3 – 01# A Hair’s Breadth from Death (3)

Filial piety is the root of all virtue. Those who respect and revere their parents are courteous to others and do not act arrogantly. This is indeed a model for the world.

Murong Xuan, the young clan head of the Murong Clan, one of the Five Great Clans and a distinguished lineage at that, undoubtedly knew the Analects of Filial Piety. But, with all due respect to Confucius…

He could no longer stand idly by and watch his father, the Clan Leader, perpetrate such outrageous acts. If one fears the pain and fails to excise the festering flesh, eventually the rot will spread and become irreversible.

At first, Murong Xuan hesitated to cut away a part of his own blood and flesh, his own father. But eventually, he steeled himself to do what was necessary. And one of the reasons for this resolve was his younger sister, Su-ah.

Despite being only sixteen years of age, Su-ah had already reached the peak of the Second-Rate realm and was rapidly approaching First-Rate. Her talent was undoubtedly a gift from the heavens.

But the problem lay elsewhere. The will to win is paramount among martial artists. But Su-ah’s was excessive. No, it was not merely a will to win, but outright cruelty.

“Stop! Didn’t I tell you to stop!”

“Kkeuheok…!”

“He has already lost consciousness! To unleash a martial technique on a fallen opponent… do you truly intend to kill him?!”

Murong Xuan, horrified, intervened to stop Su-ah from not only mocking her fallen opponent, but also preparing to strike him with a deadly technique. But Su-ah, unrepentant, retorted with a defiant glare.

“Unnecessarily grown branches only steal the nutrients of the great tree. So, wouldn’t pruning those branches before the tree topples be for the greater good of the clan?”

Sua’s neck, stiff with a pride that bordered on arrogance, seemed poised to snap at any moment. How could her brother, Mo Yong-hyun, not worry, given the circumstances?

Of course, it was better than showing misplaced mercy and being killed by an enemy. But Sua acted this way even toward members of their own clan, which was the problem.

Already, none of her peers could match her. Even Mo Yong-hyun, who had stepped into the realm of the masters, found it exceedingly difficult to withstand Sua’s brutal techniques. It wasn’t simply a matter of skill.

No matter how much of a prodigy Sua was, the barrier of realms was absolute. If Mo Yong-hyun, already in the realm of the masters, fought with all his strength, defeating Sua wouldn’t be too difficult.

The problem was, doing so might inadvertently leave Sua deeply wounded. Though considering Sua’s ruthless nature, a proper scolding might be more appropriate.

Mo Yong-hyun couldn’t bring himself to do that to his cute little sister, four years his junior. And more than anything, Sua’s ruthlessness wasn’t entirely her fault.

“That’s right, Sua.”

“Father, you’ve arrived!”

“Yes, you must understand your brother. He is rather…delicate, you see.”

“Even so, Brother is a proud warrior of the Mo Yong clan, having achieved great things at a young age, is he not?”

“…….”

A child is a mirror of their parents, it is said. What child is born with evil in their heart from the very beginning? They are as they are simply because they have seen and learned wickedness.

‘It is my fault that I failed to guide Sua onto the right path, merely standing by and watching. How can I blame only Sua?’

He had felt a growing unease as Sua, receiving personal instruction from the Clan Lord, seemed to twist and change. Yet at first, it was the Clan Lord’s doing, so he believed there must be a reason.

But his faith was repaid with cruel betrayal. He had been foolish to think that if he showed sufficient results, they would eventually understand each other. They never intended to listen from the start.

If even he, the Young Clan Lord, was treated this way, how could Sua be any different? At this rate, she could become a murderous fiend who kills at the Clan Lord’s every word. He had to stop it.

“Before the great undertaking, I intend to entrust Sua to the nameless Great Warrior.”

“Forgive my impudence, but is this ‘nameless’ one trustworthy?”

“I understand your concern. However, the nameless Great Warrior is a master of immense skill who hides his abilities and name in seclusion. If he harbored ill intentions…I would no longer be of this world.”

“I do not understand. Why risk sending the Young Lady elsewhere? Wouldn’t it be safer for the clan to protect her?”

Predictably, there were quite a few who opposed Mo Yong-hyun’s decision. This only meant that many warriors cared for Sua, despite everything. But this he would not concede.

“Though cloaked in talk of the greater good, it would ultimately be family killing family. I do not wish Sua to witness such bloodshed amongst our own.”

“I see, I understand. But surely there are other places to entrust the Young Lady? To one of the Five Great Clans, or even to the Martial Alliance…”

“I considered that initially, but it seems unlikely that they would readily grant a favor to the Mo Yong clan, after we unilaterally cut off contact.”

And, above all, he secretly hoped that the nameless Great Warrior could guide Sua away from her ruthlessness. In any case, the objectors seemed satisfied by Mo Yong-hyun’s answer.

And so, he prepared a token of gratitude for saving his life and set out. Sua, however, completely unaware of the clan’s true situation, inwardly sneered at Mo Yong-hyun’s actions.

‘It seems Brother is worried that I will usurp his position as Young Clan Lord.’

The Clan Lord had promised to personally teach her the Ultimate Techniques when the time came. He must fear being defeated by her, once she mastered them, and so he was trying to keep her in check.

Of course, Mo Yong-hyun was by no means an easy opponent. But that was only because she was still young. If they were the same age…or even if she had just two more years…

Would the result truly be the same, even now? At least, Soo-ah herself didn’t think so. But even Soo-ah, confronted with a sudden detour into this rugged mountain terrain, couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

“Brother, I was led to believe I would be receiving tutelage from a master surpassing even the most renowned orthodox sects. Yet, why have we come to this mountain with no connection to us…?”

“You’ll see soon enough. Ah, there he is.”

“…Huh?”

Still, her brother had praised him so effusively, she held onto a sliver of anticipation. But the moment she laid eyes on the place her brother indicated, even that hope evaporated.

Who? Surely, her brother couldn’t possibly be referring to that pathetic old man tilling the soil in that field as the ‘master surpassing even the most renowned orthodox sects’?

“Nameless Grandmaster!!”

Alas, the young maiden’s faint hope was utterly betrayed.

◇

As usual, I was returning from my late-night martial arts training when I ended up half-forcibly rescuing someone from an ambush. Turns out, the fellow was none other than the Young Lord of the Murong Clan?

To put this encounter in a nutshell:

A stroke of ‘good fortune.’

Does good fortune strictly mean encountering an old man in a treacherous mountain to learn martial arts? Such encounters like this can also be considered as good fortune. In fact, when thinking about how good fortune is defined in wuxia stories.

It wasn’t entirely wrong because of the Murong Clan’s connection. The situation appeared rather complicated. Regardless, I was the one who rescued the Clan’s Young Lord.

Which implied that I might receive pills crafted by the clan or precious medicinal herbs that boost internal energy as recompense. And if this connection deepened further?

Though inheriting their supreme techniques or clan secrets might be unrealistic, I might at least learn some basic martial skills. While all martial arts had their merits, being limited to the Three Calamity Swordplay was rather… lacking.

‘And, more importantly, I could gain the Murong Clan as an ally. Which would provide significant assistance, both large and small, when I inevitably venture into the martial world.’

Throughout history, in every corner of the world, powerful connections were invaluable. Especially for someone like me, who only reached the First-Rate realm at the rather advanced age of thirty – a distinct lack of talent.

Not that the First-Rate realm was insignificant, but these days everyone and their dog achieved Supreme mastery from the get-go. Reaching First-Rate after training until thirty was… somewhat disheartening.

That was why I endured that brat’s impertinent words and took my seat. A younger sibling can’t compare to their elder. This Murong Hyun is compared to the young lord, he has a horrible personality.

“I believe Grandmaster is aware of the clan’s circumstances. I implore you, would you watch over our Soo-ah until this matter is resolved?”

“That’s not difficult, but… are you sure the young lady will be alright? From the looks of it, life in this mountain may prove too harsh for her.”

‘Just say you don’t want to. Please!!!’

To maintain my connection with the Murong Clan, I couldn’t refuse their request. But to babysit, no less? And to care for a child with an awful personality, no less.

At my words, Murong Soo-ah, who had been kneeling quietly beside Murong Hyun, lifted her head. Her eyes, holding the color of jade, fixed on me.

“How could I possibly refuse an opportunity to learn from the Grandmaster my brother praises so highly? However…”

“However?”

“If Grandmaster wouldn’t mind… I would like to witness a fraction of your skills.”

I tried to remove a burden but ended up adding another.