Chapter 6 – Namgung Hwa-rin (3)

Yu-jin watched, a leisurely smile on his face, as over ten assassins charged at him. Just as he was about to make his move, a burst of sword qi, crackling with blue lightning, slammed into the assassins.

“Oh?”

Yu-jin looked on with admiration at the warrior who had unleashed the sword qi. A handsome young man and a woman stood with cold expressions, their swords drawn.

Kang So-hee seemed to recognize the two, her face lighting up with pleasure.

“Hwa-rin! Brother Hwi!”

Kang So-hee called out her friend’s name with a bright smile.

“So-hee, it’s been a while!”

The Thunder Phoenix, Namgung Hwa-rin, also smiled and waved. It wasn’t exactly appropriate behavior with assassins still around, but no one seemed to mind.

Warriors from the True Dragon Sword Clan’s Fire Sword Brigade, who had appeared out of nowhere, along with Namgung Hwi and Namgung Hwa-rin’s escorts, had rushed in and begun to clean up the remaining assassins.

“Hello, Ye-jin.”

“It’s Sister Hwa-rin and Brother Hwi! Hello, sister, brother.”

Ye-jin greeted Hwa-rin while wrapping her in a hug. Hwa-rin gently returned the embrace, and Hwi lightly patted Ye-jin’s head. Then, the two turned to Yu-jin with puzzled looks and asked.

“Who is this?”

Kang So-hee gave an awkward smile and opened her mouth, realizing anew just how unsociable her brother truly was.

“This is Kang Yu-jin, my eldest brother.”

At her words, Namgung Hwa-rin’s face froze, and Namgung Hwi’s lips curved into a strange smile.

***

Beom Sang-woo, the commander of the Heavenly Sword Brigade—the strongest combat unit of the True Dragon Sword Clan—was a master of the fast sword, renowned enough to earn the title of the Soul-Chasing Sword.

Beom Sang-woo, who was widely expected to reach the Transformation Realm at any moment, had a surprisingly refined hobby: painting orchids. But today, he couldn’t paint properly.

“Co-Commander!”

Beom Sang-woo looked at the young man who had called him. It was Jin Seung-won, one of the Heavenly Sword Brigade’s most celebrated young swordsmen. While he had a flaw of making a fuss over things, Beom Sang-woo had never seen him so flustered, and he asked with curiosity.

“What’s the matter? Why are you so flustered?”

“The Young Master, the Young Lady, and the Fourth Young Lady were attacked!”

“What!”

At Jin Seung-won’s words, Beom Sang-woo was so startled that he tore the paper he was painting on. It was an incident significant enough to rattle even a man of his deep composure.

“Who would dare attack them! And here, in Nanchang, of all places!”

Nanchang was the True Dragon Sword Clan’s front yard. For the direct bloodline of the clan to be threatened by assassins in their own front yard was unthinkable.

“Fortunately, the Thunder Phoenix and the Azure Sky Dragon, who were on their way to the clan, along with warriors from the Namgung Clan, came to their aid and successfully repelled the assassins!”

“Send the brigade members at once and handle the situation perfectly!”

“Yes, Commander!”

At Beom Sang-woo’s command, Jin Seung-won nodded and left the room to summon the brigade members. Beom Sang-woo’s face twisted in anger.

“Foolish bastards. For assassins to attack so openly in broad daylight, there’s a limit to how much you can underestimate people! And with this, it will be impossible to attack the Young Master for a while, won’t it? The Clan Head and the elders will never let this slide.”

Hearing that a member of the direct bloodline was attacked in their own front yard, there was a high probability that Kang Yu-hyeon and the elders would step in, no matter how much Yu-jin was disregarded.

If that happened, it would be impossible to touch Yu-jin for the time being, which meant the possibility of him marrying Namgung Hwa-rin had just increased.

“I’ll just have to hope the Thunder Phoenix makes a wise choice.”

The Soul-Chasing Sword, Beom Sang-woo, was a supporter of the fourth son of the Kang Clan, the Hegemon Sword, Kang Cheon-woo.

***

Namgung Hwi and Namgung Hwa-rin, who had never expected to meet Kang Yu-jin in such a manner, couldn’t hide their bewilderment. However, they quickly regained their composure and observed him closely.

‘Well, his looks are decent.’

The head of the True Dragon Sword Clan, Kang Yu-hyeon, was handsome, and Yu-jin’s mother, Ye Un-hyang, boasted a beauty that had placed her among the previous generation’s Five Phoenixes. As the child of such a pair, Yu-jin’s appearance was quite remarkable.

However, he was somewhat overshadowed by his younger brother, Kang Yong-hoon, and Namgung Hwi, who stood before him, both of whom were exceptionally handsome. Still, he was more than enough to catch Namgung Hwa-rin’s eye.

‘Brother.’

Kang So-hee nudged Yu-jin in the side, and only then did he bow his head and formally greet Namgung Hwi and Namgung Hwa-rin.

“My name is Kang Yu-jin. I am still inexperienced and have no title.”

Titles like Earth Dragon or Crouching Dragon were just things people chattered about; they didn’t officially refer to Yu-jin. Therefore, it was correct to say he had no title.

But in a way, not having a title could be a cause for scorn. Most up-and-coming young martial artists earned a title after some activity, so not even having a minor one meant something.

Was it to defend him? Kang So-hee spoke up.

“It’s just because my brother hasn’t been properly active in the martial world yet. If he were, the Seven Dragons would become the Eight Dragons in no time!”

At Kang So-hee’s words, the eyes of Namgung Hwi and Namgung Hwa-rin widened. The current Seven Dragons and Five Phoenixes were all considered monsters for their age.

They were known to be able to wield sword qi at the young age of twenty, so the moniker of monster was not an exaggeration.

‘Does he truly possess potential and skill on par with the current Seven Dragons?’

Namgung Hwi was skeptical, but he also knew that Kang So-hee did not speak carelessly, so he could only stare at Yu-jin with a peculiar expression. It was the same for Namgung Hwa-rin.

‘This man has skills comparable to the Seven Dragons? So-hee isn’t one to spout nonsense, though.’

Of course, as the Young Master of the True Dragon Sword Clan, he was bound to be stronger than most of the younger generation. Even the public acknowledged the martial prowess of the Lustful Sword.

But no matter how skilled, it was hard to believe he was a master on the same level as the Seven Dragons.

‘Oh, dear.’

As Namgung Hwi and Namgung Hwa-rin stared at him with strange expressions, Kang Yu-jin patted Kang So-hee’s head and looked at the two of them.

“So-hee, don’t say such troublesome things. Haha, please don’t mind her. She was just talking.”

So-hee looked at Yu-jin with a dissatisfied expression. However, since Yu-jin had spoken, she ultimately held her tongue. Just then, Ye-jin stepped between Yu-jin and So-hee.

“Let’s go home for now. We have guests; we can’t just leave them standing in the street.”

“Ye-jin is right. Everyone, let’s head to the estate.”

At Yu-jin’s words, everyone nodded, and so Namgung Hwi, Namgung Hwa-rin, and the Namgung Clan warriors entered the estate of the True Dragon Sword Clan.

“My lady!”

A young man rushed over with an urgent look, stopped in front of So-hee, and dropped to one knee, bowing his head.

So-hee clutched her head as if a headache was coming on. Regardless of how she felt, the young man said what he had to say.

“As your guard, I have failed to protect you from danger. I will pay for this sin with my life.”

The young man drew his sword, and though So-hee was tempted to let him die, she couldn’t help but grab his arm.

“Don’t say that, Baek-jun. I was the one who told you not to follow. You don’t need to take responsibility. Besides, no matter how many men of that level attack, they pose no threat to me.”

As So-hee spoke with a sigh, Baek-jun’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at her. Even Ye-jin was watching with a pathetic look on her face, but Baek-jun’s eyes were fixed only on So-hee.

When his gaze shifted to Yu-jin, his face contorted. But he couldn’t utter a word.

“We have guests, Jun. Return to your quarters for now.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Baek-jun glared at Yu-jin before leaping high into the air and disappearing.

“Your guard is the same as ever,”

Namgung Hwa-rin said with a laugh, but So-hee shook her head. He was a talented individual, but she disliked his behavior.

“He’s just a nuisance.”

“I’ll take my leave now. I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, I’ll see you later.”

Namgung Hwi also bowed his head in response to Yu-jin’s farewell. The two men looked at each other for a moment. Yu-jin was the first to turn away. He then headed straight for the annex where he resided.

***

“Young Master!”

The news that Yu-jin and his two younger sisters had been attacked spread in the blink of an eye, and his maids, looking worried and on the verge of tears, rushed to embrace him.

“Haha, why spoil your pretty faces with such useless worries? As if I’d ever be defeated by men like that.”

“Even so…”

At Rin’s words, the other women all nodded and looked at Yu-jin. He chuckled and pulled all four of them into a single embrace.

“There’s no need for such worries. Anyway, could you leave me alone for a bit? Oh, and I need to meet the clan elders later, so please prepare some clothes for me. The finest ones.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

As Yu-jin let them go, the maids quickly nodded and disappeared into the annex to select his clothes.

Left alone, Yu-jin headed to the garden surrounding the annex. It was unkempt, with no flowers, only overgrown with weeds.

“Jealousy, of all things.”

Yu-jin muttered, scoffing at the thought of Baek-jun. He was said to be a talented individual, but he was only on par with one of Yu-jin’s maids.

He couldn’t even be bothered to deal with someone who bared his teeth like that. What emotions could one feel for an opponent who couldn’t even take a single finger? Yu-jin’s worries were not about the likes of Baek-jun.

“They’re getting more and more blatant. Attacking me in broad daylight like this… And to think they’d send such low-level assassins to attack me? If you’re going to help my siblings, you should at least do it properly.”

Yu-jin smiled as he released his aura. A billowing dark energy shimmered from his entire body like a heat haze, and the weeds it touched began to wither in an instant.

But it lasted only for a moment. Yu-jin withdrew his aura. He had to restrain it, as anyone else who came into contact with this energy would lose their life instantly.

“Well, that’s just how those people are.”

Yu-jin knew very well who was targeting him. The core members of the clan who supported his siblings.

“No matter how many flies swarm, they’re still just flies.”

Since the Clan Head’s declaration, Yu-jin’s life had become quite interesting. Constant assassination attempts. Yet, through all of them, Yu-jin had never suffered a single scratch.

Yu-jin had no intention of staying idle. Especially after a blatant attack like today’s, which he could never forgive.

“I should at least give those bastards a warning, right?”

He couldn’t crush them openly just yet, but a warning should be fine.

“Young Master! Your clothes are ready.”

However, the warning could wait until after he met the elders.

“Ah, I don’t want to see them.”

Yu-jin sighed, thinking of his mothers, who, despite their beauty, all possessed equally difficult personalities.