Inside the large inner hall, the Namgung family's swordsmen sat with their backs against the wall, silently gazing up at the ceiling. Despite the many people gathered, no one spoke. The atmosphere was too gloomy to describe.
Amidst the heavy silence, Namgung Dan sighed quietly. Normally, he would have tried to lighten the mood. Of course, leading them was Namgung Do-Wei's role, but it was Namgung Dan's responsibility to support the young lord in unclear moments.
Unfortunately, Namgung Dan didn't have the luxury to consider others' feelings. Why? Because he was the one who had contributed most to this miserable atmosphere.
He raised his hand and rubbed his face.
The defeat was indescribably terrible. Losing to Tang Soso, who had only been learning swordsmanship for five years, without even managing a counterattack, left no excuses.
What could he even say in this situation?
'How…'
The image of Tang Soso's sword flying toward his head was still vivid in his mind.
What made her victory even more unbearable was that he couldn't attribute it to luck.
He was defeated by the basics alone: the power behind the sword, the precise technique, and even the qi.
How could he, who had devoted over 20 years to the sword, be pushed back by Tang Soso?
"… How could this happen?"
At that moment, everyone's eyes turned toward the voice.
Namgung Hyuk muttered, his face seeming to have lost its spirit.
"How… did we…."
Only silence followed. No one could answer that question.
"Hyung. Were we wrong?"
"…"
"How could we…"
"Enough."
Namgung Dan cut off Namgung Hyuk's words with a slightly annoyed tone.
"Stop it. It's embarrassing."
"Hyung…."
"No matter how much you try to make excuses, the truth won't change. We lost. And it was a miserable defeat."
"…."
"Isn't there only one reason? We were simply weaker than Soso nuna."
"That makes no sense, so we're just accepting this?"
Namgung Dan smiled.
'That makes no sense….'
What else could be done?
Of course, by common sense, it shouldn't have happened. But it did. So the conclusion was clear.
"Then our common sense must be wrong."
"Hyung!"
Namgung Dan glared at Namgung Hyuk with sunken eyes.
"What? Are you trying to deny it?"
"T-that…"
"Or are you going to pick up your sword and fight again?"
Namgung Hyuk eventually lowered his head. He knew the truth too.
No matter how much they protested it was unfair, the fundamental gap in their abilities remained. They couldn't handle Tang Soso right now.
"… I really don't understand."
Namgung Dan rubbed his face at Namgung Hyuk's faint voice. He didn't understand either.
But…
"You don't need to understand."
"Uh?"
"Just accept it: the fact that we are weaker than the disciples of Mount Hua."
"…."
The Namgung family's swordsmen lowered their heads.
Namgung Dan spoke with a slightly self-mocking tone.
"We already knew this since we saw them on Plum Blossom Island, didn't we?"
"… Yes."
"And yet, we didn't fully acknowledge it. Even though we watched them effortlessly sweep away pirates we couldn't handle, we believed there was some factor other than skill at play."
As he spoke, Namgung Dan's face showed emptiness.
"Because we risked our lives tiring out the pirates, they were able to be active despite arriving late. If the situation had been reversed, we could have wiped out the pirates unilaterally… Well, that's what I thought."
"Hyung…"
"But."
Namgung Dan slowly shook his head.
"I know now, because I experienced it. They are simply stronger than us."
He never wanted to admit it, but now he had to.
Even Tang Soso was strong.
Then how strong must the disciples who entered Mount Hua before Tang Soso be? And how great was the skill of Mount Hua's Five Swords, said to be among the best of the disciples?
'Would the young lord be able to match them?'
Just a day ago, Namgung Dan would have answered 'yes'. Namgung Do-Wei was on a whole different level than the other young swordsmen in Namgung.
But now, he couldn't be so sure.
"But hyung."
Namgung Hyuk spoke as if he still couldn't believe it.
"We too… didn't we work hard?"
Namgung Dan understood Namgung Hyuk's worry.
Were they lazy? No, absolutely not.
The Namgung family, humiliated in the Yangtze River massacre, had tried their best for the past three years to get revenge on the Evil Sect. How could he explain the wide gap that had grown?
"Hyuk."
"Yes, hyung."
"Did you see Soso noona's hands?"
"…"
Namgung Hyuk fell silent. Namgung Dan looked at everyone.
To persuade someone, one must find a reason they could accept. Though he wasn't entirely convinced himself, he saw something he hadn't noticed before when trying to convince Namgung Hyuk.
"Let me see your hand."
"…"
"Show it to me."
Namgung Hyuk held out his hand. Several scars marked it, but the number was nothing compared to Tang Soso's.
Namgung Dan, silently observing the hand, slowly spoke.
"I… remember Soso noona from the past."
"Uh?"
"She was so beautiful."
The Namgung family swordsmen narrowed their eyes briefly. Namgung Dan noticed and quickly waved his hand.
"N-no! That's not what I meant…!"
He coughed, his face reddening from the misunderstanding.
"Soso noona's hands in the past were clean and white. The pure white hands visible beneath her gorgeous robe perfectly matched the phrase 'delicate hands.'"
Some who remembered Tang Soso from the past nodded in agreement.
"But what about Soso noona's hands now?"
Many were taken aback by those words. The hands they had seen this time were those of a swordsman—covered in calluses and scars.
One could tell just by looking how hard she had trained, how much she had endured, and how completely she had abandoned her past life.
Namgung Dan opened his hands wide, then looked at the scars on his own.
"We worked hard?"
"…"
"Right. I guess we tried hard. But… I guess our effort and their effort are different. I can see that my hands, which have trained longer, are so clean compared to hers."
"… hyung."
Namgung Dan felt embarrassed again.
He thought he had trained hard, lived harder than anyone else. Yet there was no trace of that on his hands.
While Mount Hua's swordsmen swung their swords until their hands were covered in wounds, they were content with the same old training.
"Did we really put in that much effort?"
"…"
"Can we really say this in front of them? That we tried as hard as they did? We, who complained our bodies hurt after just a few days of training?"
No one could answer.
Because they all knew the truth.
The training they had dismissed as just hurting their bodies was done daily by Mount Hua's disciples, and it was even more intense than what the Namgung swordsmen had done in a few days.
Namgung Dan let out a deep sigh. What had once been mere words now carried sincerity.
"Discussing talent, environment, or superiority of sword technique only matters among those who have put in the same effort. We are not qualified to discuss swordsmanship with them."
The Namgung family swordsmen flushed and couldn't raise their heads.
"What embarrasses me more is…"
Namgung Dan bit his lip.
"Even though we clearly saw the fate of those who died to save Plum Blossom Island, we still couldn't let go of our useless pride."
"… that…"
"Is it really so embarrassing to learn from Mount Hua?"
He asked the question with a hollow laugh.
"At least now, I know there are people who work harder than me. But I'm even more embarrassed that I'm still showing off my useless pride."
No one answered; they just bowed their heads.
"I will participate in the training tomorrow."
"Hyung…"
"I don't plan on forcing you. It's each person's choice. But I… if I can become stronger, if there's a way to restore the Namgung family's name, I won't hesitate. I'm not just going to talk like before; I really plan to test my limits."
Namgung Dan stood and turned his gaze to the person sitting in the corner.
Namgung Do-Wei silently watched Namgung Dan.
Namgung Dan bit his lip slightly.
'The young lord must already know this.'
The unbridgeable gap between Mount Hua and the Namgung family. How frustrating it must have been to see them only showing off pride.
Namgung Dan bowed deeply to Namgung Do-Wei, then left without regret.
A thick silence fell where he had been. The Namgung family swordsmen leaning against the wall each fell into deep thought.
Namgung Do-Wei, sitting in the corner, smiled slightly as he watched them.
'This is only the starting point.'
They had come full circle and now stood at the starting line. To run forward, they must first know where they stand.
Perhaps tonight will be a very long night for them.
They would have to find the answer to a question no one could yet find.
However, Namgung Do-Wei trusted them.
At least if they understood the weight of the word Namgung, they should be respected no matter what choice they make.
Namgung Do-Wei simply watched them make their choice…
"Young lord."
"Yes?"
At that moment, Namgung Hyuk quietly approached. Namgung Do-Wei asked with a puzzled look.
"… What is it?"
Then, hesitating as he looked at Namgung Do-Wei's expression, Namgung Hyuk carefully spoke.
"That… young lord, if it isn't too rude… I have something I'd like to ask you."