SYM 95

Eun-hyeon and Cheong-un thought they would be the first to arrive since they sent the letter and departed immediately.

Namgung Juwon must have left after receiving his letter, but how could he have arrived so quickly?

“Father, I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon. Did you come straight after seeing the letter?”

“Yes. I informed the Martial Arts Alliance immediately after seeing the letter and set off. Eun-hyeon, are you hurt or in pain anywhere?”

Eun-hyeon gave a slightly awkward smile at Namgung Juwon’s words.

He had noticed that Namgung Juwon wanted to form a different relationship with him than before.

However, Eun-hyeon had lost his parents early even before his possession and had never been close to anyone of Namgung Juwon’s age. Every time he saw Namgung Juwon’s changed attitude, he was at a loss for how to respond.

“Namgung Family Head. It’s been a while.”

Then, Cheong-un, in the guise of Ha Yeo-un, approached from behind Eun-hyeon.

“It’s been a while.”

“Great Hero Ha! You look even more radiant than the last time I saw you. Instead of standing here, let’s move inside.”

Namgung Juwon took the lead.

Eun-hyeon followed behind Cheong-un, glancing at Namgung Eung-wang.

Even though Eun-hyeon had not been away from the Namgung Clan for that long, Eung-wang’s atmosphere was quite different.

Before, he had a strangely youthful look despite his large frame, but now that appearance was nowhere to be found. He seemed to have lost some weight, and his eyes were sharp.

Eung-wang’s eyes met Eun-hyeon’s for a moment. Eun-hyeon was briefly flustered and avoided his gaze. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but he felt strangely awkward.

“Ahem.”

Eun-hyeon cleared his throat, looking elsewhere.

* * *

Whether it was intentionally emptied, there were no other guests in the inn.

As soon as Eun-hyeon’s group sat down, the waiter brought out the prepared food before they could even order.

Peking duck roasted with famous honey from the Beijing area, Dongpo pork, and Beijing-style sweet and sour pork were continuously placed on the table.

Tea and alcohol were naturally prepared, but no one drank.

“Eun-hyeon. I was shocked to receive your letter this time.”

“…It wasn’t intentional, but I keep getting involved with the Hongbaek Sect strangely.”

“You must never get directly involved with those guys. I thought you were just going to enjoy a leisurely trip…”

Eun-hyeon subtly avoided Namgung Juwon’s gaze as he sighed. In fact, the letter did not reveal that he had almost been sacrificed in a Rite. He had only written that he had heard intelligence that the Hongbaek Sect was heading to Beijing, and that he had discovered an empty village while traveling, which seemed to be their doing.

“Actually, I didn’t do anything in this matter. It was all Great Hero Ha’s work, and I just wrote the letter.”

“Yes, Great Hero Ha has done a great job this time. I thank you on behalf of the Martial World.”

Namgung Juwon bowed to Ha Yeo-un, and Ha Yeo-un lightly nodded.

“I couldn’t just let this pass.”

“I understand. Who among us, being human, could turn a blind eye to such wicked intentions? Although the Namgung Clan is in seclusion, I couldn’t stand still when I saw that the Hongbaek Sect was involved. I have also passed on the antidote recipe that Great Hero Ha obtained to the Martial Arts Alliance, so good news will come soon.”

Eun-hyeon glossed over the difficult-to-explain events as all being done by Ha Yeo-un. In particular, he couldn’t talk about the antidote recipe without mentioning the Demonic Sect, so he passed it all off as Ha Yeo-un’s discovery.

Fortunately, Namgung Juwon didn’t ask any further questions about it.

“The people from the Martial Arts Alliance will arrive soon.”

“Who is coming from the Martial Arts Alliance?”

“The Alliance Leader cannot come in person, so he will probably send a representative. I don’t know who will come.”

Namgung Juwon was constantly watching Eun-hyeon as he spoke. Eun-hyeon seemed burdened by his father’s gaze and subtly averted his eyes.

Namgung Juwon had been shocked to the point of fainting after receiving Eun-hyeon’s letter a few days ago.

He had thought his son was doing well, but he was involved with the Hongbaek Sect again. It seemed that the Hongbaek Sect was indeed beginning to spread its wings and become active.

In addition, he was shocked to see the content about meeting near Beijing. Wasn’t that a story about the imperial family or the government being involved? Seeing that, he had no choice but to break his seclusion.

After Madam Hwang, who had colluded with the Hongbaek Sect, took her own life, the Namgung Clan was in a difficult and embarrassing situation in many ways.

The full details of the Undead incident at Godeok Temple had not yet been revealed, but the story that the Clan Mother of the Namgung Clan was involved in a scandalous affair and committed suicide had already spread widely.

Internally, they had to deal with those who followed Madam Hwang and those who had been bought off from the outside. In addition, their relationship with the Golden Pavillion, which was a major source of income for the Namgung Clan, had soured, so they were in a difficult situation in many ways.

But Eun-hyeon was involved with the Hongbaek Sect and needed help, so how could he not rush over?

“Then let’s discuss the details together when the person sent by the Alliance arrives. You probably already know the general story.”

Namgung Juwon nodded at Ha Yeo-un’s words.

“Eun-hyeon, are you eating properly? Your face and body are so thin… You should be taking care of your health instead of traveling.”

Eun-hyeon smiled briefly at Namgung Juwon’s words.

“It seems like not me, but you and Eung-wang need to take care of your health. You both seem much thinner than a few months ago.”

It wasn’t just an empty remark; Namgung Juwon and Namgung Eung-wang were actually much thinner than they had been a few months ago.

Namgung Juwon seemed a little embarrassed, as if he hadn’t expected to hear such words, and waved his hand.

“Eung-wang and I…”

Namgung Juwon paused and looked at Eung-wang. Eung-wang, who was now the Eldest Young Master, was completely different from his former carefree self.

Namgung Juwon sighed briefly as he looked at Eung-wang. After losing his mother and inheriting the position of Eldest Young Master, he could no longer find the same old Eung-wang.

He felt that he had not played his role as a father properly, and his two sons had grown up too quickly.

“Eung-wang, no, Namgung Heir, how have you been? It seems that you have made remarkable achievements in a short period of time.”

Namgung Eung-wang looked at Eun-hyeon with slightly surprised eyes.

Recently, Eung-wang had been learning the Martial Arts passed down only to the Family Head from Namgung Juwon and had made considerable progress. But he never expected that Namgung Eun-hyeon, who didn’t know Martial Arts, would be able to recognize it at a glance.

“I am learning Martial Arts from my father. Actually, I was about to enter closed-door training this time, but I heard about you, brother, before that and came all the way here.”

“…Thank you.”

Namgung Eun-hyeon looked at Eun-hyeon with new eyes.

He thought he would be displeased to see him come, but he didn’t expect to hear words of gratitude.

“It’s nothing. The Hongbaek Sect is a public enemy of the Martial World, so I should lend a hand, even if it’s just a little.”

Eung-wang’s face turned slightly red as he gave a textbook answer of a righteous Martial World person.

At that time, Namgung Juwon noticed something unusual.

Cheong-un was subtly pushing food towards Eun-hyeon.

He put well-grilled duck skin and vegetables on a thin pancake, rolled it up nicely, and subtly placed it on Eun-hyeon’s plate.

Eun-hyeon was eating it without hesitation. Judging by the fact that he was doing it without surprise, it seemed that this was not something they had done just once or twice.

Namgung Juwon’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

That wasn’t all. He could see their hands subtly touching each other every time they used their chopsticks. There was no way that a martial artist like Ha Yeo-un would have such contact unless he intended to.

At first, he didn’t think much of it, but as he looked at it in detail, something felt strange.

When Eun-hyeon frowned as the wind blew, Ha Yeo-un had the waiter close the window and pour a new cup of warm tea, placing it in front of Eun-hyeon.

Namgung Juwon’s brow furrowed more and more, but Eun-hyeon didn’t notice at all.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from the second floor. It was a footstep that didn’t try to hide its presence.

“Namgung Family Head. It’s been a while.”

Instantly, Eun-hyeon shuddered without realizing it.

He thought that so much time had passed that he wouldn’t recognize him, but absurdly, he knew who the other person was the moment he heard his voice.

“Oh my, are you Wi Jin, Head of the Jeong-hyeon Clan, sent by the Martial Arts Alliance? Please, this way, Clan Head Wi.”