Ah! Namgung Clan, Chapter 022
022 What Are We Supposed to Do? (2)
Elder Im raised his hand at Namgung Ganghae. It was a signal to wait. Namgung Ganghae soon learned why. It wasn't just one bear. Following the mother bear, two cubs emerged.
Namgung Ganghae looked at Elder Im. At that, he nodded and pointed to the mother bear.
It meant to shoot first.
Namgung Ganghae nocked an arrow on his bow. And aimed for the space between the mother bear's eyes. It would be nice to kill it in one shot, but he doubted he could produce that much power.
He was only thirteen years old now. At best, because he had trained in martial arts, he could wield an adult's bow; otherwise, it would have been impossible. Naturally, the arrow's power fell somewhat short of skilled hunters.
But if he failed, Elder Im would finish it.
Knowing that, he could loose the arrow with confidence.
Swish!
An arrow flew, accompanied by the whistling sound of cutting through the air. But the arrow aimed between the bear's eyes grazed its head and bounced off.
Namgung Ganghae nocked another arrow and glanced at Elder Im. He did not loose an arrow and remained as he was.
The bear roared. Then it charged toward the tree where Namgung Ganghae was. He loosed an arrow.
This time too, it missed the space between the eyes and lodged in its shoulder. Because of that, the bear grew more ferocious.
Thud!
When the bear collided with the tree, it shook violently. Namgung Ganghae grabbed the branches to hold on and fired arrows wildly. Hunters didn't prefer that method. Because holes in the hide lowered its value.
But he had to survive first. Three arrows lodged in the bear's body. Then the bear struck the tree with its front paw. Because of that, he nearly fell down.
In desperation, Namgung Ganghae nocked three arrows at once and fired. One of them struck the bear's eye. Namgung Ganghae fired three arrows in succession again.
Countless arrows lodged in the bear's body. Then the bear let out a cry filled with pain.
He had to finish it, but he had no more arrows. Namgung Ganghae threw his bow and drew his straight sword. And without hesitation, he leaped down and drove the straight sword into the bear's neck. Blood spurted instantly.
The bear toppled forward as it charged. Namgung Ganghae turned his body and climbed onto the bear's back. And he pulled the straight sword lodged in its neck with all his might.
The bear let out another cry before colliding with a tree. Namgung Ganghae, who had been riding on top, was thrown forward and rolled on the ground. His whole body was scratched and bruised.
But thinking that he had to survive, he straightened his body and drew his dagger. That was the only weapon he had now.
The bear raised its body. It was enormous. Namgung Ganghae unconsciously felt fear. His body froze.
Right then, an arrow flying from somewhere accurately pierced the space between the bear's eyes. At that, the bear collapsed on the spot.
Thud!
Namgung Ganghae, his tension released, plopped down onto his bottom. Turning his head, he saw Elder Im approaching with a smile.
"Haha. That was a good experience."
"Ah, I really thought I was going to die."
"I didn't know you'd push such a big fellow that far."
"Why didn't you shoot earlier when I failed?"
"I wanted you to have this kind of experience. Bears may look docile, but they are ferocious. Do not forget."
"I'm scared it'll appear in my dreams; how could I forget?"
Namgung Ganghae said, wiping the sweat from his face with his sleeve. Just now, he had thought he would die for certain. Then he thought of Namgung Aran. Why had she come to mind at that exact moment?
"We won't be able to get much for the hide."
"It's fine. I'm not going to sell it."
"Are you planning to present it to the Clan Head?"
"Yes."
"The backside is intact, so we can make a cloak."
"You'll help me, right?"
"Haha. I'll teach you how to make it."
"What about the cubs?"
"I chased them far away."
Namgung Ganghae nodded and approached the bear. And he pulled out the straight sword stuck in its neck. If he wanted to get down from the mountain before sunset, he had to move diligently from now on.
"First, grab there and split it from here."
"Yes."
Following Elder Im's instructions, Namgung Ganghae began butchering the bear. Though he hurried as best he could, it took much longer than expected. Before he knew it, the surroundings were growing dark. And when they returned to the Namgung Clan, it was already a pitch-black night.
***
Namgung Ganghae washed his body clean at Elder Im's house and headed to the main house. Unexpectedly, Namgung Aran was outside.
"You're late."
"Huh? Oh. Were you waiting?"
"No. I just came out for a moment."
Anyone could see she had been waiting, yet she denied it. She must be shy. Namgung Ganghae pretended not to know and nodded his head.
"Where did you go?"
"To Elder Im's."
"So that's why you're covered in so much blood."
"Yeah."
"Hurry inside and change your clothes."
With Namgung Aran being so friendly, Namgung Ganghae felt strange. Then, remembering how Namgung Aran had come to mind when he had nearly died earlier, his face heated up slightly.
"It's hot."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Let's go. The elder must be waiting."
Not that a senile person would be doing such a thing, but Namgung Ganghae said that and walked ahead. Crossing the wide yard, they went straight to the cottage in the bamboo grove. Meanwhile, someone was watching the two of them from afar. It was none other than Namgung Mugi.
***
The next day, Namgung Ganghae went to Elder Im's and divided the meat by cut so it wouldn't spoil. And he began tanning the hide.
He spent more than half the day there doing so but couldn't finish the tanning. He had no choice but to ask Namgung Aran to take a meal to Namgung Suhak and came back.
"You're skilled at this."
"Am I? I'm not so sure."
He was pleased by Elder Im's praise, but Namgung Ganghae spoke modestly. At that, Elder Im laughed and looked at him gently. His eyes were full of kindness.
"I heard the Pak family praising you. They say you handle hammering well."
"Haha. It's because Elder Bak taught me well."
"Old Woman Jeong said so too. She says when you teach him one thing, he knows ten. She said you've already memorized almost everything about medicinal herbs."
"That's because she taught me well, too."
"But are you still treated coldly in the main house?"
It was a sudden question, but Namgung Ganghae answered as if it were nothing.
"Not at all."
"Just endure and wait a little longer. The Clan Head is not that cruel a person."
Namgung Ganghae silently continued his work. At that, Elder Im let out a deep sigh. He could not understand why the blood relatives of the main house treated Namgung Ganghae that way. They should know that Joseok's death was not his fault.
Moreover, if they wanted to somehow raise a fallen clan, they had to actively nurture such talent. Yet instead, they were reproaching him.
"Hoo. It's all done."
"I'll do the sewing, so go on back now."
"Is that alright?"
Sewing the hide was strenuous work. One had to hammer thick needles through it.
"You've done this much, so I should do my part. You'll be able to see the finished cloak tomorrow."
"Thank you, Grandfather."
"Hurry along."
"Yes."
Namgung Ganghae left that place and went to the main house. Arriving at the cottage in the bamboo grove, he found Namgung Suhak asleep. He covered him well with the blanket and went to where the rock was, unfolding the bamboo slips.
He had read them so many times that he now had the contents fully memorized. But he looked at them at least once a day, in case there was any part he had wrong.
The Celestial Thunder Technique was an internal cultivation method that cultivated gangqi. Gangqi meant drawing out the qi accumulated in the dantian and using it outside the body. Depending on the realm, once one grasped it, one could materialize and use gangqi up to one zhang in length.
If you used it to cut, it could cut through anything.
It was a realm that any martial artist would want to reach even in their dreams, and for that reason, the number of people who could use gangqi was so small they could be counted on one hand.
Namgung Ganghae sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. And he began cultivating the Celestial Thunder Technique.
But nothing happened. Even having consumed spiritual medicines since childhood and trained in foundation, low-level, and intermediate internal cultivation methods, acquiring the Celestial Thunder Technique was difficult. How much more so now that he had only achieved a small degree of the Grand Origin Divine Art; in a way, it was only natural. Moreover, he did not fully understand the contents of the Celestial Thunder Technique either.
Still, without giving up, he constantly cultivated while thinking of the mnemonic verses of the Celestial Thunder Technique. The Sovereign Sword Forms he had trained afterward had nothing to do beyond assuming the stances.
The Sovereign Sword Forms had only three stances: Heaven, Earth, and Human.
The first stance, Human Form, governed people; the second stance, Earth Form, governed the earth; and the final third stance, Heaven Form, governed the heavens.
He didn't know what it meant, but that was what was written.
Furthermore, it could only be learned by cultivating the Celestial Thunder Technique. So no matter how much he practiced, it was just a matter of trying the stances once in a while.
Namgung Ganghae sighed and trained the Lone Soul Sword. Since that at least worked somewhat to his will, his frustrated chest felt as though it were clearing up.
***
Several days passed, and Namgung Museong's birthday drew near. Everyone was preoccupied with preparing for the feast. Among them, the busiest was naturally Namgung Ganghae.
He went to Elder Im's house early in the morning to fetch the meat and the cloak. And he began making the dishes to be served at lunch. Today, not only the blood relatives in the main house but everyone within the clan would gather. In other words, he had to prepare food for about forty people.
Namgung Aran helped with the cooking. Namgung Hwain and Namgung Sohye carried them to the main hall where the banquet was to be held.
As lunchtime approached, people arrived one by one. Originally, it was customary to present noodles on a birthday. So everyone basically brought noodles along with the gifts they had prepared.
"I offer my congratulations for the Clan Head's birthday."
"Please, come in. Haha."
"This is a humble gift."
"My thanks."
"Congratulations."
"Oh, have you arrived?"
Namgung Museong was swamped greeting the guests.
In fact, until last year, they had not been able to hold a banquet to this extent. There was no other reason. They had no money. So they had simply shared a modest meal.
It wasn't as if money they hadn't had suddenly appeared this year.
From one to ten, it had all been prepared by Namgung Ganghae. The dishes were mostly made from meat he had hunted himself, and the alcohol was the same. He had brewed it himself.
As for the other decorations for the main hall, he had found them all in the warehouse. Taking out items covered in dust, he washed and polished them. That was how today's banquet was prepared.
Honestly, the blood relatives were all surprised. Arranged like this, it was no different from a banquet held in a great noble's house. Therefore, while everyone was pleased, they also took another look at Namgung Ganghae.
So how was Namgung Museong himself, the one involved? He had come without much expectation and was shocked. And he remained in a good mood the entire time he greeted the guests.
After noon passed, the main hall was filled to some degree with guests. In the past, when the Namgung Clan wielded great influence, guests had poured in days in advance, the guest rooms were packed, and tents had to be erected in the training grounds for them to stay. So on the day itself, it was packed inside and out with guests.
But now it was only Namgung Clan people, and not a single guest had come from outside. However, opportunities to gather in one place like this were rare, so everyone was in high spirits.