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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: A Strategic Move
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Chapter 115
Reassured by his smile, Seolhwa pulled a chair closer and sat by the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Good. The head of the Medical Hall just applied some medicine, and my back feels cool. I'll have to ask him what it was later."
Yugang chuckled softly. But perhaps due to the pain, his smile wasn't as bright as before.
His laughter slowly faded, and Yugang's expression darkened. His lips still curved in a gentle arc, but his face was clouded.
"Are you worried?"
"...Huh?"
"About your sect."
"Ah..."
Yugang, who had been fidgeting with his hands with a somber face, nodded quietly.
"Yeah. I wonder if the Sect Leader is alright, or if my master is worrying about me. Or if the sect has been turned upside down because of me."
Before leaving Hwasan, he had wanted to bid farewell to his master, Nohun, but he couldn't.
Seolhwa's words, "Don't trust anyone," had come back to him. So, Hwasan must have been in an uproar over his sudden disappearance.
'I need to return to Hwasan quickly.'
The problem was, Namgung Sega's situation wasn't exactly good enough for him to ask for help with Hwasan's affairs.
Many had been injured in the battle at Surochae, and everyone was busy with the aftermath. In such a situation, he couldn't bring himself to ask them to accompany him to Hwasan because of its difficulties.
"Don't worry. I've already sent a messenger pigeon to Hwasan."
"...Huh?"
Yugang looked at Seolhwa with a bewildered gaze.
"You... sent a messenger pigeon?"
"I sent it as soon as I returned to the family. I told them we were protecting a Hwasan disciple who had been captured by Surochae."
While grateful that she was looking out for Hwasan's affairs amidst the chaos, Yugang felt a little flustered.
"B-but... if that happens, everyone will know I'm in Namgung Sega, won't they? Is that alright?"
"I've made it seem like we rescued you from Surochae, so they won't know you intended to come to Namgung Sega from the start. And..."
"?"
"It actually worked out better. Now the main family has a formal reason to visit Hwasan."
To go to Hwasan, she had used the Geumryongokyeolbo to demand Nohun arrange a meeting with the Sect Leader.
But now, there was no need for that.
"If we rescue a Hwasan disciple captured by Surochae, protect them, and even escort them back to Hwasan, Hwasan won't be able to turn away their benefactors, will they?"
Especially a Taoist sect that values gratitude.
"Wow..."
Yugang was genuinely impressed.
In reality, Yugang had followed them to Surochae to help the kidnapped Hwarin.
But to twist that around and make it seem like Namgung Sega rescued Yugang, thus transforming Namgung Sega into Hwasan's benefactor...
"You really are..."
...shameless and like a Heukdo practitioner.
To turn an unintended situation into an opportunity like this.
It was a method Yugang couldn't have even conceived of.
"I'm what?"
"...Nothing."
How boring.
"Hwasan has responded."
"Already?"
"Because I sent the fastest bird."
It didn't take long for the main family to send a messenger pigeon to the branch family in Shaanxi, and for the branch family to send a letter to Hwasan.
Hwasan, too, seemed to have been searching for the vanished Yugang everywhere, so the reply came quickly.
"They said they'd send someone. I expect it will be Maeyeonggeom."
One of the three people who visited Namgung Sega last time. Maeyeonggeom Yupyo.
Since he was a familiar face even in Namgung Sega, there was a high chance he would be the one to come.
"It'll take about seven days for the person Hwasan sends to arrive. In the meantime, focus solely on your recovery. You might be fine for now, but dragging this out won't be good for your Sect Leader."
Yugang nodded.
It was reassuring news, as he had been worried about how to bring up the matter.
But there was one thing that bothered him.
"It'll be alright, right?"
"Why?"
"I don't even know the identity of the people who attacked me. What if they show up again?"
"You don't need to worry about that."
Seolhwa's lips curved into a reassuring smile.
"Because my grandfather will be accompanying you."
Those words were beyond reassuring. With the Sword Emperor accompanying them, what was there to fear?
Only then did Yugang feel the discomfort that had lingered in his heart completely dissipate.
What a relief.
He had worried that Namgung Sega might be too busy with its own affairs, or that they might refuse to help because of Hwasan's impoliteness during their last visit.
But all those worries were for naught; Namgung Sega, and Namgung Seolhwa, were prioritizing Hwasan's matters.
When he thought about it, she was the one who suffered significant damage during their last visit, yet she was actively stepping forward as if it were her own affair. He was grateful for that.
"Um."
"?"
"That... Brother... W-wait!"
As Seolhwa moved to strike a pressure point, Yugang hastily raised both hands and pulled his body back.
"Y-you don't have to call me 'Brother' anymore! It's alright now! That's what I was going to say...!"
Seolhwa's hand slowly lowered.
Yugang laughed awkwardly and straightened his posture.
"Actually, I've always admired you a little."
"...What?"
"Even though you're clearly two years younger than me, you always take the lead and solve problems like an adult."
Whether it was confronting his master, Nohun, or being captured by the bandits of Surochae, or even threatening Maeng Deungho to stop the fight.
She was always mature.
To Yugang, an adult was someone who took the lead and accomplished great things that he himself couldn't.
He had believed that adults could never be approached, and that the world of adults and children were different.
But she was different.
She stood as an equal with adults and never shrank or felt intimidated just because she was a child.
"Seeing those sides of you always made me feel like an endless child, a little, well, pathetic. That's probably why I wanted to be called 'Brother'."
He admitted that his stubbornness stemmed from a petty heart. Acknowledging it made him feel embarrassed.
"So, it's alright now. I'm sorry for being stubborn. And thank you for prioritizing Hwasan's matters."
As Yugang spoke, his eyes were noticeably firmer than before.
They say a person grows after experiencing a difficult situation.
The incident at Surochae seemed to have been a significant turning point for him.
'Then again, he did say his last visit to the main family was his first venture into the Jianghu.'
The Surochae incident must have been a huge shock.
Seolhwa nodded quietly.
Witnessing the growth of someone she had opposed in her previous life wasn't a bad thing at all.
"Me too."
A gentle smile spread across her lips.
"Thank you for saving me."
* * *
"Is he inside?"
At Seop Mugwang's question, the Heukryongdaeju, who was guarding the Patriarch's Hall, nodded.
"He is."
"How is he?"
"Well, the same as ever. He tries not to show it, but just being near him feels like having a blade held to your throat, so how could one not know?"
It was so bad that even the Chief Steward found an excuse to leave.
Approaching the Patriarch now was no different from asking to be killed.
Seop Mugwang clicked his tongue and scratched his head.
The entire Patriarch's Hall felt enveloped in an ominous aura, which was quite unsettling.
"Please go in."
"Are you trying to send me to the Yellow Springs?"
"Surely he wouldn't kill you. Not Bipungdaeju, of all people."
"That's quite the baseless confidence. I'm the one going in, so why are *you* so confident?"
"You'll see once you go in. Don't you have something to report anyway?"
"True."
"See?"
Besides, it had been an hour since the Chief Steward left, so it was about time to check on the Patriarch's condition.
The Bipung Commander was perfect for the task.
*Creak-*
The Heukryongdaeju personally opened the door to the Patriarch's Hall.
Seop Mugwang, scratching his head and looking up at the ominous Patriarch's Hall, soon stepped inside.
As he approached the study, the ominous aura that had been perceptible from afar intensified to an almost ferocious level.
Namgung Mucheon's rage filled the corridor, silently roaring like a tempest.
But Seop Mugwang knew. This was only the extent of it because he was holding back.
"Brother. It's Mugwang."
From beyond the door, the reply "Come in" was heard. Seop Mugwang entered the study.
As soon as he opened the study door, the smell of blood hit him, making him frown.
"Haven't you washed?"
"I have. It's just seeped into my body. It seems the grudges of those I've personally cut down these past few days have clung to me."
"Grudges, my foot. They died because they deserved to."
The festering sores that had emerged within Namgung Sega these past few days were severe. It was strange that they hadn't been noticed until now, even as the pus accumulated and the flesh rotted.
Namgung Mucheon, as the Patriarch, executed the criminals with his own hands, fueled by self-reproach and rage for failing to lead the family properly.
Neither excuses nor pleas worked.
Embezzlement led to confiscation.
Misuse led to restitution.
Death led to death.
They received punishments fitting their crimes.
Beyond the family walls, there were voices criticizing Namgung Sega's ruthless methods, but no one within the family called it excessive.
On the contrary, this incident made the family members fear and acknowledge Namgung Mucheon even more, serving as an opportunity to reaffirm the spirit of Namgung Sega.
Such was Namgung Mucheon, who, with a weary expression, pressed his temples and spoke with a heavy voice.
"Cheonghae came and said he's giving up his qualification as the Young Master candidate."
