Chapter 256: Chapter 256

“Do you know what you just did?”

Hwangbo Gwon clenched his fists and glared.

The prestige of the Namgung Family had already fallen to the ground. Even if they punished Namgung So-hye here, no one would speak up.

Namgung So-hye looked at Hwangbo Gwon with a relaxed gaze.

That expression, completely undaunted, intimidated the opponent instead.

Hwangbo Gwon and Hwangbo Yeong flinched and trembled.

“It is annoying to deal with you one by one, so come at me all at once.”

It was actually the three of them who were flustered by those bold words.

They knew Namgung So-hye’s swordplay was great. However, that was years ago, and they had also improved their skills through considerable training in the meantime.

Even if it was Namgung So-hye, who had always carried the modifier of being the strongest among the young experts, she would never emerge unscathed if they attacked together.

“Your arrogance pierces the heavens.”

Hwangbo Gwon muttered, glaring threateningly.

The Namgung Family, which had produced the Sword Emperor.

The Namgung Family, the pinnacle of the Eight Great Families.

The Namgung Family, the strongest sword of the orthodox path.

Such modifiers had now vanished and no longer existed. No matter how strong Namgung So-hye had once been, that was in the past.

Even so, they did not like the way she displayed such confidence.

“I will kill you!”

Just then, Hwangbo Yeong rushed forward.

Perhaps because the blow from earlier was quite painful, a tear welled up in the corner of her eye.

The thrust fist was even tinged with killing intent.

She put weight behind it as if she would beat Namgung So-hye to death at once, just as she had shouted.

Papapat!

A punch so heavy that one could indeed admire it as expected of the Hwangbo Clan.

Her movements were also quite fast, making the incoming strike feel formidable.

Sasasak!

However, Namgung So-hye’s movements surpassed that.

She moved lightly, like a feather.

It was by no means the movement of the Boundless Sword Technique, the ultimate technique of the Namgung Family.

Seeing this, Dang Moon-hye’s eyes widened.

It was because she realized it was not the Blue Sky Boundless Sword Technique, and that the movement was somehow alien.

Namgung So-hye felt as if she could evade no matter where she was attacked, and her feather-like footwork seemed impossible to catch even if one tried.

Did this make any sense?

Papapapat-!

Hwangbo Yeong’s fists and kicks merely sliced through empty air.

“You haven’t changed at all, now or in the past.”

Namgung So-hye, wearing a faint smile, thrust her hand forward.

It was a motion like wielding a sword with the edge of her hand erect.

Peogeok-!

“Aaargh!”

Namgung So-hye’s hand strike struck Hwangbo Yeong. Hwangbo Yeong’s body slid backward, then staggered and collapsed right there.

“Cough, cough!”

Hwangbo Yeong gasped for breath, coughing violently.

“How weak… Aren’t you too weak?”

Seeing that, Namgung So-hye muttered with a sneer on her lips.

In truth, Hwangbo Yeong’s skills would rank among the upper tiers even among the young experts.

However, everything she had experienced while staying with Dan Woo-hyun had raised Namgung So-hye to a much higher level.

Having even mastered the sword forms of the Visionary Sword, her level had risen to the point where she could no longer be considered a mere young expert.

“You damn bitch!”

Chaeng-!

Hwangbo Gwon drew his saber along with an oath.

The single saber strike that shot out in an instant drew a fierce line, aiming for Namgung So-hye.

At that moment, Namgung So-hye’s body moved naturally.

A smooth, waste-free movement like flowing water. She dug inside the trajectory drawn by the saber in an instant and struck Hwangbo Gwon’s chin with the edge of her hand.

Peok!

A clean sound echoed.

The body of Hwangbo Gwon, who prided himself on having a formidable physical endurance, collapsed helplessly.

Koong!

At the same time his heavy body sprawled on the ground, Namgung So-hye flew straight toward Jin Yeon-hwa.

“Eek!”

Jin Yeon-hwa was flustered.

She never expected the two of them to fall so easily.

She knew well that Namgung So-hye was the strongest among the young experts, but she had merely thought of it as an inflated reputation due to the name of the Namgung Family.

But after seeing her actual fight, her thoughts changed.

She was in a different class.

Not just her movements, but even the way she intimidated her opponent.

Biting her lip hard, Jin Yeon-hwa fiercely swung her sword, unfolding a sword force in all directions.

It was a method to shake off the approaching Namgung So-hye even a little.

The sword that thrust in without gaps was extremely flashy, but Namgung So-hye’s movements astonished the onlookers even more.

She deflected and avoided every visible sword path.

She did not receive even a scratch, nor was a single hem of her clothes cut.

All those who watched her truly bizarre and exquisite movements could not even guess how she moved.

Soon, as she stepped forward with strength in her feet, her figure, shot like an arrow, appeared behind Jin Yeon-hwa before anyone knew it.

“Ugh?!”

“Do you want to continue?”

The edge of her hand touched Jin Yeon-hwa’s neck.

If it had been a real sword, blood would have already been shed.

Jin Yeon-hwa trembled violently and turned her head. At the same time, she laid down the sword she was holding, and only then did Namgung So-hye nod with a satisfied expression.

“What about you?”

In her final glance, Dang Moon-hye was there.

She, who had not said a single word until now, still kept her mouth shut and merely shook her head silently.

Dang Moon-hye did not seem to have any intention of stepping forward.

“Is that so? That’s a relief. I didn’t want to fight with you.”

“You’ve become much stronger…”

“Because a lot of things happened.”

“I see…”

Dang Moon-hye seemed to smile faintly, then turned her head. She naturally left the place as if she did not care about the two fallen people at all.

In the first place, she had not stayed with them because she liked them.

Watching Dang Moon-hye’s back slowly recede, Namgung So-hye shrugged her shoulders and walked away as well. She felt she had wasted too much time in an unnecessary place.

“Ah… what should I do…?”

Left all alone, Jin Yeon-hwa stared at the two fallen people and sighed blankly.

* * *

The next day.

Namgung So-hye dressed up for the first time in a while.

She put on makeup and wore simple yet luxurious earrings and a necklace, though they were not flashy.

She put a ring on her finger and tied her hair up tightly.

She applied rouge to her lips.

Wearing a red court dress and sprayed with a subtle scent, she stepped out of the door.

“Gasp?!”

“Oh my?”

“Wh-What on earth is that…”

“Whoa…”

She could feel people’s gazes from all over.

Gwon Mu-jin, Ma Jang-gang, Jang Sam-tae, Sa Do-hak, and even Namgung Cheon sent dazed looks, and Dan Woo-hyun could be seen making a strange expression.

She naturally took a step forward and gestured gracefully.

“I’ll be out for a bit.”

“Y-Yes, go ahead…”

Perhaps because he was not used to it, Namgung Cheon nodded. He had only seen her like that occasionally when a banquet was held.

In fact, it seemed like it had already been over five years since he last saw it.

Having dressed up to her heart’s content, Namgung So-hye reached out her hand toward So-mi, who wore a blank expression.

“Let’s go together.”

“Ah, yes, yes!”

Dan So-mi, extremely excited, grabbed Namgung So-hye’s hand.

She did not even tell her where they were going, but her expression made it seem like she would follow her anywhere she was told to go.

Conversely, those who watched the entire situation were just blank.

Some could not even distinguish whether what they saw was reality or a dream.

Even Mae-hyang, who was confident in dressing up, went as far as pinching her own cheek. She already knew that Namgung So-hye was fundamentally beautiful, but she never imagined it would be to this extent once she dressed up.

It was the same for Dan Woo-hyun, who was standing on one side.

He spoke carefully.

“What did I just see?”

“I have no idea, sir?

Dan Woo-hyun and Jang Sam-tae swallowed their groans.

* * *

Namgung So-hye headed to the streets of Yueyang once again.

The moment they arrived at the market, people’s attention was drawn to them.

Men walking down the street frequently tripped while looking at her, and some men looked as if they were possessed by ghosts with blank stares.

A few wore expressions wondering if this was a dream.

A fairy descending to earth.

Probably everyone was thinking the exact same thing.

Regardless of age or gender, she stole their eyes and hearts.

The place Namgung So-hye headed, leading Dan So-mi with graceful steps, was none other than the shop dealing only in luxury goods that they had visited yesterday.

The place was still bustling with many people who had come to satisfy their vanity.

As Namgung So-hye stepped inside, everyone in the shop focused on her and stopped what they were doing.

“W-Welcome…”

The same woman as yesterday approached and quickly bowed her head.

Thanks to the light makeup, she could recall the Namgung So-hye she saw yesterday, but she felt that she had to treat her politely like this due to the atmosphere.

Namgung So-hye ignored her and leisurely took a seat on a chair prepared on one side.

She took out a bundle of bank notes from her bosom and placed it on the table.

Watching it be placed down with a clack, everyone’s eyes widened.

It was an amount of at least one hundred gold taels.

The moment the clerk looked at it, her face turned pale, and the shopkeeper approached with a bright expression, bowing respectfully, and spoke.

“Is there anything you are looking for? Our shop is…”

“Forget the explanation… So-mi, pick something.”

“Yes? Me?”

“Yes, if there is something you want to buy, choose whatever you like.”

At her words accompanied by a bright smile, Dan So-mi nodded.

She had not followed her because she wanted anything in particular… and was diligently looking for something she liked.

Just then, the shopkeeper introduced a piece of clothing that looked expensive.

“This is an item that cannot be easily obtained even in the Western Regions… If you wear it, you will surely look like a heavenly fairy. It will suit you so well.”

“That is strange, you did not say anything like that when I came yesterday.”

“Pardon? Yesterday…?”

“Yes. Yesterday.”

“Did you… come yesterday?”

The shopkeeper looked at the clerks with a strange expression. Then he noticed Namgung So-hye smiling brightly at one clerk.

“You saw me yesterday, didn’t you?”

“Yes?”

“Your attitude is very different from yesterday.”

Seeing the clerk’s face turn deathly pale, the shopkeeper realized that something had gone wrong.

He quickly brought a norigae, smiling widely to soothe Namgung So-hye’s mood.

“If your feelings were hurt by any chance, I apologize on their behalf. And I am not giving this for any other reason… but because you are so beautiful…”

It was a norigae.

The norigae she had tried to buy for Dan So-mi yesterday was held in the shopkeeper’s hand.

Namgung So-hye went “Hmm,” reaching out to hold it as if she was slightly interested, and nodded lightly.

Dignity was exuded in every single action of hers.

“Thank you.”

“I am glad you like it. So… as for this clothing…”

When the shopkeeper, realizing Namgung So-hye’s mood had softened a bit, was about to continue speaking while pointing at the clothes again, Dan So-mi, who had been looking around, approached and tugged at Namgung So-hye’s sleeve.

“What is it?”

“I don’t need it.”

“Hmm?”

“So-mi won’t buy clothes. Buy me sweets over there instead.”

At those words, Namgung So-hye let out a small chuckle. Feeling a sense of gratification upon seeing the shopkeeper’s face turn pale, she rose from her seat.

“The child says there is nothing she likes. Since that is the case, we will come back next time.”

“Is… is that so.”

“Yes. Goodbye then.”

With light steps.

Namgung So-hye handed the norigae she received earlier to Dan So-mi and left the place. The shopkeeper’s gaze, which had been watching her slowly receding back for a while, turned toward that female clerk from yesterday.

The shopkeeper’s face crumpled fiercely.

* * *

“Hohoho.”

“What’s so funny?”

Walking outside to buy sweets, Namgung So-hye burst into laughter, unable to hide her gratification.

“There is something like that.”

Stroking the head of Dan So-mi, who wore a puzzled expression, she wore a beautiful smile.

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