Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The Namgung Family, a prestigious family always counted among the foremost of the Eight Great Martial Families.

With the Dokgo Family gone, it was also a house that vied with the Sichuan Tang Family for the title of Greatest Martial Family Under Heaven.

Dokgo Jin’s gaze narrowed.

‘Come to think of it, the Eight Great Martial Families’ gathering should have been around this time.’

Until it was destroyed, the Dokgo Family had undoubtedly been the head of the Eight Great Martial Families and had presided over the family gathering held every five years.

‘Now, I heard that the Namgung Family and several other families take turns hosting the gathering.’

It seemed Sagong Un intended to attend that family gathering.

Dokgo Jin smiled bitterly.

‘Of all things...... the family gathering.’

While he was lost in thought, Sagong Un appeared before the martial artists.

“Good to see you all.”

At his greeting, the martial artists hurriedly gave clasped hands greetings.

“Greetings, Hall Master of Cloud Sea Hall!”

“Ha ha ha. I will be in your care. If you experience any inconvenience while serving as guards, do not hesitate to tell Captain Woo. I will provide every convenience so that you may focus on the escort.”

“Thank you!”

“Ha ha ha.”

Sagong Un left with a smile. As he did, he did not forget to meet Dokgo Jin’s eyes.

“Now, we will distribute the supplies, so stand in line and state your affiliation and name!”

Although it was temporary, they were now affiliated with Cloud Sea Hall, so Cloud Sea Hall martial arts uniforms were issued to them, and dried meat and dry rations to use as meal substitutes during the journey were also distributed.

What was unexpected was that every individual was given a horse. They even said it was fine to ride in a carriage if one was not used to horsemanship.

Fortunately, there was no one who did not know how to handle a horse.

‘They’re giving us this much support.’

It might seem like nothing, but handing out thirty horses to the guards was by no means easy.

Expense aside, it required a separate carriage to carry the hay to feed the horses, making it no ordinary hassle.

‘He certainly has a reason to be popular.’

It likely meant he wanted them to reduce their physical exhaustion while traveling and focus on guarding.

And that was not all.

Though there was no particular place to spend it, each person was given as much as ten taels of silver as travel expenses.

Practically speaking, it was a gratuity given on top of their monthly pay.

Dokgo Jin smiled wryly.

‘Well, in the end, this kind of leeway does come from money.’

It was an open secret that, thanks to Sagong Un’s solid backing, Cloud Sea Hall was the most well-off among the Three Hidden Halls.

Captain Woo, who was personally distributing the money pouches filled with silver, faced Dokgo Jin and smiled strangely.

“Good to meet you, Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder. This is my first time seeing you this close.”

“......What do you mean by that?”

“I have seen you from afar a few times. I once went to see you because I was curious about the young man who had received the Dragon-Tiger Tablet that the Hall Master wanted so badly.”

‘I see.’

In fact, after he became part of the Iron Soul Unit, countless people had loitered around Iron Heart Hall looking for him.

‘He must have been one of them.’

Since it was forbidden to approach a newly recruited martial artist whose affiliation had already been decided, most had only watched from a distance, and it seemed Captain Woo had been among them.

“I look forward to your performance, Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder.”

Indeed, the others were also repeatedly stealing glances at Dokgo Jin.

After all the guards changed their clothes and gathered, Captain Woo confirmed the numbers. There were thirty guards and ten martial artists affiliated with Cloud Sea Hall.

The escort party that emerged through the East Gate of Northern Heaven Castle turned south and gradually increased its speed.

Dokgo Jin guided his horse from the rear and thought.

‘The Namgung Family.’

When others heard the Namgung Family, they thought of its Family Head, ‘Serene Heaven Sword’ Namgung Se-ok, or ‘Azure Sky Sword Star’ Namgung Wi, the Greatest Sword of Namgung, but Dokgo Jin did not.

‘I hope I don’t run into him.’

The others did not matter. But that man of the Namgung Family might recognize him.

‘It doesn’t matter. I can just deny it.’

His appearance and name were liabilities, but in any case, his martial arts were not those of the Dokgo Family.

But it would be difficult to avoid suspicion.

‘I can only hope he isn’t staying at the family estate.’

***

The journey went smoothly.

There were no people with the nerve to covet a carriage flying the Northern Heaven Alliance flag high within Northern Heaven Alliance territory.

Cloud Sea Hall’s travel route was also unusual.

Perhaps because they had ample time, they traveled only along official roads whenever possible, and when evening came, they invariably stopped at an inn.

Although the group was fairly large, they had arranged with the inns in advance, so for that day, the escort party alone rented the entire inn and rested as comfortably as possible.

Dokgo Jin was surprised once again by Cloud Sea Hall’s financial power.

Night watch duty was not particularly difficult either.

The guards stood watch outside the inn in groups of three, rotating every half two-hour period, while the area around the inner quarters where Sagong Un stayed was separately guarded through the night by Cloud Sea Hall’s own martial artists.

Dokgo Jin was on midnight watch, and by coincidence, the other members of his group were the man with the longsword and the gloomy man he had noticed earlier.

The man with the longsword greeted Dokgo Jin with a smile.

“Good to meet you, Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder.”

“Do you know me?”

“Of course I do. How could I live off the Northern Heaven Alliance’s rice and not have heard of the Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder’s fame?”

He gave a clasped hands greeting and continued.

“My name is Mok U-jeon.”

“Good to meet you.”

Dokgo Jin quickly turned the name over in his mind, but within the information he knew, there was no name called Mok U-jeon.

‘Hmm.’

The gloomy man beside them opened his mouth.

“I am Tang Pung-yeong.”

His voice was so low that an ordinary person would not have heard it.

‘Tang Pung-yeong......’

The moment he heard the name, a strange light appeared in Dokgo Jin’s eyes.

“You two stand guard here. I will take the rooftop.”

With that, Tang Pung-yeong did not even wait for an answer before kicking off the ground and climbing onto the roof.

It was not anything extraordinary, but his movements were clean and light, without the slightest waste.

‘So he was from the Tang Family.’

Not everyone who used the surname Tang came from the Sichuan Tang Family, but Tang Pung-yeong was certain.

From a distance, Dokgo Jin had not been able to tell, but seeing him up close, he could be sure.

The fingers that had briefly shown at the ends of his long sleeves, and the tips of his fingernails, carried a dark bluish tint; that was a mark left by handling poisons for a long time.

On top of that, the faint, distinctive sweet scent wafting around Tang Pung-yeong was decisive.

It was the scent of white wax, beeswax extracted from honeycombs, which masters of the Tang Family’s poison arts applied to their hands to prevent poisoning.

Mok U-jeon looked at him and chuckled.

“No wonder...... so that man was Tang Pung-yeong.”

“Do you know him?”

“Not in detail, but I know he belongs to the Crimson Shadow Unit under the Vermilion Bird Flag. According to the rumors, he is a failed Poison Being cast out by the Tang Family......”

Poison Being.

Only two words, but the meaning they carried was enormous.

To martial artists who practiced poison arts, not only in the Sichuan Tang Family, it was a dreamlike realm.

A state with astonishing defensive power reminiscent of an Adamantine Body, and an ultimate realm that allowed one to freely display every poison art under heaven.

However, the ‘Poison Being’ was literally something handed down only as a legend, and it was known that no one, including the Sichuan Tang Family, had yet succeeded in achieving it.

At Mok U-jeon’s words, Dokgo Jin shook his head.

“He is certainly a master of poison arts, but he is not a Poison Being.”

“Hm?”

“Even if he failed, a Poison Being would have no reason to fear poisoning. It is probably a baseless rumor.”

“Is that so?”

Mok U-jeon tilted his head, but Dokgo Jin was certain.

‘His dark skin also seems to have changed color from contact with countless poisons...... Yet he is still a peak master.’

No matter how many experts the Sichuan Tang Family possessed, there was no way they would easily cast out Tang Pung-yeong, who was both deeply versed in poison arts and a peak master.

‘There must be some story behind it.’

But when Tang Pung-yeong was practically declaring with his whole body that he wanted to be alone, Dokgo Jin did not want to force a conversation.

Dokgo Jin looked at Mok U-jeon and asked,

“Are you in the Guest Retainer Hall?”

“Correct. I do nothing but eat the Guest Retainer Hall’s food. But how did you know that?”

“I saw the martial arts uniform you were wearing before you changed. You did not belong to any organization.”

“Ha ha ha, to think the Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder observed me so carefully. What an honor.”

“......”

“Tell me more. What kind of person do I seem to be?”

Seeing Mok U-jeon’s expression, Dokgo Jin shrugged.

“I don’t see why I should go out of my way to do that.”

Mok U-jeon urged him on with a disappointed expression.

“Aren’t you curious about who I am?”

“Not especially.”

“A man from the Guest Retainer Hall has joined Cloud Sea Hall’s escort. Does that not seem strange?”

“Not particularly.”

Mok U-jeon looked as though he was about to cry.

“No, do you dislike talking with me?”

Seeing his expression, which said he was dying to talk, Dokgo Jin chuckled.

“Not particularly. If you want to talk that much, will you answer my question as well?”

“Of course. As long as it is something I can say......”

Dokgo Jin shook his head.

“You must answer unconditionally. In exchange, I will ask only one thing.”

“Urgh, I have no choice. Fine.”

Dokgo Jin gave a faint smile.

‘He’s simpler than he looks.’

He looked Mok U-jeon over from head to toe and continued.

“First, you have many scars here and there, and your aura is rough. My guess is that you were once a wanderer.”

Mok U-jeon nodded.

“Correct. But anyone could tell that much.”

“The shape of your sword is not ordinary. Judging by the form of the hilt, you learned swordsmanship meant to be used with both hands.”

“......!”

“Swords of this form are hardly used in the Central Plains. My guess is that you learned swordsmanship used by the Eastern Yi tribe or the Wa people.”

Mok U-jeon let out an exclamation of admiration.

“What remarkable discernment. I learned swordsmanship from an old man I met in the army. Since its form was distinctive, I once asked him about it, and he said Goryeo swordsmanship was its source.”

Dokgo Jin’s eyes narrowed.

‘The army, huh. I see. That rough aura was tempered on the battlefield.’

Mok U-jeon continued with a face full of pride.

“I did not stop there. I refined it on the battlefield and created my own sword art, the ‘Asura Battle Sword.’”

“You created a sword art?”

“That is right. There were times when I swung my sword for three days and nights without resting properly. As I did, a sword art that suited my body naturally took shape.”

This could be called a miraculous Fortuitous Encounter.

“Some bastards look down on me when I say it like this, but it is a sword art even the Hall Master of Cloud Sea Hall acknowledged.”

An unusual light appeared in Dokgo Jin’s eyes.

‘The Hall Master of Cloud Sea Hall acknowledged it?’

That fact implied many things.

‘And Mok U-jeon and Tang Pung-yeong are in the same group as me.’

There was absolutely no way it was a coincidence.

“Have you decided to become the Hall Master of Cloud Sea Hall’s subordinate?”

At Dokgo Jin’s question, Mok U-jeon’s pupils shook.

“Th-that is......!”

“This is my question, so answer honestly.”

He nodded as if he had no other choice.

“That is right. I owe him a life-saving debt......”

“As expected.”

Dokgo Jin was certain.

‘The Hall Master of Cloud Sea Hall is showing them to me.’

There was a high chance that Tang Pung-yeong was also under the Hall Master of Cloud Sea Hall.

Sagong Un’s intention was likely to show Dokgo Jin, ‘I have talents like this under me as well.’

For a Captain or Flag Master of the Northern Heaven Alliance to support the Hall Master of Cloud Sea Hall was, rather, understandable.

After all, Sagong Un was one axis of the succession structure.

But Tang Pung-yeong and Mok U-jeon were different.

Finding hidden talents who had not revealed themselves and making them his people was an impressive ability.

‘His means are far from ordinary.’

Mok U-jeon wore an awkward expression.

“I would be in trouble if the Hall Master of Cloud Sea Hall found out I had been exposed......”

“Do not worry. Rather, he probably wants me to notice.”

“Hm? Is that so?”

“Tang Pung-yeong is likely the same.”

“......?”

Seeing Mok U-jeon’s puzzled expression, Dokgo Jin chuckled.

‘It seems he didn’t know.’

He turned his gaze to Tang Pung-yeong on the roof.

Just from the rumors and atmosphere, he could roughly guess what kind of person Tang Pung-yeong was.

‘I don’t know about Mok U-jeon, but Tang Pung-yeong isn’t someone who can be recruited with a few words.’

Suddenly, he became curious.

How had Sagong Un moved Tang Pung-yeong’s heart?

Dokgo Jin kicked off the ground.

TAP!

His body shot upward in one breath and landed behind Tang Pung-yeong.

At that moment.

WHIZZ—!

Something sharp rushed toward Dokgo Jin’s brow.

At the moment of absolute crisis, a small explosive sound rang out.

POP!

Right in front of Dokgo Jin’s nose, the object shattered into pieces and scattered as powder. Only now did he see that what had flown at him was a small pebble.

Dokgo Jin said calmly,

“You have a ruthless hand.”

“If I truly meant to kill you, I would have used something other than a pebble.”

Tang Pung-yeong slowly turned around.

“I dislike it when someone appears behind me.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Dokgo Jin and Tang Pung-yeong’s gazes met.

“Your Finger Art is quite something. As expected of the Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder.”

Astonishingly, Dokgo Jin had shattered the fast-flying pebble by firing finger wind from his finger.

“Your ‘Flying Flower Bloodstain’ was impressive as well.”

Flying Flower Bloodstain was one of the Tang Family’s hidden weapon arts, a method of using various objects as hidden weapons to pierce holes through an enemy’s body.

“......You learned it properly, considering you are from a collateral branch.”

At Dokgo Jin’s following words, Tang Pung-yeong’s face stiffened.