Chapter 79
* * *
The departure took quite a while.
It was because Hong-seol was sandwiched between the Clan Lord Namgung On, the Head of the Medical Hall Bing Yuhwa, and the Master of the Azure Sky Unit Namgung Uigyeol, exchanging tearful goodbyes.
In truth, only the adults were shedding tears; Hong-seol, on the other hand, was beaming with excitement at the thought of her first-ever journey.
“Little one, you must take care of yourself.”
“Yes!”
“When we meet again, I hope to see you in good health. I mean, with a body capable of using Inner Energy.”
“I'll return healthy and show you my Heavenly Thunder Palm, Clan Lord!”
“Yes, yes.”
“My Lord, there won't be any danger, will there?”
“My father is going with her, so what is there to worry about?”
“But...”
“I have hired only the finest armed escorts for this journey. Just in case, I’ve also replaced all the Hundred-Mile Flower petals in Hong-seol’s incense pouch with fresh ones.”
“Still, it's her first time traveling such a long distance, so I can't help but worry...”
“Do not worry. For once, even Baek is coming along.”
The eldest grandson, who usually had absolutely no interest in worldly affairs.
“That is true. I wonder, could it be that he missed Young Master Dang Yimu, whom he met in his childhood?”
The two looked over at Namgung Baek, who was already sitting inside the carriage.
Namgung Baek was resting his chin on his hand, looking out the window with a bored expression, as if he didn't have a shred of excitement about the long journey ahead.
“...”
A brief silence fell between Namgung On and Bing Yuhwa.
“It seems he doesn't miss Young Master Dang Yimu after all.”
“Ho ho, he must be worried about Hong-seol. It is a blessing enough that our Baek has opened his heart to someone like her.”
“Indeed.”
“Well then, we shall be going...!”
As soon as Hong-seol hopped into the carriage and took her seat next to Namgung Ho, the head escort shouted loudly.
“Raise the flags!”
And so, after many twists and turns, the carriage departed.
The carriage belonged to the Golden Phoenix Escort Agency, which was renowned in Sichuan. Naturally, there was no sign of the Namgung Clan’s crest anywhere on it.
There was a reason for using an escort agency instead of taking people from the clan.
“What is the reason for that?”
Hong-seol, who had been bored for days while riding in the carriage, asked.
“There is no need to let the entire martial world know that the Grand Patriarch of the Namgung Clan is on the move.”
Namgung Ho replied, rubbing his chin. He, too, had been feeling quite bored.
At those words, Hong-seol’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
“Aha! You mean you don't want to burden everyone with having to welcome you, Grandfather?”
Grandfather Namgung Ho is truly different!
“Well... something like that.”
Namgung Ho wiped his nose, pretending to be modest in the face of Hong-seol’s admiration.
Namgung Baek, who had been sitting quietly in front, spoke up coldly.
“...It wouldn't be because you have grudges and debts tangled up here and there, would it?”
Namgung Ho, feeling stung, felt his conscience prick.
It was true that he had wandered the martial world quite a bit in his youth.
As a result, he had formed connections with people like the Beggars' Clan leader Cheontonggae and the Poison King Dang Yimu.
...Though the problem was that he had many bitter enemies as well.
“Ahem.”
Reflecting on the past for a moment, Namgung Ho retorted to Namgung Baek’s remark.
“Look at this boy's tongue. I might have to retire from the martial world for good before you even become the Clan Lord, just because I'm afraid of your nagging.”
Having said that, Namgung Ho glanced at Namgung Baek. In the past, even a slight mention of something so far in the future would have caused an uproar.
But Namgung Baek simply turned his head away, ignoring him.
Even that small reaction made Namgung Ho feel pleased inside.
‘Baek really has changed a lot. This is all thanks to our Seol-ah.’
Just then, Hong-seol, her eyes bright and alert, leaned close to Namgung Ho and asked.
“What is ‘retiring from the martial world’, Grandfather?”
“It means washing one's hands in a golden basin. It signifies retiring from the martial world.”
“Does that mean the grudges and debts formed in the martial world disappear from then on?”
“That is correct.”
“Then, until that moment, one cannot be free from either the people they owe or the people they have wronged?”
Hii-hing!
At that moment, with a horse's whinny, the carriage came to a sudden halt.
Namgung Ho’s Energy Sense detected a large group of horses and people outside.
They were in the middle of a mountain. There was only one type of person who would stop an escort agency's carriage in a place like this.
‘The Black Path!’
A band of mountain bandits who robbed travelers.
And sure enough.
“Stop!”
“Oh my!”
Startled by the loud voice filled with rough internal energy, Hong-seol shrank back, and Namgung Ho wrapped his sleeve around her.
Clang!
Before anyone knew it, Namgung Baek had jumped to his feet, drawn his sword, and stood in front of Hong-seol.
‘As expected, Baek must have come to protect Seol-ah.’
Is this grandfather really that unreliable?
While he felt a bit bitter, he was also heartened to see that his grandson had found someone so precious to him.
It meant that he had found something to live for in this world.
“Still, boy. My cultivation is in the Transformation Realm.”
Namgung Baek merely glanced at Namgung Ho with a blank expression, as if wondering what he was talking about.
Yet, the tip of his sword, aimed with precision, did not waver in the slightest.
In the meantime, the calm voice of the head escort could be heard from outside.
“It is the local Black Path gang. Please stay inside. We will give them a reasonable toll and send them on their way.”
“Do as you see fit.”
Namgung Ho looked at his young grandson, who was still radiating his aura.
“You rascal. Do you intend to draw your sword every time we encounter the Black Path? If so, what reason would we have to hire escorts?”
At those words, Namgung Baek sheepishly sheathed his sword.
“Sometimes, one must know how to let things pass quietly. Otherwise, the leaders of the seventy-two Black Path strongholds will come at you to take your head wherever you go.”
Namgung Ho said this with feigned sternness.
This journey was a good learning opportunity for Hong-seol and Baek, who had never ventured out into the martial world before.
“You must never forget that every single action is connected to grudges and debts in the martial world.”
“...Yes.”
“I will keep that in mind!”
The children nodded heavily.
It was then.
The outside became noisy and chaotic, and suddenly, an angry voice erupted from among the Black Path group.
“We have waited forty years since we lost our former leader here! Sword King, come out and face this old man's axe!”
At those words, the four eyes of the two children stared intently at Namgung Ho’s scarred face.
This time, it wasn't Namgung Baek, but Namgung Ho whose face became extremely embarrassed.
“It was all advice born from experience, ahem!”
* * *
“It seems the rumor that the Sword King has appeared in the martial world is spreading.”
The head escort said with a worried expression.
Before sunrise, while Namgung Ho was moistening his throat with tea at the campsite, he nearly choked.
It was no wonder; they had already cleared out Black Path strongholds five times on this journey alone.
They were all old martial artists who had flocked to them, claiming they would avenge their leaders against Namgung Ho.
Of course, they were no match for Namgung Ho, a master of the Transformation Realm.
The problem was the time.
Normally, they could have passed through easily just by paying the toll set by the escort agency.
But because these old martial artists kept attacking Namgung Ho, their progress was being delayed twice as much.
“Therefore, we intend to take the Yangtze River route sooner than planned. Since it is an unexpected path, there will be fewer people to interfere. The currents are strong, so it might take a little time to travel, but...”
The calculation was that this would be faster than continuing to wipe out every Black Path stronghold they encountered.
“Do as you wish.”
Namgung Ho, feeling a bit ashamed, nodded.
Hong-seol, who had been listening to the head escort in silence, asked.
“Are we going to travel by boat from now on?”
Hong-seol was excited at the prospect of riding a boat for the first time, while Namgung Baek simply muttered to himself in a quiet voice.
“Is the Yangtze River Water Route Stronghold safe?”
He meant to ask if there were any grudges or debts tangled up with the water bandits infesting the Yangtze River.
It was the head escort, not Namgung Ho, who answered.
“Once we change our expected path, the rumors of the Sword King’s travels will die down. Then the Yangtze River Water Route Stronghold won't pick a fight with us for no reason.”
* * *
He was truly an experienced head escort.
Just as he said, once they entered the waterway, the old martial artists who had been attacking them relentlessly stopped appearing.
Thanks to this, Hong-seol began to enjoy the journey.
The meals prepared by the boatmen while camping at the occasional ferry were delicious.
And when they arrived at a fairly large port, it was fun to wear a bamboo hat and explore the various places.
When they stopped by the market, bamboo balls and dolls stuffed with cotton caught Hong-seol’s eye.
“Shall I buy you one?”
Namgung Ho would offer each time.
“No, thank you.”
Hong-seol politely declined. She couldn't bring herself to say what was truly on her mind.
‘I already have so much luggage, I can't add any more, Grandfather.’
The boat was already on the verge of sinking from all the things he had bought her before.
Moreover, the group was scheduled to arrive in Wuhan soon.
Since they had to change boats there and travel upriver, it was difficult to increase their luggage any further.
Wuhan.
It was the capital of Hubei Province, located between Anhui and Sichuan.
It was the place where the main headquarters of the Martial Alliance was located, and also a place where the Jeagal Clan had established its roots for a long time.
‘The Jeagal Clan... that’s my mother’s family.’
Hong-seol’s mother, Jeagal Seon, always talked about how great a martial clan the Jeagal Clan was.
With endless, vast estates, and elegant, clever people who wielded fans and iron brushes to rule the world.
Though, since none of them had ever visited the Myo Clan, Hong-seol didn't know any relatives.
Still, her mother’s stories about the Jeagal Clan continued without end.
In particular, the Martial Alliance’s chief strategist, the Heavenly Intent Young Master Jeagal Hyeop, was a frequent subject.
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