Emperor Namgung Mu of the Thousand Years - Chapter 63

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#063

 

“As expected, you’ve returned safely.”

 

It was a dim dawn path where even the twilight had not yet faded.

 

“I assigned Danghua to you, but I still believed that someone like Namgung Hwi would be fine.”

 

The one who greeted me at the entrance upon my return to the Sichuan Tang Family, guided by Danghua, was Steward Gam.

 

I said in a surprised voice.

 

“It’s too early to call it dawn. Don’t tell me you’ve been waiting here without sleeping?”

 

“I heard you have urgent business. I was told you’d be leaving at dawn right after returning from Dangmun Samok.”

 

Steward Gam pointed behind him.

 

“I wasn’t sure what you’d need, but this old man personally selected and packed all your luggage. While I was at it, I also prepared to deliver the message you asked me to send via carrier pigeon before your departure.”

 

Amazing.

 

Even the cloth wrapping each piece of luggage wasn’t cheap—it was the finest quality that wouldn’t let even dew seep through.

 

If this were any other sect, I might have simply thought “how thoughtful” and left it at that, but this was the Sichuan Tang Family.

 

Located at the very edge of the martial arts world, they were known for strongly rejecting outsiders, and their exclusiveness and eccentric nature were famous enough to rival even Kunlun.

 

For such a Sichuan Tang Family to show this much care to an outsider—someone who would leave and might never be seen again in their lifetime—was almost unprecedented.

 

I looked at the well-packed luggage and suddenly said.

 

“You’ve packed everything so thoroughly that I can just grab it and go. You must really want to send me away quickly.”

 

“What? No, that’s not it! How could that be! I packed everything so you could rest a little more comfortably before leaving.”

 

Steward Gam visibly flustered.

 

I smiled.

 

“I was joking.”

 

“Don’t make such jokes. This old man gets startled.”

 

I gazed quietly at the carefully packed luggage.

 

“…I’m not used to receiving things from others.”

 

I expressed my deep gratitude.

 

“Thank you for your consideration.”

 

“…”

 

Steward Gam smiled gently with his wrinkled, aged face.

 

“As I always say, Young Master Namgung Hwi is truly a unique person.”

 

“Me?”

 

Steward Gam waved his hand and changed the subject.

 

“Anyway, there’s that. And though Danghua had informed us via carrier pigeon… was Manaakdangmun Samok disappointing? I was surprised you came out so quickly.”

 

“I was looking at the library on the first floor, but the atmosphere was eerie, and I remembered the warning about vengeful spirits, so I came out right away.”

 

At those words, Steward Gam said in a pleased voice.

 

“You did very well. The Master was quite worried, but he sighed in relief after receiving the carrier pigeon message.”

 

“Ah, speaking of which, where is the Master…?”

 

At those words, Steward Gam’s eyes widened in panic.

 

“Ah, well, that’s… exactly. The Master said he’d definitely be here on time. So where could he have gone, really…”

 

“…Did something happen while I was away?”

 

“No! It’s not that.”

 

As my voice grew serious, Steward Gam’s face reddened as he waved both hands frantically.

 

“It’s not quite a problem. He’s been doing breathing exercises, and especially until yesterday, the opposition was much stronger than expected, with even the senior elders mobilized for quite fierce resistance. They debated almost until the moon waxed and waned, and the Master postponed his scheduled breathing exercises and was furious… So it was approved, preparations were made, but the Master couldn’t postpone his breathing exercises, and so…”

 

I frowned.

 

I took a step closer.

 

Simultaneously, I set up and dismissed countless hypotheses in my mind.

 

Did the Hwangbo Family make a late move? Or did the Namgung Family’s deputy head do something? Or perhaps that angry female voice I heard at the very end when escaping Jiakpaekyeong? Or maybe…

 

Could there be a problem with the Young Master’s recovery using Baekhwamodo?

 

“Steward Gam. What exactly are you trying to say? Don’t tell me something happened to the Young Master?”

 

“Oh no, it’s not that! Ah, this is troublesome. The Master told me absolutely not to say anything. So, well, um…”

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“I’m not late!”

 

Behind us stood the head of the Sichuan Tang Family, Dangmujin, together with Elder Lee.

 

“Namgung Hwi…! I was worried you might have left before I arrived, but what a relief.”

 

Just a few days ago, when he first met me, he couldn’t even remember my name.

 

“…Master?”

 

“Haha, why are you looking at me with such surprised eyes? It’s refreshing to see such an expression after only seeing your confident face.”

 

I wasn’t surprised for any other reason.

 

Dangmujin, the head of the Sichuan Tang Family.

 

Could this really be called the same person?

 

His face had a healthy complexion, and his entire body emanated a pressure so intense that heat waves seemed to rise from him.

 

The difference from when I first met him was so vast that I would believe it if someone told me this was a different person with the same face and name, and that this was the real head of the Sichuan Tang Family.

 

“…The Baekhwamodo was effective.”

 

I broke out in a cold sweat.

 

“Though I didn’t expect you to recover this quickly.”

 

“Haha, can you feel something different about me too? That’s fortunate. It’s only been the first day though.”

 

Dangmujin looked down at his own hands.

 

“It’s just the beginning, so I’ll get even better from now on. It’s all thanks to you.”

 

Probably right after I left, he had devoted all his energy to using Baekhwamodo to restore his damaged danjeon.

 

‘Even on the first day, he would have focused on absorbing Baekhwamodo’s energy first, only laying the foundation for danjeon restoration. It’s a seven-day recovery process, and only one day has passed, yet even without the Sichuan Tang Family’s specialty of concealment, he’s already at this level?’

 

Heaven Beyond Heaven.

 

Truly Heaven Beyond Heaven.

 

If Pasabeolsik’s movement hadn’t been activated, I wouldn’t have been able to sense it at all.

 

Dangmujin’s eyes looking at me were stabilizing, and as his internal injuries healed, a subtle green light flowed from his gaze.

 

I had seen those eyes before.

 

In the past, as one of the assassins mobilized for the Cheonhyang Dokmah hunting operation, I had witnessed his prime years from afar.

 

‘His previous pathetic appearance wasn’t his true nature—he had really given up on himself.’

 

And the fact that Baekhwamodo was this effective on Dangmujin implied another meaning as well.

 

“The Young Master must also be recovering without problems.”

 

As if he had been waiting for that question, Dangmujin’s face filled with complete satisfaction.

 

“That’s right. The child can already walk around, so I really feel like I’ve been wandering through hell all this time and have finally finished.”

 

I remember the child being very small.

 

That’s wonderful.

 

“And you’re ventilating well now, right?”

 

“Ventilating?”

 

Master Dangmujin, who had been puzzled, belatedly realized I was joking and laughed.

 

“Ah, ventilating…! Hahaha! Of course! The child even complains about being cold now, that’s how devoted we are to ventilation.”

 

That was such a cheerful laugh that I couldn’t have imagined it when I first arrived here.

 

“In the past, while blocking the blood calamity of the previous patriarch and the Three Path Demon, I injured my danjeon and lost more than eighty percent of our elite forces. From then on, the Sichuan Tang Family began to decline rapidly, and on top of that, the Young Master, my only blood relative, fell ill from an unknown cause… I really thought heaven was throwing every possible misfortune at me without rest to drive me mad…”

 

Dangmujin smiled bitterly.

 

“But enduring it, such days come too. The buildings are the same, but somehow everything feels brighter and more vibrant. Don’t you think so, Elder Lee?”

 

At Dangmujin’s sudden words, Elder Lee, who had been standing beside him, startled.

 

“…Y-yes, that’s right, Master.”

 

But why does Elder Lee have such a dark expression?

 

“Elder Lee?”

 

Perhaps Dangmujin noticed it too, as he spoke in a calm voice.

 

“It’s not even in front of strangers… brighten your expression, or are you still dwelling on the results of the earlier meeting?”

 

“N-no, Master.”

 

Then Elder Lee looked at me with an awkward smile.

 

“Young Master Hwi. Haha. Of course, it’s not that I have any resentment toward Young Master Hwi, who is a benefactor of the Tang family, but I was just following tradition, courtesy, and regulations…”

 

“Elder Lee.”

 

Green light began streaming from Dangmujin’s eyes.

 

“What are you saying right now?”

 

“Ah, this old man misspoke! I’m sorry, so sorry!”

 

…Steward Gam was also breaking out in cold sweat beside him, and Dangmujin’s green light was growing stronger. At this rate, Elder Lee seemed like he might suffocate to death, so I changed the subject.

 

“Master.”

 

“Oh, Namgung Hwi. Did you call for me?”

 

Dangmujin looked at me with a bright smile.

 

The look in his eyes when viewing Elder Lee versus when looking at me was like polar opposites.

 

“I’ve been curious for a while – what is that necklace hanging around your neck?”

 

What I pointed to was a piece of wood that had poked out from Dangmujin’s chest during his smiling.

 

A crude and crooked dragon was carved into it.

 

It was definitely not something antique.

 

“This thing? Haha.”

 

Dangmujin smiled sheepishly as he pulled out the wooden piece.

 

“Long ago, a Kunlun Taoist stayed at our Tang family. That Taoist was very fond of our child and gave him a piece of wood, saying it was from a sacred willow tree struck by lightning. Our child carved a Kunlun dragon together with the Taoist and gave it to me as a gift.”

 

Dangmujin gripped the dragon carving.

 

“When giving this to me, the child said he would protect me like this dragon. Haha. Isn’t that funny? A child no bigger than a fist, who would cough up blood and collapse after walking more than three steps, saying he’d protect me.”

 

“…”

 

“To me, this is the greatest protective talisman in this world. With this, even if my entire body melts and dies, I can keep moving forward.”

 

…The Dangmujin from my previous life,

 

He had given up everything when the Young Master died.

 

Even the Kunlun carving that I thought would have been the most decisive help in his process of overcoming the poison of Manaakdangmun Samok and becoming Cheonhyang Dokmah was, contrary to my expectations, just a trivial object touched by a child’s hands that served only as a supplementary means.

 

But Dangmujin, relying solely on that, walked into the very source of the lake at Manaakdangmun Samok with his latent abilities and hellish hatred toward the world. And he absorbed all the poison there.

 

And even when such a Cheonhyang Dokmah was surrounded and ultimately hunted down like a dog before being killed, he carried only that single piece of wood with him.

 

‘Did I… really do the right thing?’

 

In my previous life, as an assassin, I was present at that scene where they drove and subdued the green wolf from afar.

 

That’s why I know better than anyone this man’s true terror and madness, his transcendent horror that operates on a different scale than mine.

 

That legendary martial arts villain,

 

That martial hero,

 

I had just opened a path to complete resurrection that should never have existed according to his original destined fate.

 

Moreover, the Sichuan Tang Family, his military group that should have been destroyed and disappeared within ten years, would now begin to rise based on this opportunity.

 

The previously solid axis of established powers would be shaken to its roots, and the martial arts world would enter a period of upheaval.

 

‘How will this come back to me? Could this enormous connection become a dagger that returns to me? What if he has different intentions?’

 

Of course, I don’t regret my actions.

 

I had deliberated and decided with hellish consideration.

 

‘Including Sword Master Hwirong of the Eight Evil Spirits… I’ve already changed the lives of two heroes.’

 

Dangmujin spoke to me as I remained silent.

 

“I’ve kept a busy person with a long journey ahead and talked too much. Follow me, there’s something I want to show you before you leave. Come, come. Let’s go quickly.”

 

Dangmujin went behind me and pushed my back.

 

“Oh right, I heard through Steward Gam that you asked the Namgung Family to send a carriage to bring someone before you leave?”

 

“Yes. That’s correct.”

 

Dangmujin smiled broadly.

 

“I took responsibility and sent that through my golden magpie, so don’t worry!”

 

Then he stroked his chin with a satisfied smile.

 

“However, just sending a messenger bird seemed insufficient, so I also added my own letter to send to the Vice Family Head.”

 

“…While you were at it?”

 

“I heard from Steward Gam that you don’t get along well with the Vice Family Head? What if the Vice Family Head throws a tantrum? I was so worried about it.”

 

“…?”

 

“Anyway, don’t worry, don’t worry. Come, let’s go quickly.”

 

All of this was unimaginable behavior for someone who was the pinnacle and head of a family.

 

I would have understood such an attitude from his previous dignified, rogue-like presence, but having such behavior directed at me amidst the awakening absolute poison wolf’s left me nothing but bewildered.

 

The place the family head took me to was not the shabby, small back door I had originally intended to exit through.

 

The gate located at the front of the Sichuan Tang Family.

 

“Cheonwijimun (Gate of Heavenly Authority). This is where the family head personally escorts only the most supreme guests that the Sichuan Tang Family recognizes when they leave. Even as the Sichuan Tang Family’s entire wealth declined and they sold off household items one by one, this place alone was never touched according to our peak period standards.”

 

Dangmujin gestured to me and strode forward.

 

The place where the Sichuan Tang Family’s glory from the Tang Gate era, beyond the Tang family period, uniquely remained.

 

Massive marble floors were laid out, and hundreds of green energies fluttered.

 

All the Sichuan Tang Family members were gathered there.

 

“Young Master Hwi, thank you.”

 

“Lord Namgung Hwi.”

 

Countless people with green auras were looking at me.

 

Their gazes were uniformly warm.

 

Many people spoke warm words to me in unison.

 

And among them were words I couldn’t understand.

 

“We welcome you as part of our family.”

 

“Really, it was the first time I saw the family head speak so passionately.”

 

“Sichuan is most beautiful in late summer. You must come then.”

 

“Other martial arts outsiders are disgusting, but Lord Namgung Hwi is an exception.”

 

I was dumbfounded.

 

It wasn’t just ordinary Sichuan Tang Family members who had come out.

 

Among those who came to greet me were the remaining elders I hadn’t seen during the chaos, along with countless others.

 

I was flustered.

 

“What… what is all this about? Master.”

 

The Sichuan Tang Family.

 

A group that looks after its own family members,

 

A group that doesn’t hesitate to raise swords against the martial arts world to protect its family members.

 

This was definitely,

 

Absolutely not the scale for welcoming a guest.

 

“We really, really had heated debates. It was unprecedented in Sichuan Tang Family history.”

 

Dangmujin gestured toward one side.

 

“Yuna. Come here.”

 

When Dangmujin gestured toward one corner, a child whose complexion hadn’t fully returned yet walked over shyly.

 

Placing the child in front and putting his hand on the child’s shoulder, Dangmujin said.

 

“How about it, Namgung Hwi. This is the method I came up with.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You asked us to watch your back, staking the Tang family’s golden age and the Tang Gate’s honor. For this, you must be a member of the Tang Gate. The exception clause for watching someone’s back who isn’t family requires either being the family head’s direct blood relative or disciple, or getting approval from eight of our family’s previous elders. And those who approve must take responsibility through collective punishment, committing suicide if the outsider causes problems.”

 

Wait, something’s going strangely.

 

I didn’t want this much.

 

So, I just threw out something difficult to accept first and used it as leverage to get permission to enter Manaakdangmun Samok, aiming to get something equivalent even if not official…?

 

“So I decided. Send away the benefactor who saved me and my child empty-handed? Absolutely unacceptable. Moreover, when I thought about your character and integrity regarding my poor behavior, my resolve didn’t waver but became even stronger.”

 

“Ma-Master, wait.”

 

“The elders opposed it desperately, saying we should compensate with gold, silver, treasures, and inner pills instead, but I thought that wasn’t proper courtesy. So I decided to take responsibility. I, Dangmujin, acknowledge you regardless of what anyone in this world might point fingers at. In that sense, Namgung Hwi.”

 

Dangmujin placed his hand on his only child, the Young Master’s shoulder, and said.

 

“Please become the godfather of my child, Yuni. And just give me one week. After that, we won’t even need the Tang Gate’s name. If anyone dares insult our godfather afterward…”

 

Dangmujin’s eyes flowed with chilling green light as he murmured.

 

“This lord will personally go melt that damn bastard’s mouth.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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