Rebirth of the Thunder God

"Who might you be?"

At Namgung Hui's question, the man who appeared to be a scribe asked back.

"Who do you think I am?"

'Wait, he said Jegal Geon's position was squad leader, right? If he's a superior, wouldn't that only leave the commander?'

"Are you not the Commander of the Vermilion Bird Squad?"

"Well, I suppose I did give quite a few clues. Then, would you care to guess my name?"

It seemed he enjoyed philosophical questions.

This was a common pastime for scholars, so rather than feeling out of place, Namgung Hui thought it was very fitting for the Vermilion Bird Squad.

Namgung Hui quietly observed the Vermilion Bird Commander.

It was as if he were scanning fragments of the past in the man's face.

'Cool eyes, smile lines, an unreadable expression... He's from the Gongson family. Figuring out the family isn't hard, but to guess the name...'

Anyone else would have given up easily.

Guessing a person's name, unlike other personal details, was a considerably difficult task.

Still, Namgung Hui kept rolling his eyes, searching for clues.

Seeing that Namgung Hui didn't give up, the Vermilion Bird Commander's lips curled up in satisfaction.

'The people of the Gongson family liked to write their names on their belongings. They hated losing things.'

Namgung Hui channeled his thunderous energy into his eyes, heightening his vision to its absolute limit.

It was a type of eye technique called Telescopic Vision.

On the judge's brush hidden in the Vermilion Bird Commander's robes, he saw the characters 'Jeong' (政) and 'U' (祐).

"Gongson Jeong-u. That is the Commander's name."

"!!!"

Jegal Geon looked at Namgung Hui in astonishment.

Gongson Jeong-u also scanned Namgung Hui with an intrigued gaze.

"You. I heard you were struck by lightning not long ago?"

"Yes."

"There's a saying that being struck by lightning brings a fortuitous encounter. Sometimes one gains superpowers, or an ancestor appears in a dream to tell them something. Or..."

"Or?"

"They say some even recall memories of a past life."

"!!!"

This time, it was Namgung Hui who was startled.

He hadn't expected to be hit with the truth so suddenly.

Then again, the Gongson family was a scholarly household no less esteemed than the Jegal family.

It wouldn't be strange for them to know of such things.

Gongson Jeong-u looked at Namgung Hui and continued.

"You must have been a member of our Gongson family in a past life. Seeing how clever you are. Hahaha."

Namgung Hui felt a sudden drain of energy at Gongson Jeong-u's eccentric remark, but he couldn't ignore it.

Wasn't this man the one who had come closest to the truth?

"In that case, Commander. Has my innocence been proven?"

"Yes. Our investigation also concluded that it was a legitimate act of self-defense. Don't feel too bad about it. It's always best to be thorough so that no one can find fault later."

Namgung Hui understood completely.

Especially since the investigator, Jegal Geon, was his friend, others could easily see it as biased.

'The Hebei Peng family, he said. They would surely try to make an issue of it.'

Well, the Hebei Peng family was a problem to be dealt with later.

They were not a faction that could be handled with simple force like the Lake Chao Sect.

He would need a tedious justification, and a direct confrontation would surely invite intervention from the Martial Alliance.

Now that the Demonic Cult had emerged, they wouldn't just stand by and watch the power of the orthodox faction weaken.

Since the Vermilion Bird Commander had appeared at just the right time, Namgung Hui decided to ask some questions.

He could have asked Jegal Geon, but the commander would surely have much more information.

"Commander. By any chance, could I know which places have been damaged by the Demonic Cult?"

"Detailed information would be difficult, but the places that were damaged... there's no reason I can't tell you. It's something that will be known soon enough anyway... First, the Mount Hua Sect suffered great damage. We don't know the details either, but it seems they lost something important."

It seemed the Mount Hua Sect had not yet informed the outside world.

They might be planning to resolve it on their own, or they could be worried about attracting moths to a flame.

While the Purple Mist Divine Art was one thing, the Purple Mist Pills would be hard to trace if swallowed.

'Their fame and reputation will also be tarnished. In any case, it means their security was lax.'

"Are there any other places?"

"Well, there's the Namgung family right in front of you. And I heard the Wudang Sect also suffered some damage, but it doesn't seem to be as bad as Mount Hua. They weren't in such a fuss."

Including the Namgung family, it seemed to be a total of three places.

'Except for Wudang, all are related to the Three Martial Gods. So it was an act of revenge after all.'

The Three Martial Gods.

The Martial God, Namgung Cheonhu.

The Sword God, Wi Jinmyeong.

The Thunder God, Le Jaseong.

The Martial God was from the Namgung family.

The Sword God was the sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect.

As for the Thunder Sect, it was passed down to a single successor, and even the Demonic Cult had no way of knowing its location, so it seemed they had targeted the Wudang Sect as the next best option.

The Taishan-Beidou of the martial world, the Shaolin Temple, would have been too much for them to handle.

Well, seeing as Wudang also didn't suffer much damage, it seemed they didn't have the capacity to handle Wudang either.

'This is a relief. It means that even if the Demonic Cult has been revived, they don't have that much power.'

They couldn't even handle the single, declining Namgung family.

Of course, they might have dispersed their forces, but recalling the past infamy of the Demonic Cult, this was a pathetically weak showing.

In a way, the fact that they survived so tenaciously could be considered amazing...

Gongson Jeong-u clapped his hands as if he remembered something and continued.

"Right. They claimed they were not the Demonic Cult."

"Well, since 'Demonic Cult' is a derogatory term, wouldn't they claim to be the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?"

Gongson Jeong-u shook his head.

"No. They claimed to be not the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but the Heavenly Blood Divine Cult. In the sense of carrying out a bloody revenge. So we decided to call them the Blood Cult for short."

Blood Cult. A bloody revenge.

It was a truly fitting name.

He could almost feel the fishy scent of blood tickling his nose already.

'I wondered why they didn't get provoked by the term 'Demonic Cult'. It turns out they thought of themselves as a different religion.'

Of course, there were those who did get provoked by the term 'Demonic Cult'.

They seemed to still consider themselves descendants of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

The younger cultists, including Dugu In, who hadn't been provoked, would naturally have a weaker sense of belonging to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

Should this be called a generation gap?

"Have you by any chance discovered their base?"

"It seems to be something they've been preparing for a long time, as they've vanished without a trace. It looks like they recruited many collaborators in advance. The Ouyang family, which has ties to the Namgung family, is one such collaborator. Well, we have no intention of holding the Namgung family responsible, so don't worry."

He suddenly wanted to ask about the Hui Association, but there was no guarantee that Gongson Jeong-u wasn't a member.

In a way, the Hui Association might be more dangerous than the Demonic Cult, which had transformed into the Blood Cult.

They could exist in any faction.

They might even be in the Blood Cult's faction...

"Thanks to you, Commander, I've caught up on the news of the martial world quickly. Thank you very much."

"Hahaha. Don't mention it. Anyway, I will report your innocence to the higher-ups. And I will report the matter related to the Hebei Peng family directly to the Alliance Leader."

It seemed Gongson Jeong-u had taken a liking to Namgung Hui.

It was only natural, given his respectful and courteous manner.

Martial artists tended to look down on scholars, so showing such courtesy often earned favor.

In fact, it was because of this personality that Namgung Hui had been close with Jegal Geon in the past.

'Of course, there's no friendship now.'

"Well then, since you two have met after a long time, you should catch up. I will go and see the Namgung Family Head."

It was inevitable that he would have much to discuss with Namgung Uncheon as well.

The issue of the Lake Chao Sect was a matter for Namgung Hui and Baek Seolhwa alone, but the newly emerged Blood Cult, the identity of Dugu In, and the matter concerning the Ouyang family were not just one or two things.

"Yes. Please go ahead, Commander."

Gongson Jeong-u gave Jegal Geon a benevolent smile and left the reception hall.

Thus, Namgung Hui and Jegal Geon were left alone in the hall.

Jegal Geon fiddled with his teacup and glanced at Namgung Hui.

"Hui. I said I was sorry. Are you, a grown man, still sulking? If you keep that up, you'll lose it, you know?"

"Lose what, you half-wit. Aren't you the one who couldn't even keep his loyalty? Your ancestors in the afterlife will surely laugh at you."

Especially Jegal Liang, the ancestor of the Jegal family, might give him a good scolding.

He held loyalty in high regard.

"That's why I brought a gift as an apology. Want to see it?"

"Alright. Let's see what your sincerity looks like."

Namgung Hui looked at the booklet Jegal Geon took out and tilted his head.

"The Compendium of Love? What is this?"

"Tsk, tsk. This is why you're hopeless. Namgung Hui, you've been lying in a sickbed all this time and haven't even held a woman's hand, have you?"

This was a sore spot for Namgung Hui.

To make matters worse, the head of the Divine Physician Sect had even mentioned something about a 'bachelor's mark' and a 'virgin's mark' being a high priest's medal.

"So, did you contribute anything to that?"

"No. I didn't contribute anything. However, I have described here how to make a good impression on the women you will meet in the future. That's why I even gave it the title 'The Compendium of Love'. Well, you won't lose anything by reading it, so take a good look. It's something money can't buy."

Namgung Hui was not a narrow-minded man like some, so he decided to let go of all the old feelings.

Of course, it was absolutely not because he was drawn to something called 'The Compendium of Love'.

"Fine. Jegal Geon. I will forget the past. Since you were busy, I, the magnanimous one, will have to understand."

"Hahaha. Yes. I, the petty one, must bow down. But Hui, you seem like a different person. Is this also the effect of being struck by lightning?"

Namgung Hui recalled a conversation he had with Jegal Geon in the past and opened his mouth.

"Actually, I'm from the Demonic Cult and I seized this body with the Soul-Swapping Grand Art. How about it? My acting in this body."

"Hey. Don't say such unlucky things. You're definitely still the same flighty Hui."

The past Namgung Hui had a somewhat eccentric side.

He didn't know if it was the effect of the herb, but compared to the Thunder God of his past life, he was nothing but a child.

Well, it was only natural, as he was young and hadn't seen much of the world.

"Ah. Right. Hui. Let me tell you what's been happening in the martial world while you were lying down. Listen carefully..."

And so, Jegal Geon's mouth chattered on without rest.

Perhaps because of that, a faint smile remained on Namgung Hui's lips.

Even though the teacups had gone completely cold, the air in the reception hall was quite warm.

* * *

At the time Namgung Hui was talking with the Vermilion Bird Commander.

In the Family Head's Hall, Namgung Uncheon and Namgung Chan were having a conversation.

"So. Did things go well outside?"

Namgung Chan answered Namgung Uncheon's question.

"Yes, Father. Not only that, but we received considerable cooperation from the common people in the vicinity. It seems Hui's handling of the Lake Chao Sect had a very large impact."

"Hmm... We have been lacking in virtue all this time. These were things the great Namgung family should have done long ago."

"Father, what does it matter, as long as we are finding our way back now? By the way, our Hui needs to get married, but it seems things with the Seomun family are not going to work out."

"Yes. Now that Hui has regained his health, he must continue the family line soon. Especially since the direct line of the Namgung family has become so small..."

With Dugu In and Dugu Sang gone from the world, the only direct descendants of the Namgung family were Namgung Chan and Namgung Hui.

If something were to happen to the young family head, Namgung Chan, the family line could be cut off.

Namgung Hui also needed to produce an heir soon for the great Namgung family to achieve some stability.

"But Father, have any other marriage proposals come in?"

"I don't know about marriage proposals, but a peculiar place did come to visit."

"A peculiar place, you say?"

"The Myriad Gold Merchant Guild. Their general manager himself came to visit."

(End of Chapter)