Chapter 16

The Namgung Clan.

Located on Mount Huang, the Namgung Clan was the undisputed overlord of Anhui Province and regularly received countless visitors.

High-ranking officials, Elders of renowned sects, and other distinguished figures came and went as part of everyday life.

Because of that, even the servants and maids rarely became nervous over a guest’s arrival.

Today, however, was different.

The Grand Strategist of the Murim Alliance had personally come to visit.

A capable steward needed to understand a guest’s importance and provide treatment worthy of their status.

Yet the warmed liquor, tea, and refreshments prepared according to Jegal So-myeong’s preferences were stopped by the warriors guarding the entrance.

“Important matters are being discussed inside. Come back later.”

“Y-yes, understood.”

The stewards quietly cursed the warriors’ ignorance.

Did those fools not realize that the warmed liquor and refreshments would grow cold?

Meanwhile, inside the room—

“I gave the Entry Token to someone else.”

“……”

Namgung San’s brow furrowed deeply.

Jegal So-myeong had gone out of his way to visit the Namgung Clan after leaving the Iron Sword Sect with only a vague explanation.

Yet in the end, this was what he had come to say.

“Seon-hwa’s abilities do not fall short of any young prodigy.”

Namgung San spoke with complete confidence.

As a member of the Murim Alliance’s Dragon and Phoenix Assembly and the future leader of the Namgung Clan, he had every reason to be proud.

Unfortunately, the man sitting across from him considered even such achievements unremarkable.

“Then she should have no trouble entering through the regular examination.”

Unable to control his emotions, Namgung San replied,

“You know what people call the Murim Academy’s regular entrance examination, do you not?”

The Hell Examination.

That was the name Jianghu’s gossipmongers had given the Murim Academy’s regular entrance examination.

Hundreds of thousands of applicants came from across Jianghu each time, yet only five hundred were accepted.

During the previous examination, Namgung San had personally led several members of his clan through that hellish trial.

But Namgung Seon-hwa was not in the same position he had been.

“Did I ever entrust the Entry Token to you?”

“……”

Even Namgung San could not help feeling wounded by Jegal So-myeong’s words.

“I told you from the beginning that I would determine whether Seon-hwa possessed the necessary qualifications. I cannot give the token to someone who does not.”

“Then why was Seon-hwa not even given the chance to be tested?”

“Because the bastard who received the Entry Token is more outstanding than Seon-hwa.”

“……”

Rage erupted within Namgung San like a volcano.

In all of Anhui Province, who could possibly possess greater talent than Namgung Seon-hwa of the Namgung Clan?

“That cannot be true. Grand Strategist, you must have misunderstood something.”

The atmosphere in the room changed the instant those words left his mouth.

His anger had clouded his judgment for only a moment, yet that was enough for him to make a mistake he should never have made.

“Am I required to convince you?”

“……”

“I am asking why I should need to persuade you at all.”

“……I apologize.”

Regret always came too late, no matter how quickly it arrived.

By the time Namgung San noticed the peculiar chill in Jegal So-myeong’s gaze, it was already far too late.

“You said your clan’s circumstances are worsening by the day, did you not?”

Jegal So-myeong’s words pierced his chest one after another.

“But why should all of Jianghu be expected to accommodate your family’s circumstances?”

It was a pain Namgung San had never known in the days when he feared nothing and regretted nothing.

Even so, he could not gamble with Seon-hwa’s future simply because resentment and helplessness gnawed at his heart.

“……I apologize. May I ask one thing?”

“You wish to know whom I gave the Entry Token to?”

The answer came before he could even ask.

Jegal So-myeong had already anticipated every question he would raise and every action he might take afterward.

The position of Grand Strategist of Mantongbu was clearly not one that just anyone could hold.

“Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect.”

Even so, Jegal So-myeong had revealed the name.

That meant he was not concerned about what Namgung San might do next.

“May I take it from him?”

“That bastard seemed to intend to give it to someone else from the beginning. Do as you please.”

Namgung San silently offered his respects and left the hall.

Once he was gone, Jegal So-myeong returned to his documents and grumbled,

“Why must I involve myself in such trivial matters because of the useless members of your family?”

No one else appeared to be in the room, yet he continued speaking.

“If you keep this up, I will set fire to your BlueSky Hall.”

“Heh heh. Old man, it seems reaching such a high position in the Murim Alliance has left you afraid of nothing.”

Along with the reply, an old man with a long white beard appeared before Jegal So-myeong and sat in a chair.

He was Namgung Tae-ha, the current Head of the Namgung Clan.

“You saw it too, did you not? That rotten bastard glared at me and raised his voice. I nearly plucked out one of his eyes, but somehow managed to restrain myself.”

“Tsk. I have no excuse.”

“That son of a dog. How many times did I change that bastard’s diapers……? I should have torn off his little pepper back then.”

As Jegal So-myeong’s insults grew rougher, Namgung Tae-ha’s face flushed bright red.

“That is enough, you old bastard! When did you ever change San’s diapers? And what do you mean by tearing off another family’s precious son’s what?”

“You senile old relic! Why do you think I came all the way to Anhui and even attended the sixtieth-birthday banquet of some Iron Sword Sect Leader I had never heard of?”

Jegal So-myeong glared at him.

“Are those truly the words you should be saying to me?”

“Goodness! Who asked you to come? You came because you were tired of watching the Elders’ every expression!”

The two old men bickered like children not yet twenty.

After trading insults for some time, they both snorted and fell silent.

A long while later, Jegal So-myeong spoke again.

“Sang-won, that bastard, is plotting something, is he not?”

A direct descendant of the Namgung Clan was afraid to take the regular entrance examination.

That alone was already a warning that a great calamity was approaching.

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

“Heh heh. You damned old man. What have you been doing all these years if you could not even keep your own family under control?”

“……”

Jegal So-myeong resumed his mockery, but Namgung Tae-ha could offer no reply.

“Is the situation truly that serious?”

“The collateral branches, led by Sang-won, have begun acting however they please.”

“Would it not be enough to summon them back to the clan?”

“Do you think I would be worrying like this if that were possible?”

The Namgung Clan had always maintained a strict division between its direct and collateral bloodlines.

The direct line remained within the clan and preserved its traditions, while the collateral branches operated outside and managed the clan’s finances.

The power held inside and outside the clan was supposed to remain balanced.

But that balance had gradually collapsed.

Now, those who controlled the clan’s external power had begun coveting authority over its internal affairs as well.

“The collateral branches are reorganizing their forces around the BlueSky Merchant Guild. These days, whenever we handle clan affairs, we must make ‘requests’ of them.”

Namgung Tae-ha’s expression twisted.

“Requests, I tell you.”

“……Ugh.”

“Worse, every channel we once used to monitor their activities outside the clan has already been cut off. Reports are coming in from all over that those bastards are committing atrocities while using the Namgung Clan’s name. You have heard about it as well, have you not?”

“……I have.”

That was the reason Jegal So-myeong had come to Anhui in the first place.

“Do you have a countermeasure?”

“I am developing…… a Sword-Breaking Form for the Boundless Firmament Sword Art.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

The Head of the Namgung Clan was attempting to dismantle the martial art that represented the very face of his family.

Even under the most generous interpretation, it was an act serious enough to have him removed from his position.

If the plan failed, the entire direct line might be slaughtered, and no one would be able to save them.

Jegal So-myeong could only stare at him in disbelief as he spoke of such a thing so calmly.

“Otherwise, I may be forced to spill the children’s blood with my own hands.”

“……Then have you completed it?”

At that moment, Jegal So-myeong spoke not as the Grand Strategist, but as a martial artist driven by pure curiosity.

Could a Sword-Breaking Form truly be created for an art as profound as the Boundless Firmament Sword Art?

The gloom on Namgung Tae-ha’s face was answer enough.

“It is a sword art built upon the lifelong experiences of our Founders. It is not something a man like me can break simply by throwing himself at the problem.”

“Then you are merely wasting your time?”

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

“……”

Jegal So-myeong was known as the greatest strategist under heaven, yet even he could think of no clear solution to the Namgung Clan’s predicament.

“See? In the end, even you cannot answer it. If the greatest strategist under heaven cannot solve this problem, who possibly could? I have no choice but to keep digging until it kills me.”

“……Perhaps.”

A face suddenly appeared in Jegal So-myeong’s mind.

A slippery, shameless bastard who had dared to question the Grand Strategist to his face.

He was unbearably insolent, yet somehow seemed like the sort of person who might produce a clear answer.

Unfortunately, Jegal So-myeong disliked him for precisely the same reason.

That bastard would undoubtedly demand an outrageous price in return.

“……Still, I suspect the cost of obtaining that answer would be far too great.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“The bastard your grandson is pursuing.”

“Jin So-un of the Taeul Sect? You believe he knows the answer?”

“Who knows? How could someone like him solve a problem that neither the Head of the Namgung Clan nor the Grand Strategist of the Murim Alliance could answer?”

Jegal So-myeong frowned.

“Still, he is remarkably cunning. He might somehow find a way out of this dead end.”

“Heh heh. A man acknowledged by the pettiest mind under heaven? I would like to meet him someday.”

“You senile old bastard! Who are you calling petty?”

“Now, now. Forget that and come have a drink with me. Leave those documents for later.”

“These are not documents I can simply abandon! A single one of them could alter the entire balance of power within the Murim Alliance—”

“Enough. I know how to imitate your signature, so I will help you finish them. Let us go.”

“You bastard! Those documents I do not remember signing—you were responsible for them, were you not?”

The two men cast aside the dignity that had weighed upon their shoulders and left together with lighthearted steps.

My carefully constructed plan fell apart from the very beginning.

“We are not hiring any escort warriors.”

“Then could I at least work as a guard?”

“……Which sect are you from?”

“The Taeul Sect.”

“……Ahem. My apologies, but there are no available positions.”

Reality remained as cruel as ever toward the Taeul Sect.

The best way to prevent the kidnapping would have been to stop it from inside the estate.

However, if I suddenly warned them that their daughter was about to be kidnapped, they would likely mistake me for either one of the kidnappers or a madman.

Neither outcome would benefit me.

Since infiltrating the estate was impossible, I sent them a threatening letter instead, pretending that I was the one planning to break in.

At the very least, the letter should force them to prepare for an attack.

In the end, I had no choice but to prevent the kidnapping from outside.

The problem was that the confidential report mentioned only that she had been kidnapped and killed. It contained no details about how the incident had occurred.

“It was written based on an interrogation, so there would have been no reason to record the entire process.”

Because of that, I had to search through the library inside my head once again and retrieve every document related to the case.

Grade E

Grade E

• A large number of animal carcasses were discovered in the forest between Hefei and Chao Lake. The incident was judged to have been caused by indiscriminate hunting. Local hunters were warned.

Grade F

• A report stated that thieves had entered a slash-and-burn farming village. The stolen goods consisted only of minor items such as old clothing and famine-relief grain. No action was taken.

Grade F

• A report stated that several women had disappeared from a slash-and-burn farming village. Grade Nine warriors from the branch were dispatched, but no evidence was found, and the investigation was closed.

Grade F

• Several female corpses were discovered in Chao Lake. They were believed to be the women who had disappeared from the slash-and-burn farming village. As there was no way to identify them, the village was informed and the case was closed.

Grade F

• The headless corpse of a young woman was discovered inside an abandoned house near Lujiang. She wore clothing from the slash-and-burn farming village, but no one from the village came forward to identify her. The body was cremated, and the case was closed.

I found traces of Wang So-so hidden among Grade E and Grade F reports that the branch had barely considered worth investigating.

In the end, Wang So-so’s body had never been officially identified.

However, judging from the physical description of the corpse discovered near Lujiang, there was a strong possibility that it had been her.

Hiding an important incident among several seemingly unrelated cases was also a common method used by assassins.

My investigation began at the slash-and-burn farming village along the road from Wangbu to Lujiang.

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

Lujiang was only three days away from Wangbu.

A hostage was far more valuable alive, so I could not understand why they had killed her almost immediately.

Had Wang So-so been used properly, they might have been able to extort an enormous portion of the wealth accumulated by the Wang Estate.

“Well, perhaps they feared exposing their identities. If that happened, the consequences would have been severe.”

The BlueSky Merchant Guild might have had the Namgung Clan behind it, but their opponent was still the Wang Estate.

If they mishandled the situation, it could grow serious enough to involve both the military and the imperial family.

“Still, if they feared that much, why target the Wang Estate in the first place?”

Unable to resolve that contradiction, I set the question aside.

Time passed, and people of unknown origin gradually began gathering in Hefei.

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