Chapter 379: Confiscation
It would have been quite a sight if everyone had leapt up from their seats, buoyed by excitement, and rushed off to Mount Tian. But realistically, that was impossible, even for martial artists with a few drinks in them.
In the end, the martial artists decided to return to their respective sects and families to gather their forces.
“Let’s head back for now. Traveling to Qinghai in the dead of winter is impractical. We’ll reconvene near the Gongdong Sect when spring arrives, around the full moon of mid-spring.”
“That’s a good plan.”
With Namgung Myung’s wedding at the end of June, they had a generous eight months before the gathering at Gongdong.
It seemed leisurely, but there was no faster way to proceed. In fact, for some, even eight months was a tight squeeze.
Take someone like Mo Yong-hyo from the distant Mo Yong family. He had to return to the northeastern edge of the central plains, gather people, and then travel to the western Gongdong Sect.
The same went for the Eon and Paeng families, albeit to varying degrees.
Though it felt a bit anticlimactic, there was no better way to set the timing for the impending battle against the demonic cult.
The martial artists, slightly tipsy, wore excited expressions as they slowly found their way to their sleeping quarters. Jeong Ok-ryeong whispered something in Namgung Myung’s ear before quietly leaving.
Tang Mujin watched Namgung Myung and Jeong Ok-ryeong with a knowing, mischievous smile.
As the sound of snoring began to fill the air, Tang Mujin spoke to Hyun Gong.
“Namgung Myung did what you were supposed to do.”
“Indeed.”
Hyun Gong had planned to unite the martial artists against the demonic cult, but Namgung Myung had unexpectedly taken on that role.
Normally, Hyun Gong would have had more to say, but now he just glanced at Namgung Myung and kept silent.
Tang Mujin prodded him again.
“You seem like you have something to say. Why not just get it off your chest?”
Hyun Gong looked a bit surprised.
“You knew?”
“We’ve been together for years. I might not know exactly what you’re thinking, but I can tell when you are. Namgung Myung and Hong Geol-gae probably noticed too.”
Namgung Myung nodded calmly, but Hong Geol-gae’s eyes wavered slightly.
“Is that so…”
Hyun Gong scratched the back of his head nervously and sighed, sitting on the edge of the porch.
“Earlier, something about Ban Yeop’s story felt off.”
“The part about the Suhwekwan?”
Tang Mujin jumped in, but Hyun Gong waved it off.
“No, it’s not strange that I don’t know every temple on Mount Kunlun. There are over a hundred, including the abandoned and small ones. I can’t know them all.”
“Then why did you ask about it?”
“Because asking has its own significance. The tremor in the voice, the pitch, the pause before answering—these clues add up. Ban Yeop has been suspicious for a while.”
“What was suspicious?”
Hyun Gong pointed at Namgung Myung, leaning against a pillar.
“You probably guessed it too. The most suspicious part was that the Kunlun Sect disciples retrieved your father’s sword and body.”
That was the first question Hyun Gong had asked Ban Yeop. He continued explaining.
“Even if we concede they retrieved the body, taking the sword makes no sense. You know how much martial artists covet a good sword.”
Tang Mujin and Hong Geol-gae responded.
“I don’t get it. Can’t you just make one in a couple of days?”
“I’ve never coveted a sword.”
”···.”
Hyun Gong, being sharp, continued as if he had received the answer he wanted.
“Right. You’d understand. It’s unthinkable for the demonic cult not to seize a famous sword like Chamyeong.”
Hong Geol-gae interjected again.
“They said they fought desperately to drive the enemy away, right?”
“The problem is that someone as skilled as the Sword Demon died. Could the Kunlun Sect really drive off the enemy in such a fight? And without giving them a chance to take the sword? That makes it even more serious.”
“Why more serious?”
“It implies they hid their strength until the Sword Demon died, then drove off the demonic cult and retrieved the sword.”
Namgung Myung and Tang Mujin’s expressions darkened. Hyun Gong waved his hand to lighten the mood.
“Of course, there’s a slim chance Ban Yeop’s story is true. But blindly believing that slim chance is foolish.”
Tang Mujin added.
“I found something odd too.”
“What was it?”
“The Namgung Jincheon I knew wouldn’t ask for revenge.”
Tang Mujin recalled the last time he saw Namgung Jincheon.
He was a man who had shed all obligations and finally found freedom.
Namgung Jincheon’s goal wasn’t to eradicate the demonic cult.
His name, Jincheon, meaning ‘advancing to heaven,’ suited him perfectly. He only wanted to reach the heavens with his sword.
Would such a man seek revenge? Would he burden his son, who had just become the head of the family, with such a heavy task? It was unthinkable.
Hong Geol-gae, listening, asked.
“Could it be that the Kunlun Sect is already under the demonic cult’s control?”
There was a precedent. The Gongdong Sect had once been overtaken by the demonic cult. Hyun Gong nodded.
“It’s quite possible. They might be trying to lure the orthodox martial artists out of their territory to gain an advantage in battle. But that’s not the only possibility.”
“What else could it be?”
“For instance, the Kunlun Sect might not be under the demonic cult’s control but still orchestrating this situation. Remember Yu Yu-do?”
“Oh, that person.”
Yu Yu-do, the head of the Kunlun Sect.
Tang Mujin and his companions recalled what Yu Yu-do had said at the Wudang Mountain meeting.
He had declared that if the orthodox martial artists didn’t act before the demonic cult rose, he wouldn’t care if the cult passed by or not, and they would all flee together.
People thought his words were too extreme and shameless.
But as the head of the Tang family, Tang Mujin understood Yu Yu-do’s reaction.
Yu Yu-do wouldn’t want to see his disciples die under a curse. And even if he bore the curse alone, it wouldn’t ensure peace in the central plains.
Enduring meaningless hardship and losing their lineage was worse than losing honor but preserving their legacy.
Tang Mujin asked Hyun Gong.
“When was the Wudang Mountain meeting?”
“About three years ago.”
“What has the orthodox martial world done to prepare for the demonic cult since then?”
To be fair, they had fought the demonic cult’s manipulated martial artists in the righteous-demonic war.
But that was it. Even though the demonic cult’s presence was exposed, few martial artists rose to fight them. The reason was simple: the sacrifices in the righteous-demonic war were too great.
The leading figures of the Zhongnan Sect, the Qingcheng Sect, and others had died in the war.
Sects that suffered heavy losses were cautious, fearing their foundations would shake if they lost more key figures. Other sects were reluctant to take the lead.
As a result, the orthodox martial world became eerily quiet, as if nothing had happened.
It was like the calm before a storm. People knew something was coming but avoided each other’s gaze, like children believing the scary thing would disappear if they closed their eyes, or like idlers postponing burdensome tasks.
Yet, to avoid being cowards, the orthodox martial artists kept telling themselves:
“We won’t be the first to act, but when the demonic cult moves, we’ll be the first to rise and fight.”
They truly intended to do so, and now it was happening. With Namgung Jincheon’s death, everyone began to move.
But what was the point of waiting for the demonic cult to stir? They could have acted sooner.
Everyone knew, yet everyone delayed. Such is the folly of the human heart.
Hyun Gong spoke.
“Remember how anxious Yu Yu-do was three years ago?”
“Of course.”
“And in those three years, the orthodox martial world neither attacked the demonic cult nor united. If you were Yu Yu-do, how would you have acted?”
Hyun Gong’s question awakened a small version of Hyun Gong in Tang Mujin’s mind, laying out all sorts of sinister schemes. Of course, Tang Mujin believed the schemes’ deviousness was due to Hyun Gong, not himself.
In any case, the various schemes had one goal.
“···To create a situation where the orthodox must attack the demonic cult.”
“Exactly. That’s the situation we’re in now.”
“Hmm.”
The situation fit too perfectly.
The Namgung family’s wedding. The orthodox martial artists gathered from all over the central plains. The sudden news of death. The courage fueled by alcohol.
Who could back down in such a situation?
“But isn’t this all just speculation?”
When Hong Geolgae interjected with another question, Hyun Gong nodded.
“That’s right. It’s all speculation. But the pieces fit together too perfectly, and the conclusion reeks of something foul. In my experience, when a conclusion stinks, it’s rarely wrong.”
Whether the Demonic Cult had taken over Kunlun, or Kunlun had orchestrated this situation without the Cult’s involvement, one thing was clear: the Kunlun Sect was suspicious.
It seemed the conversation was over.
But there was one more thing left to say.
Namgung Myung let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“Hyun Gong, why are you bringing this up only now?”
”···.”
If someone else had brought it up late, it might have been because they hadn’t organized their thoughts in time.
But Hyun Gong was different. His mind worked at a speed far beyond that of ordinary people. He had likely made all his judgments even before his conversation with Banyup ended.
In other words, Hyun Gong had a reason for not mentioning it in front of Banyup.
And Tang Mujin had the insight to guess more than half of Hyun Gong’s intentions.
‘What changes if he doesn’t bring it up?’
‘Whether Banyup lied or, by some slim chance, told the truth, we still need to confirm with the Kunlun Sect and head to the Demonic Cult with the orthodox martial artists.’
‘If Hyun Gong had voiced his suspicions about Banyup immediately, Namgung Myung would have gone to Kunlun to verify the situation. That would be the end of it. It wouldn’t lead directly to a war between the righteous and the demonic.’
Only then did Tang Mujin understand Hyun Gong’s true intentions.
“It’s about the timing of the war between the righteous and the demonic.”
That was why Hyun Gong hadn’t spoken up immediately. To hasten the timing of the conflict, even by a little.
Instead of denying it, Hyun Gong lowered his head.
He had used his friend’s father’s death for his own purposes, and an apology was in order.
“I’m sorry.”
Hyun Gong rarely did anything that required an apology, and even when he did, he was never caught.
In hindsight, it seemed like the first time anyone had seen Hyun Gong apologize.
”···.”
Namgung Myung stared intently at Hyun Gong.
If anyone else had tried to pull such a trick on the head of the Namgung family, it would have been a disaster. It wouldn’t have been surprising if heads had rolled.
But Namgung Myung considered Hyun Gong a friend and understood how desperate he was.
He remembered Hyun Gong’s cries of anguish and curses at the world after Seolhwa’s death, and how deeply that anger and hatred had been etched into him.
Namgung Myung thought about giving Hyun Gong a good punch, but then he noticed Tang Mujin standing nearby.
He recalled his own foolish mistakes at twenty-one and how the twenty-year-old Tang Mujin had graciously forgiven him.
Namgung Myung, now thirty, felt he should be more mature than Tang Mujin had been at twenty.
In truth, he wasn’t all that angry. Time had made him a bit more of an adult.
So Namgung Myung let out a deep sigh.
“···Oh, well.”
And that was it. Hyun Gong had expected a punch, but none came.
When Hyun Gong looked at Namgung Myung in confusion, Namgung Myung shook his head.
“It’s fine. My father is gone, and we have to go to the Demonic Cult anyway. Going sooner is better, isn’t it?”
“···Are you really okay with just letting it go?”
Hyun Gong asked, more flustered than before, and Namgung Myung replied.
“There’s no point in throwing punches… But I’ll be taking this for now. I’ll give it back when you bring Banyup.”
“Taking what?”
There was only one thing Hyun Gong had that could be taken. He quickly reached for his waist.
But his hand found nothing.
Namgung Myung had used the Wudang Sect’s movement technique, Jeoyunjong, which he had secretly learned, to retreat. He raised the sword in his right hand to show Hyun Gong.
“I’m confiscating the Songmun Gogeom. If you don’t bring back Banyup, it’ll become a Namgung family heirloom.”
Hyun Gong immediately launched himself toward Namgung Myung, but catching up with him was a distant dream.
The difference in their movement skills was so great that Namgung Myung easily evaded Hyun Gong and even managed to grab Jeong Okryeong from the annex. He had anticipated that Hyun Gong might take a hostage.
Namgung Myung’s figure began to blend into the darkness.
“Just hit me instead!”
Hyun Gong shouted desperately after him, but Namgung Myung responded with a playful tone.
“Oh, come now! How could friends resort to violence?”
Finally, Namgung Myung and the bewildered Jeong Okryeong disappeared into the night.
Tang Mujin was quietly impressed. Spending the first night outdoors—what a bold decision.
Hyun Gong immediately turned to Tang Mujin and Hong Geolgae.
“Move quickly! We have to catch Banyup!”
But Tang Mujin and Hong Geolgae weren’t very cooperative.
“Why should we?”
Hyun Gong sighed deeply, then sprinted in the direction he expected Banyup to have gone.
But even by the time the sun rose the next day, Hyun Gong hadn’t found Banyup.