The Heavenly Brain Zhuge (1)
"Hoo..."
Just like any other day, I sat on the porch and circulated my inner energy through the heart method. The blazing heat from my heart intertwined with the energy in my dantian, sending a lubricant-like vitality coursing through my entire body.
Perhaps because I had rested the entire previous day, the flow of qi throughout my body felt smooth. There wasn't a single trace of stiffness.
It seemed as though I could achieve the equivalent of three or four days' worth of progress just by operating the heart method without doing anything else. I sank my senses deeper and focused on the changes within my body.
The world around me fell silent in an instant.
In that hushed world, only I existed, and I remained that way for quite some time. Just as the heat throughout my body began to circulate and scorch me from within, I heard something.
"...Woon..."
It sounded like someone was calling me. Who could it be?
I loosened my senses slightly. Then the things around me began to register once more.
The grain of the wooden porch, the pine tree in front of it, even the roof of the house. But there was no sign of anyone.
Had I been so focused that I was hearing things? Come to think of it, Mother had stopped calling for me lately whenever I was circulating the heart method. So I paid it no mind and sank my senses again.
At least ten or more hours must have passed. The long stretch of time had broken my concentration at some point, so I decided to take a short breather. I rubbed my eyes and stood up.
"You're up?"
At that moment, a low, masculine voice came from right in front of me. It was a voice I had never heard before. I jerked my head up and opened my eyes to find a man standing there.
He was far taller than the average adult male—easily seven cheok. His build was solid to match. It was a face I had never seen. The only thing that revealed his affiliation was the blue martial robe he wore.
"...Isn't it rude to watch someone else's training without permission? Even if you're from the Changgung Sword Squad, this is discourteous."
I pointed it out while remaining on guard. The man looked startled, as if he genuinely hadn't considered it, and offered an apology.
"My apologies. I've grown so used to living among fellow practitioners of the same arts that it slipped my mind. I practice the Namgung Great Flame Divine Art, so I cannot discern or learn your heart method. I'll make proper compensation for this later."
With that, the man extended his hand—an offer to shake. I took it in a daze, and he apologized once more.
"And I'm sorry for showing up unannounced like this."
His fingertips were covered in thick calluses, the kind built up over a long period. Judging by his imposing frame, he was no easy opponent.
"A pleasure."
Over the past year, I had visited the Namgung Clan countless times and seen several of the Changgung Sword Squad's Super Peak masters. Among them, there were certainly some who were quite strong. But none of them had ever exuded this level of presence. That unforgettable bearing—could he be another Super Peak member?
No. My instincts, honed from facing countless powerhouses over the years, told me otherwise. This man was—
"Changgung Sword Squad Commander, Namgung Jehyun."
—the strongest man in the current Namgung Clan.
.
.
After the somewhat abrupt encounter with Namgung Jehyun the previous evening, morning arrived. I needed to head to the Namgung Clan to meet Namgung Seha, but something felt off, so I cautiously stepped through the main gate.
"Sorry about yesterday. It was late."
The moment I tried to be careful, Namgung Jehyun's distinctive low voice came from beside me.
I hadn't even set foot inside the Namgung Clan's main gate yet...
"Would you have a moment to talk?"
I hesitated at his question.
There was no reason to refuse, and since we wouldn't be talking all day, I could still keep my promise with Namgung Seha.
However, I suspected there might be some troublesome questions, just like the ones Namgung Hyeok had asked before. I wanted to avoid that.
But looking at him, it seemed avoidance wouldn't work. There were people whose nature was obvious at a single glance. This man was one of them, and he was the type who would come again tomorrow, the day after, or the day after that.
In the end, I nodded with the mindset of striking while the iron was hot.
"If it's just for a moment... I suppose it's possible."
At my answer, Namgung Jehyun gave a faint smile.
"It won't take long."
Following him, we walked a short distance and arrived at a building on the outskirts of the Namgung Clan. The room that appeared to be his was almost completely bare.
A few swords, bedding, a small table, and two drawers. That was all, so the spacious room felt empty.
Namgung Jehyun gestured toward the table and invited me to sit. I did so, and he took the seat across from me.
He reached toward the drawer with empty-hand retrieval and opened it. Then he took out a few tea leaves and placed them into the teapot on the table.
Soon, a faint, pleasant aroma of tea rose along with white steam from within the pot. As expected of someone bearing the title of Changgung Sword Squad Commander, he seemed to enjoy quite expensive tea.
He poured tea into a cup he had also pulled over with empty-hand retrieval and took a sip.
That was surprisingly the end of it. He simply sipped his tea and said nothing at all. If this was all, why had he called me here? The question slowly surfaced in my mind.
I couldn't bring myself to voice that question outright to the Changgung Sword Squad Commander while he was drinking tea so seriously. In the end, I finished the cup of tea I hadn't even properly enjoyed and waited a little longer before he finally looked at me again.
Like a messenger suddenly remembering his errand, he spoke to me with an oddly flustered expression.
"My apologies. Contrary to how I look, I'm rather serious about tea, so I lost myself for a moment. What a disgrace, calling someone busy over for this..."
After saying that, he used empty-hand retrieval to lift the teacup and teapot and neatly set them back on the drawer. Then he looked at me and spoke.
"Born as the second son of the Namgung Clan and blessed with talent in martial arts, I became the commander of the Changgung Sword Squad."
Was he bragging about himself? If so, it would prove he was a low-class person who didn't even live up to half of his imposing size. But it didn't seem like he had said it with that intention.
"Since my elder brother was decided to become the clan head, I lived a life of complete freedom without any constraints. That's why I never learned how to speak in roundabout ways."
Born into a prestigious clan, equipped with both talent and freedom, he didn't know how to speak indirectly. It was quite arrogant, yet strangely not unpleasant.
He struck the table with his palm and said to me,
"Extreme Sword Dragon, Jin Sowoon. Won't you work together with the Changgung Sword Squad on one matter?"
It was a rather abrupt proposal. Moreover, "working together"? The Changgung Sword Squad already had countless elite warriors; there was no need for their commander to personally come asking to borrow one more hand.
Clearly something unusual was afoot, so I listened carefully to his words.
"I'll be departing on another expedition soon. Since I'm going as well, it'll be a large-scale operation. It'll probably take about three weeks to a month."
At some point he had produced a map of the Central Plains and spread it out, pointing to three locations to the left of Hapbi with his finger as he answered.
"We'll visit the Zhuge Clan of Shaanxi, the Peng Clan of Hebei, and the Tang Clan of Sichuan before returning."
"Won't you come with us?"
He folded the map again and spoke to me.
"After all, Extreme Sword Dragon, you have no intention of traveling the martial world right now. I heard from Seha that you were planning to go together, so if you stay like this for another five years or so, you'll be forgotten in the meantime. It's better to show your face to the world every now and then."
It wasn't wrong. The world was always cold. Right now the fervor from the Yongbongjihoe was still blowing, but that wind would soon die down, and if I stayed still, I would be forgotten along with it.
In that sense, it wasn't a bad proposal at all.
At the same time, a question arose. Shaanxi, Hebei, Sichuan. It was quite a long journey. What was the reason for undertaking it?
The answer came quickly. All three regions were territories where the Five Great Clans held hegemony.
"...Is this another social visit like the one the Young Master is making?"
"You're quite sharp. That's right. To be precise, not just Jinhak, but all the direct-line children are going."
All the direct bloodline descendants were going—that was quite surprising.
Usually, since Namgung Seha and Namgung Hye were still young and far removed from clan affairs, only the Young Master Namgung Jinhak had gone. This time, however, the scale had been greatly expanded.
"But why are you making this offer to me?"
Even with the expanded scale, there was no need whatsoever for me to be included. The Namgung Clan was the center of the Five Great Clans. They had more than enough manpower; they weren't short on it.
Namgung Jehyun answered my question without the slightest hesitation.
"Because you're stronger than most of our members."
It was a truly straightforward and clear statement. After saying that, Namgung Jehyun stood up.
"Give me your answer by tomorrow. Well then, I have work to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."
.
.
Namgung Jehyun left the room and walked away. Contrary to his words about having work, he didn't head toward the training ground, the office, or anywhere else—he went behind the building he had come from.
"Will this do?"
At his incomprehensible words, a girl spoke.
"...Yes. Thank you, Uncle."
