The promised dinner with Namgung Mucheon was prepared at the Patriarch’s Residence where he stayed. After washing herself clean and changing into the clothes prepared by the Namgung clan, Ilhwa headed toward the residence. The interior of the Patriarch’s Residence wasn’t much different from what she had seen in her previous life.
The flower garden was filled with crimson poppies, and by the large pond, thick willow trees hung their branches low. It was the very garden she had described when she first entered the Namgung clan to prove her identity.
“Come in.”
The meal was set in a pavilion near the pond. Namgung Mucheon greeted her. Behind him stood Seop Mugwang, and aside from one servant attending to them, no one else was present.
“Sit comfortably. I’ve sent the servants away, so there’s no need to be cautious.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Ilhwa returned the courtesy with a polite bow and sat down.
“I heard you like delicious food.”
As soon as she sat, all sorts of delicacies floated up from the table and gently settled in front of her.
‘Object Manipulation from Afar…’
A near-miraculous ability only those who had reached the Transformation Realm could perform. Moving objects without touching them, using qi alone. One needed a strong foundation of inner energy to support the objects, and the ability to control qi with precision.
It wasn’t something easily done. Yet Namgung Mucheon performed it effortlessly, as if moving his own hand, with just a flick of his finger. Even at the unbelievable sight, Ilhwa’s expression remained calm.
“How are your injuries?”
Namgung Mucheon asked as he pushed the delicious dishes toward her. Ilhwa chewed and swallowed a piece of Dongpo pork in front of her before replying.
“I’m fine.”
“No pain?”
“No. I have dull senses.”
Namgung Mucheon’s eyebrows curved slightly.
“What do you mean by dull senses?”
Ilhwa picked up a dumpling the size of a fingertip, topped with a flower petal, and answered.
“I almost died when I was five.”
Namgung Mucheon and Seop Mugwang stiffened for a moment, but Ilhwa didn’t notice the change in them.
“Someone forced inner energy into my body to save me, and I think that’s why I lost my memory and my senses.”
Ilhwa popped the dumpling into her mouth and chewed. A savory flavor spread throughout her mouth.
‘It’s good.’
Not as good as the dumpling shop Seop Mugwang had taken her to last time, but still tasty. Maybe this is why the children of wealthy clans always have such glowing faces—because they eat such high-quality food. Namgung Mucheon remained silent for a long while, but Ilhwa didn’t pay it much mind.
She was focused on eating.
“Was it the Pavilion Master of Fire Crow Pavilion who saved you?”
Namgung Mucheon asked in a deeper voice. Ilhwa looked up at him.
“Yes.”
“Then why did you betray him?”
“Because I think he’s also the one who tried to kill me.”
“…”
Namgung Mucheon stared at her in silence and rubbed his forehead.
Death.
It was too heavy a word for a thirteen-year-old child to speak so calmly. And yet, the child spoke as if it were someone else’s story. Who made this child this way?
‘I will find them and destroy them.’
The area near the pond where the meal was set trembled briefly, then fell silent. Ilhwa, who had just swallowed her food, looked at him.
“Namgung cannot defeat them.”
Namgung Mucheon’s expression hardened even more, but Ilhwa didn’t stop speaking.
“If you face them now, Namgung will not survive.”
“Do you truly mean that?”
“Yes.”
“Then I will act.”
“Even so.”
In her previous life, Namgung had not been a match for the Blood Sect. Even if the forces of the Central Plains joined together, they would only be evenly matched. Namgung alone could not bring them down.
“There are ten top masters in the world. They maintain the balance and order of the Martial World. What if three of them moved?”
“They could kill half of Fire Crow Pavilion’s leadership, but they wouldn’t survive.”
“Then what if it’s just half?”
“They could destroy Fire Crow Pavilion, but they wouldn’t be able to kill the Pavilion Master.”
Namgung Mucheon closed his mouth with a hardened expression. He didn’t fully believe the child’s words. Who were the ten top masters of the world?
They were like pillars holding up the heavens. Because of their existence, peace flowed through the world, and no one dared to break it. And yet, even if half of them moved, they couldn’t kill a single Pavilion Master?
“Who are they?”
Through the conversation, Namgung Mucheon realized there was a force behind Fire Crow Pavilion. His question was about the identity of that force. Ilhwa neatly set down her chopsticks and dipped her hand into the tea water.
With her moist fingers, she carved a single character onto the dry table.
‘禁 (Forbidden)’ At the sight of the character, shock spread across the faces of Namgung Mucheon and Seop Mugwang.
Seop Mugwang muttered softly.
“Forbidden Seal…?”
The Forbidden Seal. A spell that prevented someone from speaking certain information. The Blood Sect’s Forbidden Seal was especially cruel—just trying to say a single word would cause the blood vessels to burst and blood to pour from every orifice, leading to death.
That was why Ilhwa, despite knowing the enemy, could not speak a single word about them.
“Mugwang. Bring the Medicine Hall Master.”
“Yes.”
Namgung Mucheon’s expression was grave. He had thought Fire Crow Pavilion, which had taken the child, was just another unorthodox faction group. Something Namgung could easily crush.
He had asked the child about Fire Crow Pavilion to judge their crimes and deliver proper punishment. But a Forbidden Seal? A force so meticulous that they would place a Forbidden Seal on a child in this peaceful Martial World?
“Do you understand what you’ve just said?”
“A tidal wave big enough to drown Mount Tai is coming. A wave of blood.”
The child’s words and gaze were unwavering. They were serious words, far beyond a child’s age, and could not be taken lightly.
“If such a force existed, why has no one known about them?”
“Because there are those who hide their existence and blind others.”
“Spies.”
If they had spies, it was possible. But— “There are many factions in the Central Plains. They couldn’t have planted spies in all of them.”
“What if they took a very long time?”
Five years later, the reason the factions of the Martial World fell so helplessly was because of the spies the Blood Sect had planted in each one. They blinded and deafened the factions, hiding the Blood Sect’s existence and leading them to the cliff’s edge.
In her previous life, the Martial World only realized their existence when they were already at the edge of the cliff. And by then, no master, no one, could save the Martial World.
“Do you still believe me?”
Ilhwa’s serious gaze met Namgung Mucheon’s. It was a gaze with the innocence of a child, yet deeper than that of an adult.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you return to Namgung?”
It wasn’t a question of blame or reproach. He wanted to know whether she returned simply because her memories came back, or if there was another reason.
“I know you helped the Red Dragon Squad child with his martial arts. What do you plan to do in Namgung?”
“I will stop Namgung from falling.”
“Why?”
“Because I am a child of Namgung.”
There wasn’t a trace of falsehood in the child’s eyes as she said that. No, what Namgung Mucheon felt in her gaze was desperation. A desperation so strong that he could feel how much she truly wanted to save Namgung.
When was the last time he had felt such passion for the clan? Even his own children, who had grown up in Namgung their whole lives, didn’t show this much dedication to the clan’s well-being. And yet, this child, his granddaughter, who returned after eight years, said she would save the clan.
Under the name Namgung.
“Heh…”
Namgung Mucheon let out a soft laugh. He placed a dish just out of her reach closer to her.
“You answered honestly, so I should give you an honest answer too.”
Ilhwa picked up the food he pushed toward her and ate it. As he watched her chew, Namgung Mucheon spoke with a gentle gaze.
“It’s hard to believe everything you say.”
Ilhwa nodded.
“So I will watch you from now on. What you do in Namgung, and how you plan to save it.”
She nodded again.
“I am the Patriarch. If you ever do anything that harms Namgung, I will stop you.”
Namgung was large and powerful. Within it were tangled interests and endless power struggles. Even now, factions were fighting over the vacant position of the Young Patriarch.
As Patriarch, Namgung Mucheon had to choose the path most beneficial to the clan, and he couldn’t always take her side.
“But.”
A man at the peak of power. One who ruled the Martial World with overwhelming strength and absolute authority within the clan.
“If there is no doubt that what you do is for Namgung’s sake.”
The Patriarch of Namgung, Namgung Mucheon, made a promise.
“I will become the greatest sky you can rely on.”