Chapter 32

Dag-dag, dag-dag, dag-dag.
The sound of hooves stirred up dust in the air.
He mounted the horse the coachmen had provided for him and rode out of the house.
“You’re a good rider. The coachmen themselves have given you a horse.”
“Don’t you think you deserve this kind of treatment?”
“You’re kidding. You say you don’t remember when you were a tadpole, but have you forgotten what you did to the coachmen?”
“You don’t know me, but we’re already friends.”
Just like those words, I was slowly getting out of the mess of the Southern Palace.
Or, rather, just a wretch.
The coachmen were no longer so wary when I approached them, and sometimes they even smiled at me.
That was enough for me.
“When did you ever learn to ride a horse?”
Why did I suddenly learn to ride a horse?
In his previous life, when he was the head of the Tianyin Clan, he used to ride horses all day long.
“I was always good at riding horses…….”
I was about to answer the question, but stopped myself.
Now that I think about it, I fell off and got amnesia. Oh.
I kept my mouth shut, and the hostess kicked my tongue.
“I see. It would be a shame if you didn’t learn how to ride a horse after such an embarrassing incident.”
Thank goodness. Who would have believed that the South Palace Wall of his previous life had become the South Palace Barn of his current life due to a horseback riding accident.
“Didn’t you bring anything else?”
“Nothing.”
“Even so, what’s a sword?”
“Don’t judge me by a sword. It’s all I have now.”
I turned my gaze away from the old man, who was still fawning over the iron sword at my waist.
I could feel the gaze of Nangong Yue watching me from somewhere.
* * *
I cut my head open. Blood trickled down my forehead.
But it didn’t matter.
“That’s too much. Grand Duke.”
“It’s coming from me, don’t stop me.”
“Even so, it’s too much.”
“An example of a master. What is too much, you say, is not enough.”
“Huh.”
Nangong Yueyul clicked her tongue, but smiled wryly as she helped me to my feet.
“I still have something left to give you.”
“I’ll take it, Master, but please take care of yourself first.”
“I’ve gotten more pleasure from watching you than I’ve gotten in a lifetime. I can’t learn without giving.”
As he spoke, he looked into the warm eyes of his teacher, Nangong Yue.
For some reason, I didn’t feel itchy. I was being completely loved.
“……I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“At times like this, it’s hard to recognize the Grand Duke as a boy of fifteen. His control over his emotions seems to be at least a dozen years deeper than his peers.”
I shivered.
“Of course, that’s not possible. I apologize for that. You’ve only grown so mature because the Southern Palace left the Grand Duke alone.”
“It’s not too late, at least now I have someone who recognizes me.”
“Don’t draw the line at the people next to you. You must know why and how the Southern Palace is the Southern Palace.”
Master looked at me. I stared into his eyes, too.
“It is the law of nature, whether in the East or the West, that an old tree may rot and decay, but it can always return, and even when it is no longer of use, it will regenerate. The Southern Palace has been corrupted before, and has been on the verge of being destroyed.”
Master patted my shoulder gently.
“Nowadays, it is enjoying its own momentum.”
“What’s the point of putting on a show if …… is rotten to the core?”
“You cut it down.”
I looked up at the words of my master, Nangong Yue.
“With this sword.”
He held a sword in front of me. No greatsword to dazzle me, no extravagance to make me greedy for more.
One.
A sword with the stains of Namgung Yeol’s hand.
An iron sword that bore the marks of his years of service.
“I dipped it thousands of times, when the best craftsmen the Southern Palace has produced could have dipped it a few hundred times. This sword has been hammered thousands of times, and forged tens of thousands of times. Seeing that it hasn’t broken and retained its shape after all the abuse it has endured, it seems the words are not false. From now on, this sword will serve the Grand Duke well.”
“Master, I cannot accept it.”
“Seeing the Grand Duke gives me hope. I, who believed I had the answer to something, taught the Grand Duke, and he taught me, that there is no right answer to anything.”
I listened intently as the story continued.
“Things are booming, but one day there will be things that must be cut down with this sword. The center of the Southern Palace is the sword. Do not forget my words and keep them in your heart.”
With that, Master said he was overdue and motioned for me to leave. I couldn’t help but ask him.
Why do you treat me as if I were your last?
* * *
“I’m sorry to see you go.”
“It’s fleeting, I’m going where I’m supposed to go.”
It wasn’t the first time I’d left my home in the South Palace, so it wasn’t so strange or painful.
It’s just.
The path she had traveled once was different.
Unlike the past, when she had run away from her family like a fugitive.
“I almost died, it’s really you! I never thought that in my lifetime, I would be able to receive sword lessons from you…….”
“With only a Dalpogan training, what. You’ve come to Kang Wumu Pavilion with a good speech.”
“Yes!”
“……You sent my son on his way to his death without stopping him.”
“What?”
A chorus of voices filled the room beside me. The cheerfulness of the room and the fact that I was no longer alone enveloped me.
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.
This was going to be hard.
It was going to be hard again.
Maybe even harder than the moment I rolled over in my previous life.
Maybe even closer to death.
Because I had given myself away then, and now I had something to protect.
Nevertheless, I felt a warmth inside me, and I thought, maybe this is what it feels like to be human, to be alive.
Yes, it is.
I’ll get through it.
We all know that life is a lonely and unfulfilling place to live, especially when you’re alone.
We shouldn’t live like that anymore.
We have to live together.
That’s right, brother.
* * *
“This is boring, not interesting at all.”
“……I’m sorry.”
“Lack of ability is not a sin. It’s the lack of knowing that’s a sin.”
“…….”
“I don’t blame you, Elder, I’m just disappointed.”
The woman, her lips pursed in a seductive manner, met Elder Lee’s gaze. Seeing her expression of regret, Namgungbon had to swallow hard.
“It seems that none of the people below me are trustworthy. It’s a pity that none of them can match the strength of the Southern Palace’s name, to the point that the name of this elder is considered a bit exaggerated.”
Elder Li’s face turned bright red. He couldn’t help but react to the insulting words, but instead, he clasped his hands together.
He was the representative elder of the Southern Palace, and he was also an elder of the highest rank.
With the first elder, Nangong Yue, practically retiring, he would now be the highest allotment.
“I’m looking forward to the time when Elder Yi will surpass Elder Sun and become the Chief Elder. I’m interested to see how far he’ll go.”
The Grand Elder.
An unprecedented position in the Southern Palace.
If the position is yours.
If you are the first to hold that position.
It would be a family history for the ages.
“I have already taken steps to ensure that Madame Tang will not be disappointed, for someone whose position has been most unsettled by recent events.”
Though Namgungbon was wary of naming anyone.
“There are many kites with strings missing, so it must be one person.”
The elder’s eyebrows twitched at that. He was surprised, but he didn’t show it. Seeing his frighteningly sharp mind, he was left speechless, and Tang Miyan shook her head.
“Don’t be so surprised, there are many people who threaten your position, and Mr. Peng and the Four Dukes are already duck eggs on the Yangtze River.”
“Of course they are, but…….”
“Ho ho ho, there’s no one with as much prestige as him, and if there is, there’s no one more stupid than him, so you don’t have to worry, just dodge the flames well.”
Tang Miyan leaned down and chuckled. Elder Namgungbon couldn’t help but feel goosebumps on his skin at the sound of her mocking laughter.
“But a kite that loses its string will scramble to attach itself to a new one, and at least I won’t reach out to those who caused my string to fall.”
Mrs. Tang, Poisonous Flower Tang Miyan smiled with satisfaction, then turned to look at the Southern Palace.
Her eyes were like the petals of a red rose, rich and beautiful.
“At the very least, you would want to attach it to the strongest kite, one that would never fall again.”
Its mesmerizing beauty was so cozy that it could be sucked into itself.
“Not realizing that I’m going to set myself on fire and become a kite that will never fly again, woo hoo hoo.”
If I got too close, I’d be pierced by thorns and covered in wounds, and I’d melt into the beauty.
* * *
Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching!
“Damn it.”
Donghui pressed down hard with his shaky hands, scanning the group in front of him. All of them were wearing masks, as they had timed their attack to the moment of darkness.
It was obvious that they didn’t want to be recognized.
“Who are you! How dare you……!”
At first, I thought the attack was impossible. They were a group with a nanny, but the presence or absence of an absolute master could offset everything.
But then.
The Kagaga River!
The swordsmanship of the three masked men surrounding the iron-blooded Anbaek was unerring. Interlocking like cogs, none of them met An Baek’s sword head-on.
Their intentions were plain to see. To simply block An Ba’s movements and steps.
In Dong Hui’s eyes, the impatience was young. In this case, he felt that Black Lake and himself would have to make their own moves.
It wasn’t that they were trying to mess with the rich family master, but that this was clearly the Grand Duke of the Southern Palace Family.
As he thought, the masked men moving toward the Grand Duke were like a black wave. They blocked the range of Dong Hui and Black Tiger’s activities and blocked the way for the group to escape.
Kagaang!
Sparks flew. These were obvious tricks, but they couldn’t deal with them, which meant their skill level was too high.
All of them must be first-class masters or even higher.
Clenching his teeth, Donghui glared at the swords flying toward him. Each and every one of them aimed for a quick kill.
It seemed that if he took his eyes off the ball, one of his arms would be blown off at any moment.
Even beside the outnumbered Kang Wu-moon, Black Ho was running and punching in all directions.
In the next moment, the three masked men rushed past Donghui and Black Ho, heading for the same place.
“Da, Da Duke!”
Dong Hui shouted in panic.
Realizing that the only target was the Grand Duke, Donghui was worried for his safety. At the same time, he pushed the masked man away from him and turned around.
“If you’re too rebellious, I can cut off an arm or a leg to make it impossible for you to use my excuse. But as quickly as possible.”
“Chong!”
After a short conversation, the three of them crashed into the Grand Duke.
“Holy shit.
Who the hell did this!
I will find the culprit of this attack and chew them to the bone! I will honor the Grand Duke’s soul and spirit.
As he closed his eyes tightly in thought.
A flash!
A dazzling flash burst from the tip of the Grand Duke’s sword.