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Chapter 8
The Namgung Family—
A massive clan located in Anhui.
As one of the Five Great Families, its size was enormous.
- The main family members had separate residences
- The warriors each had their own quarters
- Training grounds, libraries, treasure vaults, and armories could fill an entire village
On top of that—
The entire compound was protected by formations.
Anyone entering without permission would trigger them instantly.
A true fortress.
Deep inside this vast estate—
There was one building.
Unlike the others—
It was painted black.
Like the entrance to a bottomless pit.
That place was:
Namgung Inspection Division.
A terrifying place.
Its purpose:
- Maintain discipline
- Investigate wrongdoing
Those taken inside felt like they were heading to execution.
Those who came out—
Looked like their souls had been burned away.
And now—
Namgung Cheongang was summoned there.
‘This is insane.’
He had been peacefully resting at home—
When suddenly—
Two warriors grabbed him and dragged him here.
He briefly considered escaping.
Like in movies.
Jumping out a window—
Shouting he was innocent.
‘Yeah… I’d die instantly.’
There were guards everywhere.
And worse—
He didn’t even know where he was.
‘From outside it looked like a normal building…’
But inside—
It led underground.
A sealed room.
No escape.
And in front of him—
Sat three people.
All powerful.
All familiar.
- Namgung Ok (Deputy Head of Inspection)
- Namgung Baek (Head of Training Hall)
- Namgung Ho (his uncle, Deputy Head of Iron Sword Division)
All of them—
At the peak expert level.
Cheongang?
Barely low-tier.
‘There’s no way I’m escaping this.’
Even a novel wouldn’t make sense if he did.
“…Do you know your crime?!”
A loud voice exploded.
He jumped.
Looked—
It was his uncle.
Silence.
Awkward.
“…Sorry. The mood felt right.”
“….”
Namgung Ok shook his head.
“When will you grow up…”
Then smiled gently at Cheongang.
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.”
“You’re calmer than expected.”
“If I’m guilty, I’m guilty. If not, I’m not.”
Namgung Ok smiled.
“That’s true. We didn’t call you to pressure you. Just to confirm something.”
Cheongang relaxed slightly.
But only slightly.
‘What are they asking about?’
Then—
It hit him.
‘…The incident earlier.’
And of course—
His bad feeling was right.
“We’ll get straight to the point,” said Namgung Ok.
“Moyong Sohwa stated that you saved her today.”
“And that you used the Flying Thunder Sword.”
“….”
“And that technique is only for direct family members.”
“Did you use it?”
‘…That girl!!’
He screamed internally.
“This is bad.”
Namgung Ok continued calmly.
“You left the training hall early.”
“You had no chance to learn direct techniques.”
“Yet you used one.”
“Isn’t that strange?”
Her tone was soft—
But her words were sharp.
Meaning:
“You stole it, didn’t you?”
Sweat ran down his back.
‘One wrong answer… and I’m finished.’
He quickly analyzed the situation.
- Namgung Baek → verifying his training history
- His uncle → confirming witness testimony
Even family couldn’t protect him fully.
This was serious.
‘Think, Cheongang.’
Then—
A solution appeared.
“I didn’t use Flying Thunder Sword.”
“…What?”
“I misspoke earlier from nervousness.”
He straightened himself.
“What I used was not Flying Thunder Sword.”
He continued calmly.
“I did leave training early.”
“But thanks to my family, I mastered the Namgung Twelve Swords.”
His uncle blinked.
“…Did you?”
‘Yes. You did.’
Their eyes met.
Understanding passed.
“So what I used was a throwing technique based on the Twelve Swords.”
“It only looked similar.”
That was his logic.
The Twelve Swords—
Were the foundation of Namgung martial arts.
Even advanced techniques stem from it.
So similarity?
Not strange.
“…That’s possible,” his uncle nodded.
‘Nice, Uncle!’
But—
Namgung Baek wasn’t convinced.
“That alone isn’t enough.”
He continued.
“The assassin’s sword was shattered in one strike.”
“That level of power cannot come from basic techniques alone.”
“….”
His uncle fell silent.
He couldn’t help further.
‘As expected.’
Namgung Baek—
Strict.
Sharp-eyed.
A true traditionalist.
‘So… I need a different answer.’
And then—
“Internal energy.”
“…What?”
“I used all my internal energy.”
Silence.
“Every last bit.”
They stared at him.
“…All of it?”
“Yes.”
“….”
“….”
Cheongang smiled confidently.
“Everything I had.”
