Chapter 53
“You little brats!”
The tea room of Changcheon Hall echoed with the thunderous voice. Hongseol and Jeok, having removed their Donpi masks and returned to their true forms, hugged each other tightly, trembling with their cheeks pressed together.
“I-I’m sorry, Grandpa!”
“We-I swear we won’t do it again….”
“Do you even know how shocked this grandfather was?!”
Namgungho’s face had turned bright red.
“As punishment, both of you are to clean the outer training ground and the warehouse that Changcheondae uses. Do not seek help from Sibi!”
“Yes, yes!”
Hongseol and Jeok nodded frantically. Compared to the trouble they had caused, this punishment seemed relatively light.
Namgungho continued with a stern expression.
“That’s not all. Each of you must copy the entire ‘Jeongma Great War Chronicles’ from start to finish!”
“G-Grandpa….”
At those words, Jeok looked as if struck by lightning.
To copy the entire Jeongma Great War Chronicles would require at least a whole week, standing in front of the lectern without interruption.
Hongseol, not understanding how difficult that task was, just blinked.
“Ahem, Father.”
Namgungon cleared his throat and interjected, but all he received was a lightning-like scolding from Namgungho.
“Even the family head’s words are useless! Do not think you can do anything if the punishment is severe.”
“Uh, Father…”
This time, Bing Yuhwa stepped in.
“Ah, yes, Yuhwa. You know how worried I’ve been, don’t you?”
Namgungho’s tone softened, warm as a spring breeze. His attitude toward his son, the family head Namgungon, was noticeably different.
“Of course, Father. But I have something to report.”
Yuhwa gestured kindly toward the trembling Hongseol.
“Hongseol, take this.”
“Ah!”
Hongseol rummaged in her arms and pulled out a small wooden box, as if realizing something.
“What is this?”
Click.
Inside the box was a small golden mouse, sitting quietly.
Yuhwa smiled.
“This is this year’s winning prize from the Anhui Doha competition.”
“What? Our Seol won?”
Namgungho jumped to his feet. It was the first Anhui Doha victory for the Namgung family in years.
After the calamity three years ago, Namgung Baek had not participated in Anhui Doha, so this was indeed a rare honor.
“Since Hongseol went in Jeok’s form and brought honor to the Namgung family, shouldn’t we forgive them from punishment?”
Hmmm.
Namgungho’s face showed thought, then suddenly he laughed heartily.
“Very well! You are exempt from copying the ‘Jeongma Great War Chronicles’!”
Namgungon, listening nearby, inwardly sighed.
“Father really is soft-hearted, as always.”
Namgungho, with a commanding voice, addressed the two children bowing politely.
“One! Next time, this must never happen again. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir!”
The two children, hands folded respectfully, nodded incessantly.
“Now, go clean the training ground and warehouse immediately. Go!”
“Yes, Sir!”
The children’s clear voices echoed toward the sky.
Cough, cough.
Hongseol was sweeping the training ground alone, holding a broom taller than herself.
Namgung Jeok was tidying the warehouse where the Beginner’s Magic Tools and Donpi masks had been stolen.
‘What exactly happened here?’
The training ground was unusually messy today. In the corners lay scattered poles and peacock feathers.
“Miss Hongseol?”
A familiar voice made Hongseol’s ears perk up.
“Huh?”
Step, step.
In the afternoon sunlight, a tall, imposing man appeared.
It was the long-awaited face of Namgung Uigyeol, the master of Changcheondae.
“Master Changcheondae!”
Overjoyed, Hongseol ran to him and clung to his leg like a cicada.
His face, tanned from being outside, was darker than before.
“Why was it so difficult to meet you?”
“I’ve been quite busy. Under the command of the former family head, I’ve been inspecting areas around Hebi. Today, I was also selecting outer guards.”
“Why Hebi?”
“There were reports that one of the leaders of the Sapa recently came to Hebi.”
Sapa leader?
Hongseol had only studied the main sects and the demonic cults.
Seeing her blinking in confusion, Namgung Uigyeol smiled, eyes narrowing.
“Shall we have a brief lesson on the martial world?”
“Yes!”
He sat with Hongseol in a corner of the training ground and began explaining.
“Sapa is also called the Black Path. It refers to those who walk an unjust path.”
“Are there famous Sapa groups, like the Five Great Families or the Nine Schools of the orthodox sects?”
“Hmm… If any, perhaps the bandit-like Nokrim, the water-based Janggangsurochae, or the assassin group Salmak. Also, the intelligence organization Haomun is considered Sapa.”
Haomun?
Hongseol’s ears perked up. She remembered this from a conversation with Elder Namgung Muyeong.
They gathered intelligence through innkeepers and gisaeng, excelling at collecting and manipulating rumors.
“But recently, the most powerful Sapa is likely the Black Vulture Gang (Heukchwibang).”
“The Black Vulture Gang?”
‘A group of black eagles.’
Curious at the new name, Hongseol traced the characters on her palm—a habit whenever learning new words.
“Yes, they are known for tattooing black feathers on their members. Actually, my inspection of Changcheondae and surrounding areas was related to them.”
Tension flickered across Hongseol’s face. If the master personally investigated, this must be serious.
“Their leader is Dokbijo. She is said to be over 120 years old.”
‘120 years old… how much older is that than me?’
Even counting her ten fingers and ten toes, she couldn’t figure it out. Hongseol gave up and asked,
“And she’s… still alive?”
She swallowed the words carefully. Even though they were evil, it seemed rude to say it out loud.
“Yes, she is very robust, despite her age. There were reports that she infiltrated Hebi.”
Hebi was fully under Namgung family’s jurisdiction. Few Sapa dared step foot there.
Hongseol asked with concern,
“Is the Black Vulture Gang trying to advance into Hebi?”
“Perhaps. Or they may have received some mission.”
“Mission?”
“Like kidnapping an important person or assassinating someone. Dokbijo is infamous for her claw techniques and horrific sound-based skills.”
“Sound-based skills?”
“Using music to damage the opponent’s internal energy. The claw technique, as you know, uses the nails.”
Hongseol imagined an old woman clawing her opponent’s heart with sharp nails. A shiver ran down her spine.
“I didn’t notice anything unusual around the area, but you never know who they may be targeting now. So, be careful, young lady.”
Namgung Uigyeol added seriously,
“Dokbijo is an exceptionally cruel and dangerous old woman.”
A young woman waited for her meal on the second floor of the inn, doing nothing.
She looked around twenty years old. Her black hair was tied back tightly, and she had a lean, eagle-like body.
Even while resting, she carried a cloth-wrapped item on her back.
Its round shape tapered toward the end, unmistakably resembling a pipa (lute).
She licked her bright red lips.
“I wonder if this place’s reputation lives up to the rumors.”
The Honghwa Inn, located in Hebi, was a fairly well-known inn and restaurant.
It was famous not only for its beautiful interior decorated with red flowers, but also for another reason…
