Chapter 2-3

Namgung Qi. The boy upon whom the greatest expectations in the Namgung Clan rested. Namgung Qi, the second son of Namgung Qingyun, the Clan Head of the Namgung Clan, was expected someday to surpass the eldest son, Namgung Xiu, and become the next Clan Head of the Namgung Clan. But unlike the expectations of the clan members, Namgung Qi had no interest in the position of Clan Head.

“My brother will become the Clan Head, and I will become my brother’s sword.”

It was what Namgung Qi always said. He liked his elder brother. No matter whether other people called him the next Clan Head or not, Namgung Qi did not care. That did not mean Namgung Qi had a good personality. Whereas Namgung Xiu was gentle and kind to everyone, Namgung Qi was greedy and rough. He wanted to become the best in martial arts, hated losing to anyone, and refused to acknowledge those weaker than himself. When there were many eyes watching, he became a boy with a mature personality despite his young age, but when only the members of the Namgung Clan were present, he was nothing like that. If Namgung Qi had not been born of the same mother as Namgung Xiu, and if he had not followed him so well, he would have aimed for the position of next Clan Head of the Namgung Clan. Because he liked Namgung Xiu more than he desired to become the next Clan Head of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Qi had cast aside his greed for the Namgung Clan’s headship.

-Thud

“Argh!”

“Young Master, are you all right?”

It happened just as Namgung Qi and his escort warriors were about to pass a cloth shop. Namgung Qi collided with a boy who looked to be about ten years old coming out of the cloth shop. But while the boy who had collided with Namgung Qi fell over, Namgung Qi himself was perfectly fine.

“I’m sorry.”

Namgung Qi waved a hand at the escort warriors approaching him, then looked at the boy who was apologizing to him as he got to his feet. His hair was in disarray, but perhaps because he washed properly, he was not dirty. His clothes were cheap, but they looked clean, as if he had just bought them. However, what entered Namgung Qi’s eyes was not the boy’s appearance, but the sword on the boy’s back that had no scabbard. It was simply tied with a cord. If he moved too violently, the cord would probably snap, but the boy’s sword was already quite blunt and chipped, so that did not seem to be a concern.

‘He calls that a sword…?’

Sneering inwardly as he looked at the boy’s sword, Namgung Qi let out a faint snort and nodded to the boy.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Bai Shixuan.”

The boy was Bai Shixuan, who had come down from the mountain. Bai Shixuan had sold the rabbit pelts he had gathered during that time to the cloth shop, barely obtained clothes and a little travel money, and then collided with Namgung Qi on the way out. Rabbit pelts themselves were so cheap that he had not been able to raise much money, but if he economized, he would probably be able to make it safely back to the Flower Fragrance Pavilion.

“Young Master, what shall we do?”

“What do you mean, what shall we do? It was a mistake—should we kill him?”

When Namgung Qi said that while glaring at the escort warrior who had asked from beside him, the warrior shrank back with a cowed expression. If there had been no eyes watching, he would naturally have killed him. But there were far too many eyes here. On top of that, renowned Murim masters were gathering in Sichuan. If Namgung Qi killed the Bai Shixuan standing before him, rumors would spread that Namgung Qi had killed a pitiful boy. That would not be good for either Namgung Qi or the Namgung Clan.

‘He’s carrying a sword, and his body is good for his age, but it doesn’t seem like he’s learned martial arts.’

Seeing that Bai Shixuan’s Taiyang acupoints were not protruding, Namgung Qi finished his assessment quickly. Should he just send him away like this? But to be honest, he did not feel all that pleased about doing that. In any case, this boy had collided with him—the second son of the great Namgung Clan, and the one who would one day become the Namgung Clan’s sword.

“Hey.”

“Yes.”

Thinking that perhaps he might be allowed to leave now, Bai Shixuan had been watching Namgung Qi’s mood, but when Namgung Qi called him, he looked at him. They were about the same age, yet he himself was speaking politely, while the other spoke far too casually. But what could he do? At a glance, the boy was a scion of a noble house, while he himself was nothing but a beggar. Thinking that, Bai Shixuan gave a bitter smile inwardly and waited for Namgung Qi’s next words.

“How about we spar once? With that worn-out sword of yours.”

“How could I…?”

“Hmph. Then do you want rumors to spread that you struck a young master of the Namgung Clan?”

The Namgung Clan. Bai Shixuan’s body flinched at Namgung Qi’s mention of the Namgung Clan. To think he was from the Namgung Clan. No matter how little he knew about Murim, even he knew the Five Great Families, the Blood Cult, and the Nine Great Sects and One Gang. And to think this boy was from one of them. He truly had no luck.

“How could I dare point a sword at a young master of the Namgung Clan?”

“I’m telling you I’ll overlook it if you do. Otherwise, you really might die.”

At Namgung Qi’s words, Bai Shixuan sighed inwardly. This boy was immature. He wanted to show off his strength. And he wanted to toy with a weak opponent like Bai Shixuan. He was full of arrogance, and his personality was nasty as well. Bai Shixuan had seen that at first glance.

“Will that truly be all right?”

Just in case, Bai Shixuan looked at the escort warriors behind him. Of course, neither they, nor Namgung Qi, nor even Bai Shixuan himself thought that Bai Shixuan could win against Namgung Qi. But even so, raising a sword against the young master of a prestigious clan was not a good thing. At Bai Shixuan’s question, the escort warriors nodded with faces full of mockery.

“Then I ask for your instruction.”

“Heh heh, good, good.”

When Bai Shixuan drew the sword from his back, Namgung Qi nodded with a smile. But he did not draw his own sword. He continued to look at Bai Shixuan with only his fan in hand, his whole face brimming with a smile.

“Why aren’t you attacking?”

“Your sword…”

When Namgung Qi asked Bai Shixuan who was standing still without attacking, Bai Shixuan answered briefly. At that, Namgung Qi let out a snort and shook his head.

“There’s no need for me to draw my sword against the likes of you. Just come at me.”

Bai Shixuan gave a small bow of his head. Before they knew it, the area around them was packed with spectators. Their interest had been piqued because two young boys had suddenly started fighting. But neither Bai Shixuan nor Namgung Qi paid them any mind. Bai Shixuan ran toward Namgung Qi and began thrusting his sword.

‘No footwork, no internal energy, and it’s just a sword being swung wildly.’

Watching the sword Bai Shixuan thrust at him, Namgung Qi let out a sigh. He had held out a bit of hope just in case, but as he had thought, the boy was nothing special. Namgung Qi wrapped qi around his fan and blocked Bai Shixuan’s sword.

“Was I a fool for expecting anything?”

When Namgung Qi lightly flicked the fan that had blocked Bai Shixuan’s sword, Bai Shixuan’s body was immediately thrown backward. Bai Shixuan flew back a full one zhang (about 3 meters). Looking at Bai Shixuan after he fell to the ground, Namgung Qi let out a sigh.

“Young Master, are you all right?”

“Were you worried I might have gotten hurt? Anyway, he was nothing special. Let’s go.”

Namgung Qi looked at Bai Shixuan lying on the ground, then began moving once more toward the Tang Clan estate. As Namgung Qi started to leave, the people who had been watching also dispersed and went their separate ways. And Bai Shixuan remained sprawled on the ground, blankly staring at Namgung Qi’s retreating back. He felt bitter. He had worked hard for two years, yet had been dealt with in an instant. His efforts had turned to bubbles in a moment. Bai Shixuan bit his lip hard to hold back the tears that threatened to come out, and forcibly pushed himself to his feet.