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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Namgung Sega Granddaughter's Return
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Early dawn, Seolhwa woke up as usual and headed to the training grounds.
Cheongun, who had been receiving drinks from the family elders until late, was sound asleep, so she went outside.
However, she did not go to the outer training grounds.
It was obvious that the Jeokryongdan members would be in the same state as Cheongun, so she had already informed Ryeon last night that she would skip her dawn training.
Seolhwa headed to the inner training grounds, reserved for direct descendants, for the first time in a while. It was the training ground where she had first swung the sword given to her by Seop Mugwang.
Upon arriving at the training grounds, Seolhwa stopped just as she was about to step through the gate.
"Haa! Haat!"
Contrary to her expectation that no one would be there right after the banquet, shouts of exertion echoed from inside the training grounds.
It was a little surprising, but not strange. As the Namgung were a martial family, it was natural for someone to diligently devote themselves to training.
She was just a little curious about who that person was.
Seolhwa resumed her steps and entered the training grounds. Inside, there was a truly unexpected person.
'Namgung Ung?'
Namgung Cheonghae's second son and Namgung Soryong's younger brother.
He was swinging a wooden sword at a training dummy, sweat dripping profusely, when he seemed to sense her presence. He stopped his sword and turned around.
Their gazes met for a moment. Namgung Ung's round eyes widened.
He hurried over and bowed deeply to Seolhwa, repeatedly bending and straightening his waist. A bright smile spread across his face as he caught his breath.
"Sister Seolhwa. Did you sleep well last night?"
Behind that clear smiling face, the face of Namgung Ung from her past life emerged.
The face of a young man, glaring at her as if to kill her.
'If you want to kill them, cut me down first.'
It was when she had stormed into the Namgung Sega's estate, set it ablaze, and indiscriminately slaughtered the Namgung family members and warriors.
He stood guarding the Namgung family members who were injured or too old to move freely.
'Young Master, at least you must escape! Aren't you the hope of Namgung!'
'Ung, go! Our lives aren't important, so hurry...!'
Every single family member he was protecting shouted for him to flee.
That was right. Namgung Ung was a bloodline of Namgung, and only if he lived could the revival of Namgung be planned someday.
However, Namgung Ung foolishly remained until the end, guarding them.
'I will protect Namgung until the moment my life ends! This Namgung! The spirit of Namgung! Even if someone like you dares to trample upon it, it will never be broken!'
Even with one arm severed, one eye lost, and blood flowing from wounds all over his body.
Even though his brother and mother had already abandoned the family and fled.
He stood guarding Namgung until the very end. As he said, until the moment his life ended.
'Perhaps the most "Namgung-like" person in this Namgung is Namgung Ung.'
If she was someone who knew Namgung well, then Namgung Ung was like its very embodiment.
"Did you come to train?"
Seolhwa nodded at the question, asked with sparkling eyes.
"You must be tired from the Cheonmuje, but you're truly amazing!"
"You too."
"Ah... me..."
Namgung Ung scratched the back of his head.
"I couldn't show such a cool presence like you, Sister. Ah, your sword yesterday, it was truly magnificent. I really wanted to tell you that when I saw you. And..."
"?"
"At the training grounds... I apologize."
"The training grounds?"
"I didn't know that the Namgung Patriarch intentionally didn't teach you sword arts. Even when my elder brother was being rude, I should have stopped him more."
Namgung Ung's face was full of guilt.
Even though he was trying to act mature, Namgung Ung was still just a ten-year-old child.
It was already remarkable that he acted according to his convictions without being swayed by his brother or peers.
"It's alright. It ended well, anyway. And..."
Namgung Jangyang had been dragged out by Bipunggeomdae members before the banquet began.
Given that Namgung Mugang hadn't been seen throughout the banquet, he must have been undergoing interrogation since last night.
"Regarding the incident at the training grounds, it wasn't your fault, it was Soryong's. You don't need to apologize for Soryong's mistakes."
Namgung Ung, who had been thinking with his lips pressed tight, shook his head.
It seemed he was accustomed to apologizing on behalf of his brother.
'This is the problem with Baekdo kids.'
They are unconditionally forced to uphold justice, honesty, and integrity before they can even distinguish right from wrong.
So they think it's natural to apologize for things that aren't their fault.
If the problem with Heukdo people is that they don't know how to admit their mistakes, the problem with Baekdo people is that they immediately bow their heads.
This often grows into hypocrisy and arrogance. Though Namgung Ung wasn't such a case.
"More importantly, do you usually train at this hour?"
"Ah, yes! Dawn training helps me focus better and makes my body feel refreshed."
"I see."
He knows how to train.
Seolhwa scanned the training dummy he had been striking just moments ago, and then Namgung Ung's hands.
Namgung Ung's hands were stained with blood, as if blisters had burst. Yet, the hand gripping the sword was still firm and strong.
Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Namgung Ung's martial arts yesterday. She knew from Ryeon that his Daeyeongeombeop was at the 5th star, but...
'I wonder what he was like when he was younger.'
"Want to spar?"
At Seolhwa's words, Namgung Ung abruptly lifted his head. His eyes sparkled slightly.
"Spar? Me, with you, Sister?"
"Yes."
Namgung Ung hesitated, unable to answer immediately.
It seemed he was worried about the difference in martial prowess.
"I'll go easy on you."
At that moment, a small spark ignited in his clear eyes, flaring up.
It was an affront to one's pride to be underestimated by an opponent before even crossing swords.
Even if he might lose, he didn't want to appear pathetic before showing his skill.
"No. Please do your best. I will do my best too."
It had been a slight provocation, but it elicited a surprisingly resolute response from a martial artist.
"Alright. I'll fight you seriously."
The two headed towards the sparring platform in the center of the training grounds.
Before stepping onto the platform, Ung personally retrieved Seolhwa's wooden sword and respectfully offered it to her.
'He's really different from his brother.'
Every small action of Ung's showed respect for the sword.
It was the attitude of someone who knew the Way he walked, unlike those who swung their swords simply for their own pleasure.
"Thank you."
Seolhwa accepted the wooden sword without hesitation and stepped onto the sparring platform.
Namgung Ung, who had followed her onto the platform, moved to the line opposite Seolhwa. He held his wooden sword and respectfully performed a Pokwon.
"I request a bout."
Seolhwa also responded with a proper stance.
"I look forward to it too. Will you attack first? Or should I go first?"
"I will go first."
Even his attitude, not arrogant about his own skill.
He was a truly likable child.
"Good."
Seolhwa took a stance, preparing for the incoming attack.
Namgung Ung also took the introductory stance of the sword form he had learned. As he settled into his stance and regulated his breathing, his eyes, unlike moments before, held a sharp intensity.
"Haat!"
With a short, intense shout of exertion, Namgung Ung's sword flew towards Seolhwa.
The sword art Namgung Ung displayed was, as expected, the basic Daeyeongeombeop. It was an excellent choice.
Learning a sword art is not like choosing whatever food you want from a lavish banquet table.
It is like an infant first having breast milk, then gruel as they grow a little, then rice, and then meat as they grow further.
One must follow the sequence to grow stronger and higher.
Thwack- Thud!
"Haat-!"
Namgung Ung's sword, though not flashy or distinctive, carried power in every single swing.
His movements followed a consistent sword path, with almost no errors.
This showed how many times Namgung Ung had repeated the same movements.
'How commendable.'
He knew precisely that even a single sword swing required thousands, tens of thousands of repetitions to truly master before any variations became possible.
When first learning sword arts, one can easily overlook this due to the desire to perform flashy techniques, yet he was following the correct path even in that regard.
'...Then what's the problem?'
At this point, Seolhwa became puzzled.
'Considering Namgung Ung's growth rate, if he had practiced sword arts in this manner, he should have reached at least the peak of the Transcendent Realm.'
But why, in her previous life, had he only reached, at most, the peak of the Jeoljeong Realm?
As for internal energy, it would accumulate just by properly consuming the elixirs provided by the family, so that shouldn't have been an issue.
'Was his enlightenment lacking?'
Why?
Someone who, from such a young age, so intensely contemplated the sword and strived to follow the correct path.
Thwack! Thud!
"Haat-!"
Seolhwa watched Namgung Ung's sword with an even sharper gaze.
At some point, Seolhwa's eyes grew cold.
'I understand.'
The reason why Namgung Ung's growth had stopped.
