Introspection and the Former Fiancé
Right after the Baneun Gang’s surprise assault on Wuhan. While the Jegal Family threw itself entirely into recovery operations, damage assessment, and cleanup, Namgung Woo shut himself away inside an inn. It was a form of closed-door training.
He had recognized his own deficiencies. He had realized his weakness. If so, the next step was to face that weakness and fill the gaps.
Was I complacent…?
There were parts that felt unfair. Namgung Woo had done his best in his own way. He had hidden his name and lied about his age. The latter had quickly reverted to his true age after he met Paeng Ha-ryeong, but he had still been cautious with his martial arts.
Namgung Woo’s primary movement arts came from the Guardian Body Manual: Infinite Step, Heavenly Wind Divine Technique, and Thousand-Li Tiger Stride. The common trait among the three was that they lacked particularly striking characteristics. At most, Infinite Step could be called an aggressive, forward-charging footwork that placed heavy emphasis on explosive stomps. Yet even that level of distinction could be found in any number of offensive movement techniques. While the profound principles contained within them differed vastly, they looked similar on the surface.
Simple, therefore strong. Namgung Woo’s Guardian Body Manual followed that exact principle. Superior efficiency, rapid speed, and the highest level of control—these were the advantages the manual was meant to provide, and he had maximized every one of them. Unlike the Jeyun Sect’s cloud-walking steps or the Wuiadokbo technique that generated repulsive fields to disrupt an opponent’s flow, his arts possessed no special auxiliary abilities. In exchange, he never had to worry about his identity being exposed through his martial arts.
Nor was the Guardian Body Manual the only example. The Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art and the Thirteen Thunder Swords were much the same. Thunder qi was an attractive power. So many martial artists in the Murim were drawn to its destructive force that they practically tripped over one another. To speak plainly, there was not a single one of the Seven Great Families that lacked an art utilizing thunder qi.
Even if they had not fully grasped the principles, anyone who reached a high level through martial cultivation would naturally come to sense the bio-electricity existing inside their own body. How many people within the Seven Great Families had reached such a realm? If one’s foundation in martial arts was solid, learning a thunder-based art was not all that difficult. How much power one could actually display was another matter, of course.
Needless to say, a high-level art like the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art was extremely rare among them. Still, there were cases like the Lightning Fist art practiced by the Yang twins, so it was difficult to point to thunder qi alone and immediately conclude that someone belonged to the Namgung Family. In fact, even Dongbang Hwa had not associated the Thirteen Thunder Swords with the Namgung Family at first.
I thought the Blue Sky Great Expansion Divine Art and the Blue Sky Peerless Sword Art would be safe simply because Dokgo Bin failed to notice them.
The Dokgo Family, who believed they knew more about the Namgung Family than anyone else. If even a direct bloodline member of that family could not recognize him, he had believed there was nothing left to fear. He had assumed his martial arts were different from those of this world’s Namgung Family.
But Dongbang Hwa recognized them. They are the same. At the very least, the outward characteristics and the imagery contained in the techniques must be considered identical.
Just what had Chukrok Murim been? Could he dismiss it all as coincidence? And that voice he had heard at the end—what in the world had it been?
Questions with no answers will be set aside. What matters is what I will do from now on. Focus on the immediate task.
Would he avoid it, or would he face it? Namgung Woo doubted he truly had a choice, yet the simple act of deciding which path he would take held meaning. It was not a question of initiative. It was a question of his attitude toward life.
If I consider this world nothing more than a place I will stay in briefly before leaving, then avoidance is the correct choice.
In that case, his top priority would be to survive by any means and find a way back. However, if he treated this world not as a waypoint but as his final destination…
I cannot run away.
Simply raising the Changcheon Squad would not be enough. He needed a larger, more resolute goal. What formed in Namgung Woo’s mind were the images of the two families he had witnessed. The Hebei Paeng Family, which gave a sense of stability to everyone around them and protected one another with deep, unbreakable bonds. The Jegal Family, which drew people who wished to stand together and faced crises alongside those who gathered.
I must reach at least that level. Whatever form it takes.
Yet such a force could not be created simply because Namgung Woo wished it. Therefore, the first step was self-cultivation. If one sought to govern a household, one must first cultivate the self. That was the proper order.
I need to become stronger.
He had already decided on the path forward. Namgung Woo half-closed his eyes and turned the power of his Blue Serene All-Seeing Eyes inward, observing the interior of his body. The three energies residing within him—rising from the upper, middle, and lower dantians—began to intertwine and merge into one.
The atmosphere in Wuhan was restless. Everyone had been anticipating war, yet no one had expected it to begin so abruptly or so dramatically. A preemptive strike on Wuhan by the Baneun Gang was plausible. But using gunpowder secretly brought in through escort agencies and merchant caravans to blast through the Jegal Family’s main compound was a shocking move no one had imagined.
“No matter how often the unorthodox factions disregard imperial law and commit crimes, and despite the imperial family’s greatly diminished prestige, can they truly handle the repercussions of something like this?”
That was the general perception. However, Jegal Jong, known as the Ten-Handed Ice Brain, thought differently.
“It is possible.”
“Are you serious?”
A question sprang from the mouth of the young man seated before Jegal Jong. The young man—Nam Woo—might not be well-versed in law, but he knew that military weapons such as gunpowder were strictly controlled by every nation. The Great Ming Code did indeed contain regulations regarding the management of gunpowder. Jegal Jong had memorized every one of those provisions and understood exactly how severe the punishment for this incident should be, yet he did not expect any proper legal judgment.
The backer behind the Baneun Gang that Jegal Chong had told him about possessed enough power to bury even an incident of this scale.
“Do you know of a woman called Imperial Consort Man?”
“I have heard the name.”
“Imperial Consort Man not only killed the Emperor’s only legitimate son, she also forced miscarriages on every concubine who conceived his child. Yet the Emperor forgave her. After the elders and palace staff of the imperial family barely managed to smuggle one prince away and raise him in secret, she seemed to give up and stopped those atrocities. Still, the number of the Emperor’s children she had harmed was not one or two. Nevertheless, Emperor Seonghwa turned a blind eye to it all.”
“Furthermore, the new intelligence and surveillance agency created after the previous Beijing Rebellion—the West Depot. Its director, Wang Zhi, is one of Imperial Consort Man’s people. If she decides to side with the Baneun Gang, the imperial family will likely overlook this matter without making any significant moves.”
Had Gwak Dan still been alive, even Imperial Consort Man’s schemes could not have allowed her to control the Jinyiwei. But after his disappearance, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was quickly being absorbed into the West Depot. The situation in Beijing was not the only problem. Jegal Jong recalled the ongoing subjugation campaign against the Nine Evils Sect. They had succeeded in destroying the main headquarters and capturing most of the core members, yet some had escaped and were still being pursued. From the imperial family’s perspective, having poured enormous resources into that campaign, even this result would be far from satisfactory. The surrounding powers would feel the same.
In the imperial family’s position, it might be better to ignore the events in Hubei and simply watch the Murim forces tear at each other’s throats rather than waste more strength by getting involved. Jegal Jong had given up expecting anything from the imperial court. The balance of power had collapsed, and the era of every man for himself had arrived. The shadow of absolute experts had lifted from the rivers and lakes, and even the imperial family—the former immovable weight—had grown light. All that remained was a turbulent age.
“However, rather than such stiff topics, I would like to speak of other matters now.”
Namgung Woo tilted his head, unsure what Jegal Jong was about to say. It was not that he had no guesses; he had too many. Stories about the enemies he had fought, official matters such as the gratitude the Jegal Family Head had mentioned, and even personal topics concerning Nam Woo himself. There were piles of things to discuss with the Jegal Family.
“I was curious why you sought me out as well.”
“Is that so? First… I wish to convey an apology on behalf of the Family Head, who could not come in person.”
“It is fine. I have heard about the Family Head’s condition.”
Jegal Chong had been directing the cleanup efforts from the front lines despite sustaining internal injuries. Only after the situation had been somewhat stabilized had he finally begun his recovery; he was in no state to appear personally.
“In his place, as the Chief Seneschal of the Jegal Family and the Family Head’s younger brother, I have come as acting head to discuss several matters with Hero Nam.”
Namgung Woo noticed that Jegal Jong had kept silent about his true identity. The Jegal Family genuinely believed he was simply a man named Nam. So they intend to discuss the matter of the Namgung Family later in private.
Rather, dealing with official business such as the request might actually be easier with the seneschal, Jegal Jong. Just as Namgung Woo was about to speak—
“P-please wait, Young Master! The Chief Seneschal is currently…”
An urgent voice came from outside. Footsteps approaching the room grew louder, then stopped right in front of the door.
Creak!
“Uncle.”
Despite the attempts to stop him, the person who pushed the door open was a young man who appeared to be almost the same age as Namgung Woo. The moment Jegal Jong saw the young man’s face, his brows furrowed and he spoke in a stern tone.
“I am currently handling official business. No matter that you are the Family Head’s son, this is clearly an overstep of authority. As acting head, I will issue you a formal reprimand later. Leave at once.”
Jegal Jong’s aura was exceedingly heavy. Although he had not been blessed with martial talent and his cultivation realm was low, the dignity of a man who had risen to become the second-in-command of the massive Jegal Family was by no means light. Yet even after being warned of punishment, the uninvited guest stubbornly spoke his mind.
“I will gladly accept any reprimand for this rudeness. However, I could not endure it any longer.”
“…Jun-ah.”
A faint trace of pity seeped into Jegal Jong’s voice as he called the young man’s name.
Jegal Jun. The second son of Jegal Chong and the most likely candidate to become the next Family Head of the Jegal Family. When Namgung Woo had first entered Wuhan, Jegal Jun had been outside the city carrying out a mission to secure support from other sects. After the incident erupted, he had hurried back to the family. And there he had heard the rumors and facts concerning Nam Woo. Jegal Jong could guess what must have been going through the young man’s mind at the time; that was why, even while sighing, he could not force his nephew to leave.
Jegal Jun cupped his fist toward Namgung Woo.
“This is our first meeting. I am called Jegal Jun.”
“I am Nam Woo.”
The moment Namgung Woo returned the greeting, Jegal Jun dropped his cupped fist and immediately stated the reason he had burst into the room.
“I heard you are close with Ryeong-mae.”
Jegal Jun. The epithets that followed his name were well-known. One of the Seven Dragons and Four Phoenixes, the greatest talents of the righteous Murim. The Respected Dragon. The greatest genius of the Jegal Family, who had entered the Peak Realm at the age of twenty. And—
“May I ask what your relationship with her is?”
—the former fiancé of Paeng Ha-ryeong.