The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family Chapter 1

The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family

Chapter 1

In the dark of night, a mother and son were running hand in hand along a forest path. If someone were to see them, they might think it was just a late-night stroll, but anyone could tell from their urgent expressions and heavy breathing that this was far from such a peaceful situation.

“Haak- haak- Ha Hyeon. Move your legs. Just a little further!” 

“Yes…! Mother!”

Though they appeared to be running together, in reality, the woman in front was practically dragging her son along. Judging by her movement technique, she seemed to have learned some martial arts, but even for a skilled practitioner, running while pulling along a boy was no easy task. Moreover, although her son was barely 10 years old, in terms of build, he appeared a head taller than others his age. On the streets, people would easily believe him to be thirteen or fourteen years old.

The two of them, especially the woman, were literally breathless, but they didn’t stop running. After running for some time…

“Eh?!” She unexpectedly stopped her relentless pace. 

“A fork in the road…?”

This was supposed to be a single path through the forest. A path she had created by trampling grass and cutting trees, just in case they ever needed to escape. Yet unbelievably, the path had split into two. But there was no time to question why.

‘If we take the wrong path, beyond this point is a bamboo forest so dense it’s hard even to move…’ She swallowed her doubts internally, not wanting to worry her son. Then she closed and opened her eyes very briefly. Even this moment of contemplation was a luxury she could hardly afford.

“Let’s take the right path, Ha Hyeon.” 

“Yes!”

Though the boy answered bravely, his face was bright red. Just ten years old. Even with someone pulling him from the front, it was nothing short of a miracle that a child who had never learned martial arts could keep up with a warrior of high caliber. His lungs must feel like they’re about to burst, and his legs must feel like they’re about to fall off, but he was clearly trying not to show it for fear of worrying his mother.

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have taught him martial arts earlier…’ She regretted not properly teaching her son martial arts until he turned ten. Born as a daughter of the Namgung family, she had learned advanced martial arts and had made her mark in the martial arts world. In her younger days when she was active in the martial arts world, she even earned the title ‘Poisonous Heart Beautiful Flower.’

“Son…” She called out to her son once, filled with regret. She had married a man who knew no martial arts and bore a son. She had lived a life completely removed from the martial arts world, believing that if her son never learned martial arts, he too could live a life unrelated to that world. But… they say you can only leave the martial arts world when you’re dead. Eventually, a day like today had come.

“Huu…” 

After catching her breath, she immediately started running again down the right path. However, what awaited her was despair. 

‘Ah! Dear God…’ 

The path she had chosen soon led to a dead end surrounded by dense bamboo. Though they could force their way through… at such a slow pace, it was crystal clear they would be caught by their pursuers.

She closed her eyes a little longer this time before opening them. When she opened them again, her expression was resolute.

“Ha Hyeon. Take this.” She took out a small Chinese ornament and a small bundle from her clothes and placed them in her son’s hands. 

“Mother, what is this?” 

“I’ve told you many times about who your maternal grandfather is, haven’t I?” 

“Yes. You said my grandfather is Sword Master Namgung Muryong.”

She nodded. 

“That’s right. Never lose this token, and find the Namgung family. Show them this token and tell them your mother’s name. Your grandfather will surely recognize this token. Now go. From this moment on, don’t look back—just get as far away from here as possible. Understand? That bundle contains things I packed in a hurry that might be useful.”

“But, what about you, Mother?” 

“Don’t worry. I’ll follow you soon.” “Mo-Mother…!”

The boy gripped his mother’s hand tightly. Though young, the clever boy could immediately understand what his mother was saying. Sacrifice – she was trying to buy time for her son to escape.

“You don’t… doubt your mother, do you?” “No. I believe you.” The child’s face was already covered in tears as he shook his head. Sadly, the child was too clever. Clever enough to know that if they parted here, he would never see his mother again. And clever enough to know that if he hesitated any longer, his mother’s sacrifice would be in vain.

“Now, go!” With his mother’s final words behind him, the son threw himself into the forest. Though larger than his peers, his still-small frame compared to adults quickly disappeared into the dense bamboo forest.

“Huu…” She stared for a long while in the direction her son had disappeared, then gathered her breath. Sreung- Drawing her sword, she stared intently in the direction they had come from and spoke. “You filthy traitors. Stop lurking in the shadows and show yourselves.”

“Haha-. As expected of Poisonous Heart Beautiful Flower Namgung Yeong-ryeong. Though time has passed, your tongue remains the same.” Several men walked out of the darkness. The man at the front had a long scar that stretched from his cheekbone to the tip of his chin.

“Shut up. I don’t want to talk about time with you.” “Not even letting me speak. By the way, why make us work so hard? Your movement technique is still so elegant. If you hadn’t taken the wrong path, we might have lost you completely.”

“Then that path was your…!” “Come now. Out of nowhere, my lord ordered me to make a path, making me do labor I wasn’t born for, but how could I have known you’d fall for it so perfectly? He said Poisonous Heart Beautiful Flower would definitely choose the right path at a fork, but to think it would actually be true. Hahaha.”

The man talked far too much. Namgung Yeong-ryeong felt like her head was pounding.

“Ah, Poisonous Heart Beautiful Flower, you’re truly unlucky. Why did a martial artist like you choose to marry into the Shin family of all places? They’re neither particularly skilled in martial arts nor wealthy.”

“The Shin family is not a place for filth like you to insult. Why did you betray us, Shin Ji-hyuk?” The man also bore the surname Shin. However, he wasn’t related to her by marriage. Long ago, he had drifted into the Shin family without parents and was given the surname ‘Shin’.

“That statement seems incorrect. Because I never betrayed anyone.” “What…?” “I was my lord’s man from the beginning.”

Namgung Yeong-ryeong was shocked by Ji-hyuk’s words. She knew that when Ji-hyuk first came to the Shin family, he was barely fifteen years old.

“Then… you’re saying this bloodbath was planned for more than 20 years?!” “Kekek. You’re sharp as ever. Oh my, I’ve talked too much. Thank you for treating me well at the Shin family. In return, I’ll send you off painlessly.”

Namgung Yeong-ryeong gritted her teeth. ‘If there’s anything fortunate, it’s that they don’t seem to know Ha Hyeon escaped into the forest. I need to buy as much time as possible.’

Then Ji-hyuk clapped his hands as if remembering something and said: “Ah! And don’t worry about Ha Hyeon. I’ll send him to join you soon.” “What?!” “Kill her!” “Yes, sir!”

“You bastards! You won’t lay a finger on my son!” “Maybe not a finger, but how about a sword tip!” Chaeng-! Sparks flew as Namgung Yeong-ryeong and Shin Ji-hyuk’s swords clashed.

Though Ha Ha Hyeon heard his mother’s words to run as far as possible, he didn’t follow them. ‘With my current speed and stamina, I absolutely cannot escape from the hands of masters. Especially in such a dense bamboo forest.’ Ha Ha Hyeon made this judgment the moment he let go of his mother’s hand.

Although Ha Hyeon’s frame was smaller than an adult male’s, if he moved through that forest, the surrounding trees would surely shake violently. That would be no different than announcing his presence. So Ha Hyeon first observed his surroundings.

‘The soil is wet from the recent rain.’ Originally, digging into the ground to hide wasn’t a good method. Though the ground appears dry on the surface, just one foot deep (about 30cm), you find damp soil that hasn’t dried. Therefore, when you dig, only that spot reveals wet soil, resulting in a different color from the surrounding ground. However, after rain like this, that difference isn’t as noticeable. Moreover, in the dead of night… ‘This has better odds than running away.’

Ha Hyeon immediately began digging the ground with his bare hands. Puk- Puk- Even without tools, just bare hands, his hands went in smoothly like through tofu. Though Ha Hyeon hadn’t learned martial arts, it looked as if he had channeled internal energy into his hands.

Shortly after, having dug just enough space for his body to lie down, Ha Hyeon entered the ground and laid down. He didn’t forget to leave a thin tube for breathing. Thud- Then came the sound of something falling. Ha Ha Hyeon, hiding not far away, instinctively realized this was the sound of his mother falling to Ji-hyuk’s sword.

‘Ah! Mother…’ But Ha Hyeon didn’t make the mistake of making any sound. Instead, he focused more on suppressing his emotions and eliminating any trace of his presence.

“Find Ha Hyeon. He’s unusually large for his age, so he should be easy to find. Tch, of all places to run into, a bamboo forest.” Ji-hyuk’s voice could be heard from afar.

‘Uncle Ji-hyuk… no, Shin Ji-hyuk…!’ Originally, Ha Hyeon had been very close to Ji-hyuk. Although they were of different birth, he had learned much from him and received much help. He had even been so happy for him, as if it were his own achievement, when Ji-hyuk was acknowledged by his father and given the Shin surname.

‘Someday, I will surely avenge mother.’ With that thought, Ha Hyeon began to suppress his presence completely. Ha Hyeon was certain that the method he used during hide-and-seek would work here too. His breathing gradually slowed, and accordingly, his heartbeat also slowed. The Ghost Breathing Technique. Though it was a difficult technique usually learned by assassins, Ha Hyeon was performing it instinctively.

Tada da- Light footsteps approached Ha Hyeon’s vicinity, then disappeared toward the outside of the bamboo forest. Three, four, five.

“Damn it. Where did that little brat go?” Even after Ji-hyuk’s final words passed by, Ha Hyeon didn’t move an inch. He had become so immersed in the Ghost Breathing Technique that even his consciousness was gradually fading away.

“Puha-!” A hand burst through the dry earth. And from that hole, Ha Ha Hyeon crawled out, panting, and exhaled deeply. “How much time has passed?”

Even looking around, he couldn’t tell exactly what time it was. Only the growling sound from his stomach indicated that quite some time had passed. Ha Hyeon observed his surroundings a bit more. Just to make sure if the attackers were still around. Fortunately, not a single human shadow was visible in the vicinity.

Ha Hyeon carefully headed toward where the bamboo forest began. In other words, where his mother had died. “Ah……” However, there was neither his mother’s body nor even a single bloodstain remaining there. It seemed someone had come and cleaned up thoroughly. Ha Hyeon shook his head.

“Mother, Shin Ji-hyuk, and… the Namgung Family.” He called out the names of people he could never forget, and must not forget, in succession, and finally repeated the place he must head to. He didn’t know exactly where the Namgung Family was located. But one thing alone: He only knew that he must head to Anhui Province.

From now on, he couldn’t trust anyone. He decided to consider everyone his enemy until he reached the Namgung Family. Ha Hyeon firmly gripped his mother’s keepsakes in his possession and steeled his resolve.

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