Chapter 56

“Brother.”
It was a letter that made me smile from the first word. It was always a welcome word. There was only one person in the entire Zhongyuan Clan who could call me this way.
“I feel good knowing that I will soon be able to meet you.”
His words, clumsy but full of sincerity, made me feel relieved. With the Grand Duke, myself, the Second Duke Namgung-hyeok, and the Third Duke Namgung-gal in Anhui Province, there must have been no political maneuvering or threats against him.
My heart was overwhelmed with relief.
“Six years have already passed, and I have only four more seasons to go before I can meet my elder brother. My mother is also waiting for him to come. She’s been practicing the nursing formula, not sure if it will fit in her mouth.”
When I saw that the childlike Walli had grown up and was writing in such a convincing way, I felt my heart melt. I couldn’t believe how much I was touched by his longing for me and his everyday stories.
But the warmth was short-lived.
“Brother, I think Grandpa Yeowool is sick.”
The letter was written with the innocence of a child’s gaze, revealing nothing hidden or false.
“He’s been coughing a lot, and there are more and more moles on his face. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, so I’m worried. I asked her to go to the doctor, but she just told me not to worry.”
I could vaguely sense that Master and Elder Nan Gongyue’s condition was rapidly deteriorating. Nevertheless, I realized that the lack of news was because Master didn’t want me to worry.
Even though I was far away, I was still being cared for by Master.
“Brother, if Grandpa Yueyul dies, you’ll be sick, too, so take care of yourself. I don’t want to see anyone around me hurt or sick.”
Those were desperate words.
I don’t want anyone around me to get hurt.
And I don’t want to see anyone sick.
It was as if he was speaking my mind. So I thought.
“I think it’s time to move.”
I hurried to get ready to move, but before I could do so, I found the old man. Obviously, he had always been quick to change the subject whenever the Master’s story came up.
Or he would pretend not to know.
I’d been doing my job, but now I wanted to know what was going on, so I sought out the matron.
“Speak the truth.”
When I said, “Speak the truth,” he raised his eyebrows and gave me a sour look.
“What do you mean?”
“My master, you knew right away that Elder Southern Winter was not in good health.”
The elder’s expression stiffened at those words. Just by looking at his expression, it was as if he had already heard the answer.
“I’m not going to pry, what is it?”
“A disease, a disease……. ”
The uncle shook his head and slowly opened his mouth.
“Elder Sun is over eighty years old. It’s a wonder he’s still so healthy at that age. Isn’t it?”
“Are you saying he’s simply senile?”
Elder Yue’s history is indescribable. In particular, her level of enlightenment was among the top five in the Southern Palace. It was somewhat contradictory that such a person was dying of a simple old age.
“The Supreme Heart.”
“……?”
“A vicious martial art. It was created for the sole purpose of rupturing an opponent’s intestines and heart.”
My eyes widened and I gave him a look of disbelief, wondering why he was suddenly discussing such a martial art.
“You’re right. Elder Il was defeated by a martial artist named Choi Shimjang.”
I gritted my teeth at my aunt’s statement that it was only because of the Southern Palace that Elder Il was still able to survive and endure after being defeated by the most powerful martial artist.
“By whom?”
“The important thing is not who did this to Elder Sun, but how to overcome the power of the Supreme Heart. I’ve heard that the aura of the Supreme Heart has remained within you ever since it infiltrated you. The more time that passes, the more fierce it will become in its pursuit of you.”
I raised an eyebrow at that.
“There’s no way to stop it?”
“Not really. We just have to drive it away with more overwhelming energy.”
Only then did I roll my eyes.
“The Thunderclan energy in my dagger.”
“Right.”
I gritted my teeth. Master had given up his own life to help me grow.
What the hell.
My stomach lurched, as if I had a stone in my gut.
“I didn’t mean for you to be uncomfortable.”
“…… I’ll have to find another cultivation group.”
The Southern Palace Sect of Thunder.
It was a heavenly spirit dantian that was comparable to the Great Patriarch of Shaolin in the entire Middle Yuan Martial Realm.
Of the three Thunderbolts, one had entered my stomach, leaving me with two. Both of them belonged to the Southern Palace Master, who was clutching them tightly.
Should I go into Shaolin and demand that he give them to me?
Or should I go back to the Southern Palace and return them to him?
My uncle’s words sent me into a tailspin.
“But is it a coincidence or a trick of fate.”
He pointed a finger at a spot where I could see someone muttering to himself as he stared at the stage. It was Nam Gung-han, the director of the Shandong branch.
“You’ve messed up the performance hall again. Haha.”
As usual, Nam Gung Han shook his head and turned to leave.
“It was meant to be Yakseon Namgung.”
At that, I shut my mouth and looked at the elderly man.
“No matter how many times I asked for the secret, he wouldn’t tell me,” I said, laughing and sneering at the process of medicinal cultivation that the direct lineage had spent a lifetime creating. Their deeply ingrained prejudice against the fang system made their hearts sick.”
Such was the reason.
I couldn’t help but feel cold.
“And she has a grandson, her only blood relative, her only remaining family.”
He looked at Namgung Han with disbelief, and the uncle nodded.
“The branch leader is the grandson of that weakling. Do you see why? Before we discuss the Thunderclap you seek, we must understand the attitude of the Namgung family and the direct line of the main family toward the Fang Clan. Do you understand what must be prioritized?”
I understood what he meant.
To uncover the secret of the Thunderclap, the whereabouts and behavior of the weakling Namgung Illy, we will absolutely need the help of the Southern Palace. But the starting point is to recognize the Fang Clan and resolve the bitterness between them.
“It’s yours.”
“I am.”
“It’s yours to deal with. I will not discuss it, nor will I get involved.”
Namgungse’s ambitions were worthy of the name Grand Duke.
A mindset worthy of a Grand Duke.
He’s a stranger who disappears with the words, “See you here.
Over the past six years, I have captured the hearts of over one hundred and fifty Southern Palace warriors and the Hundred Sword Southern Palace Stones, but I have been helpless against the Southern Palace King, who still treats me with a deep-seated grudge.
It was my fault for thinking it was only a matter of time.
I was the one who should have made the first move.
* * *
“I don’t know.”
Shandong Branch Manager Nam Gonghan shook his head resolutely.
“Please ……help me.”
“I don’t know.”
I don’t know if he really doesn’t know, or if he knows but can’t tell me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Nam Gung Han just laughed in disbelief. At the same time, he had a look of incredulity on his face.
“The Grand Duke is just like you. I thought you were different.”
“…….”
“It’s no different than any other lineage, that they don’t look down on us, but come to us when they need us. It’s just that we’re not one of them.”
I shut my mouth at the cynical tone. The expression on his face and the glint in his eyes was one of resentment that had been passed down from the time of the Weak Sun Namgung Illya. I was projecting through me the image of Nangong Han when he had been chased away by Nangong Mu Bai of the Celestial Divine Sword.
“First Elder Nangong Yue, the man who was also my mentor is dying. They say that the Thunderbolt Sect can cure his deteriorating condition. How can I remain silent as a disciple?”
“It is none of my business. He’s not even close to me.”
I see.
I suddenly saw someone else superimposed on the figure of Namgung Han. It was none other than Namgung-wall from my previous life, me.
Not everyone is recognized by the direct line. I saw myself, the one who had been kicked out, the one who had settled down on the battlefield and endured day after day.
When I thought of that, I realized that what I had to do was not to ask for a favor or to plead with emotions.
“……I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I came so late.”
Just as the Grand Duke of my previous life came to me and apologized, so should I now.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
It was an apology. More than anything, it was sincere.
“The family is sick, the family is sick. It’s irreparably damaged, and I can’t do it alone anymore. Please, please come back and save it.”
“I do not speak for my own sake, but for the sake of the clan, the sake of the dying clan.”
His breathing became ragged at my words, but then he looked at me with a calm expression.
“……I love my family, and the family I love only has the same family name.”
Direct lineage, and indirect lineage.
Who cares who’s who, what’s the point.
It’s just.
We are but one family, united by the same surname, Namgung.
“Be angry, be furious. And curse till you’re free. I’ll take it all, all the bitterness and resentment you’ve ever had. I’ll take it as if it were all mine.”
Namgung Han stopped talking and stared at me.
“……for the past six years.”
Seeing his mouth slowly open, I decided to take whatever he had to say in stride. It was my role to play.
“I admire your behavior, Grand Duke. You never asserted your authority as Grand Duke, nor did you seem intimidating, which at first seemed to me to be a sign of intelligence.”
Namgunghan begins to unravel. For the first time, I knew and heard how he had been looking at me for the past six years.
“…… said she never forgot how you jumped in for her when she was taken hostage.”
Namgung pseudonym, the son of Namgung Han, who had been taken hostage with his nanny.
“Seok urged me to trust the Grand Duke, asking if I had ever seen anything false in his behavior over the years.”
Namgungseok the White Sword, the man who had organized and led this battle with Namgunghan.
“I, too, apologize for the excitement of the moment. Grand Duke.”
My eyes widened at the unexpected words.
“Whenever we were in danger, you were the first one to move. He was the one who would risk his life to save mine, and now that he stands before me and offers me a heartfelt apology that has been my lifelong desire, I must return the favor.”
He stared into Nan Gonghan’s eyes as he spoke, word for word.
He had to carry the members of the Fang Clan to Shandong, maintain the front lines, keep the name of the Southern Palace alive, and live with the responsibility of a hundred and fifty on his shoulders.
I can’t imagine how heavy those shoulders must have been.
Then he slowly opened his mouth.
“I will try to fulfill the Grand Duke’s words.”
If only.
“Please make us a family where no one will ever feel sorry for anyone under the same Southern Palace surname.”
If only.
“I will stand behind you.”