Chapter 249 : Revelation
The reason Namgung Hui couldn't get any answer from Murong Soran was...
-Thud.
Because she had collapsed straight onto the training ground.
Namgung Hui also sensed that the match was over and had withdrawn his sword.
She, too, must have realized that she had lost.
'As expected, she can't return the energy of lightning.'
Perhaps Beak Seolhwa had also defeated Murong Soran in this way.
The extreme yin energy that Beak Seolhwa used was not of a nature to be easily returned.
Well, if the Flower Grafting martial art that Murong Soran had created were to develop further, the result might be unknown, but she hadn't reached that point yet.
'And it's not like Seolhwa and I are staying in the same place.'
Even so, the martial art that Murong Soran had shown just now was amazing enough to be beyond admiration and astonishing.
To be honest, Namgung Hui's true feeling was that he wanted to ask for the martial art's oral secrets more than the information of the Hoicheon Association.
But since the condition she had put forward was the information of the Hoicheon Association, she wouldn't tell him even if he asked.
Who in their right mind would leak the ultimate technique they had created themselves?
Namgung Hui looked at Murong Soran, who had fallen on the ground, and then helped her up.
Perhaps because people were flocking after hearing the loud noise, he felt the need to move to a different place to have a secret conversation.
But this was the Golden Merchant Guild, not the Namgung family.
He couldn't think of a suitable place to have a secret talk.
But he couldn't just go back to Hwang Sujin's office.
Only one place came to mind, a place where Namgung Hui not only knew the geography but could also enter freely now.
'Alright. Let's go there.'
Namgung Hui carefully carried Murong Soran on his back and began to leave the training ground.
The onlookers who had flocked glanced at Namgung Hui, but no one stopped him.
Namgung Hui was also in the form of a woman.
And since the person on his back also looked to be of a similar age, they seemed to think they were just acquaintances.
And perhaps Hwang Sujin had also given some kind of hint.
Despite this commotion, there was no movement from the security guards within the Golden Merchant Guild.
'Or maybe the Association had taken measures in advance.'
With Murong Soran's martial prowess, it would have been difficult to think that she would be defeated right away.
If she were to really fight the General, Murong Soran would only be slightly behind.
Perhaps she could even subdue the General with the technique of Flower Grafting.
If it came to actual combat, there was no guarantee of how the result would turn out.
Namgung Hui walked for a long time, carrying Murong Soran.
Now, the onlookers who had flocked were no longer visible, and the number of people was gradually dwindling.
In other words, it meant that this was a place where people had no reason to come for business.
At the place he thus arrived, a woman greeted Namgung Hui with a surprised expression.
"You are Namgung Jayeon...?"
"It's been a while, ma'am."
"Don't call me ma'am!"
"Why? If you're married, aren't you a ma'am?"
"Ahem! I don't have any children yet. And the age difference between you and me is only 10 years!"
"So you want me to call you older sister?"
"Older sister, my ass. Just call me by my name instead."
"Alright. Older Sister Yeonhui."
Murong Yeonhui shook her head and plopped down on a chair.
"Seeing as you've even defeated Soran, you must be much stronger than the Association calculated."
"That's right. As they say, 'new day by day, and again new day by day.' Since I'm a growing sprout, I can't help but grow differently every day."
"You didn't come here just to brag like that. What's your business?"
Namgung Hui gently set Murong Soran down next to him and then opened his mouth in a low voice.
"From what I roughly heard from Sujin, you've decided to switch to the Golden Merchant Guild's side?"
"...Yes. With you people threatening me so much, could I just stand by? I have no choice if I want to live. And who knows. Maybe I'm just pretending to switch sides and playing both sides."
"Is that so? You have two legs, but only one life, so judge for yourself."
It wasn't for nothing that Namgung Hui had come to see Murong Yeonhui.
It was also to give a stern warning that could be called a threat.
He could have tortured her with the Bone and Tendon Separation technique right now, but directly inflicting harm was third-rate.
'When you see others in pain, you get scared for no reason. Even things that are nothing when you actually experience them.'
He had no intention of torturing Murong Soran, but if she broke her promise, he could try performing the Bone and Tendon Separation technique.
Well, anyway, the image Namgung Hui wanted to show was the scene of Murong Soran confessing everything to Namgung Hui.
Even if she didn't keep her promise, it would all be useful in its own way, so Namgung Hui had nothing to lose.
"Then shall we wake up Murong Soran?"
Namgung Hui placed his palm on Murong Soran's back and sent his internal energy into her.
The cozy energy of the Purple Thunder Ki not only awakened a person's spirit.
It also had the effect of stimulating the whole body and infusing it with vitality.
"Umm... Older sister?"
"Yes. Soran. It's me. How did you lose to the child of the Namgung family?"
Murong Soran glanced at Namgung Hui and then sat up.
"...The opponent was bad."
"You said you wouldn't lose to a talent of the younger generation, but you've lost twice. Yes. Are you alright?"
"Yes. I'm fine. Are you hurt anywhere, older sister?"
"Not yet. Even if something like that happens later. With the young lady of the Namgung family here, could I even say anything?"
Murong Soran glared at Namgung Hui and continued.
"She's not a woman. He's a man. His name is Namgung Hui, do you know him?"
"...! The Hidden Dragon. Of course, I know him. How could I not know the fellow the General is so concerned about? Come to think of it, there wouldn't be anyone in the Namgung family as strong as him besides that fellow."
"His looks are pretty, so it's hard to tell just from his appearance. I also realized it after seeing his martial arts."
Only then did Murong Yeonhui examine Murong Soran's body.
Large and small scars were visible here and there.
Murong Yeonhui gently traced those wounds, then glared at Namgung Hui and said.
"To inflict such wounds on a child who hasn't even married yet... You wicked thing. Do you think you're all that just because you have a pretty face?"
Namgung Hui was dumbfounded.
In the first place, when Namgung Hui and Murong Soran fought, he didn't even know she was a woman.
And in a duel, the relationship between men and women was meaningless.
If Namgung Hui had gone easy on her because she was a woman, he would have lost his life to the Sosu Mahu early on in his past life.
"No. Wait. I'm the one who brought her here for interrogation, so why am I the one being scolded?"
That's right. Namgung Hui was the one in power, and the Murongs were thoroughly the ones at a disadvantage.
Nevertheless, why was Namgung Hui being scolded and rebuked?
"Tsk, tsk. To not know women, to not know them so much. That's why you're not making any progress with the Young Palace Mistress."
"Progress, what do you mean by that?"
"Are you really asking because you don't know? Or are you trying to deceive even yourself? Did you think I wouldn't know that you and the Young Palace Mistress are in that kind of relationship? Since we're on the topic, tell me. Do you really not have any feelings for the Young Palace Mistress, no, the child named Beak Seolhwa?"
"...No. First, about the Association..."
"I told you to just tell me. Who knows. Maybe we women can join forces and help you."
For a moment, Namgung Hui's eyes trembled, and then his mouth opened with a firm expression.
"Alright. Let's hear that great advice of yours."
Murong Yeonhui grinned and nodded her head.
Namgung Hui, having forgotten his original purpose, was engrossed in listening to Murong Yeonhui's long speech.
Her advice was more realistic than he thought, and there was a lot of useful advice that spanned both his past and present lives.
Of course, all the stories were about male-female relationships.
And so, as time ripened, Namgung Hui and the Murong sisters were able to become quite close.
* * *
Namgung Hui, who had left the Golden Merchant Guild, smiled to himself at the unexpected harvest.
It wasn't just because he had received advice on male-female relationships from the Mo Yong sisters.
Above all, the biggest harvest was, of course, about the Hoicheon Association.
The reason the Mo Yong sisters had readily cooperated with Namgung Hui was because they had many complaints about the Hoicheon Association.
It was natural for internal complaints to grow the more one was strongly suppressed.
There was a reason why the black market had established the Iron Blood Alliance.
In that context, Murong Yeonhui and Murong Soran also had too many accumulated complaints about the Hoicheon Association.
First and foremost, Murong Yeonhui's biggest complaint was that she had been forced into this unwanted marriage.
And Murong Soran's big complaint was that even though she had achieved greater martial talent and achievements than Murong Junseong, she was treated as nothing more than an errand girl, let alone being treated well.
Of course, Namgung Hui couldn't just believe their words.
All of this could have been an act to deceive Namgung Hui.
Still, the information he had obtained from them was not something that could be simply ignored.
The members and internal structure of the Hoicheon Association, specifically the Northern Heaven, and why they had joined the Hoicheon Association, etc.
It was too specific and plausible to be a story they had concocted just to deceive Namgung Hui.
'It's almost identical to the knowledge I have about the foreign martial world. Besides, the story of the North Sea Ice Palace is something I can find out right away by asking Seolhwa.'
So there was also a slightly grating part.
Beak Seolhwa's birth.
Although it was not her hometown in this life, in her past life, Beak Seolhwa was said to have been born and spent her childhood in the North Sea Ice Palace.
Then, she was involved in some incident, lost her parents, and was sent to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
He couldn't ask in detail as it seemed to be a painful memory, but the fact that her roots were in the North Sea Ice Palace was an unchanging fact.
Even the Little Beast Demon Art she used was based on the ice art of the North Sea.
Anyway, since he had heard too many stories, Namgung Hui also needed time to organize his thoughts.
And although the information about the Northern Heaven was important right now, there was also important business at the place Namgung Hui was heading to.
It was a matter he had been asked by Hwang Sujin, whom he had met before parting.
'She asked me to meet the Divine Physician Sect Leader and deliver a message.'
He wanted to escort him to the Golden Merchant Guild if possible, but in that time, the Dugu Family Head could return to the Blood Cult or his whereabouts could become unknown, so it was a matter he was reluctant to do in many ways.
Still, since there were quite a few bodyguards protecting the Divine Physician Sect Leader, it seemed he didn't have to worry too much.
All he had to do was deliver the story about the new antidote for the Ice Soul Poison and the Human-Faced Poison.
And it would be good if he could also hear the experiences of Guizhou Province that he had seen and heard directly on the spot.
While Namgung Hui was organizing his various thoughts, he had left Hunan Province and entered Guizhou Province before he knew it.
But even though it was just that the ground he was stepping on had changed, he felt that the energy in the air had changed.
Perhaps because of that, the bad news he had heard about Guizhou Province also came to mind.
Stories of unorthodox path people flocking in, various crimes running rampant, and dozens of people dying every day.
It was said that the reason the Divine Physician Sect Leader couldn't easily leave his place was also due to the patients that occurred from such incidents.
Because the Divine Physician Sect treated patients regardless of their faction.
The reason Namgung Hui was heading towards the Divine Physician Sect right now was also to solve such problems.
'If patients occur due to accidents, then all I have to do is take care of it so that the accidents don't happen.'
The moment Namgung Hui, savoring the completely changed air of Guizhou Province, arrived at the first village of Guizhou Province, with a hot heat.
"Fire! Fire!"
A shout announcing a fire was heard.
(End of Chapter)