The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family Chapter 60

The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family

Chapter 60

Ha Hyeon briefly looked at Blood Sword Lord’s fallen head before turning away.

He felt no guilt.

This was just an ordinary conclusion to a common life-or-death battle in the martial world.

Swish

Ha Hyeon turned his head to survey the battlefield.

In the battlefield that had grown as silent as if time had stopped, it felt like Ha Hyeon was the only one breathing.

Even his grandfather, the Sword Saint who had lived in the martial world for decades, seemed unable to process this situation yet.

Drip

The moment blood from Ha Hyeon’s sword fell to the ground.

Swoosh!

Ha Hyeon kicked off the ground and rushed at the nearest Blood Sword Unit member.

The man had been staring at Ha Hyeon with a dazed expression as if his thoughts had stopped, but reflexively blocked the incoming sword.

CLANG-!

As if the clash of weapons was a signal, time began flowing again.

“Your master is dead!”

Namgung Gi-cheol’s voice burst out.

It was a voice that deliberately carried robust internal force, ringing in everyone’s minds like a shout.

BOOM!

Thunder-like sounds came from Namgung Gi-cheol’s footsteps, and in that moment, he vanished from his original position and appeared right next to a Blood Sword Unit member.

SLASH!

His sword, wrapped in blue lightning, swept across the Blood Sword Unit member’s body.

Perhaps shocked that Blood Sword Lord had met his end at the hands of a child, the man died without managing even a proper counterattack.

“Haap!”

Namgung Hwan rushed at another Blood Sword Unit member who was facing off against his father, Namgung Gi-cheol, as if trying to help him.

Thanks to this, Namgung Gi-cheol ended up in a one-on-one situation with the remaining Blood Sword Unit members.

While they had been equal when fighting three-on-one, one-on-one wasn’t even a match.

Moreover, Namgung Gi-cheol’s martial arts were Flash Lightning techniques.

Namgung Gi-cheol quickly dispatched the remaining Blood Sword Unit member, and soon after easily cut down the last one that Namgung Hwan had been barely holding off.

KWANG-!

At the explosive sound, they looked toward Namgung Gi-hyeon, who had already gained the upper hand against his two opponents.

And Ha Hyeon was evenly exchanging sword strikes with the single remaining Blood Sword Unit member.

Seeing So-hwa providing emergency treatment to the Sword Saint and Namgung Min, who still couldn’t properly move their bodies, Namgung Gi-cheol flew toward Ha Hyeon’s position.

It was time to end this sudden bloody battle.

* * *

Shortly after.

Everyone who had come here, including Blood Sword Lord, had become cold corpses.

Though they had wanted to capture some alive to extract information, the moment Namgung Gi-cheol helped Ha Hyeon by driving his sword into the Blood Sword Unit member’s body, the remaining two fighting Namgung Gi-hyeon committed suicide by stabbing small daggers into their own chests before anyone could stop them.

However, there was no time to regret this.

“Father! Are you alright?”

“Grandfather!”

“Min! Are you okay!”

As soon as they realized the fight was over, they rushed to Namgung Mu-ryong and Namgung Min.

“I’m fine. Just some minor internal injuries.”

“I’m fine too. The wound isn’t very deep. I foolishly let my guard down at the end.”

Unlike Namgung Mu-ryong who wore a faint smile, Namgung Min’s expression was devastated.

It was his first major injury since entering the martial world at age sixteen.

However, what pained him more than that was his failure to maintain composure in that moment.

When he saw his grandfather, whom he had thought as solid as a mountain, fall, he couldn’t stop his emotional turbulence.

“It’s alright. So-hwa did a good job with the treatment. Don’t move.”

“Yes, father.”

After their conversation ended, sudden silence fell.

And all members of the Namgung family naturally turned to look at Ha Hyeon.

“…Well done, Ha Hyeon.”

It was Namgung Mu-ryong who broke that silence.

He spoke to Ha Hyeon with sincere feeling.

“I was lucky.”

Ha Hyeon’s voice was filled with sincerity.

He truly thought so.

The difference between Blood Sword Lord and him was literally like heaven and earth.

It would have been impossible if Blood Sword Lord hadn’t exhausted all his energy in the fierce battle with Namgung Mu-ryong, and if Blood Sword Lord hadn’t happened to rush at Ha Hyeon at that moment.

“No. That last move was truly… remarkable.”

But if no one else, Namgung Mu-ryong had the eye to see the situation accurately.

He thought that it hadn’t been mere chance. No, more precisely, I thought this might be Ha Hyeon’s ability.

‘Making coincidence… into inevitability.’

Creating situations where one can always win and then fighting.

Could there be a greater talent than that?

“Brother. I’ll go call for people.”

Namgung Gi-hyeon said to Namgung Gi-cheol.

In the current situation, neither Namgung Mu-ryong nor Namgung Min could move right away, and enemy reinforcements could appear at any time.

“Where are you thinking of going?”

“Beijing isn’t far from here. I’m thinking of going to the Paeng family.”

Namgung Gi-cheol looked around, glanced at Namgung Min, and replied.

“I’ll go. I’ll be faster.”

“But still…”

“It’s fine. While I’m gone, clean up this place and look after Father and Min.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

Namgung Gi-hyeon bowed deeply.

He understood his brother’s intentions.

While Namgung Min was Namgung Gi-cheol’s disciple, he was also Namgung Gi-hyeon’s son before that.

That’s why even though he said he would go to the Northern Paeng family, a corner of his heart was filled with worry for Namgung Min.

“Then I’ll be back.”

Namgung Gi-cheol explained the general situation to Namgung Mu-ryong and departed immediately.

After he left, Namgung Gi-hyeon and Namgung Hwan began cleaning up the surroundings, while Ha Hyeon looked for a suitable camping spot and started a fire.

Namgung Mu-ryong sat down and immediately began meditation to treat his internal injuries, and So-hwa applied medicine to Namgung Min’s leg wound and bound it well.

And Ha Hyeon’s mind was strangely struck by the last words Blood Sword had uttered before dying.

‘Th-this is the Young Lord’s…?!’

That voice was undoubtedly one of shock.

Though unclear what he had sensed from Ha Hyeon, his expression showed more surprise when saying those words than when Ha Hyeon’s sword passed through his neck.

However, one cannot bring back the dead.

There was no way to know now.

Ha Hyeon maintained his guard and kept his sword unsheathed while standing watch.

Thinking that this mystery would be solved someday.

* * *

Namgung Gi-cheol reappeared just as the sun was beginning to darken.

Though Beijing was nearby, considering he had made a round trip, it was truly an amazing speed.

“Ah! Iron Disciple. Paeng Yong-so!”

Namgung Gi-cheol had not returned alone.

On either side of him were the massive Iron Disciple Paeng Gil-san and Paeng Yong-so.

Namgung Gi-hyeon leaped forward to greet them.

“How is Mu-ryong, is Mu-ryong alright?”

“Yes. He finished meditation a little while ago and has gone to rest briefly.”

“Huh. I see. Then don’t wake him unnecessarily. We can wait a while.”

Paeng Gil-san had rushed here so urgently that only now did he catch his breath.

He sat down heavily on a tree stump and took big gulps from his water container.

Namgung Gi-hyeon gave a slight bow to Paeng Gil-san in greeting and approached Namgung Gi-cheol.

“Brother. You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s nothing. Was everything alright? How is Father?”

“We’ll have to wait and see for the exact situation, but if he recovers well, it should be nothing serious.”

“And Min?”

“Though the wound area is quite large, neither tendons nor bones were damaged. With enough time, Min should recover without problems.”

Only after hearing all this did Namgung Gi-cheol’s expression show relief.

“You said Father is sleeping? I should go see Min for a moment.”

“Yes, Brother.”

Namgung Gi-hyeon’s eyes met with Paeng Yong-so, who had already collapsed on the ground, exhausted.

He seemed to have had great difficulty keeping up with Namgung Gi-cheol and Paeng Gil-san, as his body was drenched in sweat and he still hadn’t caught his breath properly.

Namgung Gi-hyeon handed him some cool water that Ha Hyeon had found and brought from the waterside.

Only after gulping down that water did Paeng Yong-so’s expression suggest he might live.

“Whew. Thank you. I nearly died trying to keep up with the Family Head and your brother.”

“Thank you for coming. Did you come alone?”

Paeng Yong-so shook his head.

“No. The warriors of our Paeng family are following behind. The two of them were so fast that only I barely managed to keep up, and I told the rest to come slowly. It will probably take about two more hours.”

“So that’s why the Iron Disciple is so relaxed over there. He’s usually not such a leisurely person.”

“Haha. That’s right. There wasn’t time to prepare carriages, so our warriors are bringing stretchers. We thought the Sword Saint and Azure Divine Dragon would have difficulty walking.” “Thank you. You should rest too.”

Namgung Gi-hyeon was deeply grateful that Paeng Yong-so, with whom he had only recently become friends a few days ago, had rushed here as if it were his own affair.

After taking a brief rest, the first thing Paeng Gil-san did was check Blood Sword Lord Chae Hyeong-seok’s corpse.

His body, which Namgung Gi-hyeon had arranged and covered with a thin cloth, had a peaceful face as if sleeping.

Except for his bluish pale complexion and the red line across his neck.

“Indeed. It’s Chae Hyeong-seok.”

Paeng Gil-san recognized him as Blood Sword Lord at a glance.

During the war with the demonic cult, Paeng Gil-san and Blood Sword Lord were often compared in the martial world because they both used the same weapon, the blade.

Though they had seen each other countless times on the battlefield, they had never directly crossed blades.

Before the final battle, Namgung Mu-ryong had defeated Paeng Gil-san, and immediately afterward, the Murim Alliance’s victory in the Orthodox-Demonic War ended the conflict, leaving no chance for them to fight.

“I always wanted to face this one. Thirty years ago, Mu-ryong pierced his neck and I lost my chance, and now he’s died by Mu-ryong’s hand again.”

“Elder. Father wasn’t the one who cut his neck.”

“What?! Then who…?”

“It was Ha Hyeon.”

“Ha Hyeon?!”

The Iron Disciple’s face showed considerable surprise.

He was well aware of Ha Hyeon’s brilliant talent.

However, the current Ha Hyeon shouldn’t even be comparable to Blood Sword.

He was a supreme master active since the previous generation.

He was someone who stood shoulder to shoulder with masters like himself, Namgung Mu-ryong, and Chwiwol Geolgae.

“The details… Mu-ryong will tell us when he wakes up.”

“Yes. He will.”

Paeng Gil-san covered the cloth again.

He felt truly strange.

‘Chae Hyeong-seok was clearly an enemy…’

And though he died trying to harm his closest friend and his family, there was somehow an empty feeling.

‘Another warrior of my era has gone.’

Of course, this wasn’t feeling sorry for his death or sympathy.

Rather, the Iron Disciple had recently begun to feel more keenly that his era was drawing to a close.

“Come to think of it, where is Ha Hyeon?”

“That’s right. I noticed earlier that he wasn’t with the children either.”

“I’ll go look for him. You stay by Mu-ryong’s side and let him know when he wakes up.”

“Yes, Elder.”

Paeng Gil-san straightened up and walked slowly, looking around.

Surely being such a clever child, if something had happened, he would have called out.

And above all, if anything had happened, his sensitive spiritual sense would have reacted.

Whaa-

Paeng Gil-san extended his energy outward and thoroughly searched the surroundings.

‘There he is.’

Then he detected a not-so-small energy about ten zhang away.

It was Ha Hyeon’s energy that he remembered.

‘But… what is he doing?’

Just in case, he muffled his footsteps and followed the energy.

In a place hidden by thick undergrowth where eyes couldn’t see.

He pushed through the undergrowth.

Past the undergrowth appeared a small clearing, and in the middle of that clearing stood Ha Hyeon.

Swoosh

Ha Hyeon stood motionless with his eyes closed and his sword lowered forward.

As he recalled, Ha Hyeon also had keen spiritual sense, so he should have noticed his arrival, but he seemed so focused that he hadn’t even noticed him coming.

Paeng Gil-san decided to remain quiet for a moment.

No, rather, worried about disturbing him, he even drew his energy inward.

Swish

After waiting a moment, Ha Hyeon’s sword slowly began to move.

Ha Hyeon’s sword moved horizontally, taking in the setting sun.

And horizontally again, and again… though it seemed like mere sideways swings, none other than Iron Disciple Paeng Gil-san could tell clearly.

‘It’s blade technique.’

Though Ha Hyeon held a sword, he wasn’t holding a sword.

From the grip to the use of wrist and shoulders.

Right now, he was a blade wielder handling a blade.

The sword scattered light with each horizontal movement.

When it caught the sunset light from the sky, it seemed to soar heavenward, and when it received the earth’s energy, it seemed to plunge into the ground.

Just as it began to create the illusion of drawing lines between heaven and earth.

Tsss-

A mist-like energy began to gradually gather around Ha Hyeon’s sword.

“Huh!”

Even the Iron Disciple had to cover his mouth at this sight.