Chapter 79

Clunk~ Clunk~ Clunk-clunk~!

Inside a lavishly decorated, spacious carriage that seemed like a detached room, the head of the Sima family slowly blinked his eyes awake from sleep.

‘…Of all dreams, why did I have to dream about that?’

It was a memory he could never forget, yet it was a shameful past. Especially a secret from his family. It was embarrassing.

He could imagine Cheon-i, with a dejected face, using his peculiar way of speaking, tiptoeing backward step by step.

“Dressing as a woman and crossing the Central Plains to the Western Regions? And even receiving confessions from several men?”

“Teehee… I don’t like this kind of papa… I wish the heavens would change him…”

A child as kind and gentle as his mother. He wouldn’t do that, but still, it’s unpleasant.

There was a reason, but he could never reveal that he had dressed as a woman and wandered around in his early teens.

Naturally, the existence of his disguise identity, Sima Hwa, must also never be revealed.

It’s a secret he’ll take to the grave.

Anyway, it seems he dozed off while unusually organizing documents.

Sima Bu looked for the pile of documents to finish his work, but they were already neatly organized.

Yeonghwa’s beautiful red eyes sparkled as she gently placed the last document on the table.

“If you’re tired, why don’t you sleep more?”

She smirked at the family head who had fallen asleep while working, unable to manage his health properly.

A sarcastic remark towards a rival who had shown a moment of vulnerability.

If it were the usual Sima Bu, he would have countered or responded to this challenge.

But the current Sima Bu wasn’t in the mood for that. Silently, he quickly glanced through the organized documents.

There was nothing lacking. Ironically, as he spent more time with Yeonghwa, who learned martial arts from him, she also learned how to handle work.

“…Well done. Thank you.”

He voiced his thoughts and turned his head to look out the window.

“…Huh?”

At his simple response, Yeonghwa, who had prepared for a verbal spar expecting dozens of variables, momentarily wore a blank expression.

“Unusually showing vulnerability in front of me, and now gratitude?”

She frowned slightly, wary.

“You… what are you scheming…?”

“I said well done because you did well. There’s no other meaning.”

Saying it like that left her speechless. An awkward silence filled the carriage.

In this unexpectedly awkward atmosphere, Yeonghwa also turned her head to look out the window and idly tapped the soft cushion.

“First of all, what’s with this unnecessarily large carriage, escorts, chefs, doctors, and servants? Are we moving? Is this a mass migration?”

“You are the symbol of the alliance between the Sima family and the Baehwa Church. If you get hurt or kidnapped while wandering around carelessly, it’s troublesome for me.”

Sima Bu’s gaze shifted from the window to Yeonghwa.

Looking closely, a girl whose image slightly overlapped with his younger self was reflected in his amber eyes, which seemed to flicker like flames.

“…And no matter what, you are nominally my adopted daughter.”

He uttered a promise from his childhood, already tattered, with more failures than successes.

“As long as I am the head of the Sima family, the Sima family must eat the best, wear the best, and receive the best treatment. No exceptions.”

Finding it amusing, a self-deprecating smile appeared on Sima Bu’s lips.

“Well… now that there are only three of us left: me, you, and Cheon-i.”

Perhaps due to the unusual atmosphere, or because he agreed to her request to go to the Martial Alliance to meet her brother.

Yeonghwa stopped sharpening her tone and, as the saintess of the Baehwa Church, quietly offered words of comfort.

“That… if my brother and I work hard, it will naturally be resolved.”

“……?”

No matter how un-fatherly he was.

As a nominal adopted daughter, she had been taken care of, so she had thought of creating a large family with her beloved brother to show filial piety.

However, to have children, the ‘act’ was necessary.

Imagining the shape of her brother’s member as described by the maids, Yeonghwa quickly changed the topic out of embarrassment.

“Anyway! Don’t worry! More importantly—”

A serious expression appeared on her doll-like face.

“Is my brother alright now?”

“He’s arrived at the Martial Alliance, so he should be fine. But he got involved with the Namgung family.”

“…Is that family really that dangerous?”

She had done some preliminary research, but all Yeonghwa knew about the Namgung family was that after the former head and his wife were brutally murdered, Namgung Rin, the younger sister of Namgung Seon, became the head, but there were suspicions that she had assassinated her own brother to become the head, causing internal divisions.

And to Yeonghwa, a devout Zoroastrian, this was an incomprehensible event.

Having a younger sister in the family but marrying an outsider, Namgung Seon was also hard to understand, but a younger sister who would kill her own brother for power?

‘…The people of the Central Plains are barbaric.’

As Yeonghwa thought this, Sima Bu frowned and told her what he knew.

“To be precise, it’s the former head, Namgung Cheon. He’s the dangerous one.”

Martial artists started adding titles like ‘king’ or ’emperor’ to their nicknames after the civil war among the eight Sima family members.

After the Rebellion of the Eight Kings.

It was during the era of the Five Barbarians (Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di, Qiang) invading the Central Plains and establishing numerous states, known as the Sixteen Kingdoms.

At that time, anyone who conquered a region would declare themselves king, making the title of king very light.

Martial artists who witnessed this…

“Wow, really, anyone can be a king. I want to be a king too. From today, I am the Sword King-!!”

“Then I’m good with fists, so I’ll be the Fist King!”

…Started adding ‘king’ to their nicknames like this.

Even after the chaotic period ended and a unified dynasty was established, they discreetly removed ‘king’ from their nicknames, but even under the current regime’s watchful eyes.

There was someone who stubbornly used the title of emperor.

That person was one of the Ten Great Masters of the World, the Thunder Emperor, Namgung Cheon.

“A madman playing the role of a retired emperor behind the scenes after passing the family head position to his children.”

“…And the lunatic who ordered the assassination of his own son, Namgung Seon.”

Sima Bu sighed and quietly recited.

Looking at him, Yeonghwa realized.

Why he so disliked the involvement of the Namgung family with Mantian.

Not only was Namgung Cheon dangerous…

But because Sima Bu was involved in the assassination of Namgung Seon, the former head of the Namgung family and the father of Namgung Sososo, who was currently traveling with her brother.

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t kill him. I just introduced an assassin through a deal.”

“An assassin…?”

“…There was one. If he had continued working under me, he would have lived peacefully and well.”

He answered indifferently, saying he went to die because he was going to die anyway.

‘Sorry, senior. I promised to kill anyone, no matter who.’

Just recalling the face of the nameless one, who severed their master-disciple relationship and went to kill the crown prince, made him angry. Sima Bu’s brows furrowed.

“A lunatic who went mad over chicken porridge and became a martial arts criminal.”

‘Chicken porridge? Martial arts criminal?’

Unable to understand, Yeonghwa unintentionally tilted her head cutely.

***

At the Namgung family’s main residence in Hefei, Anhui Province.

A cold-faced beauty with thunder-infused blue-black hair.

Namgung Rin, the nominal puppet head of the Namgung family, had gathered the traitors who had colluded with the Ilwol God Sect under the orders of the family’s true master, Namgung Cheon.

“What is this-! You wench! Just because you have father’s favor, you think you can do anything-!!”

Namgung Cheon had many children.

“Father won’t stand for this if he finds out! Release us at once!”

Namgung Cheok, who was also one of them, was screaming hideously, not fully grasping the situation he was in.

Namgung Rin did not respond to her relatives’ protests.

The reason was simple. She didn’t have the authority to do so. So she just waited in silence.

…And now the time had come. Suddenly, the air in the room changed. Thunder energy pierced the flesh.

“Now, now, Cheok, don’t get so heated.”

Eyes filled with self-confidence, white hair mixed with black, neatly trimmed beard and hair, a benevolent yet stern face.

“I just have some questions for you. That’s why I arranged this meeting.”

A tall old man with a sense of dignity.

“Why did you collude with the Ilwol God Sect?”

One of the Ten Great Masters of the World, the Thunder Emperor, Namgung Cheon, entered the room.

“Now, speak up…”

“F-Father! I don’t know what this wicked woman has said, but I’m innocent… Aaah!?”

Suddenly, a blade drawn from Namgung Cheon’s waist flashed and severed one of Namgung Cheok’s ears.

“Who said you could interrupt me?”

The benevolent face from before was a lie, revealing the cold, ruthless face of a tyrant.

“Who said you could make excuses?”

Imperial Sword Form

An overwhelming, formless energy pressed down on the room.

“You just need to answer my questions.”