Anhui.
Like I said, itâs a place Iâve been to in my past life.
Anhui Palace didnât fall behind Henan, especially since it was home to the Namgung Clan.
I never had much reason to visit, and when I did, it lacked the lively atmosphere it has right now.
Back then, during the time when the Heavenly Demon appeared, bringing calamity to the world, Anhui was destroyed by the sword of a single woman.
If I exaggerated a little, Anhui was almost a wasteland at that time.
The symbol of noble clans and the guardian of Anhui was completely erased from existence by one person, and the ones that barely survived ended up succumbing themselves to the Heavenly Demon.
Because of that, people living in Anhui were forced to flee to Shaolin and Henan with the Murim Alliance.
It is so different now.
It was obvious why.
The calamity hadnât happened yet, and Namgung Bi-ah hadnât changed either.
The number of buildings and people I saw outside the window couldnât be compared with Shanxi.
To be fair, comparing Anhuiâs Namgung Clan to Shanxiâs Gu Clan was difficult to begin with.
As I continued to gaze outside the window, Moyong Hi-ah, sitting next to me, whispered,
âThis place is the same as ever.â
âYouâve been here a lot?â
âNot a lot, but once or twiceâŠ?â
It felt weird for me to ask her if she came here a lot.
Comparing the two, the Moyong Clan didnât really fall behind the Namgung Clan.
Now that I think about it, only the Gu Clan looks a bit poor compared to these clans.
It wasnât just a visual impression; it was the reality.
Itâs thanks to Lady Mi that the streets of Shanxi are being maintained.
Which makes it harder for me to understand.
The engagement between Namgung and Gu Clan.
Just why?
I thought about it a few times but couldnât understand why the great Namgung Clan chose Gu Clan out of all clans.
My title was only barely spread after the tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes, but my engagement with Namgung Bi-ah was made long before that, which meant that the engagement wasnât due to my reputation.
What did the Second El- âŠThe First Elder do to make this happen?
At that time, I heard that the First Elder visited Namgung Clan himself and spoke with their elders.
Even after thinking about it a hundred times, I couldnât understand.
What trickery did he pull off⊠that old man.
I didnât really care too much in the past, but now that I think about it, the First Elder was a very special person.
It didnât seem like he did anything special despite being an Elder, often went outside the clan, and wasnât given many tasks within the clan. freewebnĂžvel.coɱ
For example, besides being the head of Gu Sunmoon, he didnât seem to have other tasks unlike the Third and Fourth Elders, who had duties within the clan.
People around him are weird.
Each and every person thatâs supposedly his friend, are monsters.
What the hell did he do to make such friends?
ââŠSeriously, he doesnât have a single normal person around him.â
How could he not have a single normal friend?
âIâm the only one whoâs normal.â
A sigh escaped my mouth.
As I shook my head, I felt a strange gaze from next to me.
When I turned my head, I saw Moyong Hi-ah and Namgung Bi-ah both staring at me with strange expressions.
âWhat?â
ââŠâ
âNothingâŠâ
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What, whatâs going on?
Just as I was about to ask why the two girls were looking at me like that,
âWe have arrived.â
The horseman announced.
We have finally arrived at Namgung Clan after a long trip.
******************
I thought about when I visited the Tang Clan of Sichuan for the Military Exhibition of Tang the year before last year.
Tang Clan, I saw at that time, was so big that it couldnât even be compared to Gu Clan,and to show how much land they possessed, there were beautiful sceneries everywhere.
It was as if the Tang Clan was proving themselves to be one of the great Four Noble Clans.
The great clan was formed thanks to the ancestors of the Tang Clan building up their eminence.
The only clan comparable was the Namgung Clan, the center of the Four Noble Clans.
Itâs big, disgustingly big.
I waited by the entrance after getting off the carriage, and I was able to see the greatness inside the Clan.
It was impossible to compare it to the Gu Clan, and the Namgung Clan even looked more refined compared to the Tang Clan.
Moreover,
I could feel the sharp presence all the way from here.
I was able to feel the sharp presences from inside the clan.
It was the combined aura of the trained swordsmen of the clan.
They really are a clan of swords huh.
During this, Namgung Bi-ah was dozing off despite getting off the carriage.
Is this girl hibernating all four seasons?
She really didnât seem to do anything else besides eat, sleep, and train.
She always seemed tired.
âWake up.â
When I repeatedly shook Namgung Bi-ah to wake her up, Moyong Hi-ah approached me and whispered.
âIâll be leaving first, Young Master.â
âHmm? Youâre going?â
âYes, I have a business that I have to take care of first.â
I heard that she had something to do in Anhui, but shouldnât she visit the Namgung Clan first?
Just as that question popped up in my mind, Moyong Hi-ah answered,
âI think itâd be better for me to visit Namgung Clan later since your clan has priority.â
âAlright.â
âIâll be back right away.â
I observed Moyong Hi-ah after hearing her.
I gave her heat midway, so it should be fine, right? It most likely will be.
Moyong Hi-ah slightly lowered her head, turned around, and left quickly.
After seeing her leave, I thought it would have been better for her to get off the carriage a bit earlier considering the direction she was headed.
I wondered why she bothered to come all the way to Namgung Clan with us.
After watching Moyong Hi-ah leave for a bit, I turned to Namgung Bi-ah once more.
I first need to wake this girl-
âHmm?â
I thought about waking her up by bonking her head, but I saw that Namgung Bi-ahâs eyes were open very clearly.
Her slightly messy outfit was tidied, and her half-asleep eyes were now very clear which was strangeâŠ
âWhatâsâŠâ
Just as I was about to check her, I felt a presence from behind.
I could tell who it was without even turning around.
âWhat are you doing?â
It was my Father.
Lady Mi was next to him as well.
Namgung Bi-ah was showing respect to Father and Lady Mi as if she knew that they were coming.
Father lifted and nodded his head in response, which was something I could never see when it was just us two, so I couldnât help but be surprised.
âIs there a problem?â
ââŠNot at all. I was mistaken for a moment.â
Huh, was I the one dozing off instead of Namgung Bi-ah?
Maybe it was a dream.
That honestly felt more real.
Father was about to say something to me,
âYour outfit is disheveled.â
But Lady Mi spoke first.
Lady Mi came to me with light steps and carefully tidied my clothes.
âItâs an important meeting, so be careful.â
ââŠThank you.â
I was surprised by the unexpected contact from her.
After finishing with me, Lady Miâs gaze shifted to Namgung Bi-ah.
She was checking Namgung Bi-ah.
âHow disappointing. I wouldâve helped you like I did earlier if we had more time.â
ââŠItâs okay.â
Namgung Bi-ah responded with a slight smile.
I wondered what they were talking about at first, but then I realized that Lady Mi gave Namgung Bi-ah a makeover before departing.
Without showing any change in expression after hearing Namgung Bi-ah, Lady Mi returned to stand beside my father.
This is so uncomfortable. Iâm going to dieâŠ
As it was the first time that Iâve experienced something like this, I felt sick in the stomach.
As I was rubbing my belly to calm it down,
Thud.
I felt a heavy presence from the entrance.
He came.
It was a threatening presence for others, but it gave me a sense of freedom, oddly enough.
This was better than the uncomfortable situation I was in.
I turned my head towards the presence.
From afar, I was able to see the blue outfits that Namgung Bi-ah used to wear.
Moreover, I felt Lightning Qi run down my spine, something I hadnât felt before.
So he got stronger after that.
Judging by how I was able to feel his Lightning Qi, it meant that I reached a level closer to him than before.
From the group approaching us, I saw the middle-aged man at the front.
He had a very cold but rude looking face, with the distinctive look of Namgung Clanâs bloodline.
He was the Lord of Namgung Clan, and the martial artist known as the King of Swords in this generation.
He was the father of Namgung Bi-ah, the Azure Heavenly Sword, Namgung Jin.
It was him.
âIt has been a while, Lord of Gu Clan.â
Namgung Jin said, offering a handshake to my father, who accepted it.
âItâs been a while.â
âIt mustâve been a long trip to come all the way here.â
Namgung Jin stared at father with a strange expression as he spoke to him.
It looked as if he was observing him.
I couldnât really tell why he was looking at him like that.
Then,
âYou seem to have gone through a change.â
Father said that to Namgung Jin.
Change?
As I quietly watched them, wondering what was happening, I noticed Namgung Jinâs eyes change a bit after hearing my father.
Then, Namgung Jin quietly responded to him.
ââŠYou are still as sharp as ever.â
Oh.
Judging by what my father said to Namgung Jin and Namgung Jinâs response,
Did he gain enlightenment?
It meant that Namgung Jinâs Qi had changed.
I didnât notice it since I havenât reached their level yet, but father seemed to have noticed.
After seeing that, I smirked at myself.
I still have a long way to go. I got stronger, my ass.
I was happy, thinking I had progressed since I felt his Lightning Qi, but I realized I still had a long way to go.
Iâll pass on being happy like a dumbass.
I should feel glad since I realized once more that I still had a long way to go.
After greeting my father and Lady Mi, Namgung Jinâs gaze turned towards me.
As soon as our eyes met, I lowered my head to show respect.
âI greet the Lord of the great Namgung Clan.â
ââŠRight. Itâs good to see you.â
I had to show him respect since many eyes were watching
During this, I opened my eyes slightly and observed Namgung Jin.
He still seems to have a bit of Demonic Qi in him.
The Demonic Qi I felt from Namgung Jinâs Dantian was the Qi I put in him along with a Shackle when he came to the Gu Clan.
I put it in him just in case the Shackle I placed on him went wrong.
I put just a little bit in so that it didnât cause any harm to his body.
Considering that the Demonic Qi is still in there, the Shackle should be- âŠwaitâŠ?
In the middle of my thought, I suddenly began to wonder.
Now that I think about it, why did I put it on him?
I wondered why I had the Shackle on him.
âOh.â
My question was answered right away.
There was no way that I didnât remember, especially since I was here.
The very uncomfortable feeling that Iâve been dealing with from earlier, I finally realized why I had such a feeling.
FuckâŠ
The Shackle on Namgung Jin.
It was put on him so that he wouldnât tell anyone what happened between us, and also so that he wouldnât ask about my background.
What happened between me and Namgung Jin?
It was when I taught him the basics of the degraded sword art of Namgung Clan.
-Itâs been a while.
I started to hear Namgung Jin speak to me telepathically as if he was waiting.
-âŠI heard that you had something to do, but I didnât expect our reunion to take this long.
I gulped nervously as he spoke.
-But Iâm glad that we are able to meet now.
âŠHaha.
Iâm fucked.
I could sense that Namgung Jinâs voice was filled with hope.
Through his voice tone, I was able to notice that the small difference that Elder Shin taught him had helped him immensely.
If that wasnât the case, Namgung Jin wouldnât have shown such a reaction.
He definitely was able to experienced growth from the small teaching he received back then.
Which was why he was looking at me with such sparkly eyes.
Haha, fuck me.
The problem wasnât the Shackle or anything else right now.
Back then, I told Namgung Jin that I would teach him more during our next meeting.
However, I forgot about that because a lot had happened since then.
I also told Namgung Jin to not bother me afterward.
I was having that said reunion right now.
What do I do?
The Shackle still seemed to be there, and I could see that the small teaching helped him, but the biggest problem was something else.
âŠElder Shin isnât here right now.
Elder Shin, who was responsible for teaching Namgung Jin, was asleep right now.
That was the biggest problem.
******************
Somewhere in Namgung Clanâs building, a crowd of people talking could be heard from outside the window.
It wasnât too loud, but it felt loud to a certain young man.
Rustle.
He clenched his sleeve with his hand and lifted up his body in a faltering way and checked outside the window.
ââŠAh.â
He saw the person that was next to his father.
Crack-
As soon as he saw the young man with fierce eyes, the young man grinded his teeth.
The young man who shook without being able to control his emotions, froze when he saw the woman who stood next to the fierce young man.
âSighâŠâ
Was it a sigh of admiration or something else?
The girl still had a beautiful face.
After seeing her become even more beautiful, the young man spoke with his fingertips shaking.
ââŠSister.â
His sister had bloomed into an even more beautiful self than before.
Full bloom.
Yes, that was her full bloom.
The young man smiled after seeing that woman.
Then, the young man suddenly turned around and his soft expression changed into a face filled with madness in an instant.
âShut it⊠Iâll take care of it myself, so shut your mouth!â
After yelling out infuriatingly, he began to pant heavily.
The young manâs words filled the entire room.
However, the problem was that there was no one inside the room besides the young man, the Lightning Dragon, Namgung Cheonjun.
After yelling out angrily, Namgung Cheonjun looked outside the window once more.
His gaze aimed towards the direction his beautiful sister was in /genesisforsaken