The next day, Seo-jun confidently stepped out of his lodging after spending the entire previous day helping Chun-bong practice the new Cheongun Divine Art .
Chun-bong had now reached a stage where she had to train on her own to fully master it, so there wasn’t much left for Seo-jun to assist with. With that, it was time to depart and find the medicinal pill he needed.
Before leaving, it was only proper to pay a visit to the head of the family. That was basic etiquette. Or so he thought.
When Seo-jun arrived at the House of the Family Head , the doors opened on their own even before the guards could greet him.
"Um..."
Seo-jun glanced between the doors and the guards, who smiled and gestured for him to enter.
"Please, go in. The family head holds you in very high regard, young master."
"Uh... thanks."
Young master? The unusual title made Seo-jun shudder as he stepped inside the family head's residence.
‘Was this all part of the plan?’
Looking back, it seemed like most of the Namgung family already regarded him as Namgung Sua’s lover. While it wasn’t a big deal if regular members of the family thought so, it became a serious issue if the family head shared the same belief.
After all, suddenly saying, "Actually, I’m not her lover," might prompt the family head to draw his sword and sever his head on the spot.
This was a true dilemma. At this rate, he might really end up becoming the Namgung family’s son-in-law.
"Wait a minute..."
Being Namgung Sua’s husband? Honestly, that didn’t sound bad. No, it wasn’t just not bad—it would be great. But wasn’t he the one who was unworthy of her?
Lost in such thoughts, Seo-jun suddenly found himself in front of a thin sliding door. Beyond this was Namgung Jincheon...
Click.
The door slid open by itself.
Seo-jun awkwardly pulled back his outstretched hand and bowed.
"Hello."
"You’ve come, my son-in-law..."
Namgung Jincheon, with his usual vacant gaze, waved his hand.
Immediately, the teacups and utensils on the table floated into the air, and they began moving by themselves, preparing tea.
"Oh..."
Of course, this wasn’t some magical artifact; it was Namgung Jincheon’s telekinetic ability.
It was similar to telekinesis, though Seo-jun himself couldn’t perform such a technique, so he didn’t know the details. However, he noticed one thing—the space between the moving objects seemed filled with a strange void. That void was likely where Namgung Jincheon’s will resided.
Perhaps that’s why the objects moved so naturally. If so, Namgung Jincheon wasn’t focusing on making tea himself. His will was doing the work for him.
"Soon enough, you’ll be able to do this too, without much effort..."
"Uh... Was I staring too much?"
"There’s nothing wrong with observing... Have a seat."
At Namgung Jincheon’s gesture, Seo-jun sat opposite him. Empty teacups were soon placed in front of them.
"Take it."
Namgung Jincheon lifted the porcelain teapot. Seo-jun, holding his teacup with both hands, extended it as Namgung Jincheon slowly poured tea.
"It’s a tradition of the Namgung family..."
As he spoke, the teacup in Seo-jun’s hand suddenly became incredibly heavy. It was the weight of the internal energy Namgung Jincheon had infused into the tea.
"This...?"
Seo-jun dispersed the heavy internal energy within the tea with ease.
Drip.
The tea, now glowing a faint blue, filled the cup, radiating with internal energy.
Is this radioactive?
With a troubled expression, Seo-jun looked at Namgung Jincheon, who smiled faintly.
"It’s a traditional test for the family head to assess the son-in-law’s strength... Though, it seems the test holds little significance for you."
"Ah, I see."
Seo-jun took the teapot from Namgung Jincheon and poured tea into his cup, similarly infusing the liquid with a massive amount of internal energy.
"Hm..."
Namgung Jincheon didn’t dissipate the energy but simply wrapped it around the teacup to prevent it from shattering.
Though the tea now weighed an absurd amount, Namgung Jincheon gazed into the golden liquid without showing any signs of struggle.
"This is a fresh experience... Indeed, there’s no rule saying a son-in-law cannot test the father-in-law."
"Huh? No, this wasn’t a test."
"Mm...?"
"I just thought you might feel left out if I was the only one drinking it."
Seo-jun lifted his glowing blue cup. Namgung Jincheon, in turn, raised his golden teacup.
"You... I like you."
"That’s... quite surprising."
Seo-jun chuckled. Come to think of it, there wasn’t anything particularly special about Namgung Jincheon despite being the head of the Namgung family.
In Seo-jun’s eyes, Namgung Jincheon was a bit odd. His thoughts were hard to discern, and he had strange habits, like talking to his sword. However, he seemed like a genuinely kind person.
"Take care of Sua... With you around, I have no more worries for the family."
"Of course. What could possibly happen to the great Namgung family?"
"You really believe that?"
Namgung Jincheon stared intently at Seo-jun before letting out a faint smile.
"I still live in the past... but I hope my son-in-law does not."
"Hey, family head, you should look toward the future. Someday, you’ll get to see your grandchildren too."
"Oh... Do you have any plans?"
"Uh."
Realizing his slip, Seo-jun awkwardly scratched his head.
"Well... not yet."
"Right."
Namgung Jincheon sipped his tea with a somewhat dejected look.
Seo-jun, sensing the mood, slowly brought the teacup to his lips.
‘Will this taste like bubble tea?’
He tilted the cup and took a sip, savoring the tea before swallowing it.
"Oh?"
Eyes wide, Seo-jun absorbed Namgung Jincheon’s internal energy with his Absorbing Soul Technique .
Since it was just internal energy, not genuine vitality, it didn’t increase his own energy reserves. But that wasn’t the point.
"This... tastes like the sky."
"What does the sky taste like?"
"Um... it’s hard to put into words."
A vast sky seemed to spread out before his eyes. Just from absorbing a bit of Namgung Jincheon’s internal energy, the energy within his own core stirred.
How to describe it? It felt like he had just glimpsed into Namgung Jincheon’s heart.
An infinitely expansive and empty sky. Seo-jun quietly gazed at him.
"Stay strong."
Namgung Jincheon chuckled softly.
**
‘It seems like mother-in-law isn’t talking to him today. Did they fight?’
As Seo-jun left the family head’s residence, random thoughts crossed his mind. Heading toward the Chief Administrator’s office, he glanced at the documents the administrator had given him earlier. They were filled with words.
There was no way he’d read through all that, but he skimmed the parts that stood out. These guys were absolute scum.
‘Rape, followed by arson. During the act, they killed several members of a minor martial sect. Not satisfied with that, they invaded the sect, murdered the sect leader, and wiped out the entire sect?’
Were they insane? How bold did they have to be to pull something like this off in Anhui?
Scoffing, Seo-jun knocked on the door in front of him.
"Anyone in?"
"Who is it?"
"A guest."
"Ah, young master."
This time, the guard immediately recognized him and led him to the Chief Administrator.
The administrator, grinning broadly, showered Seo-jun with compliments before quickly assigning him a guide, as promised.
"He’s well-versed in the local geography and skilled in tracking. I’m sure he’ll be of great help."
"Thank you so much."
As Seo-jun headed back to his lodging, he exchanged simple greetings with the guide.
"My name is Hwan Bae-ho. It’s an honor to serve you, young master."
"I should be the one thanking you. I’m not great with directions."
"I’ll do my best."
"Thanks..."
The formality was a bit overwhelming.
When he arrived at his lodging, Chun-bong was chatting happily with Namgung Sua.
"Hey, Chun-bong! Did you finish all your practice before goofing off?"
"Why are you acting crazy again?"
"But I..."
Seo-jun quickly rushed over and picked Chun-bong up, hugging her tightly.
"I’m going to miss you, Chun-bong!"
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No... You need to keep training. I’ll be back soon."
He rubbed his cheek against hers, feeling a bit better. Chun-bong, despite acting annoyed, didn’t put up much resistance. If she truly hated it, she would’ve thrown a fit and pushed him away. Deep down, she liked it.
"Hehe, you’re leaving now?"
"Yes, sis."
Seo-jun nodded.
"I’ll be back soon, but in the meantime, please take care of Chun-bong."
"Of course. Leave her to me."
Chun-bong let out a dry laugh.
"I’m not a kid, you know."
"You are a kid."
"Shut up."
After reluctantly putting Chun-bong down, Seo-jun sighed and pulled out the map.
"Let’s see..."
He quickly folded it back up and handed it to Hwan Bae-ho, who had been standing rigidly behind him.
"I’m counting on you."
"Yes, sir!"
Hwan Bae-ho saluted sharply, his military discipline evident.
Seo-jun chuckled and waved at Chun-bong and Namgung Sua.
"I’ll be back soon."
**
"Big brother... are we really going to be okay?"
In a small inn, the so-called Anhui Five Heroes huddled together, whispering.
"How many times do I have to tell you? We’re fine. The Namgung family doesn’t have the resources to deal with small fry like us right now. As long as we get out of Anhui quickly, we’ll be fine."
"But second brother, the Namgung family isn’t the only power in Anhui."
"Why are you getting cold feet now? You weren’t so hesitant when we decided to do this."
They had simply taken a liking to a beautiful woman in an otherwise unremarkable city and helped themselves to her... and a bit of her wealth. Sure, some people had died during the commotion, but that wasn’t something to be overly worried about.
"We’ll be in Jiangxi in just a few more days. Once we reach the Yangtze, even the Namgung family’s grandfather won’t be able to catch us."
"Second brother’s right. To catch us, they’d need significant manpower. The Namgung family can’t afford to waste that on us right now."
"Exactly, and more importantly..."
The second brother pulled out a booklet from his robes and handed it to the fourth brother.
"This martial art isn’t bad. I think it’d suit you well."
"When did you get this?"
"I found it in the sect leader’s room."
"You’ve got some real skills. Thanks."
The Anhui Five Heroes laughed heartily.
"Alright, let’s have a drink and keep going strong tomorrow!"
"Cheers!"
Their cups clinked, and liquor splashed.
To them, heroism was just another name for the law of the jungle.
**
"Is this the place?"
"Yes, young master. To continue tracking them, we’ll need to visit two more locations. Is that alright?"
"Of course. You’re the expert."
Seo-jun scanned the area. The locals’ wary glances toward outsiders were evident.
Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun gazed at the distant horizon where the sky met the earth.
"Hide well."
The Namgung family’s judgment on the so-called Anhui Five Heroes was swift execution.
"Mommy and daddy are coming."
Whether it was three or five Peak-level martial artists, Seo-jun didn’t think it would be a problem.
It was time for a family reunion.