SYM 13

“My name is Namgung Eun-hyeon. It’s an honor to meet such renowned heroes.”

As Eun-hyeon entered the hall, the previously boisterous room fell silent in an instant. Every gaze turned towards him, and among those stares, there were hints of sharp hostility.

Since these were people chosen by Madam Hwang, some had already taken her side. Hoping that no troublesome situations would arise, Eun-hyeon moved forward.

“Haha, young master, come this way.”

Eun-hyeon’s gaze stopped as he looked around the banquet hall and saw one particular spot.

Ha Yeo-un was seated at a distance from the entrance.

Ha Yeon, befitting his title of White Dragon, was dressed entirely in white, which suited him perfectly.

Even with that ordinary face, it suits him so well. If he wore that with his true face, it would be hard to take one’s eyes off him.

He looks so refined in those fancy clothes. I could never afford something like that for him before.

As Eun-hyeon glanced repeatedly in Ha Yeon’s direction, he felt a pang of guilt.

It was pleasing to see him in silk clothes, fanning himself. Ha Yeon had always accompanied him in ragged, worn-out clothes, so seeing him dressed so finely today drew his attention all the more.

There were many people in the banquet hall wearing bright clothes, but none wore clothes as plain and colorless as Ha Yeo-un’s.

In novels, the Heavenly Demon was always described as wearing black clothes, so seeing Ha Yeo-un defiantly wearing white clothes gave Eun-hyeon a strange feeling.

At that moment, their eyes met as Ha Yeo-un gently fanned himself. Ha Yeo-un’s eyes curved into gentle crescents. Eun-hyeon unconsciously bit his lip. For some reason, his heart started beating faster.

“If there’s anything lacking during your stay at Namgung, please do not hesitate to let me know.”

As Eun-hyeon addressed the gathering with a formal greeting, people began to step forward one by one.

“It’s an honor to be welcomed so warmly by the young master. I am Wei Yanghu from Zhenchang.”

“Ah, Senior Wei from Zhenchang. It’s an honor to meet such a renowned senior. I look forward to your guidance.”

Eun-hyeon forced a smile while suppressing his fatigue as he exchanged greetings with the guests. Including his past life, this was his first time entertaining someone like this, so his mouth corners trembled awkwardly.

During his time as a Taoist of the Kunlun Sect, entertaining guests had always been the job of the senior brothers. As the youngest, he didn’t need to care whether guests came or not. Eun-hyeon tugged at his robe slightly, hiding his awkward feelings. Thanks to having seen what his senior brother did, he could at least manage smooth greetings.

Eun-hyeon’s blue-tinged robe was made of the finest silk from Suzhou, embroidered with white cranes.

The previous night, boxes of clothing, silk, and furniture had been delivered to Eun-hyeon’s separate residence.

It seemed Namgung Juwon had sent them, thinking of Eun-hyeon’s shabby appearance and living conditions. They were all high-quality items, and Soso had gaped in amazement, saying she had never seen such things in her life.

Thanks to this, Eun-hyeon’s attire today was unprecedentedly splendid. However, Eun-hyeon, wearing the clothes, felt as if he was wearing ill-fitting garments; both the place and the clothes were uncomfortable. It was even more so because he couldn’t understand why Namgung Juwon had suddenly changed his attitude.

When he lived as a Kunlun Taoist, he lived like a savage, digging for herbs in the Tianshan Mountains. Having left his sect of his own accord, he had no one to turn to for help in his self-imposed poverty. In reality, just getting by day to day was a struggle. It was a life focused solely on survival.

Suddenly enjoying such luxury felt awkward rather than enjoyable.

“Seeing the young master like this, it seems I made the right choice coming to the Namgung family this time. Hahaha. When I return, all my disciples will be envious of me.”

“I’m the one who has gained something to boast about for a long time, having formed a connection with such an esteemed person.”

He had expected most of the invited guests to be from the martial arts world, but surprisingly, there weren’t many. There were some who had retired from official positions, and even a famous musician skilled in playing the geomungo.

It was understandable that Madam Hwang had gone to great lengths to invite these people. Upon closely examining the guests, Madam Hwang’s intentions became clear. It seemed she had been grooming Namgung Eung-wang for the role of family head.

“At first, I was startled, thinking the most beautiful person in the world had entered dressed as a man! You truly resemble your mother.”

“It seems you knew my mother well.”

“Haha, rather than knowing her well, it was more of a one-sided love on my part. Probably most of the people here of my age would say the same. Who in their youth didn’t have a crush on the world’s most beautiful woman? On the day Namgung family head married her, I shed a tear alone in my room.”

The middle-aged man’s words elicited light laughter.

Indeed, all those of similar age had the same experience.

“If your mother were alive, she would have been so happy to see her son all grown up…”

“My, my, to think I’d live to see the day where I’d admire a man’s face…!”

“A new most beautiful person in the world has appeared!”

Since Namgung Eun-hyeon had rarely ventured outside the family compound until now, people’s reactions were even more enthusiastic.

Eun-hyeon gave an awkward smile as he saw people continuously looking for his mother, Jegal Hwa-yeon, in him.

“Tsk! What use is a man’s beauty? If only he had been born a woman, he could have inherited the title of the world’s most beauty, tsk tsk.”

Eun-hyeon narrowed his eyes, trying to see who had spoken. The speaker seemed to have noticed Eun-hyeon’s gaze. He paused in his speech, looked at Eun-hyeon, and smirked.

“No, brother, that’s a bit…”

“What? Did I say anything wrong? What’s the point of a man having a pretty face? Fortunately, we have Namgung Eun-gwang to continue the Namgung line. I’ve known him well since he’s been coming and going between our Danmok family since he was a child.”

The situation was escalating. Even after making eye contact with Eun-hyeon, the man acted as if he didn’t care what he thought.

Mentioning Namgung Eung-wang made the man’s intentions clear. It seemed he had received instructions from Madam Hwang or the Danmok family.

Instead of getting angry, Eun-hyeon kept his mouth shut.

Eun-hyeon still didn’t know why Namgung Juwon had sent him here.

He couldn’t act rashly without knowing whether Namgung Juwon had assigned him to entertain the guests to keep Madam Hwang in check, or if there was a different intention regarding the family’s succession, or if it was just a simple whim.

“It’s a blessing for the martial arts world that the relationship between the Danmok family and the Namgung family, two major pillars of the righteous faction, is so strong.”

Eun-hyeon turned his head towards the source of the voice.

“Ha, Great Hero Ha?”

Silence fell over the gathering.

Although the martial artists gathered here were confident in their skills, none of them had seen Ha Yeo-un move.

While Ha Yeo-un was currently the focus of attention in the martial arts world, he was still considered a latecomer.

Among those gathered here, there were many older or higher-ranked than Ha Yeo-un, which made his martial arts even more surprising.

“Di-did you see that? I only caught a glimpse of his clothes fluttering in the wind.”

“I, I couldn’t see it properly either.”

Eun-hyeon was equally surprised by Ha Yeo-un’s amazing lightness skill.

He had expected Yeo-un’s martial arts to have improved dramatically after hearing that he had become the Heavenly Demon, but the lightness skill he had just displayed far exceeded his imagination.

“My, when I heard that the White Dragon’s martial arts were beyond the level of a late starter, I was skeptical. But now I see that even the rumors can’t keep up with his actual skills. No wonder there’s talk of him becoming the next leader of the martial arts alliance!”

Leader of the martial arts alliance?

The moment Eun-hyeon heard those words, he almost cried out loudly without realizing it.