Chapter : 67
The Namgung Clan of Anhui was famous for its immense scale and unrivaled splendor.
Like dragons and phoenixes, talents endowed with ambition as vast as the sky and courage that reached the heavens poured forth from it without rest. In every era, they had borne one pillar of the martial world, raising their name high across the realm.
The sovereign of Anhui, a place once called hegemon by virtue of its strength.
That shining name—one that could be called the very history of Anhui itself—was now…
Boom!
“How can it be that so few have come to a gathering meant to decide the future of the clan?!”
Those who seemed intent on snuffing out even the last dying embers had thrown everything into complete disarray.
Grand Elder Namgung Gyu surveyed the faces of those assembled. Nearly thirty percent of the faces he had expected were nowhere to be seen.
With the Patriarch’s full backing, the faction he had gathered amounted to at least half of the clan’s total strength.
If thirty percent of that was missing, the loss of power was enormous.
“Could it be they think the Young Master caused trouble at the Alliance and will fail to become the Lesser Patriarch—so they’ve decided to switch ships?”
And even if they did, was there another ship to board?
The Patriarch would never acknowledge collateral branches whose blood was not even half direct lineage.
Seated at the head of a long, narrow table and receiving the gazes of dozens, the Grand Elder withdrew from his robes what everyone had been waiting for—
A handwritten secret letter from the Patriarch.
This was the key that promised the future to those gathered here and offered a glimpse into the future of the Namgung Clan.
The Seventh Elder, seated to the Grand Elder’s left, unconsciously reached out before pressing down on the back of his own hand.
Thud!
He twisted his upper body to retaliate after his hand was struck aside, but froze when he saw who it was.
“Do you think this is the time for you to step forward?” the Grand Elder asked.
Unlike his usual genial expression, killing intent flickered in his eyes. The Seventh Elder lowered his gaze.
“Do not rush. I will show everyone the Patriarch’s hand seal along with what he has written. However!”
At the Grand Elder’s signal, the leader of the Dark Heaven Unit standing behind him issued an order.
“Seal the doors.”
The unit members bowed and moved to the entrance. Some stationed themselves at the windows, silently indicating that no one would be leaving.
“What is the meaning of this, Grand Elder?!”
Someone protested.
“Those who read the secret letter must leave their hand seals beneath it, pledging absolute obedience to the Patriarch’s will. Only then may they depart.”
“What are you saying?”
“Few would dare defy a handwritten letter from the Patriarch… but I cannot say there are none. Already thirty percent were swayed by baseless rumors and did not attend. If we are to unite among ourselves, should we not have proof that none will betray us?”
“Proof…?”
“What better proof of alliance than a joint petition?”
Shrrrk!
The Grand Elder unfurled a clean bamboo scroll.
“Seventh Elder, you first.”
“…M-Me?”
“Do you object? Then are you opposed to the Eldest Young Master becoming Lesser Patriarch?”
“Of course not!”
“Then leave your seal. It will serve as the shield that protects us all—and the spear that pierces those who would disrupt our unity.”
Under that pressure, the Seventh Elder drew the bamboo scroll toward himself.
Isn’t anyone going to object? Even if leaving this group is dangerous, I can’t be the vanguard and leave my name first like this!
He stalled, but it was useless. The tools had already been prepared. At last, he left his hand seal upon the petition.
“Next?”
The Grand Elder’s gaze moved on.
Those gathered had too many shared interests and misdeeds to easily withdraw. They had merely intended to pressure the usually benevolent Grand Elder—secure greater benefits from a more advantageous position.
Yet the Grand Elder who had appeared last night in rags had stormed through the compound with the Patriarch’s Dark Heaven Unit at his back—and today, he was tightening a noose around their necks.
What had happened?
The poison gleaming in his eyes was anything but ordinary.
“You all must do it eventually. Would it not be better to go first and leave a good impression?”
With further prodding, one by one they stepped forward and pressed their seals onto the petition.
The Grand Elder sat back, inwardly relieved.
It was right to push forward. If I’d tried to appease them, I would have been dragged around and ended up with nothing.
He had deliberately not brought his son to such an important gathering. No matter how much he cherished him, he could not deny that the boy was impatient and lacked a broader perspective.
In a situation where even the smallest flaw could prove fatal, why leave even a minor risk untended?
When more than half had finished, the Grand Elder spoke again.
“Those who have sealed the petition are now of one heart and one mind, agreed to advance toward a single goal. I will now speak of what each must accomplish.”
Attention sharpened.
“Each of you will recruit one additional person to place their seal upon this petition.”
One each?
That meant doubling their faction.
Eyes widened in disbelief.
To join a succession struggle meant wagering everything one possessed. Unlike themselves, who had long benefited from the Patriarch and Grand Elder, those they sought to recruit would calculate purely on immediate gain and distant hope. The cost would be immense.
Just as someone prepared to protest—
“If the Eldest Young Master fails to become Lesser Patriarch, we are all finished,” the Grand Elder said gravely. “So we stake everything to grow our side. If we fall, then this clan will fall with us! Who would then dare obstruct his ascension? Is that not so?”
And once recruits had sealed the petition, any promised rewards could be delayed until some distant future.
“When all prosper, paying a bit more will hardly wound us.”
“Remember—this petition is fair. It places us all on equal footing.”
He met the eyes of each elder, hall master, and deputy steward in turn.
“With the Patriarch’s handwritten letter, we will convene an emergency assembly under his authority. With the strength of those who have sealed this petition, we will confirm the Eldest Young Master as Lesser Patriarch. Once done, none will easily overturn it.”
If anyone tried, they would claim that their right and autonomy to select a successor were under threat. Would there be only one or two who joined such an outcry?
As the Grand Elder pressed on confidently, some accepted sincerely. Others resigned themselves.
Once momentum took hold, everything changed swiftly.
By the time Yeonhwa arrived, it was as though fire bombs had rained down upon the Namgung Clan—nothing remained in proper order.
—
Standing before the main gate of the Namgung Clan, Yeonhwa lifted her head.
Above her hung a massive plaque, as large as a door. Its background was black; the silver characters shone brilliantly, as though swords had been embedded into the wood.
Yu Geonmyeong stood silently at her side, unable to read her thoughts.
Seong Yeon-taek, arriving later, dismounted his horse and laughed heartily.
“Does it bring back memories? When you and the Young Master were children staying here, he would carry you through this gate and read that plaque aloud each time.”
“I remember. I was slow to speak then, and my brother worried greatly.”
Having endured so many cruel rumors, Seonyu Oppa had believed that if her first words were connected to the Namgung Clan, it would be an auspicious sign. Perhaps then the Patriarch of that time—and the one who later succeeded him—might look upon her more kindly.
He had even made her practice.
Everything connected to Namgung had been like that. That splendid plaque, so eye-catching and brilliant, had been the perfect lesson.
Yeonhwa could not easily tear her gaze away. It reminded her of her brother.
But now was not the time.
Those who committed vile deeds behind the name engraved there had to be judged. The clan had to be restored to its rightful place.
Like the Martial Alliance, the great clans kept their gates open during the day due to constant traffic. Yeonhwa stood before that open gate.
At that moment, as if having heard of her arrival, a group came running out from inside in great haste.
