The Namgung Clan (2)
I let out a long breath. As I swung the sword, I felt something crackle at the tip of the blade.
What I was practicing right now was the Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword Style. It was an ancient sword technique that everyone learned as a foundation before mastering the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art. At least, officially speaking.
Thunderous Roar Across the World — the first of the seven forms that made up the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art.
This was what I was training right now.
The Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword Style was undoubtedly a martial art worthy of considerable praise. But for me, it was a technique I had already perfected more than a decade ago. It had taken me three days just to get used to this younger body. After that, swinging the sword once was enough to reach full mastery again.
I had no time to waste relearning sword forms I had already completely mastered. Still, it had been less than a month since I started practicing the Lightning Flash Thirteen Sword Style in this life. If I claimed I had already reached perfection, it would definitely draw more attention than I needed right now.
For the next six months, I would fool everyone. In two months, I would quickly learn the Heavenly Thunder Sword Art and the Namgung Great Flame Sword, then immediately receive the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art and begin proper training.
“Ugh…”
My arm had gone numb. As my internal energy began to run dry, my forms grew unnatural and choppy. No matter how I looked at it, continuing would be nothing but greed. I lowered my sword and sat down on the ground.
“Ha… it’s hot.”
I wiped my forehead with my sleeve. Beads of sweat rolled down my skin. I lifted my head and gazed at the blue sky. As I sat there blankly, enjoying the cool breeze, a thought suddenly came to mind.
“…No news yet.”
It had been a week since Sister Yuhwa left to find Jin Sowoon. By now, she should have returned.
“Sister. When will you be back?”
Of course, there was no answer. With that unanswered question hanging in the air, I picked up my sword again and stood up.
At that moment, a presence suddenly appeared behind me.
“I have just returned from my leave.”
As if she had been waiting for the perfect timing, Sister Yuhwa stepped out from behind me.
“You startled me.”
“My apologies. I should have come more slowly, but things were chaotic.”
“…Was that man really that surprising?”
I asked with a hint of anticipation. But Sister Yuhwa simply shook her head. Then what could have shaken her composure like this?
When nothing came to mind, I glanced at her. She was deliberately avoiding my eyes.
“…I lost it.”
“Lost what?”
“The… the money.”
The identity of her distress was something I hadn’t even imagined. In the midst of my confusion, a thought occurred to me. The Namgung Clan paid its members quite generously. Just how much had she lost?
“About… twenty gold coins.”
Twenty gold coins. It was by no means a small amount—enough to make my eyes widen. Ordinary people could live for a month on just two gold coins. It was probably close to an entire season’s salary for her.
“…If you need anything, just tell me. This is all because of me, so I’ll get you whatever you want.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Sister Yuhwa shook her head, quickly straightening her posture before continuing.
“Fortunately, I lost it on the way back, so I was still able to properly investigate the boy named Jin Sowoon.”
“Ah. And how was he?”
Enough with the small talk. It was finally time to get to the main point.
“The first time I saw the boy, he was training with his sword. Whenever I went to find him, I could always watch him practice. According to the rumors, he suddenly began training like a madman about a month ago.”
A month ago? The timing was ambiguous. Had he regressed a month before me? Or had he met his master around that time and started learning the sword? I couldn’t be certain.
“Just as you said, my lady, he truly was a genius.”
My ears perked up. I needed more detailed information to confirm it.
“He has already approached the first-class realm.”
First-class. A level that could be considered high or low depending on perspective. But considering it was the result of only a month’s work, it was an undeniably remarkable achievement.
“…Anything else unusual?”
“If we’re talking about unusual things… there was one.”
“What was it?”
Sister Yuhwa reached into her robes and pulled something out. It was a small vial stained with a purplish liquid.
“While I was infiltrating his house, the boy noticed my presence and began searching for me. Like a seasoned predator, he tore through every possible hiding spot an assassin might use.”
“The next morning, he went somewhere early and filled this vial with some unknown liquid, then sprayed it all over the house. The moment the purplish liquid touched the ground, it turned transparent and seeped in. It felt ominous, so I left the area and only retrieved the vial later.”
A medicine that turned from purple to transparent the moment it touched the ground. As far as she knew, there was only one such substance in the world.
Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent.
A drug that allowed one to track a target for a thousand miles using only its unique fragrance. It was something created by the Sichuan Tang Clan in the future—knowledge that should not exist in the present.
Good. This was undeniable proof. The moment I fully accepted that he had regressed just like me, a question arose, and I asked.
“Did you see him receive the sword?”
“I did.”
“What was his reaction?”
For a split second, I sensed Sister Yuhwa hesitate. I tilted my head, wondering if something was wrong, when she spoke in a slightly awkward voice.
“…He thought it was a gift from his mother.”
There was nothing more to say. In any case, it seemed he really had regressed. I would have to adjust my actions accordingly from now on.
Regressors were… “only comfortable when there were just the two of us.”
“Father. I’m sorry for disturbing you when you’re busy.”
Late at night, I visited my father’s study in the clan head’s residence. He immediately set down the brush he had been writing with and stood up.
“Seha? What brings you here? No, never mind that. There’s no need to apologize. When my precious daughter comes to see me, her father should be the one to drop everything.”
Father lifted me up with one arm and pointed at the head steward, who was working nearby while coughing up what looked suspiciously like blood.
“You can just make the steward over there do all the work.”
“You really are teaching your daughter wonderful things, my lord?”
The steward shot back in protest. Father burst into a warm, benevolent laugh.
“Hahaha. This is what having a good friend is all about.”
“Who said I was your friend?”
The steward snapped back sharply and picked up his brush again. The mountain of scrolls piled beside him was proof enough that the poor man wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.
“The steward must be busy too… Please don’t work him too hard, Father.”
The moment I said that, their expressions shifted in completely opposite directions.
“Aigoo! Our young lady is on a completely different level from that Namgung whatever. Would you like to take over as clan head instead of that fool?”
“Haha… If my daughter says so, I suppose I’ll have to keep working. Right…”
Father looked a little downcast, and I felt a pang of sympathy. But I couldn’t just stand by and watch the steward get carried out like a corpse, so there was nothing I could do.
“Father, I came because I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it? I can grant you almost anything.”
Father’s face brightened instantly as he looked at me. The request I was about to make should fall under “almost anything,” right?
“My birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it? You’ll be inviting people from other clans to the celebration, right?”
“That’s right. I’ve already sent invitations to all five great clans.”
Father nodded. I carefully raised a single finger.
“Then… could we invite one more household?”
“Hm? A household?”
Not a person, not a sect, not even a clan—just a household. The slightly odd choice of words made Father tilt his head in confusion, so I explained in more detail.
“I want to invite the family of a boy named Jin Sowoon who lives in Namhyangchon and is learning the sword.”
“…This is the first time I’ve heard of this place or this name. Who is he?”
I smiled as brightly as I could.
“He’s my friend.”
“Yeongho.”
“What is it, my friend?”
Namgung Hyeok, the dignified clan head of the Namgung Clan, wore an unusually serious expression as he addressed his longtime friend and head steward, Yeongho.
“Has our Seha ever gone more than a hundred li outside the clan before?”
“…No, she hasn’t.”
It was only natural. Although Seha was unusually mature for her age, she was still just a child in his eyes. A father as strict as he was when it came to his children would never have allowed such a thing.
Yes. That had to be the case.
“Then how could she possibly have a friend living in a village called Namhyang?”
Before him lay a massive map. It was a detailed record of the entire Murim world. Near the center was Hapbi. Even after moving two hand-spans away from it, one had to look closely to find the name Namhyang.
“I’ve lived as Namgung Hyeok for over fifty years, and I’ve never even heard of that village.”
He pointed at a thick book beside him. At a glance, it was clear the volume contained records of every single member of the Namgung Clan. He flipped through it with a rustle.
“Moreover, in the thousand-year history of the Namgung Clan, there has only been one person from that village.”
And even that person had been a low-ranking warrior from roughly six hundred years ago. There was no way any connection from that far back could have reached his daughter.
“It’s strange… truly strange.”
Head Steward Yeongho had nothing to say. While it was true that Namgung Hyeok’s love for his children was excessive, the sudden appearance of this boy named Jin Sowoon felt just as bizarre to him.
“So what do you plan to do? Will you allow it?”
Namgung Hyeok hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Of course I will.”
He took out a blank sheet of paper and began writing. Then he took out his personal seal and stamped it firmly.
“I will dispatch two members of the Changgung Sword Squad to bring that child to the main house.”
He would have to see for himself. He needed to find out exactly what kind of brat had dared to reach out to his daughter.