The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family Chapter 62

The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family 

Chapter 62

“What? Grandson-in-law?”

Namgung Mu-ryong asked again, wondering if he had misheard.

“Yes. While we haven’t done it before, isn’t it common? I mean arranging marriages between families.”

“That’s true, but…”

As Paeng Gil-san said, arranging marriages between close families was indeed common.

But something bothered Namgung Mu-ryong.

“But why now? You could have mentioned this before. Even if Min is too old, there’s still Hwan.”

“Haha. Back then, our Ju-eun was too young, wasn’t she? I thought of it because she’s exactly the same age as Ha Hyeon…”

Paeng Gil-san trailed off, slightly avoiding Namgung Mu-ryong’s eyes.

Namgung Mu-ryong narrowed his eyes and said,

“You… there’s something else.”

“What could there be? There’s nothing.”

“Why can’t you look me in the eye? You still can’t lie, just like before.”

“Who’s lying!”

Paeng Gil-san tried to meet Namgung Mu-ryong’s eyes as if to prove he could… but turned away again before ten seconds had passed.

“Hey now, Gil-san!”

“Ahem. Fine. I did see something.”

“What was it?”

“But it’s not just because of that that I’m proposing this marriage arrangement.”

“Alright, tell me.”

“Yesterday, when I went to Mongolia to bring your family back. Remember when I brought Ha Hyeon back after finding him collapsed in the forest?”

Namgung Mu-ryong nodded.

That would have been when he had fallen asleep, exhausted from treating his internal injury.

“At that time, I saw Ha Hyeon…”

Paeng Gil-san slowly told Namgung Mu-ryong what had happened then.

He had wanted to tell this first, but there hadn’t been a chance.

Until just now, they had been busy with the aftermath of recent events, sending Chae Hyeong-seok’s body to the Martial Arts Alliance and sending formal protests to the Demon Cult.

“He, he did? Ha Hyeon produced the Sword Mist?”

“Yes. I saw it clearly with my own eyes.”

Unlike before, Paeng Gil-san’s eyes were now steady.

Seeing that look, Namgung Mu-ryong could be certain it was true.

“However, it didn’t last long. It was barely a moment. Since Ha Hyeon’s energy isn’t very great yet, he exhausted all his inner power.”

“Did you tell Ha Hyeon about this?”

“No. I haven’t said anything yet. If he tries to practice alone and in desperation draws on his original energy, he could suffer serious internal injury.”

Namgung Mu-ryong nodded with grateful eyes at Paeng Gil-san.

Indeed, it wasn’t just anyone who could become the head of the Northern Paeng Family – he had shown good judgment.

Paeng Gil-san, seemingly embarrassed by that look, laughed and continued.

“So about that… don’t feel too pressured when you hear this. I believe our family has one Purple Restoration Pill. I’d like to give it to Ha Hyeon.”

“A Purple Restoration Pill?”

“We got it after resolving an issue with Mount Hua recently. I was going to give it to another grandchild, but I don’t think anyone needs it as much as Ha Hyeon right now.”

Namgung Mu-ryong could feel Paeng Gil-san’s sincerity as he spoke casually about something significant.

Though he spoke lightly of it, the Purple Restoration Pill was considered a treasure of the Mount Hua Sect.

Only ten pills are produced each year to begin with.

When Namgung Mu-ryong had previously given Ha Hyeon a Purple Restoration Pill, he had casually said he took it from the Alliance Chief, but in truth, he had received it due to his enormous contributions to the Martial Arts Alliance.

“I really appreciate the thought. But I can’t accept it.”

“Why not? Ah! Are you worried I’m using the pill as bait for the marriage arrangement? While I sincerely want Ha Hyeon as my grandson-in-law, I’m not that petty.”

As Paeng Gil-san started to look offended, Namgung Mu-ryong quickly waved both hands.

“It’s not that. It seems Ha Hyeon doesn’t react well to the Purple Restoration Pill. Or rather, maybe he reacts too well…”

“Did something happen?”

Namgung Mu-ryong explained to Paeng Gil-san what had happened when Ha Hyeon took the Purple Restoration Pill.

How his blood energy had boiled to the point of almost being mistaken for qi deviation, and how he had absorbed all of the pill’s energy without leaving a trace.

“Oho?!”

Paeng Gil-san’s eyes suddenly widened.

He seemed to have realized something.

“What is it? Does something come to mind?”

“I think I’ve heard of something like this before… But Paeng Gil-san’s expression twisted slightly before he spoke again.

“The thing is, this story comes from that rascal monk Ju-won. Who knows how much of it is exaggeration.”

Namgung Mu-ryong burst out laughing at the unexpected name.

While Master Ju-won was known to the public as a highly respected monk, they knew his true nature well.

Along with Chwiwol Geolgae of the Beggar Clan and Yu-yeop of the Warrior Clan, he was one of the three great troublemakers of the Martial Arts Alliance.

Though Namgung Mu-ryong and Paeng Gil-san were also close friends with them, the two were considered the more dignified ones.

“What did Ju-won say?”

“Ah, do you remember? Wol-ryong of Shaolin Temple?”

“Ah, yes. You mean that youngster who went into seclusion in the Shaolin Temple hall before even turning sixty, ten years ago?”

Paeng Gil-san chuckled at the word “youngster.”

Wol-ryong was one of the martial arts world’s heroes who had made great achievements at barely twenty during the Righteous Faction Battle fifty years ago, and again thirty years ago at the forefront of defeating the Demon Cult’s minions in the Justice-Demon War.

However, since he was twenty years younger than Namgung Mu-ryong and Paeng Gil-san, they could reasonably call him a youngster.

“Yes. Anyway, wasn’t Wol-ryong Ju-won’s disciple?”

“That’s right.”

“So Ju-won diligently gathered and fed him medicinal pills, and when he took the Great Return Pill, its effectiveness was extraordinary.”

“Isn’t that normal for the Great Return Pill? Isn’t it a remarkable medicine comparable to the Azure Stone Wanderer?”

Paeng Gil-san shook his head.

“No, he said it was beyond that. His inner power reportedly jumped from second-rate straight to the peak level.”

“Oho…”

Namgung Mu-ryong nodded with interest, seemingly drawn into Paeng Gil-san’s story.

“And the Small Return Pill had similarly good effects. The effects were much greater than what normal martial artists experience. But you know, don’t you? Even Shaolin monks rarely get to see the Great and Small Return Pills.”

“That’s right. The Great Return Pill can only be made once every five years, and the Small Return Pill is as rare as the Purple Restoration Pill.”

“So he once gave him a Purple Restoration Pill.”

“Could it be?”

Namgung Mu-ryong’s eyes widened.

Paeng Gil-san nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Right. There was a similar phenomenon to Ha Hyeon’s. What did Ju-won say…? He said that after working hard to get it to make him stronger, he burned it all up in his stomach.”

“Burned up? That means…”

“Yes. That’s the biggest difference – he said the energy of the Purple Restoration Pill was completely destroyed. Wol-ryong couldn’t accept it.”

“Hmm…”

Namgung Mu-ryong fell into thought for a moment.

But he soon realized he didn’t need to think long.

“Say, do you happen to have a Great Return Pill… no, that’s impossible, but how about a Small Return Pill?”

“Come on, man. If those were that common, I would have taken them long ago. I barely managed to get the Purple Restoration Pill, remember?”

“Right? Then where could we get a Small Return Pill?”

“Well… we’d have to go to Shaolin…”

Paeng Gil-san trailed off mid-sentence after seeing Namgung Mu-ryong’s face.

Namgung Mu-ryong was smiling brightly as if he’d thought of something interesting.

And that smile made even the world’s Master feel uneasy.

* * *

“Ugh.”

Ha Hyeon, who had been enjoying sightseeing with Paeng Ju-eun, suddenly shuddered from a chill.

“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

“No, no. Just suddenly felt cold.”

Paeng Ju-eun looked at Ha Hyeon intently with round eyes.

Seeing that he didn’t appear unwell, she turned back around and continued introducing the surroundings.

Ha Hyeon diligently followed behind Paeng Ju-eun, seeing more people than he had in his entire life.

Though So-hwa and Namgung Hwan had already been here when they visited the Northern Paeng Family recently, it was Ha Hyeon’s first time, so everything was fascinating.

“Come on, hurry this way! It might be sold out since it’s so late.”

“What’s the rush about?”

“You’ll know when you follow me!”

Ha Hyeon smiled watching Paeng Ju-eun, who told him to follow but ran ahead by herself.

Though they had just met today, Paeng Ju-eun had been chattering non-stop all day while leading him around.

She was quite outgoing and cheerful, without any shyness.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Yes, I’m coming!” Ha Hyeon answered loudly and followed after her.

The place where Paeng Ju-eun stopped was a shop not far from the Paeng family residence.

This was a place Ha Hyeon knew well too.

“Here, isn’t this the rice cake shop?”

“Yes! It’s my favorite place. It’s really popular here, so if you’re even a little late, everything’s already sold out.”

“I’ve been here before.”

“Really? Who told you about it?”

“No, just by chance. Today I should buy some for us and also for my brothers and sisters.”

Paeng Ju-eun clapped her hands.

“Ah! Right. You said you have sisters and brothers. I heard about them from grandfather.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Except for the Azure Dragon Divine Sword, aren’t they all around our age?”

Ha Hyeon’s eyes widened in surprise.

What surprised Ha Hyeon in Paeng Ju-eun’s words wasn’t that she already knew about his siblings.

“You know my brother Min’s title?”

“Of course! How famous is the Azure Dragon Divine Sword in the martial arts world?”

“Wow. So that’s how famous he is.”

“Of course! The incident at the Dragon Phoenix Branch is so well-known. Ah! It’s our turn.”

Paeng Ju-eun stopped mid-sentence and quickly entered the store.

Ha Hyeon decided he should ask Namgung Min about what happened at the Dragon Phoenix Branch and followed her inside.

“Mister! I’m here!”

“Young miss, you’ve come?”

The shop owner seemed to already know Paeng Ju-eun and welcomed her warmly.

“Today, one, two… give me six boxes please!”

“That many?”

“Yes. I have many people to give them to today. This is my friend!”

The shop owner looked at Ha Hyeon who was standing awkwardly behind Paeng Ju-eun.

“Isn’t that young master the one who came a few days ago?”

“Ah! Yes, that’s right.”

“Haha. I remember clearly because you’re handsome. So you’re friends with young miss Ju-eun?”

Ha Hyeon couldn’t clearly remember when they had decided to become friends, but since Paeng Ju-eun had already said so, he just nodded.

“Yes, that’s how it turned out.”

“Young miss Ju-eun has been lonely with no one her age at home, so this is good.”

He skillfully packed the warm rice cakes into boxes and handed them to Paeng Ju-eun.

“Here you go.”

“Oh! Mister, there are seven boxes here.”

“That’s all I have left to sell today, so please take more and share them.”

“Thank you, mister!”

Paeng Ju-eun bowed her head in thanks, and the shop owner laughed heartily at her cute gesture.

He even accompanied Ha Hyeon and Paeng Ju-eun to see them off outside the shop.

Ha Hyeon could vaguely sense how frequently Paeng Ju-eun must visit this rice cake shop.

“He’s such a nice mister, right?”

“Yes, he is.”

“This is all because I do many good deeds usually, so good fortune comes back to me.”

“How many times usually…”

“What?”

“No, let’s hurry back before they get cold.”

“Okay!”

When Ha Hyeon was about to return to the Paeng residence with Paeng Ju-eun.

Whoosh-!

A martial artist appeared from somewhere, displaying his movement technique as he rushed toward the shop.

Even at a glance, it wasn’t an ordinary level of movement technique.

“Wow, so fast. Must be a master.”

“Indeed.” When Ha Hyeon was about to pass by without much thought, a loud voice erupted from where the shop owner stood, before he could enter the shop.

It was a woman’s voice.

“What time do you think it is, and you’re saying everything is already sold out!”

Though it didn’t seem intentional, her voice resonated with internal energy.

Ha Hyeon thought he had heard this voice somewhere before.

“One box would be enough. I’ll pay double the price, couldn’t you make more?”

“Well, we’re out of ingredients too.”

“Aah…”

Ha Hyeon was worried the martial artist might cause trouble for the shop owner, but fortunately that wasn’t the case.

The woman simply hung her head low in disappointment.

“Seems like nothing serious. Let’s… go…?”

When Ha Hyeon turned around to look where Paeng Ju-eun had been standing, she wasn’t there.

He looked around searching for her.

Somehow Paeng Ju-eun was already standing in front of that frustrated martial artist.

“Here, take this.”

“What…?”

Paeng Ju-eun handed her one box of rice cakes.

The martial artist received the box in bewilderment.

“We have too many anyway. Just pay the price to the shop owner here.”

“Ah…!”

Understanding Paeng Ju-eun’s words, the martial artist lifted her head and said.

“Thank you so much. Our young miss really loves these…”

“Did Yeong-yi ask you to buy them?”

“No, the young miss didn’t say anything, but I wanted to buy them for her…”

The martial artist was answering without thinking to the voice from behind, then suddenly turned around.

There, of course, stood Ha Hyeon.

“I think you said Aeng-aeng. Is that right?”

“You…!”

Aeng-aeng furrowed her brows.

From her perspective, no m

atter how positively she tried to think about it, her connection with Ha Hyeon wasn’t a good one.

Ha Hyeon instead smiled at Aeng-aeng and said.

“I see Yeong-yi hasn’t run away from home again.”