Chapter 32
Xiao Cheong-ja’s face hardened.
“The Demonic Cult?”
The Demonic Cult.
A religious group that worshipped a strange god and repeatedly committed wicked deeds.
Long ago, after the Demonic Cult first invaded the Central Plains seeking to conquer it, the event known as the First Righteous-Demonic War, the Demonic Cult and the righteous martial world had been fighting for a long time.
The Demonic Cult would periodically reveal its ambition to swallow up the martial world of the Central Plains, and to stop them, martial artists united their forces and formed an alliance called the Murim Alliance to oppose the Demonic Cult.
After years of killing one another and deepening their hatred for each other, eighteen years ago, tragedy was repeated once more.
The Second Righteous-Demonic War broke out.
The experts of the Murim Alliance formed the Demon Extermination Squad and set out to fight the Demonic Cult in a final battle.
Most of them never returned.
After that, the Demonic Cult seemed to have suffered a devastating blow and disappeared from sight, but there was a problem: the righteous martial world had also suffered tremendous losses. They had to work for a long time to recover from the damage.
Eighteen years passed, and just when they were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, there were signs that the Demonic Cult was once again beginning to stir.
“Several sects and organizations throughout the martial world have already suffered losses, both large and small. The Im Clan of Fujian Province, Manseok Manor of Jiangsu Province, Cheonmok Sect of Zhejiang Province…”
This was also why Namgung Jeong had been wandering the martial world.
To eliminate the remnants of the Demonic Cult that had begun running rampant in various places and gather information about the Demonic Cult.
That very day, he had killed a man in black associated with the Demonic Cult and found a note inside his clothes.
[Take Xiao Yanli of the Xiao Family.]
Only seven characters were written on the note.
The moment he discovered it, Namgung Jeong hurried to find his sworn elder brother, bringing him to the present.
After hearing the circumstances, Xiao Cheong-ja’s complexion turned pale.
“How could Ari’s name be on that…?”
“I don’t know that much myself. However, that man in black was a remnant of the Demonic Cult, so this is undoubtedly a message they were passing among themselves.”
“You mean…”
Namgung Jeong’s expression darkened as well.
“It means the Demonic Cult is targeting Ari.”
Xiao Cheong-ja could not bring himself to continue speaking. Then, shaking his head, he said with a sigh,
“I cannot understand it. Why would they target Ari? Neither Ari nor our Xiao Family has had any contact with them…”
“There is one strange thing about Ari, isn’t there?”
“What…?”
Xiao Cheong-ja suddenly realized something and closed his mouth.
Everyone who stayed close to Ari became strange. As though they had fallen under some kind of sorcery, all of them had become completely bewitched by Ari, unable to keep their senses.
Just like the fanatics of the Demonic Cult…
“No, no. That can’t be. It was all because of her illness. The yin energy was simply too strong and affected those around her. It wasn’t some kind of sorcery. If it had been sorcery, you or Master Yeong-ro would have noticed it first.”
That made sense, so Namgung Jeong nodded. However, the uneasiness still did not disappear, so he emphasized once more,
“…In any case, you must be careful. I’ll introduce you to some reliable people, so it would be best to increase her escort. Also, how about moving her residence?”
“Her residence?”
“This place is too isolated. It would be the perfect place for anything that happens to be buried without a trace. It might actually be safer to stay somewhere with more people.”
“But where would be a good place to go…”
Namgung Jeong smiled.
“How about staying at the Namgung Family for a while?”
“……!”
“Isn’t sharing both joy and hardship what sworn brothers are for? My elder brother is in danger. How could I, his younger brother, simply stand by and do nothing? I sincerely want to help you by your side.”
Xiao Cheong-ja’s eyes trembled with emotion at Namgung Jeong’s words. He reached out, took his sworn younger brother’s hand, and smiled back.
“I don’t know what good deed I must have accumulated in my previous life to have such a wonderful younger brother. I can only be grateful that you always look after this useless elder brother. I’ll seriously consider your proposal.”
“You always treat me well too, Elder Brother. This much is only natural. However, there is one thing I’d like to ask of you…”
“Go ahead.”
Namgung Jeong casually broached the subject.
“I heard Ari has recently gained a servant who attends to her. Is that true?”
Xiao Cheong-ja looked puzzled.
“It is. But how did you know about that?”
“I met that servant on my way here. There was a bit of a commotion, but the boy had a sense of justice and knew how to step forward when necessary. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a courageous child.”
“I see, I see.”
“So I’d like to raise that servant properly. How about giving him to me?”
“Heh heh.”
Xiao Cheong-ja smiled gently. Then he quietly released Namgung Jeong’s hand and said,
“No.”
***
I had received an offer to become the disciple of none other than the young heir of the Namgung Family.
My thoughts on the matter were simple.
‘Hmm. Not interested.’
To be honest, I had been suspicious at first.
I mean, normally, wouldn’t someone take a person in as a disciple only if they had some kind of special constitution capable of inheriting their legacy, or showed extraordinary talent in martial arts?
But I had no special constitution, I was ugly, and rather than having any talent for martial arts, I had nearly been beaten senseless by an ordinary street thug who happened to be a servant.
Why would someone like me?
‘Is this a scam?’
Wasn’t he actually the young heir of the ‘Namgung’ Family, or perhaps the young heir of the ‘Namgeung’ Family?
…That ridiculous fantasy was rendered meaningless when it turned out Namgung Jeong really was who he claimed to be. When I brought him to the Xiao Family, the gatekeeper recognized Namgung Jeong and hurriedly brought Chief Steward Jeok.
‘He really is the real deal… Then why?’
I was still puzzled, but I quickly erased even that question from my mind. Whether he was genuine or not, my choice would have remained the same.
‘Things are finally starting to work out for me. Why bother?’
Of course, if this had been before I earned Miss’s trust, I might have been tempted.
Back then, I had been surviving on sheer stubbornness. I had no idea when this standoff would end, and my future was uncertain. If another lifeline suddenly appeared, wouldn’t I be tempted to grab it?
But I didn’t need another lifeline anymore.
I had already grabbed onto an extremely sturdy one, and not only that… I had wrapped it around my entire body!
“What? Why are you smiling like that?”
“Just because.”
I grinned at Miss.
“Because I’m happy?”
At my answer, Miss gave an incredulous snort.
But her face, turned away to the side, didn’t look particularly displeased.
See? Miss was getting attached to me now, too.
And you expect me to abandon this cute, adorable, lovely young lady and spend the rest of my life wandering the martial world with some sweaty middle-aged man?
All while suffering like crazy under the excuse of learning martial arts?
Was I crazy?!
“Miss, you can’t abandon me. Okay? You’re all I have now. I’ve put all my stock into you, so it’s either I hit the jackpot or lose everything! Got it? Okay?”
“What on earth are you talking about? Get away from me!”
As I shamelessly clung to the irritated Miss, I made a resolution in my heart.
Yeah, forget martial arts.
Rather than living dangerously for the rest of my life while swinging a sword, I’d rather stay by Miss’s side forever, flatter her, get doted on, and live comfortably!
That was definitely what I thought…
“Would you like to become a master together with me?”
“No.”
“Do you know how wonderful it is to become a master? Not only do you earn people’s respect, but you’ll also be treated well wherever you go!”
“Not interested.”
“Want me to show you some swordsmanship? The Namgung sword is magnificent and profound in every single movement, and it’s quite a sight to behold! How about the Great Evolution Sword Technique? Or perhaps the Boundless Azure Sky Sword Technique?”
“I’m not buying.”
This old man really wouldn’t give up!
I stared at Namgung Jeong with an exhausted expression. He had backed off so readily when I rejected him before, so why was he doing this now?
Namgung Jeong had even started swinging his sword without caring whether I refused or not.
I was so dumbfounded that I could only watch him. His sword continuously changed direction as it sliced through the air.
After quietly watching him for a while, I asked,
“Do you really think I’d be good at it?”
“What?”
“It obviously looks difficult. Especially that technique where you slash horizontally nine times and then thrust in the middle. If you get it wrong, it seems like you’d end up doing neither one thing nor the other. Do you really think I could do it well?”
Namgung Jeong asked in surprise,
“You saw that?”
I scratched my cheek.
“Not all of it. Just a few parts…”
Honestly, I hadn’t understood most of it. I could only distinguish the parts where Namgung Jeong moved more slowly, and even those looked difficult, which was why I had asked.
However, Namgung Jeong instead exclaimed in admiration.
“You have better eyes than I expected. Yes, those nine horizontal slashes are feints, while the thrust in the middle is the real move. You could say every technique is intricately composed of both feints and real moves. Being able to discern them is also a skill.”
“Yeees…”
“Of course, some of it is visible because I performed it slowly, but it would be difficult for someone who knows nothing to distinguish them. Are you really saying you’ve never learned from anyone?”
I nodded.
There was no way I could tell him that until recently, I had lived in a place where I’d get arrested just for swinging a sword, regardless of whether it was swordsmanship or anything else.
Perhaps I had naturally developed an eye for it while bickering with Miss?
I was about to tell him that, but Namgung Jeong was already stroking his chin, lost in thought.
“Hmm. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much, but at this level, you might actually be alright…”
“Pardon?”
“If you’re interested, would you like to learn swordsmanship from me for a little while? Of course, I’m not asking you to become my disciple. What I’ll teach you isn’t Namgung martial arts, but merely some third-rate street martial arts. Still, it should be enough to protect yourself.”
“Uh…”
“What do you think? Want to give it a try?”
I thought about it.
To be honest, it would be a lie to say I had absolutely no interest in martial arts. Even if I didn’t become a master, it would be nice to at least be able to protect myself. Something like what happened last time could happen again, after all.
“…Should I?”
And so, after receiving instruction from Namgung Jeong with a wooden sword for roughly half an hour, Namgung Jeong said,
“Don’t become my disciple.”
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