What Kind of Wealth and Glory Do I Think I’m Chasing? (2)
“How are the wounded?”
At Namgung Dowi’s question, Namgung Myeong answered as though it were nothing.
“No one will die. They’re all built with pretty sturdy bones.”
“That’s a relief.”
“The Tang Clan coming was a huge help. The medical arts of the Sichuan Tang Clan are famous throughout the Jianghu, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they are.”
The Sichuan Tang Clan was known for its poison arts, but it was also renowned for its healing. Because they dealt with hidden weapons, they were constantly plagued by poisonings and injuries, and so their medical skills had naturally developed alongside everything else.
“Still….”
Namgung Myeong let the end of his sentence trail off before speaking in a flat voice.
“Of the eighty-two who returned from Maehwado, I’m afraid around ten will never be able to take up the sword again.”
Namgung Dowi gave a silent nod.
It was a bitter truth, but one he had to accept. It was enough that they had lived through Maehwado at all.
“And among the rest, there will likely be quite a few who never recover their former martial strength.”
“...I see.”
Namgung Myeong barely held back a sigh.
The damage was greater than he had expected. He had thought they had preserved at least a third of their strength, but if Namgung Myeong was right, he should be grateful if even a quarter remained.
No matter how much they were the Namgung Clan of Azure Heaven, with this level of strength, it was almost embarrassing to still call themselves a great clan.
If this were any other time, we’d close the gates and reorganize the family…
But that was impossible now. Even if they had enemies holding old grudges, Jianghu custom dictated that when a sect or clan declared its gates closed, others should step back and watch. The Sapa trash would never honor such a custom.
If the Namgung Clan announced seclusion now, the Evil Tyrant Alliance or the Yangtze River Water Bandits would likely attack while their ties to other sects were severed. If that happened, the Namgung Clan would truly be finished.
“Clan Head.”
“Speak, Young Patriarch.”
“We’ll have to leave Anhui.”
A low groan slipped from Namgung Myeong’s throat.
He understood that there was no other way for now, but leaving the place where the clan had rooted itself was not an easy decision.
It was as difficult as the Sichuan Tang Clan leaving Sichuan, as difficult as Mount Hua leaving Hwaeom in Shaanxi.
“It seems that’s the only way.”
“Yes.”
Namgung Dowi nodded.
“We’ll lose a great deal by leaving Anhui.”
If they left in a hurry, the commercial foothold they had built there would be lost, and their relationships with nearby sects would inevitably suffer as well.
“But if we don’t leave, we’ll lose far more.”
“...Mm.”
“Clan Head. No—Uncle. This is the decision I’ve made so the Namgung Clan can remain the Namgung Clan. I ask for your help.”
Namgung Myeong shook his head.
“Don’t say that, Young Patriarch. You are acting Patriarch now. Don’t ask my permission—just give the order.”
“...Uncle.”
“I believe the decision you make will be the right one. And….”
Namgung Myeong looked at Namgung Dowi with a warm smile.
“The Patriarch would have supported this decision too. What matters is not protecting wealth, but protecting the spirit of Namgung. As long as that spirit lives, Namgung can remain Namgung no matter where it stands.”
“Father also….”
Watching Namgung Dowi lapse into thought, Namgung Myeong let out a small sigh.
“Young Patriarch.”
“...Yes, Uncle.”
“I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering if, had the Patriarch still been alive, you might not have had to leave Anhui, aren’t you?”
Namgung Dowi said nothing, his mouth shut tight. Namgung Myeong shook his head.
“Don’t think that way, Young Patriarch.”
“...”
“The Patriarch is the Patriarch, and the Young Patriarch is the Young Patriarch. I have no doubt that you will become a Patriarch who surpasses your ancestors.”
“...Uncle.”
It was a heavy thing to hear. But at the same time, it gave him strength.
I must do exactly that.
Not for his own glory, but for the future of the Namgung Clan.
If he was to rebuild a Namgung Clan that was, in truth, all but collapsed once already, then Namgung Dowi would have to stand firmer than anyone else.
“Fine. And what do you plan to do once you leave the clan?”
“I intend to take refuge in Mount Hua.”
“...Take refuge, you say?”
“Yes.”
Namgung Myeong’s brow furrowed.
Leaving Anhui he could understand. But was it really necessary to take refuge in Mount Hua?
“Young Patriarch, with the wealth the Namgung Clan has accumulated, relocating to a region free of conflict shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Yes. I know.”
“Then why go to the trouble of…?”
Namgung Dowi slowly shook his head.
“For Namgung’s sake. You know this as well as I do. No sect has grown more rapidly than Mount Hua. If we are to brighten Namgung’s future, we must learn how they did it.”
“...Sect Leader Hyun Jong of Mount Hua isn’t so tightfisted a man that you’d need to take refuge there just to receive his advice.”
“That won’t be enough.”
A resolute light came into Namgung Dowi’s eyes.
“No matter how much advice we receive, no matter how much we work from it, the Namgung Clan will never recover its former standing. Our clan has overcome countless hardships in the past, but haven’t we suffered damage this severe for the first time in a hundred years?”
“...That’s true.”
Namgung Myeong nodded reluctantly.
Of course, in terms of raw damage, the war with the Demonic Cult might have been worse. But that situation could not be compared to this one.
Back then, every sect in the world had suffered. So in the end, Namgung Clan’s standing in the Jianghu had not fallen.
But not now. The other sects were not weakened now, were they? Quite the opposite.
“We can endure any inconvenience. What I cannot bear is the Namgung name collapsing in my generation.”
“...Young Patriarch.”
“Please help me, Uncle. I can only persuade the family if you support me.”
Namgung Myeong stared at Namgung Dowi. Then, unable to turn away from those steadfast eyes, he finally nodded.
“Very well.”
“Thank you.”
There was a hint of color in Namgung Dowi’s voice. Namgung Myeong sighed.
“Don’t forget that the person who will suffer most from this choice is you.”
“I’m prepared for that.”
“...And even if the swordmasters can be brought along, you can’t bring every family member into Mount Hua.”
“I plan to have the family members settle in Hwaeom and stay there. I believe they’ll understand.”
It seemed he had already prepared for everything. At this point, Namgung Myeong was honestly curious.
“What exactly did you see in Mount Hua?”
“I didn’t see it.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m going to go see it, Uncle.”
A smile touched Namgung Dowi’s lips.
“Mount Hua is different from the sects I knew. It’s different from Shaolin, and it’s different from Namgung.”
“...”
“I know it’s different, but I don’t yet know why. That’s why I’m going. So I can understand enough to learn why they’re different from us.”
Namgung Myeong shook his head as if he could not possibly stop him. But a warm, undeniably fond smile hung on his own lips.
“Since the Young Patriarch puts it that way, this uncle will work hard and learn too.”
“Yes, Uncle!”
“It’ll take time to persuade the retainers….”
At that moment, Namgung Myeong frowned and turned toward the door.
“What’s all that noise?”
Ever since a moment ago, they had been hearing the sounds of weapons clashing outside. It was not strange to hear weapons clanging where martial artists gathered, but this sound was not ordinary even to Namgung Myeong, who had grown up in the Namgung Clan.
“Could there be some kind of problem…?”
And then it happened.
BOOOOM!
The door to the room they were in exploded apart, and someone flew straight inside.
“W-What the hell!”
“An enemy attack?”
The two men jumped to their feet in shock. Instinctively gripping their swords, they watched the person who had been thrown in land face-first at their feet.
“Ugh?”
“J-Jo Geol Dojang?”
Jo Geol was trembling all over, blood spurting from his mouth.
The instant Namgung Dowi’s eyes flashed with horror, Jo Geol pointed outside with a shaking hand. Namgung Dowi hurriedly asked,
“D-Dojang! Are you all right?”
“Thos—”
“Those?”
“Thos—”
“...”
“Thos…son of a….”
Thud.
Jo Geol finally rolled his eyes back and passed out. Even after fainting, red froth kept bubbling at the corners of his mouth.
“...”
Namgung Dowi stared blankly outside.
“Aaaaargh! You bastard!”
At that very moment, the Mount Hua Righteous Sword Baek Cheon was being sent flying backward after getting his face kicked. Standing on top of Baek Cheon’s face, Cheong Myeong darted his eyes wildly around and searched for his next prey.
“H-Help me stop him!”
The one who shouted first was always the one in danger. The only thing Yoon Jong had done wrong was not knowing that simple truth.
As payment for that mistake, Yoon Jong had to leave a human-shaped hole in the wall.
“You’re in for it now!”
Yu I-seol kicked off the air and charged at Cheong Myeong. Namgung Myeong swallowed dryly.
...Is everyone out of their minds?
His mouth fell open in shock.
This was a place adjacent to the Yangtze River. And not far from here were not only the Orthodox Sects, but the combat forces of the Evil Tyrant Alliance as well. And yet they were training this loudly here?
And it’s only been two days since the battle at Maehwado?
The way they were swinging their swords at each other was, at a glance, anything but ordinary. This wasn’t mere training that resembled real combat—it was the kind of training where it would not have been strange if someone got seriously injured.
Every matter has its proper time and place.
This training was out of time and out of place. And the strangest thing of all was that not one of them seemed to think so.
“You little bastardtttt!”
They all complained with their mouths, but none of them backed down. They surely knew that if they disliked the training, they could simply turn around and walk out of the manor.
And Cheong Myeong shocked Namgung Myeong even further.
That Mount Hua Divine Dragon was strong enough to beat the Black Dragon King. At the very least, that meant a level of strength comparable to Namgung Hwang. Of course, the Namgung Clan had Namgung Hwang too, so in terms of having strong experts, they were not at a disadvantage.
But when was the last time Namgung Hwang had personally sparred with the clan’s swordmasters?
Swordmasters who had reached the peak of their skill usually prioritized refining their own sword path over sparring. So naturally, the stronger one became, the fewer direct matches one held.
To Namgung Myeong, who had lived his whole life in a sword clan, that was utterly obvious.
Even the sword sects themselves actively encouraged their top swordsmen to isolate themselves, because one peak master was worth more than a hundred mediocre ones. It was common sense.
So for Namgung Myeong, who had lived his life believing that such things were natural, seeing Cheong Myeong fight and curse at people who were not even half his level was shocking beyond measure.
So that’s why they’re strong… So that’s why….
He felt as though he had glimpsed the secret behind Mount Hua’s power.
How could they not grow stronger when someone like that sparred with them every other day?
Whatever else, one thing was clear: Cheong Myeong’s purpose was not to make himself stronger, but to make Mount Hua stronger.
“I envy them, Uncle.”
“Young Patriarch….”
Namgung Dowi was gazing at the scene ahead with a look of longing, probably imagining what it would be like to spar against his own father, Namgung Hwang.
“But well… it’s not as though there’s no chance from here on.”
“Pardon? Young Patriarch, surely you’re not saying…?”
“I’ll be right back.”
Namgung Dowi drew his sword.
“Ah, but your body still isn’t fully recovered!”
Namgung Myeong hurriedly tried to stop him, but Namgung Dowi paid him no mind and ran forward. Seeing the smile at the corner of his lips, bright with excitement, Namgung Myeong gave up trying to hold him back.
Mount Hua, huh.
Perhaps Namgung Dowi’s decision to seek refuge in Mount Hua was the best one after all. Not from the standpoint of the Namgung Clan, but from Namgung Dowi’s own.
“Do as you wish, Young Patriarch.”
Namgung Myeong only hoped that the lake called Mount Hua was wide enough to contain the dragon Namgung Dowi intended to become.
That was all he wished for—
Bang!
“What was that just now? There was some weird bastard here, wasn’t there?”
“...”
Seeing Namgung Dowi blasted out of the manor in an instant by Cheong Myeong’s sword, Namgung Myeong shut his eyes tight.
Let’s think about this one more time.
For some reason, it felt like that lake was already poisoned.
...By something pretty damn lethal.