166 - Gathering, Meeting (8) - The Heaven-Slaying Sword

How did it come to this? Seo Ye pondered over the reason. 'I definitely came out to the streets to avoid Poison Phoenix.' Poison Phoenix, furious that Mystical Dragon did not attend the meeting, was spreading her venom all over the restaurant. As soon as Ilwoon and Hyewon left their seats, Namgung Jincheon took care of her and brought her outside. "Where are we going now?" When asked, Namgung Jincheon mentioned he hadn't eaten yet and brought her here. A manor not too far from the faction. It's Namgung Sega's lodging. "Ah, you mentioned you're the Sect Leader, right?" "...Yes." In front of a banquet-laid table, the head of Namgung Sega was present. Unlike Sword King or Namgung Jincheon, he bore a friendly impression with a pleasant smile on his face. "Haha, it's truly remarkable that our Jincheon has embarked into the martial world and encountered such a fate. Isn't it so?" He asked Namgung Un, the Brightsword of Namgung. Namgung Un, with an excited face, nodded and inquired back. "Yes, yes, Jincheon. How did you two come to know each other? Eh? This kid, it seemed he knew nothing but swinging his sword...!" Was it an illusion to feel the warmth in the attitudes of the head and Namgung Un? While nibbling on her meal, Seo Ye turned away from those expressions. It was then. "Grandson." "Yes, Grandfather." "...Nevermind." Sword King trailed off and began to pour himself a drink. Idly gazing out the window far away, to Seo Ye, he seemed lost in memories. The atmosphere was peculiar. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was too sudden. Exactly, it felt like a meeting of families about to be united. Looking at Namgung Jincheon, he seemed devoid of thought. Probably, he just wanted to bring her along for that reason. It appeared challenging to expect anything from him. "Yes, Jincheon must be quite frustrated, isn’t he?" Seo Ye felt uncomfortable at the head’s formal address. "...You are very straightforward." About what? She swallowed the rest of her sentence as the head seemed extremely pleased with her answer. "Look at that, he does know how to treat people after all!" "Head! Jincheon does have a sharp mind, doesn’t he!" "Yes, indeed. Were it not for the lack of interest in studies, our Jincheon could have been a great scholar!" That doesn't seem right. Seo Ye had to exert effort swallowing the words that reached her throat. Why, amidst this, was Sword King nodding in agreement? Why were his eyes filled with pride? Something was off. The thought that this wasn’t right wouldn't leave Seo Ye's mind. She soon opened her mouth. "Uh, is it really okay for a person of the dark path like me to be invited to Namgung Sega?" Yes, this was the issue. Seo Ye was clearly from the dark path. Now, Namgung Sega, one of the pillars of the righteous sects, welcoming her? The situation was fundamentally flawed. "What a sad thing to say! We are not the despicable ones who judge people by their origins! Our Jincheon has given his heart to... Ahem! Anyway, that’s not an important issue at all." The head was shocked. Ah, then Seo Ye realized why Namgung Sega's head viewed her favorably. ‘He, was he worried about whether this man could ever marry.’ Maybe he had almost given up. Namgung Jincheon was of a marriageable age, but given his personality, he likely hadn't shown interest in women. The head might have been seriously concerned. Worried that the Namgung bloodline might end. ‘Anyone would be acceptable, then.’ And in that moment, she appeared. To them, being from the dark path, Hao Sect wasn't considered terribly bad. Moreover, albeit embarrassing to say, Seo Ye was aware that she was quite beautiful. It wasn’t a bad feeling. Being welcomed by someone. "...Asked." Namgung Jincheon quietly reached out to remove a grain of rice stuck on Seo Ye's sleeve. At that moment, joyful exclaims burst from the mouth of the head and Namgung Un. They whispered. "Head, seems like the kid knows how to take care of his woman after all." "Yes, indeed. Come to think of it, Jincheon has always been surprisingly warm towards Soa." "That’s a real man." It was all audible. Seo Ye recalled her first encounter with Namgung Jincheon. He kidnapped her outright and rampaged, demanding an interrogation. "Jincheon really is warm towards women!" Absolutely not. Yet again, Seo Ye had to swallow her words. * After an awkward meal, Seo Ye, feeling bloated, was rubbing her stomach in the garden. "Hm?" Feeling someone peeking from behind a tree, Seo Ye turned her head. There was a lovely girl with noticeable bunned hair. The silk dress she wore was of high quality. The grooming and preparation clearly indicated the work of an adult. It didn’t take long for Seo Ye to recognize, 'Ah, the siblings of Mystical Dragon.' Namgung Soa, the cherished young lady of Namgung Sega. A name from Hao Sect's intelligence network. Seo Ye chuckled softly. "What are you doing there?" Namgung Soa flinched. Peeking out her head with curious eyes, she began to look at Seo Ye. 'How cute.' Her eyes twinkled with such innocence that Seo Ye strangely found herself fond of her. It was hard to believe she shared the same bloodline as Namgung Jincheon. "Why don’t you come over here?" As Seo Ye gestured, Namgung Soa hesitantly approached. Seo Ye patiently waited for her. Once Namgung Soa came closer, Seo Ye pulled out some snacks from her possession and handed them to her. "Eeeh...!" Namgung Soa’s cheeks flushed as she grasped them. "Is this for me?" "Of course, it's for you." Kneeling down to meet her eyes, Namgung Soa smiled broadly and popped a snack into her mouth, making a blissful face. "You came to Muhan too, huh." "Do you know me?" "Of course, you're the sister of Mystical Dragon." "Mystical Dragon?" "Your elder brother." "Yep! I’m the sister of my brother!" She spoke proudly, puffing out her chest. Seo Ye found her posture quite adorable and stroked Namgung Soa’s head. "Did you come to see your brother?" "No! I came to see my husband!" 'Husband,' Seo Ye cocked her head in thought. 'Is there a direct descendant of another family that matches this child?' The first possibility that came to mind was just that. However, as far as Seo Ye knew, there was no direct descendant of Namgung Soa’s age. The closest in age was even Peng Jiweol of the Northern Peng Family, a girl who was 15 years old. "Who is your husband?" As soon as the question of curiosity was asked. "Soa." Namgung Jincheon appeared. He was walking across the garden towards them. "Brother!" Namgung Soa ran towards Namgung Jincheon and threw herself into his arms. Keeping a stoic face, Namgung Jincheon hugged her back and patted her on the back. "Why are you here?" "I was playing with sister!" Namgung Jincheon's gaze landed on Seo Ye, who responded with a small smile. "You're here." "Let’s go." "Where to?" "To the pavilion of Yongbongdan." Ah, he thought it was time to return. By now, Dang Hwa-seo must have calmed down as well. 'She’s quite observant, isn’t she.' Thinking that, Seo Ye stood up. "Then I guess it's time to part ways with Soa." "Are you going, sister?" "Yes, I think I should go with your brother." "Then I want to go too!" "Eh?" "I want to go too!" Namgung Soa exclaimed excitedly. Seo Ye looked at Namgung Jincheon. "It doesn't matter. We can just bring her along." He seemed not the least bit bothered. Seo Ye nodded, and at that moment, Namgung Soa's smile deepened. ‘Do you love your brother that much?’ Seo Ye thought so, and soon realized her thought was mistaken. * Nothing eventful happened on their way to the pavilion of Yongbongdan. If anything, walking with Namgung Jincheon holding Namgung Soa attracted some gazes but nothing more. Even those were not of misunderstanding, thanks to Namgung Soa loudly calling him 'brother!' It was quite an unusual experience. That was all Seo Ye felt until they reached the pavilion of Yongbongdan, where she was at a loss for words. "Husband!" Namgung Soa jumped down and ran in one direction. At the end of it stood Mok Riwon. ‘…Ah?’ Seo Ye began to understand Namgung Soa’s actions. After all, since the meeting of Yongbong was held in Anhui, Namgung Soa must have seen Mok Riwon already. And while it's one thing to be indifferent to him, Mok Riwon had a face that could make one's heart flutter even in a fleeting glance, stunning even for an adult, let alone a child. Perhaps in her small world, Mok Riwon felt like a husband heaven had chosen for her. ‘Still so young.’ Seo Ye smiled lightly. At that moment, Mok Riwon, noticing Namgung Soa, beamed at her. Was he glad to see the child? It was a thought. "Ah! Soa!" "Husband!" "I am not your husband!" Mok Riwon broke her heart with a bright smile. "I'm sorry! You are too young to be my wife!" He was unforgiving. Namgung Soa stood frozen, shocked, and Mok Riwon seemed not to care in the slightest. "Ah! And I already have someone in my heart, so there's no chance for you! You should look elsewhere!" He delivered the final blow while patting Namgung Soa’s head. How could someone be so ruthlessly vicious? Seo Ye looked at Namgung Soa with full sympathy. "How could this…" She sighed, and looking at Namgung Jincheon, he seemed to be without any thoughts. "Aren't you sad seeing your sister get rejected?" "To be honest, Mok Riwon is too good for Soa. It's proper to marry her off to a good house since she’s not that bright." Were siblings always this harsh to each other? Seo Ye firmly shut her mouth. It was then. "Hm? What’s all this commotion?" Dang Hwa-seo appeared. Seo Ye suddenly felt things were getting interesting. ‘I wonder how Soa will react now?’ Still, encountering the person her 'husband' adored must have been a situation even for Soa, who fondly called Mok Riwon that term. Seeing Mok Riwon's face light up brightly, Soa must have somewhat caught on as well. "Miss!" Like a dog that had seen its owner, Mok Riwon excitedly ran towards Dang Hwa-seo. Had he a tail, it might have been wagging in circles. Dang Hwa-seo laughed. "What have you been doing?" "Mystical Dragon's sister is here. This is Namgung Soa!" Namgung Soa, with a bewildered face, looked towards Dang Hwa-seo. "Husband?" She said, causing Dang Hwa-seo's eyebrows to rise momentarily. Soon after, Dang Hwa-seo let out a faint laugh. "Oh my, has Mok Young Master promised marriage to such a young child?" "Ah, no! That’s not it! The one I like is...!" At that moment, Mok Riwon's words abruptly halted. He started gazing at Dang Hwa-seo desperately, a pained expression on his handsome face which had its own charm. Even as a bystander, it was a heart-fluttering scene. The corners of Dang Hwa-seo's mouth twitched up and down, seemingly taking deep breaths. "...Well, we can talk about that later." "R-really!" "Let’s go for now. The King of Geol is looking for Mok Young Master." Dang Hwa-seo grabbed Mok Riwon's arm and pulled him close. Then, with an elegant smile, she addressed Namgung Soa. "Sorry, dear. We disturbed your ‘husband’ game." How cruel. The word 'game' crushed Namgung Soa. Dang Hwa-seo and Mok Riwon left. "Soa is worrisome. She needs to lower her standards a bit; it’s too lofty for her to be so choosey based on looks." Wouldn’t it be better to go and comfort her instead of making such comments? Seo Ye swallowed her words at Namgung Jincheon's harsh assessment.