The Inevitable Clash
From the moment Namgung Woo resolved to restore the Namgung family, he had anticipated a collision with the Dokgo family. As long as the Dokgo family refused to rescind their order to exterminate the Namgung line, conflict between him and them was inevitable. Yet that did not mean he intended to declare his true name and openly challenge them at once.
If the head of the Dokgo family possessed only the martial prowess of the Jegal family head, a small elite force could carry out a decapitation strike, or he could simply issue a formal one-on-one life-and-death duel. But Dokgo Wol, the Dokgo family head, was a peerless master—one even ranked second only to the Black Sect Alliance’s leader in strength. No matter how completely Namgung Woo had mastered the Transformation Realm, the odds of victory remained difficult to assess favorably. Charging in under the present circumstances would leave him with nothing but hope for a miracle. That was the reality.
Therefore, Namgung Woo began to prepare. Know the enemy and know yourself, and victory is assured in a hundred battles. From that point onward, he gathered intelligence on the Dokgo family. The task proved straightforward. The Dokgo family was far too renowned; far more was openly known about them than hidden.
The Yang brothers visited the Beggar’s Sect, Myo-rin purchased information from Haomun, and Namgung Woo pieced together what they uncovered. The Dokgo family he discovered was stronger and more colossal than he had vaguely imagined. Still, one could not evade them forever. The moment of collision would arrive at a time he could not predict.
The struggle between the Namgung and Dokgo families was not one-sided. It was a two-way conflict in which either side could strike first at any moment.
‘Dongbang Hwa already knows my name. Those who would ally with the imperial court for survival would never hesitate to sell my name to the Black Sect Alliance.’
It was reasonable to assume his identity had already reached the Dokgo family. Their lack of any visible reaction so far was somewhat puzzling. Yet even if the information had not yet arrived, complacency was dangerous. They might already be moving in secret.
Moreover, Namgung Woo himself had met Dokgo Bin and left clues behind. Given the Dokgo family’s relentless pursuit of the extermination order for over a decade, they would inevitably seize upon his trail.
“As I said before, we needed to expand our forces as quickly as possible.”
That was why he had sought out the Murim Alliance, and why he had pursued contact with survivors. If he wished to prepare against the Dokgo family, he had to explosively grow his power before they began to move in earnest.
Thus Namgung Woo chased fame, just as the Hebei Paeng family and the Jegal family had done. He hoped that, as others had once sent support upon hearing only those names, people would now offer aid upon hearing the three characters that formed “Namgung Woo,” rather than the forgotten name of the Namgung family.
The martial tournament had seemed a decent platform, but after hearing Murim Alliance leader Gak-won’s remarks, it appeared unlikely to yield the results he had hoped for. It was still better than doing nothing, yet there would surely be those who nitpicked his participation despite the obvious gap in skill. More importantly, something else concerned him far more than the tournament itself.
“According to the original plan, I intended to win the tournament and use that position to recruit members for the Changcheon Squad. I’ve changed my mind. I will temporarily withdraw from the tournament.”
Yang Jeong was the first to voice his doubt.
“Then you intend to recruit based solely on your existing reputation?”
“If that’s the case, it might’ve been better to recruit while we were still in Hogwang,” Yang Kvae added.
“The Lord hasn’t finished speaking yet. Ask your questions after he’s done,” Paeng Ha-ryeong said, silencing the twins. She then looked at Namgung Woo with bright, expectant eyes.
Namgung Woo nodded his thanks with a glance and continued.
“I alone will not participate in the tournament.”
“…That sounds as though you’re telling the rest of us to enter,” Yang Jeong observed.
“I’m not forcing anyone. If you wish to participate of your own accord, I won’t stop you. Besides, even if I tried to stop Geumsin, he’d still go, wouldn’t he?”
“Ahem. If the Lord had forbidden it, I would have restrained myself… probably.”
Geumsin cracked his knuckles, clearly itching for a fight even now.
“Having the Lord participate and causing a dragon to rampage across the lake would be less realistic than having the Changcheon Squad demonstrate moderately outstanding skill,” Myo-rin noted. “But I doubt we can expect any dramatic effect.”
Her point was valid. Namgung Woo had not entirely abandoned hope for such an effect, but he placed little expectation on it.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not permitting participation in the tournament because I expect that kind of result. Besides, we won’t have much time together for a while.”
“Pardon? Suddenly?”
“I met a survivor of the Namgung family today.”
At those words, thoughts of the tournament faded into the background, and everyone’s attention shifted.
“Already…”
“How was it? Are they strong?”
“If there’s another person like the Captain, couldn’t we just charge in and somehow manage?”
“As if that would work. Even if the Captain becomes family head, how many heads does the Dokgo family still have left?”
Rather than addressing every question, Namgung Woo mentioned the most noteworthy detail first.
“The Dokgo family’s extermination order is still active. But there’s something strange about it. I learned that during this meeting.”
The reaction of Namgung Sol, the Namgung survivor under the Murim Alliance’s protection, had been odd. Though they feared the Dokgo family, they also displayed a peculiar confidence that the Dokgo family could do nothing to them. Namgung Woo, who had been observing them closely since their first encounter, had seen through even that subtle shift in emotion.
“It seems the Murim Alliance leader knows something to some extent. I need to confirm that first. I’ll look into it and decide on our next course of action.”
“We’ll continue searching for talent in the meantime, right?”
“Yes. No matter which path we take, expanding our forces is unavoidable.”
Putting his thoughts into words helped Namgung Woo organize them. He nearly voiced one final matter that remained in the realm of speculation, then swallowed it back down.
‘Perhaps this incident will expose my name after all.’
If that happened, the Dokgo family would no longer remain silent. It would mean an open force had risen to defy them. Yet Namgung Woo was not considering such a possibility without any countermeasures.
The north belonged to the orthodox Murim. Though exceptions like the Shadowless Gate in Shanxi existed, orthodox Murim’s power was overwhelmingly dominant. No matter how powerful the Dokgo family was, it would be difficult for their family head to move personally in such a place. Both sides had acknowledged that the sword-family blood feud was separate from the great war between orthodox and unorthodox factions, but restrictions on their range of activity were inevitable. Especially for Dokgo Wol himself—a walking strategic weapon—appearing would be even more troublesome.
‘On the contrary, luring pursuit parties in that manner and defeating them individually might not be a bad idea.’
Even though he had played strategy simulation games in his previous life, the thought of actually conducting a war made Namgung Woo’s head feel heavy.
‘First, let’s meet Namgung Sol and think from there.’
§
From the next day onward, Namgung Woo began moving to approach Namgung Sol. Though they had only exchanged brief greetings and made no separate arrangements, that posed no issue. Namgung Sol’s presence and intent were already etched in his mind.
Luoyang was vast, yet considering that the Murim Alliance was sheltering her, she would not be far from the alliance itself. Wandering the vicinity would not make finding her particularly difficult.
‘It feels a bit like tailing someone.’
With so many watchful eyes around, Namgung Woo purchased a bamboo hat to cover his face. Suppressing his presence as much as possible while walking about caused the gazes around him to diminish dramatically, as though he had turned invisible.
‘Found her.’
After several hours of walking, Namgung Woo detected Namgung Sol’s presence at a training ground. The place she was staying was not the Murim Alliance’s guest quarters for visitors, but an ordinary inn. She had likely avoided the alliance’s quarters out of concern for drawing suspicious looks.
‘Wouldn’t entering the Murim Alliance from outside be more suspicious?’
The thought occurred to him, but the alliance leader and the Upper Pavilion Lord had surely handled matters appropriately. They would have prepared an identity that allowed her to come and go within the alliance without raising eyebrows.
‘And this inn itself is no ordinary inn.’
Seeing many martial artists at an inn was common in Luoyang. However, when every single guest staying inside was a Peak Realm expert or higher, it became rather suspicious. Assuming it was one of the Murim Alliance’s secret lodgings or safe houses, Namgung Woo stepped inside.
Surprisingly, no one moved to block his path. It was not that they failed to notice his presence, but rather that they already knew he would come.
‘The alliance leader must have given them prior notice.’
If they were offering convenience, there was no reason to refuse it. Namgung Woo passed the people inside who did not obstruct him and headed toward the training ground in the back.
There, in the center of the training ground, Namgung Sol was diligently swinging her sword. Silently watching her for a moment, Namgung Woo lightly spoke, revealing his presence.
“Your sword is too impatient. At this stage, it would be better to nurture a flowing sword technique rather than blindly chasing raw power.”