Chapter 102
“Your face looks cleaner. You seem to have treated the burns you had when you were young.”
Namgung Ho brought up what Baek Mu-Gun had said when he had hidden his face with a pigskin mask, pointing out the latter’s lie.
“Allow me to officially introduce myself. I am Baek Mu-Gun, the Baek Sword Sect’s Young Patriarch. I could not reveal my identity when we first met, so I had no choice but to be discourteous. Please forgive me,” Mu-Gun introduced himself and politely apologized.
Now that Mu-Gun had confessed, Namgung Ho could no longer say anything about it.
“So you are the Baek Sword Sect’s Young Patriarch, after all. You have truly excellent achievements.”
“I’m flattered to hear that.”
“No, in all of murim’s history, possessing such great martial prowess and accumulating all these amazing feats at your age is extremely rare. Even the Shaolin Temple’s Divine Monk Dharma or the Wudang Sect’s Elder Zhang Sanfeng weren’t as good as you are at this age. I’m confident that I am not overpraising you.”
“You are flattering me too much, Master Namgung.”
“Isn’t it only natural for me to stay on your good side since you are the rising star of murim?”
“Regardless of how great I am, how can I compare myself to the prestige of the Nine Prominent Sects and the Seven Great Families? On the contrary, I should be the one saying that, Master Namgung.”
“Is that so? Considering you rejected our clan’s marriage proposal, I don’t think that’s the case.”
“Don’t get me wrong. It was not because I wanted to ignore the Great Namgung Family but because I already have a woman I like.”
“If so, then why don’t you think about it again? It’s definitely not a flaw for such an outstanding man like you to have three or four wives.”
“The lady in question here is from the Great Namgung Family, so how can I treat her so carelessly? I don’t know about the others, but when it comes to marriage, I would like to follow my heart and my feelings only. I don’t want to involve any political ties.”
“You act purer than you look. Fine, that’s subject to your personal preference, so I can’t tell you what to do. Still, it’s a shame. I wanted the Great Namgung Family and the Baek Sword Sect to become good friends.”
“Even without marriage, we can still be good friends for as long as our minds are aligned.”
“I hope that our clans’ minds are alike, then.”
“I hope so, too.”
“That aside, are you on your way to Wuchang?”
“That’s right.”
“Are you going as the Zhejiang Martial Alliance’s representative?”
“Yes.”
“I see. If you don’t mind, would you like to travel with us? We are also on our way to Wuchang.”
“It would be an honor.”
“Let’s go together, then.”
Namgung Ho intended to befriend Mu-Gun while they were on the way to Wuchang. The Seven Great Families were wary of the Zhejiang Martial Alliance’s rapidly growing forces, but they were also thinking of bringing them under their helm.
Mu-Gun, on the other hand, was well aware of Namgung Ho’s intention and thought that all he had to do was not fall into it. He had no reason to refuse in the first place since it was more convenient to travel with the Great Namgung Family in many ways.
While Mu-Gun and Namgung Ho were having a conversation, Nine Dragons Fist Hwang Rei and the Six White Wolves reached the ground floor. Mu-Gun introduced Namgung Ho to Hwang Rei. Namgung Ho greeted Hwang Rei politely since the latter was a great senior when it came to his experiences in murim. On the other hand, Hwang Rei accepted Namgung Ho’s greeting unenthusiastically. He saw the Seven Great Families in a bad light since the Seven Great Families’ previous patriarchs killed Guyang Hwi, Mu-Gun’s previous reincarnation. Hwang Rei’s attitude offended Namgung Ho a little, but the Four Peerless Wanderers had always been famous for their eccentric temper, so he did not read too much into it.
After the greetings, Mu-Gun sat and had a meal with Hwang Rei at a separately prepared table, and the Six White Wolves ate at the table next to them. Amid their meals, the beaded curtain at the entrance of the inn was lifted, and a young couple entered. The azure dragon embroidered on their sleeves indicated that they were figures from the Great Namgung Family, and he could tell by their luxurious clothing that they were the Great Namgung Family’s direct descendants. The two glanced around the inn, then approached Namgung Ho.
“Have you checked it out?” Namgung Ho welcomed them.
“Yes, uncle. There was no ship heading to Wuchang, so we rented one.”
“Good job. Before you eat, greet Senior Nine Dragons Fist and the Baek Sword Sect’s Young Patriarch. They’re over there.” Namgung Ho pointed to Mu-Gun and Hwang Rei, who were both sitting some distance away from his table. The man’s eye shone brightly when he heard that the Baek Sword Sect’s Young Patriarch was here. On the other hand, the woman slightly frowned.
“We will be going to Wuchang together, so refrain from getting on each other’s nerves for no reason,” Namgung Ho gently warned them when he saw their reaction.
The two nodded before approaching Mu-Gun and Hwang Rei.
“We apologize for interrupting you during your meal. We just came to say hello to Senior Nine Dragons Fist, murim’s great hero,” the man spoke politely to Hwang Rei.
Hwang Rei stared at the two, wondering who they were.
“I am the Great Namgung Family’s Young Patriarch, Namgung Min. This child here is my sister, Namgung Hyun-Ah.”
At Namgung Min’s introduction, Hyun-Ah slightly bowed in response.
“You’re the Namgung Family’s youngsters, huh? Nice to meet you.” Hwang Rei half-heartedly accepted their greetings.
“I heard that you will be going to Wuchang with us. We’ll be in your care.”
“Sure. Though I’m not sure if there’s anything I can care for.” Hwang Rei answered in a lukewarm manner.
Hwang Rei’s attitude likely offended them, but Namgung Min put on a smile throughout their conversation. Considering he controlled his emotions so well, Mu-Gun thought Namgung Min didn’t become the Great Namgung Family’s Young Patriarch for no reason.
“I heard that you’re the Baek Sword Sect’s Young Patriarch?” Namgung Min turned his attention to Mu-Gun after greeting Hwang Rei.
“I’m Baek Mu-Gun, the Baek Sword Sect’s Young Patriarch. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’ve been hearing great things about you, so I’ve been wanting to meet you. At last, we finally do.”
“Haha, there’s not much to me after seeing me in person, is there?”
“No, you are even greater than what the rumor says.”
Namgung Min heard that Mu-Gun had reached the Absolute Realm, but he did not believe it, rather finding it ridiculous for someone to be in that realm at the age of twenty-three. Even he, who was considered one of the greatest geniuses in all of the Great Namgung Family’s history, was still stuck in the Upper Peak Realm even though he was already receiving limitless support from their clan.
Hence, it did not make sense to him that Mu-Gun had already reached the Absolute Realm despite being five years younger than him. Nevertheless, he realized that the rumors were true upon meeting Mu-Gun in person. Although he couldn’t fathom Mu-Gun’s martial prowess due to his inadequate skills, he could somewhat guess Mu-Gun’s strength just from his presence.
Namgung Min realized then that he had been a frog in a well all this time, but he was neither disappointed nor frustrated. Rather, his lack of ability only made him determined to focus more on training. Mu-Gun could sense that resolve in Namgung Min’s gaze.
‘He’s better than expected.’
Namgung Min could only act this way because he had faith in himself. Mu-Gun thought that if Namgung Min kept growing at this rate, he could become one of the most outstanding martial artists in the Great Namgung Family’s history.
“I think you are also more amazing than I’ve heard, Young Master Namgung.”
“Haha, I would have felt offended if anyone else said that, but hearing it from you makes me feel great. It’s as if I’m being recognized by you, Young Master Baek.”
“Oh! I did not mean to evaluate your skills, so please don’t misunderstand, Young Master Namgung.”
“It’s fine. Anyway, we have probably interrupted your meal for far too long, so we’ll be taking our leave now. Please have a good meal.”
“You too.”
Namgung Min and Hyun-Ah left after exchanging greetings.
Hyun-Ah had a strange expression. Her face was flushed, perhaps because she was shy or her heart fluttered. Either way, she had fallen in love with him at first sight. Not only was Mu-Gun very handsome, but there was a unique vibe about him that tugged at a woman’s heartstrings.
Before meeting Mu-Gun, Hyun-Ah disliked him for refusing the Namgung Family’s proposal to wed her. A small, trivial clan from a corner of Zhejiang Province daring to reject her infuriated her, so she thought about teaching him a lesson when she met him.
However, as soon as Hyun-Ah saw Mu-Gun, her desire for revenge instantly disappeared, thinking of Mu-Gun as worthy enough to reject her. She also felt a desire for Mu-Gun. Up until now, she had lived her life with men always at her beck and call, so she couldn’t help but find it unbelievable that she was instantly captivated.
Immediately realizing she was supposed to be her bride upon hearing her name, Mu-Gun felt a little regretful for agreeing to travel with the Great Namgung Family. Traveling with a woman he refused to marry would likely be uncomfortable. Contrary to his expectations, however, Hyun-Ah did not express any particular feelings about him. Rather, he felt that she had a favorable impression of him.
That didn’t make him feel pleased either, though. In all honesty, he didn’t find anything bad about Hyun-Ah. She was such a rare beauty that even Mu-Gun, who had quite high standards, would stare at her. Above all, the subtle color of her eyes was attractive. He would have felt attracted to her if only she wasn’t from the Great Namgung Family. After all, he had no intention of forming any relationship with the Seven Great Families’ women.
Mu-Gun had not given up on his revenge against the Seven Great Families’ patriarchs. As such, avoiding any entanglement with their descendants would be better in the long run. After all, he could find himself in a more uncomfortable situation—one much worse than when he refused the marriage proposal—if Hyun-Ah approached him with affection. Unfortunately, he could no longer get out of this since he had already agreed to travel with them. The best Mu-Gun could do was distance himself from Hyun-Ah as much as possible. The next day, Mu-Gun and his party boarded the ship rented by the Great Namgung Family and headed to Wuchang with them.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Killer Sect and the other two syndicates that were supposed to assassinate Mu-Gun found themselves in a difficult situation when they found out that Mu-Gun’s group was now traveling with the Great Namgung Family.
“Just as we already had them in the bag, they decided to travel with the Great Namgung Family,” Changjiang King of Hell Hwang Chi-Soo, said, finding it a shame.
“What do we know about the Namgung Family’s group?” Lulin Fist King Gu Se-Gwang asked Heavenly Killer Dark Monarch Yoo Hyo-Gwang.
“The Divine Wind Sword Saint and half an Azure Heaven Sword Squadron was dispatched. It has also been confirmed that the Great Namgung Family’s Young Patriarch is also with them. He’s known to be an Upper Peak Realm master.”
“I think this is just too much to handle with our current power. We could probably still proceed with the operation if the Divine Wind Sword Saint was not with them.”
“I disagree. We have three Absolute Realm masters just like they do, and even if we are a little weaker than the Divine Wind Sword Saint and the Nine Dragons Fist, we have seven more Upper Peak Realm masters. Taking each side’s strength into consideration, our forces are definitely not lacking.” Chi-Soo refuted Se-Gwang’s opinion.
“They have the Great Namgung Family’s Young Patriarch and fifty of the Azure Heaven Sword Squadron’s elite members. Although we have seven Upper Peak Realm masters, it is difficult to say for certain that we can win.”
“Still, it’s not as if we have no chance of winning at all. This is also an opportunity for us to kill the Great Namgung Family’s Young Patriarch. Even if it’s a little risky, I think it’s worth a try.”
“If we kill the Great Namgung Family’s Young Patriarch, the Great Namgung Family will stop at nothing to get revenge. We might be stirring up a hornet's nest instead.”
“So you’re just going to give up and retreat?”
“Would you rather push through with this despite not having a clear chance of winning? If we do that and fail, will you be responsible for it?”
“Calm down, both of you. Nothing good will come from arguing amongst ourselves.” Hyo-Gwang stopped Se-Gwang and Chi-Soo when they started raising their voices.
“Dark Monarch, what do you think we should do?” Se-Gwang asked Hyo-Gwang.
“I don’t know about the Divine Wind Sword Saint, but it is highly likely that the Nine Dragons Fist and the Baek Sword Sect’s Young Patriarch are not as strong as we take them for even though they have reached the Absolute Realm. The Nine Dragons Fist lived in seclusion for quite a long time until recently, so his skills have likely rusted a lot. Meanwhile, the Baek Sword Sect’s Young Patriarch only managed to advance into the Absolute Realm through miraculous enlightenment. Considering his age, he definitely lacks combat experience. If we quickly subdue those two, it might actually be an unexpectedly easy victory.”
“What the Dark Monarch says makes sense.” Chi-Soo fervently agreed.
“In other words, you want to proceed according to the plan.”
“Yes.”
“I am all for it,” Chi-Soo answered without any hesitation, which was not surprising at all since he was the one who insisted on doing so from the start.
The only one left to decide was Se-Gwang.
“Very well. If that’s what the Dark Monarch thinks, then we will follow,” Se-Gwang answered.
Having reached an agreement, the three began to discuss how to attack Mu-Gun’s group.
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