Chapter 28
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Change - 2
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Ever since I agreed to spar with Namgung Hye, one thing had changed.
She had started eating proper meals.
At first, she only ate the porridge I made for her, but as she gradually regained her appetite, it didn't take long for her to switch to rice.
Many in the Namgung Family were amazed by the change. But there was nothing bad about it.
As she began eating properly and training in earnest, the Namgung Family, which had been gripped by anxiety, quickly regained its stability.
And perhaps as a reward for that...
A gift arrived at the place where I was staying.
"What is this?"
Just as Namgung Hye was focusing on her recovery, I too was concentrating on my training.
To be honest, in my current state, I would likely lose if I fought her.
After all, she was the heir of a prestigious family. She had been taking spirit medicines since childhood and had even received the Bee Tail Rejuvenation Treatment.
Not to mention the extensive training she had undergone.
There was no way I, who had only recently begun learning martial arts, could beat her without putting in the effort.
That was why I was pushing my training hard, so this sudden visit wasn't entirely welcome. But Namgung Hyeok seemed unconcerned by such things.
"It's a Clear Spirit Pill."
"Clear Spirit Pill...?"
"That's right. A spirit medicine of the Namgung Family."
The older the family, the more knowledge they had about spirit medicines.
The Namgung Family had a long history. Naturally, they had their own unique recipes for spirit medicines, and the Clear Spirit Pill was one made from those.
Upon consumption, it granted ten years' worth of internal energy and had a great effect on expelling impurities from one's blood vessels.
In the martial world, this was considered a decent spirit medicine, worth hundreds of gold taels.
Namgung Hyeok casually placed the Clear Spirit Pill in my hand and spoke.
"I won't ask for money, so take it and consume it."
"Uh... Thank you, but why so suddenly...?"
"It's out of gratitude."
For simply getting his hunger-striking daughter to eat well, he was burning through hundreds of gold taels. As expected of the wealthy.
In any case, to properly face off against Namgung Hye, I needed to get stronger too. So I gratefully accepted the spirit medicine.
I immediately swallowed the Clear Spirit Pill and circulated my internal energy. The pill melted smoothly in my mouth, gathering in my dantian before spreading throughout my body along the flow of the Five Elements Circulation Art.
It seemed the 500-Year Snow Spirit Herb I took last time hadn't been enough to expel all the impurities in me.
Just circulating the Five Elements Circulation Art caused a massive amount of yellowish waste to pour out of my body like a flood.
"Thank you."
My dantian had grown a bit larger. This was equivalent to accumulating thirty years—no, half a jiazi—of internal energy.
As I rejoiced at the heavier weight of my dantian, now three times larger than when it first formed, Namgung Hyeok let out a heavy sigh.
"I heard you're going to spar with Hye."
"Yes."
"She said that if she wins, she'll teach you the Soaring Palace Free Sword Art. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Do you know what it means to teach the Soaring Palace Free Sword Art to an outsider? It means accepting you as Namgung Family blood."
Wait. Does that mean if I lose, my surname changes to Namgung?
Would I have to call Namgung Hyeok 'Father'?
"It means you'll come in as a son-in-law right away."
Oh, not quite.
"As a son-in-law of the Namgung Family, there would be a lot you'd have to do. For starters, you'd have to stay in the family for ten years without leaving, learning all the Namgung Family martial arts. And it was Hye who brought this up, so she'd bear the responsibility."
"Uh..."
"If you lose, you'd become Hye's husband and help her lead the Namgung Family. That would mean a lot of duties. You probably wouldn't even get to see the outside world for a few years at least."
That would be a problem. Traces of the Blood Cult were likely starting to appear around the world by now.
While it was true the Namgung Family could help prevent the damage from them, it would be putting the cart before the horse if I couldn't move freely.
"What do you think, Patriarch?"
"What do I think? To be honest, I'm grateful that you saved Hye. But that's different from this."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
"Does Hye like you?"
"She doesn't seem to dislike me..."
"Yes, that's what I think too. The way Hye looks at you is like admiration."
Namgung Hyeok sighed deeply, as if the ground might cave in. He fiddled with his sword, the tool of a father with a daughter, and glanced at me.
I hadn't done anything wrong, yet I felt like a criminal.
"Admiration and love are different. I don't want Hye to live an unhappy life because of misguided feelings."
"I agree. Marriage should be between people who truly love each other, not just admiration."
"Is that so? Then..."
- Shing.
Namgung Hyeok slowly drew his sword and pointed it at me.
"From now on, experience the Soaring Palace Free Sword Art as much as you can. This isn't just because she's my daughter, but that child's talent is the greatest in Namgung Family history."
Well, she did fight well.
In that case, asking the Namgung Family Patriarch himself to spar wouldn't be bad.
"By the way, is Namgung Hye training alone?"
At my question, he paused for a moment before replying softly.
"She's training with the Supreme Patriarch right now."
I really need to train hard.
A few days passed like that. Excluding time for eating and sleeping, I poured everything into training, and I had gotten a feel for the sword path of the Soaring Palace Free Sword Art to some extent.
"You're adapting faster than expected. Your talent isn't bad either."
I wasn't sure if I should be happy about Namgung Hyeok's praise. After all, I hadn't once broken through his Soaring Palace Free Sword Art.
"Don't rely too much on Mount Tai Pressing Down. It seizes the momentum, but your sky is still too low. It won't surpass Hye's Soaring Palace."
Namgung Hye, who had trained her mind through constant self-doubt while fighting her inner demon.
And if she was now learning from Namgung Cheon, one of the Eight Great Heavens of the Nine Provinces, it was easy to imagine her skills had grown even stronger.
That was why Namgung Hyeok warned me that Mount Tai Pressing Down alone wouldn't suffice, and I nodded.
"Mount Tai Pressing Down, Sweeping Away Heavenly Armies, Immortal's Path. And Taiji Sword. You still haven't grasped the meaning of Immortal's Path."
"Yes. It worked once, but..."
I had tried several times after that, but it didn't work again. It almost felt like the light I saw that day was a dream.
But I couldn't give up.
"In any case, take good care of Hye."
"Yes. Don't worry, Patriarch."
After bidding farewell to Namgung Hyeok, who had suffered alongside me for the past few days, I left. The duel with Namgung Hye would take place in the garden in front of her residence.
That was where the victor would be decided.
"You're here?"
Her expression still carried a hint of unease, but she had returned to the Namgung Hye I knew. She slowly raised her sword.
"It's been a while since we've met like this."
"...Huh? Didn't we meet yesterday?"
I definitely made caramel yesterday and brought it to her.
Was my memory wrong? But she shook her head vigorously.
"A whole day has passed."
"Aha."
"How have you been this past day?"
"Too well. Now, let's save the chit-chat for later..."
I drew my sword and held it at mid-guard. Namgung Hye smiled brightly at me.
That made her seem all the more dangerous, and all the more beautiful as she assumed her stance and pointed her sword at me.
"It's almost time."
Yes. The outcome of what lay ahead would be decided soon.
"...Here I go."
Unlike her gentle words, her sword moved with terrifying sharpness. The keen blade aimed at my head flowed elegantly.
Lightning Flash Thirteen Thunderbolts at the start?
The moment I deflected the fast, ferocious attack targeting my head like a bolt of lightning, Namgung Hye closed in beside me and spun her body.
- Chaaaang!!
Having gained some weight back on her frame, her strikes felt heavier. The instant I blocked it and stepped back, her sword pulled taut.
It's coming. The secret first form of the Soaring Palace Free Sword Art: Soaring Heaven.
- Kooong...!!
A low vibrational hum accompanied a massive burst of energy. Energy shaped like the sky. But different from Namgung Hyeok's.
Like a pitch-black sky about to unleash thunderbolts at any moment, Namgung Hye's sword quickly encroached on the surroundings, pressing down on me.
That was why I used Sweeping Away Heavenly Armies.
I erased the dozens, hundreds of divided energy strands in a single stroke. As I swung my sword toward Namgung Hye, who seemed flustered that her technique had been blocked...
- Slash!!
The hem of her robe was sliced by my sword strike.
I glanced at the fluttering silk falling to the ground, then faced her again and pointed my sword. She stared blankly at the falling silk before muttering something.
"...Niya."
"....?"
"This... isn't it...!"
"Ugh!"
Sudden killing intent washed over me. I involuntarily stepped back. When Namgung Hye, who had bowed her head deeply, raised it again... I could see it.
Namgung Hye smiling.
Still beautiful.
But there wasn't a shred of light in her eyes.