Chapter 52 – Honey Belly Sword (11)
History is written by the victors.
Moreover, the Namgung family was of very high status and fame as the leader of the Martial arts Alliance in the righteous sect and one of the Five Great Families. But the Namgung family was defeated by the evil sect?
And by just one person? It was certainly something that should neither have happened nor become known. That is why the Namgung family attached such a grand name as the Sword Demon War to the subjugation of the Sword Demon.
And they kept completely silent about the collaborators who helped them in the process. Also, all but a very few who knew about their dealings with these collaborators died.
That way, they were able to maintain their position as blood-soaked leaders and firmly rule until today. As a result, the young warriors of the Namgung family were unable to know the truth.
Who could have possibly expected it?
Not only had the Sword Demon, who was certainly thought to be dead, returned.
But that he would clash with the Namgung family again.
◇
The person who came to visit Go Gyeom and Ma Kang, who were idly killing time in prison, was a completely unexpected figure. Wearing a navy blue robe with a Dragonfly pattern instead of a dragon.
His softly settled white beard and neatly arranged hair made him look like an immortal. Go Gyeom recognized the old man at a glance. No, it was impossible not to recognize him.
“What brings the great master Namgung Seon-wi, the Dark Sword, to such a humble place?”
“Do you know this person?”
“……Please show some manners before learning, I beg you.”
Not only was Namgung Seon-wi one of the few survivors of the Sword Demon War and one of the two wings supporting the head of the Namgung family.
To openly treat someone as a stranger when they’re right in front of you? The saying that staying quiet gets you at least a passing grade doesn’t exist for nothing. Namgung Seon-wi opened his mouth with a smile.
“That’s fine. How can ignorance be considered a sin? I, who am above, should generously understand the ignorance of those beneath me.”
“What brings you here, great master?”
Though Go Gyeom was secretly a bit surprised by Namgung Seon-wi’s arrogant response, he continued speaking as calmly as possible without showing it. What we needed right now was information.
“Oh, nothing in particular. I came to hear your last words.”
“……Pardon? Last words?”
But even Go Gyeom couldn’t help but show a dumbfounded expression at Namgung Seon-wi’s answer. Aren’t last words what a dying person leaves behind? Then why is he asking us for them?
“Wake up. That man intends to kill us right here.”
“What? No, there’s no way the Namgung family, of all sects, would……”
“Your friend certainly has good intuition. I think it’s close to the level of a beast.”
“Are, are you seriously planning to kill us?”
Instead of answering, Namgung Seon-wi just kept smiling. However, the killing intent rising from his body made Namgung Seon-wi appear not as a human but as an evil spirit.
“At the very least, please tell us the reason! Why do we have to die?!”
“For the greater cause, that’s why.”
“What greater cause could possibly take precedence over human life?!”
“To protect the roots and history of the Martial arts world that we have cultivated until now.”
“What nonsense is this……!! Could it be that you’ve joined hands with the Evil sect?!”
Before coming to Shandong, he had received some vague information from the Master Mu-myung. That unknown assassins called the Evil Sect were currently hiding at the roots of the Martial Arts world and running wild.
Could it be that even the Namgung family had fallen to the Evil sect? However, as soon as the name of the Evil Sect was mentioned, Namgung Seon-wi’s previously gentle expression greatly crumpled with rage.
“How dare a nobody like you utter the name of those vulgar rabble.”
“If, if that’s not it, then why are you trying to kill us?”
“It’s because of that damned face-saving, of course. It’s painfully obvious.”
Ma Kang, who had been silently listening to the conversation from the side, opened his mouth with a deep sigh. Ma Kang wasn’t stupid. He just disliked absorbing scholarly knowledge.
As a result, Ma Kang’s scholarly knowledge, as others called it, wasn’t particularly deep. But at least he could roughly infer how the current situation was unfolding.
“The Namgung family doesn’t want to give up the justification that they failed to protect their guests. So they’re trying to pin the blame on the Master Mu-myung.”
“Is what he just said true?”
“Of course not. This is just an unfortunate accident. For instance… The young masters of the righteous sect were all wiped out due to the sudden rampage of the Sword Demon.”
Only then could Go Gyeom barely grasp Namgung Seon-wi’s intention. Thinking about it again, this incident damages not only the face of the Sunmoo Academy but also the Namgung family behind it.
No, beyond face, it causes harm to immediate practical interests as well. Who would entrust tasks to the Namgung family that couldn’t even properly protect a procession from Hanam to Shandong?
The Sichuan Tang family, who sees the Namgung family as a competitor, will keep pressing this issue. And the Jegal family, who is wary of the Namgung family monopolizing power, will also check them.
“So you’re trying to blame it on the Sword Demon? To somehow cover it up by saying that because the opponent was the Sword Demon, nothing could be done?”
“That’s right.”
“You might as well try to cover the sky with your palm!! Do you think the truth can be hidden?!”
“One cannot create something from nothing, but with high authority, even a deer can be called a horse. Of course, you will never realize that fact now.”
“Are you done talking with your mouth?”
Ma Kang, who had been silently listening to the conversation with his arms crossed and a calm expression, interrupted by cleaning his ear with his pinky finger. At this, a vein bulged on Namgung Seon-wi’s forehead.
“What did you say?”
“Hey, you fool. When we should be trying to negotiate somehow, if you provoke him like that……!!”
“You know it too, don’t you? That old fox has no intention of letting us live.”
Ma Kang doesn’t know who the opponent is. But judging by the aura he’s giving off, he’s at least a master of the Supreme realm. Such a person has decided to kill us. It can’t be undone.
“The Supreme realm is the state of immovability. One who doesn’t listen to others and pioneers and walks the path they have set. What a master of the Supreme realm has decided, no one but themselves can change.”
“You know well, despite not even being in the Supreme realm yourself.”
“Well, I’m not afraid at all. Because I’ve already met the real one.”
“……If you’re talking about the real one, could you possibly mean that phantom fellow?”
Although he didn’t explicitly say it here, Namgung Seon-wi had already figured out that the person here wasn’t the Sword Demon. That’s why he could openly go wild.
Because the opponent wasn’t the Sword Demon.
The ignorant commoners might be mistaken.
But he was the one who had crossed swords with the real Sword Demon.
‘If I use this incident well, I can further solidify the Namgung family’s position, which has been shaky recently. Since I just need to clean up that phantom fellow.’
Of course, he acknowledges that the phantom fellow is not ordinary. Looking at the appearance of being called the Sword Demon, it was obvious that he was at least in the Supreme realm.
But it’s not enough.
Compared to the real Sword Demon, he’s far inferior.
If it were the real Sword Demon, there wouldn’t have been a single survivor. That’s why Namgung Seon-wi finds it absurd. This youngster, who knows nothing, treating him as a fake.
“They say ignorance makes one brave. That’s exactly what you are.”
“Be careful, if you get hit wrongly and lose what few teeth you have left, how will you eat meat? You paper tiger.”
“You really can’t be reasoned with. Today, I’ll……”
“Elder!! You need to come quickly!!!”
Just when he couldn’t endure the insult any longer and was about to teach the youngster a harsh lesson. At that very moment, one of the Namgung family’s warriors rushed into the prison and called for Namgung Seon-wi.
“What’s all this commotion again?”
If it wasn’t something important, he was going to punish the reckless movement. However, the news conveyed by the Namgung family warrior was something that even Namgung Seon-wi, who had been through all sorts of hardships, couldn’t have predicted.
“The Sword Demon has attacked!!!”
◇
“Move aside.”
At the coldly subdued voice of Mu-myung, the expressions of the Namgung family warriors guarding the main gate hardened. Among them, there were some who were trembling with fear.
It couldn’t be helped. The opponent was none other than the infamous Sword Demon. The monster that the righteous sect alliance, led by the Namgung family, had barely repelled decades ago. Although much time had passed.
There weren’t many in the Namgung family who directly saw and remembered his martial prowess. Some had died of old age, but most of them had fallen in the Sword Demon War.
“This is where the warriors and members of the Namgung family reside. If you proceed further, we cannot guarantee your safety.”
“I warn you for the last time. Step back, or everyone will die.”
“That’s impossible. We too have things we must protect.”
“I acknowledge your spirit.”
Mu-myung placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. Instinctively sensing the threat, none of the Namgung family warriors fled, but gathered together to form a formation.
The formation deployed by the Namgung family warriors was very solid and disciplined, certainly not something that even a master of the Supreme realm could easily break through. If the opponent had been an ordinary master, that is.
The Namgung family warrior who had been at the forefront realized he was rolling on the ground when he came to his senses. However, what entered his eyes was an extraordinary sight.
The massive residence boasting no less than four floors had its pillars horizontally split and collapsing. A sword strike that cuts down numerous soldiers with just one swing.
Hyungsocheon 橫掃千軍 [TL/N Hyungsocheon 橫掃千軍 translates to “Sweeping through a thousand troops.” it means to overpower and defeat many enemies with overwhelming force. ]
