Seven days and nights had passed.
CLANG—!
CLAAANG—!
The heavy sound of metal being struck rang out.
It was the sound of striking iron scarecrows that sent his whole body tingling each time he hit them, while holding an iron sword weighing roughly twelve kilograms.
For seven days and nights, Namgung Yeon had repeated only physical training and that single action.
TWANG—!
Beside him, Manho and Hoho were repeating the same act.
“Gnnngh......”
“Did I not tell you to loosen your strength more?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
“I truly do not understand. Why is Young Master training you......?”
With a ting! Nam Hoho dropped his sword.
Park Manho scolded him for it.
For some reason, the relationship between those two, rather than Namgung Yeon, looked like that of master and disciple.
Park Manho was purely curious.
Why had the Young Master chosen himself and this plump cleaner?
Seeing the shadow of a branch driven into one side of the training ground, Park Manho spoke.
“Young Master, it is time for your meal.”
“Is it already that time?”
“Yes. How about resting for a while before continuing?”
“Good.”
As if he had been waiting for this very moment, Nam Hoho stepped forward confidently.
The person who moved most briskly whenever it was time to eat was Nam Hoho.
Because he was someone who loved eating more than anything.
“I will prepare it right away!”
“Whew...... Why did you take in a bastard like that? Honestly, I do not understand your reasoning.”
“You will understand when you see. And that boy has many similarities to you.”
Namgung Yeon spoke lightly as he wiped away his sweat.
Park Manho, on the other hand, wore a puzzled expression.
An expression that said he could not understand it at all.
He, a first-rate warrior, was similar to a cleaner like that?
‘It must be that the Young Master’s eyes are a little strange after all.’
No, no.
If that were true, he would not have chosen Park Manho......
Watching the escort warrior sink into thought alone, Namgung Yeon turned his head.
They were not aware of it, but the two of them were in similar circumstances.
Only their current level of martial arts was slightly different.
‘Both of them were outsiders, and both were honest and diligent.’
What he had gained from dozens of regressions was not only the items piled up in his storehouse.
Park Manho was a private soldier of an elder, but because he lacked flexibility, he had fallen out of favor.
That was why he had been sent here to monitor the clan head and his family.
Nam Hoho, on the other hand, had lost his parents early, and because of his distinctive plump build, he was often insulted among martial artists.
In a word, he had been an outcast.
But Nam Hoho had never once shown displeasure and had silently done his work.
‘I valued that highly. His martial talent is excellent as well.’
Hoho was a child born with stamina.
Now then, since he had stimulated his body to his heart’s content, it was time to recover.
After swallowing one of the Hundred Poisons Pills piled up there, Namgung Yeon began circulating his energy.
“Here it is!”
“Does all this food go into your stomach?”
“Of course! And Young Master has been eating so well lately too~.”
“Haa......”
Park Manho had always lived with a fixed amount of food.
It was partly to maintain his physique, and partly to draw out optimal movement.
But these two ate far too much meat.
So much so that he worried their bodies might grow heavy.
“It is all Young Master’s order. You know that, don’t you?”
“If only you could not talk......”
“Hehe, still, I separately prepared yours properly, warrior.”
The affable Nam Hoho set out Park Manho’s neatly prepared meal.
There was one other reason Namgung Yeon had brought him along.
It was Nam Hoho’s skill in cooking.
What was the most important thing in an army?
Was it not said to be supply?
It was the same in a martial artist’s training.
A martial artist lives only on fasting pills?
That was all bullshit from sects that lived shut away in the mountains without money.
If people trained well, then naturally, they had to eat well and rest well.
Nam Hoho was also the finest cook.
“Young Master, please eat.”
“Mm.”
“I truly think it is fortunate that your body seems to have improved so much.”
Nam Hoho spoke with all sincerity.
Namgung Yeon smiled faintly and nodded to him.
That kind of sincerity was precisely the emotion he needed most right now.
‘I need talented people who will sincerely follow my bizarre actions.’
He had felt it while watching countless destructions.
In the end, he needed people to help him if he was to stop those bastards.
He wanted to raise Nam Hoho into one of the strongest martial artists and give him the surname “Namgung.”
Only then would the grand picture be completed.
“Thank you for the meal!”
When he picked up one meatball, the meal began in earnest.
No.
It was about to begin.
THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD—!
Until a thunderous noise sounded, the atmosphere had been very good.
The expressions of all three people crumpled sharply.
Who was being so rude while someone was eating?
Namgung Yeon quietly sensed the presence outside, then smiled faintly.
“Just let them enter.”
“Y-You know who they are?”
“They are bastards not even worth dealing with. Manho, if they come over here, beat them down. Even if one of them is my elder brother.”
“......As commanded.”
Manho’s eyes gleamed fiercely.
***
A rumor had spread widely inside the Namgung Clan.
It was nothing surprising.
Namgung Yeon had been making such a scene in the marketplace. How could they not know?
Thus, the troublemakers of the Namgung Clan who had heard the news began to move.
The Namgung Clan had people like this as well.
Those who bullied the weak and strutted about, trusting in their paltry skill.
Those who used the family custom, where only the strong were respected, to run wild like ruffians.
They had secretly slipped out of the main estate and arrived here.
“Young Master Namgung Yeon! Are you there?! Come out!”
“We brought a gift! We heard you came out to recuperate!”
THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD—!
They kept pounding on the door and shouting.
Open sneers hung on their lips.
However, even though they continued knocking on the door, there was no response.
“What is this?”
“Is he not here right now?”
“We searched the marketplace thoroughly, but he was not there.”
“That is true. There is only one road, so he should not have gone elsewhere......”
Their conclusion was one thing.
He was deliberately ignoring them.
Was that not the only way to understand this behavior?
“We should break it down.”
“Right. We can break it down and fix it later, can we not?”
“Exactly! How dare he ignore us? A weakling like him.”
Everyone nodded.
Someone might think they were daring to bare their teeth at the young master of Namgung.
However, if they heard the name of one of those present, that thought would vanish completely.
The reason was simple.
“How dare he ignore me like this, even though his elder brother has come?”
The man who appeared from the very back with his hands clasped behind him.
He was a direct child of the head of the Namgung Clan.
In terms of authority, he was certainly above Namgung Yeon.
He was someone who would lead the next generation, and one who wielded absolute power among those of the same generation.
[Namgung Jin]
The third son of the head of the Namgung Clan, and the third among seven siblings.
He was a genius who was an extremely strong candidate to win the Young Clan Head Competition.
However, no matter that he was the third son, he had not yet become a first-rate warrior.
“Right now, the Young Master is eating. Either return, or wait.”
“......”
Because Park Manho had appeared behind them without a sound, everyone’s movements came to an abrupt halt.
When had he......?
Those inside this martial hall did not realize it, but the changes had already begun.
***
Namgung Jin.
Having only just become a first-rate expert, he had one goal.
To win the Young Clan Head Competition and be acknowledged by this clan.
To sit in that seat in place of his father and receive the respect of the masses.
And to unify the entire murim under the name of the Namgung Clan.
From a young age, he had been intelligent, and he possessed the coldness to view anything through objective eyes.
Namgung Mu, the clan head, had also favored him.
But there was one person whose favor he could not win.
His mother.
“Did you just say that to me?”
“That is correct, Young Master. The young master is eating. He told me not to let anyone in.”
“Ha ha...... It seems I fall under ‘anyone’ as well.”
Namgung Jin had never thought well of Namgung Yeon even before this.
That bastard had monopolized their mother’s love for no reason other than having a weak body.
What was she so unsatisfied with, that she ignored her many children and only cared for that weak-bodied Yeon?
And now this.
He absolutely could not tolerate it.
He was the son of the head of the great Namgung Clan.
And yet, was it right to ignore even him?
A subtle current flowed between the two of them.
It was a battle of wills so powerful that even those who had come with him could not step forward easily.
“I apologize, but I am merely following the young master’s words.”
“How ridiculous. What a very great loyal subject you are. I shall remember this.”
“He is a person of weak health. He has come here for recuperation, so I ask for your understanding.”
“If you and I fight now, do you think you can defeat me?”
Park Manho quietly looked at Namgung Jin.
In truth, when he had faced them, he had felt something strange.
The people before him were the rising talents who would lead the Namgung Clan’s next generation.
Even within the Namgung Clan, they were people gathered only from among the geniuses.
However, when he actually faced them, they had not even detected his approach.
He was an escort warrior, not an assassin.
In other words, he was not especially skilled at hiding his presence.
‘And yet they still failed to perceive me. As far as I know, Young Master Namgung Jin is at the entrance of first-rate......’
Thus, he opened his mouth.
Because right now, he felt he could suppress Namgung Jin sufficiently.
“I believe the current me can stand in your way, Young Master. That is why I came here.”
“You insolent bastard-!”
Rather, the people beside Namgung Jin flew into a rage and stepped forward.
How dare a mere escort warrior!
However, they had to remember.
The Namgung Clan was a place where strength, not status, was law.
That was the law that maintained Namgung.
“Please return for now. And he told me to relay these words.”
“What are they?”
“He said even a dog is not disturbed while eating......”
“......”
So get lost.
Namgung Yeon’s intent was clear.
Namgung Jin laughed because the situation was so absurd.
So this was how he was going to act.
“Ha ha...... This is truly absurd. You know very well when the price of this behavior will be paid.”
Tell him clearly.
At the Young Clan Head Competition, I will make him understand the difference in our strength.
Namgung Jin spoke coldly.
“Let us go. I have lost interest.”
“......Yes.”
“If he has any foolish thoughts, it would be best to abandon them. Here in Namgung, it is very common for a person to end up dead.”
Even if that person’s status was that of the clan head’s direct descendant.
After spitting out those murderous words, Namgung Jin disappeared back into the streets of Hefei.
Park Manho watched their backs with a complicated expression.
In any case, the training would continue.
It had only been seven days and nights.
More than two months still remained.
The training would proceed even more harshly.