Part 1

Chapter 19. Namgung (1)

So-hwa’s eyebrow rose.

“Isn’t that a question I should be asking?”

Namgung Jin, still smiling, spoke gently.

“Apologies for eavesdropping, but from what I heard earlier, it seemed the young lady already knew we were coming.”

He glanced at the Blood Sect members, then turned his gaze back.

“I asked because I wondered if you had come here knowing we would appear. Still, I should have first explained the reason we came to Sichuan. I acted hastily due to my shortcomings. I ask for your understanding.”

At his gentle voice flowing with a smile, Tang So-hwa lightly bit the inside of her cheek.

It was because hearing the Namgung Clan’s characteristic refined tone made revulsion crawl up her spine like a reflex.

Arrogance, overflowing within courtesy.

Though the Young Lord before her had never directly shown her disrespect, the disgusting scent of internal energy clinging to his body and the face faintly resembling Namgung Hyun stirred an ingrained anger within her.

Just then.

Step.

“If you know it was rude, then explain first before going around in circles asking for understanding.”

Tang Hak stepped forward as if to protect his sister, cutting off Namgung Jin’s gaze.

The Young Lord of the Tang Clan spoke with a certain sharpness, but the Young Lord of the Namgung Clan didn’t seem particularly pressured.

Namgung Jin suddenly asked in a voice full of delight.

“Young Lord! Did you get home safely that time? I wanted to ask how you were doing, but thought reaching out might be impolite, so I couldn’t visit. I’m glad to see your injuries seem to have fully healed.”

Flinch.

Tang Hak noticeably trembled.

So-hwa furrowed her brow.

She had thought he was admirable, so why was he shrinking back here?

But at his next words, So-hwa understood why Tang Hak stepped back.

“Are Ye-hwa and Yu-hwa all right? They seemed quite shocked that day, and seeing you hurt had them so worried… Come to think of it, it wasn’t an ordinary injury, but seeing how there’s no trace left, the Tang Clan’s medical skills must truly be the best under heaven.”

Even without seeing Namgung Jin’s face, she could tell what kind of expression he was making. He would be wearing the most harmless expression in the world, his eyes full of concern.

Namgung Jin deliberately brought up the day he had helped them. If a sharp tone were used here, it would only make Hak look ridiculous. After receiving help, he’d be acting rudely without even offering thanks.

Besides, aside from the deputy leader, no one else knew about what had happened with Namgung Jin, so from Hak’s point of view, he likely didn’t want it mentioned at all.

The future clan head of the Tang Clan would have to lead these people someday—he couldn’t let them hear of a shameful past where he was beaten up on the street…

So-hwa quickly pushed Tang Hak to the side.

She couldn’t bear to see the Young Lord of the Tang Clan of Sichuan be humiliated in front of those disgusting Namgung bastards.

Tang Hak, frozen in place, quietly stepped aside. With her view cleared, the Young Lord of the Namgung Clan, still wearing that radiant smile, came into full view.

It was deeply irritating.

Looking at Namgung Jin, So-hwa realized where this disgust came from.

That tone, that expression, that manner of speaking—those were Namgung Hyun’s.

Namgung Hyun must have admired his older half-brother. Considering how long he went around imitating the dead Namgung Jin.

So-hwa, for a moment, set aside her manners and threw out a line that might crack that mask.

“Is it correct that the Young Lord came here to capture the Blood Sect?”

Namgung Jin showed a displeased look in his eyes, but nodded obediently.

“That’s correct.”

“You crossed over to Sichuan while tracking them, then.”

“Yes.”

So-hwa suddenly smiled.

“But if you knew the Blood Sect was heading to Sichuan, wouldn’t it have been enough to request support from the Sichuan branch? What reason did you have to act personally?”

“Reason, you say?”

Namgung Jin slightly furrowed his brows, seeming to catch on that there was a hidden meaning.

“It looked like the Blood Sect was becoming rampant, so perhaps you thought it was a good opportunity to involve the Sichuan branch with them. I wonder if maybe you’re trying to tie Sichuan to a scandal in order to check my father, since the new leader of the alliance will be selected soon… That’s the suspicion I have.”

At the blatant slander, the martial artists of Namgung revealed their anger.

“That’s going too far! The Young Lord risked his life to carry out a mission for the Murim Alliance. Do not insult him!”

A middle-aged man standing beside Namgung Jin shouted out.

So-hwa narrowed her eyes slightly. That martial artist was someone she had never seen in her previous life. And yet, he was clearly wearing the sword and uniform of Namgung.

It seemed something bad would happen to him in the not-so-distant future.

Either he died before she entered Namgung, or he was cast out.

Well, if he was one of Namgung Jin’s people, then he must have been a thorn in Namgung Hyun’s side.

The bastard child Namgung Hyun must have been quite industrious before he joined the Tang Clan. Considering how he managed to eliminate the key figures of Namgung despite his narrow footing.

So-hwa looked at the shouting middle-aged man and asked,

“You said it was a mission for the Murim Alliance?”

She frowned slightly as if she didn’t understand.

“The Tang Clan of Sichuan is also a member of the Murim Alliance, yet I’ve never heard of such a mission. And this is something happening in Sichuan, no less.”

“Th-that is…”

“Or is this something only the Sichuan branch doesn’t know about? Do the other members of the alliance know of it?”

“……”

“If it’s a Murim Alliance mission known only to the Anhui branch, then it’s not an Alliance mission—it’s a unilateral action by Namgung.”

“That’s not it, it’s just the situation—!”

So-hwa cut him off, her eyes narrowing.

“Right. We didn’t know anything about the situation.”

The man shut his mouth tightly.

“But if there’s a mission in the Murim Alliance that we aren’t aware of, doesn’t that mean information isn’t being transparently shared among the members?”

Not sharing information and monopolizing it within a specific branch was against the rules of the Murim Alliance. Since the Central Plains is vast, not every lapse in communication is punished. But if the information is about the Blood Sect, that changes things.

It’s dangerous intelligence that could put the Central Plains in jeopardy.

In fact, a direct descendant of a member of the alliance who hadn’t received information on the Blood Sect had nearly been killed by them just now.

The Anhui branch would have to take responsibility for not sharing that information. According to the laws of the Murim Alliance.

The man’s lips twitched, as if he had recalled the Alliance’s regulations.

“Th-that’s not it…”

“Uncle.”

Namgung Jin stopped his uncle with a glance.

Soon, Namgung Jin wiped the smile completely off his face. Stepping forward, he clasped his hands together and offered a calm fist salute.

“I apologize for the discourtesy.”

Tang So-hwa did not return the salute. She simply lowered her head slightly and looked down at the Young Lord of Namgung as if observing him. That gaze irked the Namgung martial artists. But Tang So-hwa couldn’t care less.

Instead, as if to aggravate them further, she tilted her head.

“All of a sudden? What exactly are you apologizing for, Young Lord?”

“I should have informed the Sichuan branch first since it concerned Sichuan, but I acted rashly. Still, the situation wasn’t clear, so I couldn’t speak carelessly. Also…”

Namgung Jin’s gaze, tracing up from his upright posture, drifted to Tang Hak standing beside So-hwa.

“A few days ago, I met you on the streets of Sichuan. But since you didn’t request a meeting through the Tang Clan afterward, I assumed you wished to keep our meeting discreet. So, without announcing our visit, we quietly confirmed the activities of the Blood Sect and planned to share verified information with the alliance members afterward.”

… So that’s how you want to play it?

So-hwa held back a dumbfounded breath at the smooth nonsense.

With those words, the Tang Clan could not refute Namgung Jin.

The Young Lord of the Tang Clan and the Young Lord of the Namgung Clan had already met in Sichuan. And yet the Tang Clan’s Young Lord had not invited the Namgung Young Lord.

The Tang Clan of Sichuan, having received a favor, yet offering no hospitality.

When Namgung Jin reports the reason for concealing his actions, he would surely include details about the Tang Clan’s Young Lord.

Then, all members of the Murim Alliance would learn of the Tang Clan’s disgraceful incident. The incident where the Tang Clan’s Young Lord was being beaten by drifters in the street and saved by the Namgung Young Lord. A stain on the Tang Clan’s reputation.

In short, it was blackmail.

Namgung Jin looked at So-hwa with a radiant smile.

They said Namgung Jin was intelligent, but this wasn’t intelligence—it was cunning.

So-hwa erased the faint gratitude she had harbored toward him.

All the better.

Now, she could make Namgung Jin the scapegoat without a shred of guilt.

The eldest son of the Namgung Clan and the eldest daughter of the Tang Clan exchanged serene smiles while hiding their true intentions.

Yet the retainers of both houses, knowing their true natures, felt uncomfortable just watching.

Then, Tang So-hwa spoke first.

“I see. It seems there was a misunderstanding between us.”

She nodded as if she understood. Namgung Jin also smiled in response.

“Thank you for understanding. Even so, it was my oversight not to inform the Sichuan branch of our arrival. I’ll compile a detailed report of my activities and deliver it to the Leader of the Alliance within the day…”

“That won’t be necessary. You don’t have to disclose your schedule, Young Lord.”

So-hwa averted her gaze. It seemed this cunning Namgung bastard had already figured out her weakness. She had deliberately turned her head away from Hak’s side, but now her brow furrowed suddenly.

The Namgung group was already moving swiftly to take the Blood Sect members and the Yeonju Group martial artists into custody. And…

So-hwa asked in a sharp voice.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“We’re going to interrogate them.”

“That old physician and the young lady are not members of the Blood Sect.”

Physician Jin-cheol and Yeon-ah were also bound among the Blood Sect members.

Namgung Jin responded in a calm voice.

“Even so, they’ve had contact with the Blood Sect.”

“They were only involved because they treated patients injured by the Blood Sect. They haven’t had any direct contact with them.”

So-hwa added mockingly,

“If you consider being cut by the Blood Sect’s blades as contact, then sure, it’s contact.”

Namgung Jin remained unshaken by the sarcasm. He muttered in a low voice,

“Still, we can’t leave them alone. They’re important sources of information.”

At those words, Yeon-ah flinched. The old physician also pulled her close.

It seemed they understood what it meant to be treated as informants in contact with the Blood Sect by the Murim Alliance.

Only then did So-hwa’s gaze return to Namgung Jin. Her lips tilted slightly.

“Yes. You’re right.”

So-hwa nodded slowly.

“Since it happened in Sichuan, by principle, the Blood Sect members should be taken to the Sichuan branch for interrogation. However, since it was you who put in the effort to find them, we’ll consider your hardship and entrust them to the Anhui branch.”

“Young Lady.”

The deputy leader cautiously protested, but So-hwa didn’t look back.

“I’m trusting you with the investigation because I trust the Young Lord.”

She wasn’t sure if her expression could truly be called a gentle smile, but she stretched her lips as gently as she could manage.

“We can only trust the information provided by the Anhui branch. Can we trust the truth Namgung finds?”

Namgung Jin’s lips curved softly.

“Of course.”

Tang So-hwa smiled even more brightly, despite not believing Namgung Jin at all.

“Since the Tang Clan showed trust first, I hope Namgung will also show us some trust in return.”

“It sounds like you have something in mind. Please, do tell me.”

Tang So-hwa clenched and unclenched her healed hand, then suddenly threw a flying dagger from who knows where.

Clang.

The Namgung swordsmen drew their weapons, interpreting it as an attack, but the Young Lord himself did not react.

The flying dagger landed near the group of bound people.

Thud.

The knot binding the old and young pair was neatly severed by the blade.

The Tang Clan’s eldest daughter gripped a new flying dagger in her hand and spoke coldly.

“We will take the Yeonju Group.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep