That's Not How You Use Martial Arts

Chapter 31
The Namgung Family (2)

『 Translator – Divinity 』

“…It’s been a while.”

Master muttered in a nostalgic voice.

Well, it was understandable that he would feel nostalgic, considering it had been at least ten years since he last visited this place.

“But there are no guards?”

I looked around, searching for guards.

Didn’t most martial arts sects and clans have guards at their gates?

Just as I was about to reach for the lacquered, luxurious gate, wondering if I should just knock, the gate suddenly opened and a young man appeared.

As soon as he opened the gate, the man flinched at the sight of me standing there and asked in a slightly wary voice,

“…Who are you?”

“Uh, I am… well…”

I was wondering how to answer the question posed by the gentle-looking man when Miss Seol’s voice came from behind me.

“Young Master Namgung…!”

The man’s eyes widened as he looked at Miss Seol, who had removed her veil, standing behind me.

“Yak-bing…?”

Huh, it seemed this person was her fiancé.

***

We were led into the estate by Miss Seol’s fiancé, Namgung Hyeon.

Looking around the vast estate from the inside, we were guided to the guest room.

“This feels like a dream. To think that my uncle, who was said to be missing, would be sitting here before me, alive and well.”

Namgung Hyeon smiled at Master, holding Miss Seol’s hand tightly beside him.

He held onto her hand as if he would never let go, regardless of whether she blushed or not.

Master, who had been watching them with a warm smile, came to his senses and cleared his throat before speaking.

“Ahem, I apologize. I had some personal circumstances that forced me into hiding. I only recently learned about Sword Saint’s passing. If I had known, I would have visited sooner.”

“I’m grateful that you came now. My father will be delighted as well.”

“Speaking of which, where is Brother Namgung…?”

At Master’s question, Namgung Hyeon’s face darkened.

“My father… he went to the Regional Commander’s office for some business regarding the family.”

“…The Regional Commander’s office?”

The Regional Commander was the highest authority in Lu’an, where the Namgung family resided.

It meant that even the head of the Namgung family couldn’t meet him easily, that he was a person of high standing.

In other words, the head of the Namgung family had been summoned to the government office… and it didn’t seem like it was for a good reason.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who noticed this, as the atmosphere in the room turned subtly heavy.

As if trying to lighten the mood, Namgung Hyeon changed the subject.

“C-come to think of it, how did you all end up here with Yak-bing?”

“Ah, that’s…”

I explained to Namgung Hyeon the circumstances that led us here, about Miss Seol running away and the attack by the Wanderer’s League disguised as bandits.

Hearing this, Namgung Hyeon looked at Miss Seol with a touched and emotional expression.

“Yak-bing, to go that far…!”

“Hyeon…”

They exchanged affectionate glances.

It seemed that the arranged marriage between the two families wasn’t entirely political for them.

As someone who hadn’t experienced romance in over twenty years, I felt a pang of jealousy and cleared my throat to get their attention.

“Ahem!”

“Ah…! S-sorry.”

The two came to their senses at the sound of my cough and blushed.

Namgung Hyeon coughed awkwardly and thanked me.

“I am deeply indebted to you, Young Master Gun. Thank you for bringing Yak-bing back safely. I will repay this kindness.”

“No, you don’t have to. It was just a coincidence. At first, I thought the bandits were after the goods…?”

As I was speaking, a question suddenly came to mind.

“Come to think of it, why were they disguised as bandits?”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

Seeing Hwa-ryeon tilt her head in confusion, I explained,

“Well, you know, during the second attack, they didn’t seem to care about hiding their identities. No matter how I think about it, there’s no reason for them to disguise themselves as bandits to attack.”

“…Ah.”

Hwa-ryeon exclaimed as if she had belatedly realized that.

The others also tilted their heads in confusion, but Miss Seol looked troubled.

“Miss Seol? Do you have any ideas?”

“Yes? Ah, no… It’s nothing, but I wonder if they were trying to take me away secretly.”

“…Secretly?”

According to Miss Seol, the atmosphere in her house had been quite hectic right before she ran away.

“The number of people guarding my room doubled. Thanks to that, it was harder than I thought to… run away.”

Miss Seol blushed and trailed off, still embarrassed about running away.

Hmm, she said it was hectic?

—His daughter, who’s about to get married, ran away from home.

Wi Cheon-gyeong’s words came to mind.

He said she was about to get married, right?

“Perhaps her new fiancé was on his way? Do you know who this new fiancé is?”

“No, not exactly… Father only said he was the best possible match.”

The best possible match? Who was that?

***

Southern Anhui Province, Anqing.

Here, there was a powerful martial arts family that held great influence over the southern part of Anhui Province.

The Seol family of Mount Cheonju.

It was Seol-yak-bing’s family home.

Inside the office of the Seol family head.

Seol Se-ung, the head of the family and known as the Heavenly Pillar Sword, was sweating nervously as he observed the man sitting opposite him.

Cho Un-yeop, the Flashing Spear.

He was one of the Four Guardians of the Paecheon Fortress Lord and one of the top experts in Paecheon Fortress.

Why was he here at the Seol family estate?

He had come here following the person he was assigned to protect.

If the person he was protecting was important enough to warrant the presence of one of the Fortress Lord’s Four Guardians, did that mean the Paecheon Fortress Lord himself had come here?

The answer was no.

Ju Do-han, the Paecheon Fortress Lord, had entrusted him with the protection of his own son, the Young Master Ju Ho-jeong.

Unlike the other Four Guardians, Un-yeop had been loyal to Ju Do-han for a long time, which was why Do-han trusted him with the protection of his only son.

Following his lord’s orders, Un-yeop had been escorting the infamous scoundrel who was known throughout the Central Plains.

It had already been five years.

This time, they had come all the way to Anqing because the young master wanted to meet his fiancée, Seol-yak-bing, known as the most beautiful woman in Anhui.

But the bride-to-be hadn’t shown herself even once.

“Is Miss Seol still ill?”

“Yes, I apologize. She suddenly fell ill…”

“…I see.”

She suddenly fell ill despite being informed of the Young Master’s visit beforehand?

Un-yeop found Se-ung’s attitude very suspicious, but he didn’t say anything.

Se-ung, inwardly relieved, cursed the Wanderer’s League, from whom he still hadn’t heard any news.

‘Those lowly wanderer bastards. I paid them a hefty sum because they were supposed to be skilled, so why haven’t I heard anything from them…!’

The excuse of illness could only last for a day or two.

He couldn’t delay any longer.

His daughter had to return by today, no matter what.

Se-ung, still unaware that Cheon-gyeong’s messenger pigeon reporting the failure of the mission was already on its way, desperately wished for his daughter’s swift return.

Meanwhile, Un-yeop had his own reasons for remaining silent.

It was because he wasn’t in a position to blame them either.

‘…The Young Master.’

The Young Master, who hadn’t even seen a single strand of his fiancée’s hair for days, had declared he was bored and headed to a brothel in broad daylight.

He was probably drinking with courtesans on both sides right now.

‘Huu…’

Un-yeop sighed inwardly, recalling the Young Master’s extravagant and hedonistic behavior.

And so, in the office of the Seol family head, the two men sighed repeatedly for different reasons.

***

“Kyaa~!”

“Oh my, Young Master~.”

Azure Cloud Pavilion, widely recognized as the best in Anqing.

Today, the laughter of courtesans echoed from within, even though it was still daytime.

It was thanks to a distinguished guest who had appeared, even though the owner hadn’t dreamt of a dragon last night.

This guest, upon entering the brothel, had declared that he would rent the entire establishment for the day and then went up to the top floor, ordering all the courtesans of Azure Cloud Pavilion to be brought to him.

He had ordered all sorts of expensive alcohol, drinking and pouring with dozens of courtesans.

The owner, having already received two boxes of gold and silver, was grinning from ear to ear, diligently serving the distinguished guest.

The guest, Ju Ho-jeong, the young master of Paecheon Fortress, guzzled down the Crimson Maiden Wine brought by the owner and laughed heartily as he chewed on the snacks fed to him by a courtesan.

“Ahahahaha~ This is paradise!”

Over ten empty bottles were already rolling around on the floor around him.

The courtesan, who had been specifically instructed by the owner to serve him well, asked a question in a curious voice, despite her flirtatious demeanor.

Seeing the young master, who was wealthy, young, and handsome, she naturally became curious about him.

“Young Master, what kind of person are you?”

“Me? What kind of person am I…”

Ho-jeong pondered for a moment, then grinned and said,

“I am the one who will become the Emperor of this country in the future~”

“……”

The atmosphere instantly froze.

The one who will become the Emperor? Was this young master saying he was royalty, the Crown Prince himself?

For the courtesans, who had never even been to the capital, it was hard to tell whether he was joking or not.

“Hmm?”

Ho-jeong, noticing the sudden change in the atmosphere, opened his eyes slightly and burst into laughter.

“Puhahaha! I’m joking, joking! If you can’t even tell the difference between a joke and the truth, how can you even work as courtesans?”

“Ah, aha, ahahaha!”

The courtesans forced out laughter and clapped their hands at Ho-jeong’s words.

Perhaps excited by their laughter, Ho-jeong shouted,

“Now, bring more alcohol! The drinks must not stop!”

The atmosphere heated up again with the alcohol.

And that atmosphere continued until the sun set and the moon rose.