Jang Ha-eun shook her head in disbelief.
The dedication the Seonu family showed to the Namgung family was immeasurable. However, her husband, Namgung Byeok, maintained a certain distance from the Seonu family, despite both being prominent martial families.
Once, out of sheer curiosity, she asked him why. His response was astounding: he kept his distance to avoid the topic of marriage alliances being brought up.
In response to her question, Namgung Byeok confidently replied, "Just because he disapproves doesn't mean I have to live according to his wishes."
"Ah, I understand. But I am curious about how you became sworn brothers in just seven days," she replied.
Namgung Byeok simply laughed.
Even Namgung Cheon, their son, couldn't resist joining the conversation. "Father, I am also very curious. You only have Uncle Yeon as a sworn brother. How did it happen?"
"It's not a particularly mysterious or complicated story. Simply put, we each saved the other's life once. Through that, we came to trust each other and decided to join forces."
"Wow! Did Uncle Yeon save you?" Namgung Cheon looked at his father with wide-eyed astonishment. It was hard to believe that his father, known as the Sword King, had needed someone's help.
"There are rumours that you and Uncle Yeon defeated the Lunar Demonic Cult together. I had no idea there was such a story behind it."
"Rumors are only half true, aren't they?"
"Really? Was it that intense?" Namgung Cheon was visibly shocked.
Namgung Byeok looked at his son with a steady gaze. "The Lunar Demonic Cult was not an ordinary cult as people think. They possessed unimaginable power. Defeating them with Yeon's help was truly a stroke of luck."
Namgung Byeok shook his head as if recalling something dreadful.
"Is Uncle Yeon's Chamwol technique really that extraordinary?" Namgung Cheon asked.
"Chamwol technique? Tsk! Where did you hear that name? Uncle Yeon's swordsmanship is beyond that."
"What is it, then?"
Namgung Byeok reminisced about the incident six years ago. The relentless attacks from the five elders of the Lunar Demonic Cult were terrifyingly supreme. Any underestimation of the cult had long been abandoned, as life-threatening crises kept occurring.
In a moment of utter exhaustion, when he had resigned himself to death, a miracle happened. Yeon Murong charged in like a tiger. Behind him, the cult's elite warriors fell like sheaves of wheat.
Later, Namgung Byeok learned that just as he had underestimated the cult, they had completely overlooked Yeon Murong, an unknown warrior. That was their undoing. Yeon Murong's intervention disrupted the cult's meticulously coordinated attacks. Seizing the moment when the cult elders hesitated, Yeon Murong beheaded one of them.
Namgung Byeok would never forget that scene. Nine sword auras descended from the sky, eight occupying different directions and one piercing the elder. It was an impeccable strike, unavoidable by anyone.
In the brief pause caused by the remaining elders' shock, Namgung Byeok unleashed his own Emperor's Sword Technique, which he had kept in reserve. The cult's stronghold crumbled, losing all five elders.
The cult leader, Wolha Seonja, fled after being struck by Yeon Murong's sword aura. Although they failed to capture the leader in the chaos, the Lunar Demonic Cult vanished from the world after that day.
Following the battle, Yeon Murong earned the title of Chamwol Swordsman, a name carrying the hope that Wolha Seonja would never return. The day they burned the cult's plaque, Namgung Byeok asked Yeon about the sword technique he had seen.
"It's called the Nine Heavenly Swords. It has been passed down through the Yeon family," Yeon had said.
Recalling that day still excited Namgung Byeok. "The sword technique Yeon learned is called the Nine Heavenly Swords. It is comparable to our Namgung family's traditional techniques."
"Wow! Is it really that remarkable?" Namgung Cheon's jaw dropped.
"That's what I witnessed that day."
"Then why isn't Uncle Yeon's ultimate technique known to the world?"
Namgung Cheon looked puzzled.
Namgung Byeok smiled faintly. He remembered asking Yeon Murong a similar question in front of the cult's sacred temple.
"Because the Nine Heavenly Swords and the Mysterious Lady Scripture were never fully transmitted."
"Oh! Is that Uncle Yeon's martial art?"
"Yes, those two techniques have been handed down from ancient times in the Yeon family. Unfortunately, parts of them were lost over the years."
"Oh! What a pity!" Namgung Cheon sighed.
Just hearing the names Nine Heavenly Swords and Mysterious Lady Scripture evoked a sense of wonder.
Jang Ha-eun, who had been quietly listening, murmured, "The names of these techniques sound somewhat Daoist."
"If you feel that way, it might be so," Namgung Cheon nodded.
Jang Ha-eun, the daughter of a Wudang elder, had studied Daoist teachings from a young age. Her words were almost always accurate.
"Perhaps it's because I've heard many stories about the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens. Nine Heavenly Swords and Mysterious Lady Scripture…" she trailed off.
"You might be right," Namgung Byeok agreed.
Their younger daughter, Namgung Yeon, stared intently at her mother, evidently curious about the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens.
Jang Ha-eun patted her daughter's head. "Do you want to know who the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens is?"
"Yes."
"She is a fairy from ancient times. When the Yellow Emperor fought Chi You, she gave him military strategies. She also saved Song Jiang of Liangshan and gave him three heavenly books."
"Wow! Military strategies and heavenly books?"
Namgung Cheon's eyes widened.
"Yes, so Daoists believe that the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens helps great leaders achieve great things."
"Mother, if such a fairy exists, I would like to meet her someday."
Jang Ha-eun chuckled at Namgung Cheon's words.
"Good things never come alone."
There was a peculiar resonance in Jang Ha-eun's words, and the Namgung family members in the carriage fell silent.
Four children stood before Baek Miju.
Baek Miju scrutinized each child carefully, not missing a single scratch or wrinkle on their clothes. Fourteen-year-old Yeon Mubak was perfectly prepared.
Baek Miju looked at Yeon Mubak with significant eyes. "Remember, you must do your best today."
"Yes."
Yeon Mubak was visibly tense.
"Don't be so stiff. And among your peers, you're the oldest, so treat Namgung Yeon kindly. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
"If you act too stiff, girls won't like you. Always speak kindly and gently, okay?"
"Mother, don't worry so much," Yeon Mubak replied with an awkward smile.
He had heard this countless times. His mother insisted on impressing Namgung Yeon, as it would be beneficial when he went to the Namgung family to learn martial arts from his uncle.
Although he couldn't understand the connection between impressing a young girl and learning martial arts, he was determined to try his best.
Only after confirming Yeon Mubak's determined look did Baek Miju turn away. Eleven-year-old Yeon Seungbak had a small scratch on his face but was otherwise presentable.
"You too, treat your uncle's daughter well. Don't play pranks and do whatever she asks. Got it?"
"Yes."
Baek Miju wanted to ensure that either of her sons could win Namgung Yeon's favor.
Finally, she looked at the nine-year-old Yeon Seolju. Seolju was a natural troublemaker, unable to stay still even for a moment.
Baek Miju warned her several times. "Seolju, you must keep your clothes neat until Uncle's family arrives."
"Yes."
"'Yes' is not enough! You need to answer properly."
"Alright."
"No! Say, 'Yes, I understand.'"
"Yes, I understand!"
Seeing her reluctance, Baek Miju decided not to press further to avoid causing the opposite effect.
Lastly, Baek Miju glanced at Yeon Jeokha. His small face evoked anger just by looking at it. The son of a servant who ruined Yeon Murong's life and future, he stood with his shoulders hunched.
His downtrodden appearance only infuriated Baek Miju more. Overcome with anger, she pinched his arm hard.
"Why are you standing there like an idiot? People might think someone is bullying you. Can't you stand up straight?"
"Ow!"
A short cry escaped Yeon Jeokha's lips.
Unconvinced, Baek Miju grabbed his small shoulders and shook him violently.
"What's with the whining? Stand up straight! Stand up!"
Yeon Jeokha bit his lip as his head shook violently.
Noticing his bleeding lip, Baek Miju smacked him across the head.
"Why are you biting your lip? Are you trying to make me look bad? How can you grow up to be a proper person like this?"
"I'm sorry…"
His head reeled from the blow, and Yeon Jeokha shrank back.
"Speak clearly if you're going to talk! How many times have I told you to speak so people can understand you? Answer me! Did I tell you or not?"
She poked his small chest repeatedly.
He stabbed relentlessly. Each time, Yeon Jeokha's slight frame wavered like a tree meeting a typhoon.
"Ow... ow..."
"What are you saying? Can't you speak properly? Are you defying me?"
The agitated Baek Miju grabbed Yeon Jeokha's earlobe and forcefully lifted it up.
Yeon Jeokha's head soared into the sky.
Enduring the pain of tender flesh being torn, Yeon Jeokha raised his head with a crow's footing.
"Ouch! Ouch!"
"What hurts? Stop exaggerating! Who hit you? Answer me! Answer!"
Yeon Jeokha's face turned pale.
"I did it! I did it! I'm sorry!"
At Baek Miju's scream, she let go of Yeon Jeokha's hand.
Then Yeon Jeokha's head was buried between her shoulders.
Baek Miju brushed Yeon Jeokha's tender hair clinging to her fingers.
Then she calmly manipulated Yeon Jeokha's crumpled clothes and said,
"If you're human, don't make trouble. If you do wrong, people will curse your father. Do you understand?"
"Yes..."