Rebirth of the Thunder God

In truth, it was more of an unexpected piece of news than an unexpected person.

"A guest has arrived from the Sichuan Tang family."

It was because someone from the Sichuan Tang family had come to see Namgung Hui.

Could they have completed the Thunder God Sword much faster than the scheduled time?

The refining of the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron required a considerable amount of time, so Namgung Hui couldn't help but be surprised.

In fact, Namgung Hui still couldn't believe it.

Vice General Manager Ju Jeongcheon continued.

"Shall I bring them here?"

"Is that alright? I have to start guarding Miss Eun soon."

"Ah. That's fine. She's gone to see the Guild Master right now. It will probably take over an hour. It's a regular business report."

Namgung Hui nodded his head.

As an outsider, he could not attend the business report meeting.

Moreover, the Guild Master's office boasted ironclad security, so there was no need for him to stand guard.

"Then I can meet them before Miss Eun returns."

"Yes. Then I will bring them."

Ju Jeongcheon disappeared with quick steps.

Namgung Hui watched his back and was lost in thought for a moment.

'No matter how much support the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild provides, it will only be material support. They shortened the time this much?'

Perhaps the skills of the Tang family's artisans had improved by leaps and bounds over the past 60 years.

With the loss of martial arts due to the great war between the orthodox and demonic factions, it wouldn't be strange for them to have invested heavily in this area.

But even so, it was not an ordinary metal, but the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.

In Namgung Hui's mind, it should have taken at least a fortnight.

'Well, I'll find out soon enough.'

A moment later.

Ju Jeongcheon appeared with the members of the Sichuan Tang family.

They were not the artisans who had visited Namgung Hui before, but all were martial artists of a considerable age.

"Is this the child named Namgung Hui?"

"Brother. Not a child. Young Master. Young Master."

"But we are also elders of the Tang family, what are we lacking?"

"Of course, there's something we're lacking. Isn't that why we came all this way? Brother, you stay out of it. I'll do the negotiating."

Perhaps because the Tang family was a society centered on blood relatives.

It seemed that both the artisans and the martial artists of the Tang family moved around in sibling pairs.

Namgung Hui had a faint smile on his lips at the sight of the harmonious (?) brothers.

"Ahem. Young Master Namgung Hui? We are the elder brother, Tang Cheolsim, and the younger brother, Tang Cheolu, from the Tang family... Why are you smiling?"

"No reason. I was just pleased to see such deep brotherly affection. If you were offended, I apologize."

"Well, if you saw it in a good light, there's no need for an apology. Anyway. Are you Young Master Namgung Hui?"

"Yes. I am Namgung Hui."

"Then is it also true that you were the one who gave that secret manual to our Tang family?"

"That's right."

The younger brother, Tang Cheolu, nodded and continued.

"There are many things I'm curious about. I'll just clarify three things briefly. First, is the origin of that secret manual really the Azure Sky Pavilion?"

"Yes. Then where else would I have gotten it? It wouldn't even be in the library of the Shaolin Temple."

"That's true."

Tang Cheolu had a suspicious expression, as if to say, 'Why did this come out of the Azure Sky Pavilion?', but there was nothing he could nitpick.

It wasn't as if the secret manual was a fake.

And it had never been stolen from the Sichuan Tang family.

Moreover, the secret manual was lost during the great war between the orthodox and demonic factions, so there was no way the young Namgung Hui could have stolen it.

"Then I'll ask the second question. Are you sure you haven't shown it to anyone else? Perhaps the Hao Faction, or the Five Poisons Sect."

The simple-looking Tang Cheolu's eyes turned fierce at the end of his words.

Namgung Hui almost let out a smirk at the unnaturalness of Tang Cheolu's appearance.

'For someone from the Tang family, he looks quite simple.'

"Of course, I haven't told anyone. Even my father doesn't know."

"The Namgung Family Head doesn't know either? Then you did this on your own?"

"Naturally, since I acquired it, don't I have the ownership rights?"

"Well, for us, it's fine as long as things don't get complicated. Then, the last question. The latter half of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers. Are you sure you have it, Young Master?"

Nod. Nod.

Namgung Hui took out the latter half of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers, which he had prepared in advance, and held it out to them.

Then, Tang Cheolu reached out his hand as if possessed.

And just as his fingertips were about to touch the secret manual.

-Swish!

Namgung Hui retrieved the secret manual and said.

"Of course, I have it. And if the conditions are right, there's no reason I can't hand it over."

The excited Tang Cheolsim snorted and said.

"No! Doesn't the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers belong to our Tang family! Bargaining or whatever, it's only right to return it to its original owner. Is the Namgung family going to be so petty?"

"Brother! Please speak calmly. We are here to negotiate."

Namgung Hui could fully understand the angry Tang Cheolsim's feelings.

The Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers was definitely the martial art of the Tang family.

And it was natural to return an ordinary martial art to its owner after receiving a reasonable compensation.

There was even a person who had received a Small Rejuvenation Pill for returning the Shaolin Temple's Hundred-Step Divine Fist in the past.

Of course, it was because it was the Hundred-Step Divine Fist that he received the Small Rejuvenation Pill; if it hadn't been a precious secret manual, it often ended with just a formality.

That was why there were sometimes people who secretly stole and learned it, but such people were mercilessly punished by the monks of the Arhat Hall.

'This is also only possible because it's the Shaolin Temple. As a single faction, they were the strongest after the Demonic Cult.'

Of course, it wasn't that the monks of the Shaolin Temple were bad.

It was strictly the martial art of the Shaolin Temple, and if one returned it to its owner, they would at least offer a small reward.

However, that reward tended to be lacking compared to the secret manual.

But, the current Tang family was different from that case.

First, the Sichuan Tang family, unlike the Buddhist Shaolin Temple, was a secular martial arts family.

Moreover, the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers that Namgung Hui had restored was definitely a higher-level martial art than the previous one.

The Tang brothers before him might not know, but at least the Tang family head would be well aware of its value.

'And yet they sent these two. Is it to test me?'

It felt like the combination itself was a carrot and a stick.

The younger brother, Tang Cheolu, offered the carrot.

And the elder brother, Tang Cheolsim, brought down the stick.

The problem was that Namgung Hui was quite displeased that they were devaluing the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers.

"Then what will you do if I don't hand over the latter half willingly?"

"Of course..."

"Brother! Just stay still. Of course, we must negotiate until the Young Master is satisfied."

Tang Cheolu's tone became a little more polite.

In terms of martial arts seniority, Tang Cheolu was a far senior to Namgung Hui.

The current fame of the Sichuan Tang family was also slightly ahead of the Namgung family.

And an elder of the five great families was of a high status that could not be compared to the younger generation.

It meant he was on a different level from the branch family members Namgung Hui had met before.

Nevertheless, he was speaking respectfully to Namgung Hui.

At Tang Cheolu's attitude, Namgung Hui brushed off his displeasure.

"Then what can you offer?"

Tang Cheolu took out a dossier from his bosom and handed it to Namgung Hui.

"Here is the first offer we can make."

"If it's the first, does that mean there's a second?"

"Yes. But you'll have to hear that directly from the Family Head. For now, please take a look at that."

Namgung Hui nodded and unfolded the dossier.

The content was simple.

[5000 silver taels.]

[100 top-quality blue steel swords.]

[10 vials of top-grade golden wound medicine.]

[2 high-grade poison-resisting pearls.]

'Two high-grade poison-resisting pearls? This alone is no small compensation.'

A high-grade poison-resisting pearl did not grant immunity to all poisons, but it did make one immune to a thousand poisons.

This alone could be said to be a great performance.

In silver alone, it would amount to a considerable sum.

Two would be perfect for his father and brother to carry.

Namgung Hui, whose body was practically immune to all poisons, had no need for it.

And were the other items lacking? Not at all.

With the rise of the Blood Cult and the Hoicheon Association.

The state of the martial world was likely to become unstable.

Iron would become scarce, and the price of weapons would soar.

100 top-quality blue steel swords were not something one could obtain just by having a lot of money.

The refining process alone took a considerable amount of time.

Moreover, with the disappearance of the Ouyang Ironworks, it was like a welcome rain in a drought for the Namgung family.

Namgung Hui folded the dossier with a satisfied smile.

"If this is the first offer, then I'll be looking forward to the second one as well."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Ah. And I should have said this earlier, but please speak comfortably. I am not only younger, but my seniority is also much lower, am I not?"

"Ahem. Is that alright?"

"Yes."

Tang Cheolu exchanged a glance with Tang Cheolsim for a moment and then continued.

"Then can we take the latter half?"

"That would be difficult. I think I'll have to give it directly to the Family Head myself."

The only person who would recognize the value of the latter half was the family head.

Since there was a second condition, it seemed there was a need for more bargaining.

There were still more cards that Namgung Hui had not yet revealed.

"Well, we've confirmed everything we needed to. Let's do that."

It seemed they were worried that Namgung Hui might sell the secret manual to someone else.

Since they were at war with the Five Poisons Sect, it was only natural to be worried.

Moreover, now that they had confirmed the existence of the latter half of the secret manual, their mission was probably over.

In the first place, if they had come to receive the secret manual, they would have presented the second condition from the start.

"Brother. Let's go back. We've confirmed the secret manual. And we've confirmed whether it has been leaked."

"Still, shouldn't we see if the secret manual is real? What if that's a fake?"

Tang Cheolu, sympathizing with his brother's words for once, secretly glanced at Namgung Hui.

At Tang Cheolu's appearance, Namgung Hui handed him the secret manual with a faint smile.

"Just look at the first part and then return it."

Tang Cheolu's face brightened as he said.

"Is that alright? Then I'll take a look for a moment."

Tang Cheolu and Tang Cheolsim put their heads together and savored the secret manual.

Slowly, slowly, they chewed on it, picking apart each and every incantation.

A moment later.

"!!!"

"Does this make sense? How can there be such an application... Hmph, indeed! It is the insight of the Poison Emperor!"

'Tang Musim is the Poison Emperor? Well. It wouldn't be strange for him to receive the title of Emperor after his death. The number of Demonic Cult members he created with his blood hands was in the hundreds.'

But their guess was wrong.

The application of the latter half was entirely the insight of the Thunder God.

Of course, since it was made based on the first half of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers, the insight of the Poison Emperor would be mixed in to some extent.

Still, it was safe to say that 80% of the latter half was made by the Thunder God.

"Ahem. I've looked at the secret manual here. To think the legendary Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers was such a great study. It's truly amazing."

As Namgung Hui received the secret manual from Tang Cheolu, this time Tang Cheolsim continued.

"Then. We will come back with the second condition, so let's see each other again then. How much longer do you plan to stay at the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild?"

"I only need to stay for another seven nights."

"Then we will bring it directly to the Namgung estate. We have to greet the Namgung Family Head as well, so it's a good opportunity."

There was nothing wrong with getting closer to the Sichuan Tang family.

Wasn't the Hebei Peng family also behind the Lake Chao Sect?

The more allies one had in the five great families, the easier it would be to hold the justification.

"Then let's meet at the Namgung estate. How much longer until it's complete?"

"It won't take a fortnight. We'll be sure to bring it before you leave for the Martial Alliance tournament."

"Yes. I hope you're not late."

Tang Cheolsim nodded and left the room with Tang Cheolu.

Their steps seemed particularly light, so it seemed they were quite pleased with the latter half of the Rain of Ten Thousand Flowers.

'Then I should go and guard Miss Eun now.'

By now, the regular report should be over.

In reality, guarding Eun Seolrin was no different from lazing around, so it seemed fine to ponder future matters next to her.

It wouldn't be bad to organize his body either.

'I feel a little sorry that it's such a freebie.'

Still, he felt good.

Because Namgung Hui had gained a one-sided profit.

However, it was just a little strange that a place like the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild was taking such a loss.

But as soon as he had that doubt, Eun Seolrin returned and said something meaningful.

"Young Master. I think we need to go out for a while."

"Where are you going?"

"Mount Hua."

The moment she finished speaking, the rich scent of plum blossoms brushed past Namgung Hui's nose.

(End of Chapter)