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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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At Namgung-Woo’s words, Peng Ha-ryeong blinked her eyes as if she didn’t know if she had heard correctly, or what it meant.
Had Namgung-Woo ever approached her so directly before?
It was always Peng Ha-ryeong who approached.
Namgung-Woo merely didn’t refuse, always maintaining a subtle distance.
Closing that distance was her own responsibility, she had thought.
As Peng Ha-ryeong remained unresponsive and blank, Namgung-Woo spoke once more.
“It’s an important story. When your talk with Young Lady Zhuge is over, I’d like you to come.”
“Yes, yes yes!”
Peng Ha-ryeong shot up and replied in a loud voice.
It was almost like a scream or a kiai.
“It can be right now! Right, Seon-ah?”
Peng Ha-ryeong sent an earnest gaze to Zhuge Seon-ah, seeking her agreement.
Zhuge Seon-ah, overwhelmed by Peng Ha-ryeong’s forcefulness, nodded her head with a flustered expression.
“Seon-ah, sorry, let’s continue our talk later.”
Peng Ha-ryeong quickly said as she trotted over to Namgung-Woo.
Then, Zhuge Seon-ah also shot up.
It was good that she stood up, pushing her chair back forcefully, but when two pairs of eyes turned towards her, Zhuge Seon-ah quickly deflated.
Still, Zhuge Seon-ah somehow mustered her courage and stammered out.
“Ah, um… if what the Great Hero is going to talk about is related to this incident, could I listen in too? The Zhuge Family might be able to help… Th-the talk Ha-ryeong and I were having was also about that…”
“I apologize for suddenly interrupting, Young Lady Zhuge. But this time, I have something to discuss with just the two of us.”
“Ah, yes… I understand.”
It was pitiful to see Zhuge Seon-ah looking dejected and crestfallen, but it couldn’t be helped.
Leaving Zhuge Seon-ah behind, the two left the room and walked side by side for a while.
Those who had participated in the Yunmeng Showdown, including the Azure Sky Group, and remained in Honghu County were all staying at an inn secured by the Zhuge Family.
Zhuge Seon-ah and the Azure Sky Group were also using the same inn, just on different floors.
It seemed they were heading to the Azure Sky Group’s room within the same inn, but Namgung-Woo passed by the guest rooms and headed for the stairs.
“Oppa?”
“We’re going towards Honghu Lake. It’s a bit chilly, but is that okay?”
It was already the end of the year.
No matter how much Honghu County was a city in the south, it couldn’t completely escape the winter cold.
It was a change in climate that didn’t matter at all to Namgung-Woo, who had achieved immunity to heat and cold, but it could be cold for Peng Ha-ryeong, who didn’t have a separate outer coat.
Thus, Namgung-Woo offered Peng Ha-ryeong his own outer coat that he had brought separately.
“It felt wrong to enter your room without permission. If you’re uncomfortable, we can go back to your room for a moment now…”
“N-no, it’s fine! Thank you…”
Peng Ha-ryeong quickly snatched his coat, as if afraid Namgung-Woo would take his hand back.
Yes. It was closer to snatching than accepting.
It was not an inappropriate expression, as she had even used the finesse of the Golden Grasping Hand.
Peng Ha-ryeong immediately put on Namgung-Woo’s outer coat.
Peng Ha-ryeong was quite tall for a woman, but Namgung-Woo was a head taller than her, making her look like a child wearing an adult’s clothes.
But Peng Ha-ryeong smiled bashfully, as if she didn’t care about such appearances at all.
“Hehe… it’s warm.”
True to the name Honghu County, after leaving the city walls and walking for a while, Honghu Lake soon appeared.
For martial artists who used lightness skills, it was a distance suitable for a casual stroll.
Unlike the west side of Xia Honghu where the Yunmeng Showdown had taken place, Honghu County was located to the east, so the area around Honghu Lake had a tranquil and calm atmosphere.
“Shall we talk while walking?”
“Yes, that’s good.”
Forgetting about body movement techniques for a moment, they slowly moved their feet, letting them lead the way.
The scent of winter was mixed in the night air, tinged with the watery smell of Honghu Lake.
Even with a body immune to heat and cold, the cold winter air seemed to have something special, as the night breeze filling his lungs calmed his mind.
Namgung-Woo carefully began to unfold the thoughts he had finally organized on the way here.
“First, I want to say I’m sorry.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve been deceiving you all this time, Ha-ryeong. My name, it’s not Nam Woo.”
“……Oppa.”
As Namgung-Woo stopped walking, Peng Ha-ryeong also stopped her feet.
Peng Ha-ryeong’s face, when he looked at her, seemed calm.
Perhaps, she too might have guessed.
Namgung-Woo briefly reflected on his actions so far and thought so.
Thanks to that thought, his heart felt a little lighter.
“My real name is Namgung-Woo.”
“Namgung…”
“You’re not surprised?”
At Namgung-Woo’s question, Peng Ha-ryeong calmly nodded her head.
“Perhaps… I thought that might be the case. I wasn’t sure, though.”
“Since Guya Workshop?”
“That was the biggest part. There was no need for Oppa to ask about the Namgung Family. But even before that, it’s true that I had a slight inkling.”
Probably.
A peerless expert in his 20s appearing out of nowhere.
It was natural to speculate about his origins or backing.
“Then, Oppa, the Namgung Family…”
“Wait, I’d like you to listen to me more.”
Stopping Peng Ha-ryeong, Namgung-Woo talked about what he had been thinking regarding the Namgung Family.
“I have no memories of the Namgung Family. I’ve never thought of myself as a member of the Namgung Family. So naturally, I didn’t want to get entangled with the Dugu Family just because of the Namgung name.”
He had no connection to the Namgung Family.
He thought so at first.
He believed he was just a stranger dropped into this unfamiliar world, a traveler who would eventually just pass through and leave.
But was that really true?
Could Namgung-Woo truly assert that he had no ties to this world, that he was a separate entity?
The cracking of that belief might have started from the very beginning.
Because from the moment he received help from Song Chae-ji and Yang So-dang, Namgung-Woo had begun to form ties with this world.
Starting with them, Namgung-Woo met more people and formed connections.
Pyeong Cho-yul, Yang Kwai, Yang Jeong, Peng Ha-ryeong, Peng Mu-ho, Peng Ye-ryeong, Han Gye-ran, Guo Duan, Peng Hou-shang….
And… with the Namgung Family too.
“It was a wrong thought. I’m not unrelated. When I decided to live in this world, it was something I should have accepted long ago.”
It was late.
He should have accepted it from the moment he took in the Yang brothers and seriously resolved to live in this world.
He had dithered like a gray element, neither trying to return nor actively accepting the world.
“The identity of those who live in the martial world is defined by their martial arts. If so, then I am a person of the Namgung Family. I’ve only just realized that.”
Yes.
The martial arts Namgung-Woo had learned, the martial arts he used, the martial arts he aimed for – they were all from the Namgung Family.
The thought that it was different because it was from Chu-rok Murim was wrong.
The Sky Vault Great Evolution Divine Art and the Sky Vault Infinite Sword technique that Dongfang Huo first recognized.
Let’s say that was a coincidence.
Then how to explain the Five Yin Demonic Emperor’s reaction?
Through Namgung-Woo, he recalled the real Namgung Family member he had experienced, Namgung Jin.
And in the end, looking at Namgung-Woo’s sword, he recognized it as the Emperor’s Sword Form.
Once can be a coincidence, but from the second time, it’s inevitable.
Namgung-Woo’s martial arts were the same as the Namgung Family’s martial arts.
Therefore, Namgung-Woo was by no means unrelated to the Namgung Family.
Whether he wanted it or not, Namgung-Woo used the Namgung Family’s martial arts, and through them, he had achieved what he wanted.
And in the future, Namgung-Woo would continue to use this power.
Because his body had already become one that couldn’t imagine a past without martial arts.
If so, then Namgung-Woo also had a responsibility towards the Namgung Family.
Because there is no power without responsibility.
Even if Namgung-Woo alone refused, it would be a meaningless and ugly struggle.
Because in the end, the world would define him as Namgung Family.
“I’m going to accept it.”
“Oppa…”
He would shoulder the weight built up by the Namgung Family.
That meant also inheriting the lingering bad blood.
However, Namgung-Woo didn’t consider it a loss.
It was only a matter of time before it was revealed that he was a Namgung.
The Five Yin Demonic Emperor was dead, but Dongfang Huo was alive.
Even if not immediately, someday Dongfang Huo would use this information in a way beneficial to himself.
If it was an inevitable future, then he would face it head-on.
“I will re-establish the Namgung Family.”
To survive.
To pay the price for the power held in his hands.
Namgung-Woo resolved so.
“So, it might become dangerous from now on.”
At those words, tears welled up in Peng Ha-ryeong’s eyes.
Was he saying that to push her away?
Because it’s dangerous, because it’s a matter of a family you’re not related to, was he trying to push her away?
Peng Ha-ryeong tightly gripped the outer coat Namgung-Woo had given her and pulled it close.
She wanted to cover her ears and refuse to hear the rest, but she didn’t.
If it was a future that would come even if she refused, she wouldn’t avoid it.
Because Namgung-Woo had said so.
So, she too….
“Oppa, I…!”
“Still, I want you to be with me.”
“Ah……”
“It might be dangerous, the Peng Family might even get involved, but still. Stay by my side.”
Namgung-Woo’s words were a confession.
It was an answer to the heart he had been ignoring, a spell that dispelled Peng Ha-ryeong’s worries and anxieties.
Peng Ha-ryeong took a soft step forward and gently touched her forehead to Namgung-Woo’s chest.
“…Of course. And, have you forgotten? Oppa is the Peng Family’s benefactor… For the Peng Family to be involved in something for their benefactor, it’s something the Peng Family would be more than happy to do.”
Namgung-Woo carefully embraced Peng Ha-ryeong.
And he whispered in her ear.
“There’s one more thing I need to apologize for regarding future matters.”
“Then I’ll answer in advance too. It’s okay.”
“The promise to climb Daging Tower together when we return, it seems we’ll have to postpone it a bit longer.”
The promise he made to Peng Ha-ryeong, who was disappointed for not being able to climb Daging Tower when they landed in Zhenjiang via the Grand Canal.
The reason for postponing that promise further was because Namgung-Woo had a place he needed to go to first.
“I’m thinking of going to Luoyang now.”
“Are you planning to go to the Murim Alliance?”
Luoyang.
That was where the Murim Alliance’s main headquarters was located.
“That’s right. Luoyang… the Murim Alliance…”
Zhuge Jong, who had learned his surname through Dongfang Huo’s revelation after realizing Namgung-Woo was a Namgung.
He had told Namgung-Woo about a secret.
“There, there’s a survivor of the Namgung Family.”
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