Rebirth of the Thunder God

Namgung Hui frowned as he looked at Mo Socheon standing at the entrance of the Golden Merchant Guild.

'Why is that person at the Golden Merchant Guild?'

Hadn't he turned in a different direction when they parted?

Well, there was no law that said he couldn't turn his steps and head here, but it was inevitable that he felt awkward seeing him again and again.

For some reason, whenever he saw Mo Socheon's face, it was grating.

This was not because Namgung Hui felt inferior to him.

Should he say that it kept stimulating his instincts?

On top of that, the strange sense of déjà vu made him feel as if he had met him somewhere before.

But in Namgung Hui's head, there was no memory of such a handsome person.

Well, if Beak Seolhwa were to disguise herself as a man, she might look like that, but there was no way Mo Socheon could be Beak Seolhwa, right?

As the Hyeongmun Escort Agency's carriage reached the entrance of the Golden Merchant Guild, Mo Socheon also shifted his gaze to the Hyeongmun Escort Agency group.

Then, he spotted Namgung Hui's figure, and with a peculiar light in his eyes, he spoke.

"We meet again here. Young lady. Your name is... ah. Come to think of it, we haven't even exchanged names."

Mo Socheon had no interest in others, so he hadn't even asked for Namgung Hui's name at their first meeting.

Even though the Namgung Jayeon he was so desperately looking for was the current Namgung Hui.

Namgung Hui briefly considered whether to tell him his name, but in the end, he opened his mouth.

"My name is Namgung Jayeon. Young Hero Mo Socheon."

"!? What did you just say? Namgung Jayeon?"

Perhaps because his eyes were so big, they looked as if they were about to pop out.

Seeing surprise on such a handsome face was quite a sight.

Namgung Hui looked at Mo Socheon's face and continued.

"Yes. I am Namgung Jayeon. Is there a problem with that?"

"No, there's no problem, but didn't I say I was looking for a woman named Namgung Jayeon at our first meeting? So why did you hide it?"

"Because it didn't seem like you were looking for her with good intentions. Still, I've told you now, so isn't that enough?"

"...!"

Mo Socheon made a slightly angry face.

But since there were many eyes watching, and he was blocking the entrance of the Golden Merchant Guild, he couldn't just stand there like that.

The Hyeongmun Escort Agency, which had been stealthily watching, knocked on the gate of the Golden Merchant Guild first.

"Ahem! Excuse me, young master. Our escort agency will go in first."

Escort Leader Bang drove the carriage and passed by Mo Socheon.

Although Mo Socheon was inwardly angry, due to the sharp gazes of those around him, he couldn't block the way any longer and went straight into the Golden Merchant Guild.

Since Namgung Hui was in the carriage, he was able to enter the Golden Merchant Guild faster than Mo Socheon.

'Still, he's not just following me. I thought he would be so angry that he wouldn't be able to see straight.'

Mo Socheon, having regained his composure, was heading somewhere with his usual gait.

Since he must have a separate purpose for visiting the Golden Merchant Guild, it seemed his intention was to resolve that first.

Whether he would come looking for Namgung Hui after that was his own problem.

Since Namgung Hui also had things to do first, as soon as the carriage stopped, he jumped down and bid farewell to Escort Leader Bang.

"It's time for us to part now. It was a short time, but it was quite enjoyable."

"Hoho. I'm glad you enjoyed it. We didn't enjoy it much, but we are truly happy that we could finish the journey safely. If you ever have a chance to visit the Hyeongmun Sect later, please be sure to come. And this is the reward."

He handed over an amount that was at least four times the amount of pepper fruits that Namgung Hui had taken before.

It was abundant enough that Namgung Hui would never be short of it for his own use in the future.

'Now when I camp, I won't have to worry about the gamey smell. I should grill some meat for Seolhwa sometime.'

Beak Seolhwa, who had grown up in a rather poor environment, showed a particular craving for meat, if nothing else.

That was why when Namgung Hui had a meal with her, he would always order plenty of meat.

"I didn't accompany you to receive this, but thank you. I'll use it well."

"Yes. Please be sure to use it well. That way, our hearts will be more at ease. Hahaha."

Namgung Hui also cupped his fists to Escort Jang and the rest of the Hyeongmun Escort Agency's escorts and went on his way.

Now was the time to meet his original purpose, Hwang Sujin.

Unlike before, she had risen to the position of Young Guild Leader, so she must be busy moving around now.

If so, instead of calling the busy her, it was proper to go and find her himself.

As it happened, he also knew where her room was, so finding her was not that difficult.

Namgung Hui looked around as he headed for Hwang Sujin's residence.

The Golden Merchant Guild was certainly bustling.

People in various attires were running around in all directions.

And as if they had flocked from different regions, the way they spoke was also quite different.

'Just looking at it like this, it looks like a peaceful merchant guild that has nothing to do with the secret power struggles of the Hoicheon Association.'

Of course, to say it was peaceful, it was a daily life where loud voices were exchanged and it looked quite busy.

But wasn't it a good thing for a merchant guild to be bustling like this?

Because it would mean that it was enjoying prosperity.

Namgung Hui entered Hwang Sujin's residence, which looked quite different from before, and looked around for a moment.

There were quite a few people waiting around to go in like this.

If he were to call her out here, it would be a great inconvenience.

Although Namgung Hui didn't have much time, he decided to wait this much.

Since he was the one who had come without making an appointment in advance, it was right to endure a little waiting.

'And I'm used to waiting anyway.'

He recalled the days when he had received quite arduous training under the pretext of cultivating patience at the Huangshan Waterfall.

The waterfall pouring down on his head exerted a powerful pressure that could not be taken lightly.

So much so that if someone who didn't know martial arts were to be hit by it wrongly, their neck would break and they would die.

'Master said it was training that everyone else did. But when I found out later, it was a completely useless training.'

Of course, it wasn't that he didn't gain any patience at all.

But besides that, there were many ways to effectively cultivate patience.

Holding the horse stance for a long time.

Or holding out one's arms parallel was also a good training method.

And so, as Namgung Hui waited for about a quarter of an hour, suddenly, with a murmuring sound from the front, the people who were standing in line began to move out of the way.

"Move! Move!"

A voice quite familiar to Namgung Hui.

Although it was tinged with some fatigue, a cheerful and bright energy could be felt.

"Jayeon... no. I should call you Namgung Jayeon now. Right? Jayeon."

Until he parted with her, Namgung Hui had used the alias Lee Jayeon.

Hadn't he even told Beak Seolhwa to use the name Seol Ok-wol to thoroughly hide the fact that he was from the Namgung family?

At that time, since there was a great danger if Muchi's identity was revealed, he had no choice but to use an alias, but thanks to Cheonghak of the Wudang Sect and Muwon of the Shaolin Temple who had joined in the middle, he was able to use this to make up a plausible story.

'And so, the name Namgung Jayeon came to be included in the position of the Six Phoenixes.'

A new talent of the younger generation who had endured three stances against the Heretic Faction Leader.

If she had simply received 3 stances, it wouldn't have been so well-known.

To have endured against a master of the Transformation Realm without any injuries was a martial prowess comparable to the supreme master level.

In fact, unlike the Seven Dragons, among the talents of the younger generation who were in the Five Phoenixes at the time, only three had fully reached the supreme master level.

The best was, of course, the White Phoenix, Beak Seolhwa.

Next would be the West Phoenix, Ju Hwayeong, a secular disciple of the Mount Hua Sect who had reached the finals with Beak Seolhwa.

The third was the Heavenly Phoenix, Murong Soran.

Since Namgung Hui hadn't seen her in person, it was difficult to definitively say she was a supreme master, but since Beak Seolhwa had said she was a stronger opponent than Ju Hwayeong when she met her in the semifinals, it seemed certain that she was a supreme master.

'Since Ju Hwayeong has reached the middle stage of the supreme master level, it would be reasonable to see the Heavenly Phoenix as at least the middle stage of the supreme master level as well.'

Hadn't there also been the Heavenly Dragon, Murong Junseong, in the Mo Yong family?

The fact that there were so many talents in the Mo Yong family, which was participating in the events of the Hoicheon Association, was a slightly uncomfortable matter.

On top of that, since the Heavenly Phoenix seemed stronger than the Heavenly Dragon, Namgung Hui was inwardly curious about her skills.

"Young Lady Hwang. Have you been well?"

"Oh my. We decided to be friends, so why are you speaking formally? Should I speak formally again too? Huh?"

Hwang Sujin glared, applying silent pressure.

It was a feeling of 'you've even lied about your name, and now you're not even treating me as a friend?'

Namgung Hui, who had something else he was hiding, smiled awkwardly and continued.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to deceive you on purpose. There was something that our family was involved in with the internal affairs here, wasn't there?"

That's right.

At that time, the Golden Merchant Guild was considered a puppet of the Hoicheon Association.

Since Namgung Hui didn't know the internal affairs at all, he had treated them as mere underlings.

That was why at that time, when he was in conflict with the Hoicheon Association, hadn't he even looked at Hwang Sujin with suspicious eyes?

Moreover, since it was said that Cheon Yeohwa's family had fallen because of the Golden Merchant Guild, he had no choice but to do so.

But now, he had heard the whole story through the Mad Dragon.

And the fact that the Golden Merchant Guild had been involved was also due to the influence of the Hoicheon Association.

'It was because they had their eyes on the battlefield business and Cheon Museong's martial talent.'

Well, anyway, if the misunderstanding was cleared, there was no need to be hostile to Hwang Sujin.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Rather, it was right to think of her as someone to be recruited.

"Alright. I'll let it slide this time. But where did you leave that friend who's always sticking to you, and come alone?"

"You mean Ok-wol? Isn't it that precious things are enshrined like a sacred jar? She's being kept well in another place, so don't worry."

"You talk as if a person is an object. Then again. From your perspective, that could be the case. Anyway, let's not do this here and go inside."

Namgung Hui glanced at the onlookers watching them and whispered in her ear.

"But aren't you in the middle of work right now? If you're making time for me, I'll wait."

Hwang Sujin also whispered back to Namgung Hui.

"I'm planning to take a break by using you as an excuse. Don't be clueless and just follow me."

Hwang Sujin grabbed Namgung Hui's hand.

Perhaps because she had been suffering from work all this time, she was in a mood to never let go.

On the one hand, Namgung Hui felt that he shouldn't let her slack off like this, but on the other hand, he thought that rest was also important, so he obediently followed her and moved.

And so, he entered the reception room with Hwang Sujin.

Perhaps because the maids were watching the situation, they quickly placed a tea and refreshment table in front of Namgung Hui, as if they had prepared it in advance.

Namgung Hui gently lifted the warm teacup and savored the aroma of the tea.

"This is a scent I'm smelling for the first time. What's the name of the tea?"

"That's called Pu-erh tea. It's newly imported from Yunnan this time. It's good, right?"

"But the color is so dark, one might suspect it's poison."

"But the taste is amazing. The more you age it, the deeper the aroma gets. That one has been fermented for at least a few years. How's the taste?"

"I haven't even drunk it yet, so how would I know? Wait a moment."

Slurp.

A bitter taste that faintly echoed.

But a sweet taste rose up behind it, and a slightly astringent taste brought out the tea's aroma even more strongly.

A rich flavor flowed down his throat, and a warm energy surged from within.

"Oh. This is quite something. For some reason, it feels like it's improving my digestion."

"You have more talent in this field than I thought. That's an accurate analysis. The taste is good, but it's a tea that helps with digestion, so it's been gaining considerable popularity among the upper class lately. It's also scheduled to be supplied to the Imperial Palace soon."

"The Imperial Palace... Since you brought it up, I have to ask. How are things lately?"

Hwang Sujin, as if her throat was also blocked, gulped down the hot Pu-erh tea and opened her mouth.

"Jayeon. Please help me."

(End of Chapter)