Chapter 14 – Tomb of the Sword God (2)

The party hastily took shelter in a nearby inn due to the torrential rain.

“This damn rain is just relentless, isn’t it?”

At Yu-jin’s words, Namgung Hwi frowned and nodded. Weather like this was exhausting, even for exceptional martial artists like them.

Not knowing what hardships lay ahead, having the climate hinder them like this was not a good sign. For now, it was already slowing their pace.

“I agree. We need to move as quickly as possible, so this delay is unwelcome.”

Namgung Hwi said, wiping away the dripping rainwater.

*Getting soaked for no reason is unpleasant.*

For him, who had already reached a state impervious to the elements, poison, and harm, to be drenched by rain was something that would never have happened if others weren’t around.

“The weather is the will of the heavens. There’s nothing we can do. Let’s wait for the rain to stop.”

“I suppose we have no choice. We can’t exhaust the warriors by forcing a march in this weather.”

Namgung Hwi agreed with Yu-jin, nodding, and went into his room. Yu-jin smiled and entered his own.

The four handmaidens were with Namgung Hwa-rin, so he couldn’t touch them, but he had Ran and Eun Seol-rin. And just as he expected, the two were sitting on the bed.

“Master, we’ve gathered some information about the experts gathered at Mount Hua and the situation there. It seems far more serious than we thought. The treasure map is constantly changing hands, and those who acquire it rarely survive a day. Amidst the chaos, Jeon Baek of the Blood Claws and Eun Je-woo of the Heartless Saber have reportedly made their move.”

They were all masters of the previous generation, known to be on the verge of the Transformation Realm. That even they were getting involved spoke volumes about the impact of the Sword God’s secret manual.

“Old men who’ve lived long enough, getting involved without any certainty. How absurd.”

Yu-jin scoffed at them coldly.

“From their perspective, they have no other choice. The wall to the Transformation Realm is high, is it not?”

Yu-jin could understand Eun Seol-rin’s point. They were all stuck before the threshold of the Transformation Realm. As such, they must be desperate for any clue that the Sword God’s manual might offer, even if it had nothing to do with their own martial arts.

“The wall to the Transformation Realm is certainly high.”

If not for the ‘Soul of the Heavenly Martial Master’, Yu-jin himself would never have surpassed the wall of the Transformation Realm, let alone the Profound Realm. He wasn’t that kind of brilliant genius.

*I hadn’t planned on interfering, but getting involved like this must be fate. I’ll be sure to ruin their plans properly.*

His hobby was ruining other people’s carefully laid plans.

“Master?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I was just lost in thought. Seol-rin, Ran. Come here.”

At Yu-jin’s words, Ran and Seol-rin, who had been sitting quietly, came over and embraced him. Yu-jin created a sound-dampening barrier to prevent any noise from escaping the room and held them to his heart’s content.

* * *

The rain did not let up, and though Mount Hua was not yet in sight, the inn was already crowded with numerous martial artists. The menacing atmosphere they created kept ordinary people from entering.

If not for the Namgung Clan’s warriors, one of them would have surely caused a scene by now.

No, I stand corrected. There were people in the world on whom the prestige of a great clan had no effect.

“So what if you’re from the Namgung Clan! When so many people are gathered, you should know how to share!”

The faces of the Namgung warriors contorted at the bearded man’s shout. In contrast, the other martial artists, who had been intimidated by the Namgung name, began to cheer him on.

It was a confidence born from the fact that they outnumbered the Namgung warriors. The power of numbers was formidable anywhere.

Inside the room, Namgung Hwi and Namgung Hwa-rin looked troubled. In front of them, Yu-jin was smiling, sipping tea poured by the handmaidens.

“Young Master, what should we do?”

A warrior approached Namgung Hwi and asked. Namgung Hwi frowned, glaring at the man outside.

“That man, do you know who he is?”

“He is Gwak Do of the Crushing Fist, a fairly well-known pugilist in the martial world. They say he earned his title by shattering a large boulder with a single blow.”

“He’s still just trash.”

Just as Namgung Hwi was about to respond to the warrior, Yu-jin approached and spoke.

“We can’t cause trouble, can we?”

“It’s better than having the clan’s name tarnished.”

Namgung Hwi fell silent at Yu-jin’s words. It was true; he couldn’t forgive a rogue-like martial artist for staining the Namgung Clan’s name.

However, asking them to spare a few rooms wasn’t an act that tarnished the clan’s name, even if the man’s attitude was completely out of line.

“Then I shall step in.”

“But… Young Master Kang.”

“Since he’s offered, let’s just watch, brother.”

“But to use my martial arts carelessly against someone weaker than me…”

Despite Namgung Hwa-rin’s words, Namgung Hwi still hesitated. He had been taught not to oppress others with his skills, and using them for such a trivial reason went against his principles. However, his hesitation didn’t last long.

“So the Namgung Clan is just a bunch of greedy bastards. Can’t even share a small inn like this! Or are you afraid of me, Gwak Do?”

Gwak Do, having lost all reason to the crowd’s cheers, shouted without thinking about what he was saying.

At his shout, the faces of Namgung Hwa-rin, Namgung Hwi, and the warriors twisted in anger. His words were practically a declaration of war.

“I can take care of him, right? Ah, I won’t kill him. Just teach him his place.”

“I will handle this myself. It is our family’s name they have tarnished.”

With those words, Namgung Hwi opened the door and descended without touching the stairs, landing in front of Gwak Do.

“Wh-what! You want to go?”

Gwak Do broke into a cold sweat, realizing at a glance that this was no ordinary young master. He hadn’t expected someone who seemed to be a young lord of the Namgung Clan to actually be present.

*Then why didn’t they announce it?*

Most of the younger generation’s rising stars were caught up in vanity and loved to make their names known.

But Namgung Hwi, who despised such vanity, only ever displayed his clan’s banner and never went out of his way to reveal his own identity. Gwak Do, unaware of this, trembled as he recalled his actions.

“We will vacate the inn’s rooms. It is not right for our clan’s warriors to occupy them all when so many people are gathered. And as for you.”

“Wh-what!”

Namgung Hwi stared coldly at Gwak Do and spoke.

“I admit we were in the wrong. But to say we are afraid of you… there is a limit to disrespecting the Namgung name. I, Namgung Hwi, the Azure Sky Dragon, will demonstrate just how meaningless your paltry skills are.”

*I messed with the wrong person!*

Among the rising stars of the younger generation were the Seven Dragons and Five Phoenixes, who were predicted to one day rule the martial world. To think he had provoked one of them, the Azure Sky Dragon—to Gwak Do, he was a being from the heavens above.

“How dare a man who lacks the courage to even throw a punch tarnish the Namgung name. Know your place.”

*Crack!*

“Keoheok!”

Struck in the abdomen by Namgung Hwi’s punch, Gwak Do collapsed on the spot. Namgung Hwi then kicked Gwak Do in the head.

Gwak Do spat blood as he was sent flying. Having knocked him unconscious in two hits, Namgung Hwi glared at the others.

“Who else has tarnished the Namgung name?”

At that, those who had been cheering for Gwak Do moments before fled the inn, despite the pouring rain. They had no desire to end up in the same miserable state.

Having cleared out the inn in an instant, Namgung Hwi turned to go back to his room.

“As expected, you’re truly fearsome when angered, Brother Namgung. Gwak Do was a pugilist of some renown.”

“He’s not called the Azure Sky Dragon for nothing.”

Hearing his name called, Namgung Hwi looked quizzically toward the source of the voice, the inn’s entrance. A bright smile spread across his face. Before him stood three young men and two young women he knew well.

“I never expected to see you all here.”

Namgung Hwi smiled and approached the group. They were all members of the Seven Dragons and Five Phoenixes, the greatest rising stars in the martial world.

The young man with a black kerchief tied around his head was Dang Geon-woo, the ‘Poison Dragon’ of the Sichuan Tang Clan. The one with long, flowing black hair was Mo Yong-jin, the ‘Sovereign Sword Dragon’ of the Moyong Clan. The one with broad shoulders, a sturdy build, and masculine features was Paeng Won-jun, the ‘Northern Saber Hegemon Dragon’ of the Hebei Paeng Clan.

They were the young men from the Five Great Clans who belonged to the Seven Dragons. The women were also members of the Five Great Clans.

“Brother Namgung, do you only have eyes for the men?”

“Exactly. Please look at us, too.”

At the words of Je-gal Min, the ‘Spirit Phoenix’ of the Je-gal Clan, and Dang Ga-hee, the ‘Poison Phoenix’ of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Namgung Hwi smiled and shook his head.

“How could that be? It’s been a long time for you two as well. Come to think of it, I heard you were traveling the martial world. Are you all heading to Mount Hua, too?”

The others were all between twenty and twenty-three, so Namgung Hwi spoke informally to them, and the group accepted it as a matter of course. Namgung Hwi, along with Kang Yong-hoon, had always acted as the eldest brother among the Seven Dragons.

“Yes. We’re not interested in the Sword God’s manual, but it seemed like it would be an interesting event, so we decided to go.”

At the words of Mo Yong-jin, the group’s representative, Namgung Hwi’s expression hardened.

“If you’re going with that mindset, I must advise against it. That place is already a den of demons. You don’t know what kind of masters will be there. Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Brother Namgung, you always treat us like children, and that’s a problem. The others and I are also part of the Seven Dragons and Five Phoenixes, just like you. That means we have already reached the peak realm. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t look down on us so much.”

Mo Yong-jin immediately retorted Namgung Hwi’s words, and Namgung Hwi said no more.

He knew they were all immensely prideful, so it was difficult to speak carelessly. Just then, the door to the room opened, and Namgung Hwa-rin came down.

“Hwa-rin!”

Je-gal Min and Dang Ga-hee approached with bright smiles, and Namgung Hwa-rin smiled back as she went to them.

With the three young women gathered, the gloomy atmosphere of the inn seemed to vanish completely. Namgung Hwa-rin exchanged greetings with the women, then approached the three young men and bowed her head.

“It’s been a while, brothers.”

The young men smiled faintly at Namgung Hwa-rin’s greeting. Being men, they couldn’t possibly feel displeased when a beautiful woman greeted them.

The only odd thing was that, in their memory, there was no image of Namgung Hwa-rin greeting them so politely.

“Hwa-rin is trying to change now that she’s getting married soon. What do you think, has she changed a bit?”

“Brother!”

Namgung Hwa-rin cried out, her face blushing at Namgung Hwi’s words. Seeing her reaction, Namgung Hwi said no more.

“By the way, is that man, Kang Yu-jin, really okay? To be honest, his reputation is terrible.”

At Dang Ga-hee’s question, Namgung Hwa-rin shook her head.

“He’s a good person. And his martial arts are strong. I’ve learned this time just how unreliable people’s words can be. Do you want to meet him? He’s resting in his room right now, saying he’s tired.”