Chapter : 65
“It’s the main house of the Namgung family! The Sword of the Blue Sky! The Blue Sky of this era! The Changcheon Clan! Ohhh!”
As soon as they crossed the Hapryong Gate, Hu Injeong, who seemed to have been waiting for this moment, burst into cheers.
Yeonhwa felt that Hu Injeong liked the Namgung family even more than she did.
‘That’s only because she doesn’t know the Grand Elder and the Eldest Young Master ran away. When she finds out later and remembers this moment, she’ll be mortified.’
Unless the Munryeong Pavilion deliberately spread rumors, it was something that wouldn’t be known until much later…
For now, it was simply known that Yeonhwa was resuming outside duties to handle matters concerning the Namgung family’s main house in Anhui.
It was only natural that Hu Injeong—who would jump up from sleep if it meant hearing about martial world factions—rushed over immediately and expressed her regret.
The other Inspection Unit members bid her farewell as though it were only natural.
As she walked away, Yeonhwa felt both regretful and proud, as if such partings would become frequent.
“Well, she’s not someone who’ll stay in a place like this for long. Wherever she goes, she’ll accomplish great things. Our young lady.”
“Since when did she become our young lady?”
“Why? She can be the young lady of the Martial Alliance and of the Three Spirits, but she can’t be the Inspection Unit’s young lady?”
“Who said that? Hehe. That’s right. She’s our young lady.”
The Inspection Unit members were still struggling to maintain the elevated status they had gained because of her.
There were many who admired and followed her, so no one thought ill of her leaving her post.
After completing her report to the Inspection Unit, Yeonhwa returned to Daejeong Pavilion without stopping by Namgung Manor in the end.
At Namgung Manor, Patriarch Namgung Cheok was puzzled.
“Has there been no disturbance in Namgung Manor lately?”
At his question, the head steward Mang Boseo and the attending servants silently shook their heads.
“Tch, all of you, get out!”
Crash! Clang! Smash!
Namgung Cheok overturned the porridge bowl and tray that had been brought to him, flinging them away before shouting sharply and drawing in a breath.
“Hoo… If I’d known it would come to this, I wouldn’t have assigned the entire Dark Sky Unit to my elder brother and nephew.”
With no one left to gather outside news or scout the surroundings, he felt suffocated with frustration.
Frowning, Namgung Cheok raised his voice.
“What is Yeonhwa doing that she can’t even visit this father once while he lies ill? Because of whom did my illness worsen to this state? She only cares about her own affairs, won’t even spare me a glance, and instead covets power in Namgung Manor. Such unfilial behavior!”
“Patriarch, shall we send someone to the young lady?”
“Hmph! Do as you please! If you’re not ashamed of the gossip others will spread, send someone—she still won’t come. What does that have to do with me!”
The head steward swallowed a silent sigh and sent a messenger to Daejeong Pavilion.
At Daejeong Pavilion, Yeonhwa’s people had gathered.
External Affairs Hall Master Seong Yeontaek and Deputy Commander Seong Haran were about to greet Yeonhwa, but Yu Geonmyeong beat them to it.
“You’ve returned.”
As if to show off, Yu Geonmyeong guided her to his side, seated her, poured tea, and placed the cup in her hands.
Then he busied himself carefully examining her, as though worried she might have been mistreated at the Munryeong Pavilion.
The Seong father and daughter were dumbfounded but not displeased.
In their view, that was exactly the kind of person their young lady needed.
“How did the matter you went for turn out?” Seong Yeontaek asked once things settled.
“We’ll depart as soon as preparations are complete.”
“We couldn’t delay any longer—this is a relief!”
Seong Yeontaek looked pleased.
“How many did you assign to the Grand Elder and the Eldest Young Master?”
“Five from the Southwest Unit under the Seong family.”
They weren’t Namgung disciples nor members of the External Affairs martial force, but directly under the Seong family—so their loyalty would be strong.
Still, five…
The Patriarch had assigned at least thirty from the Dark Sky Unit to the Grand Elder and his son.
“With just five, will it be enough to delay their entry into Anhui?”
“Stopping them entirely would be difficult, but delaying them won’t be.”
All they needed to do was create the illusion of pursuers, sow confusion by making it seem like a misunderstanding, and use outside variables to nudge them slightly off course.
The Seong family’s Southwest Unit specialized in miscellaneous techniques and had handled many external affairs alongside the Hall Master, so they were well-versed in geography and terrain—plenty to take advantage of.
“That will suffice. If martial artists ride at full speed, they could reach it in seven days, could they not? We must not give them too much time to win over insiders.”
“…So that was your reason!”
“What, did you think I issued separate orders just because I dislike that father and son so much and wanted to torment them?”
Yeonhwa spoke matter-of-factly, then paused.
Seong Yeontaek, too honest to lie, was smiling awkwardly.
“Hall Master.”
At her quiet call, Seong Yeontaek awkwardly looked away.
“Father, honestly. Why do you keep thinking of the young lady as the little girl she used to be? Above all, even back then, she wasn’t the type to bully others or hold grudges.”
“Of course I know that. Do you know how much that pained my heart? So I thought… perhaps now she might be allowed to be a little like that. Well, I suppose not.”
Watching the father and daughter bicker, Yeonhwa’s lips curled faintly without her realizing.
Even Madam Yu of the Seong household was gentle in character; the entire family possessed both temperament and ability worthy of close association.
As Yeonhwa kept watching the Seong father and daughter, Yu Geonmyeong quietly overlapped his hand over hers.
When she looked at him, he pretended not to notice and stared ahead.
It felt as though he was letting her know he was there beside her.
For the first time, Yeonhwa felt she was not alone.
Just then, Hongri announced that someone had arrived from Namgung Manor.
Soon after, the visitor conveyed that the Patriarch was requesting Yeonhwa’s presence.
Looking back, happiness seemed to begin from not being alone, while tragedy seemed to never end for the same reason.
“Tell him to wait,” Yeonhwa said.
The messenger blinked in shock.
“The Patriarch?”
“Who else in Namgung Manor would dare summon me?”
Her voice was cold enough to chill the heart.
The martial warrior messenger shook his head hurriedly.
“No, of course not!”
“That’s enough. Deliver my words to the Patriarch—and inform Steward Mang that he is not to send anyone again.”
Though he bowed in acknowledgment, the messenger hesitated before finally turning and leaving Daejeong Pavilion with a heavy heart.
Seeing the others watching her expression, Yeonhwa spoke lightly.
“I waited my whole life. Yet he cannot even wait for the short time it takes me to go to Anhui?”
As she stepped inside, the others followed.
Indeed.
What importance was there in the summons of a Patriarch who had already destroyed himself?
There was far too much to be done.
Thud-thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud!
A group of horses galloped roughly along the dirt road.
Yet despite the thunderous hooves, they were not moving very fast.
The horses did not seem to be in good condition.
Then, amid the rising dust, the lead horse suddenly stumbled.
Boom!
It collided with the horse behind it and completely lost balance.
Crash!
The galloping horses tangled together in a heap.
As chaos erupted at the front, those in the rear desperately yanked their reins and squeezed their thighs to stop their mounts.
But—
Smack! Thud!
Those in the middle, no matter how hard they tried, could not overcome the momentum and crashed into the tangled mass.
The sickening sound of flesh colliding mixed with the pitiful cries of the horses.
Since they were trained martial artists, many managed to extricate themselves without serious injury, but the goods loaded on the horses were a complete mess.
“Damn it all!”
The Eldest Young Master, who nearly died because he couldn’t free himself, had been saved only when the Dark Sky Unit Leader kicked off from his own horse to gain momentum, leaping and dragging him down to the ground together.
Yet he merely raged at being covered head to toe in dirt.
Ignoring him, the Dark Sky Unit Leader first checked on the Grand Elder and the others.
“I am fine.”
The Grand Elder showed only fatigue and no injuries.
Though he often lamented being despised all his life as a firstborn of low maternal birth, he had never once worn coarse cloth nor eaten meager food.
This was the first time he had endured such a grueling journey, and that alone was hard to bear.
“Father, how can our luck be this rotten? At an inn, someone suddenly claims a stone was thrown into their bowl and starts a fight. At the shrine where we meant to rest, a fire breaks out! And now the horses go mad just from eating some unfamiliar grass!”
Completely unaware of the schemes behind these incidents…
As Namgung Hyechan’s spirit faltered, he began to believe that the whole world was conspiring to destroy them.
