A First-Rate Warrior Who Shocked the Divine Sword (5)
Namgung Taeha thought that ever since he first picked up a sword at the age of six, he had experienced unimaginable incidents and met extraordinary people while going through the murim world for half a century.
After passing sixty, he had thought there was nothing that could surprise him no matter what he faced, yet he was startled by the words that came from the mouth of the young man before him, who was not even yet of age.
“What did you ask for?”
“I said the Changgung Merchant Guild.”
“Huh…….”
A hollow laugh escaped him at words so absurd.
“You are deliberately making an unreasonable demand to refuse, are you not?”
“If I truly possess what the Divine Sword mentioned, would this not be an opportunity? I have no reason to refuse.”
An unwavering attitude and a level voice.
Was this young man truly saying such an absurd condition sincerely?
“Are you asking for an entire thatched house just to catch a flea?”
The Changgung Merchant Guild was the greatest foundation that maintained the Namgung Family.
Asking for the Changgung Merchant Guild was no different from asking for all the assets of the Namgung Family.
“The rafters are on fire. Should they not be torn off quickly before even the roots of the pillars burn away?”
“……?”
The words of this arrogant young man were strange.
What did he know, when he himself had never once said anything?
“What do you mean by that?”
“Is there not a problem with the branch line? And you called me for that, did you not?”
“!!”
Had the internal problem leaked outside?
That could not be.
No one in the Namgung Family would want such a shameful situation to become known.
Moreover, there was no way the branch line harboring rebellious intent would openly reveal their plan.
If they did, they would immediately be suspected, and their crimes would also be exposed one by one.
Was the reason he could not find the mastermind behind the attack on his grandson and granddaughter at Mount Gueom not because of the branch line’s thorough gag order?
Even if rumors had secretly spread, that young man was merely a disciple of the Taeul Sect.
There was absolutely no way for him to know the inside story of the Namgung Family in detail.
“……Surely.”
Once his thoughts reached that point, he began to wonder about Jin Sowoon’s true identity itself.
A feeling came over him that this boy could not possibly be merely a disciple of the Taeul Sect.
As suspicion arose, his intent moved his internal energy and began emitting an intense killing intent.
The young man seemed to possess extraordinary internal energy and talent, but the killing intent was at a level he could never withstand with only that much.
“How do you know about that matter?”
“……!”
“Speak. This is an important question that may decide whether you live or die depending on your answer.”
He unleashed killing intent that even Namgung Jinmyeong would not be able to endure if struck directly by it, but surprisingly, the young man merely furrowed his brow and endured stubbornly.
Thinking perhaps he had emitted the killing intent too weakly, he looked at Namgung San, who stood to one side.
Namgung San, who had felt the seriousness of the conversation from afar and had not approached, was greatly shocked by the killing intent spreading from Namgung Taeha’s body and had retreated to the edge of Daeyeon Hall.
‘What on earth…….’
While Namgung Taeha was astonished, Jin Sowoon began to continue speaking.
“……I first became suspicious when Senior Namgung San came to retrieve the admission plaque. The strength of one of the Five Great Families should not be so weak that they could not even take the regular examination for the Martial Academy. Yet he desperately tried to take the admission plaque.”
Killing intent was fear that stimulated instinct.
Even those who had trained their minds to the extreme found it distant and difficult to withstand the killing intent he released in earnest.
“Second, I obtained the second clue when Young Lady Seonhwa came to Maling Plateau to search for the Mita Divine Water. Considering the Great Swallow Divine Pill she receives once every five years and the Namgung Family’s excellent orthodox cultivation method, the Mita Divine Water was not an elixir worth risking her life to find while competing against dark faction members.”
“…….”
Being able to endure killing intent was possible only if one had already experienced even greater killing intent before.
But what could a young man not even yet of age have experienced that was stronger than the killing intent of someone at the Divine Sword’s level?
“Third was the attack at Mount Gueom. Even though as many as five hundred people moved to attack the direct line of the Namgung Family in Anhui Province, which is practically the Namgung Family’s own backyard, the fact that the Namgung Family did not know of the movement beforehand means their eyes and ears did not do their job.”
Even as he sweated profusely and his face turned pale, he continued speaking to the end.
More than his aptitude for martial arts, and more than the extraordinary internal strength he had somehow obtained, Namgung Taeha could not help but admire the mental strength with which he endured his killing intent.
He looked like someone who had crossed a hell where this level of killing intent was nothing.
“Fourth was because the Divine Sword said he would obtain that sword art I do not know, no matter what price he had to pay. Now that you understand, could you please release the killing intent? It is becoming difficult to endure any longer.”
“…….”
After hearing everything, Namgung Taeha withdrew his killing intent.
Thud.
Jin Sowoon collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Namgung Taeha told him his honest impression.
“……For the first time in my life, I feel the emotion called awe toward another person.”
“…….”
Even though he, the one called the Azure Emperor Divine Sword, had praised him, Jin Sowoon gave no answer.
“Are you angry?”
Thinking perhaps the boy was sulking because he had emitted killing intent too strongly, he approached him, only to find Jin Sowoon unconscious, blood flowing from his mouth.
“Haha…… So you were enduring there until you ended up in this state?”
Namgung Taeha had never seen anyone this tenacious before.
At the same time, as he watched Namgung San, who had been observing from one side and came running when he saw Jin Sowoon collapse, he understood why that child could not help but lose.
#
Deep at night.
The three key figures of the Taeul Sect, Hong Mungi, Kang Chaeseok, and Jin Taesan, who had spent the entire day busily, gathered in one place, each holding a bottle of wine.
“It has been too long since I last saw you all.”
At Hong Mungi’s words, Kang Chaeseok and Jin Taesan smiled bitterly.
In the past, they would have gathered like this all the time and shared drinks, but these days, every single day was so dizzyingly busy that they did not even have enough time to catch up on their lacking sleep.
Of course, everyone knew without saying whose fault it was that they were this busy.
“You said there was something important to discuss?”
Today’s gathering had also happened because Jin Taesan said there was “something very important to discuss.”
Dark shadows had settled under the eyes of Hong Mungi and Kang Chaeseok, and their faces looked as if they wanted to return to their sleeping quarters at any moment.
“But why did you call me? These days, I am losing my mind because of that boy Yuseong.”
One day, an escort suddenly came bringing four children.
The letter delivered by the boy who looked the oldest contained the absurd message that Jin Sowoon had decided to accept them as disciples of the Taeul Sect and asked them to look after their safety.
“Even now, just thinking about that time…… Ah, my head.”
“So do you dislike it?”
Kang Chaeseok held his head and lifted his wine cup.
Even so, a faint smile rested on his lips.
Since the Busaeng Hall curriculum for the fourth-generation disciples had all ended, to teach Yuseong, they would have had to make him wait until the next generation of Busaeng Hall members entered.
But if they did that, because he was already at the awkward age of fourteen, he could miss the proper time to learn martial arts.
In the end, there was no choice but to give him private lessons to match his progress with the disciples attending Kuaehwa Hall.
However, surprisingly, Yuseong’s aptitude was superior to that of any disciple in history.
Learning ten things from one.
A genius who realized ten things when taught one.
Though he had not long since entered the Busaeng Hall curriculum, he had already gained enough ability that he would not be lacking even if he entered Kuaehwa Hall.
“Perhaps that boy will become the greatest talent of the Taeul Sect.”
Kang Chaeseok, who was burning both day and night giving Kang Yuseong private lessons, burst into a hearty laugh as if he had forgotten his fatigue, and Jin Taesan smiled bitterly at the sight.
“In truth, I called you because of that as well.”
“Hm?”
“You will need to teach one more disciple.”
“……What do you mean? Did that Sowoon brat send someone again?”
“He did send this one, yes.”
“……?”
“……?”
Kang Chaeseok looked at Hong Mungi.
As far as he knew, there was definitely no one newly sent by Jin Sowoon like Yuseong and his siblings.
But Hong Mungi also seemed to know nothing about this.
“There is Jegal Cheon-gi, is there not?”
“……?”
Kang Chaeseok dug at his ear.
“Did I hear something wrong?”
Jin Taesan was still smiling bitterly.
Kang Chaeseok was greatly shocked.
“Hey, you! Do not joke around so much! Why did you call out tired people for this!”
“It is not a joke.”
“…….”
Jin Taesan spoke to Hong Mungi.
“Jegal Cheon-gi…… that child says he wants to learn the martial arts of the Taeul Sect.”
“……Is that possible?”
“If the sect leader permits it, it should be possible.”
“……No, what I mean is, would the Jegal Family allow that?”
When Jin Taesan first heard that from Jegal Cheon-gi, he had said the same thing.
Then Jegal Cheon-gi handed Jin Taesan a letter.
Jin Taesan carefully handed that letter to Hong Mungi.
“It is a letter sent by Jegal Hyeonun, the family head of the Jegal Family and Jegal Cheon-gi’s father.”
Hong Mungi quickly took the letter and read through it.
After putting the letter down, Hong Mungi’s eyes had grown as wide as a rabbit’s.
“The Jegal Family says that studying as a true disciple is impossible, but if we accept him as an outer disciple, they would be grateful.”
“……I do not understand.”
It was nothing new for a member of a family to enter a sect as an outer disciple.
Even in the case of children of the Five Great Families, if their family’s martial arts did not suit them, there were countless cases where they entered the Nine Great Sects and One Gang as outer disciples.
But for the Jegal Family, one of the Five Great Families under heaven, to become an outer disciple of the Taeul Sect, which was at the bottom of the One Hundred Eight Peaks, was something he could not understand even from his perspective as sect leader.
“……Haha, truly.”
“When he left the family, he apparently made a promise with the family head. Once he became capable of protecting himself, Yeongyeong would no longer have to work as a shadow warrior. Because of that, his will to learn martial arts is strong.”
After hearing the inside story, he felt that he could not refuse permission, but what still left him uneasy was the fact that he was trying to learn the Taeul Sect’s martial arts while leaving aside his family’s powerful martial arts.
“It seems Cheon-gi strongly insisted that he wanted to belong to the same place as Sowoon, his sworn elder brother.”
At those words, Hong Mungi had no choice but to burst into a hearty laugh.
“Truly, you have one remarkable son.”
“……He is also your disciple, sect leader.”
“Can the relationship between disciple and master compare to that between father and son?”
“What will you do?”
“What else can I do? One cannot drive away someone who wishes to receive the teachings of the Taeul Sect. Hall Master Kang Chaeseok will have to suffer a little more from now on.”
“……Damn it. That bastard Sowoon is making me suffer from a thousand li away.”
Though he grumbled with his words, a smile still lingered on Kang Chaeseok’s lips.
Because educating outstanding talent was always something that brought him great fulfillment.
“I was just starting to have nothing left to teach Yuseong anyway.”
“Already?”
“Do not even ask. I thought only his aptitude was remarkable, but he is an unbelievably tenacious hard worker. I have never seen him sleeping.”
Kang Chaeseok shook his head as if he was fed up.
“I hope that Jegal Cheon-gi brat is not as bad as Yuseong. This is the first time I have learned that teaching a great talent can be so draining.”
Hong Mungi looked at Jin Taesan and asked.
“How are the finances?”
Recently, various things had been happening in the Taeul Sect, and winds of change were blowing, but conversely, that also meant there were more places for money to go.
“We are holding out to some extent, but the finances will soon run dry.”
“……Hmm, I do not know whether I should be pleased about this or not.”
“We should be pleased. In any case, we are developing. For now, iron ore is coming out little by little from the mine, so we should be able to hold out for a while.”
Developing the iron ore mine required time.
“The lord of the Wang Family Estate sent word asking how we would feel about establishing a merchant guild.”
“A merchant guild?”
“Yes. Since we already have one iron ore mine anyway, he suggested we try to build financial stability based on that. He said he would help with the initial investment.”
“I do not know how to repay the consideration of the lord of the Wang Family Estate. Tell him I am grateful.”
“Understood.”
“But if we establish a merchant guild, we will have to establish it in Hefei. Is the Changgung Merchant Guild not already in Hefei?”
The place where the headquarters of the Namgung Family’s Changgung Merchant Guild was located was none other than Hefei.
The three men, who knew that all commercial activity of the Namgung Family began with the Changgung Merchant Guild, could not easily open their mouths.
“We discussed mainly trying iron ore transactions for now. We would slowly increase the range of goods, centered around blacksmiths and ironworks.”
“Even if the Wang Family Estate helps us, there is no need to offend the Namgung Family. First, it seems best to inquire with the Namgung Family and determine whether we may enter the ironworking field.”
“Understood.”
Hong Mungi looked at Jin Taesan and Kang Chaeseok and said.
“I know that both of you are going through much hardship. Still, I would like you to hold on a little longer. In my view, these changes in the Taeul Sect are not bad.”
“We feel the same.”
“Exactly!”
Each of the three men had a small smile on his lips as they drank bitter wine without even touching the side dishes.
#
That damned old man. To think he would unleash killing intent so ignorantly.
If I had not had the experience of enduring against the Heavenly Demon Black Sword Unit in my past life, I would certainly have fled.
At first, I endured because of pride, and at the end, I endured with sheer spite and grit until I fainted, but when I came to my senses, it was morning.
When I looked around, it was not the Imperial Pavilion.
A little while later, a maid entered.
“Are you awake?”
“Where is this?”
“It is Daeyeon Hall.”
“……You mean the family head’s residence?”
“Yes. The family head is waiting at the training ground.”
After the maid left like that, I adjusted my clothes appropriately and headed outside.
The Azure Emperor Divine Sword was looking at the summit of Mount Huang from the training ground.
“You have awakened.”
The mischievous look he had shown the previous day was gone.
Because of what happened the previous day, I deliberately avoided answering.
“……I am sorry. It was not easy for me to believe what you said.”
My eyebrow twitched without me realizing it. The Azure Emperor Divine Sword under heaven was apologizing to me, who was nothing more than a junior of the murim.
Now that things had come to this, I could not keep acting prideful either.
“It is all right. From the family head’s position, it was a situation worthy of suspicion.”
“……Dealing with you does not feel like dealing with a young man. It feels as if I am dealing with an old and cunning demon lord like a serpent.”
The Azure Emperor Divine Sword, after saying words I could not tell were praise or criticism, drew his sword.
“For our conversation to proceed, first, you will need proof that your life can be guaranteed, will you not? Only then can our discussion continue.”
Saying that, the Azure Emperor Divine Sword began performing a sword dance.
His sword art, which clearly began with the opening stance of the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art, began to transform strangely.
“…….”
And in the end, it had changed into an entirely different martial art.
Every place that sword path went blocked the paths of life of the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art and thrust the sword into its paths of death.
The intention carried by the sword art was clearly aimed at breaking the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art.
“What do you think?”
“……With this, my life has become even more dangerous.”
The family head of the Namgung Family was researching a way to break the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art, which contained the secret essence of the family.
Compared to the breaking form made by Jegal Cheon-gi, it had many shortcomings, but no matter who looked at it, the sword art Namgung Taeha created denied the Boundless Blue Sky Sword Art.
“Hehehe. Do not worry. Unless you reveal this secret, no one will know.”
“…….”
“Now then, since I have guaranteed your life, shall we trade again? Do you possess what I want?”
“I possess it.”
“As expected. ……What is it that you truly want?”
The Azure Emperor Divine Sword asked again.
I gave the same answer as yesterday.
“I want the Changgung Merchant Guild.”
The Azure Emperor Divine Sword’s brow furrowed.
“Do you think that makes any sense?”
“To be precise, I want the Hefei branch of the Changgung Merchant Guild.”
“Hmph! Hefei is not called a branch. It is the headquarters of the Changgung Merchant Guild. How is asking for that place any different from asking for the Namgung Merchant Guild?”
“That is why I said to give me the Hefei branch. Why is the headquarters of the Changgung Merchant Guild in Hefei rather than at the Namgung Family of Mount Huang?”
“That is…… naturally because it is the center of transportation routes…….”
As he spoke, the Azure Emperor Divine Sword tightly closed his mouth.
The current crisis of the Namgung Family had come because the main family and the merchant guild’s headquarters were separated.
It was true that through the efforts of the branch line, the economic activity of the Namgung Family had reached a golden age.
However, the existence of headquarters separated from the main family weakened the influence of the main family and greatly raised the influence of the branch line residing at the headquarters.
That was the main cause that had brought about the current tragedy of the Namgung Family.
“Do you not think there is a problem with what the family head just said? It is true that Hefei is the largest city in Anhui Province, but it makes no sense for the Changgung Merchant Guild and its subordinate organizations to look toward the headquarters in Hefei. Should the place they look toward not be the Namgung Family of Mount Huang?”
“Haha…….”
The Azure Emperor Divine Sword let out an empty laugh.
“Each word you say makes me feel the value of hundreds of millions in gold. Because of what you just said, I even felt like giving you the Changgung Merchant Guild of Hefei just now.”
“To be precise, it is not something the Azure Emperor Divine Sword is giving me. I am taking away your greatest worry and helping you.”
“Haha, yes, yes. You are right.”
The smile disappeared from the Azure Emperor Divine Sword’s face as he had been laughing hollowly.
“However, most of it, including the Changgung Merchant Guild, has already fallen into Namgung Songju’s grasp. Even if I want to give it to you, the Elder Council will not permit such an abnormal transaction, and at the same time, that child Namgung Songju will oppose it using any justification.”
“I will persuade the head of the Changgung Merchant Guild.”
“Hm? You will persuade him?”
“Yes. In the end, he will have no choice but to give me the Hefei branch of the Changgung Merchant Guild.”
“…….”
Thinking that my father would be pleased, the smile did not leave my lips.
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