Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Namgung Cheon let out a groan.

His entire body lacked strength, and his elixir field felt completely empty. He tried to move his body slowly, but even that was not easy.

It seemed he was still alive.

Due to the scatter-energy poison, he had no internal energy left when he was hit by the thunder fire bomb, and he had held out against that many people for several double-hours, so it would not have been strange if he had died.

He ended up laughing absurdly at the fortune that had found him.

"You seem to have the energy to laugh."

At the familiar voice that followed, he struggled to open his eyes. He was even slightly surprised by the fact that he had not sensed anyone beside him.

"You are…"

"Dan Woo-hyun."

"Did you save me?"

"Rather than saving you, you crashed into my boat on your own."

Namgung Cheon let out a hollow laugh.

To think such a thing had happened.

Fortunately, he was alive and not dead, so he should be glad, but why did all the strength drain from his body?

Namgung Cheon glanced at his left arm.

The sensation of his severed arm felt awkward.

For his arm, the very life of a swordsman, to be cut off?

Furthermore, because Namgung Cheon was left-handed, the shock was unspeakably great.

His internal energy was completely disrupted by the scatter-energy poison, and even his left arm, which he thought he could always rely on to rise again as long as it existed, was cut off, so the martial artist Namgung Cheon no longer existed.

That felt extremely hollow.

"In the end, it turned out as you said. The martial artist Namgung Cheon has died… Haha."

The voice that flowed from his mouth was dead. Having lost his martial arts, which he thought was everything, how great must his emptiness and futility be?

Since he was once a man who had risen to the position of the strongest, he must have received several times more shock than others.

"You are alive because you still have breath. Otherwise, I would not have brought you here."

"Hahaha, you are heartless."

Namgung Cheon felt Dan Woo-hyun's gaze.

Indifference.

He saw nothing more and nothing less than that.

The eyes of someone who had saved him but did not have the slightest intention of doing anything for him.

In those eyes, where benevolence did not exist, Namgung Cheon did not seem to be reflected.

"If you want, I can inform the Murim Alliance."

"No… it is fine. Just for a moment… could you let me stay here?"

Namgung Cheon, who held the title of Sword Emperor, did not want to show his wretched state to others.

He had always looked down on others, had been an object of admiration for someone, and had been an object of awe to someone else, so he did not want to receive pitiful looks or sympathetic gazes.

He was also reluctant to return to the Namgung Clan.

He would certainly receive hospitable treatment there compared to staying here, but Namgung Cheon did not even want to see that.

Thinking about that, he suddenly raised his head.

Come to think of it, this man's eyes had not changed at all since he first saw him.

"Ha… seeing you now, you are very thoughtful."

"Either curse or praise, pick just one."

Namgung Cheon laughed with an awkward expression.

Come to think of it, he had just said something that was no different from a curse.

"You may stay as long as you want. However, if you have no money, I cannot watch you play and eat for free."

"Are you telling a dying old man to earn his keep… is that it?"

"You seem to have the strength to wag your mouth, so won't you do something?"

Dan Woo-hyun smirked and turned his back. He had stayed because it was about time for him to wake up, not because there was any other reason.

"Recuperate for the time being, and work once your body is fully healed."

"Hahaha."

In the end, it meant he was going to make him work.

When Dan Woo-hyun closed the door and left, Namgung Cheon closed his eyes before he knew it and fell into contemplation.

Looking back on past events one by one, a sharp blade rose in his eyes, unable to hide his resentment.

'Who on earth is it?'

He wondered if they were the ones who appeared on Gunzado, but thinking of their swordsmanship and behavior, it felt slightly different.

They even showed the meticulousness of using the Murim Alliance's carrier pigeon.

Since it was something they could never do unless they understood the Murim Alliance's communication network properly, the enemies were people inside the Murim Alliance.

'They did this when there is not much time left before the election of the next Alliance Leader. As if they were waiting for me to step outside the Murim Alliance…'

Namgung Cheon half-opened his eyes.

Without a doubt, there was an enemy hiding their identity inside the Murim Alliance.

Those who wanted to ruin the name of the Sword Emperor and gain something.

Seeing that they used scatter-energy poison and even thunder fire bombs, which were difficult to obtain, they must be backed by wealth and power.

Several people flashed through his mind, but Namgung Cheon soon shook his head and denied the thoughts. He wondered if they would go this far.

Then he let out a long sigh.

"What is an old man doing getting so worked up? Hahaha."

Namgung Cheon shook his head.

The more he thought, the more only the word revenge came to mind.

It was a difficult thing to achieve for an old man who no longer had the strength to do so.

Somehow, those remaining there had to resolve it.

For the Sword Emperor Namgung Cheon was now just a powerless old man.

He composed his mind and shook off his idle thoughts.

* * *

"Not a trace… not even a trace…?"

Zhuge Un held his throbbing head and continuously tapped the table.

A month and a half had already passed since they started searching for Namgung Cheon, but let alone a trace, they had not found a single clue.

Naturally, he ground his teeth.

He should have been a bit more thoughtful.

As the Sword Emperor Namgung Cheon was the Murim Alliance Leader, there were many who targeted him. Not to mention the wicked factions, but even some righteous sect members who would profit by removing him.

He had not expected them to go so far as to use scatter-energy poison, but perhaps it was natural for something like this to happen.

"It is truly regrettable, but if we have not found him for this long… shouldn't we start giving up?"

"We cannot do that!"

Zhuge Un ground his teeth and glared at a man.

His shortly trimmed beard, sturdy build, and angular face gave off an intimidating aura to those who saw him.

The name he possessed was as grand as his appearance.

Murong Hyeok-mun of the Murong Clan, the second greatest family in the world.

He was also the one who had conceded the name of Sword Emperor to his friend and friendly rival, Namgung Cheon, and obtained the nickname of Sword Star as one of the Seven Stars.

Because he had been close to Namgung Cheon since childhood, he ran over as soon as he heard the news of his disappearance and stayed up for several days and nights trying to find a trace.

"Then what will you do? A month and a half has already passed. The incident at Gunzado has also become known, and the Murim Alliance has been embarrassed once again. It is difficult enough to clean this up right now, so are you going to announce that the Murim Alliance Leader was attacked by mysterious figures and went missing?"

"Ugh!"

Zhuge Un silently shut his mouth.

Just as Murong Cheon said, the reputation of the Murim Alliance had recently fallen to the ground. They gained nothing from the Martial God's secret cave, and instead, they were attacked and lost a large number of martial artists.

They were being pointed at because they could not even catch the culprit, so if the disappearance of Namgung Cheon, the Murim Alliance Leader, became known, the Murim Alliance might tear apart.

"The Namgung Clan has already sent separate personnel. Right now, sorting out the Alliance is the top priority."

At those words, which could not be refuted, Zhuge Un kept his mouth tightly shut.

He wanted to throw everything away and find Namgung Cheon, but because he was the Chief Chancellor of the Murim Alliance, all authority lay with Zhuge Un in the Alliance Leader's absence.

'For now, I will sort out the Alliance. I do not know who the bastards who attacked the Alliance Leader are, but I will definitely find them.'

He quickly organized his thoughts and composed his mind.

Now was the time to trust the Namgung Clan.

"I will return to Henan for now."

"Yes, you thought well."

* * *

"Meticulous."

The man who was examining the site where Namgung Cheon was attacked frowned.

Traces of where the thunder fire bombs had flown were clearly visible, and bloodstains here and there had hardened and not disappeared.

"Father, then Grandfather…"

"…"

The current patriarch of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Yong, caught his breath.

Zhuge Un and the Tang Family confirmed that scatter-energy poison had been sprayed.

No matter how much of a Sword Emperor he was, if he received this level of attack while his internal energy was dispersing, he certainly would not have been safe.

If he were alive, it would be a heaven-sent fortune, but he would no longer be in a state to hold a sword.

Still, Namgung Yong believed his father was alive.

'Because he is not someone who would pass away so easily.'

The title of Sword Emperor was by no means easily obtained, and from the perspective of Namgung Yong, who had watched the entire process, it was unimaginable for Namgung Cheon to die.

"I believe he is alive."

"However, he is not in a good state… is that it?"

"Yes."

"I don't care about anything else. I will do whatever it takes as long as I can find Grandfather."

Namgung Yong also nodded.

It was the same for him.

Although he had lost his strength, the name of Sword Emperor was like the symbol of the Namgung Clan.

'But knowing Father's personality…'

It was clear he would not wish for that.

Rather than becoming a powerless old man in a back room after losing his strength, he would choose to go into hiding and conceal himself.

Of course, this was a choice that could only be expected on the premise that he was alive.

"Where does it lead if we go further this way?"

"Anhyang."

"It is a place with a stream leading to Dongting Lake."

Namgung Yong slowly moved toward that place and examined the surroundings. The path was still rough, and bloodstains could be seen here and there.

Seeing that he had killed this many people even while his internal energy was dispersing, one could feel just how great the strength of the Sword Emperor was.

Moving along like that for a long time, the traces of battle gradually decreased, and eventually, nothing could be seen.

The only thing remaining was a clear bloodstain that looked like someone had been deeply slashed.

"He came all the way here."

Namgung So-hye nodded.

She had also checked up to this vicinity. But it was not easy to investigate further ahead.

The place where the two of them were currently standing was a terrain that had risen quite a bit from the canyon, and a cliff of considerable height was in front of them, with a deep river visible below.

It was a height from which he could never survive if he fell while his internal energy was disrupted.

It was even more so because there were many sharp rocks protruding around.

Was the only fortunate thing that there were no bloodstains on the cliff?

"We must float a boat. Deploy the children and search the surroundings thoroughly."

"The Chief Chancellor Zhuge has already…"

"No, still, we must look one more time to be satisfied, shouldn't we?"

'Satisfied with what?'

Namgung So-hye wanted to ask that, but the words did not come out easily.

It was because she was too scared of what words would come out of Namgung Yong's mouth.

She lowered her head and clenched her fists.

Trying to calm her trembling heart, she opened her mouth slightly.

"Yes…"