Chapter 156 : Concerning Pride
Chapter 156: Concerning Pride
At the question of the Blood Sword Unit Commander, the Cult Leader nodded as if it were only natural.
“You just don’t understand. Do you know what it feels like when that tiny child calls me with his very first word? Have you thought about it? My nephew’s first word being ‘Uncle.’ Krahahaha!”
As if the mere thought pleased him, the Cult Leader burst into loud laughter while looking up at the sky, his eyes curving into crescent moons.
That expression was one that never appeared unless he was dealing with the Vice Cult Leader, which made it clear just how much the Cult Leader was looking forward to it.
Watching the Cult Leader still laughing loudly, the Blood Sword Unit Commander also grinned.
Whatever it was, since it was something his Cult Leader liked, he felt good as well.
---
A rumor spread widely throughout the Martial World.
It said that the Nine Sects and the Six Great Clans had submitted to the Bright Cult, paid a ransom, and retrieved their masters.
The place people first pointed to as the source of that suddenly spreading rumor was the Bright Cult.
After all, it was the perfect opportunity to mock the Nine Sects and Six Great Clans, the central pillars of the Hundred Paths and the core of the Martial Alliance.
Because of that, some hopeful claims also circulated saying the rumor must not be true.
However, those claims quickly died down without strength.
The Nine Sects and Six Great Clans were all keeping their mouths shut.
In other words, there was no explanation denying the rumor.
There was no one in the Martial World who didn’t understand what that meant.
Just as people were starting to say the rumor must be true—
an official announcement came from the Namgung Clan.
<The Namgung Clan did not negotiate with the Bright Cult and has not paid any form of compensation.>
The orthodox martial artists who had been lost in disappointment and defeat erupted in cheers.
They hoped additional statements would come from the Nine Sects or Six Great Clans, but no other sect stepped forward to clarify anything.
If things remained like this, it meant only Namgung had not submitted to the Bright Cult.
For that reason, the eyes of the Martial World now turned toward the Bright Cult.
They were curious whether the Bright Cult would refute the Namgung Clan’s announcement.
But the Bright Cult said nothing.
The orthodox martial artists interpreted that silence as acceptance—or affirmation—and their cheers grew louder. People began flooding the Namgung Clan every day.
Merchants hoping for the revival of the Hundred Paths entrusted their business interests to the Namgung Clan, and numerous Righteous Will Heroes of the orthodox side who had previously wandered freely without affiliation flocked in, declaring their intent to join the Namgung Clan.
Watching the main gate and the grand training grounds of the clan crowded with people like a sea of humanity, the Namgung Clan Head smiled faintly.
After glancing at that sight, the Deputy Clan Head asked in an indifferent voice,
“Are you pleased?”
“I wasn’t fond of it at first since it wasn’t the proper way, but the result turned out better than I expected.”
“The General Manager’s stratagem wasn’t bad for gaining practical benefits. Still, I find it surprising that the Bright Cult hasn’t said anything.”
“The General Manager told me this. He said the Bright Cult doesn’t bother explaining things in detail. And what we did was something that could not be clarified without going into detailed explanations.”
“So you predicted they would say nothing?”
At the question from the Deputy Clan Head, the Imperial King Sword, the Clan Head nodded.
“Yes. I expected they would choose silence rather than babbling endlessly. And the result is exactly what you see.”
“Then perhaps the rumor as well…?”
“To be honest, I was worried about that too. I wondered if we were just spitting upward and letting it fall back on ourselves.”
“So the rumor was indeed spread by the General Manager’s office. If that becomes known later, won’t it cause problems? Other sects might react against it.”
At the worried question of the Imperial King Sword, the Clan Head shook his head.
“They say the other Nine Sects and Six Great Clans will absolutely never find out. The General Manager staked his own head on that claim, so I have no choice but to believe him.”
“Still, I never knew the General Manager was skilled in unusual stratagems. It’s my first time seeing him use such a plan.”
“Me as well. To be honest, that’s why I felt a bit suspicious.”
“And yet you chose that plan, which means…”
The Imperial King Sword trailed off.
The Clan Head nodded.
“That’s right. There were no circumstances suggesting outside interference, like someone else directing him.”
“That’s fortunate.”
The Clan Head knew the real reason the normally taciturn Imperial King Sword had spoken at such length.
It was to hear that very answer.
The Deputy Clan Head had already noticed that the Clan Head had been investigating the General Manager.
Perhaps because of that, the Imperial King Sword’s expression became noticeably lighter after hearing the answer.
“Then I will go out now. With so many people gathering, a master needs to maintain order.”
“Thank you for your efforts.”
“Yes, Clan Head.”
After the Imperial King Sword bowed respectfully and left, the Clan Head’s calm expression sank.
Because what he had just said—that there had been no outside interference—was a lie.
Through a quiet investigation, it had been confirmed that the General Manager had been secretly exchanging written dispatches with the Strategist of the Martial Alliance.
For the General Manager, who oversaw both the internal and external affairs of the Namgung Clan, exchanging dispatches with the Martial Alliance’s Strategist was nothing unusual.
To be honest, that was why it hadn’t been noticed until a proper investigation was conducted.
However, when the Secret Intelligence Inspection Corps directly under the Clan Head mobilized and examined the matter, they discovered that the General Manager had been privately corresponding with the Martial Alliance Strategist for quite some time.
According to the results of the investigation, the relationship had begun with advice on how to resolve the Namgung Clan’s difficult external affairs.
If it had remained at that level, discussing internal matters with an outsider might not have been considered a serious issue.
But the advisory relationship gradually expanded its scope, and recently it had reached the point where almost every major and minor affair of the Namgung Clan was being discussed with the Martial Alliance Strategist, Jegal Giyeon.
The General Manager had never been particularly intelligent.
The reason the Clan Head had placed such a person in the position of General Manager was because he believed the man was steadfast and not someone who would be swayed by wealth or personal connections.
For that reason, even when people constantly evaluated him as lacking in strategy and ability, the Clan Head endured the criticism and defended him.
At the very least, unlike previous General Managers, he had never been swayed by connections or wealth to handle matters unfairly.
Yet such a man had turned to an outsider…
“Haah…”
A sigh escaped the Clan Head’s lips.
Because he could roughly guess why the General Manager had done such a thing.
Lack of ability.
That evaluation had become fatal to him.
But after receiving help from Jegal Giyeon, such evaluations gradually decreased.
Recently, he had even begun receiving praise as a capable General Manager both inside and outside the clan.
The Clan Head suspected that such evaluations had seeped into the General Manager like a drug.
Why hadn’t he corrected the situation even after knowing it?
Because it was the Clan Head himself who had placed the General Manager in that position, suppressing the negative evaluations of the Council of Elders with his own authority.
In other words, the General Manager’s failure would become the Clan Head’s failure.
If the elders expanded the matter into claims that the Clan Head’s unilateral decisions and arrogance had endangered the clan or damaged its honor, his position itself could be threatened.
The Clan Head had not the slightest intention of allowing that.
That was why he kept his mouth tightly shut even after learning about the General Manager’s deviation and the outside interference.
‘Still, the other party is the Strategist of the Martial Alliance. Someone like that wouldn’t do something that harms the Namgung Clan, one of the central pillars of the Hundred Paths.’
He repeatedly chanted that vague expectation in his mind like a spell.
Yet the Clan Head’s eyes, as he repeated those thoughts, were filled with an uneasy anxiety.
---
When rumors praising the Namgung Clan spread throughout the Hundred Paths, the Bright Cult was furious.
Because they knew perfectly well what price the Heavenly Dragon Sword King and Namgung Chang-yeon had paid before returning.
But no one spoke of it aloud.
Not because explaining it would require long details, but because a rumor had already spread widely within the Bright Cult that Namgung Hee-yeon would become the Vice Cult Leader’s spouse.
Moreover, what if the Cult Leader—who went around every day calling her “sister-in-law”—heard that someone had been going around saying things about Namgung Hee-yeon?
No one in the Bright Cult wanted to experience the terrifying consequences that would follow.
That was the real reason the Bright Cult remained silent about the Namgung Clan’s situation.
The rumor that the people of the Bright Cult firmly believed—that Namgung Hee-yeon would become the Vice Cult Leader’s spouse—naturally did not remain confined within the walls of the main fortress.
Eventually, the rumor crossed the fortress walls, passed through the mountain foot village below, and spread even to the Military Farm Village.
Since there were many people staying within the Bright Cult thanks to the Vice Cult Leader’s grace, they could not simply remain still after hearing such news.
Given the poverty of the village people, they had no wealth to offer as congratulatory gifts, so they decided to create presents using what they had.
Clothes they had carefully saved and never worn were brought out, and cheap ornaments received during weddings and treasured at the bottom of chests were gathered together.
With those materials, skilled artisans used their craftsmanship to create fine garments and fairly beautiful accessories.
Carrying those items, several women chosen as representatives came to the main fortress.
The surprising thing was that the person they sought was not Yul Han but Namgung Hee-yeon.
Yul Han only learned of it later through the stories of the Ice Heaven Blade King and Gu Tae, who came to see the Vice Cult Leader after stopping by the Cult Leader first.
Upon hearing that, Yul Han headed toward Namgung Hee-yeon’s residence.
Honestly, he felt offended.
Because she was a woman who only thought of herself and used him for the sake of her own clan.
That was why he had intentionally shut off his perceptive sense toward that area, to show that he wasn’t paying attention.
That was why he hadn’t noticed even though people were crowding there like that.
Or rather, to be honest, he did know that many people were coming and going. Even if he intentionally excluded Namgung Hee-yeon’s pavilion from his perceptive sense, he couldn’t possibly miss that much.
The real problem was the conversations of the women from the main fortress who entered and exited Namgung Hee-yeon’s pavilion.
How could every single one of them speak in such vulgar and lewd ways…
Well, most of them were courtesans anyway.
That was the main reason he had simply ignored it.
But now the situation had changed.
He couldn’t allow even ordinary village women to join in and mix his name with hers in such stories.
Because of that, Yul Han, who had been walking angrily, suddenly halted.
The moment he released the perceptive sense he had shut off, conversations poured into his ears.
“…that’s what happened. So ignorant country peasants like us didn’t starve to death and are still alive.”
After the voice of a woman he didn’t recognize, Namgung Hee-yeon’s voice followed.
“Did the Vice Cult Leader really do that?”
“Yes, Madam. If it hadn’t been for the Vice Cult Leader, we wouldn’t have survived.”
“Not only that. He even opened the path for our children to become martial artists and teaches them letters too.”
“That’s right. My child used to say his only wish was to write his own full name, but these days he does calculations with ease and even quotes the classics.”
The chaotic chatter of the women was all praise for Yul Han.
Then Namgung Hee-yeon’s voice was heard again.
“The Vice Cult Leader is very different from what I imagined.”
“How did you imagine him?”
“Rough, barbaric, and fierce…”
Perhaps thinking she had criticized him too openly in front of the Bright Cult’s people, Namgung Hee-yeon trailed off.
The women replied.
“He is frightening. He really is frightening. But that’s not all.”
“Of course not. He has a warmer heart than any man.”
“Just look at how he takes care of lowly people like us.”
As the women continued speaking one after another, Yul Han quietly turned away.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
As he returned to his residence, he saw Demon Flower running urgently toward the main gate.
Since Demon Flower had been practically obsessed with training recently in order to catch up with the other Five Demons who were ahead of her, Yul Han found it strange.
After returning to his residence, Yul Han asked the Iron Demon, who was in the middle of training,
“Did something happen to Demon Flower?”
“Huh? Why?”
“She was running in a hurry. I wondered if something had happened.”
The one who answered Yul Han’s question was not the Iron Demon, who had been so absorbed in training that he didn’t know what was happening around him, but the Ghost Demon.
“Ah! She said she had to meet someone.”
“Who?”
“The daughter of Golden Flower Manor.”
“The daughter of Golden Flower Manor… you mean Miss Hwayeong?”
“Yes. She said she had been hanging from the wall watching the Vice Cult Leader, and that the Vice Cult Leader smiled when he turned around… She said if she stayed still, someone else might snatch away the finished meal, so she hurried off.”
Yul Han thought about what that meant for a moment.
Then his expression twisted.
He had finally realized what Demon Flower’s words implied.
Watching him, the Ghost Demon and the Profound Demon smiled meaningfully.
Of course—
“What does that mean? What did Demon Flower mean by that?”
—there was also the Iron Demon, persistently asking the Ghost Demon in complete confusion.