Chapter 32
If I hadn’t been from the Ever-Snow Ginseng Clan, I might have fainted helplessly like Jegal Haesu and suffered something terrible at Namgung Hyuk’s hands.
The very thought sent chills down my spine.
“Don’t tell me you’re refusing me because of Namgung Jin! I won’t lose another beautiful woman to someone else!”
“I have nothing to do with Young Master Namgung, and besides—this kind of behavior is not right.”
“Not right? Not right? And who do you think did the wrong thing first!”
Namgung Hyuk shouted in a voice full of resentment, spilling out his grievances.
“You wouldn’t know this, but my elder brother once stole the woman I loved.”
“By elder brother… do you mean Madam Seollin?”
“That’s right. She was originally mine.”
That Namgung Hyuk had Seollin taken away by Namgung Seonyul—it didn’t make sense.
Nothing like that had ever appeared in the love story between Seollin and Namgung Seonyul that I’d heard from Namgung Jin.
“There’s no need for you to know the details. I don’t know how someone without inner power like you resisted the Heavenly Red Bewitching Incense (天紅迷魂香), but now that it’s come to this… I’ll simply take you by force.”
The words were so horrifying that goosebumps erupted all over my body.
Instinctively, I looked toward the wall where Daewoo was hiding, silently pleading for help with my eyes.
Then, trying to reason with Namgung Hyuk, who looked ready to pounce at any moment, I spoke as calmly as I could.
“If you truly fell for me at first sight, then confess openly and court me properly. This kind of forceful behavior will only bring unhappiness to both of us.”
I tried my best to stay composed, but the end of my voice trembled faintly.
My tightly clenched hands were shaking slightly too.
To say I wasn’t afraid of Namgung Hyuk would have been a lie.
“I once thought the same way,” he said bitterly. “So I waited endlessly… and in the end, my sister-in-law was taken from me! But this time, I won’t let Namgung Jin take you too.”
“Master Namgung!”
“I’ll just knock you unconscious first, heh heh…”
Namgung Hyuk suddenly lunged toward me.
It was clear now that words would not stop him.
And at that moment—
Swish!
A masked figure leapt out from the wall—Daewoo.
Crouched low in a defensive stance before me, Daewoo held a short sword in his hand, glaring warily at Namgung Hyuk.
“Who are you?!”
“Master, please stand down.”
Though Daewoo was young and often overly cautious, being the youngest member of Yeongwoldae, he was nonetheless a skilled fighter.
He was not the kind of man who would be easily affected by the Heavenly Red Bewitching Incense.
“Don’t tell me… my brother sent you? To watch me? Or the young lady?”
“……”
Daewoo answered with silence.
Namgung Hyuk burst into a wild laugh.
“Ha ha ha! So, I overlooked the Yeongwoldae.”
“……”
“No matter. I can handle one Yeongwoldae warrior.”
“This is your last warning, Master. Please stop.”
“You’d better not expect anyone to save you. There’s no one coming.”
His words carried the clear implication that Namgung Jin couldn’t reach this place.
For a brief moment, I forgot I was the one in danger—and worried for Namgung Jin instead.
But my worry didn’t last long, because a suffocating killing aura filled the room.
It came from Namgung Hyuk.
When I focused on his eyes, I could see red, flame-like streams flickering behind his back.
Then he drew his sword.
As I inhaled sharply, a nauseating scent stung my nose.
A deep crimson energy rippled along the blade’s edge.
I knew that smell.
Five years ago, I’d smelled it during the Blood Massacre of Cheongseong Sect.
The aura Namgung Hyuk gave off was unmistakably that of the Demonic Sect.
Meanwhile, Namgung Jin, unable to visit Sosŏ because of other matters, was walking toward the clan leader’s residence.
A maid had come early that morning with a message:
“The Clan Head requests your presence, Young Master.”
At first, he thought his father meant to question him about pretending to visit the Martial Alliance.
But the closer he got to the Clan Head’s hall, the stronger a strange sense of unease grew.
Not a single servant was in sight along the way—and it was eerily silent.
It felt as though everyone had fallen asleep.
Namgung Jin stopped and placed his hand on the scabbard at his waist.
He could faintly sense a killing intent from somewhere.
And soon, several presences began to emerge around him.
He drew his sword swiftly, his senses sharp.
Fwooo—
A strange flute sound drifted on the wind, and then murderous figures leapt out from behind the garden trees.
Their hair was wild, their eyes vacant but glowing red—they were no longer truly human.
The stench of blood hit him immediately, and Namgung Jin understood at once.
‘They’re from the Demonic Sect.’
As he realized their identity, killing intent flared around him.
“Stand back! How dare you intrude into the Namgung Clan! Do you know where you are, to spill blood here?”
But the madmen showed no sign of comprehension.
They simply charged, brandishing their weapons.
Namgung Jin parried them effortlessly—none of them had enough skill to challenge him.
Still, the problem was their number.
“Grrraaahh…”
More and more poured out without pause.
How had so many of them entered the Namgung estate?
It couldn’t have happened without help from someone on the inside.
And then, a name flashed in his mind—
Namgung Hyuk.
That troublesome man—could he have betrayed them?
He remembered the way Namgung Hyuk had looked at Miss Baek with that disturbing gaze.
Miss Baek was probably with Jegal Haesu—but with Jegal Haesu’s limited skill, he wouldn’t be able to fend off those monsters.
‘I have to finish this quickly and get back to the guest hall.’
Slash!
He cleanly severed one madman’s neck, then spun around sharply—his instincts screaming danger.
Clang!
A violent crash rang out as weapons clashed.
A massive black blade appeared before his eyes.
Sweat beaded on Namgung Jin’s forehead.
A moment slower, and that blade would have carved into his back.
‘This one is different from the rest.’
The man wielding the blade took several steps back.
Then a familiar voice echoed above.
“Keheheh… This is payback for our last fight! Defend yourself if you can!”
“Soma-Gi!”
Recognizing the voice, Namgung Jin looked up—but couldn’t spot him anywhere.
He had no time to search.
The madman with the massive sword rushed at him again—impossibly fast.
Swish!
A blood-red aura trailed the blade in a clean, deadly arc.
Namgung Jin narrowly dodged, his mouth going dry.
He steadied his breathing.
Though strong, the man had no will of his own. There was no reason for him to lose.
As his composure returned, Namgung Jin finally took a closer look at the madman’s face.
Red light flickered in his eyes, and despite his disheveled hair, he was strikingly handsome—especially the long scar near his eye.
Then memory struck him.
‘Hang on… Hebei Peng Clan’s Peng Seojin?’
He was one of the young martial prodigies kidnapped by the Demonic Sect five years ago—during the Blood Calamity of the Eight Clans.
