Chapter 88

Chang-gung Mu-ae Corps

A day passed.

As if the disturbance of the previous night had never happened, the Namgung clan was quiet.

Bang!

The door of the guest hall flew open.

As if he had been wandering around somewhere since dawn, Nang-wang came in.

"Where have you been going around like that?"

"I just went to take a quick look at the atmosphere."

"So how was it?"

"It was quiet."

"Well, I suppose it would be."

Would anyone openly expose their own disgrace?

Just like nothing had happened, today would pass as well.

Cheon Muyang fell into thought.

'There's no way the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Venerable would personally move just to retrieve Namgung Sang-hyeok's corpse.'

It was excessive.

Unless the Sword King himself was involved.

Otherwise, there was no reason for the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Venerable to move personally.

'Then… that means from the very beginning, he was aiming for Namgung Seohee and me.'

In other words, the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Venerable's main objective was probably to kill Namgung Seohee and himself.

Although it ended in failure, what mattered was the fact that the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Venerable had moved personally.

'Among the seven demon venerables, two of them have already begun to move.'

It was not a good sign.

The central plains were vast.

Which meant that the remaining five demon venerables must also have begun their activities.

'It's fast.'

It was clearly faster than the future Cheon Muyang had known.

That meant the future had changed.

And the cause was Cheon Muyang himself.

'Because of me, the future has changed.'

In other words, the demonic cult could move in a completely different way from before.

Cheon Muyang let out a deep sigh.

"It's complicated."

"What's so complicated?"

"The demonic cult. And the martial world."

Nang-wang gave a small snort of laughter.

"You usually act like a complete butcher. Stop it. It doesn't suit you."

"The threat of the demonic cult is right in front of us."

"So, does worrying about it change anything?"

Nothing would change just because he worried.

Seeing Cheon Muyang worrying in a way that didn't suit him, Nang-wang wiped the smile from his face.

"Just do what you can."

"What I can do…."

"I understand well what you're worried about… but the foundation of the central plains' martial world isn't as weak as you think."

"The foundation of the central plains' martial world…."

That was precisely the fundamental reason for Cheon Muyang's concern.

The foundation of the central plains' martial world.

"To be honest, I'm extremely disappointed with the Namgung clan…."

The Namgung clan was considered one of the very top among the ten great clans and the five great clans, together with the Tang clan and the Hebei Paeng clan.

Yet even so, Cheon Muyang was disappointed.

"That's understandable."

Nang-wang nodded.

Up to now, the 모습 the Namgung clan had shown was clearly disappointing.

"If the Namgung clan is like this, how will the other places be?"

The demonic cult was enormous.

And it was insidious and meticulous.

It was not a threat that could be blocked with one hand.

Even the two demon venerables Cheon Muyang had faced so far, the Yama-slaughter Venerable and the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Venerable, were like that.

"Except for the Sword King, who could block a single strike from the Yama-slaughter Venerable, and who could notice an ambush by the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Venerable?"

There was no one, except for the Sword King.

Namgung Gwan was certainly a strong expert.

'If I had to compare, he's about on the same level as the third elder.'

And precisely because of that, Namgung Gwan could not stop the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Venerable.

He was a fine swordsman and martial artist, but he could not be compared to the Sword King.

"Heh heh heh."

Nang-wang burst out laughing.

It seemed this butcher still did not know the true depth of the Namgung clan.

"You don't even know why the Namgung clan is counted among the greatest families under heaven even though the position of clan head is vacant."

"What?"

Kugugugugung!

It was then.

From somewhere not too far away, a storm of intense presence could be felt.

"What is it?"

Nang-wang was smiling.

Seeing his attitude as if what was supposed to come had finally arrived, Cheon Muyang waited for whatever was approaching.

"The Namgung clan is strong."

"..."

"And the Namgung clan is a family that rose again through the sword. In the end, it can only speak through the sword."

Why did people dare call the Namgung clan the sword-king family of the world?

It was because it was a family that stood tall through the sword.

Hwoooong!

"Chang-gung and Mu-ae."

"...?"

"Only when they become one, not separate, does their true value finally appear."

The Chang-gung sword squad and the Mu-ae sword squad.

They were part of the Namgung clan.

"The true power of the Namgung clan lies in the Chang-gung Mu-ae Corps."

The Chang-gung Mu-ae Corps that stood above them was the true foundation of the Namgung clan.

"The Chang-gung Mu-ae Corps…."

Step, step.

They walked forward.

A strange light rose in Cheon Muyang's eyes.

Each and every one of them was a master who had reached the peak, and the one walking at the very front gave off an aura reminiscent of the Sword King.

"Do not make the mistake of judging the whole by seeing only a part."

"..."

"There are always hidden masters everywhere in the world."

Just like Cheon Seon-hak.

There were always beings like unseen walls that protected a family.

"I see."

Cheon Muyang nodded.

At last, he understood why the Sword King could leave the family without any hesitation.

'So it was them.'

The pillars that supported the Namgung clan.

A single pillar called the Sword King alone could not prove the current prosperity of the Namgung clan.

'Every single one of them is a master who has reached the peak or even the supreme peak.'

They had not been in the Namgung clan until yesterday.

'Their clothes are in tatters. How could experts of this level…?'

The clothes of those who had returned to the Namgung clan were no different from rags.

Those who had pushed through a scene of carnage bowed politely to Nang-wang despite their wounds.

"We pay our respects to lord Nang-wang."

"It's been a while."

It seemed Nang-wang had known them before.

"Unit leader, it looks like you had a hard time."

"It was nothing."

"So, the result? Did you retrieve it?"

At Nang-wang's question, the man who had been speaking lightly suddenly changed expression.

A ghostly killing intent flowed out.

"Annihilation."

"Good."

"Then, we will be on our way."

"Yes. Go on."

He bowed deeply and left his place.

Flash!

Whether by coincidence or not, in the moment his eyes met Cheon Muyang's in midair, a chilling murderous intent was felt.

Gooooo!

It felt as though he might strike at any moment.

Because of that, Cheon Muyang also did not loosen the tension he held.

"Didn't you say you were leaving?"

If Nang-wang hadn't intervened, they would have swung their swords long ago.

"Ah, pardon us."

They left.

Cheon Muyang saw hardened resolve in the backs of those departing.

It was a resolve like unbending bamboo—like great bamboo that never snapped.

"Impressive, aren't they?"

"...More than that."

"They're people who live on an unseen battlefield in the shadows. Unless the Demonic Cult rises openly, they'll never step into the light."

The Namgung clan was different from the Cheon clan.

Unlike Zhejiang, which lay on the fringes, Anhui was a battleground.

Thus, they not only clashed with major powers seeking to enter Anhui,

but the Namgung clan itself also sought expansion beyond Anhui City.

"An unseen battlefield in the shadows…."

The orthodox martial world appeared quiet.

Yet beneath that calm lake, the bloody struggles waged in secret were anything but quiet.

'They constantly oppose one another.'

The orthodox martial world endlessly opposed itself.

'And yet, they constantly unite.'

That paradox was the fundamental reason the era of the orthodox martial world endured.

'It looks stagnant, but it isn't.'

Failing to adapt to the times meant drying up and dying in the lake called Jianghu—or sinking straight to the bottom.

Even now, on those unseen battlefields in the shadows, blood must still be spilling.

'It could be one of the Ten Great Clans, the Nine Sects and One Union, a band of unorthodox factions, or perhaps even the Demonic Cult.'

There was no ally or enemy there.

To protect the Namgung clan's hegemony—or to expand it—they fought endlessly.

"Different from the Cheon clan, isn't it?"

"It is."

The Cheon clan had walked the road of decline and completely abandoned outward expansion.

That wasn't a matter of choice.

Their strength had weakened to the point where they couldn't even block interference from external forces.

Wasn't it true that more than half of those called the Cheon clan's allies had colluded with the council of elders and fallen into corruption?

'If things had followed the original future… by now, much of their interests would've been seized by the Tang clan and the Namgung clan.'

That loss had never been a coincidence.

Decline, weakening, annihilation.

That entire sequence had been like an unavoidable, predetermined course.

"Up until now, the Cheon clan could barely even hold onto Zhejiang's hegemony."

That should have been the case.

But the Cheon clan now was different.

"The Cheon clan has changed."

"Yes. Changed enough to pique my interest."

"...."

"Even so, you can't close the gap between them and the Namgung clan all at once."

"That remains to be seen."

"Are you saying the Cheon clan's foundation truly rivals that of the Namgung clan?"

"Not yet."

Not yet.

Nang-wang let out a small laugh.

"Yes. Not yet."

"...."

"You'll have to move diligently. The Namgung clan's true strength isn't fully revealed yet either."

Nang-wang was implying that those earlier weren't all of it.

"...."

Cheon Muyang nodded.

Growth always began with acknowledgment.

'I can't deny it.'

The Namgung clan was the Namgung clan.

Which was exactly why he needed to know—

why they had left a path open despite possessing such strength.

"I should meet this chief steward."

"Let's go."

"Together?"

"Yes. I happen to know that chief steward."

Cheon Muyang shrugged.

No matter what, Nang-wang was still Nang-wang.

There was no loss in traveling together.

"Let's go."

"Alright."

The two arrived at the Namgung clan's lord's hall, where the chief steward was staying.

"Hmm!"

There, they encountered Namgung Gwan.

He seemed to have come to meet the chief steward as well.

"We meet again here."

"I only came to deliver the results."

After saying that briefly, Namgung Gwan quietly positioned himself beside Nang-wang and Cheon Muyang.

"...."

After briefly gazing at each other, Nang-wang and Cheon Muyang smiled at the same time.

"Very well. Let's go together."

"...."

Namgung Gwan led the way.

"We greet you, Great Lord!"

"Inform the chief steward."

"Yes."

After a short wait, the martial artist who had gone to deliver the message returned.

"Please go in."

"Good. Thank you for your trouble."

Step, step.

In the office where the clan head should normally have been, a man who appeared to be the chief steward sat instead.

Documents were piled like mountains, yet between them, two sharp eyes gleamed.

"You've arrived?"

He spoke without even looking at Namgung Gwan.

Namgung Gwan bowed respectfully.

"Yes. But it seems there is a guest."

The chief steward was not alone.

"A representative from the Zhuge clan has come."

"Ah, hello."

A man who had been stammering hurriedly rose from his seat.

"I-I am Zhuge Hyeon of the Zhuge clan."

Namgung Gwan gave a slight nod.

That was all.

Having lost interest in Zhuge Hyeon, he spoke quietly to the chief steward.

"I will return later."

"That won't be necessary, Great Lord."

"...."

A strange silence fell.

The one who broke it was none other than Zhuge Hyeon.

"Ah—th-this is embarrassing. Ch-Chief Steward, I-I will be going now. W-We shall meet again later."

"Very well, then."

"Y-Yes, I'll—I'll take my leave."

Zhuge Hyeon left hastily with an awkward smile.

"...."

"Then, Great Lord. Please give your report."

The chief steward's cold, sharpened gaze fixed on Namgung Gwan.

Nang-wang and Cheon Muyang merely observed the scene closely.

'There's something here.'

An inexplicable intuition stirred within Cheon Muyang.