episode_0073

The reception I received upon arriving at the Namgung family was surprisingly not bad.

Perhaps the reason for this is that Namgung-hyeon is a respected elder in the world, and it may also be that he does not have an appearance that would make us wary of him when we brought him in to be his disciple.

In a way, it may have been natural since the senior citizen of Sega, who went to see Hwangsan Mountain, brought these sprouts with him, saying that he was looking forward to their qualifications.

So, now the two of us were kneeling behind Namgung Hyeon and meeting Namgung Myeong, the head of the Namgung family.

Because this was a case where an internal elder, an elder, brought in disciples from outside, the meeting was held informally in the head’s office rather than in the reception hall.

Inside, there were only five people: Namgungmyeong, the head of the family, Chonggwan, Namgunghyeon, me, and Baekgeon.

Unlike Namgung-hyeon, who was middle-aged and had a soft appearance, Namgung-myeong had a very strong appearance thanks to his wide eyes, raised eyebrows, and distinct facial features.

For someone with such a masculine appearance, his eyes were extremely clear, so I felt pressured to flinch when Namgoongmyeong’s eyes turned towards me.

I only flinched because I had thick nerves, but Baek Geon was shaking every time his gaze fell on me.

Namgungmyeong asked in a loud voice.

“Are you saying that you will take them in as disciples this time?”

“That’s right. We met by chance in a village near Hwangsan Mountain, and both of us had unusual constitutions. I brought him here because his qualities were a waste.”

“Qualification… Children with good qualifications abound even within our generation… Don’t you know how many children in our generation want to be taught by elders?”

Namgung-myeong, the head of the family, also asked him in a polite tone, different from his powerful voice, whether he respected Namgung-hyeon’s age and position as an elder.

“Heh heh… Aren’t those children being taught by great adults from Sega besides me? They will be very disappointed when they hear.”

Namgoong Hyun, who said so, added:

“And if I had done it wrong, they would have been taken away by the opening.”

“Stolen?”

To the head of the family who expressed doubts, Nam Gung-hyeon explained the conversation he had with Jang Jo-gang, the owner of the ark.

Namgung-myeong, who heard the whole story, exhaled admiration.

“Huh… I can’t believe something like that happened. Uiseon might visit, so we need to prepare in advance.”

“Okay, maybe you could take a look at Hwaran one more time?”

When Namgoongmyeong was told about his daughter, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

“That would be good.”

But in an instant, he shook off that expression and looked at us with the same bright eyes as before.

“So, what is your name?”

“My name is Minho! It is an honor to meet the head of the Namgung family!”

“Baekgeon…”

From the looks of it, he was a person with a generous personality, so he answered in a loud voice. Still, since he looked young on the outside, I didn’t know much about etiquette or anything like that, but I figured that if I answered loud enough, I would get halfway there.

On the other hand, Baek Geon’s voice was trembling, perhaps because he was nervous.

As expected, Namgung-myeong nodded with a satisfied face when I answered, but when he heard Baek-geon’s introduction, he wiggled his eyebrows.

“What?”

“Well… I’m… Baek Geon.”

Baek Geon, embarrassed by the sudden attention, stuttered.

Namgungmyeong spoke in a loud voice.

“Speak properly! with loud sound! Did you plan to join the Namgung family with that voice that I can’t even hear?”

Baek Geon looked around with trembling eyes.

Then, when he saw Nam Goong-hyun giving me a kind look and me giving him a small nod, he took a deep breath.

Haapㅡ

“Baekgeon! no see! from now on! well! ask! I’ll give it to you!”

“……”

A young voice rang loudly through the office.

Only then did Namgoongmyeong shout out with a satisfied look on his face.

“Good! Very lively!”

Then he spoke to the municipal governor who was standing next to him.

“Elder Namgung-hyeon says he wants to bring in disciples, but I can’t just sit still. Give me one byeokundan (碧雲丹).”

“Okay.”

‘What is Byukundan?’

[Byeokundaan is a spirit medicine manufactured directly by Namgung Family. It is usually given to warriors who have made contributions that enhance the prestige of the family or who have shown outstanding qualities. Although it does not reach the world-class elixirs such as Daehwandan of Shaolin Temple, it is a superior elixir with few side effects because its energy is clear and abundant.]

According to the guidebook’s explanation, it was a favor that exceeded expectations.

Perhaps, before his head grows bigger, he plans to show him this favor and completely accept him as a member of the Sega.

“Thank you!”

“As he became a disciple of Elder Namgung-hyeon, it can be said that his qualifications were guaranteed. Thanks to this, there was an opportunity for Euiseon to visit Sega. I’m not saying that you can’t give something if you consider it as a merit.”

Namgungmyeong shook his head as he said that.

“Elder Namgung-hyeon must have been suffering from fatigue as well, but you can go back now.”

“Hehe… I guess I’ll just head back then, matriarch. Now, let’s get up.”

We got up and left the office.

Since it was officially recognized by the head of the family, Namgung-myeong, the rest of the process proceeded smoothly.

After receiving a wooden box containing the byeokundan from the governor, he stopped by the shrine where the memorial tablets of the ancestors of the Namgung family were placed and paid his respects.

And finally, becoming an official disciple was completed by offering a bow to Namgunghyeon in his room.

After bowing, Namgung-hyeon looked at us sitting in front of him and spoke solemnly.

“I have taken you as my disciples under my authority, but I cannot teach you martial arts, which are only available to members of the Sega, from the beginning to those of you who are not part of the Namgung clan.”

‘I didn’t really expect anything.’

No matter how good his qualifications seemed to be, I took him as a disciple, there was no way he could teach great martial arts to a baseless guy picked up on the street from the beginning.

Moreover, it is not an ordinary clan, but a family of five generations that values family.

“However, if you work for the Namgung family and solidify your position through meritorious deeds, and marry a member of the family, then I will officially inform you of the family’s martial arts skills.”

Does not matter.

If you can learn just the basics, the rest will take care of itself.

‘My brother only trusts us Baek Geon.’

When Baek Geon develops his skills, he will bring me treasures and sacred techniques hidden throughout the central plains.

It didn’t matter because I was expecting something else, and since Baek Geon was ignorant of martial arts, there was no special reaction.

Namgoonghyun said with a smile when he couldn’t find any signs of disappointment on us.

“I am proud to see that your core has become strong. There are many excellent martial arts programs for talent recruited from outside, so you can look forward to it.”

“Yes!”

“First, Baekgeon. Since you possess the five elements, you will be able to learn any martial art. I will teach you the Heavenly Wind Sword Technique and the Iron Sword Ten Styles.”

Baek Geon bowed his head.

“Thank you.”

“And Minho… I guess I’ll have to think a bit more about the martial arts I’m going to teach Minho.”

I asked with a puzzled face.

“Why?”

“It is difficult to choose a martial art that matches your constitution, which has been temporarily named Cheonyang Diamond Body. In addition, there is turbid energy accumulated in the qi and blood, so it will be difficult to build internal energy using ordinary methods.”

“Wouldn’t Byeokundan be helpful?”

Namgoonghyeon nodded his head in agreement to that question.

“I guess I’ll have to wash the bee hair myself after you eat the Byeokundan.”

‘Beewash!’

[Beolmosesu is a kind of great law practiced by martial arts sects or families with strong masters to improve the constitution of young martial artists.]

While I was feeling joy at this unexpected windfall, Namgoonghyeon continued.

“In essence, this requires more preparation. However, with the Changgung Daeyeonsingong (蒼穹大衍神功) that I have learned, Byeokundan, and your strange constitution, it may be possible to perform it even if the effect is slightly less.”

“Thank you!”

“Hehe… Can’t a teacher do this much for his student?”

To be honest, when I was attacked by bandits on the way to the Namgung House, I thought that this nobleman also had a temper when I saw him secretly take advantage of the opportunity and kill the arrogant messenger.

But once I became a disciple, I couldn’t feel more reassured.

“Anyway, assuming you are washing bees, you have two options.”

“What is it?”

Namgoonghyun explained as he spread his fingers one by one.

“Learn martial arts that can utilize the yang energy in your body. In this case, since there are no martial arts prepared by Sega, you must obtain martial arts separately. And there is a high possibility that the martial art obtained in that way will not be in good condition.”

‘Pass this for now.’

Even if you do not learn martial arts that use Yang energy separately, there is no problem in using this ability.

In that case, it is a waste of time to learn low-quality martial arts just because of quantity.

“What are the other options?”

“Learning Qigong from outside the home.”

“Do you mean foreign attack?”

Namgoonghyun nodded.

“Your muscles are several times stronger than those of an ordinary person. So wouldn’t it be better to utilize that advantage rather than just throw it away? In addition, if you learn common martial arts like Baekgeon, it will have a good synergistic effect.”

When it comes to martial arts, the only thing that comes to mind is Geumgang Buddha.

Anyway, since this was coming from someone who was much more advanced than me, I calmly accepted.

“However, there are some concerns.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The method of learning external skills is quite rough. That’s why most external skills assume training after growth is complete. If you are not careful, you may get seriously injured during training.”

It was a warning that made me laugh.

My body’s durability right now is literally superhuman thanks to its abilities.

There is no way such a serious injury could occur during a simple training process, and even if it did, you could safely eject and come back after recovery.

When he said that I could just learn common martial arts like Baekgeon, I answered confidently.

“It doesn’t matter. I will try to figure it all out.”

Namgoonghyun seemed to have decided that there was no point in interfering with my attitude, so he nodded quietly.

“Good. In that case, let’s start training right away after washing our face tomorrow.”