Chapter 17 :

Chapter 17. Third-Rate Warrior Who Saves a Girl (4)

The Namgung Family.

The Namgung Family, the long-established local power of Anhui Province located on Mount Huang, normally had countless guests visiting.

From high-ranking officials to elders of renowned sects.

Since such things were practically everyday occurrences, the male and female servants were not especially nervous either, but today was somewhat different.

The chief strategist of the Murim Alliance had visited.

For an excellent manager, knowing the importance of a visitor and treating them accordingly was an essential skill.

However, the alcohol, tea, and refreshments prepared according to his tastes were stopped by the warriors at the entrance.

“Important discussions are taking place inside, so come later.”

“U-Understood.”

While the managers secretly cursed the ignorance of the warriors, who did not even think about the warmed alcohol and refreshments growing cold,

“I gave the entrance pass to someone else.”

“…”

Inside, Namgung San’s brow furrowed deeply as he listened.

Jegal Somyeong had gone out of his way to say he would stop by the Namgung Family after speaking vaguely at the Iron Sword Sect, and in the end, things had turned out this way.

“Seonhwa has skill that does not fall short compared to any rising star.”

Namgung San spoke confidently.

He, a member of the Murim Alliance’s Dragon-Phoenix Gathering and the next-generation master of the Namgung Family, said so, but the person he faced was someone who regarded even such a background as nothing special.

“In that case, she should be able to enter without difficulty even after taking the official exam.”

Namgung San spoke, unable to control his emotions.

“You know what people call the Martial Official Exam, do you not?”

The Hell Official Exam.

That was what the busybodies of the murim world called the official exam taken to enter the Martial Academy.

A brutal exam where hundreds of thousands from all over the murim world applied each time, and only five hundred passed.

In the previous round, Namgung San had led his family’s people and taken that hellish official exam, but Namgung Seonhwa was not in the same position as he had been.

“Did you entrust the entrance pass to me beforehand?”

“…”

Even Namgung San, famous throughout all under heaven, could not help being hurt by Jegal Somyeong’s words.

“I said from the beginning that I would test whether Seonhwa had the qualifications. I cannot give it to someone without qualifications.”

“Then why is Seonhwa not even allowed to take that test?”

“Because the fellow who took the entrance pass is superior to Seonhwa.”

“…”

Anger burned like an active volcano.

In present-day Anhui Province, who could possibly possess talent great enough to surpass Namgung Seonhwa of the Namgung Family?

“That cannot be. Chief strategist, you must have misunderstood something.”

The moment he said those words, he felt the surrounding atmosphere change abruptly.

Because anger had momentarily paralyzed his reason, he had made a slip of the tongue he should not have made.

“Is this a situation where I must convince you?”

“…”

“What reason could there possibly be for me to persuade you?”

“…I apologize.”

Regret, no matter how swift, always came late.

By the time he noticed the characteristic chill in Jegal Somyeong’s gaze, it was already far too late.

“You said your family’s circumstances are getting worse by the day, did you not? But right now, is there any reason for me to take all circumstances in the murim world into account?”

Those painful words pierced his chest again and again.

It was an emotion he had not felt in the days when he feared nothing and lacked nothing.

However, he could not wager Seonhwa’s life because of the emotions of misfortune gnawing away at his heart.

“…I apologize. And may I ask just one thing?”

“You want to ask who I gave the entrance pass to?”

He heard the answer before even asking the question.

It meant Jegal Somyeong already knew every question and action he would take next.

The position of chief strategist of the Intelligence Department was truly not something just anyone could hold.

“Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect.”

Even so, the fact that he told him meant that even though he knew what Namgung San would do afterward, he was not worried.

“May I take it from him?”

“From the start, that fellow also seemed to intend to give it to someone else. Do as you please.”

Namgung San silently paid his respects and then left the hall.

After Namgung San left, Jegal Somyeong, who had been writing a document, grumbled.

“Why on earth must I get involved in such trivial matters because of the troublemakers of your house?”

There was no one inside, but Jegal Somyeong continued speaking.

“If you keep acting like this, I will set fire to your Changgung Hall.”

“Ha ha, old man. After reaching a high position in the Murim Alliance, you seem to fear nothing now?”

Along with the answer, an old man with a long white beard appeared before Jegal Somyeong and sat in a chair.

It was Namgung Taeha, the current family head of the Namgung Family.

“You saw it too, did you not? That rotten brat glaring at me and shouting back? I almost plucked out one of his eyes but held myself back.”

“Tsk. I have nothing to say.”

“Damn bastard, I changed his diapers so many times… I should have just cut off his manhood back then.”

As Jegal Somyeong’s rough words continued, Namgung Taeha’s face also flushed bright red.

“Enough! You old geezer! When did you ever change San’s diapers, making such a fuss! And what are you talking about cutting off from someone else’s precious son?”

“You senile relic! Why do you think I came all the way to Anhui Province and even attended the sixtieth birthday banquet of some Iron Sword Sect leader I had never heard of? Is that something you should be saying right now?”

“Good grief! Who told you to come? You came because you hated watching the elders’ expressions!”

The two, who bickered like children not yet twenty, eventually huffed and remained silent for a long while.

“Sangwon, that fellow, is plotting something, is he not?”

A direct descendant of the Namgung Family feared the official exam.

That alone was already the same as foretelling a major disaster.

“The family is on the verge of splitting in two.”

“Ha ha, you damned old man. What have you been doing all your life at home without even managing your household properly?”

“…”

Jegal Somyeong’s mockery continued once again, but Namgung Taeha could not say anything.

“Is it truly serious?”

“With Sangwon at the center, the branch family fellows have started acting as they please.”

“Would it not be enough to call them back into the family?”

“Would I be worrying like this if that were possible?”

The Namgung Family strictly distinguished between the direct line and branch families and divided their duties.

The direct line continued the family’s traditions within the family, while the branch families took charge of the family’s household affairs outside the family.

However, the internal and external powers, which should have been balanced, began to fall out of balance, and eventually the outside reached the point of coveting the power of the inside.

“The branch families’ power is being reorganized around the Changgung Merchant Guild. Now, when handling matters within the family, we must ‘request’ things from the branch families. ‘Request,’ I tell you.”

“…Urgh.”

“Moreover, all the channels through which we could know what the branch families are doing outside have been cut off. News is already coming in from here and there that those fellows are using the name of the Namgung Family to commit tyranny. You have heard it too, have you not?”

“…I have.”

That was why he had stopped by Anhui Province this time, to talk about that very matter.

“Do you have a countermeasure?”

“I am creating… a sword-breaking form for the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art.”

“Have you gone mad?”

The family head of the Namgung Family was trying to break down the martial art that was practically the face of the family.

No matter how generously one looked at it, it was an enormous matter that would end in impeachment at the very least.

If things went wrong, there would be no helping it even if the entire direct line were killed.

Since he was calmly preparing such a thing, Jegal Somyeong could not help being dumbfounded.

“If I do not, I will have to see the children’s blood with my own hands.”

“…So did you create it?”

Before being the chief strategist, it was curiosity as a martial artist.

Could a sword-breaking form truly exist against a profound sword art like the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art?

The answer was clear enough from Taeha’s gloomy face alone.

“Is it not a sword art built layer upon layer from the lifelong experiences of our patriarchs? It is not something a person like me can create just because I suddenly rush at it.”

“Then are you saying you are wasting time pointlessly?”

“What else should I do? Do you have another solution?”

“…”

Even Jegal Somyeong, the chief strategist under all heaven, could not think of anything in particular regarding the current situation.

“See? In the end, it is a problem even you cannot answer. Who could give an answer that even the chief strategist under all heaven cannot solve? I can only keep digging into this like my life depends on it.”

“…Perhaps.”

A face suddenly flashed through Jegal Somyeong’s mind.

A fellow who was slippery and sly, and who was utterly insolent enough to suspect even the chief strategist right to his face, yet who somehow seemed like he might know a clear answer.

But at the same time, it was the face of someone he disliked, as he seemed certain to thoroughly demand payment.

“…But the price to receive that answer will probably be far too high.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“The fellow your grandson is trying to chase after.”

“Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect? You think that man knows the answer?”

“Who knows? How could someone like him solve a problem that even the family head of the Namgung Family and the chief strategist of the Murim Alliance could not? Still, he is a fellow with an extraordinary knack for schemes, so I thought he might be able to make some kind of escape route.”

“Ha ha, a fellow acknowledged by the narrow-minded man under all heaven, is he? I would like to meet him once.”

“You senile old geezer, who are you calling narrow-minded?”

“Now, now, do not be like that. Let us go have a drink. Just toss aside those documents of yours.”

“These are not documents I can just toss aside like that! The power structure of the Murim Alliance depends on this one document…”

“Ah, enough. I know how to sign your name anyway. I will do it with you. Let us go.”

“You bastard! Those documents I do not remember signing were done by you, weren’t they?”

The two threw off the dignity that had weighed down their shoulders all this time and moved to another place with light hearts.

#

My carefully laid plan went awry from the very beginning.

“We are not looking for escort warriors.”

“Then may I at least stand guard?”

“…Which sect are you from?”

“The Taeul Sect.”

“…Ahem. I am sorry. There are no positions available.”

The wall of reality was still harsh toward the Taeul Sect.

If I could stop the kidnapping, doing it from the inside would be best. But if I said, “Your daughter is in danger of being kidnapped,” there was a high chance I would instead be treated like one of the kidnappers or treated like a madman.

Whichever result it was, it would not be good for me.

Instead of infiltrating the inside, I finished the matter by sending a threatening letter, as if I were the one planning to break in.

If they saw the threatening letter, they would prepare something more.

In the end, I had no choice but to stop the kidnapping from the outside, but the problem was that the classified document only recorded the fact that she had been kidnapped and killed, not the process.

“It was a document written through interrogation, and the process would not have been necessary anyway.”

Because of that, I had to search through the library in my head again and find documents related to this.

Grade Five.

A large number of animal corpses appeared in the forest between Hefei and Soho. Concluded to be an incident caused by indiscriminate hunting. Hunters were warned.

Grade Six.

A report that thieves had entered a slash-and-burn village. The stolen items were minor things such as worn-out clothes and famine-relief crops. No response taken.

Grade Six.

A report that women were disappearing from a slash-and-burn village. Ninth-grade warriors from the branch were dispatched, but no trace could be found, so the investigation was closed.

Grade Six.

Several female corpses discovered in Soho. Presumed to be women who had disappeared from the slash-and-burn village. As there were no specific facts to identify them, the slash-and-burn villagers were notified, and the case was closed.

Grade Six.

The corpse of a young girl with her head cut off was discovered in an empty house near Yeogang. She was wearing clothes from the slash-and-burn village, but no one from the slash-and-burn village came forward, so she was cremated and disposed of. Case closed.

In the Grade Six and Grade Five reports that even the branch did not consider very important, I was able to find traces of Wang Soso.

In conclusion, Wang Soso’s corpse was not discovered, but judging from the physical description of the corpse discovered in Yeogang written in the report, there was a high possibility it was Wang Soso.

Also, hiding an important incident within several other incidents was one of the common methods used by assassins.

My operation began from the slash-and-burn village on the road from Wangbu to Yeogang.

“But why did they not make further use of the hostage?”

From Wangbu to Yeogang, it was only a three-day journey.

In the first place, a hostage was more useful while alive, so I wondered why they had killed her right away.

In fact, if they had used Wang Soso well, it would have been possible to borrow the enormous wealth accumulated by the Wang Family Estate.

“Well, if they had done that, their identity might have been exposed, and if that happened, it would not have ended well.”

Although the Changgung Merchant Guild had the Namgung Family at its back, their opponent was the Wang Family Estate.

If they touched them the wrong way, it could have led to an enormous situation that moved even the military and the imperial family.

“Still, if they were afraid of that, why did they touch the Wang Family Estate?”

Leaving that question behind, time passed, and people of unclear identity began to gather in Hefei.