SYM 37

“It feels like it’s been a long time since I was here just a little while ago.”

“Indeed.

Coming back to the outer residence where he used to stay, perhaps because it was a familiar place, his heart felt a bit at ease.

Soseo seemed to feel the same, her face brightening up.

In the inner residence, she must have been surrounded by the direct subordinates of the head of the family, so she probably couldn’t even take a deep breath during that time.

“When I was here, I wanted to go to the inner residence, but now that I’m staying in the inner residence, I miss this place.”

“Soseo, I’ll take a walk around the area, so you should rest here for a bit. You must have had a hard time staying in the inner residence too.”

“…Young master.”

Soseo seemed to be moved by Eun-hyeon’s words and was on the verge of tears.

Eun-hyeon quickly stood up before Soseo could speak or bother him.

“Y-Young Master, perhaps I should accompany you…”

“I’m not unfamiliar with this place. I’m just going to look around the garden. Just rest here. If someone comes looking for me, just say I’m taking a stroll around.”

Once Eun-hyeon left, Soseo didn’t insist on following him.

Eun-hyeon strolled around the garden.

He hadn’t planned to go outside the family today. First, he needed to build trust by going back and forth between the outer residence a few times. It would be a big problem if any sharp-eyed subordinates like Hwahong or others followed him.

Eun-hyeon intended to look around today to see how he could get outside. Unlike the inner residence, it wouldn’t be too difficult to exit from the outer residence.

Eun-hyeon passed the boundary of the outer residence where he was staying and stepped outside. He had heard that the family had prohibited all outsiders from entering for a while, but now quite a few people were wandering around.

Eun-hyeon put his hands behind his back and strolled while observing the surroundings. Perhaps because it was the Namgung family, he didn’t see any broken walls or holes to escape through.

However, Eun-hyeon didn’t give up. No matter how imposing the Namgung family was, there had to be at least one hole somewhere.

Even during his time as a disciple of the Kunlun Taoist, Eun-hyeon would sneak in and out of the village through holes. Sneaking out to play in the village with his brothers without their master knowing was the most fun game…

Just as Eun-hyeon was walking along the wall, lost in old memories.

“Oh? Young hero Ha!”

Eun-hyeon blinked at someone who was acknowledging him.

Who could it be?

They looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t quite remember who they were.

“Didn’t we greet each other at the banquet last time? I’m Yeo Muho. I thought all the guests had left, but it seems you stayed behind too, Young hero Ha!”

“Haha, it seems fate has brought us together again.”

Only then did Eun-hyeon remember who the person was.

He had met the Mosan Sect’s disciple at the banquet celebrating Namgung Juwon’s completion of his seclusion training.

The Mosan Sect was a small Sect that studied the art of the undead, so few people could be considered its disciples. This was the first time Eun-hyeon had actually met a Mosan disciple. Why was such a disciple here?

“Young Hero Yeo, why are you still in Namgung? Did you have something to attend to?”

“Oh, actually, I’m here to assist with research at the request of Madam Hwang.”

“…Research?”

Madam Hwang…?

What could Madam Hwang possibly need help from a Mosan disciple for?

He had a bad feeling about this.

“I’m fortunate to have met such a rare Mosan Sect thanks to that.”

“Haha. I was feeling quite lonely since I didn’t know anyone, so how about we have a meal together?”

Eun-hyeon hesitated but nodded.

“Sounds good. Then, to celebrate meeting such a precious disciple, I’ll treat you. Since I’m not yet familiar with the geography of Hefei, if you don’t mind, please lead the way.”

“Oh! How could I let a young hero treat me? Even as a disciple practicing the way, I can afford to buy a meal for a young hero. In fact, Madam Hwang is quite generous… Let’s go! I know a great place!”

Eun-hyeon followed the excited Yeo Muho, who was waving his arms. In fact, he hadn’t planned to do this until he left the inner residence. However, now that Madam Hwang was mentioned, he couldn’t ignore the feeling that something unusual was happening. He had worried about being stopped by someone who recognized him when leaving the family, but nothing of the sort occurred.

It was unclear whether it was because he was with Yeo Muho or if the family’s security was more lax than expected.

Once outside, Yeo Muho seemed like a fish in water. He must have wandered around Hefei City quite a bit, as he seemed to know everything. If someone were to see them, they would think Eun-hyeon was the outsider and Yeo Muho was a local.

Eun-hyeon followed Yeo Muho, glancing around. Seeing the lively people brought a mix of joy and various emotions.

Then Yeo Muho stopped in front of a small restaurant. It was located in a slightly secluded area and looked shabby compared to others.

“I stumbled upon this place by chance, but despite its appearance, the food here is amazing.”

“Is that so?”

Eun-hyeon nodded at Yeo Muho’s confident words and followed him inside.

They sat in a corner. As soon as Eun-hyeon sat across from him, Yeo Muho ordered food.

“Come on, let’s have some bamboo leaf tea to soothe our throats. Ah, I’ve been feeling quite uneasy lately, like I was sitting on a needle cushion, but coming out here feels like I can finally breathe.”

“Why have you been feeling so uneasy?”

Eun-hyeon asked as he accepted the bamboo leaf tea from Yeo Muho. At that moment, Yeo Muho, who had already emptied several cups and had a flushed face, waved his hands and shook his head.

“Oh, don’t even mention it. The Namgung family’s heir was kidnapped. The family has been noisy for days because of that, didn’t you know?”

Eun-hyeon turned his head to hide his startled expression and took a sip of the bamboo leaf tea.

“I was away from Hefei City for a while, so I didn’t hear the news. I see that happened.”

“Since I had to stay in the family due to my contract with Madam Hwang, I couldn’t help but feel quite anxious.”

“…It seems the head of the family was very angry.”

“Don’t even get me started. If I could, I would have wanted to run away. It was the first time in my life that I felt so scared since I saw my master’s undead. I wouldn’t be surprised if several people from the family lost their heads.”

“…Is that so?”

“Well, there have been various rumors regarding the eldest young master and the head of the Namgung family, but if a sickly eldest son who couldn’t even practice martial arts in the position of the heir, what does that tell you? The Namgung family head is just a taciturn person who doesn’t express himself well, but he clearly cares deeply for the young master.”

Hearing someone else talk about Namgung Juwon gave Eun-hyeon a strange feeling.

Although he was an outsider who had entered the body of Namgung Eun-hyeon, it seemed that he had unconsciously started to identify himself with Namgung Eun-hyeon.

He had distanced himself from Namgung Juwon, thinking he was neglecting and abusing Namgung Eun-hyeon, but hearing about Namgung Juwon from another’s mouth felt different from before.

“Why do you think the head of the Namgung family left a sickly eldest son as the heir?”

Yeo Muho, who was munching on some stir-fried vegetables, chuckled at Eun-hyeon’s question.

“It seems you’re still too young to understand. The head of the Namgung family is probably considering Namgung Eung-wang as the next head. It wouldn’t be good to have someone who doesn’t know martial arts as the head of the Namgung family.”

“That makes sense. I can understand that much.”

The head of the Namgung family was the very symbol of the Namgung family.

The one who wielded the Emperor’s Sword, the family’s secret technique passed down only to the head of the family, and commanded the Central Plains, that was the Namgung family head.

“The position of next head is the highest position the head of the Namgung family can give to his eldest son, isn’t it? Even knowing it’s unavoidable, it’s the nature of a parent to stubbornly hold on until the end. It’s the desire to give the best to their child!”

In that moment, Eun-hyeon felt as if he had been hit on the back of the head.

He wasn’t really Namgung Eun-hyeon, yet why was this fact so shocking?

“…I see.”

“Even if you don’t understand it now, you will when you grow older and have children of your own. Sometimes, even when you know something is wrong, you can’t stop; that’s a parent’s love.”

Eun-hyeon felt a tightness in his chest and gulped down the remaining bamboo leaf tea in one go.

If it was so heartbreaking and concerning, they should have treated him well from the beginning. Or they could have just continued to ignore him. Why, after leaving him alone all this time, were they now stirring up his feelings and complicating his thoughts?

Eun-hyeon sighed as he muttered to himself.

“By the way, what kind of research are you doing here at the Namgung family? Are you imparting the knowledge of the Mosan Sect?”

The knowledge of the Mosan Sect refers to the art of the undead, which is treated as a closely guarded secret within the Sect. The Mosan Sect itself was a closed-off place, and they accepted very few disciples. There was no way a Mosan disciple would easily share the family’s secret techniques.

“Oh no, that can’t be the case. The art of the undead of the Mosan Sect is meant only for the disciples of Mosan to learn. No matter how much gold is in front of me, I can’t do such a thing.”

“Then what are you doing in the family?”

Yeo Muho glanced around and then covered his mouth as he leaned toward Eun-hyeon.

“Originally, this is something I shouldn’t be saying, so keep it to yourself.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I received a request to come and assist with research because several undead have been discovered here.”

“…What? Undead in Hefei?”

Seeing Eun-hyeon’s surprised reaction, Yeo Muho nodded.