"What about the injured?"
At Namgung Do-Wei's question, Namgung Myung answered casually.
"No one will die. They have strong bones."
"That's good."
"The Tang family's presence was a great help. Isn't the Sichuan Tang family's medical skill famous even in the Central Plains?"
"Yes, that's true."
The Sichuan Tang family specialized in poison, but that also meant they had expertise in medicine. Because they often handled assassin weapons, they suffered numerous poisonings and injuries, so their medical skills naturally developed alongside that.
"But…"
Namgung Myung, who had trailed off, spoke calmly.
"Out of the 82 who returned from Plum Blossom Island, about ten probably won't be able to hold a sword again."
Namgung Do-Wei nodded without replying.
Such bitter news had to be accepted. It was fortunate they returned from Plum Blossom Island alive.
"And even among those who are fine, quite a few won't recover their previous strength."
"…I see."
Namgung Myung forced himself to hold back a sigh.
The damage was greater than he had thought. He had hoped to preserve at least one-third of their power, but if Namgung Myung's words were true, they might only have a quarter of their strength left.
No matter how great they were, it would be embarrassing to call themselves a family sect with such diminished power.
'If this were any other time, I would have closed the gates and reorganized the family…'
But that was impossible now. Even if they wanted to, when a sect declared closed-gate training, it was customary in Kangho to step back and wait. Yet, there was no way the Evil Sect would respect that.
If the Namgung family declared closed-gate training now, there was a high chance that Evil Sects or pirates would attack while their ties with other sects were cut off. If that happened, the Namgung family would be finished.
"Captain."
"Go ahead, young lord."
"We have to leave Anhui."
A heavy sigh escaped Namgung Myung's mouth.
He knew it was the only way, but leaving the place where their family had taken root was not an easy decision.
It was as difficult as the Sichuan Tang family leaving Sichuan or Mount Hua leaving Hwa-Um village in Shaanxi.
"There is no other option."
"Yes."
Namgung Do-Wei nodded.
"We will lose a lot if we leave Anhui."
If they left Anhui immediately, there would be inevitable problems with the districts where merchants had settled to maintain ties with the family sect.
"But if we don't leave, we'll lose even more."
"…Hmm."
"Captain, no, uncle. This is a decision the Namgung family has made to become the Namgung family. Please."
Namgung Myung shook his head.
"Don't say that, young lord. You are now the acting lord of the family. Don't ask for my permission—just give us the orders."
"…Uncle."
"I believe the decision you made is the right one. And…"
Namgung Myung looked at Namgung Do-Wei with a warm smile.
"The lord of the family would have supported this decision too. The important thing is not to protect wealth but to protect the spirit of Namgung. No matter where we are, as long as our spirit lives on, Namgung can be Namgung."
"Father too…"
Namgung Myung let out a small sigh as he watched Namgung Do-Wei, who seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"Young lord."
"…Yes, uncle."
"I know what you're thinking. Are you thinking that if the lord were alive, you might not have had to leave Anhui?"
Namgung Do-Wei remained silent. Namgung Myung shook his head.
"Don't think like that, young lord."
"…"
"The lord of the family is the lord of the family, and you are the young lord. I have no doubt that our new lord will surpass the previous generations."
"…Uncle."
It was a burdensome word, but at the same time, it gave him strength.
'We must do so.'
Not for his own glory but for the future of the Namgung family.
To rebuild the Namgung family, which had already collapsed once, Namgung Do-Wei had to be stronger than anyone else.
"Right. What will you do once we leave the family?"
"We plan to rely on Mount Hua."
"…Rely on him?"
"Yes."
Namgung Myung frowned.
He agreed to leave Anhui but saw no need to rely on Mount Hua.
"Young lord, with the wealth the Namgung family has accumulated, it wouldn't be so difficult to settle in a new area without conflict."
"Yes, I know."
"Then why…"
Namgung Do-Wei shook his head.
"It's for the Namgung family. You know, there has never been a sect that has grown as rapidly as Mount Hua. We can learn from what they did to brighten Namgung's future."
"Sect leader Hyun Jong isn't so harsh; he would give us enough advice even if we didn't rely on them."
"That isn't enough for us."
Namgung Do-Wei's eyes shone with firm resolve.
"With just a little advice and effort, the Namgung family will never regain its former status. Our family has overcome countless hardships in the past, but isn't this the first time in a hundred years we've suffered such great damage?"
"…Right."
Namgung Myung nodded helplessly.
Of course, the damage during the past war with the Demonic Cult may have been more severe, but that situation couldn't be compared to now.
Back then, everyone suffered damage regardless of sect, so the Namgung family's position in Kangho didn't decline.
But not now. Weren't the other sects' powers overflowing, except for Namgung?
"I can bear any inconvenience. What I really cannot stand is the Namgung family's name being ruined in my generation."
"…Young lord."
"Please help me, uncle. Only with your help can I persuade the family members."
Namgung Myung stared at Namgung Do-Wei. Unable to look away from those firm eyes, he finally nodded.
"I will do so."
"Thank you."
Namgung Do-Wei's voice brightened. Namgung Myung sighed.
"Don't forget that the person who will suffer the most from this choice is you, young lord."
"I am prepared."
"…And even though the swordsmen may not know, I cannot take all the family members to Mount Hua."
"The family members plan to build a long-term foundation in Hwa-Um village and stay there. I believe they will understand."
It seemed they had already come up with a plan. At this point, Namgung Myung grew curious.
"What did you see in Mount Hua?"
"I saw nothing."
"Uh?"
"I'm going to see it, uncle."
A smile formed on Namgung Do-Wei's lips.
"Mount Hua is different from the sects I knew. It's different from Shaolin and from Namgung."
"…"
"I know it's different, but I don't know why. That's why I'm going—to fully understand and learn why they are different from us."
Namgung Myung shook his head as if he couldn't stop himself, but a warm smile remained on his lips.
"Since the young lord said so, I, the uncle, will also try hard to learn."
"Yes, uncle!"
"It will take some time to convince the members…"
At that moment, Namgung Myung frowned and turned his gaze to the door.
"Why is it so noisy?"
The sound of a trainer hitting a disciple's head had been coming for a while. It wouldn't be great to hear someone disciplining another, but this sound was so unusual even to Namgung Myung, who had grown up in the Namgung family.
"Is there a problem…?"
At that very moment,
Kwaang!
The door to the room exploded open, and a person flew in.
"W-what was that?"
"An attack?"
The two rose hurriedly. In front of them was someone holding a body and kneeling.
"Euk?"
"Taoist J-Jo Gul?"
Jo Gul was biting his bleeding lip, his entire body trembling.
The moment his eyes met Namgung Do-Wei's, Jo Gul raised a trembling hand. Seeing that, Namgung Do-Wei asked,
"T-taoist! Are you alright?"
"Fu…"
"Fu?"
"Fu…"
"…"
"Fucking… bastard…"
Tap!
Jo Gul finally rolled his eyes and fainted. Even though he had fainted, red bubbles rose from his mouth.
"…"
Namgung Do-Wei looked outside with blank eyes.
"Uhhhhh! You fucking dog!"
Just then, Baek Cheon, Mount Hua's Righteous Sword, was kicked in the face and thrown back. Chung Myung, who had stepped on Baek Cheon's face, rolled his eyes, looking for the next prey.
"S-stop!"
It's common knowledge that the one who spoke first was in more danger. Yoon Jong's only mistake was not knowing that.
In return, Yoon Jong left a hole in the wall shaped like a person.
"I'm losing it!"
Yu Yiseol ran toward Chung Myung, stepping on air. Namgung Myung gulped.
"…Are you in your right mind?"
His mouth fell open in shock.
This place was adjacent to the Yangtze River. Not far from here were not just the Nine Great Sects but also the Four Precepts Alliance's armed forces. So why were they practicing so noisily here?
'It's only been two days since they fought on Plum Blossom Island?'
You could tell at a glance they were swinging their swords at each other. It wasn't like they were practicing a real battle, but they were training so hard it wouldn't be strange if someone got hurt.
There was a time and place for everything.
This practice was out of time and place. The strangest thing was that no one seemed to find this odd.
"Yeah, you bastard!"
Everyone was complaining, but no one backed down. If they didn't like the training, they could just turn around and leave.
Moreover, Chung Myung surprised Namgung Myung.
That Mount Hua Sword Saint was strong enough to defeat the Black Dragon King. Even if he couldn't, he was strong enough to be compared with Namgung Hwang. Of course, the Namgung family had Namgung Hwang, so there was no need to worry about the existence of a strong person.
But when was the last time Namgung Hwang directly trained with the family's swordsmen?
Swordsmen who have reached the peak tend to focus on their own sword technique rather than sparring. So, as their skills increased, the number of direct sparring sessions decreased.
That was only natural for Namgung Myung, who had lived with sword techniques.
It was common sense that having one skilled warrior was better than a hundred weak ones, so sects normally recommended isolating skilled warriors.
For Namgung Myung, who had lived thinking this was natural, seeing Chung Myung fight with people not even half as skilled was shocking.
"This is why they are strong… this is why…"
It seemed the secret of Mount Hua's strength was now slightly revealed.
How could they not become stronger when a warrior as strong as him sparred with him every day?
Even if he didn't know about other things, he could clearly see that Chung Myung's purpose wasn't to make himself stronger but to make Mount Hua stronger.
"I feel jealous, uncle."
"Young lord…"
Namgung Do-Wei looked at the scene with a hazy expression. He must have been thinking about sparring with his father, Namgung Hwang, right now.
"But well… it's not like there was no chance."
"Uh? Young lord, are you saying…?"
"I will be back soon."
Namgung Do-Wei drew his sword.
"Y-you haven't fully recovered yet!"
Namgung Myung hurriedly tried to dissuade him, but Namgung Do-Wei pretended not to hear and ran ahead. Seeing the smile on his lips as if in awe, Namgung Myung gave up trying to stop him.
'Mount Hua.'
Perhaps Namgung Do-Wei's choice to rely on Mount Hua was the best. Maybe, leaving aside the position of the Namgung family and considering Namgung Do-Wei's position.
"Do as you wish, young lord."
Namgung Myung just wished the lake called Mount Hua was wide enough to contain the dragon called Namgung Do-Wei.
He just wished for that…
Kwang!
"What was that just now? Was there an odd brat there?"
"…"
Namgung Myung tightly closed his eyes as he watched Namgung Do-Wei fly out of the garden in an instant after being struck by Chung Myung's sword.
'Let's rethink this one more time.'
Somehow, it seemed like there was poison in the lake, too.
…Rather lethal poison.