Chapter 64
“Hahaha! Don’t look at me with contempt. Contempt is something you’ll only receive from Lord Namgung.”
Sau pursed his lips, seemingly at a loss for words, dumbfounded.
However, Soso couldn’t simply laugh at Jegal Haesoo.
She knew how deep the man’s wounds ran.
She remembered Jegal Haesoo training secretly at night like a madman.
Though it caused him excruciating pain, he still yearned to become stronger.
Jegal Haesoo certainly didn’t want to steal the sacred treasures of the family.
No matter how much the young master refused to acknowledge it, Jegal Haesoo was still a bloodline of the Jegal family.
He carried the pride of the Jegal clan. There was no way someone like him would take pleasure in theft.
Of course, there had been times when Jegal Haesoo spat on other people’s gold…
And yes, he had gone to the extreme of taking money and carriages from the Namgung family, even to the point of coughing up blood…
Anyway!
Soso could tell just by looking at his expression how torn he was inside.
Such a gloomy face…
He must be regretting his thieving past and wishing he could beg his father for forgiveness.
Soso patted Jegal Haesoo on the shoulder, as if to say she completely understood his feelings.
“Cheer up, Jegal Xiaoxie.”
“Sam-ah, do you pity me for being despised? If you want, you can even hold my hand.”
“I don’t think you’re pitiable anymore, Xiaoxie.”
…As expected, he was a master at teasing.
Soso withdrew her hand gracefully.
“What a pity… what a pity.”
The conversation briefly drifted off-topic. Remembering her purpose, Soso turned back to Sau.
“Xiaoxie Sau, so… are you going with the Mudang Sect?”
“The Mudang… I have no reason not to. I owe a debt, after all.”
Sau’s eyes darkened as he mentioned the Mudang Sect.
“A debt?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Though he said he would go, Soso could sense that something about the place made him uneasy.
Namgung Jin also seemed to feel this unease and tried to stop Sau.
“It doesn’t sound like a positive thing.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“No, if Xiaoxie is traveling with us, it’s only natural to ask. There are too many questions surrounding Xiaoxie.”
A tense standoff developed between Namgung Jin and Sau.
The tension far surpassed the nerve-wracking exchanges from the herbalist street.
“If you aren’t afraid of death, feel free to be more suspicious.”
Sau spoke sharply, directing his lethal aura solely at Namgung Jin.
Namgung Jin endured the onslaught of killing intent, but his face gradually contorted with the effort.
“….”
Sau chuckled slightly, as if mildly surprised, and intensified the killing intent.
The heightened aura also affected Soso and Jegal Haesoo nearby.
Even though veins bulged in his eyes, Namgung Jin did not submit to Sau.
On the contrary, he glared at Sau with bloodshot eyes, determined not to yield until the mystery of his identity was revealed.
Sau was displeased with Namgung Jin’s refusal to break.
‘Should I just kill him? I’ll have to deal with him eventually anyway.’
After all, the Namgung family was slated for annihilation once the Asura Blood Sky Sword reached perfection.
Sau had a grudge against the Namgung family for wasting a resource he considered useful.
It would be ideal to eliminate the Namgung family’s young master in advance.
At the thought, Sau’s hand lifted slightly.
“Xiaoxie Sau! Stop! You can’t fight!”
Soso’s desperate cry reached him.
“You said you wanted to be with us. Please withdraw your killing intent.”
Her voice was filled with earnestness, impossible to ignore.
His body reacted before his mind did.
The hand, poised as if to release inner power, dropped, and the killing aura slowly dissipated.
The suffocating tension in the air finally eased.
Sau belatedly realized what he had done.
‘Why did my body respond before my mind to her words?’
Since mastering the Celestial Horse martial arts, he had never once obeyed another’s command.
His languid gaze lingered on Soso.
Seeing her face, the desire to kill Namgung Jin no longer arose.
“Haa…”
Soso let out a dry sigh of relief.
Jegal Haesoo staggered slightly, overwhelmed by the dissipated killing aura.
Soso, however, remained relatively fine. Her spirit seemed to have deflected most of the lethal energy.
Just when it seemed the situation had calmed…
“I want to spar with Xiaoxie Sau.”
Namgung Jin formally requested a duel with Sau.
Soso was stunned.
‘I knew he was crazy, but even in this situation, he still asks for a duel without hesitation!’
What did he intend to do? Sau looked far stronger than anyone Namgung Jin had faced before!
Perhaps even stronger than Namgung Jin himself—an ominous thought.
Sau likely thought the same, replying with a mocking tone:
“You? You want to challenge me?”
“You can only disregard me after Xiaoxie has truly defeated me.”
“You must not fear death, huh?”
It was a tense, explosive moment. Soso urgently called out to Namgung Jin.
“Xiaoxie, no! Decide now, even if it’s at this moment.”
But Namgung Jin was unusually resolute this time. Despite always listening to Soso before.
“Xiaoje, I’m sorry. But I must test myself against Xiaoxie Sau.”
“Very well. Then follow me.”
The two turned sharply, as if leaving the inn.
Soso shouted frantically at Sau.
“Do not kill each other, or harm each other, no matter what!”
Sau paused briefly at Soso’s plea.
But he did not respond. The two opened the window and disappeared quickly.
“Jegal Xiaoxie… will Namgung Xiaoxie be okay?”
Jegal Haesoo wiped sweat from his brow before replying.
“We can only hope he returns unharmed. I’m worried about my lord as well.”
Namgung Jin was truly devoted to martial arts, to the point of being called insane.
Yet even considering that, Soso couldn’t understand why he would boldly request a duel with Sau.
‘There must be another reason.’
Perhaps he intended to uncover some truth about Sau’s secret identity.
In any case, Jegal Haesoo hoped for Namgung Jin’s safe return.
Please, my lord… come back safely.
