The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 61

Rustle.

Behind the western sparring grounds of the outer hall stood a towering pine tree.

Leaning against it in the shadow, Seolhwa turned her head at the sound of footsteps approaching.

She’d sensed someone coming for a while now. And she knew exactly who it was.

“Hey.”

Yu Gang stood beneath the moonlight, waving a hand.

Seolhwa straightened her posture, stepping away from the tree to face him.

“Uh... This is where we said we’d meet, right?”

“Yeah.”

After the duel earlier that °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° day—

Amid the chaos, Seolhwa had sent Yu Gang a transmission.

— Zi hour (11 PM to 1 AM). Under the pine behind the western sparring grounds. Meet me there.

Just one message, and he’d jumped like he’d seen a ghost.

He’d nervously glanced around, nodded with an incredibly suspicious expression, and left Seolhwa sighing.

“You actually found the place? Thought you'd get lost.”

Yu Gang scratched his cheek.

“Heh. I did get lost, actually. I’ve got a terrible sense of direction. But I figured that’d happen, so I came early.”

“Smart.”

At least he was on time.

“So why’d you want to meet? I mean, I’m glad we get to talk more, but...”

Seolhwa furrowed her brow slightly and handed him a note she’d been holding.

“This.”

“...What is it?”

“Give it to your Sect Leader. He’ll understand when he sees it.”

“...?”

Yu Gang looked between the note and her face.

His curiosity was written all over his eyes.

I thought he’d get angry. Guess not?

The secret Mount Hua had tried so hard to keep was directly tied to their Sect Leader.

So naturally, bringing him up should’ve made Yu Gang suspicious—tense, even.

...Does he seriously not know anything?

“...How long’s it been since you last saw your Sect Leader?”

“Hmm... about two years? He went into closed-door cultivation.”

He lowered his eyebrows slightly.

“So, uh, sorry, but I probably can’t give this to him...”

Closed-door cultivation, huh.

So that’s the story they gave the disciples.

Well, if a Sect Leader had to vanish from the public eye, closed-door cultivation was the perfect excuse.

No one would question a long absence with a reason like that.

Seolhwa pushed the note back toward him.

“Your Sect Leader’s not in closed-door cultivation. So deliver it.”

“...He’s my Sect Leader, you know.”

“Exactly. Which means your elders probably visit him regularly. He’s with them.”

“....”

Yu Gang’s brow tightened.

Suddenly, he remembered something—Elder Nobaek from the Martial Instruction Hall, hurrying off somewhere the other day.

That path only leads to the latrines, though. Huh... guess he was really in a rush.

Sure, sure. Elders are people too. And people, well... they have bodily needs.

He’d brushed it off like that at the time.

The problem was, it wasn’t just Nobaek.

Now that I think about it... the elders have been using that path a lot.

Yu Gang knew that well—he used to rest under a tree along that very path.

He’d always just assumed there was something special about the latrine behind it.

“...So it is there.”

“...I didn’t say anything.”

“It’s written all over your face.”

“On my face?”

Yu Gang touched his cheek, then frowned and dropped his hand.

“Let’s say you’re right. Then why claim he’s in closed-door cultivation?”

“That’s your problem to figure out. He’s your Sect Leader.”

“But you know. So just tell me. You’re the one asking for a favor here.”

Yu Gang held up the note.

Seolhwa’s lips curled with interest.

“Is that a threat?”

“Wh—no, hey! It’s a... a favor...!”

Seolhwa nodded like that made sense.

“Your Sect Leader is sick.”

“...What?”

“Shh. You want to bring the whole outer hall’s guards down on us?”

“Sorry,” Yu Gang whispered.

“What...?”

“...I don’t know the details either.”

In truth, she had a good idea. But confirming something like this would be a bit too suspicious, so she let it go.

“What matters is—if he doesn’t get treated, he won’t last much longer. And there’s someone in Mount Hua who wants him dead.”

“...!”

“I don’t know who. That’s all I know.”

Yu Gang’s face went stiff.

He wasn’t smiling anymore. The ease in his posture was gone.

“...So this note...”

“It’s how to save your Sect Leader.”

“....”

He gripped the note tightly in his hand.

Still looked like he didn’t fully believe her.

“Why give something so important to me? My teacher’s one of Mount Hua’s elders. He’s also the head of the Plum Reflection Sword division. Wouldn’t it be better to tell him?”

“You said you’ve never heard of the Great Return Pill, right?”

Yu Gang nodded.

“Do you think Mount Hua is weak?”

He shook his head. Firmly.

“Then why do you think a sect as strong as Mount Hua had something as powerful as the Great Return Pill stolen by some no-name back-alley gang?”

“That’s...”

Yu Gang lowered his gaze, confusion clouding his face.

After a moment of thought, he looked back up—his eyes hardened.

“...Are you saying I shouldn’t trust even my teacher?”

"To be exact—everyone who knew about the Great Return Pill. In truth, I only trust two people from Mount Hua."

"Who are they?"

"Your Sect Leader. And..."

Seolhwa pointed directly at Yu Gang.

"You."

“...!”

There was only one reason she trusted him.

Because in her previous life, she’d seen what kind of person he was.

She knew how he’d fought to uphold Mount Hua’s legacy, even as he lay dying. She knew why he stood alone, risking his life to face the Blood Demon Cult.

He was someone who would never betray Mount Hua.

"It’s fine if you don’t trust me. But I want you to deliver that note to your Sect Leader personally."

Yu Gang clenched the note in his hand tighter.

“...Alright. I’ll take it for now.”

He slipped it into his robe.

“But whether or not I deliver it—I'll decide that for myself, once I see for sure.”

“Fair.”

Seolhwa nodded without protest.

"You can read it, if you want."

“...Okay.”

“You’ve got that ‘storm of confusion’ look on your face.”

Yu Gang’s eyes were swimming with turmoil.

Finding out the Sect Leader was dying, and that someone within Mount Hua might be trying to kill him—how could anyone stay calm?

But after squeezing his eyes shut and taking a deep breath, he reopened them with that familiar, mischievous glint.

“Today’s duel... it was fun, huh?”

The subject changed just like that—smooth, natural.

She hesitated, thinking of how to respond, but he already looked dejected, staring blankly up at the sky.

“...I was the only one who thought it was special again, wasn’t I?”

He must’ve remembered how Seolhwa had said their first meeting wasn’t anything special—back in front of Nomoen.

She was just about to tell him it had been kind of fun, when he suddenly brightened.

She didn’t even try to keep up with the mood swings anymore.

“...I learned a lot from you. Like I said before, I’m actually pretty strong in Mount Hua. Among my age group, I don’t have any real rivals.”

Yu Gang was the youngest among Mount Hua’s First Disciples. But no one dared look down on him for it.

“But... listening to you, I realized I’ve been getting cocky. The elders always told me not to slack off in training, but I brushed them off.”

He clenched his fist tightly.

“And now I regret it. Turns out I don’t have the luxury of being lazy.”

“You’re still strong.”

She said it before he could sink too deep into guilt. His eyes widened.

Then he grinned like a fool.

“Really?”

“You said no one your age can match you—that means you’re exceptional.”

“I guess so, huh?”

He laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

“If I’d trained harder instead of messing around all this time... do you think I could’ve been a match for you?”

“Nope.”

“...You just called me a genius a minute ago...”

“I’m not the kind of person you can explain with words like genius or monster. If you really want to beat me, you’ll have to die and come back.”

Though... if she thought about her past life—maybe it was possible?

She mentally calculated the odds, and just then, Yu Gang trembled, then suddenly shouted.

“What if I do beat you? What’ll you do then? Even without dying and coming back, what if I win?!”

Seolhwa blinked. Her brows curved faintly, not unkindly.

“Well... I doubt it.”

“But if I do? I said if! What then?”

“I’ll give you one thing you want.”

His eyes lit up like firecrackers.

“Anything I want? Seriously?!”

“Yeah. Anything.”

Not that it would ever happen.

“Deal! It’s a promise, got it?!”

The moment she saw him bouncing on his heels, she regretted saying anything. A faint sense of dread crept in.

Yu Gang pumped his fist.

His eyes blazed with competitive fire.

“No matter what it takes, I’ll beat you! Someday, somehow!”

“...Sure. Do your best.”

At this point, even Seolhwa felt a twinge of curiosity. Would there ever come a day when this kid could actually be her match?

Then, out of nowhere, Yu Gang yelled at the sky.

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“The martial world is vast, and there are many mighty warriors! I, Yu Gang—First Disciple of Mount Hua—declare before the moon that watches over Heaven and Earth!”

Seolhwa’s eyes lost focus.

“I, Yu Gang, will definitely defeat Namgoong Seolhwa!”

...Is he insane?

She knew he wasn’t all there in her previous life either, but as a kid, he was completely off the rails.

The moonlight poured down over the two of them.

As Yu Gang raised his fist toward the heavens, soaking in that radiant moonlight, Seolhwa quietly backed away into the shadows.

If anyone happened to pass by... she wanted him to be the only one who looked crazy.

Yu Gang turned to look at her with an innocent smile from beyond the darkness.

“Hey, how old are you, anyway?”

“Thirteen.”

“...Oh. Thirteen...”

Yu Gang was fifteen.

“I’m leaving tomorrow. You’ll come see me off, right?”

“I’ll be busy.”

“...Well, if you’re busy, can’t be helped.”

The bright moonlight made Yu Gang’s pale skin glow even brighter than usual that night.