A New Beginning
Namgung Woo wore a complicated expression at Song Chae-ji's words. He had suddenly been saddled with a new surname—"Nam So-hyeop? Not Namgung?"—and though Hwang Mu-tak behind him might not have noticed, Song Chae-ji had seen everything clearly. Even so, she ran up to him without a care and grabbed his arm, pulling him along.
Namgung Woo was bewildered by her sudden familiarity. They weren't exactly close, but they weren't strangers either. They had helped each other, and he had even shared his sword with her. Still, this level of ease was unexpected.
"Song So-jeo? My name is—"
"Let's head back now, Nam So-hyeop! We left Uncle alone at the inn, and the payment—I'm sure the Black Bear Gang will send someone over."
Hwang Mu-tak, still dazed, found himself swept along by Song Chae-ji's pace. "Ah, yes… we'll do that."
"Then we're done here. You worked hard, Nam So-hyeop."
He didn't know why she kept adding "Nam So-hyeop," but there had to be a reason. Namgung Woo decided to follow her lead for now.
"You're right. I can't leave someone who's not fully recovered alone at the inn."
Leaving the half-dazed Hwang Mu-tak behind, the three of them left the Black Bear Gang's territory.
§
"Is he really from the Namgung Clan?" Song Chae-ji asked the moment they returned to the inn.
Namgung Woo gave a small laugh. So this world had a Namgung family after all. He had never intended to abandon his name, and he had known entanglements would come eventually—but already?
He cherished his name. It was one of the few precious legacies his parents had left him, and he had no intention of changing it just because a Namgung family existed here. That resolve showed in his confident nod.
"Yes. Would there be fake Namgungs running around?"
It was meant as a joke, but Song Chae-ji's reaction was strange. She pondered seriously for a moment, then nodded.
"There have been… a few. None of them ended well."
"Of course. The Namgung Clan wouldn't have left impostors alone."
"What? What do you mean… Wait, don't tell me…"
Song Chae-ji's expression shifted rapidly. Then, as if realizing something, she nodded repeatedly. Namgung Woo let out an unconscious "Oh—" at the curious sight, and she shot him a glare like an older sister scolding a thoughtless younger brother.
"What's with that look?"
"N-nothing."
"…Someone's worried about you, you know."
"Worried? I'm fine. I really am a Namgung."
Not from the Namgung Clan, but he left that part unsaid. Claiming he wasn't from the Namgung family despite his exceptional martial arts would only sound more suspicious. Song Chae-ji, however, muttered in even greater shock.
"Well… of course… with martial arts that profound…"
"Then what exactly are you worried about?"
At Namgung Woo's concerned question, Song Chae-ji asked one final confirming question.
"You really don't know?"
"Know what?"
There was no longer any room for doubt. Song Chae-ji was certain. Ah… so he really was. This person had no idea how the world worked.
"Haah… I should have known from the moment you didn't recognize the Shadowless Gate… Did you really just come out of some hidden cave in the mountains after training?"
Her reaction was different from what he had expected, and even Namgung Woo began to feel uneasy. A faint anxiety crept across his face, which had shown no sense of crisis until now. Song Chae-ji delivered the harsh reality to this pitiful man, though it pained her.
"The Namgung Clan was destroyed twenty years ago."
"…What?"
§
For a brief moment, his mind went blank. But the yin true qi settled in his upper dantian quickly cooled his head and restored his composure. Namgung Woo analyzed the information rationally. Destroyed? Where? The Namgungs? Wiped out? He had considered the possibility that this world had no Namgung family at all. But he had never imagined that a Namgung family had existed here—only to be destroyed by someone.
'So Song Chae-ji thinks I'm the last survivor the Namgung Clan smuggled out?'
Once he thought that, her reactions made sense.
'It does sound plausible, even to me.'
A handsome young man who looked every inch a noble scion. He must have received an excellent education in a great house, yet he knew nothing of the world. He had never heard of the Shadowless Gate, the great demonic sect that ruled Shanxi's martial world, nor of the Namgung Clan's destruction that had shaken the entire realm. Yet his martial arts were absurdly profound. Anyone would think: Ah, this fellow trained alone in some remote mountain village and has only just come down!
And on top of that, he claimed to be a Namgung. The Namgung Clan that fell twenty years ago. His appearance could pass for twenty if one looked young. His swordsmanship was so refined it reminded one of the sword clan the Namgung family had been famous for. Everything lined up perfectly.
'It's almost as if I planned it this way.'
Namgung Woo let out a hollow laugh at the chain of coincidences. But now that things had come to this, insisting he wasn't a descendant of the Namgung Clan wouldn't be believed. Even Yang So-dang, who had been listening beside them, had tears welling in her eyes.
'I didn't expect it to turn out like this. Maybe I shouldn't have revealed my real name.'
Song Chae-ji was so deeply immersed in her own imagination that Namgung Woo couldn't even begin to guess how far her thoughts had wandered. He didn't even need to use Changnyeongmanan. Her eyes alone made it obvious that she was fabricating twenty years of his life in her head.
It probably went something like this: When the Namgung Clan was destroyed, the retainers fought desperately to smuggle out an heir. The newborn was entrusted to a loyal servant and raised in a hidden cave the family had prepared in secret, training in martial arts. At twenty, having reached the pinnacle of his cultivation, the last Namgung finally descended the mountain.
Any discrepancies or leaps in logic were blurred by the sentiment of being the final survivor of a great house. No sword? He must have broken them all during training. His sword probably couldn't withstand his immense inner energy. He didn't know about the Namgung Clan's destruction? His guardian must have died before telling him. Or perhaps he believed someone else had survived and rebuilt the clan. Why had he appeared in Shanxi, far from the Namgung Clan's former territory in Southern Zhili? Obviously, he had fled far to escape the clan's enemies.
Reasonable justifications were easy enough. Song Chae-ji, who had been lost in emotion, finally composed herself and asked.
"…So what will you do from now on?"
"Hmm. I haven't decided anything specific yet. For now, I plan to go wherever my feet take me."
"I'd like to invite you to the mountain, but…"
Song Chae-ji trailed off. Her heart wanted to, but reality wouldn't allow it. Just as she couldn't bring herself to speak of defeat, she seemed unable to say what she didn't want to say.
"I understand."
In truth, he didn't. He didn't even know who had destroyed the Namgung Clan or how. But his words seemed to move Song Chae-ji even more. His calm born of ignorance might have looked like the composure of someone walking a lonely path without relying on others.
"I heard the Namgung Clan's extermination order is still in effect. There haven't been any actual killings in recent years, but that's probably because all the real and fake claimants were killed off before, so no more impostors are appearing."
"Still in effect?"
"Yes. The Dokgo Clan are persistent people."
The Dokgo Clan. Only now did Namgung Woo learn who had destroyed the Namgung family. But why had the orthodox martial world stood by while the Dokgo Clan, a great house of the righteous path, wiped out the Namgung Clan and openly issued an extermination order afterward? There was still far too much Namgung Woo didn't know. He wanted to ask Song Chae-ji for details, but hesitated, worried it would only deepen the misunderstanding.
'Anyway, even Yang So-dang, an ordinary citizen, seems to know about the Namgung Clan… It must be a well-known incident. I can find out more later on my own.'
Only three people had heard that he was a Namgung. Song Chae-ji and Yang So-dang wouldn't spread it, and Hwang Mu-tak probably still thought his surname was Nam thanks to Song Chae-ji's quick thinking. In that case, it was as if no one knew who Namgung Woo really was. He had plenty of time to wander the world at his leisure and learn things gradually.
"Rather, what about the two of you?"
"Ah, I'll have to return to Hangshan. And So-dang too."
"Originally, Dad and I worked under Unni's family. I think we'll probably go back to the Song family estate."
Yang So-dang spoke in a nasal voice, tears trickling from her eyes. It was admirable how resilient she remained despite her young age and the hardships she had faced.
"So that's why Song So-jeo came to help."
"I happened to be nearby. I couldn't use the name of a sect elder, so I came alone, separate from the other disciples and junior sisters."
"Because of the Shadowless Gate."
"That's right. After all, the demonic factions have a strong presence in Shanxi's martial world…"
After that, the conversation paused. Neither Namgung Woo nor Song Chae-ji seemed to know what to say next. Then Namgung Woo spoke casually, seeing no reason to be cautious.
"Then this is where we part ways."
"Ah, are you heading south… to Southern Zhili?"
A survivor who had emerged from seclusion—would he immediately go after his enemy, the Dokgo Clan? Song Chae-ji asked worriedly.
"Not necessarily. I think I'll wander the world a bit first. If it's Shanxi, there's plenty to see even if I head north."
"Hmm… Hangshan is almost at the northernmost edge."
Since she couldn't invite him to Hangshan, the two of them had no choice but to part here. Song Chae-ji felt uneasy about it—about receiving his kindness yet being unable to repay it properly. Bringing Namgung Woo in from the street? That wasn't her kindness to claim. Yang So-dang had brought him and provided the place. On the other hand, Song Chae-ji had received his help in the sparring match and gained enlightenment from witnessing his sword-body unity. She couldn't send him off without any repayment.
"…It'll be inconvenient traveling alone."
"It will be, but—"
"I'll introduce you to an escort agency. It's on good terms with my family, so my recommendation should help you, Namgung So-hyeop."
Showing favor to someone named Namgung. It might mean making an enemy of the Dokgo Clan, but Song Chae-ji didn't want to turn her back on Namgung Woo out of fear. Even if the Hangshan Sect wouldn't, she wanted to help him on a personal level. Taking out a small brush and ink she carried, Song Chae-ji wrote a letter of recommendation on the spot.
"The name is Yopyeong Escort Agency. It's in Linfen County."
And so, Namgung Woo's first destination was decided.