Chapter 23
Namgung Ho stroked his chin as he gazed at the martial arts stage. There, Hong Seol looked down at her palms in a daze.
“Seol-ah can only use her inner energy once. That’s the limit.”
“What kind of body… is she made of…?”
Namgung Uigyeol pressed his lips tightly together.
There were many questions he wanted to ask, but he knew the Patriarch probably wouldn’t answer directly.
It was customary not to reveal secrets about martial arts, even to allies. Such knowledge could be a matter of life and death in the martial world.
Instead, Namgung Uigyeol asked something else.
“If she can only use her inner energy once, what happens with this match?”
“Heh heh.”
At Namgung Ho’s laugh, Namgung Uigyeol shifted his gaze to the stage.
“The match is already decided.”
There lay Namgung Jong-woo, face streaked with tears, sprawled on the ground.
“What… what just happened?”
He had rolled across the stage floor countless times. He had thought victory was within reach.
The moment he thrust out his wooden sword, two small hands had shoved against his chest.
At that instant, Namgung Jong-woo heard a deafening crash, coming from… his own chest.
“Ugh!”
The shock jolted his spine. It felt as if a massive boulder was pressing down on him.
He had no choice but to drop the wooden sword and roll across the floor.
Through his gaze from the ground, he saw the innocent face of a young girl.
Then, the rough texture of wood pressed against the back of his neck.
Hong Seol had picked up the wooden sword that Namgung Jong-woo had dropped moments ago.
Of course, the heavy sword wavered in her hands, but the balance of the match had already tipped.
Namgung Jong-woo parted his cracked lips and barely managed to speak:
“I… lost.”
At that, the girl before him, breathing heavily, smiled as brightly as spring and released the wooden sword.
With Hong Seol’s face gone from his sight, the vast blue sky filled his vision.
Ah… Namgung.
Having lost to a girl of unknown origin, he realized he had drifted further from that vast blue sky.
Just as a wave of sorrow rose in his throat, a concerned voice called from outside the stage:
“Jong-woo, are you alright?”
It was his grandfather, Namgung Mu-yeong. Upon hearing the voice, a surge of anger welled up inside Namgung Jong-woo.
‘This is all because Grandpa made a fake Namgung.’
Resentment swelled like a snowball in his heart.
‘If I had inherited the blood of the true Namgung, like Namgung Baek, I wouldn’t have lost to some girl with no background!’
“Jong-woo, Jong-woo!”
Unable to bear the repeated calls, Namgung Jong-woo turned his head away.
“This match goes to Hong Seol!”
Woooaaaah!
Cheers thundered like waves across the sky. Hong Seol’s cheeks blushed like ripe peaches.
‘I won!’
I, who had been kicked out of home for not being able to use inner energy, defeated a child of the Namgung family!
Her tiny heart pounded with joy.
The referee cleared his throat and continued:
“Ahem. Therefore, it is officially declared that Hong Seol has earned the status of disciple under the Namgung family’s Grand Patriarch.”
Whaaaat?
Hong Seol’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open.
‘If I had lost this match, I wouldn’t have become Grandfather Namgung Ho’s disciple?’
Hearing that, her heart plummeted.
When Namgung Ho had asked if she wanted to learn martial arts, Hong Seol had nodded cautiously. She had expected to learn from him.
She had assumed that since the Patriarch was busy, she would only be temporarily placed under Namgung Uigyeol for training.
Training with Namgung Uigyeol had been fun, but still, Hong Seol preferred Namgung Ho for now.
‘I’ve dreamed of one day learning from Grandfather and becoming invincible!’
What if she hadn’t won?!
Hong Seol shot a resentful glare at Namgung Ho, standing at the edge of the stage. She had completely forgotten that she used to be terrified of him.
Next to him, Namgung Uigyeol also clapped, with an expression that seemed to say he had known everything.
Feeling like she was the only one unaware of the importance of this match, Hong Seol felt deeply wronged.
‘That’s so unfair.’
It seemed she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight out of frustration.
Hong Seol ran to a spot at the edge of the stage where she could face Namgung Ho.
“Well done, Seol-ah!”
Namgung Ho scooped her up into his arms. His face was overflowing with pure joy.
Being held by him, Hong Seol felt a strange emotion.
‘I was going to scold Grandfather for not telling me the conditions of the match.’
Seeing the joy on his face as if her victory were his own, her resentment melted away.
Her nose tingled, and she pursed her lips. Namgung Ho spoke first:
“So, how does it feel to unleash the Heavenly Thunder God Fist for the first time?”
Hong Seol’s eyes widened.
“That’s right! How did… I mean, I’ve never learned anything like that!”
Namgung Ho smiled.
“Do you know how lightning forms in the sky?”
Hong Seol tilted her head in his arms.
“When yin and yang energies clash violently, lightning is born. Naturally, in your body, Seol-ah, yin and yang are already battling each other.”
If the two opposing energies clash strongly in the palms, and then touch the opponent’s body…
“Then the Heavenly Thunder will strike!”
“Exactly! Thanks to your constitution, you’ve mastered the secrets of the Heavenly Thunder God Fist without special training.”
I had a natural talent too!
Excited, Hong Seol blushed, then hesitated before asking:
“So… does that mean I used inner energy?”
“Yes. Thanks to the perennial heshio herb enhancing your acupoints, you were able to use your inner energy.”
“Waaah…”
Hong Seol stared at her palms in disbelief. Namgung Ho, worried, added hastily:
“This is only allowed once!”
“Huh?”
“If you use inner energy freely in the future, the acupoints enhanced by the perennial heshio will be torn again.”
“Does that mean I can never use inner energy again?”
Hong Seol’s face fell. Feeling sorry, Namgung Ho unconsciously caressed her plump cheek.
“Not at all. I’m figuring out a way to heal your condition, so wait and see.”
It was true. His daughter-in-law, the medicine master Bing Yuhwa, was searching the world for a solution.
“Train with me in external techniques daily, and soon the day will come when your body is healed. Until then, let’s work hard, alright?”
Hong Seol nodded dutifully. Then, hesitating, she whispered:
“Grandfather, I won the match today… is there a reward?”
Hearing her, Namgung Ho nodded generously. He wanted to give her anything she wished for.
“Indeed, the winner has the right to a reward. I’ll grant whatever you desire. What do you want?”
Hong Seol quickly thought. The reward was sudden, so she couldn’t ask for too much.
Five mooncakes with sesame? Ten sugar-coated hawthorn sticks?
As she pondered, her eyes fell on someone she couldn’t help noticing—Namgung Jong-woo, still avoiding his grandfather’s gaze.
‘According to that uncle, he got angry at his grandfather for being a fake Namgung.’
Bloodlines…
The elder Namgung Mu-yeong stomped his feet below the stage in worry, fearing his grandson might be seriously hurt.
‘Someone like me, who came from the streets to join the Namgung…’
The image stayed firmly in her mind.
Sighing, Hong Seol removed thoughts of sweets and sugar sticks and said to Namgung Ho:
“Grandfather, I’ve decided.”
“Go on. What reward will you choose?”
“Please let me talk alone with Namgung Jong-woo.”
