SYM 15

“Great Hero Danmok. I’ve heard a lot about the Jade Seal Sword of the Danmok family. While discussing swordsmanship is good, I’d like to witness the Danmok family’s mystical sword techniques with my own eyes.”

The White-Robed Divine Dragon Ha Yeo-un interjected again.

Danmok Yeo-gang now openly showed his displeasure, but the White Dragon smiled as if he hadn’t noticed at all.

He couldn’t understand what kind of relationship the White Dragon and Namgung Eun-hyeon had that made him interfere like this.

“White Dragon. Are you challenging me to a duel now?”

Just as Danmok Yeo-gang’s eyes widened,

“No, it’s not like this is our only day here, why is everyone in such a rush? Great Hero Ha, I mean, senior brother! You haven’t forgotten that you promised to duel with me first, have you?”

Paeng Yeon-ho jumped in with a jovial tone. Eun-hyeon’s eyes widened at this unexpected person.

Paeng Yeon-ho glanced at Eun-hyeon and gave him a slight smile.

“Senior brother Yeo-gang! I’ve had a duel with Great Hero Ha booked for months. Even if it’s you, Brother Yeo-gang, if you cut in line like this, this little brother will be disappointed. Haha.”

Eun-hyeon had thought Paeng Yeon-ho was clumsy and prone to gaffes based on their first meeting, but his skill in smoothing over the atmosphere seemed well-practiced.

Eun-hyeon revised his opinion of the Paeng family of Hebei. He had thought they were just brutes who swung their swords at the slightest provocation, but seeing this negotiation skill, it seemed they weren’t called a great family for nothing.

“Brother Paeng… This is our Danmok’s…”

“Brother Yeo-gang, how long has it been? You look radiant. Hahaha, and Yeo-jun, it’s been a while too.”

The atmosphere softened considerably with Paeng Yeon-ho’s banter.

Eun-hyeon inwardly sighed.

That guy Ha Yeo-un had always been good at getting involved in such disputes while pretending not to, even when he was young. Eun-hyeon had thought he would grow out of it, but it seemed that wasn’t entirely the case.

Eun-hyeon gave a slight nod to Paeng Yeon-ho, conveying his thanks.

“I too am very much looking forward to a duel between Great Hero Danmok and the White Dragon, but it doesn’t seem appropriate for today.”

Danmok Yeo-gang, who had been lightly arguing with Paeng Yeon-ho, looked at Eun-hyeon.

Suddenly, all eyes in the room turned to Eun-hyeon. The gazes were full of surprise, as they hadn’t expected Eun-hyeon to intervene so actively.

Eun-hyeon pretended not to notice and stared at Danmok Yeo-gang and Ha Yeo-un.

“Not everyone here today is from the martial arts world, so let’s set aside time for a duel later.”

At Eun-hyeon’s words, Ha Yeo-un took a few steps back. This physically demonstrated his willingness to follow Eun-hyeon’s words.

Eun-hyeon slightly bowed his head and made eye contact with Ha Yeo-un. Ha Yeo-un looked at Eun-hyeon and slightly curled up the corners of his mouth.

On the other hand, Danmok Yeo-gang’s face was bright red. However, with the White Dragon and now Paeng Yeon-ho intervening, it became awkward to continue picking on Eun-hyeon, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

The invited guests quietly murmured. They were puzzled as to why the White Dragon, known for not getting involved in petty arguments and for his weighty words, was stepping forward like this.

“My learning is still shallow, so I may not fully understand the grand intent behind the meaningful words spoken by the Danmok heroes. However, I believe it is not appropriate for anyone outside Namgung to discuss matters related to the succession of the family. I will remember this deeply, so let’s conclude this issue here. After all, meeting such esteemed gentlemen today must surely be the will of the Great Immortal.”

Eun-hyeon had no interest in the position of the Namgung family head.

The family head was a symbol of the family’s martial prowess. It wasn’t a position that someone who couldn’t even learn martial arts could dare to dream of.

Eun-hyeon was well aware of the limitations of his own body. Even though he was diligently practicing qi circulation and taking care of himself, this body was already unsuitable for learning martial arts.

Eun-hyeon couldn’t understand why Madam Hwang was so wary of him and considered him a thorn in her side. He could never be a competitor to Namgung Eung-wang anyway.

She could have shown some mercy with the composure of a winner, but Madam Hwang was desperate to get rid of Namgung Eun-hyeon.

What could have driven Madam Hwang into such a corner?

“Haha, the Namgung family head must feel secure having such an intelligent son. The Danmok family head needn’t worry about succession either!”

Not all the guests at Namgung’s banquet were highly skilled warriors. One of the more senior figures spoke up to wrap up the situation, and soon after, the chatter and laughter resumed throughout the hall.

“Eldest Young master, do you remember the Hero Paeng we met last time?”

“Of course. I’ve long known of the reputation of the Paeng family of Hebei, how could I forget Great Hero Paeng?”

Eun-hyeon was grabbed by Ha Yeo-un and pulled to where he was.

As he had thought during the previous Namgung family banquet, there was a crowd of people around Ha Yeo-un.

“The Namgung family’s young master is so wise and as handsome as Song Yu or Pan An, it shows how baseless the rumors in the world can be. Haha, seeing him today, it seems the Jegal blood has run strong.”

“Ah, that’s right. As the lineage of Jegal’s family, where the world’s most beautiful woman was from, it’s understandable that the young master is so intelligent.”

Eun-hyeon smiled awkwardly. He didn’t understand why the Jegal family was being mentioned when he hadn’t done anything.

At that moment, someone nearby lowered their voice slightly.

“By the way, Young master. Have you met the people from the Jegal family this time?”

“…Pardon?”

As Eun-hyeon asked back in confusion, the man’s voice became even more secretive.

The man covered his mouth with a wine cup and only moved his lips.

“They will visit the young master’s quarters in a few days.”

When Eun-hyeon looked at the man, he pretended as if he hadn’t said anything.

Eun-hyeon didn’t ask further either.

He had heard that the Jegal family was also invited to the banquet celebrating Namgung Juwon’s martial arts achievement. He didn’t know the details, but there was also talk that things had become awkward with the Jegal family after Jegal Hwa-yeon’s death.

“Oh, by the way, have you heard the news? It seems something’s happening in Anhui now too.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The news about commoners disappearing. At first, they thought it was just accidents, but counting the numbers, it’s already in the hundreds.”

“Come on, would the government troops have stayed idle if that were true? Isn’t someone just spreading false rumors and causing anxiety? Or maybe some vicious unorthodox sect member is secretly going around cutting people’s throats.”

“Well, I’m not sure either… I just wondered if you knew anything about it since I haven’t heard of any notorious killers on the loose lately.”

As they had a few drinks, people started boasting about their own adventures or gossiping about worldly rumors.

While listlessly listening to stories he had no interest in, Eun-hyeon’s eyes met Ha Yeo-un’s. Ha Yeo-un smiled slyly and gestured with his eyes for Eun-hyeon to follow him.

Ha Yeo-un was the first to get up from his seat.

Eun-hyeon glanced around and took the opportunity to stand up when people were focused on their conversations.

It didn’t make sense for the main guest of the banquet to leave his seat, but seeing how people were chattering among themselves without paying attention to Eun-hyeon, it seemed okay to leave.

While Madam Hwang would have wanted Namgung Eung-wang to solidify his position as the next family head by building relationships with these people, Eun-hyeon didn’t care about such things, so he had no hesitation.

Stepping out of the banquet hall, the cold air brushed against his nose.  In contrast to the noisy banquet hall, the outside was eerily quiet. White snow had settled on the eaves, framed against the pitch-black sky. He took a deep breath, exhaling a cloud of white mist.

“The clothes suit you well, young master.”

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

Ha Yeo-un, who had left earlier, was sitting on top of the wall, waiting for Eun-hyeon.