Chapter 151

Although his mind was clear, Namgung Woo’s physical condition was still in a pitiful state.

What Namgung Woo saw was nothing but his future self. Even for Namgung Woo, it was hard to believe how quickly he was recovering, but he was still far from being in good shape.

It was difficult for him to even get up. Nevertheless, Namgung Woo first checked the situation of the battle.

“The Ghost Gate…?”

Both the Ghost Gate Master of the Black Ghost Gate and Pung Hyeon, who was presumed to have intentionally opened the Ghost Gate, were dead.

All that remained was to break through the demons coming out of the Ghost Gate and close it.

However, there was no one suitable to take on that role. The higher the level of the Ghost Gate, the greater its durability. Even with the sword energy of a Peak Master, it would take a whole day to destroy the Black Ghost Gate.

At best, Yi Ho-yeong might be able to do it, but he had also expended a great deal of internal energy in the battle up to this point.

With Namgung Woo effectively out of the fight, the fact that only two people died while breaking through the calamity of the Black Ghost Gate was largely thanks to Yi Ho-yeong’s significant role.

If Myorin, along with Jegal Seon-a, hadn’t succeeded in turning the tide with the Dragon’s Roar, there would have been even more casualties beyond what Yi Ho-yeong could handle.

Would Yi Ho-yeong, who had fought with all his might, still have the strength left to close the gate? Probably not.

“Don’t worry about that. The gate was properly closed.”

“How?”

“I did it.”

A familiar voice. It was Deung Jong-yu.

Namgung Woo, lying with his head on Paeng Ha-ryeong’s thigh, saw Deung Jong-yu’s face peek into his half-obstructed view.

“I followed the mark left by the Great Hero and ran here without rest. I’m glad I wasn’t late.”

“You make it sound like you did it all by yourself.”

Another voice came from behind Deung Jong-yu, one that Namgung Woo had never heard before.

The person who pushed Deung Jong-yu, the leader of the Palwi Unit, aside like an obstacle was a woman in her thirties with a mature aura.

She was someone you wouldn’t forget after seeing her once. Her elegant physical curves, comparable to Paeng Ha-ryeong’s, were drawn over a pink martial uniform, making her unforgettable.

Namgung Woo’s gaze drifted towards her well-endowed chest. It wasn’t because he was mesmerized by their size, but to read the characters written on her uniform.

Gonji (坤地).

Only those who could inscribe the name of their unit on their martial uniform could do so. She was a unit leader like Deung Jong-yu.

“I am Wu Yun, leader of the Gonji Unit.”

“Among us, we call her the Cow Demoness.”

“…Please ignore this person’s words. Just to clarify, it’s not the character for ‘cow’ (牛) but the character for ‘aid’ (祐). And my title is the Divine Crane Heroine.”

Paeng Ha-ryeong reacted to Wu Yun’s name.

“Ah…! I am Ha-ryeong of the Paeng Family! I’ve heard much about the Divine Crane Heroine, but to meet you like this…”

“Is that so? I’ve also heard many stories about the Paeng Family’s Taoist arts.”

The Martial Alliance doesn’t have many disciples from the orthodox sects. However, it’s not that there are none at all, and Wu Yun is a prime example.

Despite being the first disciple of the Huashan Sect, she possesses martial arts stronger than the elders and chose the Martial Alliance over the Huashan Sect to practice her chivalrous spirit. Among the female martial artists of the White Path, there’s even a joke that any woman who doesn’t know Wu Yun’s name is a spy from the Black Path.

Wu Yun briefly acknowledged Paeng Ha-ryeong’s praise and continued.

“On behalf of the Martial Alliance, I thank the Blue Sword Emperor. Thanks to you, we were able to prevent the tragedy of the Black Ghost Gate and save our comrades from the Wind Chasing Unit.”

Wu Yun made a respectful bow. A murmur of ‘trying to hog all the coolness’ came from the side, but unfortunately, no one paid attention to it.

“I also had my reasons for doing so. More importantly, I hope you understand the rudeness of greeting you like this.”

“Of course. I heard you single-handedly faced the Ghost Gate Master of the Black Ghost Gate.”

“Now, now, you must be tired after just waking up. Great Hero, rest well. The Alliance will handle the cleanup, so don’t worry.”

Deung Jong-yu, perhaps in retaliation for being pushed aside earlier, dragged Wu Yun away.

With two of the Palwi Units providing support, even if the Black Ghost Gate were to open again, holding out wouldn’t be difficult, and there would be enough strength to attempt to close it. With Yi Ho-yeong and three Supreme Peak Masters, Namgung Woo felt reassured and let his tension ease, surrendering to the fatigue.

Paeng Ha-ryeong gently stroked Namgung Woo’s head. Her palm, calloused from practicing Taoist arts, was incredibly soft.

“Ha-ryeong.”

“Yes?”

“Perhaps the Namgung Family’s destruction wasn’t because of the Dokgo Family.”

Pung Hyeon mentioned Namgung Jin.

The final arrangement, the designated heir of the will.

There were too many suspicious aspects to believe that the Namgung Family’s destruction was solely due to the Sword Family Blood Feud with the Dokgo Family.

As Namgung Woo was about to share what he had heard, Paeng Ha-ryeong’s finger gently touched his lips.

“Now, it’s okay. Rest a bit more. Put aside thoughts of your family for now, and just focus on resting.”

“…Then, just for a moment…”

Following the fatigue that hadn’t completely dissipated, Namgung Woo closed his eyes.

§

When he woke up from a deep sleep again, Namgung Woo’s physical condition had improved to the point where he could get up and walk on his own.

A recovery speed that was almost miraculous. And despite his internal organs still being in the process of healing, his life was fully sustained, making him realize just how overpowering the Heavenly Boundary Power was.

In any case, Namgung Woo first gathered the members of the Changcheon Pavilion to share what he had learned. Setting aside the fact that he was the designated heir of the prophecy and the final arrangement, he told them about Pung Hyeon, his past connection with Namgung Jin, and how he called himself a god.

Perhaps because the story was somewhat shocking, they remained silent, each lost in thought.

After spending time with the Changcheon Pavilion, Namgung Woo checked on the martial artists who had followed him and the Wind Chasing Unit, who were the rescue targets. Fortunately, there were no additional casualties among the martial artists. Some were seriously injured, but by martial arts standards, it was bearable.

The Jinroe Unit and Gonji Unit had brought emergency medicine as support, and the healers from each unit had also learned healing techniques, so recovery was expected to be quick.

The members of the Wind Chasing Unit expressed their sincere gratitude to those who had rushed to save them.

Although their leader Byeok-un had died in battle and more than half of their comrades had perished, those who survived had to move forward.

They accepted the farewell and buried those who had left in their hearts.

After a brief meeting, Namgung Woo had a private conversation with Song Woojeol, who had now become the representative of the Wind Chasing Unit.

By this point, a whole day had passed, and the surroundings were already getting dark. Although it was a space inside a cliff, the dismantling of the spells and formations had made the environment similar to the outside.

“Have you finished your conversation with Miss Song?”

“Yes. Embarrassingly, I didn’t recognize her at first… I didn’t know Chaeji had grown so much, what a shameful uncle.”

After the battle, Song Chaeji went to find Song Woojeol only after hearing that Namgung Woo had regained consciousness.

At first, Song Woojeol didn’t recognize who Song Chaeji was. It had been a long time since they last saw each other. Unlike Song Woojeol, whose aging had slowed due to his martial arts, making him not much different from his past self, Song Chaeji had grown significantly during her growth period, making the disparity even more pronounced.

“Thank you for fulfilling Chaeji’s request. Thanks to you, this humble life was spared. And once again, I want to express my gratitude. Thanks to you… the death of our leader was not in vain.”

A complex emotion was conveyed from Song Woojeol.

When he first entered the martial world, wandering without knowing where to go, Byeok-un was like a signpost showing him the way. Song Woojeol, who had lived a vagabond life not much different from a rogue, joined the Martial Alliance because of Byeok-un.

But now, Byeok-un was gone.

Now, Song Woojeol was alone again.

“You were close with the Wind Chasing Unit’s leader, weren’t you?”

“Yes. That’s right. Even someone as lacking as me, he showed me that there are things I can do.”

“Lacking… If the deputy leader says that, then there are hardly any who aren’t lacking.”

Song Woojeol’s level was sufficiently high. It wasn’t for nothing that he had risen to the position of deputy leader in the Wind Chasing Unit, a direct martial force of the Martial Alliance.

But Song Woojeol seemed to genuinely believe that.

“That’s just luck. The luck of meeting an excellent teacher and good seniors.”

“Master Gwak Dan, you mean?”

“Yes…? How did you…?”

Song Woojeol had never even told Byeok-un that Gwak Dan was his teacher. So when the name Gwak Dan came out of Namgung Woo’s mouth, Song Woojeol was flustered and stammered.

But the confusion was short-lived. Song Woojeol sighed at Namgung Woo’s words.

“I heard it directly from him. Along with a request to take care of you.”

“…Did he remember me?”

He thought he had been abandoned.

A teacher so exceptional that even the Imperial Family coveted him.

A disciple too dull to even follow in his footsteps.

In the end, the teacher left for the Imperial Family, and the disciple never saw him again.

All that remained were the martial arts taught by the teacher.

But the teacher had never acknowledged the disciple as his own.

Song Woojeol thought it was because he was an unworthy disciple. That he wasn’t good enough to be recognized as a disciple.

So Song Woojeol left his family and wandered the martial world, dedicating himself to martial arts.

Gwak Dan had turned his back on him solely because of his lack of ability.

If he raised his level and made a name for himself, he would be acknowledged. That he was his disciple, the disciple he had raised. He had hoped that Gwak Dan would proudly declare it.

But Song Woojeol’s hope was shattered beyond repair.

The Beijing Turmoil and Gwak Dan’s imprisonment.

Song Woojeol had forever lost the chance to be acknowledged by Gwak Dan.

Or so he thought.

“…Did he call me his disciple?”

“Yes. He said you were his only disciple.”

He hadn’t been abandoned.

He hadn’t been given up on.

Gwak Dan had believed in Song Woojeol.

That even without him, Song Woojeol would stand on his own.

So, hoping that Song Woojeol wouldn’t be bound by the Imperial Family because of him, Gwak Dan let him go.

The anxiety and blind obsession that had clouded his eyes were lifted.

He had lost the teacher who had taught him how to walk.

He had lost the advisor who had shown him the way.

He had even lost the comrades who had promised to walk that path with him.

He had lost many people, but their teachings still remained.

Song Woojeol silently shed tears and began to trace the traces they had left within him.

“Hey, Great Hero…”

As Jegal Seon-a approached, Namgung Woo raised a finger to his lips.

And then, being as quiet as possible, he got up.

By the time he had walked a short distance away, Namgung Woo finally spoke.

“Tell the Wind Chasing Unit. They might need a protector.”