The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family Chapter 57

Chapter 57

“Ugh, it’s bitter.”

“Why are you eating that raw? And here of all places?”

Ha Hyeon and Namgung Hwan watched So-hwa with disgusted expressions as she crunched on the hundred-year snow ginseng in the moving carriage.

“The sooner I eat it, the sooner I’ll get stronger.”

“Sister is really something.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Grandfather, is it really okay for sister to do that?”

“Nothing wrong with it. Actually, eating it raw might lead to better absorption. Since hundred-year snow ginseng has relatively little energy as a spiritual medicine, some people eat it whole, including the small roots.”

So-hwa, who had been chewing each small root carefully, looked up with a pitiful expression.

“Is the effect small?”

“Haha. It will still help you greatly right now, So-hwa.”

“Yes!”

So-hwa cheerfully replied and returned to her battle with the ginseng.

Despite her bright response, her face was completely scrunched up.

Namgung Hwan shook his head.

“She’s intense… I couldn’t even eat normal ginseng because it’s bitter. Right, Ha Hyeon?”

“……”

But there was no response.

Ha Hyeon was staring intently at So-hwa.

“Sister, how is it? Can you feel anything?”

“Hmm… I think it’s working.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, my stomach feels warm…”

Ha Hyeon’s eyes widened.

He remembered having a similar feeling when he absorbed the purple resurrection pill with grandfather.

“Sister! Can I have a little bit?”

“But it’s mine…”

Ha Hyeon looked up at Namgung So-hwa with a pitiful expression.

After staring at that face for a few seconds, So-hwa finally broke off a small piece from the back of the ginseng she was eating and held it out to Ha Hyeon.

“Here. Just this much. No more.”

“Thanks, sister!”

Though it was only about one-fifth of the size, Ha Hyeon accepted it with a bright smile.

Just before putting the ginseng in his mouth, he looked at grandfather.

He was afraid the same thing that happened when he took the purple resurrection pill might occur.

*Nod*

Grandfather looked at Ha Hyeon and nodded with a smile.

Seeing that expression which seemed to say not to worry as he would handle anything that happened, Ha Hyeon took a bite with relief.

Crunch

“Ugh, it’s bitter.”

“Right? Super bitter.”

“But I should chew it thoroughly, right? It gets more bitter the more I chew.”

Watching the two siblings, Namgung Hwan shook his head again and said to Namgung Min.

“Brother. No matter how I think about it, they’re the strange ones, not me.”

* * *

“This is as far as we go. Though we’d like to escort you all the way home…”

“Haha. It’s fine. We’ve already had a comfortable journey this far.”

Namgung Mu-ryong patted Moyong Bi-san’s shoulder as he bowed apologetically.

Just as when they went to the Moyong family, Moyong Bi-san had escorted them on their return journey.

However, rather than stopping at Shenyang’s border, they went as far as Liaoning province’s border.

He seemed to want to accommodate the Namgung family members as much as possible.

“Oof. I was getting stiff just sitting in the carriage, so this is perfect.”

“Indeed.”

As Namgung Gi-hyeon pulled his massive frame out of the carriage, Namgung Gi-cheol followed right after.

Moyong Bi-san carefully watched all the Namgung family members disembark and gather their belongings before standing before Namgung Mu-ryong again.

“I’m glad you were comfortable. Then we’ll take our leave now.”

“Yes, return safely.”

“It was an honor to serve you, even briefly.”

“What honor is there in giving an old man like me a carriage ride? From now on, you’ll be the one making honorable history.”

“…!”

Moyong Bi-san couldn’t respond and just stared at Namgung Mu-ryong with trembling eyes.

“Ahem. This is embarrassing. Well then, we’ll be going.”

“Yes, Sword Saint. Until we meet again.”

After Moyong Bi-san left and they finished preparing to depart, they began walking.

Their current location was adjacent to the Inner Mongolia border.

While they could walk through the vast forest where Liaoning and Hebei provinces meet when coming, they couldn’t pass through there with carriages, so they had to come this way instead.

“Grandfather, are we stopping by the Paeng family on our way back too?”

So-hwa, who had been at the very back, came running to the front to ask Namgung Mu-ryong.

“Why? Want to visit the Paeng family again?”

“No, not really. Just curious.”

“I don’t plan to stop there.”

“Really?” Namgung Mu-ryong nodded.

“Haven’t you seen Gil-san’s… I mean, the Paeng family head’s personality? If he catches us, we’ll be stuck there for days without fail.”

“Ah! Right.”

So-hwa could almost hear Paeng Gil-san’s hearty laughter.

“If we follow this road, we’ll briefly pass through Inner Mongolia before entering Hebei. We won’t stop at Beijing at all, but go straight west to enter Shanxi province.”

“Shanxi? Not Shandong?”

“Right. When we came, we mostly took smaller roads as part of our journey, didn’t we? Shandong has many mountains and attractions.”

“Did we?”

Namgung So-hwa recalled the rocky cliffs and waterfalls they had seen.

Thinking about it now, she remembered they had indeed mostly traveled mountain paths on their way here.

“Once we reach Shanxi, there’s a main road that connects straight through from Shanxi to Henan and Anhui province. We’ll take that road back. We can ride the carriage when tired, walk when we feel better, and get home quickly that way.”

“I understand. Thank you, Grandfather!”

So-hwa bowed quickly and scurried back to her original position.

Namgung Mu-ryong chuckled at her cuteness and quickened his pace.

* * *

About two hours later, they reached the Inner Mongolia border region.

“Halt!”

A guard watching the border stopped them.

Namgung Mu-ryong skillfully approached them and greeted them.

“You’re all working hard. May we pass through? We’re a family traveling, heading straight to Hebei.”

“Do you have anything to prove your identity?”

“Here it is.”

Namgung Mu-ryong held out a wooden tag slightly smaller than his palm.

“Ah! Sword Saint elder?”

“Yes. I am Namgung Mu-ryong.”

The Sword Saint’s reputation was apparently valid here too, as the border guard bowed his head instead.

“Please forgive my rudeness. You may pass. We’ve strengthened security due to recent unrest.”

“Unrest? What’s happening?”

“There’s been bloodshed at the western border, and many of our people have died.”

“Bloodshed?”

Seeing the guard’s serious face, it seemed this was no ordinary matter.

“Was it martial artists?”

“That’s what they say. I’ve only heard the news…”

Namgung Mu-ryong tilted his head.

The area that martial artists typically called “Central Plains” didn’t include Inner Mongolia.

In simple terms, it was one of the places called “outside world.”

It was an implicit rule among Central Plains people not to act independently in the outside world without cooperation.

“In any case, please be careful on your journey.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

Though something seemed to occur to Namgung Mu-ryong, they had to continue their journey.

“……”

But Namgung Mu-ryong walked in silence.

No, his pace gradually quickened.

“We’ll pick up the pace, so keep up well.”

“Yes, Father.”

Then he began using movement techniques outright.

Their movement technique training must have been effective, as even So-hwa and Namgung Hwan kept up well without falling behind, despite the not-so-slow pace.

– Brother, do you know why Father is doing this?

– I don’t know either. Let’s just follow for now.

Namgung Gi-cheol and Gi-hyeon exchanged mental messages, but neither understood the situation.

Fortunately, nothing happened for quite a while.

However, an incident occurred just before reaching the Hebei border.

Just as the well-paved road ended, right before entering mountain paths again.

“Stop.”

Namgung Mu-ryong halted everyone who had been running with movement techniques.

“What’s wrong?”

“Look ahead.”

Namgung Gi-cheol concentrated his energy into his eyes to look ahead but saw nothing.

“I don’t see anything.”

“Look at the grass on both sides of the road.”

“Ah…!” Looking back at that place again, all the grass was lying down, trampled by someone.

“It’s an ambush.”

Namgung Mu-ryong nodded.

He naturally recalled the past.

‘Both the guards’ words earlier and this situation now. It’s just like back then.’

The past he thought of was about 30 years ago.

It was when they were at war with the Demonic Cult.

Back then, the Demonic Cult’s agents had dealt a great blow to the Murim Alliance in the same way.

‘Back then it was in Tibet.’

More precisely, it was while getting cooperation from Kunlun in Yunnan Province and heading to Qinghai Province.

At that time, Sichuan was literally a battlefield, so they tried to return to Tibet.

However, the Demonic Cult slaughtered all the civilians in Tibet and waited for them.

‘Though the situation is different now…. This doesn’t feel good.’

It was like the intuition of an old master who had roamed the martial world for sixty years.

He felt instinctively that a fight was imminent.

Just then, the tree he was watching seemed to ripple, and several men jumped out.

They were dressed entirely in dark red from head to toe.

“Hehehe…. Old man Namgung. Your instincts have improved since I last saw you.”

As he opened his mouth, there seemed to be a fishy blood scent in the air.

He looked at Namgung Mu-ryong and grinned.

His face looked delighted, as if meeting an old friend after a long time.

“Blood… Wolf?”

Namgung Mu-ryong stammered.

He recognized who it was at a glance, but he was momentarily confused because the man was in a place where he shouldn’t be.

“Namgung Mu-ryong! You haven’t changed at all.”

“How are you here?! We detected signs that the Demonic Cult was active again recently, was that you?”

“Not the Demonic Cult, but the Heaven Demon Holy Cult.”

As Chae Hyeong-seok raised his energy with a relaxed expression, the unique demonic energy of the cult rippled around him.

He walked forward step by step.

Several more people wearing blood-colored martial uniforms jumped out behind him.

“What brings you here? I doubt you came to kindly tell me about the Demonic Cult’s revival.”

“Hehehe. That mouth of yours is still the same. Acting all proper on the outside while being worse than that beggar on the inside.”

Chae Hyeong-seok naturally drew his blade.

Without anyone taking the lead, a sword had somehow appeared in Namgung Mu-ryong’s hand as well.

“Ugh.”

Just then, Ha Hyeon clutched his head and staggered.

“Ha Hyeon! Are you alright?!”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, sister.”

So-hwa quickly moved to support Ha Hyeon.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden? And who are these people?”

“The Demonic Cult. That’s Blood Sword Lord Chae Hyeong-seok.”

Namgung Mu-ryong’s tone was icy.

A tone his family members had never heard before.

It was the tone of the Sword Saint from his active days.

“This energy… I’ve felt it before.”

“What?! When?”

“That day…!”

Though Ha Hyeon just said ‘that day,’ everyone present knew which day he meant.

He was clearly referring to the day the Shin family was annihilated.

“Then…. It’s certain the Demonic Cult was behind what happened to the minor factions until now.”

Namgung Min drew his sword as he spoke.

The sword gleamed with a blue light.

*Swoosh-*

Ha Hyeon, who seemed to have recovered from his headache, had also drawn his sword and taken his stance.

After confirming Ha Hyeon was alright, the other family members all drew their swords and stood guard against Chae Hyeong-seok.

Looking at them over Namgung Min’s shoulder, Chae Hyeong-seok laughed and said,

“Have you enjoyed playing house all this time?”

“Seems you’ve forgotten how you got that scar on your neck.”

“I was young then. But now you’re old.”

Chae Hyeong-seok gestured to the Blood Sword Corps members behind him and shouted.

“Blood Sword Corps! Now do your duty! I’ll handle this old man!”

His voice, perhaps infused with energy, rang out loudly.

“Capturing this old man is enough. Kill everyone else.”

“Yes, sir!”

The ten Blood Sword Corps members bypassed Namgung Mu-ryong and attacked the family members.

They particularly targeted Namgung Gi-cheol and Namgung Gi-hyeon openly.

*Clang-!*

A clear sound of clashing weapons rang out.

Namgung Gi-hyeon had stepped forward and easily blocked the sword thrust by the charging Blood Sword Corps member.

Namgung Mu-ryong wanted to dash toward his grandchildren in one breath, but he couldn’t do as he wished.

This was because Blood Sword Lord Chae Hyeong-seok was firmly blocking his path.

“Where do you think you’re going, leaving me behind? We have an old grudge to settle, as I recall.”

Namgung Mu-ryong’s expression froze coldly.

“I’ll ask just one thing.”

“What is it?” “The annihilation of the minor Murim factions. Why did you do such a thing?”

Chae Hyeong-seok glared at Namgung Mu-ryong with gleaming eyes.

“Try to defeat me like you did back then. Who knows? I might tell you.”

“You’ll be talking soon enough.”

Namgung Mu-ryong had already drawn his beloved sword and reached right in front of Chae Hyeong-seok’s face.

It was such swift movement that one might believe he had used Form Shifting Position.

*Swoosh-!*

Namgung Mu-ryong’s sword cut through the air.

A sword strike as fast as Gi-cheol’s lightning

flash.

However, Chae Hyeong-seok reacted to that movement.

He reflexively raised his blade to block Namgung Mu-ryong’s sword.

*Clang-!*

When Namgung Mu-ryong’s sword and Chae Hyeong-seok’s blade collided, blue sparks flew.