Chapter 64
When Ha Hyeon left the Namgung family, it was spring with abundant flowers and butterflies.
And now that he had set foot in Anhui Province again, it had become winter with bitter cold winds.
During that period, having experienced various events both big and small, Ha Hyeon had grown about a span taller than when he had departed.
“Well, let’s take one final rest here.”
Although they had entered Anhui Province, it would still take a full day to reach Hebei, the capital city where the Namgung family was located, so they decided to unpack at an inn.
“Just staying at an inn in Anhui already makes me feel like I’m home.”
“Haha. We are indeed close.”
Namgung Mu-ryong entered the inn first with leisurely strides.
Though his retreating figure appeared normal, only Namgung Gi-cheol felt something unnatural about it.
‘Could it be…?’
Looking more carefully, he noticed that Mu-ryong seemed to be subtly dragging his right leg.
It was the familiar sight of his father’s back that he had seen his entire life.
Though it was a very small change, he could sense it.
“Aren’t you coming in?”
As he stood there thinking, Namgung Mu-ryong turned around and asked with a puzzled expression.
“Ah, yes, I’m coming in.”
Quickly following Namgung Mu-ryong, the rest of the family also entered the inn.
* * *
That night.
Namgung Gi-cheol stood in front of the room where Namgung Mu-ryong was staying.
Since there were three remaining rooms at the inn, Namgung Mu-ryong took one room alone, Namgung Gi-cheol and Gi-hyeon would share one room.
And the rest of the grandchildren would use the one large room.
“Father. May I have a moment?”
“Come in.”
As Namgung Gi-cheol entered the room, Namgung Mu-ryong, who was still sitting in a chair without having changed his clothes, greeted him.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
“I have something to ask you.”
Namgung Mu-ryong looked at Namgung Gi-cheol for a moment instead of answering.
“…”
A moment of silence.
But soon, he spoke with a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha… You already knew.”
“I was uncertain. Is it because of The Blood Sword Lord?”
“That’s right. It really was a close call.”
Namgung Mu-ryong recalled that time for a moment.
The Blood Sword Lord’s aura was truly terrifying.
Thirty years ago, he had fought Chae Hyeong-seok, inflicted serious injuries on him, and defeated him.
But compared to the current Chae Hyeong-seok, that version was no different from a child.
“Didn’t he display such power because he used up all his vital energy?”
Namgung Gi-cheol’s words were true, but Namgung Mu-ryong’s expression darkened.
“Still, I don’t know what training he did for thirty years, but he became incomparably stronger than before. If not just Chae Hyeong-seok, but other unconfirmed masters of the demonic cult have become that strong…”
Namgung Mu-ryong’s brow furrowed.
Although he hadn’t fully recovered from the internal injuries sustained in the battle with The Blood Sword Lord, he was confident he could defeat anyone who might emerge from the demonic cult.
His concern was what would happen if multiple such masters appeared simultaneously.
“Father. Please don’t worry too much.”
“Haha. How can I not worry?”
“Trust in the strength of our righteous faction.”
“The strength of the righteous faction?”
Namgung Gi-cheol smiled brightly.
“Of course I was just a child then, but I’ve heard much about what happened thirty years ago. And compared to then, I believe the righteous faction has grown significantly stronger.”
“Growth…”
Namgung Mu-ryong took another proper look at his son, who was now approaching middle age.
It wasn’t just because he was his son; he had a dignified bearing that would make him a proud warrior anywhere.
“And we will continue to develop further. Haven’t you also achieved a small enlightenment and made progress, Father?”
“You rascal. Did you know about that too?”
Namgung Mu-ryong smiled naturally.
He was thinking of Ha Hyeon.
During the final confrontation with The Blood Sword Lord, if he had lacked even a bit of that enlightenment, even if he could have somehow won, he would have suffered much greater damage and serious internal injuries.
The small enlightenment that Ha Hyeon had helped him achieve had essentially saved his life.
“Yes. So please don’t push yourself too hard alone, Father. You have me and Gi-hyeon. And the children too, don’t you?”
Namgung Gi-cheol firmly held Namgung Mu-ryong’s hand.
It had been a very long time since he had held his father’s hand.
When he was young, it had seemed so large and warm, but now he thought it had become much smaller and rougher than before.
“Well, well…” Namgung Mu-ryong couldn’t reply to this unexpected conversation.
Although his eldest son was of similar age to Moyong Bi-san, the Cold Blood Sword who was already the head of the Moyong family, it was true that he had been regarding him as too young.
“Haha. I can understand why Elder Brother Moyong Hwi has withdrawn from worldly affairs and gone into seclusion.”
“Father, you’re still young. You must remain active a little longer for your insufficient sons and the family members.”
Namgung Mu-ryong looked at Namgung Gi-cheol with somewhat surprised eyes.
He never knew his seemingly stoic son could say such things.
Feeling that gaze, Namgung Gi-cheol felt a little embarrassed, but he raised his head and looked at his father.
His face reflected sincerity.
“Hahaha. Alright. I’ll try to hold on a bit longer.”
Namgung Mu-ryong laughed heartily, genuinely feeling good.
Sometimes he thought that getting injured like this wasn’t so bad.
He couldn’t even remember the last time he had a conversation like this with his eldest son.
“Then I have no choice. Since you put it that way, I should recover a little faster.”
“Yes. That’s exactly what I hope for.”
Namgung Mu-ryong smiled gently.
“So, is Min doing better?”
“Yes. The wound-healing medicine that the Iron disciple gave him has been extremely effective, and his wounds have almost healed. Fortunately, there are no aftereffects.”
Namgung Min had recovered enough that he could resume training as long as he didn’t overexert himself.
“That’s good. Then there shouldn’t be any problem with him going on a mission right away?”
“Yes. That should be entirely possible. But is there some urgent matter? If it’s such an urgent mission, I could go myself.”
Namgung Mu-ryong chuckled and shook his head.
“Haha. No. This isn’t something you can handle.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Here. Look at this.”
Namgung Mu-ryong slightly lifted his outer garment, revealing his abdomen to Namgung Gi-cheol.
“Huh! F-Father!”
Namgung Gi-cheol gasped in shock.
On Namgung Mu-ryong’s abdomen was a long, red scar, as if it were a curse from the deceased Chae Hyeong-seok.
The scar, which seemed to follow Chae Hyeong-seok’s sword strike, vividly recalled the battle from that day.
“This is demonic energy.”
Namgung Mu-ryong lowered his clothes, adjusted his attire, and continued.
“As you can see, it’s truly terrible. This demonic energy is difficult to expel even with energy circulation techniques, and it prevents internal injuries from healing properly.”
Namgung Gi-cheol nodded slightly.
Now he understood why Chiwol Geolgae would often describe them as “those reeking of filthy demonic energy” when talking about the demonic cult.
“Can’t that scar be healed?”
“Haha. That’s not the case. If it couldn’t be healed, my body would be covered with marks left by those demonic cult members by now, considering how many sword wounds I’ve taken. It just takes a long time. If a normal wound takes a month to heal, a scar contaminated with demonic energy takes at least six months.”
Namgung Mu-ryong’s tone suggested it was as trivial as a minor fall, but the content was anything but.
“Then why is Min’s leg alright?”
Namgung Gi-cheol’s question was reasonable.
After all, he too had been injured by The Blood Sword Lord, just like Namgung Mu-ryong.
“For better or worse, Chae Hyeong-seok had already poured all his demonic energy into me and only drew out his original vital energy. Original vital energy is life force. The demonic energy didn’t penetrate that far. If Chae Hyeong-seok had reached the pinnacle of demonic arts and ascended to the realm of demonic deity, that would be a different story.”
Namgung Mu-ryong smiled gently at Namgung Gi-cheol, who wore a serious expression.
“But there’s no need to worry so much. Though it looks bad to someone experienced like me, it’s not that serious, and there are ways to expedite the healing.”
“There are ways to speed up the healing?!”
Namgung Gi-cheol exclaimed loudly.
His voice suggested he would do anything for his father.
“Yes. There’s the best healing method.”
“What is it?”
“Consuming spirit pills or spirit medicines. The natural energy contained in spirit medicines or pills drives out the demonic energy.”
“Then it seems rather simple. I’ll arrange for spirit medicine from the Blue Dragon Bureau right away.”
“No.”
Namgung Mu-ryong shook his head.
“Spirit medicines that are easily obtainable have less effect. Even Purple Grass Pills, which are relatively accessible, unfortunately won’t work. Purple Grass Pills have a hot energy.”
“Then what kind of spirit medicine should we get?”
“Either Hollow Blue Stone Oil that contains pure natural energy… or the spirit medicine from Shaolin.”
Hearing the word “Shaolin,” Namgung Gi-cheol mentioned the spirit medicine that came to mind. “It must be the Great Transformation Pill or the Small Transformation Pill.”
“Yes. Exactly. Remarkably, Shaolin’s medicinal pills are the best for expelling demonic energy.”
“But would they easily part with what are considered Shaolin’s treasures? Especially the Great Transformation Pill, which is said to be difficult to obtain even for the Emperor.”
Namgung Gi-cheol’s doubt was reasonable.
Shaolin’s treasures, which supposedly only benefactors of Shaolin could even see.
Even though it was to heal the Sword Master’s internal injuries, these weren’t items one could simply ask for as if they were entrusted.
“Hahaha. I do have a method in mind, but it might not be easy.”
“What method is that?”
“Wait and see. The solution will present itself naturally.”
Namgung Gi-cheol didn’t understand what Namgung Mu-ryong meant, but he didn’t ask further.
He knew that when the time came, everything would be explained.
“I should rest now. Tomorrow we’ll return home.”
“Yes. We’re finally going back.”
“Indeed. It has been a long journey.”
The months of travel flashed before Namgung Mu-ryong’s eyes.
And he smiled brightly.
“It was truly a good journey.”
* * *
The next day.
They finally returned to the Namgung family estate.
“We’re finally back.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Although months had passed, the Namgung family estate remained unchanged, exactly as it was.
This was probably thanks to the family members who had stayed behind, sweeping and cleaning every day without fail to maintain the estate during their absence.
After exchanging lengthy greetings with the estate members they hadn’t seen for a long time, they each returned to their rooms.
“They say home is comfortable, and indeed it is.”
Ha Hyeon felt comfortable just by entering the room he used to stay in.
Despite being vacant for a long time, not a speck of dust had accumulated in the room, and clean clothes were neatly folded on one side of the bed, just like before.
“Uncle Jang-chil…”
Ha Hyeon felt all of Jang-chil’s thoughtfulness.
He must have cleaned the room and prepared clothes every day even when Ha Hyeon was away.
“I should get a nice gift for Uncle Jang-chil later.”
Ha Hyeon changed into the prepared clothes and burst into laughter.
Jang-chil apparently hadn’t anticipated that Ha Hyeon would grow so tall, as he had prepared clothes the same size as before, and when Ha Hyeon put them on, his wrists and ankles were exposed because they were so short.
Nevertheless, Ha Hyeon decided to wear these clothes today.
Because he wanted to fully appreciate Jang-chil’s kindness.
“I think I’ll take a look around the estate.”
After unpacking his meager belongings, Ha Hyeon left the room again.
He wanted to take a tour around the estate he had returned to after so long.
Winter at the Namgung family estate was cold.
But the internal energy, which had now considerably grown, shielded him even from the cold.
Peacefulness.
Ha Hyeon felt peace as he looked around the estate.
It was hard to believe that just two months ago, they had fought such a fierce battle with The Blood Sword Lord.
Ha Hyeon thought that here, at least, this tranquility would continue.
…That’s what he thought, but this tranquility ended sooner than expected.
It was when Ha Hyeon was passing by the main gate.
Bang bang bang-!
Bang bang bang-!
Someone was pounding on the gate as if to break it down.
“Has the Namgung family closed its doors? Why is no one here?!”
It was a familiar voice.
It seemed that all the warriors of the Namgung family had left their posts to greet Namgung Mu-ryong, who had returned after a long time.
“Aish! I should just jump over the wall!”
Ha Hyeon was about to open the gate for him, but the owner of the voice was much faster.
He lightly jumped over the enormous wall, which was three zhang tall, as if he were just climbing a single step.
Thud
The moment he crossed the wall, his eyes met Ha Hyeon’s.
“T-Teacher!”
“Ha Hyeon!”
It was Chiwol Geolgae.
Somehow he had learned that they had returned home, and he appeared just one hour after their arrival.
“How…”
“How, you ask! When I heard that the esteemed Sword Master was bitten by the demonic cult’s red dog and almost visited the afterworld, how could I not
come?”
“What…?”
Chiwol Geolgae burst into uproarious laughter at his own words, as if he found them incredibly amusing.
Despite the content of his words, he somehow looked excited.
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