The Sword Emperor's Way of Establishing the Namgung Clan

Chapter 42 - Severed Meridians (1)

Namgung Jun, who was on his way back to the main fortress of the Azure Sky Society, was lost in deep thought.

While mentally replaying the points he had been lacking in or needed to supplement from his last mission, he had come to reflect on the influence of the Azure Sky Society.

‘It is certainly reasonable to discuss the lack of manpower.’

The world was endlessly wide, and the Unorthodox and Demonic Paths were countless. And righteous warriors were few.

The Azure Sky Society could not handle all of this.

Furthermore, the Azure Sky Society was not only providing relief for the people's livelihood, but was also facing the great power that was the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult, so their hands were sure to be even more short.

Of course, they had branch offices in all corners of the world and the elite known as the Ten Halls separately in the main fortress, but a clear limit existed.

‘She did say there was a secret power that assists the Azure Sky Society; I wonder when I will come to learn of it.’

Namgung Jun looked at the forest spread out before him. He would just have to spend tonight in that place.

‘It would not be a bad idea to gather like-minded individuals and create a new sect or family, like in my past life.’

To establish a power that reveres righteousness and take responsibility for one axis of the Martial World. Just like the current Three Sects and One Union.

Though the Three Sects and One Union did not have a pervasive influence on the world like the Azure Sky Society, within the territory of their own sects, they did their best in their given roles.

If the Three Sects and One Union had not existed, the Azure Sky Society would not have been able to extend its influence far and wide throughout the world.

In fact, in the regions where the Three Sects and One Union were located, the activities of the Azure Sky Society were sparse. Unless it was a matter of great importance, they would trust the Three Sects and One Union and pour their remaining resources into other places.

“A new pillar to support the Orthodox Faction of the Martial World.”

Namgung Jun, who had been lost in his own thoughts, let out a smirk.

That was still a distant day.

For now, he had to focus on the present.

At some point, he had entered the forest, and he had to find a suitable place to stay for one night.

Namgung Jun’s smile deepened.

It was because of the clear human figure visible beyond the thicket.

Sunlight was breaking little by little through the inaccessibly dark hair. Her elegantly tied-up hair flowed down on both sides, and her adjoining jawline was so very fluid.

As if she had sensed Namgung Jun’s presence, the dark eyelids of the woman, which had been deeply settled, rose slightly.

Perhaps because the color of her pupils was an exceptionally dark black, her two eyes, into which the light was seeping little by little, were like a starry night.

“Gungjun?”

“I do not know whose name that is.”

“Jun-ah, you never play along with a joke.”

Lee Se-ha pouted her lips slightly and grumbled, then showed a smile. She had seen the two clouds embroidered on Namgung Jun’s sleeve.

“By the looks of it, you’ve come back from a solo mission?”

“Yes. I have also safely completed my rank advancement.”

“I wasn’t even worried about that. Since you are my disciple.”

Lee Se-ha looked at Namgung Jun, who was sitting beside her, with proud eyes and then asked.

“How was your first solo mission?”

“I finished it quite smoothly. In addition, various thoughts came to mind.”

“What thoughts?”

As Namgung Jun told her the thoughts he had had while walking through the forest, Lee Se-ha also nodded her head.

“There is some truth in those words. It is partly because the Unorthodox and Demonic Paths are spread throughout all corners of the Martial World, but the biggest reason is that the power of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult is too great.”

“That is correct. Furthermore, it is not as if we can let just anyone in like an ordinary sect.”

Lee Se-ha nodded her head and then asked indirectly.

“So you’re thinking about a new sect. Do you want to become independent later on, Jun?”

“That is still a distant future. For now, I must be faithful to the Azure Sky Society. What about you, Master?”

“Me?”

Namgung Jun nodded his head. Lee Se-ha looked at a distant place for a moment, then tilted her head.

“I don’t know. I’ve only lived while thinking of revenge against the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult until now… To be honest, I don’t even know if I can achieve that revenge while I am still alive.”

“You said the perpetrator was the Light and Shadow Left Envoy.”

“Yes.”

The one who had annihilated Lee Se-ha’s family, the Supreme Scenery Lee Family, was precisely the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult’s Light and Shadow Left Envoy.

One of the Left and Right Envoys who assisted the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult Leader from his immediate side. For the current Lee Se-ha, there was no way she could stand up to him.

Namgung Jun did not give her a clumsy assurance that she could do it. Instead, he mentioned what lay beyond it.

“You too should try thinking about what comes after your revenge, Master.”

“After my revenge?”

“You too must rebuild your family anew, Master. You must live while looking toward that rebuilding.”

“That’s true, too.”

Lee Se-ha, who had let out a smirk, stroked Namgung Jun’s head.

“To think I’m being comforted by my own disciple.”

“It was not a comfort. It was merely advice.”

“It’s the same thing.”

Lee Se-ha, who was staring intently at Namgung Jun, smiled brightly.

“Or maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to just follow you to the sect you establish, Jun. Since the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art will be carried on in my disciple’s sect.”

“I will prepare a seat for you in the Elder Council.”

“What? The Elder Council?”

Lee Se-ha, who had raised her eyebrows, lightly pinched Namgung Jun’s cheek. Namgung Jun let out a smirk and took it without evading.

“Phew. I was tired from returning from a difficult mission, but thanks to you, Jun, my fatigue has been relieved a little.”

Lee Se-ha stretched her legs out long and straightened her body. Namgung Jun, who had been continuously feeling the scent of blood coming from Lee Se-ha, asked.

“Are your injuries alright?”

“Did you notice? An injury of this level is an everyday occurrence, so it’s fine.”

“I will change your bandages.”

Namgung Jun skillfully took out a salve for cuts and a clean bandage, then unwrapped the bandage tied around Lee Se-ha’s arm.

The skill with which Namgung Jun skillfully sprinkled the salve on the wound and wrapped the bandage in an instant was superb.

It was to the point where Lee Se-ha, who had been silently watching to see how well he would do, was filled with admiration.

“It seems the fellows from the Heavenly Sword Hall taught you well. You’ve become proficient so quickly.”

“It is an easy task.”

“I really got myself a good disciple.”

As he was talking with Lee Se-ha, the sun had at some point begun to set.

“Master. I will stand for the night watch.”

“Will you be okay?”

“Yes. Compared to you, Master, I am perfectly fine.”

“Honestly.”

Lee Se-ha did not refuse Namgung Jun’s goodwill. She lay down on a blanket and turned her head toward Namgung Jun.

Though Lee Se-ha was staring intently, Namgung Jun pretended not to notice and kept his watch in the opposite direction. In the end, Lee Se-ha drew out her voice and called to Namgung Jun.

“Jun-ah.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I can’t sleep. Tell me an interesting story.”

“Please go to sleep.”

While the subtle starlight was dappling, the sound of the master and disciple’s story continued in a low chatter.

……

“Welcome!”

The master and disciple, who were in the middle of returning to the main fortress of the Azure Sky Society, decided to rest at an inn.

“I’ve wanted to come here with you sometime, Jun, so this is great. The chef here is a real master.”

“If you are saying so, Master, then I am looking forward to it.”

Lee Se-ha, as if she had been to this inn several times, ordered with familiarity.

As the names of the dishes flowed endlessly from Lee Se-ha’s mouth, Namgung Jun’s shoulders flinched for a moment.

“Master. Are you not ordering too much?”

“My disciple. Your body isn't well, so you need to nourish it.”

“Hmm.”

Not long after, a waiter began to bring out food with both hands full.

A Yellow Mushroom Chicken Soup, made by boiling a whole chicken with bamboo shoots and mushrooms.

A stir-fry made with Smoked Ham, which was a pork thigh cured in salt, along with mountain vegetables and tea leaves.

Candied Shrimp, made by stir-frying shrimp simmered in soy sauce over a high heat and capturing the flavor with sugar.

A Carefree Chicken, made by gently simmering a chicken that had been coated in honey and fried, in a broth mixed with medicinal herbs like mountain ginseng, atractylodes, and goji berries.

A Fat King Fish in a Creamy Broth, made by adding Huai River King Fish and pork to a chicken broth and boiling it until the broth turns white.

It was truly a feast of spectacular food.

“Hmph. Since this is the first time I’ve come here with you, Jun, I put in a bit of effort.”

“I do not know if we can eat it all.”

“It’s fine. If there’s any left, I’ll eat it all.”

Though at a glance it was an amount that more than seven people could eat, Namgung Jun for the time being just nodded his head.

Lee Se-ha tore off a chicken leg from the Carefree Chicken with a rip and placed it on Namgung Jun’s personal plate.

“Go on, try it.”

As Namgung Jun slightly moved his chopsticks, the bone and meat separated with great ease.

The meat was very tender, and as it had been made with various medicinal herbs and seasonings, a variety of fragrances and flavors were left lingering thickly in his mouth.

“It’s delicious.”

Lee Se-ha, who saw Namgung Jun’s eyebrows twitch, burst into a satisfied laugh.

“Shall I start eating now, too.”

Lee Se-ha, who had lightly cleansed her palate by eating a few chopsticks-full of the stir-fried Smoked Ham, began to move in earnest.

Her chopsticks and spoon moved without rest.

Though the food was continuously entering her mouth, she chewed so quickly that her cheeks showed no signs of puffing up.

They merely stopped at the level of slightly swelling up from time to time. Namgung Jun, who was surprised at the sight, was to the point where he stopped his meal for a moment and just stared blankly.

If the inn’s chef was a master in the field of making cuisine, Lee Se-ha was a master in the field of eating it.

“I did not know that you enjoyed eating like this, Master.”

As Namgung Jun asked, as if he were truly admiring her, Lee Se-ha elegantly wiped her lips and said.

“Before I met you, Jun, eating delicious food was my only pleasure in life.”

“It seems I will have to find out about many skilled chefs.”

Lee Se-ha nodded her head with satisfaction.

“That’s right. Another duty has been added for you as a disciple.”

By the looks of it, it seemed there would be no food left over. He even began to think that it might, on the contrary, not be enough.

Namgung Jun, who was worried that his own share would disappear, also began to move his chopsticks in earnest.

It was when only the intermittent clattering of utensils could be heard and the master and disciple were joyfully eating their meal.

Thump!

“Yejin-ah!”

Suddenly, a woman who had been quietly eating at a table next to them collapsed just as she was. The woman’s lips were deathly pale, and her whole body was trembling.

The degree to which her body was trembling was quite severe, and to Namgung Jun, the sight was quite familiar.

‘That woman. Could it be?’

The eyes of Namgung Jun, who had immediately thought of something, narrowed.

“Of all the times for this to happen!”

The man who was with her urgently got up and took the woman’s Pulse Gate. The woman was groaning in pain, and the man’s expression gradually hardened.

It was the moment the man took out an acupuncture needle case from within his robes.

CRAASH!

The door of the inn was roughly thrown open, and a group of martial artists stormed in.

The martial artists, who quickly scanned the inn with wolf-like, savage eyes, discovered the collapsed woman and the man.

“There they are!”

“It looks like she’s having an attack. This is our chance!”

“Secure the Red-Veined Fire Ginseng first!”

As the martial artists each threw their bodies forward and approached, the man, who had drawn a needle from the needle case, let out a sharp roar.

“You who are less than beasts!”

As if he had judged that a needle alone was not enough, the man took out five jade vials from his green sleeve.

At that sight, the martial artists who had been approaching without hesitation came to a halt. It seemed they were wary of the jade vials held in the green-clothed man’s hand.

The man clad in the green martial arts uniform urgently opened his mouth.

“We were clearly the first to obtain the Red-Veined Fire Ginseng, and this will be used as a medicinal herb to save my younger sister. How can you continuously try to seize it by force?”

Though the man shouted as if pleading, the martial artists in the standoff did not even pretend to listen.

“You there. You must be young, so you don’t seem to know. In the Martial World, the one who obtains an object first does not become its owner. The one who holds onto it until the end is the owner.”

“If it’s the Red-Veined Fire Ginseng, the boost to one’s internal energy must be considerable. There is no reason for us to stand by and watch it be used to save a girl whose face we’ve never even seen.”

“If you hand it over even now, we will spare your lives!”

The martial artists, as if they had not the slightest intention of compromising, slowly narrowed the distance.

“You unrighteous bastards!”

The hand of the man holding the jade vials trembled. It was an appearance of being more concerned for the woman behind him than for the approaching martial artists.

It was the moment the martial artists were about to rush at the man and woman that a cerulean lightning energy erupted from both sides.

“Stop.”

“Honestly, there are just too many ill-mannered bastards in the Martial World.”

The master and disciple, who had risen from their seats at the same time, blocked the path in front of the man and woman.

As Namgung Jun and Lee Se-ha simultaneously emitted their auras, no one in the inn dared to move their bodies.