Early in the dawn, Seolhwa awoke as always and headed for the training ground. Cheong-un, who had been drinking with the family elders until late, was sound asleep, so she slipped outside. However, she did not go to the Outer Hall’s training ground.
It was obvious the Red Dragon Unit members would be in the same state as Cheong-un, so last night, she had sent word through Ryeong that they would skip the dawn training. For the first time in a while, Seolhwa headed to the training ground meant for the direct descendants of the Inner Hall.
It was the same training ground where she had first swung the sword she received from Seop Mugwang. Arriving at the training ground, Seolhwa stopped just as she stepped through the gate.
“Ha! Haat!”
Contrary to her expectation that no one would be there right after the banquet, the sound of spirited shouts came from within the training ground. It was a bit unexpected, but not strange. As the Namgung was a martial family, it was only natural that there would be someone who diligently devoted themselves to training.
Still, she was a little curious as to who it was. Seolhwa resumed her steps and entered the training ground. Inside, there was indeed a very unexpected person.
‘Namgung Ung?’
The second son of Namgung Cheonghae and the younger brother of Namgung Soryong. Dripping with sweat as he swung a wooden sword at a training post, he seemed to sense her presence, for he stopped his sword and turned around. For a moment, their gazes met.
Namgung Ung's round eyes widened. He hurried over and gave Seolhwa a deep bow. A bright smile spread across his face as he caught his ragged breath.
“Seolhwa nunim. Did you have a peaceful night?”
Behind that bright, smiling face, the face of Namgung Ung from her past life surfaced. The face of a youthful young man who had glared at her as if to kill her.
‘If you want to kill them, you must cut me down first.’
It was when she had invaded the Namgung family estate, setting it ablaze and indiscriminately killing the Namgung family members and warriors. He had stood protectively in front of the injured and elderly Namgung family members who could not move easily.
‘Young Master, you at least must escape! Are you not the hope of Namgung!’
‘Ung, go! Our lives do not matter, so hurry…!’
The family members he was protecting all shouted for him to flee. They were right. Namgung Ung was of the Namgung bloodline, and only if he lived could the revival of Namgung one day be planned.
But Namgung Ung foolishly remained until the very end, protecting them.
‘I will protect Namgung until the moment my life ends! This Namgung! The spirit of Namgung! It will never be broken, even if someone like you dares to trample it!’
Even after one arm was severed, one eye was lost, and blood poured from the wounds all over his body. Even though his own brother and mother had already abandoned the family and fled. He stood protecting Namgung until the end.
Just as he said, until the moment his life ended.
‘Perhaps the most Namgung-like person in this family was Namgung Ung.’
If she was the one who knew Namgung well, then Namgung Ung was like the very model of Namgung.
“Did you come to train?”
Seolhwa nodded in response to his question, asked with sparkling eyes.
“You must be tired from the Heavenly Martial Tournament, you are truly amazing!”
“You too.”
“Ah… I….”
Namgung Ung scratched the back of his head.
“I couldn’t show a cool performance like you did, nunim. Ah, your sword yesterday, nunim, was truly magnificent. I really wanted to tell you that when I saw you. And….”
“?”
“At the training ground… I’m sorry.”
“The training ground?”
“I didn’t know that Unit Leader Namgung was intentionally not teaching you the sword. I should have done more to stop my brother when he was being rude.”
Namgung Ung's face was filled with guilt. Even if he acted mature, Namgung Ung was still just a ten-year-old child. It was already remarkable that he acted on his own convictions without being swayed by his brother and peers.
“It’s fine. It all ended well, anyway. And….”
Namgung Jangyang was dragged away by the Secret Wind Sword Unit members before the banquet began. Seeing as Namgung Mugang was nowhere to be seen during the entire banquet, he must have been under interrogation since last night.
“As for what happened at the training ground, it was Soryong’s fault, not yours. There's no need for you to apologize on his behalf.”
Namgung Ung, who had been thinking with his lips pressed tightly together, shook his head. It seemed he was used to apologizing on his brother’s behalf.
‘This is the problem with the White Path kids.’
Before they can even distinguish right from wrong, they're forced to accept only things like justice, honesty, and integrity. So they think it's natural to apologize for things that aren't even their fault.
If the problem with the bastards from the Unorthodox Path is that they don't know how to admit their faults, the problem with the people of the White Path is that they rush to bow their heads first. As this grows, it often becomes hypocrisy and arrogance. Though that wasn't the case with Namgung Ung.
“Anyway, do you always train at this hour?”
“Ah, yes! I find it's easier to concentrate during dawn training, and it makes my body feel refreshed.”
“I see.”
He knows how to train. Seolhwa glanced from the striking post he had been hitting just moments ago to Namgung Ung’s hands. Namgung Ung's hands were stained with blood, perhaps from burst blisters.
Nevertheless, the hand gripping the sword was filled with firm strength. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Namgung Ung's martial arts yesterday. She knew from Ryeong that he was at the fifth level of the Great Flame Sword Technique, but….
‘I'm a little curious what he was like when he was young.’
“Want to spar?”
At Seolhwa’s words, Namgung Ung quickly raised his head. His eyes were sparkling slightly.
“Spar? Me, with you, nunim?”
“Yes.”
Namgung Ung hesitated, unable to answer right away. He seemed to be worried about the difference in their martial strength.
“I’ll go easy on you.”
In that instant, a small flame flared up in his clear eyes. Being looked down upon by an opponent before even crossing swords is a blow to one's pride. Even if you think you'll lose, you don't want to look pathetic before you've even shown your skills.
“No. Please do your best. I will do my best as well.”
She had intended it as a slight provocation, but his response was that of a truly determined warrior.
“Alright. I’ll face you with all I’ve got.”
The two of them headed toward the sparring stage in the center of the training ground. Before climbing onto the stage, Ung personally fetched Seolhwa’s wooden sword and respectfully offered it to her.
‘He's so different from his brother.’
Every one of Ung's small actions showed his respect for the sword. It was the attitude of one who knows the path (Do) they walk, unlike those who swing their swords indulging in their own whims.
“Thank you.”
Seolhwa did not refuse, accepting the wooden sword and stepping onto the sparring stage. Following her, Namgung Ung also climbed onto the stage and moved to stand opposite Seolhwa. He gripped his wooden sword and respectfully performed a fist-and-palm salute.
“Please grant me a lesson.”
Seolhwa also responded with the proper posture.
“I look forward to it as well. Do you want to come first? Or should I?”
“I will go first.”
Even his attitude shows no arrogance about his own skill. A rather likable child.
“Alright.”
Seolhwa took a stance in preparation for his attack. Namgung Ung also took the opening stance of the sword form he had learned. As he settled his stance and regulated his breathing, his gaze took on a sharp energy, different from before.
“Haat!”
With a short, intense shout, Namgung Ung’s sword flew toward Seolhwa. The sword technique Namgung Ung unleashed was, as expected, the basic Great Flame Sword Technique. An excellent choice.
Learning a sword technique is not like choosing what you want to eat from a lavish feast. It is like a newborn baby drinking mother's milk, then rice gruel as they grow a little, then rice, and finally meat. You must follow the proper order to grow stronger and taller.
Tatak- Tak!
Namgung Ung’s sword was not flashy or unique, but each and every strike was filled with power. His movements followed a consistent sword path, flying with almost no error. This showed just how many times Namgung Ung had repeated the same movements.
‘Impressive.’
He knew precisely that only after practicing the same single swing thousands, tens of thousands of times to make it his own could variations become possible. It was something easily overlooked by those who, upon first learning the sword, were eager to perform flashy techniques, yet even in this, he was following the proper path.
‘…Then what’s the problem?’
At this point, Seolhwa became puzzled.
‘Considering Namgung Ung's growth rate, if he had continued to polish his swordsmanship like this, he should have at least reached the peak of the supreme master level.’
So why, in her previous life, had he at best only reached the peak of the Supreme Realm? His inner energy should not have been a problem, as it would have accumulated as long as he properly consumed the elixirs provided by the family.
‘Was his enlightenment lacking?’
Why?
A person who, from such a young age, contemplated the sword so fiercely and strove to follow the right path.
Tatak! Taak!
“Haat-!”
Seolhwa watched Namgung Ung’s sword with an even sharper gaze. At some point, Seolhwa's gaze grew cold.
‘I see it now.’
The reason Namgung Ung’s growth had stopped.