paeng Ha-ryeong thrust her chest out proudly. See? Was there not already a clear difference between herself and Dokgo Bin? With a sense of victory as a woman, she declared firmly.
"I am Paeng Ha-ryeong, daughter of the Hebei Paeng Family."
"Paeng Family?" Though this was a shocking identity reveal, Dokgo Bin's reaction was utterly dry. On the contrary, it was the Cheongsumun group—who had already guessed something of her identity from her appearance—who gasped in astonishment.
"So that was it..."
"The Paeng Family... now her incredible strength makes sense."
Paeng Ha-ryeong's astonishing martial prowess in defeating the renowned Peak expert No Hae-rip was understandable if she belonged to the Hebei Paeng Family. Even though two even greater monsters stood among them.
And one of those monsters continued to assert his position without the slightest tremor in response to Paeng Ha-ryeong's words.
"So? What does that have to do with anything?"
"G-Gaga is...!" A righteous faction member, so an unorthodox faction like you cannot join him? Paeng Ha-ryeong realized the flaw in her own argument and closed her mouth again. Could Namgung Woo truly be called a member of the righteous faction? If one considered only his chivalrous spirit—valuing human lives over martial arts and throwing himself into danger for the sake of his connections—he certainly deserved the title. However, when viewed coldly, Namgung Woo had not yet aligned himself with any side. He existed between the righteous and unorthodox factions. That was his current position as a rogue martial artist.
But even without bringing up the conflict between righteous and unorthodox, Paeng Ha-ryeong still had a card to play.
"He is the leader of the Changcheon Squad. And I am one of its members. Do you truly believe a direct descendant of the Dokgo Family can belong to a mercenary unit?"
At Paeng Ha-ryeong's question, Dokgo Bin tilted her head again as if to say, What kind of absurd nonsense is that?
"You are one as well."
The counter-question asked what logic allowed the daughter of the Hebei Paeng Family but not the daughter of the Dokgo Family. However, Paeng Ha-ryeong had anticipated this much.
"I received permission from the family head before leaving the household. But you joining the Changcheon Squad would be running away from home, would it not? Do you believe the Dokgo Family would tolerate that?"
Seeing Dokgo Bin remain silent, Paeng Ha-ryeong smiled triumphantly. It had worked. The weakness of those from prestigious families was the same everywhere. They enjoyed powerful privileges by borrowing the strength of their house while simultaneously being bound and restricted by it. Dokgo Bin seemed unaware of Paeng Ha-ryeong, but Paeng Ha-ryeong knew a few things about Dokgo Bin.
Pae-so-gun Dokgo Bin. The one and only daughter of the Dokgo Family Head. She possessed heavenly talent comparable to the family head himself and was expected to stand at the forefront of the new generation in the unorthodox Murim world. Seeing her today, Paeng Ha-ryeong understood that those rumors were true. However, with such talent and status, restrictions on her activities were inevitable. As the sole child of the Dokgo Family Head, she was naturally the family's successor. A successor could not easily leave the family. It was no coincidence that her own brother, Paeng Ja-ryeong, remained shut away in Tianjin and earned the title Unshakable Blade Lord.
Recalling her brother, Paeng Ha-ryeong had assumed Dokgo Bin would be the same. Having received much from the family, one must fulfill equivalent responsibilities. That was Paeng Ha-ryeong's common sense.
But she had underestimated Dokgo Bin.
"It doesn't matter."
The Dokgo Family had its own family rules. However, there was a family precept that took precedence. The teaching that in the end, one stands alone. Do not rely on the family. Rely only on yourself. This journey was the same. Dokgo Bin had come alone all the way to Gyeong County. Though the distance from Hefei—where the Dokgo Family had established its base—to Gyeong County was a mere four hundred li by Central Plains standards, it was still highly unusual for the family's successor to travel alone.
"Lodging is not an issue. I can do laundry and cooking as well. Even in a mercenary squad, I will not become a burden."
"Ugh...!" This time, Paeng Ha-ryeong was the one pushed back. She was utterly hopeless when it came to housework. What household chores would a noble young lady have ever performed in her life? Laundry, cleaning, cooking—those were the duties of servants, not Paeng Ha-ryeong. She had only recently begun practicing cooking because Namgung Woo enjoyed gourmet food, but she was still quite clumsy at it.
In contrast, Dokgo Bin—having been trained in self-reliance from a young age under the strict family rules of the Dokgo Family—was truly versatile in all household matters. She was the very definition of a prepared talent.
"That is..."
When Paeng Ha-ryeong faltered, Namgung Woo stepped forward, sending her behind him as he spoke.
"Even if it means becoming hostile toward the Dokgo Family?"
He understood that independent action was possible. But to what extent? Would it even permit actions that opposed the Dokgo Family's allies?
"The family head gave permission. He said that even if it means fighting our own side, I may act first and report afterward."
Dokgo Bin stared directly at Namgung Woo. There was no particular necessity for her to follow him. The argument with Paeng Ha-ryeong had begun because Paeng Ha-ryeong had flown into a rage at a question Dokgo Bin had casually asked to confirm something. It was not that Dokgo Bin had argued in order to join the Changcheon Squad. Still, it was true that she had met Paeng Ha-ryeong's opposition head-on. Her curiosity and competitive spirit toward Namgung Woo—the man who had defeated her—were genuine. Since joining the mercenary squad and continuing to challenge him did not seem like a bad idea, she had sought to dismantle Paeng Ha-ryeong's objections.
Dokgo Bin quickly ran the calculations in her head. There was no room to refute Namgung Woo's statement. She also knew that his earlier words about defeating her and making her listen had simply followed her own words and did not truly mean she should follow him around and challenge him whenever she wished.
"...Very well."
It took Dokgo Bin only a very short time to reach her conclusion.
"Nam Woo of the Changcheon Squad. I will remember that name."
With those words, Dokgo Bin turned and left Guya Manor. The statement clearly implied that she would come find him again someday.
"Hoo... that was intense."
Once the tension between Dokgo Bin and the other two had dissipated, Wi Ji-ryang—who had been overwhelmed by the atmosphere—sighed and spoke. Normally Yang Kvae would have chimed in to agree with him, but this time was different. The Yang brothers hurriedly approached Namgung Woo and asked carefully.
"Boss, are you alright?"
"This is bad luck. Running into the Dokgo Family here of all places."
The Yang brothers were among those who knew Namgung Woo's true identity as a Namgung. From their perspective, it was as if their leader had suddenly encountered the daughter of his mortal enemy without any preparation. Even the direct questions about the Namgung Family had seemed to them like a loss of composure in front of the enemy house.
"It's fine. It doesn't bother me at all."
"However..."
"There's no need to make a fuss."
After dismissing the Yang brothers, Namgung Woo turned his gaze toward Hwa Yeok-pil.
"More importantly, Lord of Guya Manor. I would like to discuss the commission in greater detail."
"Ah, yes. Right. Did you bring the horn?"
"Yes. Yang Kvae."
"Here it is."
Yang Kvae handed over the horn of the Mangcheonhu that he had been carrying on his back. When the silk wrapping the horn was unwrapped, the demonic and sinister energy contained within the horn spread out intensely.
"This was sealed with Bongyugeum. Did the Paeng Family provide it?"
"That is correct."
"What a vicious thing. The Bongyugeum has already turned pitch black and died. This can no longer be used."
"It would have been worth several taels in gold... what a waste."
"Hah, you fool. With a treasure from the heavens in your grasp, you're worried about some Bongyugeum?"
"Is it in my grasp? It's in the lord's hands."
While Hwa Yeok-pil and Ju Yang-hong exchanged words, their hands and eyes carefully examined the Mangcheonhu's horn. As craftsmen who had also trained in martial arts, they were circulating their internal energy to block the sinister qi emanating from the horn.
"This will take at least a month. The scabbard can use dragon-eye wood that contains spiritual energy, so that should be perfect."
"Will that be enough? The horn's energy is stronger than the dragon-eye wood, so it will eventually break, won't it?"
"It should last a few years. We'll have to find other materials within that time."
"Should we seek help from the Mt. Mao Sect?"
"Don't be ridiculous. As if those old geezers would help us so easily."
As the two men became absorbed in their own world and exchanged various opinions, Namgung Woo spoke up.
"From what I understand, for spiritually powerful materials, simply inscribing a spell formula is enough to activate the technique. Would dragon-eye wood work for that?"
"A spell formula? That is a form of sorcery in itself. The material is of the highest grade, but if you use a clumsy formula, you might end up disturbing the spiritual energy of the material instead."
"If that's the case, there is no problem. I will prepare the spell formula to be carved onto the scabbard, so please handle only the mystical aspects."
"You'll write it yourself...? Hmm, well, I understand. That much is not difficult."
Hwa Yeok-pil handed the Mangcheonhu horn and the dragon-eye wood to Ju Yang-hong and sent him off to move them to his workshop.
"One month. It will be tight, but I will complete it by then. You may look forward to it. In my fifty years walking the path of the swordsmith, my heart has never raced this much."
On the way back to their lodgings after leaving Guya Manor, Namgung Woo asked Wi Ji-ryang.
"What does the Cheongsumun plan to do from now on?"
"Hmm... we should return for now. My senior brother's internal injuries have mostly healed. Since we no longer have the dragon-eye wood, there should be no problems."
"Even so, it would be best to remain in Gyeong County for a few more days to prepare for departure. We have not yet made preparations because we did not know how the Four Seasons Commission would end."
"As you say, Young Hero Nam." Wi Ji-ryang spoke while faithfully following Lee Gong-seo's words.
"By the way, one month is quite a long time. Do you intend to remain in Gyeong County the entire time, Young Hero Nam?"
"Well. I haven't thought that far ahead yet."
"Ah! Gaga, then let's visit Peach Blossom Pool! It's not far from Gyeong County and it's such a beautiful place that even Li Bai left a poem about it."
"Brother, instead of heading back right away, since we've already come out, let's do some sightseeing before we go, okay?"
Since they had nothing particular to do while remaining in Gyeong County anyway, they set their next schedule to a sightseeing trip to Peach Blossom Pool under the strong insistence of Paeng Ha-ryeong and Wi Seong-ha. However, that plan was never fulfilled.
That was how it began.