"That's exactly what I thought!"
Namgung Do-Wei gripped Baek Cheon's hand tightly.
Baek Cheon looked at him with trembling eyes.
"Thank you! Thank you, Taoist Baek Cheon!"
"N-No, wait a minute…"
Baek Cheon, feeling very uneasy, tried to quietly dissuade Namgung Do-Wei, but it seemed he was no longer willing to listen.
"I suspected it, and as expected! I thought Mount Hua's incredible growth couldn't be explained by existing techniques."
"…"
"So it is true that Taoist Baek Cheon and all the members of Mount Hua are learning martial arts from Taoist Chung Myung?"
"… that's not wrong… I mean, it isn't wrong, but…"
"Thank you!"
Namgung Do-Wei released Baek Cheon's hand and clenched his fist.
"It seems the path to revive the Namgung family has been decided now."
"That… young lord? Please calm down first…"
"Then I will go ask Taoist Chung Myung! Thank you!"
"W-wait a minute…"
But Namgung Do-Wei ran off without even looking back. Baek Cheon, staring blankly after him, was met with criticism.
"Devil."
"Pushing someone into the fire."
"Ah, no, kids! What do you want me to do? He didn't even give me a chance to explain, and only heard what he wanted!"
Baek Cheon grumbled in frustration, but the Five Swords had already turned their gaze away from him, looking pitifully at Namgung Do-Wei running ahead.
"… He will regret this."
"Yes."
"Poor guy."
"That's just fate, sago."
The calmest among them was, of course, Yoon Jong.
"… Let's follow him."
"Huh?"
Yoon Jong said with a sense of duty on his face.
"If we can't stop him from jumping into the fire, we should save him when the time is right and pour water on him."
"…"
Though it seemed oddly out of place, Baek Cheon simply nodded.
"Right, we should try to stop him from burning."
The Five Swords quickly followed Namgung Do-Wei.
"Ah, don't push!"
"Wait, I need to see…"
"No, wait, I told you not to push!"
The Five Swords opened the door of the pavilion where Chung Myung was, clinging to the wall and peering inside.
A strange scene unfolded within.
Chung Myung sat like a powerful noble, while Namgung Do-Wei knelt before him.
At first glance, it looked like someone had come to ask for a favor after bribing him.
Like a corrupt official… no, Chung Myung, who looked a hundred times more sinister than any corrupt official, opened his mouth with a sullen expression as he looked at Namgung Do-Wei.
"So…"
"Yes! Taoist."
"You want me to teach you how to use a sword?"
"Yes!"
Chung Myung smiled broadly.
"Not just you, but the entire Namgung family?"
"Yes!"
"Me?"
"Yes!"
"Haha!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Chung Myung and Namgung Do-Wei laughed loudly as if sharing a common purpose. Of course, only Namgung Do-Wei thought he understood the meaning.
"This bastard must have gone crazy!"
Puak!
"Acck!"
Namgung Do-Wei screamed as he flew backward after being kicked in the face by Chung Myung, who had jumped over the table.
"I knew this would happen!"
Baek Cheon burst through the door and quickly caught Namgung Do-Wei before he slammed into the wall.
"No!"
Chung Myung roared, stomping the floor.
"Who put drugs into the river without telling me!? There's not a single sane brat left! The Green Forest bastard wants to join the Heavenly Friends Alliance! The Shaolin brat only cares about himself! And what about the brat who wants the Namgung family to learn swordsmanship after becoming the lord?"
"T-taoist, it's not like that…"
"I've seen many bastards in my lifetime, but this one is on another level of stupidity! Yah! You insane bastard! Does any of that make sense?"
Baek Cheon, who had set down the gloomy Namgung Do-Wei, covered his hand with a fist and coughed softly.
"That… Chung Myung."
"What!"
"I understand why you're upset, but even the young lord is so anxious he's acting like this. You have to understand…"
"Sasuk…"
"Uh?"
Chung Myung said with a serious expression.
"If we continue like this, we'll all go down in flames."
"Why do people always talk about going down in flames…"
"Anyway, we're doomed. We're going down in flames. The only ones left behind will be the kids."
"… So, what's wrong?"
"But if Jo Gul sahyung, who survived, goes to Wudang with the others left behind and begs them to teach fighting, how would the sasuk who passed away feel about it?"
"This insane bastard!"
"Kuak!"
Baek Cheon kicked Jo Gul, who was standing there clueless. Jo Gul doubled over in pain and fell.
"Ah, I was a step too late…"
Yoon Jong licked his lips and lowered his raised hand. This time, Baek Cheon was quicker.
"Noooo!"
Jo Gul, rolling on the floor, raised his head with wide eyes.
"Why are you hitting me? Why! I didn't really do it! So why?
"We're doing this because we think you would actually do it."
"…"
Jo Gul, speechless, turned to Yoon Jong, who simply nodded with a faint smile.
Betrayed by the world, Jo Gul crouched down, wrapping his arms around his knees. Tang Soso, nearby, patted him on the shoulder, feeling sorry for him.
"Right, you should have acted like a human from the start."
"Kuak! Will you not leave right now?"
Baek Cheon coughed in vain and glanced at Namgung Do-Wei.
'This isn't right.'
He hadn't thought much of it before, but changing his perspective, he realized there was no one like that insane guy. Of course, that was the truth. Where else would one learn sword technique?
Even Hyun Jong, famous for not showing pride in Mount Hua, didn't ask the Southern Edge sect to teach swordsmanship, even though Mount Hua was in a terrible situation then.
No, if a disciple had suggested such a thing, even Hyun Jong would have stuck a plum branch in their face.
Chung Myung shouted, enraged.
"Yah, you insane bastard. Where did you learn the sword? Namgung Hwang in the tomb will rise up, coughing out Yangtze river water!"
"… My father isn't buried yet."
"Then go confirm it, brat! He might be trying to break through the coffin right now!"
Namgung Do-Wei flinched at Chung Myung's force.
Chung Myung clicked his tongue and shook his head in disbelief.
"The world is about to fall. It must be falling now. What the hell happened in the past 100 years that the world is now filled with idiots like these?"
"Now these brats are scarier than the Heavenly Demon. Scarier than the Heavenly Demon, you morons!"
But Namgung Do-Wei protested as if it were unfair.
"I-I am not asking you to teach me Mount Hua's sword techniques, Taoist."
"Uh?"
"No matter how insane I may be, how could I ask you to teach me Mount Hua's sword technique?"
"Right?"
Chung Myung, suddenly calm, nodded with a face that said, 'Well, that's right.'
"That's good, then. For the future of the Namgung family, I was thinking whether I should throw you into the Yangtze River and make Namgung Myung the head of the family."
"…"
"Then what?"
"Of course, I will learn the Namgung family's sword technique. Namgung isn't weak enough to covet other sects' techniques!"
"It's a little weak, though."
"…"
"Uh… no, well. Anyway, continue."
"… So, the thing is…"
Namgung Do-Wei, feeling somewhat sad, wiped his eyes and continued.
"What we want from you, Taoist, is not sword technique teachings, but experience in real combat."
"Uh?"
"I felt it deeply during Plum Blossom Island. Learning sword technique without error, operating it perfectly, and identifying weaknesses through sparring with each other…"
Namgung Do-Wei's attitude gradually became serious.
"That alone is not enough for real combat."
"…"
Chung Myung looked at Namgung Do-Wei with interest.
'He's an interesting guy.'
In this incident, he lost two-thirds of the family sect's power and even the lordship of the family. Because of that, the time for him to inherit the lord position came at least 20 years earlier.
An ordinary person would be out of their mind in such a situation. However, Namgung Do-Wei was already looking ahead.
"It might not be something to say in such a situation, but the Namgung family's sword is by no means dull."
Chung Myung nodded slightly. It wasn't wrong. If the Namgung family had been weak, they wouldn't have maintained their position as the best family sect in the world for so long.
"Even so, the reason the Namgung family is in such a great crisis this time is because our sword was like a sword in a well, unaware of how to fight in the real world."
Namgung Do-Wei stared straight at Chung Myung.
"However, Mount Hua was different. The Mount Hua sect members probably didn't have much fighting experience, but they fought as if they'd been through countless battles."
Namgung Do-Wei clenched his fists.
"Taoist."
"…"
"Please help us. We absolutely must become stronger now. And I think the only person who can do that job is a Taoist."
"Hmm."
Chung Myung scratched his cheek with an odd look, then spoke to Namgung Do-Wei in a slightly different tone than before.
"Well, everything is right, but… let me ask you one thing."
"Yes."
"I understand why, but I think that's something Namgung could do without asking to learn it from Mount Hua."
"…"
"I'm saying this because I don't think you don't know how dangerous that is. People in the world won't consider such circumstances. They'll just say the Namgung family is insane for learning swordsmanship from Mount Hua."
"… I know."
"Yeah, you know. I think you know. That's why I'm asking."
Chung Myung said coldly.
"If you know all that, why are you doing this?"
"…"
Namgung Do-Wei bit his lips tightly.
"… No more…"
"Hmm?"
"Because I don't want to lose anyone anymore."
Chung Myung's face hardened at those words.
"The existence of the Four Precepts Alliance will make the world more and more dangerous. Unless you choose to close the Gate… no, even if you do, the Namgung family can no longer avoid them."
The Five Swords listened and nodded. There was certainly truth in those words.
"Father told me."
"… Namgung Hwang? The lord?"
"Yes. Father showed me at the last moment what the lord of the Namgung family should do."
Namgung Do-Wei said with firm eyes.
"The lord of the Namgung family is the one who protects the Namgung family."
"…"
"I… I don't want to lose a single family member anymore. I will do anything for that."
Namgung Do-Wei raised his head and looked at Chung Myung.
"If you tell me to kneel, I will kneel. If you tell me to bow, I will bow."
Then he bowed deeply and shouted.
"Please help me, Taoist. That debt will be repaid by the Namgung sword!"
Baek Cheon, who had been watching, nodded.
'That's amazing.'
It was enough to make him feel ashamed.
'If it were me, would I be able to bow my head to someone else like that for the sake of Mount Hua's future?'
Namgung Do-Wei lived in a much higher status than Baek Cheon. Wasn't the position of eldest son of the Namgung family one everyone in the murim world aspired to?
But Namgung Do-Wei's actions now showed no hesitation. Regardless of right or wrong, that attitude was definitely worth emulating.
"I won't lose a single person…"
Chung Myung snickered as he briefly recalled Namgung Do-Wei's words.
"You can say such dreamy words even after seeing hell?"
"… I think I should say it even more because I saw it."
"Your mouth is still alive, brat."
A smile formed at the corners of Chung Myung's mouth.
However, Baek Cheon knew the smile wasn't meant badly. He sometimes smiled like that when they did more than Chung Myung expected.
"Well, fine. Even if it's a real fight, it's not that hard since you just have to beat the people up."
"T-then?"
"We're already an alliance. I will help you."
"T-taoist!"
Namgung Do-Wei looked at Chung Myung with a moved face and shining eyes.
"Thank you…"
He was about to bow deeply again, but flinched and stopped. Chung Myung's palm was waiting where he was about to bow.
"T-taoist."
Namgung Do-Wei raised his head, puzzled.
And he saw a delighted Chung Myung, literally overjoyed.
After waiting and fighting for so long, when Jiang Taigong finally caught a moonfish, this must be the face he had.
"So."
"…"
"How much are you going to pay?"
"… Uh?"
Namgung Do-Wei's eyes widened.
"You said you don't want to lose even one person."
"…"
"If you say it the other way around, that means each and every life is that expensive, right?"
"… Taoist?"
"Then let's find out."
Chung Myung let out a wicked laugh.
"How much is the Namgung family willing to pay to save those people?"
"…"
"Don't disappoint me. The Namgung family is rich, right?"
"…"
"Ehehehehe! Ehehehehehe!"
As Chung Myung laughed, a pure white marten suddenly jumped from his arms and climbed onto his head, mimicking the same pose and laughter.
Only after seeing this bizarre sight did Namgung Do-Wei realize something was seriously wrong.