The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 174

Huff, gasp, huff...

Yu Gang exhaled roughly as he stared at Guhyangdo far in the distance.

How many days had it been now?

Guhyangdo ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) had neither eaten nor slept—he had done nothing but walk.

There was no telling where their destination lay, or when he might stop.

Yu Gang had to take ten steps just to match one of his, and in truth, he had to run just to barely keep up.

How far had they walked like that?

Ooooo—

“!”

Somewhere, a beast’s howl echoed.

Yu Gang flinched, glanced around, and quickly resumed following behind Guhyangdo.

At times, he felt a sharp gaze upon him, but he lacked the strength to look around.

How long had he chased behind him like that?

It was as he was climbing a rugged stone path.

Whoosh—!

“Urgh!”

Something black lunged at Yu Gang.

He reflexively kicked off the ground and leapt, but the uneven stones made him stumble and he failed to land properly.

“Huff... gasp... huff...”

Yu Gang panted heavily as he stared at the thing that had attacked him.

A wolf, its body seemingly three times larger than his own.

The problem was the tainted qi emanating from it.

It was a vile sensation he had never felt before.

A demon beast...?

He had read about demon beasts in books while he was in the Mount Hua Sect.

If a spirit beast was a creature that had transcended ordinary animals through the gathering of pure energy, then a demon beast was the opposite—an animal whose body had become infused with malicious energy through the accumulation of turbid qi.

Both spirit and demon beasts were known to be much larger than ordinary animals, their hides tough beyond belief, and their speed far exceeded what could be outrun with ordinary movement techniques.

However, demon beasts were known to be especially aggressive, and encountering one was dangerous.

Gulp.

Yu Gang swallowed dryly.

Guhyangdo’s presence was nowhere to be felt; he had likely already gone far ahead.

I need to... follow the elder...

But at the moment, the demon beast before him was the more urgent concern.

Grrrrr...

Its blood-red eyes gleamed, and saliva dripped from its bared fangs.

From the way it bared its hostility, it clearly had no intention of letting him go.

Yu Gang, before he even realized it, placed his hand on the sword at his waist.

But then, his hand froze.

...I...

I must not use my sword.

The only swordsmanship he had learned was from Mount Hua. If he drew his sword, he would inevitably draw upon that.

Mount Hua had not only forgiven him, but had also spared his martial arts despite his insistence on leaving.

They had protected him until the very end. In turn, he must uphold his own duty toward Mount Hua to the end.

Thus, he must not draw his sword.

Not until he could wield a sword that was not Mount Hua’s.

Never.

KRAAAH!

The demon beast charged at Yu Gang.

Crash—!

“Urgh...!”

Reflexively, Yu Gang raised his sheathed sword and blocked the attack.

Clang! Clack-clack!

“Get... away...!”

Thud—!

He kicked the demon beast in the stomach, channeling internal energy into the strike.

With a sharp yelp, the beast was hurled a short distance away.

But it quickly rose again and lunged straight back at him.

Grrr!

Dash—! Sprint!

Yu Gang narrowly evaded the charging beast and parried its swinging forepaw.

He occasionally countered with kicks and punches imbued with internal energy, but though the beast was momentarily staggered, it charged again, more enraged than before.

At this rate...

The longer the fight dragged on, the more exhausted Yu Gang became.

His body, already strained from days of chasing after Guhyangdo without proper rest, was rapidly deteriorating.

“Huff... gasp... huff...”

Grrrr... grrrrrr...

The standoff between Yu Gang and the demon beast dragged on.

Yu Gang realized it instinctively.

I won’t dodge the next one. I’ll lose.

If he did not use his sword, he could not win.

The turbid qi wrapped around the beast like armor, dulling the force of every strike.

The first time he had kicked with internal energy, it had seemed to deal some damage—but as he repeated the same attack, the beast was gradually adapting.

Meanwhile, he was—

“....”

Yu Gang stared at his trembling hands and slowly exhaled.

Even if he were to die here, he would not retreat easily. Even if it meant burning away his own life.

I will survive.

“COME ON!!”

Grrrrraaaa!!

The wolf demon beast lunged at him.

Its gaping maw, full of sharp teeth, flashed as if to devour him in a single bite—and just as Yu Gang clenched his fist—

Shwik— Slaaash.

“!”

In that moment, Yu Gang thought time had stopped.

A brilliant flash split the air in an instant.

The massive demon wolf’s neck and torso were severed midair—cleanly, in one stroke.

Thud—! Splurt!

The beast died without even realizing it had been slain, split in two while still in the act of roaring.

Yu Gang stood frozen, blankly watching the pool of blood spreading from the beast, then slowly turned toward the direction the energy had come from.

When had he arrived?

Guhyangdo stood atop a towering rock, hands clasped behind his back.

Sword severance...

The force was so vast, so dense, it had cleaved not air, but space itself, felling a massive, thick-skinned beast in one strike.

The power differed even from the sword qi he had once witnessed from the elders of Mount Hua. Yu Gang gulped without realizing.

“You have gone from a fledgling who could wield a sword... to one who cannot.”

Yu Gang startled, quickly coming to his senses, and offered Guhyangdo a martial salute.

“Thank you for saving me, Elder!”

“Mind your words. I did not help you—I saved you.”

“Then thank you for saving my life, Benefactor!”

Guhyangdo snorted.

His gaze dropped to the sword lying beside Yu Gang.

“You never drew it.”

“...I wanted to keep my faith.”

“Does faith bring the dead back to life?”

“If I forsake faith just to survive, how could I call that living?”

“You are a Taoist to the bone.”

“....”

Guhyangdo casually tossed something toward Yu Gang.

Startled, Yu Gang barely managed to catch it—and nearly toppled over from the sheer weight.

It was Guhyangdo’s saber.

The very same blade that had just cleaved the demon beast in half.

Yu Gang looked at him, stunned.

“Th-this... why would you give this to me...?”

“My arm aches from carrying it too long. You carry it. If you fail to keep up again, I will leave you behind.”

“...Yes! Leave it to me!”

Beaming, Yu Gang secured the saber tightly to his back.

It was so large it nearly reached the backs of his knees.

Guhyangdo gave him a bored look, then turned and resumed walking.

This time, his pace was clearly slower than before.

Watching that retreating back, Yu Gang smiled brightly.

****

Seolhwa had seen the Hao Sect Leader in her past life.

She had learned of the Hao Sect’s ties to the Blood Demon Cult when the Hao Sect Leader personally sought out the Blood Demon and knelt before him.

She knew her face, and she knew what the Hao Sect Leader was doing at this time, so finding her in a confined area was not difficult.

The grandest and most extravagant brothel in Changsha.

At the top floor, which offered a full view of the streets of Changsha and the nighttime Dongting Lake, a splendid banquet was underway.

Lively music, beautiful courtesans dancing and singing, and a vast array of colorful, lavish dishes adorned the massive feast table.

This luxurious banquet, held for the first time in ages, was for one person alone—a man whose face was hidden behind a golden mask.

“They say the banquet is for him? All this for just one person?”

“He supposedly offered a whole ingot of gold. Asked for it to be more extravagant than any other.”

“Whose young master is he? He’s wearing a mask to hide the fact he spent so much at a brothel, I bet.”

“Then why’s he just sitting there like a statue? Even with all the best girls in the house, he does not budge.”

As they served an endless stream of food and wine, the servers whispered among themselves about the man at the center of the banquet.

Some claimed he was a young master from the Namgoong Clan.

Others said he was the third young master of the Sichuan Tang family, known for his love of leisure.

Still others suspected he was one of the imperial princes.

Only a handful in the entire Central Plains could afford to spend such wealth on a single night’s revelry.

“I swear he’s from the Namgoong Clan! I saw him clearly when we stayed in Changsha on our last escort mission!”

A man sipping from a small cup gently set it down.

—Master Ryeong. Of all things, why is suspicion falling on the First Young Master? What should we do...?

—Really? So Father had a grand night out, huh.

—The First Young Master would never do such a thing. These rumors likely spread because of his appearance.

His sharp yet beautiful features were famous across the Central Plains.

Many assumed, without knowing anything about him, that he must be breaking hearts wherever he went.

But the First Young Master... he had loved his wife dearly...

—...In any case, the First Young Master would never do such a thing.

—She is here. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“!”

At Seolhwa’s words, Ryeong turned to the new server entering with a tray of food, gazing at him through her mask.

They had already noticed that the servers changed with each course brought out.

According to Seolhwa, it was all arranged to make it seem natural for the Hao Sect Leader to pass through.

The server who entered carrying a golden-roasted whole duck arranged the dishes pleasingly on the table.

Then, as she approached Ryeong to change the wine bottle, Ryeong raised a hand.

The music ceased at once, and the courtesans withdrew.

“You there.”

Ryeong held out her cup to the server holding the wine.

“Pour for me.”