Chapter 217

The top floor of Yunmeng Tower.

The pinnacle of the Holy Capital, known as the city of pleasure, it was a space that gathered the extremes of decadence.

A variety of famous Sichuan dishes from the Central Plains were laid out endlessly before Namgung Yeon, but she hadn’t touched the food.

Every time the candle flame inside the red lantern swayed slowly, the smoke rising from the incense burner dispersed faintly.

The scents of flowers, silk, alcohol, food, and women wafted through the air.

Amid the faint laughter and singing from the floors below, Namgung Yeon waited alone for her guest.

Her shabby attire remained the same, but the weight of the Namgung Family Clan Leader, rather than a mere waiter, had quietly settled on her face.

She was looking at an old letter she had taken from her bosom. A paper that had once been given to her by a benefactor, now faded from handling and time.

Today, as always, her gaze lingered on a single sentence.

‘Young Master is destined to become the greatest under heaven.’

“…”

It had been a long time since she stopped believing in the light of those words.

If dreams came true just by wishing for them, the world would already be filled with the greatest under heaven.

There was only one greatest under heaven in this Central Plains.

If hundreds gnashed their teeth in longing for it, only one would laugh while the rest became losers.

Namgung Yeon knew it. That she was one of those losers.

Forget the greatest under heaven—she was a dullard. She wasn’t foolish enough to misunderstand her own place.

From the start, there had never been a single moment in her life when she truly dreamed of becoming the greatest under heaven.

She would have been satisfied just to fulfill the role of one person.

Namgung Yeon looked down at the letter again.

“…”

...But what was this lingering echo?

What was the reason she couldn’t throw away this letter?

It couldn't just be lingering attachment.

With the person who wrote this letter, she felt a conviction that they believed in her without falsehood.

It wouldn't be pretense either.

Who would send the Tang Clan of Sichuan’s treasure, the Detoxification Immortal Root, out of mere pretense?

Who would pour wealth into the fallen Namgung Family willingly?

The Namgung Family was now an empty shell with nothing left to plunder. There was no value in deceiving them.

From the beginning, that benefactor had never revealed their name. Nor had they sought any repayment.

She could tell it was pure goodwill... and that goodwill and faith were fully captured in the letter.

‘You Young Master is destined to become the greatest under heaven.’

This person believed what no one else in the Central Plains believed.

They believed what even her father and mother hadn’t believed.

What Namgung Yeon herself couldn't believe... this person believed.

With her entire life on the line.

This person wouldn't know.

That Namgung Yeon had collapsed countless times but kept rising again, if only out of guilt toward them.

“Is the food not to your taste?”

At that moment, Namgung Yeon startled.

When she came to her senses, a neatly dressed man stood at the opposite end of the long table.

A mask covered his face from forehead to nose.

Namgung Yeon slowly rose and cupped her fists in greeting.

“Hao Gate Leader. A pleasure.”

Hao Gate Leader Wi Seonghyeon smiled as he approached.

“Please, sit, Clan Leader.”

At his gesture, courtesans poured in.

Courtesans in provocative attire sat on either side of Namgung Yeon.

They wore something made of leather draped over their limbs—clothing Namgung Yeon had never seen before.

Namgung Yeon said,

“...I’m fine.”

Wi Seonghyeon asked,

“Is the attire not to your liking? It's the latest fashion in high-class brothels.”

“I'm sure they're pleased, but courtesans don't suit the conversation we'll have today.”

“Hm.”

At the Hao Gate Leader's wave, the courtesans vanished in an instant.

Wi Seonghyeon poured alcohol into his own cup.

The table was long, too far for them to fill each other's cups.

Namgung Yeon quietly filled her own cup as well.

Suddenly, she recalled drinking with Han Seojin not long ago. Those mistakes were actually a blessing.

Without that experience, she might have coughed right here in front of the Hao Gate Leader.

“I heard you sought me.”

Namgung Yeon spoke first.

Wi Seonghyeon nodded.

“I apologize for calling you and arriving so late. Please forgive me. Recent Demonic Cult movements have been unusual, so I was delayed returning from the Qinghai region.”

“I understand.”

“I regret not visiting the Namgung Family in person as well. The area around Anhui Province isn't so peaceful these days.”

“…It's dangerous lately. I understand that too.”

She said she understood, but Namgung Yeon knew.

Behind all this demeanor was the premise of the Namgung Family's fall.

They didn't need to observe full courtesy, so they acted this way.

Would they treat even the Shaolin Abbot, one of the Three Venerables, or the other sect leaders the same as her?

Surely not.

But the weak had no say.

Wi Seonghyeon slowly picked up food with his chopsticks. Namgung Yeon quietly followed suit.

For a moment, an eerily silent meal continued.

“Clan Leader Namgung, how have things been lately?”

“No change.”

“Have you had any enlightenments?”

“What enlightenment could a dullard have?”

“Hm.”

A short silence flowed, and Namgung Yeon spoke again.

“I'd like to hear why the Gate Leader summoned me. It's not just to ask after my well-being.”

A suppressed tension laced the end of her words.

Namgung Yeon did not trust the Hao Gate.

They were the martial world's largest information network, delving deeper and darker than even the Beggars' Sect.

That information sometimes changed to suit the Hao Gate's gains.

In short, fully trusting Hao Gate information was for fools.

Even more frightening was that even those unskilled in martial arts belonged to the Hao Gate.

Carriage drivers, boatmen, waiters, porters, brokers—these five trades had a high chance of being Hao Gate affiliates.

Carriages, boats, inns, loads, teeth brokers.

Many diligently plied their trades and lived honestly, but among them were ruffians who exploited the common folk.

Driving a carriage to a remote place to threaten someone, dumping a passenger into the river from a foggy boat, poisoning food to kill a guest, stealing luggage, or seizing goods...

They were a group that was both cruel and knowledgeable.

Namgung Yeon still didn't know if this meeting was the start of a threat or the prelude to a beneficial proposal.

Wi Seonghyeon drained his cup.

Clack—the cup hit the table with an astonishingly loud sound.

He said,

“I've heard, Clan Leader.”

“Heard what?”

“That you haven't returned to the Namgung Family lately and have been wandering. The Central Plains must be beautiful.”

“…”

And this time, working as a waiter at an inn in the Holy Capital.

“Gate Leader, you didn’t summon me to talk about that, did you? I only worked as a waiter to wait for you here in the Holy Capital.”

“Whatever the reason, it’s not typical behavior. We don’t read meaning into every action of a wanderer, but…”

He nodded toward Namgung Yeon.

“Why the scratches on your arm?”

Namgung Yeon reflexively pulled her sleeve down, covering the bandage that had slightly peeked out.

“You’re not training, and you haven’t fought anyone. What’s with that injury?”

Namgung Yeon didn’t lift her head.

She couldn’t even understand her own actions herself—how could she explain them?

The one certain thing was that self-harming brought a sense of relief somewhere in her heart.

Sometimes, feeling the pain gave her a sense of accomplishment, like she was doing something.

She didn’t know why such fulfillment came. All she knew for sure was that lately, she couldn’t sleep without scratching her arm.

“Why are you curious about my injury?”

“Can’t I worry?”

“—Why would you worry about me, Gate Leader?”

Wi Seonghyeon chuckled for a moment at whatever amused him, then raised his hand to roll up his sleeve and fill his cup.

With a delighted expression, he continued.

“Clan Leader. You might not be curious, but let me tell you about my youth, when I was as young as you. Back then, I caused a lot of trouble here and there. Call it youthful male bravado. You’d understand, right?”

“…”

“Then I crossed the wrong old man. Tried to swipe some drinks at an inn and touched the wrong guy. The old man himself wasn’t much, but the man attending him was a skilled expert. Ah, I admit I was wrong back then. It was youthful folly, so please understand. Anyway, I got beaten badly. I tried to run, but he chased me for three days and nights. No sleep, no food, no shitting—just beatings. The guy was crazy too—no eating, no sleeping, no shitting, just chasing me. First time I saw someone tougher than me.”

“So the Hao Gate Leader has such a past.”

“Haha, a secret I can’t tell anyone, my humiliating history.”

“—And what does this have to do with me?”

“Aren’t you curious about the expert’s name?”

“Not particularly—”

“—Namgung Cheon.”

Namgung Yeon’s expression hardened.

“Your father… he was wild back in the day too. Do you know?”

“…”

To hide her tension, Namgung Yeon poured a cup.

She poured roughly, fearing her hand would tremble if careful—and this time, the alcohol spilled sideways.

After downing a cup herself, she said,

“—Why bring this up now? Because my father passed, are you here for revenge?”

“Is that how it sounds?”

Wi Seonghyeon asked with a meaningful look. Namgung Yeon didn’t answer.

It felt like another pressure entering her already difficult world.

The Namgung Family had fallen. The power to protect its members was long gone.

No notable experts remained in the clan, and allies had all left.

Even if Wi Seonghyeon attacked her here, there was nothing she could do.

The Hao Gate Leader’s expression slowly sank. Namgung Yeon’s heart did the same.

“Clan Leader.”

He nodded toward her arm again.

“Heart Demon, right?”

“…”

“You’re self-harming because of the Heart Demon, aren’t you?”

Wi Seonghyeon slapped his knee and sneered.

“That fool Namgung Cheon. Couldn’t even properly raise the one son he had and left. Serves him right.”

Namgung Yeon clenched her fist under the table. But there was nothing she could do.

She bit back sharply.

“—Why did you call me?”

“Didn’t that bastard Cheon teach you manners? Show respect, kid whose blood hasn’t even dried. I’m your martial granduncle.”

“Martial granduncle? Don’t make me laugh. I’ve never heard my father mention you.”

“Of course that bastard Cheon wouldn’t. Didn’t want to get involved. That stubborn streak of his doesn’t change. But the fact that your father and I shared the same master doesn’t. Your father had another master besides the previous previous Namgung Clan Leader. Just like you regard Mokryong as your master.”

“If my father wanted nothing to do with you, then neither do I. I’ll take my leave, Hao Gate Leader.”

As Namgung Yeon stood, Wi Seonghyeon said,

“There’s a Heart Demon healer.”

…

Get help. You can’t revive the family in that state.

‘You Young Master is destined to become the greatest under heaven.’

Why did those words echo again?

Namgung Yeon mulled them over briefly before replying.

How can I trust you? Believe this absurd talk of a Heart Demon healer? Believe the words of a man hiding behind a mask?

You still have the luxury to choose? Guess you haven’t suffered enough. You’re the one who needs to grasp even a rotten lifeline.

—If you truly cared for my father, why show up only now? Where were you when the family fell? Didn’t you know the Demonic Cult was coming? And after? When we were all crumbling and thrashing alone?

So I’m helping now, aren’t I?

…

Namgung Yeon was at a loss for words. The Hao Gate Leader was relaxed.

To answer your earlier questions… I didn’t think the Demonic Cult would target you, then I didn’t think that bastard Cheon would lose no matter how ill he was, and finally, after that, I saw no need to help. Everything already collapsed—what was there to help with? I can’t even bring Cheon back to life.

…

The Hao Gate Leader poured and drank another cup, then ran a hand through his hair.

Even so, there’s a price. Calling a Heart Demon healer costs. The money I spent persuading this one wasn’t trivial. I heard you have a recent benefactor sending funds. I also know you’re not using that money. Hand it all over to us since you won’t use it. Then I’ll introduce you to the healer.

That’s—

—If not, crumble to your Heart Demon. Follow that fool Namgung Cheon. Take the whole Namgung Family and go meet your father.

…

Namgung Yeon couldn’t think straight.

Did a Heart Demon healer even exist?

Did the Hao Gate Leader regard her father as a martial brother, or an enemy?

Was this intention good or evil?

Someone who never appeared her whole life, now saying this—it was hard to believe. Even the anecdote about her father could be a lie.

If he cared so much for her father, why appear so late? Why now?

Perhaps he’d come after seeing the gold from her benefactor. It was no small sum.

Above all, the proposal was too sweet to trust. A Heart Demon healer?

Namgung Yeon knew her self-harm stemmed from her Heart Demon.

But wouldn’t it be too relieving if cured? Could they fix someone as broken as her?

And this was the Hao Gate. How could she trust them?

…

Even if fixed, what then? She’d still be a dullard, nothing more, nothing less.

All sorts of negative delusions swirled in Namgung Yeon’s mind. She couldn’t judge anything properly.

She even wished for a ruler to just tell her what to do.

As confused as she was, Namgung Yeon bowed in respect and whispered,

...When my master returns, I’ll think it over agai—

—Your master’s dead.

The Hao Gate Leader whispered coldly.

Namgung Yeon, who had been rising, slumped back into her seat.

...Pardon?

Fell for the Demonic Cult’s scheme in Qinghai. From the First Sword Platoon to the Fifth—all wiped out. Far more supreme evil faction experts than expected had submitted to the Demonic Cult and become their limbs. A few alliance members survived to report back, but only those deliberately spared to spread the word. Mokryong wasn’t among them. He’s dead, your master.

…

The alliance has only the Sixth and Seventh Sword Platoons left—barely worth calling forces. In other words, the alliance will collapse soon. Who would empty their sect, family, headquarters, and hometown to send experts to the alliance? Who would trust such an alliance leader? Everyone will fend for themselves.

She glared at him to judge if he lied, but the Hao Gate Leader maintained the same demeanor as before.

Blood will flow soon, Yeon.

The Hao Gate Leader said.

No one can escape this Righteous-Demonic Great War. You can’t hide anymore. Meet the Heart Demon healer. At the very least... you need to control your Heart Demon enough to flee with the Namgung Family retainers.

The Hao Gate Leader downed another cup from across the table, casually picked at some side dish, wiped his mouth, and stood.

Namgung Yeon couldn’t move until he walked out.

The despair in her deepened.

Whether the Hao Gate Leader spoke truth or lies... one thing was certain.

...She was truly alone now.