Episode 262. Anhui. (2)
Anhui.
As I mentioned before, it is a place I visited only once in my previous life.
Anhui Province, being the seat of the Namgung Family, was certainly a place that would not pale in comparison to Henan, but there had been little reason for me to visit.
When I had visited Anhui back then, it had not been such a prosperous place.
It was a time when the Bloody Calamity wrought by the Heavenly Demon was sweeping through.
A time when it faced annihilation at the sword dance of a single woman.
Anhui back then was, to put it mildly, no different from a barren wasteland.
The family that served as the center of the renowned houses and protected Anhui had been annihilated by the hand of a mere single person, and even those who barely survived had fallen under the Heavenly Demon’s sway.
The people who had lived in Anhui had no choice but to abandon the land they called home and flee to Henan, where the Murim Alliance and Shaolin resided.
‘How different it is now from back then.’
.
!
.
It is only natural.
The Bloody Calamity had not occurred, and more than anything, Namgung Bia’s circumstances were different from before.
The countless buildings and crowds visible outside the carriage window were incomparable to Shanxi.
Then again, comparing Anhui, home to the Namgung Family, with Shanxi, home to the Gu Family, was a bit much to begin with.
As I quietly gazed out the window, Moyong Huia, who sat beside me, whispered.
“It is still the same here.”
“Have you come often?”
“Not often, just once or twice…?”
It was strange of me to ask if she came often.
Come to think of it, the Moyong Family was no less prestigious than the Namgung Family.
‘Looking at it this way, only the Gu Family seems inferior, doesn’t it?’
It was not just how it seemed.
In this regard, we truly were lagging behind.
If we were still maintaining some semblance of standing, honestly, it was all thanks to Madame Mi.
‘That is why I understand it even less.’
The engagement between Namgung and Gu.
‘Why on earth?’
I had thought about it many times.
Why would the illustrious Namgung Family seek to form an engagement with the Gu Family?
It was beyond my understanding.
My reputation, which had gradually spread throughout the Central Plains, had only been established after the Yongbong Gathering.
The engagement with Namgung Bia had been decided long before that.
Which meant it had not been formed based on my potential.
‘The Second Elder… no, what on earth did the First Elder do when he went there?’
I had heard that the First Elder went directly to the Namgung Family and negotiated with their elders, but no matter how many times I thought about it, I could not understand it.
‘What trick did that old man pull…?’
In the past, I had not paid it much mind, but thinking about it now, the First Elder was an unusual figure.
For an elder, he did not seem to do anything particularly notable, yet he often went out and returned to the family.
Despite holding the position of Elder, he had no duties within the family.
For example, the previous First Elder had also served as the Sect Leader of Gu Seonmun, and the Third and Fourth Elders had their own responsibilities within the family as well.
But the current First Elder seemed to have nothing of the sort.
‘More than anything, the people around him are strange.’
The people who gathered around him calling themselves his friends were all monsters.
Just what had he been doing to make such friends?
“…Really, not a single normal person around him.”
How was it that not one of them was a proper person?
“I suppose I’m the only normal one.”
A sigh escaped me.
As I was shaking my head, I felt subtle gazes from beside me.
Turning my head at the feeling, Moyong Huia and Namgung Bia were looking at me with strange eyes.
“Why?”
*Ahem.*
“It is nothing….”
What is it?
Just as I was about to ask why they looked at me with those indescribably empty eyes.
“We have arrived.”
The coachman announced our arrival at the destination, slowing his pace.
After traveling a not-so-short distance, it meant we had finally arrived at the Namgung Family.
I recalled two years ago, when I had visited the Tang Clan in Sichuan under the pretext of the Tang Military Conference.
The Tang Clan I saw then was incomparably vast compared to the Gu Family.
As if to show just how great the wealth of a great family was, it held neat and splendid scenery.
Almost as if this place was proclaiming itself to be the Tang Clan of the Four Great Families.
As if the fame built by the ancestors of the Tang Clan had created the present.
A majestic and grand family came to mind.
And standing in comparison to the Tang Clan of that time was the Namgung Family, the center of the Four Great Families.
‘Vast. Damnably vast.’
Leaving the carriage, I stood at the entrance waiting.
The interior of the family compound visible within was considerable.
Naturally, it could not be compared to the Gu Family, and even compared to the Tang Clan, the Namgung Family looked more refined.
Moreover.
‘I can feel the sharp qi even from here.’
I could tell that a sharp energy was emanating from within the compound, however faintly.
It was the aura of skilled swordsmen gathered together.
As expected of a renowned sword family.
Meanwhile, Namgung Bia still looked half-asleep even after getting off the carriage.
Was she in hibernation all year round?
She really seemed to do nothing but eat, sleep, and train.
She always felt steeped in exhaustion.
“Get a hold of yourself.”
As I shook Namgung Bia, begging her to wake up, Moyong Huia, who had ridden with us, approached slightly and whispered.
“I will go on ahead, Young Master.”
“Hm? You are leaving?”
“Yes, I have matters to attend to first.”
I had heard she had business in Anhui, but should she not visit the Namgung Family first?
Before I could even voice my question, Moyong Huia answered.
“For now, you have a prior engagement, Young Master, so I thought it better to visit later.”
“Understood.”
“I will come see you again soon.”
I looked over Moyong Huia as she spoke.
I had been channeling warmth to her throughout the journey.
Would she be alright? She probably would be.
Moyong Huia slightly bowed her head, then immediately turned and walked away at a brisk pace.
Watching her, I thought that given the direction Moyong Huia was heading, it would have been more convenient for her to get off the carriage earlier. I wondered why she had gone out of her way to accompany us all the way to the Namgung Family.
After briefly watching Moyong Huia’s retreating figure, I turned my gaze back to Namgung Bia.
I needed to wake her up first….
“Hm?”
This time, I was ready to knock her awake if I had to, but when I looked back, Namgung Bia’s eyes were wide open.
Her slightly disheveled clothes were now neatly arranged, and it was surprising enough that her half-sleepy eyes had become clear….
“What….”
As I looked at her, wondering what was going on, I sensed a presence from behind.
The heavy footsteps told me who it was without turning around.
“What are you doing?”
It was Father.
Along with Madame Mi beside him.
Namgung Bia, as if she had known all along, greeted the approaching Father and Madame Mi with a bow.
Only after Father nodded at the sight did she raise her bowed head.
It was so filled with manners I never saw when we were alone that I was the more surprised one.
“Is there a problem?”
“…No. I was merely mistaken about something.”
What the hell, was I the one who had been asleep, not Namgung Bia?
Perhaps this was a dream.
That seemed more realistic.
Father was about to say something more to me.
“Your clothes have come undone.”
Madame Mi spoke first.
Madame Mi approached me with light steps and carefully straightened my clothes with her hand.
“It is an important occasion, so be careful.”
“…Thank you.”
The unexpected touch flustered me for a moment.
With that, Madame Mi turned her gaze from me to Namgung Bia.
Her eyes checked Namgung Bia’s condition.
“What a pity. If I had the time, I would have helped you as I did at departure.”
“…It is fine.”
Namgung Bia answered with a slight smile.
Come to think of it, Madame Mi must have been referring to fixing Namgung Bia’s appearance before we left the Gu residence.
At Namgung Bia’s reply, Madame Mi showed no expression and returned to Father’s side.
‘This is so awkward. Damn it all….’
Was it because this was the first time we had gathered like this?
I felt incredibly nauseous inside.
As I straightened my posture and quelled my discomfort.
*Thud.*
A heavy aura was felt from the entrance.
‘He is here.’
To others, it would have been a dizzying pressure, but to me, laughably, it also brought a sense of relief.
At least it was better than this awkwardness.
I turned my head toward the direction of the aura.
In the distance, I could see several people wearing the dark blue martial uniforms Namgung Bia used to wear.
And along with that, a sharp, tingling energy crawled down my spine, something I could not feel before.
‘So I have grown stronger, being able to feel this.’
That was the thought that came to me as I felt the energy.
Being able to feel this now, which I could not in our previous meeting, meant I had reached a level where I could at least somewhat gauge his.
Among the approaching group, without shifting my gaze, I faced the middle-aged man standing at the very front.
A man with a cold face that still looked quite ill-mannered, bearing the distinct features characteristic of the Namgung bloodline.
The Patriarch of the Great Namgung Family, a martial artist bearing the title of Sword King of the current era, and Namgung Bia’s father.
The Changcheon Sword King, Namgung Jin.
It was him.
“It has been a while, Gu Patriarch.”
Namgung Jin, leading the Namgung entourage, immediately extended a greeting to Father, shaking his hand.
Father clasped his hand and returned the greeting.
“It has been a while.”
“You must have had a difficult journey.”
As Namgung Jin spoke, Father looked at him with a strange gaze.
Perhaps scrutinizing him slightly.
I could not properly gauge what kind of gaze it was.
Then.
“It seems you have undergone some sort of change.”
That was what Father said to Namgung Jin.
‘A change?’
Wondering what he meant, I watched quietly.
I saw Namgung Jin’s eyes slightly stiffen at Father’s words.
Soon, Namgung Jin quietly added a word to Father.
“…Your eyes remain as sharp as ever.”
‘Ah.’
Judging from Father’s words and Namgung Jin’s response.
‘Has he gained some sort of enlightenment?’
It was likely referring to the change in Namgung Jin’s energy.
Perhaps due to my lacking realm, I could not feel it myself, but Father seemed to have sensed it.
Watching that, I let out a hollow laugh inside.
‘I still have a long way to go. So much for growing stronger.’
I had been pleased thinking I had grown a little since I could feel the energy, but I was immediately made to realize my insignificance.
‘Rather good. It helps me come to my senses.’
Being stupidly excited is not for me.
It was rather fortunate to be reminded that the road ahead was still long.
Having finished greeting Father and exchanging greetings with Madame Mi, Namgung Jin soon turned his gaze toward me.
The moment our eyes met, I slightly lowered my head and performed a fist-and-palm salute.
“I greet the Patriarch of the Great Namgung Family.”
“…Yes. It is good to see you. It has been a while.”
With many eyes watching, I had to make sure to observe proper etiquette.
In the meantime, I slightly narrowed my eyes and observed Namgung Jin.
‘The demonic qi seems to still be there.’
The subtle energy felt near Namgung Jin’s dantian.
From when Namgung Jin visited the Gu residence, it was the demonic qi I had placed along with a seal.
It was a faint energy to check whether the seal had been released or if a problem had occurred, at a level that would not cause significant harm to the body.
‘Seeing that it is still there, the seal is still… wait…?’
A question suddenly arose as I was thinking.
‘Come to think of it, why did I put that there?’
The question was: for what purpose had I placed the seal?
“Ah.”
The question was short-lived.
Having come this far, I could not help but recall it.
The vague unease about something I had forgotten that I had been feeling since earlier.
What I had wondered about forgetting finally came to mind.
‘Damn…’
The seal placed on Namgung Jin.
It was to prevent him from speaking to anyone about what had happened between him and me, and also to ensure no one asked about my background.
What happened between Namgung Jin and me was, namely, the teaching of the original form of the Namgung Family’s swordsmanship, which was said to have degenerated.
—It has been a while.
Namgung Jin’s voice transmission entered my ears as if he had been waiting.
—…Circumstances being what they were, I did not expect it would take so long to meet again.
At the continuing words, I swallowed dryly.
—Fortunately, we are able to meet even now.
‘…Haha.’
I am screwed.
Anticipation wafted heavily from Namgung Jin’s voice.
What could be understood through his voice was that the small difference I had pointed out through Noya back then had helped Namgung Jin as time passed.
There was no way he would react like that otherwise.
Surely, from what he had briefly learned then, he must have felt something and grown.
That was why he was looking at me with such bright, expectant eyes.
‘Haha, fuck.’
Here, the problem was none other than this.
It was not about the seal or anything like that.
At the time, I had promised Namgung Jin that I would give him another clue at our next meeting, but many things had happened since then, so I had forgotten for a while.
Because I had also told Namgung Jin to figure it out himself and not to bother me.
And so, we had reunited now.
‘What do I do?’
The seal still seemed to be holding, and I could tell that the clue I had given him then had actually helped, but the biggest problem was something else.
‘…Noya is asleep right now?’
The fact that Noya, who would teach the sword to Namgung Jin, was currently asleep was the biggest problem.
Somewhere within the Namgung Family’s buildings, a buzz of voices could be heard from outside the window.
It was not a loud sound, but to the young man now, it felt especially loud.
*Rustle.*
Exhausted fingertips gripped his sleeve, and he staggered up to look out the window.
*Haah…*
Cloudy blue eyes, half-dead and having lost their original color.
The young man surveyed the outside with empty eyes.
“…Ah.”
As his gaze traveled far, someone standing with his father came into view.
*Grind.*
Seeing the young man with the fierce eyes, the sound of teeth grinding involuntarily spread from his mouth.
The young man, trembling uncontrollably as he could not contain his emotions, froze stiff upon seeing the woman standing beside him.
Ah….
The small sigh—was it admiration, or did it mean something else?
The woman still had a beautiful face.
The young man trembled at the fingertips as he faced her appearance, now more beautiful and splendid with time.
“…Sister.”
His sister had bloomed into a far more beautiful form than before.
In full bloom.
Yes, so that is what it means to be in full bloom.
The young man smiled at such a woman.
Then suddenly, the young man whipped around, his soft expression twisting and changing in an instant into a face filled with madness.
“Shut up…! I told you I will handle it myself, so shut your mouth!”
He spat out a voice filled with rage like a roar, then gasped for breath.
The young man’s rough words filled the not-so-small room, but the problem was that in the room, other than Thunder Dragon Namgung Cheonjun, there was no one else.
Namgung Cheonjun, panting as he spat out the words, soon looked out the window again.
His gaze was still fixed in the direction of his beautiful sister.