Chapter 216

Chapter 216
Chapter 216. An Unwelcome Invitation (5)

Murong Gang.

During the golden era of the murim, an age when martial arts experts were as abundant as sand on the shore, he stood as a peerless legend, his reputation firmly established among the Ten Supremes, transcending the boundaries between the Black and Orthodox Paths.

In the midst of the tumultuous Great Righteous-Demonic War, he organized warriors to replace the fracturing Murim Alliance and successfully held the line at Jiangbei. He further bolstered the resistance against the Demonic Path by openly sharing his family’s secret techniques.

Though the Murong Clan faded from prominence following that monumental war, he remained a figure of enduring reverence in the public imagination for generations.

‘He truly was a man whose virtues managed to overshadow his vices.’

A volatile, unpredictable mind.

A tempest of temperament he made no effort to restrain.

Layered on top of this, his immense strength and the influence of the sprawling Murong Clan allowed him to unleash his neurotic temper on anyone he pleased.

A supreme bully.

If the world had been aware of this darker side of his character,

he likely would never have attained such widespread respect.

Especially considering the absurd demand that old fool had just made……

“Why are you silent? Does the prestige of the Murong Clan not appeal to you?”

I ceased my internal debate and exhaled a long breath.

“Haa…… How could that be?”

Truthfully, “Me, a disciple of the Taeul Sect, marrying into the Murong Clan as a live-in son-in-law?”

If such a plot were penned in a work of fiction, readers would mock it for its complete lack of realism.

It was an opportunity so wildly improbable that I couldn’t possibly be unsatisfied with the offer itself.

However, just as the Namgung Clan had attempted earlier, I could never agree to wed a distant relative and surrender myself to another house.

I had too many responsibilities weighing on me, including the survival of the Taeul Sect and the safety of the Sojeong Squad.

‘Besides, Lady Seol is currently with the Murong Clan…….’

Murong Seol held a profound, irreplaceable significance in my memories of my previous life.

To keep a woman like her in my orbit while bound to another in marriage would be a profound injustice to both her and my future spouse.

Then, the voice of Murong Gang cut through my thoughts.

“Or do you find Seol somehow lacking?”

“Pardon?”

What an absurd thing to suggest.

Wait, was he seriously talking about Murong Seol?

“We’ve had to reinforce our gates with iron because there are so many suitors lining up, and the daily marriage proposals are so numerous they’re used for kindling.”

Murong Gang narrowed his gaze, flicking his chin in my direction.

“If you’re any kind of man, surely you’ve heard of our Seol, haven’t you?”

Murong Seol…… Murong Seol…… Murong Seol, he said…….

T-that meant.

She would be my wife?

I would be her husband?

Good heavens…….

That would make my bride the legendary Sword Empress, wouldn’t it?

In my mind, I found myself envisioning a life married to Murong Seol, raising children, watching those children have children of their own, and eventually passing away while holding her hand…….

Then, the memory of her voice suddenly echoed in my ears.

[You insist on living that way. Then continue to survive that way…….]

Those were the words she had spat out, filled with disappointment, when I had abandoned the Sojeong Squad to wander the wilds.

I could still see her icy expression and those cold eyes as she turned her back on me that day.

Then came the image of her stumbling toward me, utterly exhausted after a skirmish, asking after my father…….

The memory of her, having lost her entire clan, mourning her younger brother who had died known as the Breaking Bow…….

These scenes flashed through my mind with haunting clarity.

‘Huhut.’

A dry, bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.

What kind of fantasy was I indulging in?

Had I not sworn to myself that I would not let the past repeat itself?

If she had not suffered the loss of everything and joined the Sojeong Squad, her rise to become the Sword Empress would have been delayed, if it happened at all.

If her clan had remained intact, she would have had no reason to join the Sojeong Squad.

And above all else—

I had no desire to trample upon her agency.

I only wanted her to find someone she truly cherished in a world free from conflict.

Yes, that was my only true hope.

After centering myself, I tilted my head, looking at him with a skeptical expression.

“What exactly are you going on about?”

“……?”

“Arranged marriages in this day and age? Have you no concern for your own granddaughter’s feelings?”

“What? How dare you!”

I swiftly interrupted his outburst.

“My point is something else entirely.”

“Something else?”

It was clear that Murong Gang was immune to conventional debate.

Since logic and reason clearly wouldn’t sway a man of his disposition……

Wasn’t it better to target his pride and his emotions instead?

“Is the Murong Clan truly a sect defined by the sword?”

“Are you trying to insult my heritage?”

I brushed aside his bluster, looking him up and down.

“If you claim to be, then where is your blade, Elder?”

Murong Gang was a man possessed by the pursuit of martial arts.

His experimental nature was just as eccentric as his volatile personality.

Wasn’t that clear enough from the strange, space-warping technique he had just demonstrated?

At the very least, when it came to the martial arts, his emotions weren’t as impenetrable as he liked to pretend.

Murong Gang gave a harsh snort.

“A shallow brat like you couldn’t possibly understand. Once you reach my level of mastery, every action I take and every object I hold is……”

“If every sword technique in the Murong Clan were wiped from existence, would the Murong Clan cease to be the Murong Clan?”

“……?”

It was a question he had likely never contemplated.

Before the Great Righteous-Demonic War, no sect or clan within the Murim Alliance would have dared to consider their own total annihilation.

Least of all the Murong Clan, the most powerful under the heavens…….

I stepped closer and pressed the point.

“If the Murong Clan lost the ability to wield the sword, would you stop being the Murong Clan?”

Paradoxically, the figure who had brought the greatest fame to the Murong Clan in my previous life was the Breaking Bow.

Even after the clan had been wiped out and erased, people had sung his praises, marveling at how he truly lived up to his grandfather’s legacy.

“What kind of gibberish are you spouting?”

Murong Gang’s eyes turned glacial.

The chaotic, thug-like behavior from before vanished, replaced by a dangerous intensity.

It meant I had finally struck a nerve.

That was exactly what I needed.

If I struck that nerve once more—

“What is the core principle of the Murong Clan? Sword-Breaking?”

“……!”

Sword-Breaker was a title that had been bestowed upon the leaders of the Murong Clan throughout their history.

The clan took immense, infinite pride in the legacy of the Sword-Breaker.

And that pride ensured he could not tolerate my mocking interrogation.

As expected.

A violent tremor ran through him.

With his head bowed, Murong Gang glared at me, his eyes now suffused with a crimson rage.

“I misjudged you. To commit such a grave offense just to conceal your own small defects.”

It was the same distortion of space I had witnessed when I fled earlier.

Unlike before, when I had seen it in passing, an overwhelming pressure now crushed down on my entire body.

“I viewed you with favor, and now you have the audacity to say anything. I have already bestowed more than enough grace upon the Taeul Sect, so surely I have earned the right to pass judgment on you.”

Creak, creak, creeeak.

My skin began to swell as if the blood flow in my body had been forcibly halted.

It felt as though my eyes were going to rupture and blood would burst from my seven orifices.

Even so, I held my ground.

Again, I pressed him.

“Is the core principle of the Murong Clan, as you interpret it, truly…… Sword-Breaking?”

“Hah? Are you still wagging that wicked tongue of yours? Yes, that is right. Sword-Breaking. That is the legacy our Murong Clan has defended through long, arduous eras.”

Even as I struggled to draw a single breath, I articulated every word with precision.

“……I, I do not believe that is the case.”

The image of the Breaking Bow traversing the battlefield like an Iron Hawk in my previous life burned in my mind as if it had happened yesterday.

Watching his divine power as he held back the Demonic Cult, this was what I had realized.

A strength capable of shattering the very heavens themselves……!

I forced my head up, locking eyes with Murong Gang, and declared:

“The true core principle of the Murong Clan is…… Keup, Shattering Heaven…… is it not……!”

“……!”

For a fleeting second, the suffocating pressure pinning me down came to a dead halt.

The pain remained, but the sensation of imminent death faded.

I barely managed a ragged, burning exhale.

“Do you think…… the core principle of our Taeul Sect is Ten Thousand Swords?”

“…….”

“The Taeul Sect failed to preserve the Ten Thousand Swords for five hundred years. Yet, the Taeul Sect continued to survive.”

After finding my breath, I locked gazes with him once more, unyielding.

“I have not forgotten the true core of the Taeul Sect for even a single moment since the day I first picked up a sword as a child.”

[The core principle of the Taeul Sect is change.]

Though he was long considered mediocre due to his lack of raw talent, Hong Mun-gi had never lost the fundamental root of our sect.

And he had never failed to pass that teaching on to those he mentored.

That was the reason the Taeul Sect had been able to preserve its name through five centuries of hardship.

“…….”

Silence filled the space, and eventually, Murong Gang nodded with a complex expression.

“Shattering Heaven…… Shattering Heaven…… Shattering Heaven…….”

As if the phrase had been seared into his brain, he repeated the words over and over.

He had no choice.

There existed a realm of power that could never be reached through mere Sword-Breaking.

A reality that could only be witnessed by those who became the Shattering Heaven.

“Does it matter if it is a sword or a fist that shatters the sky? If it is achieved with a bow, where is the problem?”

The hostility began to drain from Murong Gang’s gaze.

In its place was a profound, searching look that seemed to see right through me.

“Jae-hwa made the Blood Cult tremble in terror with nothing but a bow. The warriors of the murim even gave him the name One Arrow Against a Thousand.”

That was correct.

The divine strength he displayed in Sichuan had been nothing short of miraculous.

“Jae-hwa will use the martial arts of the clan to shatter the sky someday. If he does it with a bow instead of a sword, is that truly a failure?”

“Hah! You seem remarkably confident, don’t you?”

I was certain.

The Breaking Bow had emerged even from the hellish, broken reality of my past life.

In this timeline, just as Jae-hwa had said, he would inevitably become the Heaven-Shattering Divine Bow.

I gave a firm nod.

“I am certain that Jae-hwa will surpass the title of Sword-Breaker and rightfully claim the name Shattering Heaven.”

“……Shattering Heaven.”

“If that comes to pass, can anyone truly say that the lineage of the Murong Clan has been cut off?”

I looked at Murong Gang and broke into a grin.

“……A new martial art has truly come to life.”

Murong Gang looked at me with eyes full of turbulent emotion.

“You truly are…….”

A gaze so complicated that it was impossible to tell if it held sorrow or joy.

Regardless, it was clear that his initial fury had abated.

There was no way his heart wouldn’t have been stirred by the weight of the phrase Shattering Heaven.

“Now, could you release me? I feel like I might actually die if you keep this up any longer.”

“……Ah, my apologies.”

Wait? Did he just apologize?

The instant I heard a word I never expected from him, the pressure constricting my body vanished entirely.

As my blood flow rushed back to normal, my entire body tingled as if electrified.

“Ow…… My body…….”

“A-are you all right?”

With his rationality restored, Murong Gang’s demeanor had shifted to something unexpectedly cautious.

It seemed that after hearing the word Shattering Heaven, he had finally realized what a catastrophic mistake he had been making.

I intentionally massaged my aching shoulder, making sure he noticed, and said,

“What was that all about? I have been trying to make choices for the benefit of the Murong Clan the entire time……. And you didn’t even let me finish my sentence.”

“C-come now, you should have just been clearer from the start.”

“Did you give me a moment to speak? No, what was that energy that crushed me like a bug while I was trying to explain?”

Murong Gang pointedly looked away.

“Ahem……. I was merely letting you experience the martial arts I have refined over a lifetime……”

“Please, enough with the nonsense. I genuinely almost died!”

For a second, Murong Gang’s expression stiffened.

“So what do you expect me to do about it?”

He was reverting back to his thug-like persona.

His face grew even more shameless.

“Are you planning to ask me for a return strike for every hit you took?”

Others might have shrunk away from such an aggressive look, but did I look like the type to do that?

“Hoo, forget it. Even if I landed a punch, how much would it really hurt you? Just provide some compensation for the beating.”

“What?”

“Why so surprised? If you hit someone, isn’t it only logical that you provide compensation for the injury?”

Murong Gang stared at me with his mouth agape, clearly finding me beyond absurd.

No, what was he going to achieve by just staring?

Besides, I had taken that beating on behalf of Murong Jae-hwa, so demanding double compensation was only fair.

Naturally. Absolutely.

—

The news that Murong Gang would be attending the Murim Academy’s “Distinguished Guest Invitation” sent the students into a frenzy of excitement.

“Good heavens! The Sword-Breaker himself?”

“To think I would actually see him in the flesh within my lifetime!”

“D-does this mean Lady Murong Seol will be accompanying him?”

“Hey! I told you not to bother him. Why are you so tactless?”

“Wait, you were part of the Righteous Path Association from the start—didn’t you used to dislike Jin So-un?”

“……What are you talking about? After seeing him save the members of the Orthodox Path Association, I decided he is a true, chivalrous hero.”

For the first time, the academy students were submitting participation applications with a single, unified goal: they all wanted to be present for the event, regardless of their own sects or affiliations.

As a result, with the exception of a few who were restricted by private commitments, nearly everyone was determined to show up.

News of the event reached the neighboring Murim Alliance as well.

As the situation in Sichuan stabilized and the initial tensions began to fade, many Alliance members also expressed interest in attending, but the academy denied them entry.

This fueled rumors that the academy was favoring its own students by bringing in such a legendary figure.

“Tsk, tsk. As expected of a man who has lived entirely by his own whims, you’re managing to cause trouble with impressive efficiency yet again.”

At Jegal So-myeong’s remark, Murong Gang’s brow furrowed deep.

“What is that supposed to mean, you petty-minded bastard! Trouble? What trouble am I causing!”

As their voices began to rise, Hyeok Mu-gang intervened to keep the peace.

“Ha ha. Both of you, calm down. The students outside will hear you.”

“Hmph! Watching you sit in the Alliance Leader’s chair and acting so dignified when it fits you so poorly is just painful to watch.”

When Murong Gang turned his verbal assault on him, the corners of Hyeok Mu-gang’s eyes twitched.

Given that he rarely let his emotions show, it was clear that the history they shared from their youth hadn’t truly faded.

“What made you suddenly decide to attend this event? And I heard you say it was at Jin So-un’s request?”

At Jegal So-myeong’s question, Murong Gang flinched, quickly raising his tea to his lips.

“Ahem. Considering the personal bond between that young man and myself, I can certainly grant a request of that caliber.”

“…….”

Suspicion lingered in Jegal So-myeong’s eyes.

“You, who didn’t even bother to attend your own grandson’s entrance ceremony, traveled all this way to fulfill a favor for a disciple of another sect?”

“Ahem! C-cough!”

“Moreover, how did your hands end up looking like that?”

It wasn’t just his hands.

There were small lacerations on his neck and face, and bruises were visible across his arms.

Jegal So-myeong shook his head and clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Tsk, are you still getting into brawls at your age?”

“Who said I was brawling! Th-this is…… yes. It’s all a result of giving instruction.”

“Instruction? To that boy Jae-hwa?”

Murong Gang’s brow creased.

“That cursed grandson…… no, not that fellow, a different cursed fellow.”

“Jin So-un?”

“Yes.”

At Murong Gang’s words, Jegal So-myeong and Hyeok Mu-gang exchanged a bewildered look.

What kind of relationship could the Sword-Breaker and Jin So-un possibly have, where they were trading instructions and favors?

And as if to address that very question, Murong Gang added,

“He is a man I intend to take as my son-in-law.”

“Son-in-law?”

“……!”

Murong Gang lifted his chin, looking entirely satisfied with himself.

“He is a man who will bring great prestige to the Murong Clan in the future. Umhaha.”

Hyeok Mu-gang and Jegal So-myeong barely managed to prevent themselves from spitting out their tea.

It was the first time in their lives they had ever seen the perpetually arrogant Murong Gang acknowledge anyone with such high praise.

“No, I’m telling you, the kid managed to dodge my Void-Annihilation Fist with ease. A brat who has barely crossed twenty! Furthermore, he was considering the future of our clan in a way I had never even imagined. Where else in the world could you find such a man? Euhahaha!”

Watching Murong Gang chuckle as if the very thought gave him pleasure, Jegal So-myeong tilted his head.

“A son-in-law to establish the clan…… Are you talking about a matrilocal son-in-law?”

“Yes.”

“Pfft……!”

In the end, Jegal So-myeong and Hyeok Mu-gang couldn’t hold back and sprayed their tea across the table.

They knew how much Murong Gang doted on Murong Seol, and they knew full well he wasn’t the type of man to easily bring an outsider into his family.

That was the source of their shock.

Then, Jegal So-myeong suddenly noticed something odd in Murong Gang’s story.

“……Are you aware that he is the Chief Disciple of the Taeul Sect?”

Murong Gang nodded with utter confidence.

“I heard as much.”

“The Taeul Sect typically requires their Chief Disciple to inherit the sect’s traditions.”

“……Eh?”

Jegal So-myeong sighed, as if to say, “Naturally.”

“……You didn’t consider Jin So-un’s own desires or his situation at all, did you.”

“Ahem……. Well, he can hold both positions. It is the post of the Murong Clan’s son-in-law, after all!”

“Hmph!”

Jegal So-myeong scoffed at him.

“As expected, you haven’t changed at all since the old days.”

“Wh-what are you talking about! When I brought it up, the boy clearly liked the idea!”

“Liked it……! You probably beat him into submission and threatened him again!”

Murong Gang couldn’t contain his rising temper and sprang from his seat.

“You bastard! Are you looking to be persuaded by my fists next?”

“Oho! It sounds like you need to be locked in the Eight-Gold Formation and starved for a fortnight again before you recover your senses!”

Eventually, Hyeok Mu-gang had to step in.

“Both of you, stop. The people outside can hear everything……”

“You stay out of this!”

“Alliance Leader, stay still!”

It had zero effect.

These men, now renowned masters of the murim, were snarling at each other with bared teeth as if they had reverted to their teenage selves.

After they bickered for some time,

“More importantly, I heard on my way here that things in Sichuan are getting quite noisy.”

At Murong Gang’s comment, Jegal So-myeong let out another long sigh.

“It’s because we’ve enjoyed peace for far too long.”

“Should we send more warriors to help?”

Jegal So-myeong shook his head.

“The tide of battle is already turning in our favor. We will win the war regardless. It’s simply a matter of time.”

“I hear the Black Path bastards are making noise about forming a coalition. How about I go over there and thoroughly stir up their nest?”

At Murong Gang’s cavalier attitude, Jegal So-myeong shot him a scorching look.

Thus, the second round began.

“Just try it! I will personally lead a battalion to your clan and pull out every single root of grass you own!”

“All I offered was help, and you’re still throwing a fit!”

Jegal So-myeong tapped his own temple, mocking him.

“Don’t you understand the danger of splitting the front lines in two? I’m asking if you actually use that thing sitting above your shoulders to think.”

“Hmph! Your liver must have shrunk to the size of your tiny mind in your old age. You’re just going to sit there while they form an alliance?”

“You’re familiar with the Demonic Practitioners, aren’t you?”

Jegal So-myeong brought up the incident regarding the attack on Murong Sang-won.

Only then did Murong Gang’s voice drop to a serious register.

“You’re treating this as a genuine threat?”

“Nothing about the Regular Exam or what transpired in Sichuan is normal. A darkness far greater than the Black Path is likely approaching.”

“Are you planning to use barbarians to control barbarians?”

“That is not it.”

“Mm?”

Murong Gang’s head turned.

The answer came from Hyeok Mu-gang.

“When true darkness consumes the world, the Orthodox and Black Paths will likely have to fight side by side.”

After wearing a stiff expression for a moment, Murong Gang let out a dry, soft laugh.

“Do you think such a thing is even possible?”

“We must try. If it proves impossible, far more blood will be spilled.”

Since the inception of the murim, had there ever been a time when black and white didn’t clash?

For some reason, Murong Gang felt a strange anticipation that he might soon witness things he never thought possible in his lifetime.

“The murim is going to get interesting from here on out.”

With a mysterious smile, Murong Gang added,

“If you’re planning on an alliance, you’re going to need to send an envoy delegation.”

He shifted his gaze back to Jegal So-myeong.

“Who are you sending? Is this your chance to dispose of a political enemy? Are you planning on sending those stubborn Wudang fools?”

“…….”

“…….”

The uncomfortable silence clearly irritated Murong Gang.

“……Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking of sending the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly?”

At such gatherings, it was customary for the most representative figures to attend.

The issue was that Murong Seol was a member of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly.

And the destination for this envoy was the very heart of a Black Path summit.

Jegal So-myeong cleared his throat before answering.

“No……”

“Then?”

“Jin So-un, along with……”

“Eh? You’re sending our So-un?!”

At Murong Gang’s exclamation, Jegal So-myeong furrowed his brow.

Who did this man think he was, calling him “our So-un”?

Truly, had this old man finally lost his mind?