Reunion on the Golden Dragon Ship
Inside the Golden Dragon Ship, the splendor was far grander than its exterior had promised.
"Ha. Quite different from the pavilion ships I've known. It's as if someone truly set a whole palace adrift on the water."
Mujin said, his voice thick with admiration.
And he was right. From the great open ceiling spanning three stories, countless night-luminous pearls shed light as bright as midday, and every piece of furniture scattered about the hall was a masterpiece that would fetch a king's ransom. Thick carpets covered the floor from wall to wall, muffling even the sound of footsteps, while the air hung heavy with the scent of expensive incense and the soft murmur of distant instruments.
Namgung Cheon nodded along to Mujin's words, casting a glance around the hall. Young talents of the later generation, draped in fine silks, clustered in twos and threes, trading pleasantries.
And, amusingly, every one of them—
They're all just smiling with their eyes.
Arrogance from those riding on their clans' names and influence, cunning from those scrambling to survive somewhere in between. That blend of posturing and calculation was the true face of the Golden Dragon Ship.
"This way."
Zhuge Seoyeon guided Namgung Cheon toward the most magnificent table of all—seats of honor at the very back of the banquet hall, by the windows overlooking the river. Places reserved for members of the Great Sects and the Five Noble Clans.
Yet strangely, the seats stood empty.
"Huh. Where have all the big names gone?"
Mujin asked, puzzled. Zhuge Seoyeon gave a soft laugh.
"Isn't it obvious? They're all outside, waiting for the star of the show."
Namgung Cheon gazed at the vacant seats. The star of the show—that would mean Namgung Hwi. But he sat down without a word, unconcerned.
Mujin settled in beside him and murmured under his breath.
"Not much of a crowd pleaser, are you? Everyone's too busy watching the Sword Dragon's moods, I expect."
"Quiet suits me fine."
Namgung Cheon lifted his teacup, indifferent. Though plenty of people stole glances at him and whispered behind their sleeves, not a single one approached to speak. None of them wished to risk provoking Namgung Hwi's temper.
How amusing.
Namgung Cheon set down his cup, thinking. Watching their step wouldn't elevate their standing one bit, and offering a simple greeting without all the hedging wouldn't earn them Namgung Hwi's disfavor either.
If he were a man that petty, he'd never have been called the Sword Dragon in the first place.
In the end, they were all trapped in snares of their own making. A foolish way to live, and no mistake.
A long silence settled over the table. And then, at last—
"Ha. Honestly."
Zhuge Seoyeon snapped her fan shut with a sharp crack. Her gaze began sweeping across the surrounding tables, one by one, and she spoke in a low voice.
"The Liu family is said to be tearing their hair out over trouble with the Black Death Gang... hardly the time to be lounging about, is it?"
"...!"
One young talent's face drained white. Her gaze drifted elsewhere.
"And I hear the young master of the Taihua Merchant Guild has been striving to curry favor with the Merchant Dao Heavens—but at this pace, will he even register on anyone's radar?"
With every name that slid from her lips, its owner flinched and ducked their head in alarm. Then Zhuge Seoyeon delivered her coldest line of all.
"Do you find my cousin laughable? Or is it me you find laughable?"
That frost-edged remark froze the room solid. Shuffling their feet, a few finally edged over and offered stiff, reluctant greetings.
"Y-young Master Namgung. I've heard a great deal about you."
An awkward greeting if ever there was one. Namgung Cheon frowned at the transparent pretense of it all.
Tap.
He set his teacup down with an audible clink.
"Don't bother."
At that single cool word, every mouth in earshot snapped shut.
Just as the atmosphere had chilled back into ice—
"Young Master Namgung Cheon! Can it truly be you!"
Someone came dashing up to the banquet hall entrance. A young man in plain, unadorned martial robes.
"Haa, haa... I heard you had already come inside, my lord, and hurried here at once."
Barely pausing to catch his breath, the young man planted himself before Namgung Cheon and bowed.
"I am Jo Wi of the Hyeongju Jo Clan! My lord, I have longed to meet you!"
Before Namgung Cheon could stop him, the young man launched into a torrent of praise.
"The stories from Anhui! I heard every word! They say you cut down the entire Blood Sword Gang single-handed, and tore off that monster's leader's head with your bare hands and hurled it away!"
"...?"
Namgung Cheon's eyebrow twitched. He had never ripped off anyone's head with his bare hands.
"And then to drive out the whole of the Four Black Alliance with a single lion's roar—it's truly...!"
Which never happened either...
Namgung Cheon opened his mouth to correct the record.
"That isn't the tr—"
"Ahem!"
Mujin coughed loudly and jabbed him in the ribs. Then he whispered through transmitted sound.
—Let him be. That's what youthful hearts are for. Protect them.
Namgung Cheon shot Mujin a look of utter disbelief, then shut his mouth. Jo Wi, meanwhile, carried on reciting heroic feats Namgung Cheon had never performed.
Perhaps it was the young man's earnest sincerity, but the frosty atmosphere began to thaw bit by bit. The other young talents who had only been watching from a distance started sidling over to offer proper greetings as well.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm Jang Yu of the Righteous Sword Gate."
"And I—"
Namgung Cheon didn't bother to open his mouth, but the introductions kept coming.
Then, after a long while—
A commotion suddenly erupted at the entrance to the banquet hall.
"He's here!"
That single shout changed everything. Whooosh— In the blink of an eye, the space around Namgung Cheon emptied completely. The entrance, meanwhile, was packed shoulder to shoulder with bodies.
"......"
"......"
Mujin and Zhuge Seoyeon stole a cautious glance at Namgung Cheon. But his expression never changed; he simply poured himself more tea.
Just then, the crowd at the entrance parted neatly to either side. And through the gap strode a man in dazzling white martial robes—flawless features, and an air that was gentle yet utterly untouchable.
The Eldest Young Master of the Namgung Clan. The Sword Dragon, Namgung Hwi.
......
Namgung Cheon's eyes narrowed.
His realm is hard to gauge.
Moreover, everything from his gait to his breathing was rooted in genuine martial cultivation.
He's altered the Cloud Stepping Footwork, and that breathing... a form of dynamic practice?
A relentless discipline that never set down the sword, waking or sleeping. Behind the glamorous title of Sword Dragon, he could feel it all plainly—the bone-grinding toil and the brilliant talent that had earned it.
So this was why every soul in the clan worshiped the man and hung their hopes on him.
It makes sense.
Namgung Hwi was a true martial artist—one who refused to rest on his innate genius and instead honed himself to the very limit.
While Namgung Cheon was lost in that thought, Zhuge Seoyeon muttered behind her fan beside him.
"Must he always make such a fashionably late entrance."
Namgung Hwi crossed the banquet hall to a roar of cheers from the crowd. And then his gentle eyes widened all at once. He strode straight toward where Namgung Cheon sat.
Every gaze in the hall followed in his wake. Namgung Hwi came to a stop before his younger brother—and for a long moment, looked down at him without a word.
The immaculately worn black martial robes. The height he'd shot up. And above all, eyes that had changed completely. The fragile youngest brother of his memories was nowhere to be found.
"...Cheon-ah."
Namgung Hwi's voice trembled, faint but unmistakable.
"You've truly changed. You really have."
He seized Namgung Cheon's shoulders with a firm grip. Steadfast strength and warm heat flowed from his hands into his brother's frame. At that unfeigned joy of reunion, Namgung Cheon found himself awash in an unfamiliar emotion.
He hesitated a moment, then spoke flatly.
"It's been a long time."
At those words, Namgung Hwi broke into a radiant smile.
"Yes. It has been a long time."
And the moment the two brothers' warm reunion was confirmed, all those who had been snubbing Namgung Cheon came swarming over as if on cue.
"Haha! What a fine sight, the brotherly devotion between you two!"
"Bai Yeop of the Qingcheng Sect. Young Master Namgung Cheon, I've heard a great deal about you."
At their shameless about-face, Namgung Cheon smiled bitterly to himself, though outwardly he gave them a light nod of the head. Seeing this, Namgung Hwi gestured to the two men behind him.
"Ah, where is my head. Cheon-ah, pay your respects."
He indicated one of the men.
"This is Danri Chu of the Danri Clan. Do you remember meeting him when you were little? He's with me in the Wulin Alliance these days."
"It's been a while, hasn't it? Ten years, I'd say?"
Danri Chu boomed out a hearty laugh and offered his hand.
The Flash Lightning Sword, Danri Chu.
Namgung Cheon recalled the intelligence from the wooden case the Hao Clan leader had provided, and clasped the man's hand.
Namgung Hwi then turned to the young Daoist standing beside him.
"And this is the Chivalrous Dragon, Myeongjin of Wudang—another of my companions in the Wulin Alliance."
Myeongjin performed a respectful fist-and-palm salute.
"An honor, Young Master Namgung. I am Myeongjin of the Wudang Sect."
"I am Namgung Cheon."
As he returned the salute, Namgung Cheon met the man's eyes. Clear, deep—the eyes of a true Daoist. Yet lurking behind them was a killing edge that could never quite be hidden.
The Chivalrous Dragon, Myeongjin. They say he's also called the Evil-Severing Sword Hero.
The verdict on him was that despite his robes, he cut down evil without the slightest hesitation. The sharp aura suited that reputation perfectly.
As the crowd kept pressing in and the hall grew rowdier again, Namgung Hwi raised his voice with gentle authority.
"Might I ask everyone to give us a moment? There are things my brother and I must discuss, after so long apart."
At that gracious request, those who had crowded around withdrew obediently, disappointment plain on their faces.
Once the banquet hall had grown quiet again, Namgung Hwi plopped down into the seat beside his brother as if he'd been waiting for nothing else. His gaze drifted across the table to Zhuge Seoyeon.
"So you were here too. But where's that Solitary Phoenix girl of your clan? She's not outside either—I don't see her anywhere."
"Who could ever rein in that free spirit of hers? She's off wandering some corner of the Central Plains again, I'd wager."
Namgung Hwi nodded, as if that answer figured. Just then, a drumroll sounded, and the Golden Dragon Ship shuddered through its whole frame.
Boom-boom-boom-boom—
The signal for departure. As the ship began to move slowly through the water, Namgung Hwi turned his eyes back to his brother.
"So. Cheon-ah."
He leaned forward and asked.
"Will you tell me your story now? All these years apart, everything I heard secondhand was too hard to believe. And..."
Namgung Hwi stopped there, his eyes deepening as he searched his brother's gaze.
"What lies behind a change this complete... I want to know that too."