Chapter : 66
The grand elder soothed Namgung Hyechan, who had suddenly interrupted with complaints.
“Be patient for a little while. There are days like this. Once we arrive at Anhui’s main household, everything will get better.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Of course. The atmosphere at the main household is different from Namgungjang in Maeng. No matter what anyone says, you are the eldest grandchild and the next heir of the Namgung family!”
At the main household, the key would be who could rally more supporters. The grand elder, with his age and experience, believed he would not lose.
Moreover, there was this personally written secret letter!
He pressed the gift from the family head tightly to his chest.
‘It would be perfect if Hyechan becomes the junior head and the family head dies immediately afterward. Then, who would dare to block Hyechan’s path? Hyechan becoming the junior head would fulfill the family head’s wishes.’
The grand elder desperately hoped that his kind and noble younger half-brother would, just one last time, exert his strength for this unworthy elder.
As the elder and his son gathered themselves, Amcheon Daeju came forward after rounding up the horses.
“It seems we must start running from here.”
Less than half of the horses had survived. The distance to the town where they could find a dozen or so new horses was still considerable.
“There’s no choice. But…”
The grand elder glanced at his son. He worried whether Namgung Hyechan could keep up until the very end. They had already lost a lot of time. Hesitating any longer here…
“I’ll carry him.”
At Amcheon Daeju’s signal, one of the Amcheon Daewon stepped forward.
“Let’s depart.”
With those words, the group moved again, firmly believing that once they reached the main household, everything would change, and they pushed their legs harder.
When Jiwon-hyeong returned with Deokman, Yeonhwa had already left Maeng with the group.
“We should have come a bit earlier,” Deokman lamented.
“It couldn’t be helped,” Jiwon-hyeong replied.
After parting ways with their lord at Uichang, they had to move immediately upon hearing that someone was looking for Jiwon-hyeong’s whereabouts. They had to erase all traces as if they had just finished the task they had been doing, and then complete the final steps to clean up any evidence.
“If we had had to return to Maeng to see our lord midway, it would have meant something went wrong. In that sense, it’s fortunate things turned out this way.”
“That’s true, brother!” Deokman agreed emphatically.
As they headed toward Daejeongbang, Hongri came out to meet them after hearing the news.
“You’re here!”
Jiwon-hyeong nodded, hesitated briefly, and asked,
“Has our lord…”
“Oh! The person you’re looking for is waiting in Master Ji’s room! Since you’ve been through so much, the lady said all three of you should rest comfortably.”
“Thank you.”
After greeting her, Jiwon-hyeong went with Deokman to where Seokman was waiting.
“Brother, it’s always you. You immediately asked the lady about Seokman as soon as you arrived, hehe,” Deokman teased, nudging him.
Jiwon-hyeong paused briefly but did not deny it. There was no need to reveal that he wanted to ask if their lord had left any other instructions for him.
Creak!
As they approached, the door opened from inside. Seokman, now looking much tidier, spread his arms wide and embraced them. It was a passionate reunion of brothers.
Meanwhile, Yeonhwa was riding Jeokrye at tremendous speed.
Ihihihing!
Jeokrye, so excited, broke away from the group and surged ahead, the movement tracing what looked like a streak of red on the road.
Thud-thud-thud!
A black horse followed closely behind. Nearly as well-built as Jeokrye, with a glossy mane, the horse pressed dangerously close, nudging Jeokrye with its long muzzle.
Kihing!
Jeokrye, annoyed, leapt sideways and raised its foreleg to kick it away.
“Hey, hey! Just watch this once, okay? I’ll make sure Heukcheong can’t do that again! You mess up, and your master will get hurt, got it?”
Yoo Geonmyeong, riding the black horse named Heukcheong, was startled and calmed Jeokrye. He theatrically pulled on Heukcheong’s mane to scold it.
Purr-r-r!
Heukcheong shook its head violently, glanced back, and bared its teeth at its master. Yoo Geonmyeong was kind to Jeokrye but strict with Heukcheong.
“Do you want to go back? If we go to the stables, I’ll set a separate place for Jeokrye, and you’ll never play with him again!”
Though a fine, intelligent animal, Heukcheong seemed to understand his master’s words and yielded immediately, sensing the tone and eyes of his master.
The group behind slowed down to match the slowed pace of the two horses, then stopped altogether.
“Let’s rest for a bit here!”
Hearing this, Yeonhwa nodded, and Sung Yeontaek ordered his subordinates to prepare a meal. Then he clicked his tongue at Yoo Geonmyeong, who was still fussing over calming Jeokrye.
“I’ve heard husbands doting on wives to the point of considering their in-laws, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone fawn over their wife’s words so much!”
Though a bit much, Yeonhwa thought a person like this was necessary. The group behind them grumbled but the lead pair ignored them completely.
Yoo Geonmyeong fed a sugar cube to both Jeokrye and Heukcheong, then returned to Yeonhwa.
“If you’re too kind, Heukcheong will feel neglected.”
“If I treat Jeokrye well, he’ll be slightly upset. If not, he’ll bite me.”
Yeonhwa’s eyes widened; she hadn’t realized Heukcheong liked Jeokrye so much. Nor did she know Yoo Geonmyeong had brought out Heukcheong especially from among his prized horses.
Curious, Yeonhwa asked,
“Are you really coming along?”
“I said I wanted to. Hyungmunsan had to be left behind, but Anhui isn’t that strict, is it?”
“I worry you might get caught up in trouble.”
Even the perceptive and prudent Sung Yeontaek did not try to easily curry favor with Yoo Geonmyeong.
“I’ll handle it well.”
Yeonhwa frowned and looked at him.
“How could you handle it better? You’ve already done enough. Really, it’s fine. I won’t ask about this matter anymore.”
“Good. I hope so.”
Yoo Geonmyeong smiled brightly, his eyes relaxed. He sat beside Yeonhwa, drinking water and sharing snacks with her. The group behind seemed to be making simple jerky and porridge, but he declined.
Yeonhwa, noticing Yoo Geonmyeong scanning the surroundings even while eating, asked,
“Looking for something?”
“I’m just checking if anyone is following us. It’s too quiet.”
“The family head focused entirely on the grand elder and his son, so they won’t have the energy to watch or pursue us. And Moonryeong must be busy handling Hyungmunsan and finding the ledgers.”
If necessary, he would have intervened even then, but recalling their conversation at Moonryeonggak, there was no reason.
Yeonhwa’s expression grew serious.
“Still, being cautious is a good habit. Moonryeong is someone who feels satisfied only when he controls everything himself.”
Yet, even while controlling the entire Martial Arts Alliance, he left small gaps, almost as a necessary evil. Completely sealing the alliance would consume too many resources, and more important matters existed in the world.
Moreover, tightening control entirely could have unpredictable consequences. By now, several incidents had already occurred through those gaps.
Moryong Yunhwan must have been displeased, realizing belatedly that the grand elder and his son had disappeared from the Namgung estate after the Moryong Yuno incident.
“Someone so obsessed with controlling things by not controlling them will likely tighten the net, monitor people even more, and remove gaps in the future.”
Yeonhwa’s words made Yoo Geonmyeong nod.
“I’ll be careful.”
Thinking of Moonryeong’s actions, a chill ran down Yoo Geonmyeong’s spine. A woman attempting to outpace someone like him was right before his eyes.
Yeonhwa noticed his starry-eyed gaze and asked,
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I guess it shows on my face that I think you’re amazing.”
Yeonhwa laughed it off as a joke, but Yoo Geonmyeong was serious. He deliberately changed the subject.
“They should have arrived at Anhui by now, right?”
“Yes, the grand elder and his son. They had enough time to calm the surroundings but timed their arrival so they wouldn’t recruit new personnel too soon.”
By the time their conversation ended, the rest break was over. The group mounted their horses again.
“Depart!”
With Sung Yeontaek’s shout, the horses thundered forward once more on the path to Anhui.
