The Namgung Clan was the greatest clan in the world in this era.
No one could deny that.
It wasn't just their pure power—the name of being the world's greatest clan drew all sorts of things to the Namgung Clan.
It was only natural that countless talents and resources always circulated around the Namgung Clan.
Having said that, Tang So-wol smiled brightly and opened her mouth.
"So, if you just wait without worry, they'll send it even if it's a little late. It's just that right now, they literally have too much to take in."
"…You speak as if you've left some debt in their care."
"Really? Surely the Sword King wouldn't pretend not to know about this, so you needn't worry."
"It's not that I'm worried about him turning his face away and washing his mouth clean. It's a kind of prejudice, I suppose… but Orthodox Sect martial artists usually act all humble at times like this, going on about how they've only done what any decent person would."
"Ah, but after that, if they feel they must repay the favor to put their minds at ease, you were thinking of a negotiation where both sides speak in circles?"
"A little? The situation is a bit different from the Eon and Paeng Clans."
Back then, he had already given Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye a heads-up.
Since it was a conversation where both sides already knew everything there was to know, they could move straight to the point without fuss.
Tang So-wol nodded as if she understood my words.
"Usually, they do as young hero Cheon says. A working-level official like the head of the Treasury Pavilion might not, but someone in a high position like a clan head or sect leader always has to mind how they appear to others."
"Then why…?"
"Well, because our Tang Clan is an ordinary family, isn't it?"
"…"
For a moment I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't find my words, but when I thought about it carefully, it made sense.
The Tang Clan is sensitive to Karmic Debt. Both in what they give and what they receive.
And in the end, both favor and grudge are debts of the heart.
In other words, it would be fair to say that the Tang Clan has made it their family tradition to never owe a debt of the heart.
The Namgung Clan, on the other hand, simply doesn't seem to like paying attention to anything other than the sword.
One could say that they had reached an understanding.
"It's a relief. Honestly, I was a bit nervous, wondering if this was really alright."
"What?! Is the young hero Cheon actually concerned about our reputation?!"
Tang So-wol's face showed a look of utter shock, as if she had just seen a raccoon that could write.
"…Why are you so surprised?"
"Well… isn't the young hero Cheon the one who, at the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, would show up dressed like he was about to pick a fight with someone, and if you were an enemy, would skip straight to speaking informally — and even then, would draw his sword mid-sentence before finishing his words?"
"It's all true, but when you put it that way, I sound like some kind of reckless brute…"
It was all just things I had to do.
As I let out a deep sigh at this absurd slander, Tang So-wol giggled, covering the tip of her nose with a lightly clenched fist.
"Well, even if we take that part as a joke, it's true that I was a bit surprised. I don't think the young hero Cheon is someone who would do anything for profit, but… I did think you were someone who valued honesty over saving face."
"That's not wrong. However, there's one thing you're mistaken about."
"Mistaken?"
"Clearly, I am someone who is honest when it comes to profit. And since you, Tang So-wol, hold value to me more precious than a thousand gold pieces, isn't it only natural that I wouldn't bother with such trivialities?"
"Oh my…"
Tang So-wol's eyes, tinged with a green hue, widened. She stared at my face for a long while, then narrowed her eyes and began to circle around me.
By the time she had made three full circles around me, I finally couldn't hold back and grabbed the back of her neck.
"Kyaa!"
I let Tang So-wol's delighted shriek go in one ear and out the other as I spoke.
"What are you doing?"
"What am I doing? These days, unless I'm the one to approach you first, you barely pay me any mind, young hero Cheon. So when you suddenly speak to me so kindly, I had to check whether you'd eaten something wrong, or whether you're a fake wearing a human-skin mask."
"You seem to have a rather low opinion of me."
"Well, you haven't done anything to raise it, have you?"
At Tang So-wol's words, I thought back over the past few months.
If it was just a brief moment of idle chatter now and then, that was one thing, but I didn't think I'd ever set aside dedicated time for her.
Training, battle, training, and then getting swept up in some incident again.
I was only repeating that cycle. Realizing it anew, I felt a bit of dissatisfaction welling up.
It wasn't that I had no desire for martial arts, but at the same time, the goal of living well and eating well with my people was an undeniable objective, wasn't it?
"Well then, how about receiving an instructional bout from the Sword King and then stopping by a few places on the way back to the Tang Clan?"
"If you mean a few places, where exactly are you referring to?"
"Hmm."
After rummaging through the map in my head for a moment, I nodded.
"We've already passed through Hubei Province on the way to the Murim Alliance, so how about taking a bit of a detour this time and stopping by Henan?"
"Henan Province, you say?"
"Yes. If the opportunity arises, we might even get to see the Shaolin Temple."
"You do know that Shaolin Temple is off-limits to women, right?"
"Of course I know that. I didn't mean we'd go all the way to the main hall—I just meant we could look around the area where they receive pilgrims."
"Hmm. It's not a bad idea, but…"
Tang So-wol grabbed my side. It was literally just a grab, so it didn't hurt much, but she shot me a sidelong glance in a posture that could turn into a pinch at any moment.
"Why don't you be a bit more honest?"
"We stopped by the Zhongnan Sect last time and got a taste of a Taoist sect. I was just curious what a Buddhist sect would feel like."
"…Hah. Well, it should be fine. It wouldn't be right for only us to have all the fun, so this should strike the right balance. Yes. Then let's return through Henan Province as young hero Cheon suggested."
Tang So-wol shook her head with a troubled smile, as if there was nothing else to be done.
Instead of pulling her hand away from my side, she began poking at my stomach.
"Ahem. By the way, that medicine we received from Clan Head Paeng last time seems to have worked quite well."
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
"The definition of your abs and their firmness have improved… What exactly are you making me say?!"
Smack!
Mid-sentence, Tang So-wol suddenly slapped me on the chest. It didn't hurt. It was just absurd.
"No, you're the one who said it without being asked, so why are you blaming me… By the way, have you been checking my External Arts progress all along? How on earth did you even tell the difference…"
"Aaaaah! I suddenly can't hear anything!"
Tang So-wol covered her ears and let out a shriek all by herself. She glared at me with wide eyes.
"Young hero Cheon, right?! Whatever I just said, you didn't hear it, did you?!"
"…"
A truly desperate attitude. Taking that into consideration, I chose my words carefully several times before finally speaking.
"You're quite the sly one."
"Hyaaaaah!"
Tang So-wol collapsed with a shriek. It was her own doing.
There she was, squatting by the roadside and trembling. I squatted down beside her and poked her side.
It was soft.
"I don't get it…"
"Where are you touching?!"
"Just as you checked my belly, I did the same to you. …Now that we're even, shall we both let it go?"
"Ah."
Whether she understood that I was trying to ease my own embarrassment, Tang So-wol's expression softened.
She remained seated on the floor, resting her face against her arm.
Her soft cheek pressed into her forearm, spilling out slightly to the side.
…I barely managed to hold back my gaze from being drawn to her chest, which was pressed against her knees for the same reason, when a giggling voice reached my ears.
"Heheh. Young hero Cheon, you've become an accomplice now too."
"So it seems."
Our eyes met. We laughed without holding back for a long while before Tang So-wol finally stood up.
"Oof. Anyway, I think young hero Cheon's plan is a good one. That is, if you promise not to stick your head into useless matters this time."
"I can promise that. Honestly, I'm a bit tired of getting swept up in one thing after another myself."
"Great! Then I'll pass the word along to Hyang-i and Hwa-rin unni as well. But when exactly do you plan to have the sparring match with the Sword King?"
"Today."
"…What?"
"He said he wanted to do it this very evening."
Though it had fallen far from its former glory, the Hwangbo Clan was once a force that rivaled the Five Great Families.
And with Namgung Dowi and the main fighting force that would have accompanied him absent, an attack from the Hwangbo Clan's full strength could only result in heavy losses.
No matter how quickly Hwangbo Yeongcheon was taken down, and no matter how well Seomun Hwa-rin performed, properly handling the aftermath would still take a considerable amount of time.
The matter of the Hwangbo Clan could be handed over to the Imperial Court, but the same could not be said for the affairs of the Namgung Clan.
He was probably thinking that if there was something that needed to be done, he should finish it before things got busy.
"Fair enough. Young hero Cheon's request is something that can be resolved within a single sijin, so I suppose it can be done. Are you planning to begin preparations now?"
"That's right. This is an opportunity that doesn't come easily, so shouldn't we make every preparation?"
"Hehe. That's the kind of words that would make Hwa-rin unni feel disappointed if she heard them."
If it were Seomun Hwa-rin, she would pout and say that if he asked her to meet him, she could see him several times a day.
Tang So-wol, who seemed to have imagined the same scene as I did, let out a small chuckle and nodded.
"Anyway, understood. If that's the case, go ahead and start your preparations. I'll go inform Hyang-i and Hwa-rin unni. I'll also add that we shouldn't gather in young hero Cheon's room today."
"…Don't treat gathering in my room every single day as if it's only natural."
I let out a snort, shook my head, and parted ways with Tang So-wol for the time being.
***
How long had I been holed up in my room, sharpening my mind?
The sun, which had been on the verge of setting, had now completely disappeared beyond the ridgeline, and a faint moonlight illuminated the sky.
My senses, honed by repeatedly recalling the feeling of channeling my Intent into my sword, remained sharp. Maintaining that state, I headed toward the training ground that Namgung Dowi had told me about.
Had he sent word ahead? A martial artist in deep navy robes was waiting to guide me, as if expecting my arrival.
Given that his martial level bordered on the Peak Realm, he was no ordinary warrior. He was likely someone who held a respectable position within one of the Martial Force Units.
The fact that a Peak Realm martial artist—not a common servant—had come to escort me meant that the training ground I was heading to was not a place just anyone could enter.
Deeper. Even deeper. I had crossed far beyond the space permitted to a guest, into the very heart of the Namgung Clan.
There, a training ground lay, lit by dozens of lanterns all around, bright as day even at night.
Its exterior looked worn overall. Yet, the moment I stepped inside, I understood at once why a family like the Namgung Clan would leave such an old training ground untouched—and why they had hidden it away so thoroughly.
Sword marks.
Countless sword marks were carved into the floor and walls of the training ground.
Some bore relatively ordinary patterns, while others held a Mystery that even a decent high-grade martial art could not rival.
But what drew my gaze more than that was the man standing at the center of the training ground.
A middle-aged man radiating an Aura sharper than any famed blade.
I quietly called out to his back, which seemed like a sword given human form.
"Sword King."
"You're here."
Every Martial Artist in this place who bore a sword turned to look at me.