There were no prearranged signals. How were they supposed to know the sign? In reality, there was no need to worry about it.

BOOM!

A bright explosion erupted in the sky, and everyone instantly grabbed their weapons.

“What a fiery leader we have,” Jang Geuk remarked with a grin, raising his blade high.

“Let’s go, you bastards! Now that we have an employer, I won’t tolerate anyone slacking off anymore!”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
“Kill them all!”

Cheongpungdae didn’t need to say a word. They simply exchanged glances and dashed forward.

Seeing both groups charge in headfirst, Geumgangdae followed a step behind.

“Don’t fall behind the Namgung family!”
“Are you alright, Chief?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Damn it.”

Hwang Bo-jun gritted his teeth and slammed the ground hard.

Thud! The earth trembled as his massive frame soared high into the sky.

A bright, earthy brown energy gathered around his fist. He swung it down fiercely, unleashing his power on the gate and nearby buildings, which crumbled under the impact.

Boom!

“Yaaah!”

With a path now open, Jang Geuk charged in, swinging his blade.

“Arrrgh...!”
“Stop them! Don’t let them through!”

The Black Lotus Sect’s martial artists tried to block the path, but nearly half of them hadn’t even reached the peak of their abilities.

Inspired by Seo-jun’s Giant Spirit Technique, Jang Geuk wielded his blade with unyielding strength, splattering the ground with the blood and flesh of the Black Lotus Sect.

Meanwhile, Cheongpungdae ignored the enemies and rushed straight inside.

“Young master!”

They found Seo-jun in a room and immediately formed a protective circle around him.

“Oh, you’re here already?”

Seo-jun was sitting on the floor, playing a hand-clapping game with Somi.

He had, of course, cleared away the corpses. As much as he enjoyed a bit of fun, he wasn’t so deranged as to play games with a child beside dead bodies.

The other children gathered around Seo-jun, watching the game intently. When the song ended, one of them prodded Seo-jun to continue.

“Mister! Hurry up! What’s next?”
“Hey, I’m not that old…”

Seo-jun scratched his head and nodded at Hwan Bae-ho, who then set down the child he had been carrying.

“Somi...!”

Somi leaped up and ran to her brother.

“S-Somi…!”
“Brother…!”

The siblings hugged each other tightly, crying tears of joy. Seo-jun smiled warmly, discreetly wiping the corner of his eye.

“Ah, I suddenly miss Chun-bong.”

“Mister! Play the hand game again!”
“Hey, kid… Can’t you see this emotional moment we’re having?”
“C’mon, hurry up!”

The other children were still quiet, their fear not yet dispelled, but this one kid was bubbling with energy.

Seo-jun chuckled, held out his hands, and the child clasped them eagerly.

“Clap, clap, clap~! Across the starry sky~”

“What are you doing?”

A woman, who seemed to be the child’s mother, ran over nervously, but when Seo-jun shook his head as if to say it was alright, she hesitated, watching anxiously.

While playing, Seo-jun glanced around, noting the expressions on people’s faces. It seemed they were finally beginning to relax.

Somi, her brother Seo-hyul, and their parents hugged each other, crying tears of relief. Other families were also reuniting, grateful for the presence of Cheongpungdae, whose uniforms were reassuring to the villagers.

Thud! Boom!

The sounds outside were loud, but it quieted down within a few minutes.

“Sir! We’ve taken care of everything!”

Jang Geuk entered the room, and the child playing with Seo-jun jumped, startled, and hid behind him.

Seo-jun laughed.
“Man, you should have at least wiped off the blood first.”

“Oh, right.” Jang Geuk grinned, wiping the blood with his sleeve, but it only made him look more like a serial killer.

“Haha, you kids want to play with me?”
“Eeek...!”

The child shrieked and wet himself, making Jang Geuk awkwardly step back.

Seo-jun chuckled and looked over to Hwang Bo-jun, who had just come in.
“These people are locals, right? Isn’t Shandong under Hwang Bo’s jurisdiction?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then you’ll escort them home, won’t you?”
“…Why me? I’m not exactly free…”
“Better agree before I give you a beating.”
“…Fine.”
“Good.”

And with that, the situation was resolved.

 

Before parting ways, Seo-jun called over Seo-hyul and one of the children who had taken a liking to him.

“Alright, kids. I’m going to bestow upon you an incredible opportunity.”

Seo-jun pulled a manual out from inside his robe.

It was the Yongmyeong Sword Technique, a martial art once used by a fool during the Monster Flood incident.

Specifically, it was the Yongmyeong Sword Technique, version 2. He’d modified it a bit just in case someone recognized it and caused trouble later on. He hadn’t thought he’d end up using it like this.

“What’s this?”

The child who had followed Seo-jun closely, Hee-rin, curiously approached to look at the manual.

“Oh, this is called a martial art.”

Of course, Seo-jun had no intention of having them learn martial arts just by looking at a manual. Only a rare genius could accomplish such a thing.

Seo-jun looked over at the members of Cheongpungdae.

“Does anyone here have dreams of being an instructor?”

One man raised his hand energetically.

“Oh, we have a winner! Your prize is the Yongrae Sword Technique.”

He’d quickly come up with the new name since he couldn’t keep calling it the Yongmyeong Sword Technique, version 2.

Seo-jun handed the manual to the member.

“You might find it useful, brother Ja-cheong. It should work well with the Namgung family’s sword techniques.”
“Thank you!”
“Don’t mention it.”

Seo-jun then turned to Seo-hyul and Hee-rin.

“If you have any friends who want to learn together, that’s fine. Especially you,” he said, placing a hand on Seo-hyul’s shoulder.

“Don’t count on getting lucky like this again. Next time, you’ll have to protect your sister yourself.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Good.”

Seo-jun then gave Ja-cheong a quick demonstration of the basic forms of the Yongrae Sword Technique.

The manual already had detailed illustrations, so the Cheongpungdae members should have no trouble learning the techniques from this point on.

“You can decide when you want to head back. I’ve also jotted down some basics in the back, so feel free to teach the kids. If anything comes up, contact the family.”
“Understood!”

Learning martial arts. Entering the martial world.

While this could bring about new dangers, Seo-jun believed it was better to equip oneself with martial skills.

Martial arts were a weapon, a means to overcome threats on one’s own.

After all, anyone who would cause trouble for someone just because they learned martial arts would most likely also wield a blade without hesitation against those who didn’t know any.

Who knows?

Maybe one day, these kids would come back as incredible masters to thank him.

“Take care, friends.”
“See you again, mister!”
“Thank you!”

After exchanging farewells with the children and the villagers, he smacked a guy who’d been particularly annoying, teased Hwang Bo-jun a little, and then finally departed.

“Are you feeling alright?”
“Haha! If I couldn’t handle this much, I wouldn’t be a warrior of the Namgung family!”

Of course, he was being carried on the back of a Cheongpungdae member.

It wasn’t abuse of power; he was just too tired.

“Hehe, it’s comfy.”

Truly.

The journey back to the Namgung family took some time.

Seo-jun couldn’t help it; he was feeling rather under the weather.

By the time they arrived, nearly three weeks later, he was feeling much better.

“Wow, home sweet home!”

Seo-jun greeted the Cheongpungdae members, thanking them for their hard work. The Green Forest friends also followed, hoping to adjust to the Namgung family.

If Chun-bong had finished her retreat, she’d probably be hovering around the gate, but he didn’t see her.

With no one waiting for him in his room, Seo-jun headed over to Namgung Sua’s quarters to let them know he was back, only to find an unexpected sight.

“Oh, father-in-law.”
“You’re back….”

Seo-jun glanced between Namgung Sua, who lay collapsed on the floor, drenched in sweat, and Namgung Jincheon, who stood over her.

“Is this… some kind of domestic abuse?”
“Of course not….”
“Right?”

Seo-jun crouched beside Namgung Sua, poking her in the side.

“Sis, you alive?”
“Uh… yeah….”
“Well, looks like you’re on the brink.”

He patted her back, producing a slapping sound. It was getting colder, and she was absolutely drenched in sweat.

“Stop… please….”

Namgung Sua squirmed away.

“Why?”
“I’m covered in sweat….”
“Doesn’t bother me.”
“It bothers me....”
“Ah, got it.”

Namgung Jincheon, who had been watching them fondly, brought his sword to his ear.

Buzz—

Nodding at the sound, he called Seo-jun over.

“Son-in-law….”
“Yes?”
“I heard about what happened… It was quite a dangerous ordeal, wasn’t it?”
“Not that much, really.”
“Facing two experts at once alone is certainly dangerous….”
“Now that you mention it….”

Realizing the truth, Seo-jun nodded, prompting Namgung Jincheon to speak.

“There’s a sword technique I want to teach you….”
“A sword technique? Haven’t you already taught me?”
“Well… it’s a sword technique, but it’s a bit different….”

Buzz—

Nodding at the sound from his sword, Namgung Jincheon spoke.

“It’s fine, my wife… I’ve already made up my mind….”

Seo-jun suddenly had a bad feeling.

There’s no way he’s going to have me swing my mother-in-law around as a weapon, right? That would be a bit much….

“I intend to teach you the Sovereign Sword Form….”
“Huh? What?”
“I said, the Sovereign Sword Form….”

Seo-jun blinked.

“Well, uh… is that okay?”
“Of course not….”
“Ah.”
“But there’s no way I can compare mere martial arts to family…. In times like these, if there’s a chance to grow stronger, then we must do so.”

Namgung Jincheon gestured, and his sword unsheathed itself, floating in mid-air.

“I’d rather take the blame than regret a loss. I’ll take full responsibility so you don’t have to carry the same regrets as I do.”

Namgung Jincheon’s gaze sank into profound depths.