Nothing else reached his ears.
So Namgung Hyeon was dead, and Hyeol-u had been reborn — possessing the body of his son.
And as a bastard born to a handmaiden, no less.
'An illegitimate son?'
His head throbbed.
'How is something like this even possible?'
Was the promise made to the Namgung Clan head manifesting in this way — shackling Hyeol-u by the ankle even in death?
'So that drunken handshake and all that babbling was actually a binding pact? And I'm fulfilling it as an illegitimate son?!'
"Hey, if I'm the illegitimate son, what about the legitimate heirs?"
When Hyeol-u asked, grasping at straws, a forlorn look surfaced on So-i's face.
"The clan head and Madam Tang Mi-hwa had two sons and a daughter, and you're the Third Young Master among them......"
The fellow glanced at Hyeol-u's expression before continuing.
"Your mother passed away when you were fifteen, Young Master. She was truly a kind and loving woman."
"Is that so? By the way, how old am I, exactly......?"
"You really don't remember? We're the same age."
"I'm asking how old that is......"
When Hyeol-u raised his fist, So-i flinched and blurted out the answer.
"Eighteen."
"Haaah......"
He had been reborn a full twelve years younger.
There was no point even looking inward to examine his body — it was obvious this pudgy frame would not have a qi center the size of a bean.
His vision went dark.
No matter how illegitimate the son, to be eighteen years old without having learned a single scrap of martial arts!
'Sigh, do I really have to honor the pact even under these conditions?'
The thought alone made him heave a sigh.
So he decided to have So-i fill him in on the situation first.
"Then...... why was I lying there?"
"Y-you don't remember that either? You nearly died, you know."
"Just tell me what you know......"
And so the fellow rattled off everything he knew.
"Good grief, what a pathetic bastard......"
Hearing the full story, it was truly a spectacle.
First, this body's owner had gotten thoroughly drunk and gone to his usual pleasure house.
But when he was told that the courtesan who normally attended him was serving a different guest, he flew into a blind rage and burst into the other guest's room — and that was when the disaster struck.
In other words, he had gotten into a brawl with the guests in that room, taken a single hit, staggered, smashed through the window, and fallen.
"But are you really okay, physically?"
"I-I'm fine......"
Starting a new life in a body already steeped in disgrace.
But the water was already spilled.
No amount of sitting there agonizing would change a thing.
Having resolved to take it one step at a time, Hyeol-u clenched his fist tight — but.
"Ack, nnngh......"
Whether from throwing clumsy punches during the brawl, even his wrist seemed sprained.
"Ugh...... let's just go."
"Wh-where to?"
"Home, where else......!"
The home where this possessed body had lived, and would continue to live.
Where on earth could it be?
'This has to be the work of some ghost......'
He was dying to know what exactly had happened to him — the full story behind everything.
***
Hefei, in Anhui Province.
The shrine and tomb of Justice Bao, the renowned magistrate of the Song Dynasty, stood nearby.
And in the distance, across the Yangtze River, lay Ma'anshan — where the legends of the Poet Immortal Li Bai lived and breathed.
There, on the broad grounds of Xiaoyao Ford, the Namgung Clan rose with its many grand halls towering high.
Nestled among five lakes including Chaohu, the Namgung Clan sat like an island within the land, buried amid groves of ancient trees thick enough to wrap one's arms around, radiating the deep green vitality of late spring.
And yet.
The closer Hyeol-u got to the Namgung Clan, the more he felt something profoundly wrong.
The main gate, a towering three-story pavilion soaring high into the sky.
Twin lion statues standing proud before a gate bearing a plaque inscribed with the clan's august name.
Blue-clad warriors in martial arts uniforms standing before them with dignified gazes...... or so it should have been.
What met his eyes was a far cry from all of that.
"Wh-what is this......!"
Two warriors in martial arts uniforms so faded they had gone white were leaning crookedly against the cracked lion statues.
They stared vacantly at the passersby coming and going before the gate.
With dead, glassy fish-eyes and swords slung carelessly over their shoulders, the blades looked painfully heavy and burdensome on them.
They looked nothing like warriors of the Namgung Clan — their first impression was more like market ruffians or street thugs.
Hyeol-u poked So-i in the side and asked.
"So-i, is that really the Namgung Clan?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"That? It's so run-down it looks like an abandoned ruin. What the hell happened......?"
"Shh! Even if you hit your head and lost your marbles......"
"What did you say?"
"N-nothing. Even if you've gone a little funny, you shouldn't say things like that! You're supposed to be the Third Young Master of the Namgung Clan, for heaven's sake......"
"But still, I don't understand. The Namgung Clan is supposed to represent the orthodox martial world of the Central Plains."
"Look, Young Master. What I'm about to tell you isn't something you should go around saying carelessly......"
"Enough with the hand-wringing!"
When Hyeol-u raised his fist threateningly, So-i flinched.
If this reaction was not an act, it meant this body had been beating and bullying the servant all along.
A pang of pity stirred just enough for Hyeol-u to lower his fist.
"W-well, the thing is......"
So-i then laid out the major events that had transpired.
"What?! The Blood Sand Wind bastards invaded a month ago and wrecked everything?!"
It made sense, when he thought about it.
The one who had survived to the very end of the Phoenix Mountain bloodbath and faced the supreme one of the Blood Sand Wind — the Phantom Heavenly Demon — in a final confrontation was Namgung Hyeon alone......
No — Hyeol-u himself had been there too.
But in any case, in his memory, everything had already ended by then.
'Come to think of it, what happened to the old master at Black Dragon Temple on Heavenly Pillar Mountain? Did he kick the bucket too?'
Probably not.
That old man had a nose sharper than a fox's and was a true master at fleeing in a crisis.
He was surely cowering somewhere, clinging to life.
And more importantly — Hyeol-u's own fate was hanging by a thread, so who was he to worry about anyone else?
What So-i relayed was this:
Originally, Namgung Hyeon had also served as the Righteous Alliance Lord of the Central Plains Orthodox Alliance, but he could no longer withstand the savagery and overwhelming might of the Blood Sand Wind.
Sharing the same sense of crisis, the Unorthodox Alliance — led primarily by Black Dragon Temple — joined forces with the orthodox factions and established the Martial Alliance under Zen Master Mang-a of the Formless Sect as Alliance Lord.
Through various stratagems, they lured the Blood Sand Wind's ten thousand demon soldiers to Snake Mountain at Wuchang, where the Martial Alliance was stationed.
There, they fought the unprecedented and unrepeatable great battle that later generations would call the 'Great Phoenix Mountain Bloodbath.'
During this war, the Namgung Clan suffered disproportionately devastating losses compared to other orthodox and unorthodox sects that participated.
Of the roughly two hundred first-rate warriors of the second rank and above who had marched to war alongside the clan head Namgung Hyeon, nearly all were killed or went missing.
That much, Hyeol-u already knew.
"So you're saying the Namgung Clan is nothing but an empty shell now......"
"Young Master! Please watch your words."
No — actually.
This situation might work in his favor.
He was an illegitimate son, after all.
And the Namgung Clan was no longer a tiger's den — it had been reduced to something more like a mole's burrow!
'If I put in just a little effort, I could seize a favorable position in no time......'
Just as that thought crossed his mind and his lips began to twitch—
"Hey! Halt!"
One of the gate guards stepped forward and blocked their path.
***
They had been nothing but scrawny loafers, idly eyeing passersby with glazed looks.
But the moment the two of them approached the main gate, the guards squared up with a sharp glint in their eyes and barred the way.
Hyeol-u felt a flash of irritation.
'Having pride as members of a prestigious martial clan is all well and good, but this is just pathetic.'
"What do you want?"
The two guards flinched at his sharp retort.
But soon enough, what crept across their faces was—
Nothing other than sneers.
"Ha! You're asking us what we want?"
"Hey, do you even know who I am?"
At that, it was So-i's bulging eyes that grew wider than the guards'.
All along the way here, So-i had been all honorifics and simpering smiles whenever he spotted a warrior.
Startled by Hyeol-u's reaction, he grabbed at his sleeve.
"Young Master......!"
But the flames of irritation were already lit.
"You stay out of this. The Third Young Master of the great Namgung Clan is entering, and you dare block his path? This is nothing short of insubordination — punishable by death by a thousand cuts!"
"Oh......?"
The eyes of Gang Chung, the guard blocking his way, wavered for a moment.
But soon his gaze filled with nothing but contempt.
What Hyeol-u said was not wrong — but that was all there was to it.
"Ah, ahaha! Insubordination and death by a thousand cuts! Then let us do this by proper protocol, Third Young Master. Did you obtain the Grand Steward's permission before staying out overnight?"
"Permission? What permission?"
'Why would I need permission?'
Judging by their crooked postures, these men probably snuck out to get drunk and cause trouble themselves all the time.
But in truth, Hyeol-u had not fully understood what Gang Chung said.
"Who is this Grand Steward......?"
"......?!"
Hyeol-u had whispered to So-i, but the guards seemed to have heard every word.
Their faces twisted into looks of sheer disbelief.
Meanwhile, So-i's face turned bright red.
"Oh, come on! Young Master! Have you really forgotten everything? The one who oversees all major and minor affairs of the clan is Grand Steward Namgung Cheol...... that is, the late clan head Namgung Hyeon's cousin."
"Damn it......"
A sigh escaped him.
So-i had mentioned a First Young Master, but none of them had so much as hinted that any of the sons had succeeded the late clan head.
That meant the position of clan head was currently vacant.
And Grand Steward Namgung Cheol was serving as acting clan head.
A situation resembling a regency.
'That won't do.'
And here they were, stationing worthless punks like these as gatekeepers and calling it clan management.
"Step aside. You dare try to verify that with me?"
Hyeol-u figured that much ought to be enough for them to look the other way and let him pass.
But.
"The more I watch, the more it seems like you're begging to get beaten to death in broad daylight in the middle of the street."
This time, the other guard stepped forward and joined in blocking him.
It was a clear enough sign of how the Third Young Master, Namgung Seong, had been treated and perceived around here.
"I won't say it twice. Step aside, or I'll break every one of your limbs."
"Ha! Then why don't you just try—"
SMACK—!
Before Gang Chung could even finish, a flash of light exploded across his cheek.
If there had been any inner arts behind it, the slap would have caved in his face — but this was merely enough to send his head spinning.
"Wh-what?"
As the guard beside Gang Chung took a startled step forward—
Hyeol-u dropped his torso low at blistering speed, spun a full turn to build momentum, and struck the pressure point behind Gang Chung's knee with a knife-hand.
"Ack!"
As Gang Chung faltered and both his legs buckled—
SNAP—!
Hyeol-u had already jabbed the pressure point at his elbow, then lashed out with a toe to strike his groin.
He had wondered if his body could actually follow through, but the sequence flowed with surprising precision.
"Gakh!"
SNAP, SNAP, SNAP—!
Without stopping there, Hyeol-u slipped into the other guard's reach, drove a knee into the pit of his stomach, and simultaneously struck the pressure points near both shoulders as the man doubled over from the impact to his abdomen.
THWACK—!
"Ghrk......!"
The gate guards froze mid-motion like statues, sweat beading and streaming down their faces.
All strength drained from below their navels, and the front of their trousers grew damp.
Shame aside — if left like that, every joint in their bones would calcify within a quarter hour, leaving them crippled forever.
So-i, who had watched the scene with eyes like saucers, saw the crowd of onlookers beginning to swarm and shouted urgently.
"Young Master! Let's go, now!"
"Just a moment."
Watching the frozen guards drip with cold sweat, he figured it would not be long before the backs of their trousers grew heavy too.
Even with the bones locked rigid, the innards would keep on working, soft and active as ever.
Hyeol-u looked back and forth between the two guards and grinned.
"Don't act up again. As you well know, if I leave you like this, you'll be crippled for life. And this technique — no one but me can undo it. If anyone else tries and botches it, you'll be bedridden for the rest of your days, unable to control your own bowels. So? As an act of contrition, blink your eyes twice. Do that, and I'll release you."
He was not bluffing.
What he had used was Black Dragon Temple's exclusive pressure point technique.
At once, both men blinked twice with furiously bloodshot eyes.
Everything else aside, the pain encroaching as their bodies locked up was agonizing enough to bring tears streaming down their faces.
Moments later.
THUD—! THUD—!
"Gaghh, gaaghh!"
"GAAAHH......"
Only after Hyeol-u and So-i had passed through the main gate did the two men finally regain control of their bodies, collapsing to the ground and shuddering violently.
An utterly incomprehensible situation.
With eyes as though they had seen a ghost hanging from a roof beam by its neck, the two stared after Hyeol-u's retreating back.
"Could it be...... the Third Young Master knows martial arts?"
"I don't know. He was incredibly fast, but it didn't seem like he had any inner arts......"
"You think so?"
***
Whether the gate guards believed it or not.
Having passed through the main gate without incident, the sight of the Namgung Clan's grounds that met Hyeol-u and So-i's eyes was truly vast.
Dotted here and there with bamboo groves, the compound was so expansive one could easily lose their way.
As Hyeol-u scanned his surroundings to avoid getting lost, he noticed oddity after oddity.
There were spots that should have held buildings but stood empty in several places.
"That's not a training ground or anything — so why is it left empty like that?"
So-i followed Hyeol-u's pointing finger, turned to look, and his face crumpled with sorrow.
He even began to tear up.
"Why the sudden waterworks? Don't tell me you're crying?"
"I'm not crying. I'm just...... angry...... That's where the Azure Sky Hall and other buildings used to stand, before the Blood Sand Wind bastards......!"
GRIND.
He was even grinding his teeth — clearly genuinely furious.
Perhaps servants like So-i loved the Namgung Clan more than anyone.
Year after year, great famines and floods had alternated relentlessly, bringing one bad harvest after another. The villages had not been spared either.
People starving to death in the streets or dying from epidemics were everywhere.
In that dire state of affairs, the servants who had the privilege of standing tall under the Namgung Clan's banner had every reason to be grateful for what they had.
"Azure Sky Hall — isn't that the clan head's residence?"
"Oh, for heaven's sake, sometimes you seem perfectly fine and then suddenly you pull this again!"
"Pull what?"
"Nothing...... let's just go home."
Hyeol-u understood the boy's frustration.
The clan head's residence was the symbolic heart of any clan — of course So-i would be irritated.
Its destruction must have dealt a devastating blow to the pride of every Namgung Clan member.
And to the outside world, it must have cemented the perception that the Namgung Clan was well and truly finished.
Winding along narrow paths, past several multi-story halls and training grounds, they eventually came to a small cottage nestled among bamboo groves that must have stood for centuries.
It had the feel of a haphazardly built village shrine.
"That's it."
"I could tell without being told...... it's a bit small, isn't it?"
"Well, after Madam passed away, it's just you and me living here. By the way, it really does seem like you don't remember a single thing, Young Master......"
So-i's tone had become noticeably more polite.
Perhaps watching the gate guards get their comeuppance had knocked some sense into him.
In the tiny yard of the three-or-four-room cottage, surrounded by bamboo, something sat right in the center.
A dark boulder the size of a millstone.
The surface was pitch black, but the granules inside were red — just like red iron ore.
Hyeol-u could not simply walk past without a second glance.
"This place is cramped enough as it is, so what the hell is that?"
"You really don't remember?"
"Remember what?"
"Around this time last year? You suddenly threw a tantrum, crying and wailing about wanting a boulder, and they couldn't take it anymore so they brought it! I nearly broke my back hauling it here on a cart, you know!"
"You...... brought it by yourself?"
"Yeah. Well, other people helped too, but......"
"But why did you ask for a boulder?"
"You swore up and down that you'd quit drinking and train in martial arts until you could lift that thing with both hands."
'Ha, give me a break.'
Looking at his doughy figure, it was impossible to believe.
If he wanted to train in martial arts, he would need to lose the weight first.
"But now that I look at it, I guess you weren't really serious about it, were you?"
"Quiet. By the way, a stone this size would be hard to find. Where on earth did you get it?"
"Ma'anshan."
Ma'anshan.
A recently opened iron mine where people had been flocking in droves.
'Ah! If that is indeed the same Ma'anshan......!'
A conversation with Namgung Hyeon surfaced in Hyeol-u's mind.