Chapter 69: Namgung Clan (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: Namgung Clan (1)
Emptying my head of useless thoughts and knocking back the liquor, I didn't even notice the sky turning dark.
A cool river breeze blew, gently rocking the boat. Catching sight of the moon reflected on the water's surface, I raised my glass.
A second moon had risen inside my cup.
"Cheers."
I held out my glass. Hyeon-wol offered a bitter smile in return.
"You certainly can drink."
"Of course. I’m the Murim expert Lee Seo-jun, after all."
"Perhaps it's because I'm not a Murim expert, but keeping up is getting a bit difficult. I’ll drink at my own pace."
Hyeon-wol raised his glass but only lightly moistened his lips.
As I drained my cup in one go and slumped back into my chair, Namgung Su-ah giggled beside me.
"You really do drink well."
"I don't think you're one to talk, Noona."
We had clearly all been drinking together, yet Namgung Su-ah looked perfectly fine. To a stranger, it would look like she’d been sipping nothing but water.
I turned my head to check on the kisaengs Hyeon-wol had brought along.
Perhaps because they weren't officially on the clock, the two of them had greedily accepted every drink offered until they eventually collapsed face-down on the table, fast asleep.
And Chun-bong? After running around excitedly all evening, she had curled up in a corner and dozed off.
As I looked up at the sky with a small smile, Hyeon-wol spoke up.
"Did I mention it? That I owe you my life."
"No?"
"Then I’ll say it now. Thank you. My neck was nearly snapped by that crazy old man, the Soul-Stealing Demon, but I survived thanks to the mechanical trap formation you fixed up."
"Oh... that’s a relief. I thought he was just a nice old-timer, but it turns out he was a bastard who had it coming?"
"Haha! You’re probably the only person in the world who would call the Soul-Stealing Demon a 'nice old-timer.'"
Namgung Su-ah, who had been quietly listening, naturally chimed in.
"By the way, there have been a lot of incidents lately. First the Black Lotus Union, and now the Soul-Stealing Demon."
Guessing her intent, I added my own piece.
"Right? I even saw some Black Lotus Union guys back in Shaanxi."
"Pardon?"
Namgung Su-ah’s eyes widened.
"Oh, I just happened to run into them on my way to the Mount Hua Sect. I sliced them all up, for starters."
Swish, swish. I waved my hand through the air to mimic a sword.
Thinking back, I might have swung my blade a bit too recklessly, but they drew their weapons the moment they saw us, so it was definitely self-defense.
Technically, they were basically spies anyway. And a fully armed group of them gathered together? No one could complain even if they were executed on the spot.
"...Is a war really about to break out?"
"Who knows. Ah, right."
I sat up slightly, acting as if it were no big deal.
"Is there any news from Shaanxi? Between the Black Lotus Union and everything else, I’m a bit concerned."
"Shaanxi?"
Hyeon-wol rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. Then, he shook his head.
"Nothing major. Not that I know of."
"Really? Well, that’s a relief."
I briefly exchanged glances with Namgung Su-ah.
Elder Jong-in should have disappeared by now, yet a branch leader of the Hao Sect hasn't heard a thing?
Perhaps the Mount Hua Sect is keeping it under wraps.
There were too few clues to guess the reason. It could be because they’re in league with the Black Lotus Union, or because they’re being cautious of them.
Regardless, if the Mount Hua Sect was still concealing Jong-in’s disappearance, it was a good thing for our group.
"Up we go."
Standing up, I trudged toward the edge of the boat.
When I scooped up the sleeping Chun-bong, she opened her eyes, half-dazed, and clung to my chest.
"Mmm... What is it...?"
"The finale of playing in the water is always fireworks."
"What are you talking about now...?"
Stepping onto the boat's railing, I jumped straight off.
"Wait...! Hey!"
A startled Hyeon-wol rushed over, but I walked across the water as casually as if it were solid ground.
Walking on Water. It was a stage of lightness skill.
Everyone had their own method, but in my case, after making my body light, I emitted internal energy from the Yongcheon acupoints on the soles of my feet. It made walking on the surface quite effortless.
It felt a bit like walking on swaying ground.
Splash, splash— When I stomped my feet, the surface felt as solid as the earth, even as the water splashed around my ankles.
"Let's see..."
Cradling Chun-bong, I tilted my head back and looked at the large moon hanging in the center of the night sky.
The stars scattered around it like glowing dust were quite beautiful.
Humming a small tune, I launched my own stars into their midst.
Fwooooosh—!
In the darkness, illuminated only by the lights of the boats, red and blue plum blossoms soared upward, mingling with the stars in the night sky.
"Ooh..."
Fully awake now, Chun-bong looked up at the sky in admiration.
"Hey, hey. What about the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword?"
"With all these people around?"
"It doesn't matter. This is Henan. Just do it so it's not too obvious."
"Is that so? I guess you're right."
Henan was home to the Shaolin Sect—one of the two pillars of the Righteous Faction alongside Wudang.
Unless they were insane, the Black Lotus Union wouldn't dare run wild in Henan. And if Shaolin had already sided with the Black Lotus Union? Then the Righteous Faction was simply doomed anyway.
Seeing Chun-bong lately, she seemed to have let her guard down a bit and relaxed, which made me feel quite good.
'Is she starting to rely on me?'
Feeling high-spirited, I kicked off the surface of the water and leaped.
However, the sky was high, and I couldn't reach it with a single bound.
Using the same knack I used to bloom the plum blossoms, I deployed Yellow Dragon Crossing the Clouds.
Like a yellow dragon crossing the sunset, I traversed the night sky.
The golden energy rising beneath my feet took the shape of a dragon, carrying me high into the heavens.
"Wow... this brat has really grown up."
I chuckled at Chun-bong’s remark.
"The student has surpassed the master, right?"
"Indeed, the blue comes from the indigo but is bluer than the indigo. You’re going to make the name of the Divine Sword Geum Family known throughout the entire Murim."
"I like the sound of that."
As I ascended into the sky filled with plum blossoms, I felt as if I could see Mount Song, where Shaolin was located, through the distant darkness.
The pillars of the world. Mount Tai and the Big Dipper. Mount Tai...
"Though Mount Tai is high, it is but a hill under heaven. As I roam the heavens, Mount Tai lies beneath my feet."
"What was that?"
"I don't know either."
I chuckled and looked down at the river below.
The boats dotted the water with light. Making eye contact with Hyeon-wol and Namgung Su-ah as they looked up at me in awe, I sat atop the yellow dragon roaming the sky and pressed my palms together.
"Namu Amitabha."
At that moment, plum blossom met plum blossom.
The harmony of Yin and Yang was broken, shattering into a brilliant display that noisily illuminated the night sky.
KABOOM—!!!
Caught in the shockwave, I laughed loudly as I fell toward the river.
"Hahaha!"
"Eek! Aaaaah...!"
"Smile, Chun-bong!"
"Cut the crap...!!"
Splash. Landing effortlessly on the water's surface, I gave a polite bow.
"Thank you."
"Haa... Haa... You crazy bastard..."
Amidst the thunderous applause of countless onlookers, I casually returned to our boat.
*
"Murimins are more incredible than I thought! To think you can create such a spectacle with nothing but your own body!"
Even after disembarking from the boat, Hyeon-wol was so excited that he praised the fireworks over and over again.
"With such incredible power, why on earth do those other Murimin bastards spend their time doing the things they do? In my opinion, those people must be a little touched in the head."
"Fufu, not just any Murimin can pull off something like that. It’s because Young Hero Lee is extraordinary."
"Is that so?"
"Of course."
Namgung Su-ah smiled gently as she supported a staggering kisaeng.
"Oh my... thank you, Unnie."
"It’s nothing."
"Anyway, I saw something truly wonderful today. As someone whose job is to provide entertainment, I’m almost a little jealous!"
The kisaeng clenched her fists, her eyes sparkling.
"I need to work harder too. Even if I can't do something that amazing, I’m confident in my zither playing."
"Oh, then I’ll definitely have to come see you play sometime."
"Really? Hehe, you’ll come with that gentleman then too, right?"
The kisaeng gestured toward me as she asked. Namgung Su-ah gave a faint smile.
"Hmm—probably? I hope so."
"Oh, come on. If you set your mind to it, Unnie, you could just snap him up. Right?"
"I wonder..."
Namgung Su-ah watched me as I ran through the streets with Chun-bong on my shoulders.
"I really do hope so."
*
Across Henan, all the way to Hefei in Anhui Province.
As expected of the Central Plains and its insane scale, it was quite a distance. But because my realm had risen and my travel speed had increased, it didn't take an eternity.
Of course, it still took months. It was seriously far. Is this for real?
According to what Namgung Su-ah told me on the way, the Namgung Clan originally started in Jiangnan, south of the Yangtze River. However, as they grew, they relocated to Hefei, north of the river.
And so, Hefei became the capital of Anhui?
I asked if it was just the provincial capital rather than a national capital, but according to Chun-bong, both were correct in a way.
I’d heard it a few times before, but it seemed that once a clan reached the level of the Six Great Clans, they were practically treated as a nation unto themselves.
Fortunately, nothing much happened on the way to Hefei.
At most, I tinkered with my martial arts and incorporated the Star-Absorbing Great Art into the New Primordial Unity Divine Art.
By cutting and pasting the principles of the Star-Absorbing Great Art to absorb the surrounding Qi, my Qi accumulation speed increased exponentially.
I planned to mix it into the Azure Cloud Divine Art later and teach it to Chun-bong.
"But why do you keep carrying that thing around?"
At Chun-bong’s question, I tucked the snake’s inner core back into my robe.
"This is your medicine."
"What?"
However, this alone wasn't enough. Assuming the Azure Heaven Pellet Namgung Su-ah promised was on the level of a Plum Blossom Pill... I’d need about two more spirit herbs.
I would consume the gathered spirit herbs all at once. Then, using the Star-Absorbing Great Art in reverse, I would push the filtered energy directly into Chun-bong.
Then Chun-bong is cured. And everyone lives happily ever after! Clap, clap, clap.
Having painted the perfect picture in my head, I nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, anyway, we’ve finally arrived! Noona, so where is your house?"
I looked around.
As expected of a provincial capital, the buildings were incredibly grand.
Seeing my reaction, Namgung Su-ah giggled.
"Anywhere you go around here is my house."
"Huh...?"
What does that mean? As I scratched my head, Chun-bong suddenly squeezed between us.
"You can pretty much consider all of Hefei as belonging to the Namgung Clan."
"Then all these people belong to the Namgung Clan?"
"That’s a bit vague. It’s more like the Namgung Clan lets other people live here."
"Oh... No, but then it’s not technically Noona’s house."
"Fufu, that’s true."
Namgung Su-ah, who was leading the way, came to a halt.
"This is the real Namgung Clan estate."
I looked up blankly at the residence before me.
It was truly massive.
Naturally, it wasn't just a single building you could call a 'house'; numerous structures were situated within a space surrounded by towering walls, looking exactly like a fortress.
More than anything, I was impressed by the flow of Qi I felt from within.
I didn't know much about formations, but I could tell just by observing the flow of Qi.
Every single building inside those walls was a component of a massive formation.
"Wow... if I mess up here, they won't even find my bones."
As expected of one of the Six Great Clans.
I could clearly feel the power of the Namgung Clan even before stepping inside.
And more importantly, the pseudo-prospective father-in-law was lurking in there...!
'I’m really not confident in my acting...'
Lee Seo-jun cast as Namgung Su-ah’s lover?
I could see nothing but a disastrous future.
But a promise was a promise.
'Nothing else for it.'
Anyway, it was time to move out.