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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Th-That’s absurd!”
As expected, Peng Ha-ryeong was the first to react to Dugu Bin’s shocking statement.
Stepping in front of Namgung-Woo, as if to protect him, she removed her veil.
Although her face had been revealed to the Clear Water Sect disciples during her fight with No Hae-rip, she had consistently worn it since then.
Naturally, she had worn it in Jing County as well, even while submitting their request at the Guya Workshop.
So, this was practically the first time her face had been revealed here.
However, Peng Ha-ryeong’s fame was limited to Hebei.
Here in the Jiangnan region, she was unknown.
While people admired her beauty, no one recognized her.
“Who are you?”
Dugu Bin tilted her head slightly, asking out of politeness rather than genuine interest.
This only irritated Peng Ha-ryeong further.
How dare she try to gain sympathy with her innocent act in front of Oppa?
She wouldn’t back down.
“I…!”
She opened her mouth to retort, but her words caught in her throat.
She had removed her veil out of a competitive spirit, wanting to match Dugu Bin’s boldness.
She had already shown her face once, and the only new people here were the two Guya Workshop masters and Dugu Bin.
But should she reveal her identity here?
[It’s alright.]
Namgung-Woo’s gentle voice resonated in her mind through Secret Voice Transmission.
The Four Seasons Gathering was over.
The Guya Workshop Master would spread word of his commission, regardless of Peng Ha-ryeong’s involvement.
She no longer needed to worry about unwanted attention due to her fame.
They would be involved whether she liked it or not.
With Namgung-Woo’s approval, her confidence surged.
The Dugu Family?
Fine.
She acknowledged their power.
They were the strongest of the Four Great Families, the core of the Black Blood Alliance.
But so what?
The Peng Family was one of the Seven Great Families of the Murim Alliance.
Sure, unlike the Dugu Family, there’s the overwhelming powerhouse of the Hyeonwon Family—but even the Dugu Family falls short before them.
The Peng and Dugu Families, both possessing Twelve Sovereigns, held equal authority in the Jianghu.
She straightened her back.
Could they not already see the difference between her and Dugu Bin?
With a triumphant smile, she declared,
“I am Peng Ha-ryeong, daughter of the Hebei Peng Family.”
“The Peng Family?”
While her revelation was meant to be shocking, Dugu Bin’s reaction was utterly indifferent.
Instead, the Clear Water Sect disciples, who had already guessed her identity based on her appearance, gasped.
“I knew it…”
“The Peng Family… that explains her strength.”
Peng Ha-ryeong’s impressive martial arts, defeating even the renowned Transcendent Realm expert Noh Hae-rip, made sense if she was from the Hebei Peng Family.
But there were two even greater monsters present.
And one of those monsters, unfazed by her declaration, stubbornly pressed her point.
“So? What’s your point?”
“Y-You’re…!”
‘You’re unorthodox, so you can’t be with him, a righteous martial artist?’
She realized the flaw in her argument and stopped.
Was Namgung-Woo truly righteous?
Judging by his compassion, prioritizing lives over martial arts, and his willingness to risk his life for connections, he could be considered righteous.
But objectively, he was still unaffiliated.
He was a wanderer, existing between the righteous and unorthodox factions.
But even without resorting to the righteous-unorthodox dichotomy, she still had an argument.
“Oppa is the leader of the Azure Sky Group. And I’m a member. Do you think the Dugu Family would allow a direct descendant like you to join a mercenary group?”
Dugu Bin tilted her head again, as if confused by such a nonsensical question.
“You’re in it too.”
Her unspoken question was clear: ‘If a daughter of the Peng Family can, why can’t a daughter of the Dugu Family?’
But Peng Ha-ryeong had anticipated this.
“I have my father’s permission. But you joining the Azure Sky Group would be running away from home. Do you think the Dugu Family would tolerate that?”
Seeing Dugu Bin’s silence, Peng Ha-ryeong smiled triumphantly.
It worked.
The weaknesses of those from prestigious families were universal.
They enjoyed privileges due to their family’s influence, but they were also bound by their family’s restrictions.
Dugu Bin seemed unaware of Peng Ha-ryeong’s circumstances, but Peng Ha-ryeong knew a little about Dugu Bin.
Dugu Bin, the Jade Adorned Warrior.
The only daughter of the Dugu Family Head.
She was said to possess talent rivaling her father’s, a rising star of the unorthodox Murim, expected to become one of the most promising talents.
Seeing her today, those rumors seemed to be true.
But such talent and status would undoubtedly come with restrictions.
As the only child of the Dugu Family Head, she was the heir apparent.
An heir couldn’t simply abandon their family.
There was a reason why Peng Ja-ryeong was confined to Tianjin, earning him the nickname “The Idle Saber Lord.”
Thinking of her brother, she assumed Dugu Bin would be in a similar situation.
She had benefited from her family, so she had responsibilities.
That was common sense.
But she had underestimated Dugu Bin.
“I don’t care.”
The Dugu Family had rules.
But they also had a family motto that superseded those rules: in the end, you are alone.
Don’t rely on your family; rely only on yourself.
She had come to Jing County alone.
While the distance from Hefei, where the Dugu Family resided, to Jing County was only four hundred li (200 km), a relatively short distance in the Central Plains, it was still unusual for a family heir to travel alone.
“I don’t mind sleeping outdoors. I can wash clothes and cook. I won’t be a burden to the mercenary group.”
“Ugh…!”
This time, it was Peng Ha-ryeong who was speechless.
She was utterly hopeless at household chores.
A young lady of noble birth had no need for such skills.
Laundry, cleaning, cooking… those were the duties of servants.
She had been practicing cooking lately to cater to Namgung-Woo’s love of food, but her skills were still rudimentary.
However, Dugu Bin, raised under the strict rules of the Dugu Family and trained to be self-reliant from a young age, was a master of household chores.
She was truly a well-rounded individual.
“About that…”
Seeing Peng Ha-ryeong defeated, Namgung-Woo stepped forward.
“Even if it means opposing the Dugu Family?”
He understood she could act independently.
But to what extent?
Would she go so far as to oppose her family’s allies?
“My father gave me permission. He said I could act as I see fit, even if it means fighting against our allies, and report to him later.”
Dugu Bin stared intently at Namgung-Woo.
There was no real need for her to join him.
Her argument with Peng Ha-ryeong had started because Peng Ha-ryeong had overreacted to her probing question.
She hadn’t initiated the argument to join the Azure Sky Group.
But she had engaged Peng Ha-ryeong’s challenges.
Her curiosity and competitive spirit towards the man who had defeated her were genuine.
She found the prospect of joining a mercenary group and continuing to challenge him intriguing.
That’s why she had countered Peng Ha-ryeong’s arguments.
She calculated her options.
There was no way to refute his point.
And she understood that his words, echoing her own, weren’t a genuine invitation to follow him and challenge him whenever she pleased.
“…Fine.”
It didn’t take her long to reach a decision.
“Nam Woo of the Azure Sky Group. I’ll remember your name.”
With those words, she left the Guya Workshop.
But her words implied that she would seek him out again.
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“Whew… that was intense.”
With the tension between Dugu Bin and the two women dissipated, Wi Ji-ryang sighed in relief.
Usually, Yang Kwai would have responded to such a comment, but not this time.
The Yang brothers hurried to Namgung-Woo’s side and asked cautiously,
“Boss, are you alright?”
“What bad luck. To run into the Dugu Family here.”
The Yang brothers knew that Namgung-Woo was a Namgung.
From their perspective, he had just encountered the daughter of his family’s enemy completely unprepared.
His direct question about the Namgung Family seemed like a lapse in composure in the face of his enemy.
“I’m fine. It doesn’t bother me.”
“But…”
“Don’t make a fuss.”
Dismissing the Yang brothers, he turned to Hwa Yeok-pil.
“Master Hwa, I’d like to discuss the commission further.”
“Ah, yes. Did you bring the horn?”
“Yes. Yang Kwai.”
“Right here, Boss.”
Yang Kwai handed the Sky-Gazing Howler’s horn to Hwa Yeok-pil.
As the silk wrapping was removed, demonic and deathly Qi emanated from the horn.
“This is… Soul-Sealing Silk. Did the Peng Family give you this?”
“Yes.”
“What a vicious thing. The Soul-Sealing Silk is completely blackened. It’s useless now.”
“It’s worth several taels of gold… what a waste.”
“Hey, you! You have a treasure of immeasurable value in your hands, and you’re worried about a piece of silk?”
“Is it in my hands? It’s in your hands, Master.”
While exchanging banter, Hwa Yeok-pil and Ju Yang-hong carefully examined theSky-Gazing Howler’s horn.
As martial artists as well as artisans, they circulated their True Qi to ward off the deathly Qi emanating from the horn.
“This will take at least a month. The Dragon Eye Orb will make a perfect scabbard.”
“Will that be enough? The horn is much stronger than the Dragon Eye Orb. It will eventually break the scabbard.”
“It should last a few years. We’ll find another material by then.”
“Should we ask the Mosan Sect for help?”
“Don’t bother. Those old geezers wouldn’t lift a finger to help us.”
As the two immersed themselves in their discussion, Namgung-Woo spoke.
“I’ve heard that simply inscribing a magical formula on a spiritually imbued material can activate its power. Would that work with the Dragon Eye Orb?”
“A formula? It depends on the magic. The material is top-grade, but a poorly written formula could disrupt its spiritual energy.”
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll provide the formula for the scabbard. You just need to handle the inscription.”
“You’ll write it yourself…? Hmm, alright. That’s not difficult.”
Hwa Yeok-pil handed the Sky-Gazing Howler’s horn and the Dragon Eye Orb to Ju Yang-hong, instructing him to store them in his workshop.
“One month. It’s tight, but I’ll have it finished by then. You can expect great things. This old Hwa Yeok-pil hasn’t been this excited in fifty years of swordsmithing.”
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On their way back to their lodgings, Namgung-Woo asked Wi Ji-ryang,
“What are your plans now, Clear Water Sect?”
“Well… we’ll head back, I suppose. Senior Brother’s internal injuries have mostly healed. And without the Dragon Eye Orb, we shouldn’t have any problems.”
“You should still stay in Jing County for a few days to prepare for your departure. We haven’t made any arrangements, given the uncertainty of the Four Seasons Gathering.”
“He’s right, Young Master Nam.”
Wi Ji-ryang readily agreed with Lee Gong-seo.
“But a month is a long time. Do you plan to stay in Jing County, Young Master?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
“Oh! Oppa, let’s visit Peach Blossom Pool! It’s not far from Jing County. It’s so beautiful that even Li Bai wrote a poem about it.”
“Brother, let’s do some sightseeing while we’re here. Please?”
Since they had nothing else to do in Jing County, they agreed to visit Peach Blossom Pool at Peng Ha-ryeong and Wi Seong-ha’s insistence.
However, those plans were soon abandoned.
“The Zhuge Family is in danger!”
That was the beginning.
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