Martial Arts Ain't Anything Special-Chapter 70: The Namgung Clan (2)

Namgung Suah headed towards the main gate of the Namgung Clan as comfortably as if she were coming home. Which, of course, she was.

Following behind her, Seojun could see the gatekeepers guarding the main entrance.

Two men. Based on what he sensed with his qi detection, both were Peak Realm martial artists.

While realm doesn’t directly equate to strength, there is some correlation.

To have Peak Realm martial artists as mere gatekeepers... Even considering the saying that gatekeepers are the face of a sect, this was unusual.

“It’s been a while.”

As Namgung Suah slightly bowed her head while holding her very large sword, the eyes of the two gatekeepers standing guard widened.

“Young Lady!”

“You’ve returned!”

The gatekeepers’ faces lit up. They hurriedly opened the main gate.

“The Clan Head was looking for you a few days ago.”

“Father was?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“He’s the same as always.”

Namgung Suah smiled bitterly at the gatekeeper’s words.

“Is that so?”

“Are the two behind you guests?”

“That’s right. One is also my lover.”

“Y-Your lover...!”

The gatekeepers were startled as they looked at Seojun.

The emotions in their eyes were quite complex. It was like the gaze of older brothers who had lost their little sister, yet also somehow very welcoming.

As Seojun scratched his head, Chunbong standing next to him firmly grabbed his side.

“...What? Lover?”

“Ah.”

Did I not mention it?

Seojun sent a sound transmission.

[Big sis asked me to pretend to be her lover. She said it’s because of her age.]

“Hmm...”

Passing through the main gate with Chunbong glaring daggers at him, the gatekeepers bowed their heads.

“Welcome to the Namgung Clan. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask anyone.”

Their sparkling eyes were a bit overwhelming.

“Yes.”

Seojun nodded and quickly stuck close behind Namgung Suah.

“Big sis, I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s so... overwhelming...”

“We’re about to go see my father... Will you be alright?”

“What...”

He had been expecting this. But still... even if it’s just acting, a father-in-law? His stomach started churning.

“Ch-Chunbong...”

He reached out to Chunbong’s cheeks for some comfort to settle his stomach, but—

Slap!

His hand was mercilessly swatted away before he could even touch her.

“Hmph. Figure it out yourself.”

“How can you do this to me!”

“What are you on about? How about you just go die already?”

“...That’s too harsh.”

“What?”

“I said that’s too harsh...”

Glancing at Seojun’s expression, Chunbong snorted.

“I don’t care. Deal with it yourself.”

And with that, she turned her head away and walked ahead!

Seojun was about to wail in his own despair like he was all alone in the world... but stopped after noticing the people around.

“Sigh.”

What’s this? Why do I feel so strange?

Trudging along behind Namgung Suah, they soon arrived at the Clan Head’s quarters.

The moment he didn’t want to face came all too quickly.

As Seojun stood there blankly, Namgung Suah approached and grasped his hand tightly.

“Young Expert, if you really don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

“No, it’s fine... Whatever.”

“Fufu, then shall we go in?”

“Yeah...”

Right, what’s the big deal? I’m Lee Seojun, the polite and well-mannered machine. I’m from the land of courteous people in the East! Father-in-law? Bring it on. How tough could this fight be?

“Father, I’m back.”

Seojun followed behind Namgung Suah with confident steps and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

“Hello, I’m Lee Seojun.”

“Hmm...”

He could feel eyes on him.

Seojun slightly straightened up and looked at the owner of that gaze.

A young-looking man. His eyes were empty, making it impossible to guess his thoughts, and just vaguely looking at him made his chest tremble.

Of course, he wasn’t falling for him.

The sharp aura enveloping the man... Though he clearly wasn’t doing anything, it felt like a sword had entered Seojun’s mouth and was poking at the roof of it.

Seojun controlled his breathing and gently caressed the surrounding qi.

The qi loosened like a gentle breeze, caressing Seojun’s skin, and only then could he breathe properly.

And he realized. His qi detection had been unnecessarily sensitive, causing him to look too deeply at the other person.

This is... the Namgung Clan Head.

He could see it. The surrounding qi was sharp as if embodying the man’s will.

Every time the man’s eyes moved, thousands of swords sharpened their blades following his gaze.

And only then did Seojun properly see the man.

There was a single sword held in his arms.

Because the man’s aura was so similar to the sword’s, he hadn’t noticed at first, but now that he realized it, the sword’s sharpness once again tickled the nape of his neck.

“Ah, Suah... Who are these people...?”

Even his languid tone was like that of an emperor inquiring about his subjects’ crimes.

Seeing Seojun tense up, Namgung Suah spoke.

“This is Young Expert Lee and Sister Geum.”

They had already discussed before coming to the Namgung Clan that they would reveal to the Clan Head that Chunbong was from the Divine Sword Geum Clan.

If they couldn’t trust even the Namgung Clan Head, it would be better to just cleanly start their life over in the Demonic Cult.

While Chunbong nervously examined the Clan Head, Namgung Suah continued.

“Young Expert Lee is my lover.”

“Lover...?”

“Yes. Your future son-in-law.”

“Son-in-law...”

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Ring. The sword in the Clan Head’s arms resonated.

He closed his eyes and put his ear to the sword, then nodded.

“You think so too...? I agree...”

What’s he doing? Seojun was a bit flustered, but since Namgung Suah acted like nothing was wrong, he just stayed quiet.

The Clan Head smiled gently and looked straight at Seojun.

His back straightened on instinct. Fighting the urge to reach for his sword, Seojun met the man’s gaze.

“Welcome... Son-in-law... Make yourself at home...”

“...Thank you.”

What’s this? So easy? This feels like I’ve been had somehow...

Seojun’s eyes darted around. Namgung Suah lightly grasped and released his hand, then introduced Chunbong.

“This is Sister Geum. She’s like a little sister to Young Expert Lee.”

“Hm...”

“And she’s also a survivor of the Divine Sword Geum Clan.”

“Divine Sword Geum Clan...?”

The Clan Head’s eyes widened, revealing his most intense reaction today.

He looked at Chunbong, then immediately pierced through her Latent Qi Concealment with his sharp qi.

Only Seojun noticed this. He could have intervened, but chose not to. They had agreed to reveal this anyway.

It could be considered rude, but who would dare accuse an Unrestrained Realm martial artist? They are the ones who judge, not those who are judged.

“I see... The heavens have blessed us...”

Rising from his seat, the Clan Head stepped before Chunbong and gave a fist-palm salute, slightly bowing.

“Welcome... As a member of the Geum Clan, and even a disciple of senior Sword God, you are a close friend of Namgung... I am truly apologetic for arriving too late during that tragedy... The Namgung Clan will do its utmost to help with anything you desire...”

“N-No, there’s no need to go so far.”

“It cannot be so... The debt in my heart is as heavy as Mount Tai... and the grace bestowed by senior Sword God is immeasurable...”

Ring.

The Clan Head listened to the sword’s resonance and nodded.

“My wife is correct...”

He looked at Seojun.

“Son-in-law, what is your connection to the Geum Clan...?”

Seojun looked at Chunbong. She nodded, but then seemed to change her mind and spoke instead.

“He is the true successor of the Divine Sword Geum Clan. I taught him everything I learned, and my elder brother carries the will of the Geum Clan as well.”

“Is that so...”

This time, the Clan Head moved his qi to examine Seojun’s interior.

Seojun didn’t block it, but rather opened a path.

Noticing this fact, the Clan Head’s eyes gleamed, and after examining the qi, he tilted his head.

“A qi I have not yet encountered... chaotic yet pristine... prejudiced yet generous...”

Then he looked at Seojun’s face once, nodding oddly.

“Such achievement at such a young age... I am curious about son-in-law’s sword...”

“What?”

Ring.

The Clan Head listened to the sword resonance and nodded.

“Indeed you think so too...”

The Clan Head passed by the group and headed for the door.

“Son-in-law, follow me... I have much to say to you...”

Seojun watched his back as he trudged away, his eyes rolling.

“Big sis...?”

“Hmm, could you please follow along with father’s words for now?”

“Well, sure...”

The group quietly followed behind the Clan Head.

*The place where the Clan Head stopped was a massive training ground. Not a single person could be seen around.

According to Namgung Suah’s quiet explanation, it seemed to be his personal training ground.

“Son-in-law...”

“Yes.”

“How much do you know about the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword...?”

The Clan Head slowly walked to stand opposite Seojun, who was thinking about how to answer, and just decided to speak his mind.

“It’s the greatest sword in the Central Plains.”

“Indeed... The Yellow Cloud Divine Sword is certainly the greatest sword technique in the Central Plains...”

The Clan Head unexpectedly nodded calmly. One might expect the Namgung Clan Head to rate his own clan’s sword higher than the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword.

“But that is where the problem lies...”

“What... do you mean by that?”

“For such mastery of the sword... unless one were a true genius, reaching this height would be truly beyond imagination...”

The Clan Head blankly looked up at the sky.

“Even I have only grasped half of the insights senior Sword God imparted... For an ordinary man such as myself, mastering the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword remains but a distant dream...”

Chunbong’s eyes widened and she stepped forward slightly. She seemed to want to say something, but hesitated, aware it would be discourteous to interrupt.

“Speak freely...”

The Clan Head said, sensing her hesitation, prompting her to speak.

“Clan Head... are you learning the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword?”

“Nothing more than a small part. Merely two sword movements, and even those, I cannot yet execute properly.”

“Ah...”

Chunbong sighed deeply. The Clan Head watched her and drew his sword.

There was no sound. The sword was simply in his hand, as if it had always been there.

A woman’s sword with a restrained yet elegant design. This sword, clearly the one left behind by Namgung Suah’s mother, held a noble killing intent in the Clan Head’s hand.

Ring.

The Clan Head nodded blankly, listening to the sword resonance.

“I see... I have not yet introduced myself... Thank you, dear...”

The Clan Head let his sword hang loosely in his right hand while holding his left hand before his chest with only his index and middle fingers extended together.

Though different from Namgung Suah’s, it was the starting stance for the Sword of the Boundless Azure Sky.

To the bewildered Seojun, the Clan Head introduced himself.

“I am Namgung Jincheon, Head of the Namgung Clan... Son-in-law, show me the true strength of your sword... I too shall give it my all...”

“What?”

Hey wait, but why?! Please don’t. ...Someone save me.