Chapter 11
When they stepped out of the head house, Murong Suhyang bowed toward Seok-woong.
“I’m sorry, Chief Commander. That idiot keeps causing trouble. Please allow me to apologize on his behalf.”
Seok-woong was taken aback.
“Why would you do that? I’m fine, so there’s no need.”
“Even so, what’s wrong is still wrong.”
Straightening her posture, Murong Suhyang’s face was filled with bitterness.
“You are far too generous toward the children of an insignificant family, Chief Commander.”
Seok-woong’s chest ached at hearing such words from a sixteen-year-old girl. She was the kind who would laugh at the sight of a rolling leaf.
He knew he had to make himself absolutely clear.
“May I say a few words?”
“Ah, of course.”
“There’s something you misunderstand, and something you’re doing wrong.”
“Hmm?”
“First, your family, the Murong clan, is by no means insignificant.”
A shadow fell over Murong Suhyang’s face.
“I know. It was a great martial family in the past.”
“You don’t really know.”
Seok-woong’s words were firm.
“You’ve only grown up hearing about the Murong clan’s glorious past. So you don’t know how immense the potential and greatness embedded in the Murong bloodline really is.”
Murong Suhyang’s eyes wavered. This was the first time she had heard Seok-woong say such things.
“Especially your great-grandfather, the previous clan head, Murong Heon, restored order to a chaotic family and achieved a long period of peace across Liaoning. Even now, if you go there, elderly people respectfully call him ‘the former king.’”
Former King.
A title reserved for benevolent rulers of the past. It was far too grand for someone who had been merely the head of a martial family.
“Moreover, your great-grandfather’s younger brother, your great-uncle, was one of the absolute figures of that era and served as the Head of the Martial Alliance—an unparalleled martial genius.”
“I know. He was called Gwangmyeong Musun, right?”
A subtle heat entered Murong Suhyang’s voice. She had been proud of the fact that the clan had produced the first Head of the Martial Alliance in its history, even if now it was a name seldom spoken aloud.
“That’s right. That was the great Murong Cheon. Even Seok-woong, normally expressionless, could not hide his passion when speaking of him.”
Murong Suhyang could sense that Seok-woong admired her great-uncle, perhaps even revered him.
“In the days of your great-grandfather and Murong Cheon, the Murong clan was considered the strongest among the orthodox martial families, far surpassing the Seven Great Families. Even the formidable Gu Pailbang could not compete with your family. That is how great the Murong clan is.”
“But…”
Bitterness lingered on Murong Suhyang’s face.
“That’s just the glory of the past, isn’t it?”
Indeed. She knew her ancestors had been exceptional. She felt pride and thought they should not sully their reputation.
But what about reality? The once-great Murong clan was on the path to ruin. Without the ten or so members of the Hwakumjo, it could barely still be called a martial family.
Seok-woong nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. It is the past. But even if reality is harsh, abandoning your pride is not just.”
“Dwelling on past glory would only make one a fool.”
“A warrior without pride is like a sword without a sheath. A sword without a sheath will always harm its owner.”
Don’t cling to the past, but don’t fall into defeatism either.
Murong Suhyang understood Seok-woong’s words—understood them intellectually, though she had yet to fully accept them in her heart.
Seok-woong, watching her expression, spoke again.
“Now that I’ve told you what you misunderstand, let me tell you what you’re doing wrong.”
“Ah… yes.”
“You dislike the young master, don’t you?”
Murong Suhyang reflexively frowned. Just from that, Seok-woong could see the depth of her distrust and resentment.
“That old master cared for and looked after you a lot. Do you remember?”
“…I remember.”
Back then, their relationship had been good. Though separated by three years, he was both her uncle and her grandfather figure.
“But so what? Because of that idiot, my sister fell ill. And we got into financial trouble dealing with the mess caused by that drunkard.”
Her lips pressed together in indignation, her face flushing.
“I can never forgive him.”
“I won’t try to change your mind, but I must correct what you misunderstand.”
“…?”
“It wasn’t the young master’s fault that your elder sister fell ill.”
“What?!”
“The elder sister’s illness was the same as that suffered by your great-grandfather, the previous clan head, and your father, the former clan head—a congenital condition. In simple terms, it’s hereditary.”
Murong Suhyang’s eyes went wide.
Until now, she had believed her sister’s illness was an incurable disease brought on by extreme psychological stress. But it was a congenital condition?
“The reason she could go to the Mingjin Institute under the Wudang Sect was thanks to the young master.”
“What does that mean…?!”
“The young master eased your sister’s emotional burden. He told her that the family would handle things, and that she should go and heal, independent of the clan.”
“……!”
“At that time, the young master was only fourteen.”
Murong Suhyang could hardly believe it.
“Am I supposed to think you’re lying about something so delicate?”
Her face showed confusion.
“But…”
“Do you not want to believe it, or can’t you?”
Biting her lips, Murong Suhyang spoke in a slightly raised voice.
“Even if that’s true, it doesn’t change the fact that he became a terrible person! My sister’s illness must have worsened because of him!”
“That’s right. Surely, the young master contributed to worsening her condition.”
“But the elder sister and the young master understood each other.”
Murong Suhyang’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“The young master sent your sister away at that young age. He understood her. Back then, your sister hated the family.”
“Lies!”
Murong Suhyang shouted without realizing it. She could believe many things, but not that.
Seok-woong calmly continued.
“When your sister returned, she blamed herself for the young master’s deterioration. She believed she was responsible for him going astray.”
“……”
“And she waited. She waited for the young master to return to his former self.”
Seok-woong looked toward the head house.
“The young master’s aura is slightly different now. Whether this is the start of the change, I don’t know… but I believe that neither your younger sister, nor the young master, nor your elder sister, are people who will crumble like this.”
“……”
“Remember this. All three of you carry the blood of the great Murong clan. Even if your lives and circumstances are different, you are Murong.”
Perhaps because of the shocking truth, Murong Suhyang’s shoulders slumped, and she looked strangely exhausted.
“I don’t even trust my own blood, so why do you have so much faith, Chief Commander?”
Seok-woong smiled.
“People say the Murongs are finished. But I’ve seen how great they really are. Even the rich fall for three years, and even the gauntest tree will sprout leaves in spring.”
“……”
“The Murong clan will not easily collapse. What’s wrong is still wrong, yes.”
Meanwhile…
“Damn it!”
He had suspected it. And sure enough…
“It’s the Nine Yin Absolute Vein (Gu-eum Jeolmyeok).”
Just like his older brother, Murong Heon.
It was unclear since when, but this type of hereditary vein disease had appeared in the Murong family. His father had it, his older brother had it. Luckily, Da-ho did not inherit it, but it manifested in Sujeong.
“No wonder.”
Although the weather was chilly, she wore extra layers. Her pale complexion and dark circles under her eyes were typical signs of someone unwell.
“She’s turning quite pale.”
With his Brain Gate Mind Skill, he noticed the bluish spots around Sujeong’s temples.
It meant that cold poison (Handok) was about to invade her brain.
“Fortunately, she has mastered internal energy.”
Yet her internal energy was unusual.
“This resembles the Il-yang Heart Method (Il-yang Simbeop).”
Il-yang Heart Method was a type of martial mind technique left in the Murong family’s archives—not top-tier, but not third-rate either. It was a form of yang-energy cultivation, boosting vitality without fully focusing on storage or recovery.
For an ordinary person, it was adequate, but what Sujeong had mastered was not even a complete Il-yang Heart Method.
“Even so, her internal energy is massive. She must have converted many medicinal substances into her inner power.”
And her talent from the Nine Yin Absolute Vein certainly helped.
Those born with this vein often excel in intelligence, martial talent, or even artistic abilities. It’s why this hereditary talent is often called a “gift that kills beauty and life.”
For Murong Sujeong, it manifested in martial prowess.
“Thank heavens. It’s serious, but not too late.”
Completing the Brain Gate Mind Skill and restoring the family’s combat techniques had been his doing. With one of these restored techniques, he had easily cured Murong Heon’s disease.
“Done?”
“Hmm? Ah, yes.”
Murong Bi sighed unconsciously.
“She’s not doing well.”
Sujeong looked surprised.
“Did you learn medicine separately?”
“…A little.”
“It’s amazing. I didn’t expect you to have studied medicine.”
A bitter smile played on Murong Bi’s face.
“There’s much we don’t know about each other.”
Indeed, it was a statement that carried deep meaning.
Sujeong shook her head.
“There’s a lot we don’t know, but the more important thing we do know.”
“Huh?”
“I protect you and Suhyang just as you’ve protected me. Until I die.”
“……”
“The most important thing is that, right?”
Even if he muttered internally about the foolish Murong Bi, he admired Sujeong’s heart.
No matter how chaotic the world, one must cherish their blood. If one part is good, the whole seems good. To Seok-woong, Murong Sujeong was beautiful no matter what she did.
“Understood. Well, it’s late…”
“If the pulse check is done, may I ask you a question?”
Sujeong’s expression turned serious.
“If it’s alright, I’d like to know the circumstances—at least from you, sister to sister.”
