The next day.
"Ugh…"
Namgung Do-Wei groaned, clutching his head before he could even open his eyes.
"…uh, my head…"
It felt as if a metal hammer had struck his skull.
'How much did I even drink?'
As time passed, memories began to return in fragments.
He had already finished all the alcohol he had, but then Chung Myung suddenly stood up, holding a bottle with both hands.
"You have to drink to die. Yeah, drink. Drink this!"
'A-all of this?'
"Why? Can't you drink this? Anyway, this is why guys are like that! Tsk tsk."
"Well, I'm going to drink now! Why can't I drink that?"
"…Right."
The alcohol must have kicked in. A sip for you, a sip for me, passing the bottle back and forth…
'Insane.'
He drank it all—every last drop.
Oh gods, even if it were water, he couldn't have drunk that much, yet he still downed all that alcohol.
"Ugh… my head…"
He'd experienced hangovers before, but this headache was beyond anything he'd ever known.
Groaning and holding his head, Namgung Do-Wei suddenly had a fundamental question.
'What was that alcohol made of?'
What kind of ingredients could cause a headache like being hit with a hammer?
And what kind of person was Chung Myung, who chose that particular alcohol out of all the options in the world?
"Ugh…"
He groaned, struggling to open his eyes.
'Ah, it's blinding.'
He reflexively covered his eyes and frowned. The sunlight was so intense he couldn't open them properly.
'W-wait. Is it dazzling?'
He opened his eyes again. Bright sunlight streamed through the window. Namgung Do-Wei, who had been staring blankly, suddenly jumped in surprise.
"I-I'm done for!"
The strong sunlight meant it was already well into the morning. If he had been so serious with his family yesterday, what would they think if he were late for training today?
Panicked, Namgung Do-Wei quickly tried to clear his head.
"C-Clothes! My clothes!"
He searched frantically but couldn't find his outerwear. He didn't even remember how he got back to his room, so how could he recall where his clothes were?
"I'm going insane!"
After searching everywhere, he finally found his clothes under the blanket. He quickly dressed, adjusted his attire at lightning speed, and rushed out.
No, he tried to rush out.
Flinch.
Before opening the door, he stopped unconsciously.
"…"
Why hadn't anyone woken him?
They were supposed to practice early in the morning. If they had already gone out, wouldn't someone have come to get Namgung Do-Wei?
Then surely…
Namgung Do-Wei hesitated, gripping the doorknob.
What if none of the Namgung swordsmen came for training? They had just talked about this yesterday—did they really intend to train without him?
A deep sigh escaped him.
He knew. No matter what they showed him, he couldn't afford to be disappointed.
Hoping people will act exactly as he wants is just greed. If it were that easy, there wouldn't be any failed leaders.
'Let's not jump to conclusions.'
As Chung Myung said, it's hard for everyone. It's even stranger when it's not hard. So just take it slow. Some people told him that he was doing well. Someday, the family would understand his sincerity.
With his mind made up, Namgung Do-Wei opened the door in one breath.
His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him.
"E-everyone…"
The Namgung family swordsmen were lined up in front of his room. Every single one of them.
"N-no. Why…?"
He couldn't even speak properly; his face was clearly bewildered. As he stared blankly at the assembled group, Namgung Dan stepped forward.
"Have you released the toxins?"
"…Dan."
The representative bowed politely to Namgung Do-Wei—not excessively, just respectfully.
"W-what are you doing?"
"Of course, I was waiting for you, young lord."
"Me?"
Namgung Do-Wei's expression hardened slightly. Namgung Dan smiled warmly.
"Actually, I thought about going ahead and starting the training…"
"…"
"But it was meaningless."
"…What do you mean by meaningless?"
"Whether I become strong through this training or not, if the young lord isn't with us, it means nothing."
Namgung Do-Wei clenched his fist unconsciously.
"Young lord, we are the Namgung family."
"…"
"And the Namgung family only follows the words of its lord. If the lord commands it, even if it's a pit of hell, we will jump in without hesitation."
"Namgung Dan…"
"We overdid it yesterday. It's just… no, I won't make excuses. I'm sorry."
"We are sorry, young lord!"
"We apologize!"
Everyone bowed their heads to Namgung Do-Wei.
"…The moment the young lord spoke of Plum Blossom Island, I realized once again that you're constantly thinking about the best way to lead the Namgung family."
"…"
"We should have thought of that first."
"No, don't say that."
Namgung Do-Wei shook his head.
"It's my fault. What I think is best might not be what you think is best. We should have talked, explained thoroughly, and thought together. I just assumed that if I went ahead, everyone would follow. I was arrogant."
"No, young lord."
"So I ask you again."
Namgung Do-Wei bowed deeply.
"It's not enough of a reason, but I still believe this is the best way for the Namgung family. So please, trust me and follow me."
He raised his head and looked at everyone, his eyes clearer than ever.
"I will also try harder to become a lord you can be proud of."
Everyone nodded.
"Of course, young lord!"
"I believe in you!"
Namgung Do-Wei closed his eyes tightly, overwhelmed.
"…Thank you."
He realized anew that even if their thoughts and methods differed, their goals were the same.
Wasn't that what 'family' was?
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Namgung Do-Wei nodded.
This might not be enough. They might need to talk more in the future.
However, Namgung Do-Wei would not hesitate to persuade them.
There was more than one way to lead people. He didn't need to become Namgung Hwang; he just needed to keep the spirit Namgung Hwang taught him.
"Let's go."
"Yes!"
Namgung Do-Wei stepped forward, leading the family swordsmen with confident strides.
"Ugh…"
"I-I will kill you…"
"Die… die! Di…"
"You'll kill me?"
"N-no…"
Chung Myung's eyes widened as he looked at the people lying face down with rocks on their backs.
"But these guys, the more I think about it, the more ridiculous they get. Are you kidding me? Skipping group training?"
"…"
"Even the bratty young lord? I tried to treat him right because I owed him, but you do this?"
"…"
Namgung Do-Wei's pained face twisted into resentment.
'No, all of this is because of you!'
Who made him drink so much? If he woke up clear-headed after drinking, would he even be human?
"What? We die together if we die, live together if we live?"
"…"
"Yeah, you bastards! Those who said that are all dead! Even if a strong wind blows from the other side, you bastards will stick together and die together, morons!"
"N-no…"
"That's a good thing. A guy as big as the Namgung family couldn't handle alcohol and fell asleep. The guys who should wake him just waited around."
"…"
"If Namgung Hwang saw this, he'd have the Emperor's Sword cut off your heads, you morons!"
"…"
What should this be called? They were so touched a moment ago…
After hearing Chung Myung's words, it all seemed right. If the former lord saw this, he would have smacked them all.
Maybe that's why.
"…What?"
"Nothing."
The swordsmen's gazes toward Namgung Do-Wei seemed subtly different than before. Was it just his imagination?
"It seems you don't understand what I'm saying."
"…"
"If you miss a day, you waste ten days of training. There are dozens of reasons to skip training every day. The moment you start treating that as normal, you're done!"
"…"
"Rain, snow, wind! Even if the Four Sects Alliance comes! You will train! That's the basics! A bastard who drinks, passes out, and doesn't train isn't qualified to hold a sword!"
At that moment, Namgung Dan raised his trembling hand.
"What?"
"A-a question… may I ask?"
"Go ahead."
"Ku… euk… euk!"
Thud!
As Namgung Dan opened his mouth, his other arm trembled and gave out. He immediately fell forward.
Chung Myung, with a face that said he'd seen it all, walked over and kicked the rock, crushing Namgung Dan.
"Euk! I thought I was going to die…"
"What's your question?"
"Ah, yes!"
Namgung Dan stood up with a fierce expression.
"Mount Hua's Sword Saint! This is not a rebellion! Not a complaint!"
"Put the formalities aside."
"Yes!"
Namgung Dan gulped and began.
"If we do this training, will we really become stronger?"
"What?"
When Chung Myung glared, he quickly waved his hand.
"I told you beforehand, this is not a complaint!"
"…Continue."
"Yes!"
Namgung Dan nodded and continued.
"Of course, we know Mount Hua's Sword Saint is strong enough to subdue the Black Dragon King. However, our roots are still in the Namgung family."
"So?"
"Although we lost him in a terrible accident, we believe our former lord was a warrior not inferior to Mount Hua's Sword Saint, maybe even better."
Chung Myung's mouth twisted subtly.
But the Namgung swordsmen thought he was offended and didn't realize he was desperately trying to hold back laughter.
"S…o?"
"The training we're doing now is so different from what we learned in the Namgung family. Isn't the method of mastering a family's martial arts best known within the family? That's why we don't know if it's right to train so hard when the lord didn't tell us to."
"So, to summarize…"
Chung Myung flicked his fingers.
"You don't believe you'll become skilled through this training?"
"…To be exact, if there were more convincing evidence, we'd work harder."
"Y-you're being too rude."
"… I'm sorry."
Namgung Dan cursed inwardly.
If he was going to say that, then just leave the first who's been twitching as if debating whether to hit him or not!
"Taoist, I'll ask you to do this too!"
At that moment, Namgung Do-Wei lifted the rock off him and nudged Chung Myung.
"These people haven't seen everything I have. Asking them to follow me out of the blue would be detrimental. Please."
Chung Myung stared at Namgung Do-Wei and asked.
"Do you really want to confirm?"
"…Uh?"
"It doesn't seem like a good idea, but… well, it's not bad for me."
"…"
"Follow me. I'll prove it to you."
Chung Myung spoke with a smile.
"A chick should always start by knowing it's a chick. Let's go, chicks. I'll show you people who look a little like chicks."
The Namgung swordsmen tilted their heads and followed him.