Chapter 8

Changcheonmushin Chapter 8 (8/730)

A night as dark as pitch.

It was a day when even the moon was hidden behind the clouds, making it hard to see a step ahead.

The martial artists of the Namgung family held torches and patrolled the grounds.

They wondered if some madman would dare to secretly infiltrate the Namgung family, but they did not let their guard down.

The martial artists of a prestigious family were not made for nothing.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The torches flickered and disappeared, casting light on the darkness.

Thud, thud.

In the eerie atmosphere, the footsteps of the Namgung family's martial artists echoed indifferently.

The spacious courtyard of the Namgung family, as wide as a city street, was patrolled by the martial artists, who moved in well-organized groups.

The martial artists of the Namgung family split into teams and dispersed in all directions.

As the torches disappeared, darkness enveloped the walls of the pavilion.

In the darkness, a clear pair of eyes was revealed.

Flash.

‘They’re gone.’

Namgung Hyuk glanced at the receding torches and moved cautiously, blending into the shadows.

Dressed in a night suit, Namgung Hyuk perfectly merged with the shadows.

It was the Guiying Shinjutsu (Ghost Shadow Body Technique).

It was a concealment technique that a former Wuyingzi or Xin Tou had boasted about, a martial art that allowed one to hide in the shadows with just a bit of inner strength.

However, it had a fatal flaw: it couldn't be used during the daytime.

Perhaps the Wuyingzi or Xin Tou became a thief because of this flaw.

‘Even dog droppings have their use.’

He never thought he would use a concealment technique, but it was a perfect fit for his situation, where he had minimal inner strength and needed to infiltrate.

At least he had a bit of inner strength.

Namgung Hyuk approached the wall of Changcheonmugo.

It was a perfect blind spot, untouched by the torchlight.

‘Another wall, huh.’

This time, it was the wall of Changcheonmugo, but it still gave him a strange feeling.

‘Do I really have to do this?’

Climbing over walls like a thief.

What’s the big deal about some martial arts?

What’s the big deal about some martial arts...

‘It’s important. Yes, it is. I can climb over a wall for the sake of martial arts.’

Namgung Hyuk rummaged through his bag and took out some items.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Cloth wrapped around his body, and thick cotton was stuffed inside.

The cloth was thicker and more durable than ordinary cloth, made from the thick blankets in his room.

It was a makeshift safety device, but it was better than nothing.

‘One learns to be a person. Experience is not meant to make you a dead dog.’

Wisdom gained from a broken leg.

With the protective gear on, he looked up at the wall.

It was easily over ten feet high.

‘It’s high.’

But it didn’t matter now.

Namgung Hyuk stretched out his hand toward the wall and activated the Cheongmyeonghyeonggong.

The energy flowed, invigorating his body.

‘Great!’

Compared to when his meridians were almost blocked, it felt incredible.

Namgung Hyuk firmly gripped the crevices in the wall and pulled himself up.

‘Much lighter than before.’

Was this a positive cycle?

By expanding one meridian, the Cheongmyeonghyeonggong could be used, and as a result, his body was invigorated.

‘Great, let’s go!’

Slowly but steadily, Namgung Hyuk climbed the wall of Changcheonmugo.

‘Did you think you could stop me?’

If it doesn’t work, make it work.

Keep trying until it does.

That was Namgung Hyuk’s creed for surviving in the martial world.

“Huff, huff, huff!”

Even as he panted, Namgung Hyuk continued to climb the wall.

His limbs trembled, his shoulders felt like they would fall off, and his fingers ached, but he endured.

‘Done!’

Namgung Hyuk reached the top of the wall, grabbed the edge, and pulled himself up.

Changcheonmugo, with its imposing presence, was right in front of him.

‘Which floor should I start with?’

Namgung Hyuk surveyed Changcheonmugo from top to bottom with the heart of a thief.

Good things are usually kept on higher floors.

‘I’ll start from the fourth floor.’

He was considering whether to climb over the roof or use the Guiying Shinjutsu to find a gap and pass through the door of the pavilion.

Thud, thud.

Footsteps and a torch flickered ten feet away.

‘Already here?’

The area around Changcheonmugo was heavily guarded.

Namgung Hyuk quickly used the Guiying Shinjutsu again.

Whoosh!

‘Again?’

This time, the torch was moving inside Changcheonmugo.

It was getting closer.

Although he used the Guiying Shinjutsu, his level was low, and he would be caught if the torchlight illuminated him.

Namgung Hyuk’s eyes darted between the approaching torches and found a landing spot.

‘Let’s jump.’

Even with his fragile body, he had a bit of inner strength and a safety device, so it was worth trying.

‘It’s different from before.’

Namgung Hyuk steadied himself.

He prepared to land lightly using the Samjae Shinbeop.

Whoosh!

A sudden strong wind blew, causing Namgung Hyuk’s body to sway.

‘...The wind is strong.’

The torch was right in front of him.

Namgung Hyuk rolled his eyes and lay sideways on the wall.

He was on a part of the wall with a one-foot gap.

Namgung Hyuk gritted his teeth and held on as the strong wind made his center of gravity wobble.

The torches crossed and moved away.

Another torch appeared from the opposite direction.

‘Now’s the time.’

Namgung Hyuk jumped down from the wall.

Plop!

Realizing that his body could be swayed by the wind, Namgung Hyuk landed on the ground.

Thud!

Zing!

The shock traveled up his feet, and Namgung Hyuk clenched his teeth.

‘Ouch!’

He let out a silent scream and writhed in pain, then checked his feet.

A look of joy appeared on Namgung Hyuk’s face.

‘Not broken. Not broken at all!’

It was a perfect landing.

To fall from such a height and not be injured with this fragile body!

Namgung Hyuk was both moved and saddened.

He felt a bit pathetic for being so happy about such a small thing.

‘Once I master the martial arts properly, even this will be over.’

Namgung Hyuk quickly ran toward Changcheonmugo.

He had already spotted the entrance while on the wall.

He quickly used the Guiying Shinjutsu to blend into the darkness.

Tap, tap, tap!

Namgung Hyuk’s eyes filled with excitement as he entered the passage.

‘Done. Done!’

He passed the first and second floors and went straight to the fourth floor.

His plan was to examine the martial arts manuals on the fourth floor.

“Wow, there are so many. The Sword King’s son has a lot to boast about.”

The scale of Changcheonmugo was truly immense. The densely packed books were a sight rarely seen.

There were over ten bookshelves on the fourth floor, all filled with manuals.

Namgung Hyuk started reading the manuals as they came into his hands.

Whoosh! Rustle! Rustle!

He was frighteningly focused.

There wasn’t enough time to read all the manuals.

The speed at which he flipped through the pages increased.

Namgung Hyuk’s pupils dilated.

Rustle! Rustle!

In the darkness of the fourth floor of Changcheonmugo, only the sound of Namgung Hyuk flipping through the pages could be heard.

* * *

Changcheonmugo is visited once a day by the family members living in the inner courtyard for maintenance.

They clean and organize the books or perform repairs on the building.

Today, a servant who had been diligently cleaning and organizing the library up to the fourth floor was shocked.

There was someone on the fourth floor, where no one should have been.

Not only was the person there, but they had piled manuals on one side of the table like a mountain.

The servant’s face was filled with shock and fear.

Clearly, someone had entered Changcheonmugo, which had no visitors recently, and had even touched the Namgung family’s manuals.

Thud!

The servant dropped the broom he was holding and fell on his buttocks.

“Huff, huff! It’s an intruder!”

His cry caused a commotion in Changcheonmugo.

“Intruder?!”

“Who is it?!”

“Block the escape route!”

With loud shouts, martial artists rushed from the first floor.

Clang!

Their faces were filled with vigilance and anger towards the intruder.

Who dared to infiltrate Changcheonmugo of the Namgung family without permission?

And what kind of expert could penetrate their defenses and enter the library?

These were their questions and anger.

The head of the Hu Yun team, who guarded Changcheonmugo, leaped like a hawk.

Clang!

Drawing his sword from his waist, the Hu Yun team leader roared.

“You, you... come here?”

The Hu Yun team leader, who was about to stab the intruder, hesitated when he saw the intruder’s identity among the manuals.

“Is it, is it Young Master?!”

The Hu Yun team leader quickly sheathed his sword and shouted in surprise.

In the middle of Changcheonmugo, Namgung Hyuk sat with a dazed look, his shoulders slumped and his neck bent to one side, resembling a sick chicken.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was pale, as if he was about to foam at the mouth.

The martial artists who followed the Hu Yun team leader were also stunned when they saw Namgung Hyuk.

“Y-Young Master?”

“Is it Young Master Namgung?”

“No, how did he get here...”

Namgung Hyuk, who had been listening to their conversation in a daze, sighed deeply.

He then looked at the martial artists with a detached gaze and sighed again.

He shook his head, sighed, and weakly stood up.

Wearing a tight-fitting night suit and wrapped in cloth stuffed with cotton, Namgung Hyuk’s appearance made people gape.

This was clearly the appearance of an intruder!

The intruder walked past the martial artists.

People’s eyes naturally followed him.

Namgung Hyuk continued to sigh deeply.

“Sigh.”

He lightly patted the Hu Yun team leader’s shoulder and walked past the martial artists to the stairs as if nothing had happened.

Namgung Hyuk muttered as he weakly descended the stairs.

“Damn the Sword King’s son. What a letdown. The legendary manuals are nothing special.”

He led his exhausted body out of Changcheonmugo.

The Hu Yun team leader, who had been watching Namgung Hyuk descend the stairs in a daze, turned pale.

“Report to the head of the family!”

* * *

Crunch, crunch.

Namgung Hyuk chewed on the highest-quality jerky and sighed.

“Such a low level.”

If others heard this, they would think he was crazy.

The martial arts stored in Changcheonmugo were all of the highest caliber, capable of causing a bloodbath in a city if released into the world.

But they didn’t meet Namgung Hyuk’s standards.

In the past, he was known as an invincible master, revered as the greatest in history, on the verge of enlightenment.

He couldn’t be satisfied with just these martial arts.

The martial arts he had mastered were on a different level from those stored in Changcheonmugo.

“I could make better manuals even if I created them myself.”

A thousand years of history, what a joke.

‘They’re talking about the heart of the Namgung family.’

But recalling the memory, he had a question.

“But the Sword King was quite strong, wasn’t he?”

One of the few people who had fought him head-to-head, aside from the Ma Zun.

“He must have some direct martial arts or insights.”

Crunch, crunch.

Chewing on the highest-quality jerky, Namgung Hyuk rubbed his chin.

One divine technique is better than a hundred mediocre ones.

At his level, he would need to filter through even the divine techniques to find something satisfactory.

“Not good enough. The Sword King’s boasting didn’t match this.”

The Sword King wasn’t the type to boast without substance.

He was surprisingly rational and objective when evaluating martial arts.

– The family’s sword techniques are not just the best in the world but among the best in history.

– What about me?

– ...You practice Dao techniques.

– Sword or Dao, it’s the same.

– ...Different.

– How?

– ...Just different.

– Anyway, the family has many other great libraries besides Changcheonmugo. They are the foundation and future of the family...

– Where are they?

– ...Hmm, what should we eat today? How about some seafood? Have you tried it? It’s delicious when served as sashimi.

‘Damn, if you’re going to boast, at least hide them in an easy-to-find place.’

Namgung Hyuk, recalling his memories with the Sword King, suddenly stood up.

“I can’t do this.”

If it doesn’t work, make it work.

Since it’s come to this, he would break through head-on.

Namgung Hyuk grabbed a handful of jerky from the bowl and chewed it slowly.

“I should just ask.”

Thinking about it, he realized he didn’t need to worry so much.

It wasn’t like he was stealing from others; he just wanted to see the family’s manuals.

His inability to enter the library or go out was all due to the head of the family’s orders.

So, if he got the head of the family’s permission, it would be all over.

He needed to check the other floors of Changcheonmugo and look for any hidden manuals.

Namgung Hyuk burst out of the door. Just then, Geumcheomsang was running towards him.

Geumcheomsang, pale-faced, shouted.

“Young Master! What have you done?!”

Namgung Hyuk glanced at Geumcheomsang.

“What?”

“When did you enter the library and get caught?! There’s a commotion now. The head of the family is looking for you... Where are you going?”

Namgung Hyuk smiled and turned to Geumcheomsang.

“They’re looking for me.”

“Pardon?”

“While I’m gone, fill up on jerky. It’s delicious.”

Geumcheomsang stared at Namgung Hyuk, who was walking away.

Why is he smiling so nervously?

‘Why are you acting like this lately?’

Climbing over walls and now infiltrating the library without permission!

“Sigh, I’ll get scolded by Father again.”

Thinking about being scolded by his father, the head of the family, Geumcheomsang grumbled.

“When did you eat jerky? You used to say it hurt your teeth. What if you lose another tooth...”

Sighing deeply, he was about to turn back when he heard Namgung Hyuk’s voice.

“Hey!”

“Pardon? Pardon! I didn’t say anything.”

“Who said anything?”

“Ah, no... Why?”

Geumcheomsang looked at Namgung Hyuk, who had turned back.

Namgung Hyuk looked around and asked.

“Where’s the head of the family’s office?”

“...”