50 – 04# Honeyed Words, Hidden Sword (9)

Namgung Baek.

At the tender age of eighteen, he’d etched his name among the Hundred Grandmasters, and before Sua’s emergence, he was the youngest to ever reach the realm of excellence in martial arts history. A genius, and the young master of the Namgung Clan.

Namgung Yeon had told me enough about him. But why *he* was looking at me with such guarded eyes… frankly, I couldn’t fathom.

That didn’t mean I’d let Namgung Baek’s discourtesy slide. If it were just me, maybe. But now I had three disciples relying on me, demanding I take responsibility.

“You don’t look too pleased. Is my being alive such an irritant?”

“What are you talking about, all of a sudden?”

“If your face betrays you so easily, I think you’ve already said enough.”

“…Forgive me. Personal matters. I lost myself for a moment…”

At my observation, Namgung Baek paused, then bowed his head in apology. My disciples gasped; they’d never seen him so humble.

Easy does it.

That’s how I’ve lived my life so far.

And that’s why I usually let things slide.

But not this time. One wrong move, and my disciples could have been captured by the Demonic Cult, held as prisoners. Luckily, Go Gyeom and Ma Gang were there.

If only one of them had been missing, the cult’s plan would have succeeded. Of course, the Demonic Cult was the biggest culprit. That, I knew for sure.

But did that mean the Namgung Clan and the Seonmu Academy bore no responsibility? Absolutely not. After all, it was Seonmu Academy and the Namgung Clan that had arranged this procession in the first place.

*’Because of your precious Hundred Grandmasters, my disciples almost ended up in danger. You vouched for this, so you’ll pay the price. I won’t let this one go.’*

“M-Master? Is something the matter?”

“I am fine. But I have no intention of letting this go.”

“Still, the opponent is the Murim Alliance. Perhaps you should reconsider…”

Of course, I’m not a fool. The Murim Alliance surely had countless masters of the Hwagyeong and Hyeongyeong realms, the kind you see in martial arts novels. But just because I’m short on money and power doesn’t mean I lack pride.

“That’s our Master for you!”

“With Shifu at our side, there’s nothing to fear!”

“Indeed, indeed.”

“…As expected, Great Hero, your depth is unparalleled. I am somewhat relieved, thanks to you.”

‘Huh? What’s *his* deal now?’

I tilted my head. Honestly, I’d just been speaking my mind, for anyone who wanted to hear it. But hearing those words seemed to put Namgung Baek at ease, even lower his guard.

But… why?

Wasn’t it because of that attack from before?

Then… could it be that he’s worried about Namgung Yeon, now my disciple…?

‘Maybe this one ain’t as bad a sort as I thought.’

Well, I couldn’t say I didn’t understand the sentiment. Rumor had it, Namgung Yeon had stormed out of the Seonmu Academy. Suddenly becoming someone else’s disciple like that.

If I were in Namgung Baek’s shoes, I reckon I’d be just as wary.

Still, Namgung Yeon’s fidgety manner gave me pause.

Something definitely went down between those two, though what, I couldn’t rightly say. Anyway, pondering such things, I set off with the Namgung Clan warriors toward the village in Shandong.

Seems word of the Namgung and Moryong Clans holding talks had already spread far and wide. The Shandong marketplace was bustling with more folk than I’d expected.

“Looks like merchants heard the news and came flocking.”

“It’s a meeting between the Namgung and Moryong Clans, after all. Wouldn’t be strange for other clans or sects to send envoys.”

“They don’t get many chances like this, so they can’t afford to miss it, eh?”

The Namgung Clan, needless to say. And the Moryong Clan was said to be resuming exchanges with the Righteous Martial Alliance. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to make an impression.

“But I heard initially that the Righteous Martial Alliance couldn’t all show up due to appearances?”

“That’s not wrong. So they’re all coming to Shandong with plausible excuses.”

“Plausible excuses like…?”

“Visiting relatives in Shandong, or just taking a trip, and so on. There’s no shortage of plausible excuses, really.”

Namgung Baek, who was guiding us through Shandong, added further explanation. Meaning, they couldn’t officially attend without losing face, so they were making up stories to come?

“Folk who live and die by appearances.”

“You’d be wise to watch yourself, Grand Protector.”

They’re always smiling, but they’re the type who’ll have a blade ready to stab you in the back.

◇

Indeed, there was no shortage of reasons to visit Shandong.

The most common and innocuous was to offer congratulations on the Namgung and Moryong Clans holding talks. That was the most acceptable reason to send an envoy.

Naturally, with so many people coming, the merchants were thrilled, hawking their goods and food in the marketplace. It was turning into something closer to a fair.

Only three days remained until the talks. Staying at an inn and exploring the market until then would be the most ideal. But Moomyung approached things from a different angle.

‘The Demonic Cult outright tried to stab the martial world in the back, even bringing in Hundreds of Grand Masters to do so. Did they really just sat idly in Shandong?’

Sure, there were quite a few members of prominent clans and sects of the Righteous Path in Shandong, including the Namgung and Moryong Clans. But that didn’t mean he could relax.

If the name of the Righteous Path was enough to be at ease, then they shouldn’t have been betrayed by the Hundred Grand Masters they recognized and vouched for. After some deliberation, Moomyung made up his mind.

“I’m going to the Moryong Clan.”

“Huh? But aren’t they busy preparing for the talks?”

“Suah should reunite with her family after a long time. And more importantly, the only ones we can trust in Shandong right now are the Moryong Clan.”

“I don’t particularly need a reunion… but I suppose that reason is acceptable.”

Securing a safe haven comes first. Though I’d prefer to stay glued to my disciples’ sides all day, it’s only natural that gaps will inevitably appear.

“Besides, it’ll be a bother to you lot if I’m constantly hovering.”

“You speak truly, Master.”

“Not for me.”

“I’m fine with it! If it’s Master!!”

“……Master???”

Hearing that, Namgung Yeon stared at Moomyung, a look of utter disbelief on his face. But explaining it away as a misunderstanding would only make things stranger, so Moomyung smoothly changed the subject.

“Now that we’ve decided, let’s move. Time is short.”

“Understood, for now.”

Fortunately, finding the residence leased by the Moryong Clan wasn’t difficult. At the entrance of the house rented under the Namgung Clan’s name, Moomyung came face to face with a familiar countenance.

“It has been a long time, Great Warrior Moomyung.”

“Indeed, it has. Was it not Moryong Sa, if I recall correctly?”

“Correct. Thanks to the mercy you showed me then, we are able to meet again like this.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Young Master Moryong Sa. I’m glad to see you in such good health.”

After exchanging pleasantries of appropriate length, Moomyung and Moryong Sa got straight to the heart of the matter. Moryong Sa was, without a doubt, one of the few people one could trust, even having departed the Moryong Clan.

“You were ensnared by a treacherous scheme, I hear. It is fortunate you escaped unscathed, Great Warrior.”

“This incident has made me painfully aware of my own shortcomings. I will no longer sit idly by and be victimized.”

“Do you have a plan in mind?”

“An eye for an eye. This time, I intend to seek them out myself.”

To be wronged and not retaliate went against Moomyung’s very nature. Especially now, when his precious disciples had nearly come to harm. Hearing these words, Moryong Sa tilted his head, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“I understand your intent. But how do you intend to track them down?”

“That is what I must now discover.”

“It’s possible they’ve withdrawn entirely. From what I’ve heard, the Demonic Cult sees this as the failure of a grand scheme.”

From the Demonic Cult’s perspective, a plan they had poured considerable effort into had failed, and they had suffered not insignificant losses. In such a situation, retreating would be more ideal than stubbornly holding ground.

That was Moryong Sa’s opinion, and listening to him, Moomyung realized the wisdom in his words. He had been ready to just leave his disciples here and go charging around.

In the end, was it he who had been blinded by rage, acting irrationally? Moomyung took a deep breath, calming himself. Very well, let’s be as rational as possible.

“Do you perhaps have a better idea?”

“Military strategy dictates: Do not neglect reconnaissance and vigilance.”

What nonsense is this? Why bring that up now?

“Just as they infiltrated the Moryong Clan, there are undoubtedly Demonic Cult members hidden within the Namgung Clan. It would be best to be content with exposing those hidden in the Namgung Clan this time around.”

Moyong Sa’s words brought a nod from Myeong. Indeed, it wasn’t a bad proposition.