Chapter 2

Good things never come alone.

Jang Haeun shook her head.

The efforts the Sunwoo family head pours into the Namgung family are countless.

However, her husband, Namgung Baeck, despite being from the same martial arts family, maintains a certain distance from the Sunwoo family.

Once, out of curiosity, she asked him why, and his answer was quite amusing. He said that if they got any closer, the Sunwoo family might bring up marriage proposals.

In response to her wife's comment, Namgung Baeck said confidently,

"Even if he is displeased, I cannot live according to his will, can I?"

"Ah, yes. I understand. But I'm curious about what led to the sworn brotherhood after just seven days."

"Hehehe."

Namgung Baeck just laughed at his wife's question.

Unable to bear it any longer, Namgung Cheon joined in.

"Father, I'm also quite curious. In this world, Father's sworn brother is only Uncle Yeon. How did you become sworn brothers?"

"Hmm. There's nothing particularly mysterious or complicated about it. If I must say, we saved each other's lives once. Through this process, we came to trust each other and could work together."

"Wow! Uncle Yeon saved Father's life?"

Namgung Cheon looked at his father with wide eyes, unable to believe that his father, known as the Sword King, had received help from someone else.

Is Uncle Yeon's martial arts so outstanding?

"As rumors go, Father and Uncle Yeon defeated the Ming Sect together... I didn't know there was such a story."

"Isn't it said that we should only believe half of what we hear?"

"Really? Was it that serious?"

Namgung Cheon looked quite surprised.

Namgung Baeck looked at his son and said,

"The Ming Sect was not an ordinary sect as people know it. They... possessed unimaginable power. It was really our luck that we could defeat them together with Uncle Yeon."

Namgung Baeck shook his head, as if the memory was still terrifying.

"Is Uncle Yeon's True Moon Sword Technique so outstanding?"

"True Moon Sword Technique? Tsk! Where did you hear that name! Uncle Yeon's sword skills are not just the True Moon Sword Technique."

"Really? Then what is it?"

In front of his curious family, Namgung Baeck recalled the event from six years ago.

The continuous attacks from the five elders of the Ming Sect were so intense that even now, thinking about it sends shivers down his spine.

He had long given up on underestimating the sect's lackeys. The life-or-death crisis kept coming, and he had to use all his strength to survive.

Then, at the moment he was about to die from exhaustion, a miracle happened.

Yeon Mulong leaped in like a tiger.

Behind him, the Ming Sect's martial guards lay scattered like rice stalks.

Later, he learned that just as he had underestimated the Ming Sect, they had not prepared for the unknown Yeon Mulong.

As a result, their fates were decided.

Yeon Mulong's efforts disrupted the tightly coordinated attacks.

When the Ming Sect elders hesitated, Yeon Mulong took the opportunity to decapitate one of them.

The scene is still vivid in his mind.

Clearly, nine sword energies fell from the sky.

Eight of them occupied the eight directions, and the remaining one pierced the Ming Sect elder's body. It was a flawless sword technique that no one could avoid.

In the brief moment of shock from the remaining four elders, Namgung Baeck unleashed his last reserve, the Emperor's sword technique.

The Ming Sect, having lost five elders, was in disarray.

The sect leader, Moonha Seonja, fled after being hit by Yeon Mulong's sword energy.

Although they lost the sect leader in the chaos, the Ming Sect in Jiangnan disappeared from the world after that day.

After the battle with the Ming Sect, Yeon Mulong was called the True Moon Swordsman.

This title carried the hope that Moonha Seonja would never reappear.

On the day they burned the Ming Sect's signboard, he asked Yeon Mulong about the sword technique he had seen the day before.

"It's called the Nine Heavens Sword. It's a sword technique passed down in the Yeon family."

Even now, recalling that day makes his heart race.

"Yeon's sword technique is the Nine Heavens Sword. It can be compared to our Namgung family's secret techniques."

"Wow! Is it that outstanding?"

Namgung Cheon's mouth dropped open at his father's words.

"That's the sword technique I saw that day."

"But why is Uncle Yeon's secret technique not known to the world?"

Namgung Cheon tilted his head, unable to understand.

A faint smile appeared on Namgung Baeck's face.

It was the same question he had asked Yeon Mulong in front of the Ming Sect's holy hall.

"It's because the Nine Heavens Sword and the Xuan Nü Jing have not been completely passed down."

"Oh! So those are Uncle Yeon's martial arts?"

"Yes, these two techniques are said to have been passed down to the Yeon family from ancient times... Unfortunately, they have gradually been lost over the years."

"Ah! What a pity!"

A sigh escaped Namgung Cheon's lips.

The Nine Heavens Sword and the Xuan Nü Jing.

Just hearing the names gives a mysterious feeling.

Jang Haeun, who had been listening quietly to her husband, muttered,

"Hearing the names of these secret techniques, they seem to be related to Daoism."

"If you feel that way, it might be true."

Namgung Cheon nodded.

Jang Haeun, the daughter of a Wudang sect elder, had studied Daoism since she was young. If she said it, it was almost certainly true.

"Hehe! Maybe it's because I've heard many stories about the Nine Heavens Xuan Nü."

"Your story sounds similar."

Young Namgung Yeon looked at her mother intently.

She seemed very curious about who the Nine Heavens Xuan Nü was.

Jang Haeun stroked her daughter's head.

"Do you want to know who the Nine Heavens Xuan Nü is?"

"Yes."

"The Nine Heavens Xuan Nü is a fairy from ancient times. She gave military strategy to the Yellow Emperor (Xuan Yuan) when he fought Chi You. Later, she saved Song Jiang, a hero of Liangshanpo, and gave him three heavenly books."

"Wow! Military strategy and heavenly books?"

Namgung Cheon's eyes widened.

"Yes, that's why Daoists believe that the Nine Heavens Xuan Nü helped the Yellow Emperor and heroes achieve great things."

"Mother, if such a fairy exists, I want to meet her."

Namgung Cheon's words made Jang Haeun chuckle.

"Good things never come alone."

Jang Haeun's words carried a mysterious aftertaste.

So the Namgung family members in the carriage did not speak any further.

***

Four children stood in front of Baek Miju.

Baek Miju carefully examined each child, not missing a single detail, from the condition of their skin to the wrinkles in their clothes.

Yeon Mulbak, at fourteen, was perfectly prepared, with no room for criticism.

Baek Miju looked at Yeon Mulbak with a meaningful gaze.

"Do you understand? Today, you must be the best."

"Yes."

Yeon Mulbak's face was tense.

"Don't be so stiff. You're the oldest among your peers, so you need to be kind to Namgung Yeon. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

"No, if you act too stiff, the girls won't like you. Always be kind and gentle. Got it?"

"Mother, don't worry so much."

Yeon Mulbak gave an awkward smile.

He had been hearing this for days, as if it were drilled into his head.

His mother had told him to make a good impression on Namgung Yeon. This would be good for when he went to the Namgung family to learn martial arts from his uncle.

He didn't understand how making a good impression on a young girl would help him learn martial arts, but he was determined to try his best.

After confirming Yeon Mulbak's determined gaze, Baek Miju turned her head.

Yeon Seungbak, at eleven, was also presentable, except for a slight scratch on his face from a tree branch.

"You also need to be kind to your uncle's daughter. Don't play around and do whatever she asks. Got it?"

"Yes."

Baek Miju, unsure of who Namgung Yeon would like, gave a warning to her second child as well.

Next, she looked at Yeon Seolju, who was now nine. Seolju, a born troublemaker, couldn't stand still for a moment.

Baek Miju repeatedly warned Seolju.

"Seolju, don't mess up your clothes until your uncle's family arrives."

"Okay."

"What do you mean by 'okay'! You're a big girl now, so you should say 'yes.'"

"Alright, I got it."

"Ah! Not like that. Say 'I understand.'"

"Yes, I understand!"

"Where are you shouting? When your uncle's family arrives, behave properly. Got it?"

"Ah, yes~."

Although still half-hearted, Baek Miju didn't want to cause a backlash, so she didn't point it out further.

Finally, Baek Miju glanced at Yeon Jikha.

The small face made her want to clench her fists.

Yeon Jikha, the child of a servant who had ruined Yeon Mulong's life and the future of Walong Hall, stood with her shoulders hunched.

Seeing her cowering made Baek Miju even angrier.

Suddenly, overwhelmed with frustration, Baek Miju pinched Yeon Jikha's arm hard.

"Why are you standing like a cripple? If someone sees you, they'll think someone is bullying you. Can't you stand straight?"

"Ouch!"

A short cry escaped Yeon Jikha's lips.

Still unsatisfied, Baek Miju grabbed Yeon Jikha's small shoulders and shook her roughly.

"What's wrong with you, whining! Stand straight and put some strength in your legs! Stand straight!"

The six-year-old's head bobbed wildly under the force of an adult.

In the midst of the violent shaking, Yeon Jikha bit her lip.

Noticing the blood on Yeon Jikha's lip, Baek Miju slapped the child's head.

Thud.

"Why are you biting your lip and making a fuss! Are you trying to show off your self-harm to the guests? How can you become a proper person if you act like this from a young age? If your mother couldn't be a proper person, you should at least try to be one!"

"I... I... I was wrong..."

Yeon Jikha's head shrank like a snail's at the sharp words.

"You need to speak clearly! Say it again! I told you to speak clearly so others can understand you. Did you do it? Answer me!"

Baek Miju jabbed Yeon Jikha's chest with her finger, causing the child to stagger like a tree in a storm.

"I... I did..."

"What did you say? You can't speak clearly! Are you being defiant?"

The agitated Baek Miju grabbed Yeon Jikha's sideburns and pulled them up hard.

Yeon Jikha's head, which had been retracted like a snail's, now shot up to the sky.

In pain, Yeon Jikha tried to lift her head, making a screeching sound.

"Ouch! Ouch!"

"What's wrong with you, whining! Who's hitting you? Answer me! Answer!"

Yeon Jikha's face turned pale.

"I did! I did! I was wrong!"

Only when the child's voice sounded like a scream did Baek Miju release her grip.

Yeon Jikha's head sank back between her shoulders like a snail's.

Baek Miju shook the soft hair stuck to her fingers.

Then, she smoothed out Yeon Jikha's wrinkled clothes and spoke calmly.

"If you're a human being, don't cause trouble. If you do something wrong, people will speak ill of your father. Got it?"

"Yes..."