The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family Chapter 45

The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family

Chapter 45

It was nearly five thousand li from Anhui Province, where the Namgung clan resided, to Liaoning, where the Moyong clan was located.

Namgung Mu-ryong notified the Moyong clan that he would arrive in two months, and Moyong Bisan sent back approval.

Thanks to this, the Namgung clan members decided to travel about a hundred li per day.

Though it was a long two-month journey, they decided to properly enjoy it since they rarely had such opportunities to see the world.

For Ha Hyeon, aside from occasional basic missions, he had rarely ventured outside the estate. His heart raced as this was his first time leaving for such an extended period.

Thump thump thump-

“Wow!”

Ha Hyeon exclaimed at the sight of a quickly passing carriage.

Another first for Ha Hyeon was that they were traveling on official roads wide enough for carriages to pass through on their way to the Moyong clan.

They chose to use government-maintained roads since there was no need to take treacherous mountain paths.

“Haha. It’s not like you’ve never seen a carriage before. Why are you so surprised?”

“I’ve seen carriages before, but this is my first time seeing such a large one pulled by four horses. I wonder who’s riding in it?”

“Well, it could be a high-ranking official or wealthy merchant.”

“I see.”

“Why? Would you like to ride in one?”

“Haha. No. I’m just amazed.”

Perhaps that’s why?

Their journey was almost too peaceful.

“Father! We haven’t seen any bandits because we’re only taking main roads, right?”

So-hwa said, clinging to Namgung Gi-cheol’s arm.

“That’s right. So-hwa, you sound like you want to meet bandits?”

“Hahah. Of course not.”

So-hwa, having been caught, let go of his arm and quietly walked behind Gi-cheol.

Namgung Gi-cheol smirked.

“They might be avoiding us. Honestly, even if a bandit chief came to rob us, Gi-hyeon or I would handle them easily.”

Gi-cheol’s voice was thick with confidence.

In the martial arts world, it was said that if Namgung Gi-cheol and Namgung Gi-hyeon hadn’t been born into the Namgung clan, they could have become leaders of different martial arts sects.

So his confidence wasn’t unfounded.

After about a week, when they were starting to tire of walking, they arrived at Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province.

Jinan, having briefly served as the capital during the Qi dynasty, was a well-developed city with favorable geography.

It had a large population and many tall buildings Ha Hyeon had never seen before.

Ha Hyeon looked around constantly, fascinated by everything.

“Ha Hyeon. What’s so fascinating?”

Asked Namgung Gi-hyeon, who was carrying many bundles.

Thanks to his large build, he had volunteered as a porter and was carrying more luggage than others.

“It’s amazing to see so many people, and the market stalls piled with goods are incredible. Can they sell all of that?”

“Hahaha. They’ll sell everything in two days. This is the largest market in Jinan.”

Whether fleeing from Shaanxi to the Namgung estate or during missions, Ha Hyeon had mostly traveled mountain paths, so he had rarely seen such crowds.

Even Gosi County, where he first met Chwiwol Geolgae while escaping Shaanxi, was substantial, but compared to Jinan, it was little more than a rural village.

“But I heard Shaanxi also has a large population? Xi’an, Shaanxi’s capital, is no small city in terms of area or population compared to Jinan.”

“Haha… Actually, I’ve never been to Xi’an. Since mother avoided crowded places, I naturally stayed around the estate.”

“Hahaha. That makes sense. Come to think of it, Yeong-ryeong was like that. She disliked crowded places. No, more precisely, she disliked places with many martial artists. Shaanxi has Mount Hua and Zhongnan. That’s why she would have avoided going out even more.”

“Why is that?”

When his mother was mentioned, Ha Hyeon asked with wide eyes.

Namgung Gi-hyeon chuckled as if remembering the past and answered.

“Whenever she went to the marketplace, she would always get into fights.”

Namgung Gi-cheol, listening to their conversation, added with a smile.

“As you know well, Yeong-ryeong had a fiery temperament. She could never ignore injustice, and if she saw any rogues lurking about, she would chase them away. But martial artists aren’t all as righteous as you might think.”

“Right. Even among our orthodox sects, there are certainly those who misuse their power.”

Namgung Gi-hyeon’s expression briefly hardened as if recalling the past, then softened again.

“Yeong-ryeong couldn’t help but fight whenever she met such people. So to avoid fights altogether, she tried not to go where many martial artists gathered.”

“That’s surprising. Honestly, I can’t imagine it. Mother always showed me such a virtuous side.”

“Hahaha! That’s quite amusing. I can’t imagine a well-behaved Yeong-ryeong either.”

Now the Namgung clan members and Ha Hyeon no longer hesitated to talk about Namgung Yeong-ryeong.

Though the scar from Namgung Yeong-ryeong’s death remained, the wound had nearly healed.

They believed that Yeong-ryeong in heaven would prefer them sharing memories like this rather than becoming gloomy and depressed whenever he was mentioned.

“Let’s stay here tonight. I used to come here often when I was young.”

Namgung Mu-ryong said, stopping in front of an inn.

“Yes, Father.”

“Gi-cheol and Gi-hyeon, go prepare the rooms. Grandchildren, come with me.”

“Understood, Father. But what about the children…”

Namgung Mu-ryong said with a broad smile, “Since we’ve come all this way, I want to take them around the market and buy them treats.”

“Haha. Understood. Have a good time, Father.”

“Children, come here.”

“Yes!”

The children eagerly gathered behind Namgung Mu-ryong.

There was one person hesitating, unsure where to go – twenty-one-year-old Namgung Min.

“Brother, come on!”

“Yes, Brother. Grandfather called for his grandchildren. Aren’t you his grandson?”

“Right?”

“So hurry over here!”

Min awkwardly handed his bundle to Namgung Gi-hyeon, who gladly accepted it with a grin.

These past few days, Min felt his father was different from the one he knew. Like typical grandfathers, he doted on his grandchildren, always thinking of them first for treats and good things.

‘Come to think of it, everything changed after Ha Hyeon arrived.’

Truly, everything changed after Ha Hyeon came. His father who only cared about clan matters, Namgung Min who only cared about martial arts, and the lazy Namgung Hwan – they all changed. They learned to smile warmly, realized martial arts wasn’t everything in life, and though not the best, they trained hard daily to reach their potential.

‘He’s really brought us good fortune.’

Everything started going well after Ha Hyeon joined the Namgung clan.

Namgung Gi-hyeon ruffled Ha Hyeon’s hair before entering the inn with Namgung Gi-cheol.

* * *

Travel.

Their journey to the Moyong clan was truly a vacation.

With no rush, they took their time sightseeing lakes and cliffs along the way. They ate when hungry and rested at inns when tired.

For Ha Hyeon, this was his first leisurely time since joining the Namgung clan, which made his oddly anxious. he worried about falling behind without his usual intense training.

‘Not doing anything makes me more anxious.’

So he trained alone every dawn. he had to, or he’d feel troubled.

Though he often saw his brothers and uncles practicing breathing exercises, Ha Hyeon preferred physical training that made his sweat.

“Huff. Huff.”

Heavy breaths and large sweat drops fell.

Ha Hyeon found the human body fascinating. Muscles grew with use, and lung capacity increased with running.

Shhhk-

Ha Hyeon’s sword moved in large circles.

It was the familiar Moonlight Sword technique he had practiced thousands of times.

But even to untrained eyes, something seemed off. The sword tip trembled from exertion, and his legs shook.

“Ugh.”

Ha Hyeon barely completed the forms by forcing strength into his failing legs.

After finishing, he collapsed onto the ground.

“Oh my, I’m dying.”

he said this, but with a smile.

Today, Ha Hyeon had performed the Moonlight Sword technique using only physical strength, without internal energy.

Months ago, even one set with internal energy was difficult. Now he could do it without.

Swish-

Lying down, Ha Hyeon raised his trembling fist to the sky.

Seeing his shaking fist from the technique’s aftermath, he knew he couldn’t neglect martial arts training, if only for this sense of accomplishment.

As he savored his achievement, Namgung Hwan’s voice came from the inn.

“Ha Hyeon! Come eat breakfast now! We need to leave.”

“Yes, Brother!”

The family knew about his daily morning training.

But they never questioned why he trained even while traveling.

If Ha Hyeon wanted to do it, he could. They respected his choice.

As long as it didn’t interfere with their travel schedule, they let him do as he pleased.

Ha Hyeon got up after resting, put on his top, and entered the inn.

They had another long day ahead.

* * *

The Namgung clan members finally reached Beijing in Hebei Province.

While they had marveled at various cities along the way, Beijing was on another level.

Namgung Mu-ryong navigated Beijing’s ant-like maze of streets as comfortably as his own home.

Thanks to this, his sons and grandchildren had no choice but to follow closely behind Namgung Mu-ryong.

“Here in Hebei Province, where Beijing is located, borders Liaoning where the Moyong clan resides. We could reach it in a day if we wanted. So we’ll rest here today and leave tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, Father. Should we find an inn?”

“Haha. No need. When in Hebei, we have a comfortable place to stay.”

Though Mu-ryong didn’t specify where, no one asked. Everyone in the martial arts world knew who Sword Saint’s closest friend was.

Namgung Mu-ryong, Chwiwol Geolgae, and their apprentice brother Paeng Gil-san were as close as blood brothers.

How close must they have been for Paeng Gil-san to entrust his precious youngest son to the Namgung clan?

Following Mu-ryong deeper into the city, they came upon a large, square estate surrounded by man-height walls.

When they reached the entrance, Ha Hyeon felt overwhelmed by the massive nameplate.

Written in powerful, flowing calligraphy, it read:

‘Northern Paeng Clan’