The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 46: . The Guest from Mount Hua
“Mount Hua...?”
Everyone in the room reacted in unison, stunned.
Mount Hua—wasn’t it the most renowned sect in Shaanxi? One of the few sects acknowledged throughout all of Zhongyuan?
Traditionally, the high-nosed martial sects looked down on the martial families.
Unlike sects that built their names on martial arts alone, the martial families amassed wealth through business and commerce, consolidating regional dominance and fame in the process.
To the sects, the martial arts of a family were just one of countless first-class techniques—never the ultimate arts they revered.
In short, they dismissed family arts as inferior.
Which is why they typically avoided contact with the families altogether.
“Are you certain you mean the Mount Hua Sect from Shaanxi?”
“Y-Yes, sir. I saw them with my own eyes. They were wearing uniforms marked with the plum blossom emblem.”
At the servant’s confirmation, the gathered elders collectively sucked in a breath.
“An opportunity! This is a chance!”
“For this to happen right after we spoke of it—!”
“Heaven itself favors Lord Cheonghae! And with the Clan Head currently absent!”
“Where is the guest now?” the Council Head asked urgently.
“T-That is... well...”
“Out with it!”
“R-right now... the Chief Steward and First Young Lord are... receiving them in the Celestial Guest Courtyard...”
“What?!”
So the Chief Steward and Cheongun moved ahead of them?
“Lord Cheonghae!”
“Yes. A guest has arrived—it’s only proper that we meet them.”
Namgoong Cheonghae’s eyes sparkled with sharp intent.
****
“I’d heard the Sword Emperor had a son, but meeting you in person is another matter entirely. Once again, I’m reminded how unreliable rumors can be.”
“You flatter me. The honor is mine to greet the famed Divine Plum Blossom Sword of Mount Hua.”
Namgoong Cheongun offered a respectful martial salute to the guest swordsman from Mount Hua.
Divine Plum Blossom Sword – Nomon.
The leader of Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Sword unit. Known as Mount Hua’s strongest swordsman, and one of the Ten Great Masters of the martial world—on par with Namgoong Mucheon himself.
A man whose influence was immense both within Mount Hua and across Zhongyuan.
But why would such a man visit the Namgoong Clan...?
“Haha, you overpraise me. Let me introduce the disciples who came with me. Come, offer your greetings.”
At Nomon’s gesture, the disciples seated beside him bowed politely to Cheongun and Namgoong Mun.
“I am Yu Pyo, first-generation disciple of Mount Hua.”
“I am Yu Gang, first-generation disciple of Mount Hua.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Chief Steward Namgoong Mun’s face.
“Could you be... the Plum Reflection Sword?”
Yu Pyo bowed again with another salute.
“I’m embarrassed to say that is indeed my sobriquet.”
“I’ve heard the tales. You’re the one who beheaded that notorious leader of the Black Path in Sichuan, aren’t you?”
“I was merely fortunate, nothing more.”
“Haha, and so humble too. But, if I may ask—what brings such honored guests from Mount Hua all the way to Namgoong?”
Nomon offered a gentle smile.
“We heard that the Namgoong Clan had cause for celebration, and our Sect Leader sent us here as envoys.”
“A celebration, you say...?”
“I was told you recently recovered a child who had long been missing.”
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“...!”
Namgoong Mun and Cheongun exchanged startled glances.
Though they had instructed the branch families to spread the news, the fact that it reached even the remote peaks of Mount Hua so quickly was startling.
And beyond that—Mount Hua, a sect with no prior interaction, had sent an envoy just to offer congratulations?
— Chief Steward.
— I’m thinking the same thing.
Both men’s eyes grew heavy with suspicion.
Before Seolhwa’s arrival, Mount Hua had tried to obtain a Great Return Pill from Shaolin—only for it to be intercepted.
They both knew who had intercepted it.
Under ordinary circumstances, Mount Hua wouldn’t have cared about a reunion, no matter how joyous. Yet here they were—sending elite disciples and a master personally?
That meant there was a reason.
“If it’s not too discourteous, may we have the honor of meeting your Clan Head to offer our congratulations in person?”
Namgoong Mun, wiping all traces of suspicion from his face, responded with a smile.
“I understand your goodwill, but I must apologize... The Clan Head has entered temporary seclusion.”
“Seclusion...?” Nomon’s expression twisted in surprise.
“In that case, might we at least meet the young lady...?”
“She has entered seclusion with him.”
“...!”
The shock on Nomon’s face deepened.
They had to meet the girl—if only to determine the whereabouts of the Great Return Pill.
But now, suddenly, she was in seclusion?
“He said it would be no more than five days. It shouldn’t take too long. If you have time to spare, why not rest in our Celestial Guest Courtyard and recover from your journey?”
Whatever Mount Hua’s true purpose, they couldn’t be sent away so easily.
Until the Clan Head emerged, they needed to be held here—if only to find out what they were truly after.
“Hmm...”
Five days.
Longer than expected, but Nomon was in no position to return empty-handed.
In the end, he accepted Namgoong Mun’s offer.
“May the Primordial Heavens bless you. I am grateful for your hospitality.”
“Please, make yourself at home.”
****
Two full days had passed since they entered the Cave of Divine Insight.
Two days since Namgoong Mucheon triggered the explosion of Seolhwa’s implanted suggestion.
And for two days and nights without rest, their battle had raged on.
Snap! Crackle! Smash!
After thoroughly analyzing her sword techniques, Namgoong Mucheon shattered Seolhwa’s sword.
But the girl, undeterred, immediately transitioned into martial techniques using her fists.
When her fist techniques were blocked, she moved into palm strikes, then leg techniques.
And that wasn’t all—her footwork, the foundation of any martial art, was also based on the Namgoong Clan’s own style.
At this point, it was no exaggeration to say she had mastered every aspect of Namgoong martial arts.
Crack! Smash!
Namgoong Mucheon, blocking her palm strikes with a single hand, wore a grim expression.
“At this rate, I may ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) end up killing you.”
Her stamina had long since been depleted.
The problem was, contrary to his expectations, she showed no signs of collapsing or losing consciousness.
The only reason she remained standing was through sheer force of will.
“Stubborn and fierce... enough to push herself into a corner without ever thinking of giving up.”
At another time, he might’ve admired her and offered praise—but not now.
With every moment she endured, her condition worsened, and Mucheon’s heart grew more anxious.
“Let’s end this now.”
Until now, Mucheon had countered her techniques with only one hand.
But now, he clasped both hands against hers.
It happened in a fraction of a second—before even a single strand of her hair could fall from its arc in motion.
When he saw her completely overtaken by bloodlust, moving unconsciously under the influence of the curse, Mucheon felt a sharp pain in his chest.
What sin had this child ever committed to deserve this?
“I’m sorry.”
Namgoong Mucheon gathered energy in his palms and released it all at once.
BOOM!
With an echoing blast, their opposing energies collided and erupted.
Seolhwa’s body was flung backward, sliding across the ground.
“Kh...!”
Her exhausted body, unable to resist Mucheon’s force, coughed up blood.
Mucheon closed his eyes, as if he couldn’t bear to watch.
He hadn’t wanted to wound his granddaughter. But if he couldn’t tire her out enough to bring her down, he had no choice but to induce unconsciousness through internal injury.
Shhhk...
Namgoong Mucheon drew his sword, Heaven’s Decree.
A deep-blue energy surged through the blade, and it began to resonate—a low, mournful hum.
Like the sorrowful cry of a child.
“...”
There was grief on Mucheon’s face as well.
He didn’t shed tears, but his heart mourned alongside Heaven’s Decree.
“I’ve seen so much of you, Seolhwa. It’s only fair that I show you something in return.”
Mucheon shifted into position.
He assumed the starting stance of a sword form he had trained more than ten thousand times.
With a thunderous weight, the flow of his energy changed.
A density so overwhelming it suffocated the space around him in an instant.
“Watch closely. This is the true sword of Namgoong—one that cannot be broken.”
In Seolhwa’s eyes, Namgoong Mucheon began to grow.
Not literally, but in presence.
His immense pressure swelled endlessly, making him appear larger than life.
Rumble...
His presence towered like a mountain.
No—greater than a mountain.
WHUMMMM—
A great celestial palace unfolded before Seolhwa.
It was the aura of a Celestial Dragon—unreachable, untouchable.
Ruuuuumble—!
As Mucheon raised his sword, the surrounding energy trembled, as though it might erupt.
Like a dragon ascending into the heavens.
It soared, and soared, and at last, gazed down upon her with regal eyes.
The sword technique he now unleashed was Namgoong’s deepest secret—passed down only to the Clan Head himself.
It was the first movement of the Emperor’s Sword Form.
WHUUM—
Mucheon brought his sword down.
A single stroke.
And with that single, simple motion, the gathered energy surged like a vortex, shaking the earth and sky alike.
Ruuuuumblle...
Even without infusing his inner energy, the pressure alone dominated everything around them.
A sword truly fit for an emperor.
“...!”
Seolhwa instinctively raised her arms to shield herself.
WHOOOM!
The concentrated energy followed the path of his blade, crashing into the floor of the training chamber and spreading through the entire cavern.
The explosion of compressed energy was monstrous.
Just staying upright under it was a struggle.
Fwoooosh...
Eventually, the surge of power dispersed, fading into the stillness of the cave.
For a brief moment, silence fell.
Seolhwa’s body wavered.
Thud—
She collapsed into the arms of Namgoong Mucheon, who had already moved to catch her.
Holding his unconscious granddaughter, he let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Rest well. When you wake, we have much to talk about.”
