Chapter 177: Chapter 177
Zhuge Un, holding his sword, asked.
“Who are you?”
The men did not even wear masks.
However, just looking at their spirit, they could not be considered ordinary.
Their number was only six, and with Zhuge Un’s skill, he might somehow be able to hold them off, but doing so while protecting Zhuge Yeon was impossible.
Zhuge Un watched them warily as they remained silent, examining the faces of the men.
If they had the confidence not to hide their faces, they surely had no intention of concealing their identities either.
As he observed closely, the face of the man leading them looked familiar.
“You are Woo Gok-jin.”
“I am grateful that you recognize my face. Then you must also know the reason I came here?”
Zhuge Un swallowed a groan.
Woo Gok-jin was a man who had gained quite a reputation for his outstanding skills even among the wanderers.
He had won enough fame to enter the Martial Alliance, and his skills were second to none.
If he had grown normally like that, he might have grown enough to threaten the Vagrant King Ma Jang-gang.
However, Woo Gok-jin’s personality was the problem.
On the surface, he appeared fair and honorable, but behind the scenes, he committed unspeakably vicious deeds.
Killing people for money was basic, and he even used poison hands to assassinate anyone who stood in the way of his advancement.
Furthermore, when a woman he fancied did not yield to him, he joined hands with bandits to destroy the village where she lived, and showed the cruelty of ending her family’s lives right before her wailing eyes.
At that time, while the Martial Alliance was investigating this matter, they captured one of the bandits, and the truth that came out of his mouth was enough to silence the Martial Alliance.
Thus, Woo Gok-jin was immediately declared a public enemy of the Martial World.
Although they failed to catch him because he noticed quickly and fled, there was no place on this Central Plains land where he could properly set foot.
Yet it was a mystery how such a fellow had come here.
“It was truly a coincidence. You look like a beggar, but I recognized you at a single glance from afar. Does this not mean heaven intends for me to kill you?”
“Haha, is that so…”
Realizing it was purely bad luck, Zhuge Un let out a small, bitter laugh.
After glancing to measure the distance, he quickly drew his sword and swung it.
A vortex forming on the sword poured forward, carrying fierce power.
“Evade!”
At Zhuge Un’s surprise attack, Woo Gok-jin shouted urgently.
He felt that the power of the extended sword wind was extraordinary.
Boom!
The sword qi vortexed and swept the surroundings. Woo Gok-jin, barely dodging, turned his head while grinding his teeth.
He saw that one of his subordinates, unable to evade the sword wind in time, had fallen dead.
Looking back at where Zhuge Un had been, the fellow had disappeared somewhere and was nowhere to be seen.
“Chase him!”
Woo Gok-jin’s urgent voice was heard.
* * *
Slash!
Namgung So-hye swung her sword.
It was fast, light, and agile, yet clearly laden with power, enough to make even decent masters tongue-tied.
The sound of the wind splitting was also unusual.
That swordsmanship, performed not in the training ground she usually used but in a large empty lot slightly away from the Dan residence, coupled with the scenery of Dongting Lake, looked like nothing other than the sword dance of a heavenly fairy.
Namgung Cheon and Gwon Mu-jin, who were watching, admired it.
They wondered if there was anyone else in this Central Plains who could perform a sword dance of this level at that age besides Namgung So-hye.
However, there was someone who threw cold water on it.
“Slow. And the flow is weak.”
Namgung So-hye bit her lip.
The reason she was out in the empty lot swinging her sword today instead of the training ground was none other than Dan Woo-hyun.
It happened because he had offered to guide her, and Namgung Cheon had welcomed it with open arms.
Namgung So-hye’s pride was sorely hurt, but she could not refuse Namgung Cheon’s words.
Whenever he was in front of Dan Woo-hyun, Namgung Cheon seemed to completely forget the fact that he was the Sword Emperor. She did not like that either, as it felt like the Namgung Clan was bowing down.
Even this swordsmanship that Dan Woo-hyun was teaching, though based on the Blue Sky Boundless Sword which was the unique ultimate technique of the Namgung Clan, was somehow different and she could not shake off an awkward feeling.
It was only natural that her body did not move smoothly.
“The Blue Sky Boundless Sword is a swordsmanship based on flow. In fact, it suits women better than men.”
“Pardon…? I have never heard such a thing before.”
“Neither have I?”
Namgung Cheon looked at Dan Woo-hyun with an absurd expression.
No matter how great his skills were, it was unacceptable to make such an preposterous assessment of the swordsmanship of the Namgung Clan, which possessed a long tradition.
He frowned as if he felt somewhat displeased.
‘But… is he seeing something else? In his eyes?’
Did he perhaps see something about the Namgung Clan while obtaining the miracle of the Martial God? Namgung Cheon carefully pondered if that might be the case.
If so, it was necessary to listen to Dan Woo-hyun’s words a little more deeply.
Dan Woo-hyun spoke indifferently.
“Within speed, there is illusion. Within illusion, there is flow. That is the Blue Sky Illusory Bird Sword… the true ultimate technique of Nam Ju-ryeon, one of the Three Heavens.”
In an instant, everyone around shut their mouths.
Namgung So-hye, who was performing the sword dance, also stopped her movements.
Some even dug their ears, wondering if they had misheard. In particular, Namgung Cheon’s shock was greater. Because he was right next to him, he could hear his words clearly without missing a single one.
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Do you still not understand? I said the Blue Sky Illusory Bird Sword.”
“No… after that.”
“Nam Ju-ryeon.”
“…”
“…?”
Hearing the words once more, the three people pinched their cheeks and slapped their faces.
But the moment they faced the reality that the words they just heard were real.
Cries of astonishment erupted from their mouths.
“What!”
“What did you say?!”
“My… Lord, those words just now…”
Dan Woo-hyun frowned. He looked at Namgung Cheon, unable to understand why they were so surprised when he had not said anything he should not have.
“Did you not even know that?”
“How could we possibly know!”
Namgung Cheon calmed his shocked heart.
He had certainly heard that the person who first established the Namgung Clan was a woman. It was a very long time ago, and since there was little information about it, they had just passed it off as there being such a person.
But that woman was actually Nam Ju-ryeon?
Who was Nam Ju-ryeon.
A thousand years ago, during the time when the Martial God was active, she was a powerhouse counted among the top three even in that harsh Martial World.
It was said that she did not belong anywhere, wandered freely, and disappeared at some point.
To think that such a person was the founder who established the Namgung Clan, Namgung Cheon’s lips trembled as he grabbed Dan Woo-hyun’s shoulder.
“Is that truly the truth?”
“Since the Blue Sky Illusory Bird Sword I know is the basis of the Blue Sky Boundless Sword, there is no mistake.”
It was Dan Woo-hyun who had given the surname Namgung in the first place, but the three people, who had no way of knowing that fact, could not contain their astonishment.
“Haha, to think… to think such a person was our ancestor…”
“That is a lie, right? Right? How does Young Master Dan know such a thing?”
Unlike Namgung Cheon, who readily accepted it and nodded, Namgung So-hye pressed Dan Woo-hyun with an expression of disbelief.
And for good reason, she was a figure from a thousand years ago.
Even within the clan, few records of her remained, so how could Dan Woo-hyun know such a secret story?
At that moment, a smirk was heard.
“If you do not want to believe it, you do not have to.”
“…”
Namgung So-hye shut her mouth tightly.
That tone, that expression, that laugh.
Although she could not say they had spent a long time together, Namgung So-hye knew. It was definitely not the expression and tone of someone telling a lie.
She gripped something she had tucked into her shirt.
A thought flashed through her mind.
What she had found last time at the place where the remains of the Three Heavens were.
‘Dan Woo-hyun…’
Could he really be the Martial God himself?
At that absurd thought, Namgung So-hye’s lips trembled.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask that
“Please help!”
Someone was running toward them while shouting loudly. Naturally, the heads of the four people turned.
Their eyes widened as they looked at the woman in shabby clothes running toward them.
Matted hair, clothes that were no different from rags, and a body covered in wounds.
It was enough to make them think that even the beggars of the Beggars’ Sect would not look like that, but the moment they recognized her face, the surprise grew even greater.
“Ye… Yeon-ah?!”
Namgung So-hye, who recognized her first, cried out in surprise.
Although she was in a wretched state, it was definitely Zhuge Yeon.
“Sohye? How are you here… Ah, no, that is not it! Please help, please!”
Her tension releasing, Zhuge Yeon sat down on the spot while shedding tears.
Although she did not seem to be seriously injured, they could feel that something had happened.
“What is the matter?”
“Father… Father…”
Checking who the opponent was, Zhuge Yeon stammered. She seemed incoherent, unable to even grasp how to speak.
“Father might die… Ugh, please help!”
“Speak clearly, where is Un-ah!”
Namgung Cheon shouted in a booming voice.
At that shout, Zhuge Yeon, who was crying, stopped her tears.
Zhuge Yeon pointed south with her trembling hand.
Faster than anyone else, Namgung Cheon flew body.
Urgency could be seen on his face.
He did not know who it was, but touching Zhuge Un was absolutely unforgivable.
Looking at the receding Namgung Cheon, Namgung So-hye let out a sigh of relief. Since the Sword Emperor himself, and no other, had run off, it did not seem like anything would happen to Zhuge Un.
Rather, she was more worried about Zhuge Yeon.
It was truly pitiful to see her friend sitting down with a shocked face.
She gently embraced her and patted her back.
“It is alright, it is alright. Since Grandfather went, he will be safe.”
At that comforting voice, Zhuge Yeon nodded.
Wiping the tears remaining around her eyes, she smiled softly, then tilted her head as if she finally felt something strange.
‘Why is Sohye here?’
Zhuge Yeon had clearly come to find Dan Woo-hyun.
It was to request salvation from him. But why was Namgung So-hye here?
She tilted her head in wonder.
“Huh? Grandfather?”
Come to think of it, the person who just disappeared was the Sword Emperor.
It meant the dead Sword Emperor had run off to save her father.
“Huh? Huh?”
Zhuge Yeon tilted her head repeatedly.
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