Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: S3. Murim Travelogue -7
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Namgung Chaegong let out a hearty laugh before tilting his cup and speaking.
"It wasn't a bad proposal... Even though she was adopted, Seung-ah is properly on the Namgung family register. And not to brag as her father, but her beauty is outstanding."
It might have been a burdensome topic. One wrong word, and it could come off as disparaging his daughter in front of him.
Yet a smile lingered on Namgung Chaegong's lips, a sign of the family head's consideration that there was no need to feel uneasy about such talk.
Thanks to that, Cheonghwi could converse freely without reservation.
"First, a marriage should align with both parties' feelings to avoid discord and bring true joy. A union driven solely by gain without affection leaves only regret."
He knew that all too well from his own life.
Duke Redburn had taken a concubine not out of love, but merely to raise an assassin, forcing her to bear children mechanically. And thus, Envers Redburn was born.
There had been no familial bonds there.
"Second, while I have no official lover... there is a woman I hold in my heart. Promising marriage here without resolving these feelings would be a betrayal to both sides."
How could he be honest with himself if he gave his all to one while thinking of Luna with Seung-ah, or Seung-ah with Luna?
Of course, he had no idea what Luna truly felt. Whether her words were a joke, laced with sincerity, romantic affection, or mere friendship—only direct confrontation would reveal it.
He might just be drinking his own wishful thinking.
Even so, loyalty demanded he honor it.
Namgung Chaegong clapped his knee in delight at Cheonghwi's pure, youthful devotion.
"Well said! Then I shall respect your wishes. Besides... this gathering is to repay the great benefactor who aided our Namgung family. If you refuse, we'll have to prepare something else."
"......"
"Seung-ah, if you keep glaring like that, Taoist Cheonghwi might drop dead."
"A shameless guy like him won't die from this much...!"
Namgung Seung-ah's gaze burned hot. Cheonghwi couldn't meet those flames and averted his eyes, pretending not to notice. It felt like invisible beams were shooting toward him.
"Well then..."
Namgung Chaegong closed his eyes briefly in thought before selecting his offer.
"You gave up precious spirit herbs to save Myeong-i's dantian. You stepped forward fearlessly, even when it risked breeding resentment."
"It was what I wanted."
"True. You've already shown my family more devotion than kin deserve. By the principle of repaying favors in kind, I shall regard you as family too. Will you take the Namgung name and become brothers with Myeong-i and Seung-ah?"
"......"
Thud.
Cheonghwi felt a profound click, like pieces locking into place—discovering a desire he hadn't even known he harbored, revealed by another's words.
Family.
Uttering the word brought a bitter taste. Reflecting on his past only drew forth more acrid essence.
Half-brothers fought, competed, betrayed. His father saw him as a tool, his mother loved him, but her plight was pitiable.
'Cheonmin, when I thrust right, you block left—like I told you!'
'But brother, you're too fast—how can I keep up?'
'...Fine, I'll slow a beat. Follow properly!'
The true brotherhood he'd once grasped in that dark pit...
'...Cheonmin, I've figured out how to use magic power.'
Had shattered into dozens of pieces one moonlit night, muddled into chaos.
He should have been sick of the word "family" long ago, yet it still lingered in a corner of his heart. He craved that warmth again.
If he could have it—
Cheonghwi nodded. He wanted it.
"...Truly, an invaluable reward. I accept with gratitude."
"Then from this moment, you're Namgung Cheonghwi."
"Namgung... Cheonghwi..."
"You seem pleased? No rush calling me father—you can take your time. Even Seung-ah still finds it awkward. Now... ready for the next reward?"
Namgung Chaegong rose and strode forward. Namgung Cheonghwi followed in a daze, then awkwardly asked,
"Next reward...? What is it, sir?"
"Adapt at your leisure. I haven't earned the father role yet—can't have you treating me as one prematurely. And the Namgung name alone feels like spare change, so I'm adding one more."
With a complex expression—regret or relief?—he continued,
"I'll show you the Namgung clan's forbidden chamber, said to hold the sword marks of our ancestor's final ultimate technique, the Emperor Sword Form."
They walked a hidden path veiled by intricate formations, thick mist cloaking a straight, dead-end road. Along the way, Namgung Chaegong spoke of distant history.
The Namgung clan's founder had obsessively pursued severing the heavens themselves.
"They say he fit the moniker Sword Maniac perfectly. He swung his sword at the sky all day, drawing people one by one until the Namgung clan formed."
Beside the founder swinging his blade on some nameless plain, some mimicked his swordsmanship, others cooked meals, still others clung in love. People gathered, and somehow became family.
The land lay south, so they named it Namgung.
His descendants built unique martial arts on that foundation, eventually rising as one of the murim's premier sword clans.
A great house rooted in the world's greatest swordsman, chasing the founder's heavenly feat to reach those heights.
Yet at its core, it was a band of fools obsessed with swords and those enthralled by them.
"So the idea that the Namgung name must be supreme... strays from the original intent. A family name isn't something to uphold—it's a fence protecting each other."
"......"
"Myeong-i and Seung-ah seem to grasp it, but So still can't escape. He's fixated on the 'form' of Namgung, obscuring the essence."
Namgung So had been jealous and competitive since youth, arrogant beyond tolerance if not at the top. His obsession with the clan ran deep.
Opposing Seung-ah's adoption, claiming no outsider's blood in the great Namgung, diluting the founder's legacy.
Even envying his much younger brother, Namgung Myeong's talent.
"Just like me."
"...I don't quite follow. You mean the family head and Namgung So...?"
"I was the same in my youth. Couldn't stand being looked down on. That's why personal grudges led me to seal the entire clan."
Affection and worry flickered in Namgung Chaegong's eyes. Even among ten fingers, one hurts most—and for the family head, it was Namgung So.
Cheonghwi read the wish: so alike, may he avoid my mistakes.
Step.
Namgung Chaegong halted. Before them loomed a massive cave mouth. This was the forbidden chamber holding heavenly sword marks?
Namgung Cheonghwi swallowed excitedly and stepped inside cautiously.
How transcendent must the marks left by a heaven-severing swordsman be? The root of the vast Namgung clan—how deep and firm? He couldn't help anticipating.
The cave interior was hemispherical, a hole in the ceiling letting sunlight beam centerward. Flowers bloomed sporadically, a shallow stream crossed it.
A beautiful space, like nature cropped small and arranged.
And upon witnessing the chamber's truth, Namgung Cheonghwi's eyes widened in shock.
"This is..."
"...That's why I never showed So."
No sword marks.
No footprints, traces—nothing. Perhaps overlooked, or too sublime to leave marks? He wondered.
But scanning with full inner sight, the Namgung forbidden chamber was utterly empty.
Here and there, signs of uprooted plants and dug earth—searches for hidden marks beneath flowerbeds.
Namgung Cheonghwi glanced up at Namgung Chaegong's face. Thick regret clung to it. He'd desperately sought this place, even sealing the clan—yet found nothing.
"...Didn't want you disappointed like me."
"......"
"The tale of our ancestor severing the heavens? Fiction. The Namgung secret art, Emperor Sword Form? Myth. Otherwise, why no single mark?"
Same reason he hid it from Myeong and Seung-ah. Learning the clan's root was illusion would crush them; he'd wait till maturity.
"You're clear-headed enough to forgo spirit herbs, an outsider—so less shock. That's why I showed you. Even now... it hurts."
Namgung Chaegong smacked his lips and turned, exiting first.
Namgung Cheonghwi felt an odd sensation, feet rooted. The chamber held no traces indeed. Yet that fact seemed to hold another meaning...
"Emperor Sword Form..."
It echoed in a corner of his mind.
The man in azure martial robes, called "elder brother So" by Namgung Myeong.
Now bearing the Namgung name, perhaps his brother-to-be. Heartless Radiant Sword Namgung So awaited Cheonghwi.
Still smiling, but bulging veins betrayed uncontainable fury. He was in a horribly irritable state.
Yet Namgung Cheonghwi paid no mind.
"So you've become Namgung Cheonghwi. Congratulations, Taoist."
"It just happened that way. Now we're family."
"......"
Namgung Cheonghwi didn't halt when Namgung So called; So had to chase. Thus, they walked the corridor side by side.
Creak. Creak.
Cheonghwi's steps were silent now; Namgung So's, rattled by inner turmoil, echoed noisily.
Feeling acutely insulted, Namgung So's hand crept to his sword hilt, gripping till veins bulged on his knuckles.
As if dying to draw and slay Namgung Cheonghwi.
"...But a blind fool claiming the Namgung name might spark needless misunderstandings. No one would believe it."
"Outsiders' views don't matter. What counts is having two gentle-hearted, talented younger siblings."
"...The clan elders will oppose fiercely. They might even petition the family head to expel you."
"Even if so, we're already brothers in heart. It changes nothing."
Silence.
Not too long, not too short.
Breaking it, Namgung Cheonghwi warned,
"Don't."
"...What's this sudden koan, Taoist?"
"Whatever scheme you're plotting, abandon it. I won't pursue past events. But don't misunderstand—this isn't fear of you or future repercussions. It's for Myeong-i."
Cheonghwi pulled a letter from the commander's corpse and flung it at Namgung So.
"Handwriting matches, they say."
"Such base slander..."
"I said I won't pursue. Let go of lingering obsessions, cease dark thoughts, cherish your family, and live amicably."
"......"
Namgung So stopped.
As Namgung Cheonghwi advanced ten paces, a shing of drawn steel sounded behind. Yet Cheonghwi neither turned nor faltered.
Namgung So growled, brimming with killing intent.
"And if I refuse? If I must fulfill my vow—what then?"
"Then one lowly, ill-tempered wretch dies."
"......"
As Cheonghwi rounded the corner, Namgung So's enraged bellow echoed from afar. Crashing floors and walls followed.
Chaos was imminent.