Chapter 46. Sword Demon Encounters the Black Blade
“I greet the Grand Patriarch.”
Moyong Mugyeol, a middle-aged man with neatly trimmed beard and crisp, formal clothes, bowed respectfully.
The only one in all of the Central Plains whom the head of the Moyong clan would address as “Grand Patriarch” was standing before him.
“Hoho, my son. You’re being far too formal.”
A tall white-haired elder, nearly seven feet tall, smiled kindly down at him.
Straightening his back, Moyong Mugyeol met the eyes of the Sword Emperor, Moyong Sangcheon.
“Then I’ll speak casually, assuming we’re in private. The Supreme Strategist has been looking all over for you.”
“I know. I’ll return soon, so don’t send any messages.”
“I already did.”
“Tsk, selling out your own father? Impressive.”
“There can’t be a leaderless Baek Alliance headquarters, can there?”
As Moyong Mugyeol retorted without missing a beat, Moyong Sangcheon clicked his tongue and said,
“Tsk, tsk. They say raising children is pointless. My own son doesn’t care for his father, only busy looking after his own.”
“……”
“You assigned guards to the fourth child, didn’t you? That’s clearly against the rules of the Baek Family Sword Assembly.”
As Sangcheon raised a white eyebrow, Mugyeol replied calmly.
“They weren’t guards—they were observers. The fourth has some suspicious aspects to him.”
“Hoo… Nice excuse. Let me ask, just to be sure—you haven’t forgotten our family creed, have you?”
Sangcheon’s eyes gleamed. Mugyeol felt as if something had suddenly gripped his heart.
“Endless competition—only by weeding out the weak can the strong endure the winter with full granaries.”
“……I know. I’m sitting here today because I cut down my own brothers.”
“And yet, why are you so lenient with the fourth?”
At Sangcheon’s question, Mugyeol silently swallowed his thoughts.
Because he’s the only child of the woman I ever loved.
Sangcheon clicked his tongue at the silence.
“And the third daughter-in-law?”
“She’s been imprisoned in the underground dungeon.”
“Was she in on it?”
“It doesn’t matter. The Baekyak Mountain Villa is already known to be affiliated with the Demon Sect. She’ll never see the light again.”
At his indifferent reply, Sangcheon chuckled.
“Still, a woman you lived with for over twenty years… Isn’t that harsh?”
“It was just a relationship of mutual benefit. If she has nothing more to offer me, I have nothing to give in return.”
“Haha… Wonderfully twisted. You truly are a Moyong.”
Sangcheon nodded with satisfaction.
“Our family is strange—we become obsessively fixated on one thing. It can be a source of great progress… or a shortcut to ruin.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Have you chosen the next successor?”
“……Not yet.”
“Do as you see fit. I won’t meddle in such trifles.”
Sangcheon stroked his chin with a sly smile.
“Ah, but there’s one thing I do want.”
“What is it?”
“I want to take a disciple.”
“A disciple…? Who?”
When Mugyeol asked in surprise, Sangcheon licked his lips and pronounced each syllable clearly:
“Namgung Hoyeon.”
* * *
The Baek Family Sword Assembly had ended.
All the junior disciples had returned to Liaoning. With the announcement of the winning team approaching, most spent their time bonding or resting.
“Sigh, hyung… Do we really have to go this far?”
Hoyeon muttered as he straightened the stiff, starched blue martial uniform.
The stiff fabric rustled with every movement, and the fit was less than comfortable.
Sanggwan Hae chuckled heartily.
“Haha, brother Namgung. Didn’t you say you wanted to become famous?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Fame doesn’t come overnight. It requires steady effort.”
“Hmm…”
‘Back in the day, I just cut down the flashy ones and got famous. Or… was that infamy?’
As Hoyeon grumbled, Jegal Ahyeon combed his messy hair with delicate strokes.
“Hoyeon. Brother Sanggwan is right. The other disciples saw what you did with their own eyes, but they’re just a hundred mouths.”
“Exactly! There’s even a saying, the tip of the brush is mightier than the sword!”
Tap!
At that moment, Moyong Yul came trotting in, holding a plate of candied tangerine peels, and wedged himself between Hoyeon and Ahyeon.
“What nonsense is that? Is the brush some kind of judge’s pen or something? Tch tch.”
“Hehe, maybe.”
Hoyeon casually patted Moyong Yul’s head as he grabbed a sweet, making the younger boy beam.
Jegal Ahyeon chuckled softly and reached toward Hoyeon’s lips.
“Hoyeon. You’ve got honey on your face—don’t be messy with guests coming soon.”
“Huh? Oh. Thanks.”
As she gently wiped his lips, Moyong Yul’s blue eyes flickered with jealousy.
“Hmph…”
Jegal Ahyeon smiled gracefully while Moyong Yul clenched his fists like a child whose favorite toy had been snatched away.
Watching from a corner, Tang Segi tilted his head.
“…What is this?”
“Nyaa!”
“And what are you?”
“Nyaaang?”
He turned to see Wolmyo, the cat, flicking its tail—with a red mouse riding on its head.
A rat riding a cat? Is anything normal around here?
Even Tang Segi, a direct descendant of the Tang Clan, known for poison and assassinations, found himself doubting reality.
Am I… the normal one after all?
“Ah, looks like the guests have arrived!”
Just then, Sanggwan Hae leaped to his feet.
“Ahem, hem.”
“Are they here?”
“Haha, the young hero of the Namgung clan. I look forward to meeting him.”
“An honor to host the literati of Liaoning. Let me introduce the hero who brought down the Demon Sect—Young Lord Namgung Hoyeon!”
Sanggwan Hae brought in about a dozen men in scholar’s robes.
They were all poets and literati who had passed the regional civil service exams.
‘Ugh, dealing with scholarly types isn’t my thing… But whatever.’
Hoyeon rose and offered a formal martial greeting.
“I am Namgung Hoyeon. It is my great honor to meet such esteemed gentlemen of letters.”
“Oooh!”
“Impeccably eloquent!”
“So he’s the one who took down the Demon Sect? He looks so young!”
“Brows like a tiger, nose like a phoenix, and thick brows like a dragon’s whiskers!”
Whatever Hoyeon thought inwardly, his outward appearance was striking enough to make even a passing deer do a double take.
Poets, who adored beauty, were completely taken in.
‘Hehehe… My dear brother Hoyeon, grow famous quickly. Your fame is my joy!’
Sanggwan Hae, who had spared no expense gathering the Liaoning literati, smiled with satisfaction.
He had seen a dormant dragon begin to stretch its wings at this tournament.
All that was left was for the dragon to fly—and he intended to ride on its back.
‘Let’s go far together!’
He considered his gamble a huge success.
