The Hidden Map
With a sudden rush, Namgung Hyeonwu swept Uncheon into his arms.
The son who had been given up for dead had come home alive.
"Father… that hurts."
"You little brat… it hurts? Your mother has been tearing her heart out this whole time!"
"I'm sorry. There were circumstances that kept me from returning."
Namgung Hyeonwu released the embrace and looked his son over carefully once more.
"You've lost a great deal of weight. What in the world happened?"
"For two years the only things I ate were minnows and toads, so I suppose that did it."
"…"
"When the mine collapsed I was incredibly lucky. I kept going deeper and deeper, and when I had no choice I leapt into the groundwater to escape the falling tunnels. After floating for a long while I ended up in a place sealed off on every side."
"You… you were trapped down there for two whole years?"
"Yes. There was nothing else to eat, so it got tiresome, but it was good enough for passing a long stretch of time."
"Ha… haha."
Namgung Hyeonwu let out a disbelieving laugh. And he thought that if it was his son, the boy could have lasted three years just as easily as two.
"If it was so nice, you should have stayed longer. Why come out?"
"There was an earthquake in Tangshan not long ago. The cave collapsed, and by sheer luck I managed to get free."
At the word "earthquake," Namgung Hyeonwu suddenly recalled something Namgung Seonwu had said.
"Did you… by any chance go down into Tangshan and help the villagers?"
"Ah, yes. When I reached the village everything was in chaos from the quake. Ignoring them didn't seem right, so I helped for a little while and came straight home."
Just as Namgung Seonwu had claimed, the Blue-Robed Saint had been none other than Uncheon.
Well, I'll be… so the Namgung Saint and the Blue-Robed Saint are this boy.
Even hearing the answer from his own son's mouth, he could scarcely believe it.
Uncheon smiled brightly.
"I'm truly glad I can see Father and Mother again. I thought I'd never get out of that mine until I died."
Gently, Sun Yuhwa took Uncheon's hand.
"Welcome home."
Namgung Hyeonwu rose from his seat.
"Stand up."
"Where are you going?"
"We must pay our respects to the Family Head, of course."
"Ah. Understood."
Before stepping outside, Uncheon looked at Sun Yuhwa.
"Mother, I'll be back."
"Yes. You should greet the elders of the family. I'll be waiting."
Sun Yuhwa smiled radiantly, as though she had finally recovered the smile she had lost.
Two days had already passed since his return to the Namgung Family.
In that time he had met many of the family's elders and listened to countless words that were neither pure praise nor pure scolding.
Only after those two days did he finally have a quiet moment alone in Hyeoncheon Pavilion.
Yet Uncheon already knew that from this point on the real nuisance would begin.
As expected…
Light, eager footsteps came racing toward Hyeoncheon Pavilion. Behind them he sensed another presence as well.
"Uncheon Oppa!"
Namgung Hyemi hurried inside with quick little steps, waving her hand. Uncheon rose and looked at the man who appeared behind her.
Gunchun Hyungnim. He's grown even more solid than before.
Namgung Gunchun was a sixth cousin and the Young Family Head. They had exchanged only light greetings since childhood and had never grown close. The reason was simple: as a boy, Uncheon's martial skill had never drawn any notice within the family.
He had not expected the two of them to arrive together.
Namgung Hyemi, who had been bounding along so cheerfully, stopped in front of Uncheon.
"I heard you ate nothing but frogs for two years. Were they tasty?"
"Not frogs—toads. Eating them all the time got boring, but the taste was fine. If you want, I'll catch one later and roast it for you."
"No thanks. That sounds weird."
"Suit yourself."
Uncheon shifted his gaze and bowed his head toward Namgung Gunchun.
"Young Family Head Hyungnim, it has been a long time."
"Uncle Hyeonwu worried a great deal. I'm glad you've returned."
"Thank you."
Namgung Gunchun examined Uncheon's internal energy. The fame of Cheongryu Geomhyang—and now even the title of Namgung Saint. Among the younger generation of the Namgung Family, he was the first to make a name for himself across the Central Plains.
Uncheon knew exactly what the other man was thinking as he looked at him.
I half expected him to feel a little awkward… but no.
He had wondered whether envy or competitive spirit might have taken root, yet Namgung Gunchun still regarded him simply as a family cousin, just as before.
From childhood the man had been trained by Family Head Namgung Cheonwu to become the next head. His position was unshakable. Even if someone more talented than him appeared in the family, he had no reason to envy or resent them. On the contrary, it would only mean having a capable person at his side to accomplish great things for the Namgung Family.
In the Namgung Family the position of Family Head never changed, regardless of martial prowess. Even if someone possessed greater skill than the Family Head, they could never defy the Head's will; if they refused to follow, they would have to abandon the Namgung name itself.
Namgung Gunchun's voice was gentler than it had once been.
"Let's sit and talk."
"Yes, Young Family Head Hyungnim."
Since returning to the family he had told the same story countless times. Once again Uncheon explained what had happened at Tangshan. Namgung Hyemi exclaimed in admiration at every turn.
"Wow… that was close. It must have been hard."
"It wasn't that hard."
Namgung Gunchun listened to the end with clear interest.
"So in the end, no one managed to find the Cheonhwangdo Map."
"Yes. The Hebei Peng Family entered the mine first, but Moyong Jeok was discovered as a poisoned corpse, and there was no Cheonhwangdo Map."
"So the rumors were true."
After the day the mine exploded, word had spread throughout the Central Plains that Moyong Jeok was dead and the Cheonhwangdo Map had vanished forever.
Regret colored Namgung Gunchun's voice.
"The Moyong Family and the Hebei Peng Family made such a fuss and still couldn't find it. Pathetic."
"It seems they never managed to locate it in those two years."
"Actually, it's for the best. From our family's standpoint, it's better if something like that never surfaces at all."
Uncheon read the man's thoughts.
Hyungnim thinks it's better for the map not to exist than for it to become a threat to the family. Well, that's not a bad way of looking at it.
Namgung Gunchun asked casually,
"Now that you're back with the family, do you have any plans?"
"I'm still a bit unsettled myself. I'm thinking about what to do."
"You aren't planning to leave the family, are you?"
Most of the sixth cousins had gone out into the world. If Uncheon's skill had remained mediocre, the question would never have been asked.
Namgung Gunchun spoke the thought that was already in his heart.
"If you're willing, I would like you to stay in the family and help me from now on."
He's sincere.
Two years ago Uncheon might have refused. But the murim of today was no longer the same. The Blood Refining Divine Cult that the black-hatted Mun Gu belonged to, and the merchant alliance of Jeokbalgoein alone, were powers capable of threatening the Namgung Family.
If the forces connected to the golden-masked Woo-sa and Mu-hong Hyungnim appear as well, it will be pure chaos.
He had learned that overwhelming strength lay hidden within the Central Plains. In such a situation he could not simply walk away and live alone. If all of them eventually emerged into the open, the Namgung Family itself might one day have to stake its life against them.
"Understood. If that is what the Young Family Head Hyungnim wishes, I will stay at your side and do my utmost."
"Huhu. Thank you."
Contrary to his expectations, the already famous Uncheon accepted his proposal so readily that the corner of Namgung Gunchun's mouth lifted slightly.
"Do you have time for lunch tomorrow?"
"Is something the matter?"
"You've returned safely, so I thought we should at least share a meal as a welcome. Come to Changgung Small Hall tomorrow and eat lunch with me."
"That sounds good. I'll see you then."
Namgung Gunchun rose as though he had said everything he needed to say.
"You've been dragged around everywhere; you must be tired. Rest."
"Gunchun Oppa, I'll stay a little longer."
"Do as you like."
When Uncheon started to stand so he could see him to the main gate of Hyeoncheon Pavilion, Namgung Gunchun stopped him.
"No need to come out."
"Understood. Take care."
Uncheon watched until the man left, then sat again and looked carefully at Namgung Hyemi.
Two years had turned the little sister into a young lady.
"You've grown a lot while I was gone."
"Well? Have I gotten much prettier?"
"Your personality hasn't changed a bit. Before long proposals will start arriving from other families."
"Actually, Father says several places have already been in contact."
"Oh? From where?"
"I hear the Seonu Family of Jiangsu Province keeps sending messages."
"The Seonu Family isn't bad. Still, it would be best if Hyemi formed a connection with someone she likes."
"Yes, exactly."
Watching Namgung Hyemi nod, Uncheon gave a short laugh. She clearly wanted to see the martial skill of Cheongryu Geomhyang that had made his name famous.
"How is your training these days?"
"I'm learning hard from Father."
"Shall we spar once?"
"Huh! Really?"
"I'm curious too. It looks like you've been working hard."
"I really have worked hard!"
"Huhu. Let's go to the training ground."
Namgung Hyemi followed Uncheon out toward the rear garden of Hyeoncheon Pavilion.
The Namgung Family's sword was a heavy sword. Suitable for a man, yet a little too weighty for a woman to execute heavy-sword techniques to perfection. For that reason the women of the Namgung Family trained mainly with pointed swords rather than heavy ones.
She drew her blade from a pale violet scabbard. A sword that faintly shimmered with the same violet light appeared. To better perform the pointed-sword arts, her blade was narrower and more slender than an ordinary sword body.
"Looks good."
"Father got it for me."
Uncheon pulled the hilt of Cheongeungeom from the sword belt at his waist. The blue light of Cheongeungeom stretched toward her, pressing down with pressure. Namgung Hyemi raised her internal energy and blocked the Blue Spirit Sword Qi.
Uncheon Oppa's sword qi is incredible.
The mere act of drawing the sword was enough to pressure an opponent. He looked stronger than anyone she had ever sparred with.
"You take the first move, Hyemi."
"All right. I'll attack first."
Flash-flash-flash-flash!!
Internal energy poured into Namgung Hyemi's violet pointed sword, and dozens of sharp sword qi blades shot toward Uncheon.
Completely different from when it's done with a heavy sword.
The Thirteen Lightning Sword Thunders unleashed from the violet pointed sword carried no heavy sensation; they were fierce. Dozens of lightning-thunder flashes exploded toward Uncheon.
She's trained hard all this time.
The power was strong enough that anyone who judged her by her feminine appearance alone would come to grief.
Shall I answer the thunder light with Heavenly Thunder?
Thunder force gathers in the free left hand; three palm strikes explode in succession.
Boom-boom-boom!!
Three palm strikes detonated, and the sword qi of the lightning-thunder flashes melted away.
"Ah!"
A hot afterblast swept across her face.
"Wh-when did you learn Heavenly Thunder Three Palms?"
"I practiced whenever I had free time. That last attack was good. Try attacking once more."
"Okay!"
Faced with Uncheon's strength that brushed her aside so lightly, she decided to pour out everything she had.
When she first announced she would perform the Thirteen Lightning Sword Thunders with a violet pointed sword, everyone in the family had opposed it. They worried that the thin pointed blade could never unleash the fierce power of thunder. Yet she had forged an even more dazzling assault with the pointed sword.
Fwaaaash—!!
The long tail of a Lightning Meteor coiled around Uncheon.
She even thought to mix linked-sword techniques into the pointed sword. Her application is remarkable.
The instant Uncheon slipped past the violet pointed sword, he vanished from in front of her.
Where is he?
Confusion flooded her expression. Only the violet pointed sword moved emptily through the space where Uncheon had stood.
Shiiiing!!
"Hah…!"
She tried to pull the blade back from empty air, but a faster movement raced down her arm and coiled around her wrist.
"…"
Namgung Hyemi stared at Uncheon, who stood smiling with her violet pointed sword already in his hand. She had not seen his movement at all.
"What was that just now?"
"Soaring Heaven Golden Jade Hand."
"Really? I know of it, but…"
She had never seen anyone in the family truly master the Soaring Heaven Golden Jade Hand.
"Wow… this is the first time I've seen it used in a real spar."
"Huhu. I trained it because I thought it would be useful for catching minnows in the cave. Not bad, right?"
"It's perfect for snatching something from an opponent's hand. The moment I felt something touch my arm, the sword was already gone."
"I'm glad I learned it properly."
Uncheon returned the violet pointed sword to her. As she sheathed the blade, the look she turned on Uncheon shifted into one of open admiration.
This is a bit much.
Uncheon quickly averted his eyes and turned away.
"I'm getting hungry. Is there anything good to eat?"
"Ah! Me too. Shall we go see Chef Jeong?"
"Sounds good. Let's go."
Rustle-rustle.
Uncheon sat in a chair, idly turning a jet-black bracelet between his fingers. It was the item he had taken from Moyong Jeok.
On the sword belt the characters "Hwangcheon" had been written. On the jet-black bracelet the single character "Hwang" appeared in the same hand.
But who would have thought it was Cheonhwang, not Hwangcheon.
Two years earlier, while trapped in the mine cave, Uncheon had lain on the floor thinking about Moyong Jeok. Would the man really have hidden the Cheonhwangdo Map somewhere else when he fled into the mine? Something like the Cheonhwangdo Map—no one would want to let it far from their body.
Uncheon had taken the jet-black bracelet out of the loosened sword belt. The calligraphy was unmistakably the same. Coincidence or not, the same person had made both.
On the sword belt were the two characters "Hwang" and "Cheon." On the bracelet he had seen only "Hwang," so he wanted to check whether another character was hidden as well. Even with sharpened eyes the surroundings were too dark, so he set the jet-black bracelet in the sunlight and examined it carefully.
As he turned the bracelet, a flash of reflected light struck the cave wall.
That is…
A circular shape was cast onto the wall by the sunlight, and within that reflected circle many fine lines seemed to be drawn.
Hmm… the sword belt too?
He set the bracelet down and this time held the sword belt up to the light, reflecting it the same way.
"Here as well…"
The sword belt, like the bracelet, was covered in a chaotic tangle of lines.
"…"
Uncheon studied the two objects intently, then lifted them both at once. He placed both in the sunlight and cast their reflections onto the cave wall together.
His eyes grew wider and wider.
When each was shown alone the lines had been a jumbled mess; when the two overlapped they looked exactly like the contours of a map.
"…Found it. This… this really was the map."
Uncheon could scarcely believe it. The jet-black bracelet taken from Moyong Jeok's wrist was a genuine piece of the Cheonhwangdo Map.
"Then… what about this?"
He looked at the sword belt in his left hand. That was the heirloom sword belt handed down through generations by the founding ancestor of the Chungui Sun Family.
Step-step-step.
Father…
Sensing a presence approaching Hyeoncheon Pavilion, Uncheon slipped the jet-black bracelet back into the sword belt and fastened it at his waist.
For the time being I'll have to keep this secret from everyone.
Of the four map pieces, two were now in his hands. He could tell no one that he possessed two pieces of the Cheonhwangdo Map.
As soon as I have the chance I should meet Young Lady Yang.
Through her he wanted to meet someone who knew a great deal about the Middle Kingdom's Merchant State. He was curious about the two close friends, Sun and Hong, to whom Man Chugeum—the last lord of the Middle Kingdom's Merchant State mentioned in the Hoesang-rok—had given the two objects.
Is it really coincidence that both of them ended up with me?
Uncheon understood that he had stepped into the very heart of the murim's coming chaos.
Just then Namgung Hyeonwu arrived outside the door.
"Are you in there?"
"Yes, Father."
Uncheon opened the door and greeted him.
"Please come in."
"What were you doing?"
"I was thinking about what I should do next."
"…"
On the way to Hyeoncheon Pavilion he had met Young Family Head Namgung Gunchun. The Young Family Head had told Namgung Hyeonwu that Uncheon had agreed to stay at his side and help. Namgung Hyeonwu thought it was good that his son was remaining with the family, yet part of him also felt a quiet regret.
But the words Uncheon had just spoken made it sound as though he was already planning to leave the family again.
"You're leaving again?"
"It seems a problem has arisen that I need to resolve myself."
"What do you mean? Did you cause some trouble I don't know about?"
"Come now—would the Namgung Saint of the Central Plains murim go around causing trouble?"
"Ha."
Namgung Hyeonwu let out a short, incredulous laugh.
"Can you tell me what you're going to do?"
"I'm sorry. I'm worried I might end up bringing harm not only to Father but to the whole family."
"It's dangerous, then."
"Yes. Extremely."
"Your mother will worry again."
"If she goes through it once or twice more, won't she build up some immunity?"
Namgung Hyeonwu shook his head. Uncheon had already made up his mind.
"When do you plan to leave?"
"After I meet Young Family Head Hyungnim tomorrow, I intend to go."
"Understood. Leaving again is fine, but you must get your mother's permission."
"Yes, Father. Please don't worry too much about me."
"…"
Namgung Hyeonwu fell silent for a moment in thought. Then he rose from his seat and spoke.
"In that case you had better show me something that will keep me from worrying about you. Come outside."
Namgung Hyeonwu and Uncheon stepped out together.
A short while later—
"Hahahaha!!"
Namgung Hyeonwu threw back his head and roared with laughter in the rear garden. He was sitting flat on the ground.
Before him stood his son Uncheon, Cheongeungeom lowered, upright and unshaken. During the spar he had been unable even to see the Blue Silver Sword, let alone keep up with it.
This boy is beyond anything the family can contain. And to think that monster is my son…