“Gasp!”
Namgung Jangyang instinctively clutched his own neck.
‘Wh-what…!’
What was that?
Just now…!
He was certain his neck had been sliced. The sensation of a sharp blade cutting his throat lingered vividly.
Hah, hah….
Namgung Jangyang panted heavily as he looked at the one who had swung the sword. Namgung Seolhwa was still standing some distance away.
‘H-how….’
It was then. Namgung Seolhwa raised her wooden sword.
‘Three Talents Sword Technique, Second Form. Vertical Slash.’
The tip of Seolhwa’s sword pointed to the sky. This time, too, the movement was not very fast. As if to split Namgung Jangyang’s body in half, Seolhwa’s sword drew a straight line from top to bottom.
‘I-I’m going to die…!’
Namgung Jangyang instinctively drew his sword and took a stance as if to block her attack.
However.
Swoosh— The sword, which wasn't even fast, once again split his body in two.
“Ugh!”
Namgung Jangyang unwittingly took a couple of steps back. His body was unharmed, and Namgung Seolhwa was still standing far away. The foul feeling of his body being torn apart also lingered vividly.
‘What in the world is this!’
He had died. He had definitely died. Twice, at that.
By that insignificant sword. Was that possible? Was such a thing possible?
Had she really discovered some ultimate principles in a third-rate sword technique like the Three Talents Sword Technique? While he was lost in confusion, Seolhwa took the stance for the final form.
‘Three Talents Sword Technique, Third Form. Thrust.’
But the final form was not completed.
“St-stop!”
Namgung Jangyang had stopped her. He was already drenched in a cold sweat. Seolhwa lowered her sword.
Namgung Jangyang glanced toward the children.
“She actually does it just because she was told to. Heh heh.”
“She said she had an enlightenment, after all. Haha!”
Namgung Soryong and the other children, seemingly unable to properly see Namgung Seolhwa’s sword, were still snickering and mocking her sword technique.
‘A relief…’
As he thought that it was a relief, Jangyang was shocked at himself for thinking so. He became ashamed of the fact that he had been intimidated by a sword with such obvious movements, one that had only slashed horizontally and vertically.
‘Dammit…!’
This is supposed to be a worm? This is a monster! If he had been completely ignorant of the sword, he might have dismissed it as a mere illusion.
But Jangyang was the Red Dragon Unit Leader and a master of the Supreme Realm. He could see that Seolhwa’s simple sword was by no means simple. Because he knew, he was even more furious.
To be intimidated by a mere thirteen-year-old child! Namgung Jangyang glared at Seolhwa and shouted.
“I told you to learn the basics of the sword technique, and what is this! There are no principles contained in the Young Lady’s sword!”
Seolhwa tilted her head.
“Is that so?”
Namgung Jangyang’s face turned red as he shouted.
“It’s tyrannical! A sword this tyrannical does not fit with the sword of Namgung! Do it again! Again! You are far from ready to learn the Namgung family's sword technique, Young Lady!”
From the side, he seemed angry, but Seolhwa saw it clearly. The fear dwelling in his eyes.
‘He says there are no principles, but then he calls it tyrannical.’
Being tyrannical was also a kind of principle. The Unorthodox faction would be furious if they heard him.
“Go and do it again! All of it!”
Seolhwa turned without a word and headed toward the striking posts. She could hear Namgung Jangyang shouting something in anger behind her, but she paid it no mind. Seolhwa began striking the posts again.
Behind her, the spirited shouts of those practicing the Namgung family’s sword technique continued. Namgung Jangyang, unable to overcome his anger, increased the intensity of the training to vent his frustration, and the children had to pant and struggle, not knowing the reason for their grueling training.
A delicate hand picked up a pink flower and carefully placed it in a vase. The gentle afternoon sunlight shone on the flowers clustered together inside the vase.
“So, did she follow without complaint today as well?”
Yeon Soran asked softly, contemplating which flower to choose to fill the empty space in the vase. Namgung Jangyang, who was standing by the door, nodded his head with a slight start.
“Yes, yes. She just kept hitting the striking posts until the Young Master’s training was finished, and then she left.”
“And she hasn’t told anyone.”
“As you know, the First Young Master has entered the Celestial Comprehension Cave… and seeing as the Family Head hasn’t said anything, it’s clear she hasn’t spoken of it.”
A crooked smile formed on Yeon Soran’s lips.
“It means she has her pride.”
“Those types are easy to handle.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
Pride is a terrible poison. There are plenty of people who, knowing they are driving themselves to ruin, cannot let go of their meager pride and end up leaping to their own destruction. Soran considered such people the most foolish, but as Namgung Jangyang said, they were the easiest type to handle.
All you had to do was provoke their pride, and they would move as you wished.
“I heard some interesting news.”
“Are you referring to… the rumor from Shaanxi?”
The rumor from Shaanxi. It was the rumor that Seolhwa had extorted a Great Rebirth Pill from a Unorthodox Path Sect before coming to the Namgung family. That rumor, which had moved Mount Hua, spread and spread until it finally reached Anhui.
Yeon Soran nodded her head.
“That child, I heard she was staying at a tavern called the Fire Crow Pavilion before she came to Namgung.”
“A tavern… you say?”
Jangyang, who had not known that much, asked back blankly. His eyes widened in an instant.
“Don’t tell me…! You mean she was raised to become a courtesan?”
“It doesn’t seem so.”
“Ah…”
Snip.
A thick stem was cut in Yeon Soran’s hand. As the severed stem fell with a thud, Yeon Soran’s smile deepened.
“But it’s a perfectly natural misunderstanding, isn’t it? What else is there for a woman to do in a tavern?”
“…Ah!”
Jangyang, finally understanding Yeon Soran’s meaning, let out a soft exclamation.
“You’re telling me to spread the rumor.”
“I’m merely trying to make the truth known.”
If word spread that the First Young Master’s daughter grew up in a tavern, Namgung Seolhwa would naturally be suspected of having been a young entertainer in training. Among the orthodox sects of the white path, the Namgung family was renowned for its integrity.
The upright people of Namgung would surely see the fact that the family’s eldest granddaughter was a young entertainer as a ‘blemish.’ If that happened, the family’s assessment of Namgung Cheongun would naturally fall. After all, no one would want to install a courtesan as the next Young Family Head.
“There’s no need to spread the lie that she was a young entertainer.”
Just as Namgung Jangyang had naturally misunderstood a moment ago, the rumor would naturally flow in that direction.
“Spread the facts as they are. It’s a truth everyone will find out in time anyway, we’re just moving up the timeline a bit.”
The reason Namgung Cheongun entered the training grotto ahead of the Heavenly Martial Tournament was obvious. And the fact that he entered the training grotto meant he was confident.
But.
‘It will not go as you wish.’
While he was away, she would use his daughter to chip away at his reputation. An unguarded adversary should be given a fitting gift.
“Ah, are the ones who are to be promoted to the Inner Hall this time being well prepared?”
Namgung Jangyang’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes. They are training hard in their martial arts, and we have also provided them with elixirs. They will surely be selected as Inner Hall warriors.”
“You should know that’s not what I’m asking.”
Yeon Soran’s gaze turned chilly. What she was curious about was not the warriors’ martial arts achievements. The sons of merchants, the nephew of an escort bureau master, the children of influential families.
“You should know what kind of people they are. Is that really the only answer you can give me?”
“Ah.”
Namgung Jangyang clasped his hands together and bowed his head. He answered again.
“I have spoken to the Unit Leaders of each unit to ensure they pass the first selection without issue. I have reminded them twice, three times, of the names and descriptions, so there will be no mistakes.”
“Hmph.”
“As for the second selection, with myself and the Yellow Dragon Unit Leader present, there shouldn't be any major problems. The Blue Dragon Unit Leader will also follow your will, my lady.”
“There shouldn’t be anyone who stands out too much.”
For her chosen candidates to be selected as Inner Hall warriors, the others had to appear relatively weak. That was why she had increased the intensity of their training and even provided elixirs. Namgung Jangyang recalled a few members of the Red Dragon 11th Squad.
“There are some who have been putting in a lot of effort lately, but…”
“Disqualify them.”
“…Pardon?”
“What I am saying is to make it so that such people cannot even apply. Are my words difficult to understand?”
“Ah, no. But… I was wondering how I might disqualify only them…”
Yeon Soran sighed and lowered the hand holding the flower. Her eyes glinted.
“Do I have to tell you every little thing like that?”
Namgung Jangyang flinched in surprise and bowed his head.
“N-no, my lady. I will take care of that part myself.”
“You should. Especially since you are the Red Dragon Unit Leader.”
With a snipping sound, another stem was cut. Namgung Jangyang felt as if his own neck was being cut, and he swallowed his nervous saliva. It was Yeon Soran who had put him in this position, so she could cast him out at any time.
Thus, he had to avoid getting on her bad side as much as possible.
“Do not forget. The Red Dragon Unit must be a tool we can wield like our own limbs.”
Snip— Another stem was cut.
“Even if it means cutting away all the obstacles.”
Namgung Jangyang once again swallowed his dry saliva and bowed deeply.
“I will keep that in mind.”