Chapter 61
The Eve of War (1)
Namgoong Hyuk returned safely from his mission.
However, when he went to report to the division leader’s office, he found an unfamiliar man sitting there instead of Yang Miryeong.
The man greeted him as soon as he entered.
“Ah, you must be the new recruit everyone’s talking about.”
“…Are you, by any chance, the division leader?”
“First time meeting, I see. My name is Lee Jaryong.”
He had a kind face—tanned skin, gentle eyes—more like a farmer than a warrior.
But Namgoong Hyuk didn’t look at his appearance. He saw his aura.
“So this is the man who disappears without notice, driven by wanderlust…”
He was stronger than Namgoong Seho, the leader of the Blue Dragon Division.
That fact alone made Namgoong Hyuk immensely curious about him.
He had heard rumors that Lee Jaryong was once a wandering swordsman—a “ronin”—a living legend among the drifters, later recommended by an elder of the Martial Alliance.
What kind of martial arts has he mastered? Just how strong is he?
Sensing the interest in Namgoong Hyuk’s eyes, Lee Jaryong chuckled.
“You seem fascinated. Is seeing your division leader that surprising?”
“Yes, a little.”
Namgoong Hyuk’s gaze burned with fervor—the kind that only came from deep-rooted competitiveness.
Damn it, not now.
To challenge a superior to a duel upon first meeting would be absurd, especially now of all times.
“Do you have something to say?”
“…No, sir.”
Suppressing his fighting spirit, Namgoong Hyuk answered calmly.
Lee Jaryong regarded him for a moment before speaking.
“I’ve returned because war with the Demon Alliance is imminent.”
“Yes.”
Namgoong Hyuk had already heard the news upon returning.
The war had merely been delayed—it was bound to happen eventually.
Now, what mattered was what came next.
“So our division will be deployed soon?”
“Most likely. Right now, the Council is discussing how to divide the forces to protect both the Martial Alliance and the Namgoong Clan, which will serve as the front line until reinforcements arrive.”
“So the Namgoong Clan will also receive reinforcements.”
Namgoong Hyuk felt a strange sense of relief.
He knew better than anyone that the Namgoong Clan had withstood countless invasions for centuries—but a war against the entire Demon Alliance would not be so easily endured.
If possible, I’d like to be the one sent there.
It was a place filled with more bitter memories than fond ones, yet it was still his home.
He wanted to stand with them in their hour of crisis.
There’s still some time before deployment is finalized. I can’t waste it.
Others might see it as a brief lull, but to Namgoong Hyuk, it was more than enough.
“If it’s all right, I’d like to focus on training until departure.”
“I was going to grant you rest after your mission, but if you wish to train, so be it. Yang Deputy Leader was right—you truly are a hard worker.”
Lee Jaryong interlaced his fingers, studying him closely.
At first, he’d thought the rumors about Namgoong Hyuk were exaggerated.
But after seeing the young man enter the room earlier, he realized the rumors might not even do him justice.
For a moment, I thought a rejuvenated master had walked in.
Such was the strength of Namgoong Hyuk’s presence.
And now, hearing that he intended to train even harder, Lee Jaryong couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Until deployment, I’ll relieve you of other duties. Train as you wish.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Thus ended their first meeting.
When Namgoong Hyuk stepped out, his teammates Kim Ji-seok and Dang San were waiting for him.
“Is it true? The war’s really about to start?”
Kim Ji-seok’s face was filled with worry.
He had come to the Central Plains from a faraway land and joined the Martial Alliance only recently.
Just as he was starting to feel like a proper martial artist, talk of all-out war had begun.
Namgoong Hyuk could only give him the hard truth.
“Unfortunately, yes. The war with the Demon Alliance is a certainty.”
“Ah…”
Kim Ji-seok’s expression darkened.
Namgoong Hyuk patted his shoulder.
“Don’t worry too much. Just follow my orders as you did on the last mission. If you do that, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”
“…Understood.”
He still looked uneasy, but he nodded.
Dang San, on the other hand, was silent for a different reason.
Worried about your family, perhaps? The Tang Clan of Sichuan… understandable.
But there was something odd.
If he’s that worried, why hasn’t he gone home? Why stay with the Vermilion Bird Division?
Dang San was a difficult man to read, so Namgoong Hyuk didn’t pry.
“You both did well on this mission. Rest while you can. Once the orders come, you won’t have the chance.”
“Yes, sir.”
“…”
After dismissing them, Namgoong Hyuk was finally alone.
He was about to head straight to his private training hall, when—
…Maybe I should see her first.
Not because he missed her face.
With war approaching, he wanted to consult her—someone from the Strategy Department.
And so, he made his way to see Jegal Rin.
But on his way—
“Ha! Fancy meeting you here again, Namgoong Hyuk.”
“It’s been a while.”
He couldn’t just ignore the man who greeted him so openly—Moyong Hu.
One of the Six Dragons, still exuding the air of a nobleman.
“Ah, or should I call you the Thunder Dragon now? To rise to such fame in so short a time since the Azure Sky Emperor’s fall—remarkable!”
He complimented Namgoong Hyuk without hesitation.
But Namgoong Hyuk’s expression barely changed.
The Moyong Clan’s young master… outwardly cheerful, good-natured—but impossible to read.
Even during their first encounter, Namgoong Hyuk had sensed something calculating beneath the surface.
He had no desire to linger in conversation—especially when he had somewhere to be.
“I’ve also joined one of the Divine Divisions—the Blue Dragon Division,” Moyong Hu added.
Namgoong Hyuk wasn’t surprised.
Many scions of the Six Great Clans were in that division.
“Ah, I see. Congratulations, then. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
He tried to leave, but Moyong Hu stepped in front of him again.
“In such a hurry? Surely we could chat a bit more. I had hoped to befriend you, you know.”
He spoke with a wounded smile that might have seemed sincere to others—but not to Namgoong Hyuk.
Maybe it’s just my bias. Still, I don’t want to get close to someone who makes me think this way.
“My apologies, then. I’ve just been preoccupied with family matters lately. Please understand.”
“Ah, my mistake then. I shouldn’t have imposed.”
Moyong Hu bowed slightly. Whether genuine or not, Namgoong Hyuk didn’t care.
“Perhaps we’ll have that long conversation another time. Or perhaps… we’ll meet again on the battlefield?”
“Quite possibly. In any case, until fate brings us together again.”
“Ha! Let’s hope it does.”
Namgoong Hyuk cupped his fists politely and left without hesitation.
Moyong Hu watched him go.
“What a difficult man to approach.”
Ever since their first meeting, Namgoong Hyuk had intrigued him.
Now, after seeing him again, that intrigue had only deepened.
He wanted to uncover the secret behind Namgoong Hyuk’s unearthly strength.
That was why he had engineered this “chance” encounter in the first place.
“Ah well. Next time, perhaps.”
He turned away, his robes fluttering.
Meanwhile, Namgoong Hyuk glanced back once before slowing his pace.
All right, now to visit Lady Jegal.
He soon arrived at the Strategy Department.
But—
“I’m sorry, sir. The department is currently closed to outsiders.”
He hadn’t considered that.
With war imminent, security around the Strategy Department was tighter than ever.
“Then please deliver this message to Lady Jegal.”
He requested a relay message—but after a while, the reply came:
“The strategist is occupied and cannot meet with anyone at this time.”
“I see.”
He had assumed she would come out immediately. Clearly, that had been a mistake.
With mild disappointment, Namgoong Hyuk turned to leave.
Had he focused just a little more, he would have noticed—
“…”
—someone’s gaze following him through a window above.
In the Guangxi region stood the Xu Family Manor—a small but well-known martial household, famous for teaching local youths martial arts and maintaining peace with neighboring sects.
Now, that manor was burning.
Ssshhh!
“Aaargh!”
Screams filled the air as people fell—men, women, even children, without distinction.
“You monsters!”
The patriarch of the Xu family shouted through tears of blood, spear in hand.
A man in thick white robes—an officer of the Flame King Unit of the Sun God Palace—replied coldly.
“I warned you. Surrender or die.”
“And killing the weak for refusing to yield—is that the way of your sect?!”
“It’s to show the world the price of defying the Demon Alliance.”
He made no attempt to hide it—Xu Manor was merely a warning.
“Uwooooh!”
The patriarch charged, his spear blazing with energy.
The white-robed commander raised his hand.
Fwoooosh!
The Sun God Palace’s martial arts harnessed the power of extreme heat—the Solar Flame Art.
The commander unleashed the Divine Flame Palm, and the patriarch was instantly reduced to ashes.
The Xu family vanished from the martial world that day.
And they weren’t the only ones.
“G-ghhh…!”
Elsewhere, people bled from every pore, collapsing one by one.
The next morning, visitors to the Power Sect in Hunan found the gates sealed and the air thick with deadly miasma—the work of the infamous Five Venoms Sect of the southern swamps.
In total, more than a dozen small and mid-sized righteous sects were annihilated overnight.
All had ignored the Demon Alliance’s warning.
“Heh… now the fear of the Demon Alliance will spread quickly.”
Over a large map of the Central Plains, Sama Jun smiled darkly.
His plan—to demoralize the righteous factions before the war began—had cost countless innocent lives.
Yet not a flicker of guilt crossed his face.
“Fear breeds despair… and despair breaks willpower. But to make it truly effective, one must strike at the very heart.”
His gaze fell upon a name on the map—
The Namgoong Clan.
