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Chapter : 02
Gu Heeryang smiled broadly, revealing his white teeth.
“Stop spouting nonsense and draw up a training plan to work with the Reaper Squad guys.”
“Yes, yes! Absolutely fair, with no discrimination! I’ll make sure that even the Hyunmu Grandmaster trains just like the other Reaper Squads.”
“Why?”
At Gu Heeryang’s words, Kwak So thought:
‘Is she insane?’
Blinking rapidly, Kwak So snapped back to reality when Gu Heeryang spun his staff around once with a flick.
“Then how should we do it? Please, exalted Danju, grant us your high wisdom!”
When she asked so openly that she admitted she had no clue, Gu Heeryang explained.
“I said don’t discriminate. I never said you can’t highlight differences. The Grandmasters of the Blue Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger have all been tested on their abilities. Only the Hyunmu Grandmaster has been exempt from all responsibility and duty. And that… isn’t right.”
“Could it be that you just dislike the Hyunmu Grandmaster?”
“Me?”
“Yes!”
Hearing such a confident and assertive reply, Gu Heeryang tightened her grip on the staff.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A crisp sound echoed in the center of the Suhodan’s exclusive training ground.
Lying sprawled at the edge of the training ground, Yeongcheol scratched his belly while yawning and gestured with his chin.
“What did the Vice Danju do this time to get beaten like a dog?”
In a similar posture, Honggi, lying nearby, replied.
“Probably just being cheeky as usual.”
“Feels like she’s getting beaten more than usual?”
“Then she must have been more cheeky than usual.”
It seemed like this happened so often that their answers were completely half-hearted.
Meanwhile, from the other side, Vice Danju Kwak So screamed like she was about to die.
“I will train her so rigorously that we’ll see if she truly qualifies as the Hyunmu Grandmaster! Absolutely fair! Justly! In the manner befitting the Suhodan Vice Danju! Leave it to me!”
The unusual intensity made the Suhodan members gradually spread out, glancing at each other and asking:
“What’s our Vice Danju saying now?”
“She’s just throwing words around so Danju won’t hit her. Isn’t that a one- or two-day thing?”
“Oh.”
The Suhodan members immediately understood and returned to whatever they had been doing.
Only the unusually perceptive Yeongcheol and Honggi guessed that this joint training could end in a real disaster.
Time passed, and the day of the joint training between the Justice Suhodan and the Reaper Squad arrived.
It was a large-scale event, with 100 elite members at the core of the Justice Suhodan and 200 from the four Reaper Squad battalions moving together.
Departing from the martial alliance of Hubei and Yichang, they headed toward the midstream of the Yangtze River to the south.
At the pier, a splendidly decorated ship awaited them.
Whoosh!
The massive ship cut through the river waters.
Namgung Yeonhwa quietly watched the waves trailing behind from the rear of the ship.
Many people glanced at her, wanting to speak, but no one dared approach, keeping their mouths shut.
Her side profile, extremely beautiful yet expressionless, radiated a cold aura that made everyone hesitant.
But the moment her lips parted slightly and she exhaled a long breath into the wind, many couldn’t help but take a step forward.
Thud!
Ji Wonhyeong, the Hyunmu Grand Vice Commander, who stood one step behind Yeonhwa, directly blocked those who tried to approach.
The change was almost imperceptible to others…
Yet he could tell his Grandmaster’s current mood from her slightly softened eyes and subtly raised lips.
‘We can’t let anyone disturb someone who finally gets a moment of ease after the suffocating martial alliance!’
The notoriously fierce Hyunmu Vice Commander glared, and those who hesitated silently stepped back.
The surroundings fell silent again.
The dazzling sunlight shimmered on the waves beneath the refreshing breeze.
Just as Ji Wonhyeong thought his Grandmaster could continue this simple rest, a sudden shout broke the calm:
“Hey!”
Troublemakers appeared whom ordinary methods couldn’t handle.
“What is the matter?”
“We have nothing to discuss with the Hyunmu Vice Commander. We came to see Yeonhwa not as Reaper Squad members, but personally.”
Though her tone sounded polite, the problem was that the speaker was Namgung Hyeju.
Namgung Hyeju and Namgung Hyechan were children of Elder Namgung Gyu, who had taken real power of the Namgung clan while their father Namgung Cheok was ill. They had always found Yeonhwa irritating.
If they showed up, it could only mean trouble.
Sure enough:
“Hey, you! You aren’t even looking at us? I have something to say! I even have someone to introduce!”
Namgung Hyeju shouted over Ji Wonhyeong, peering past him at Yeonhwa.
When Yeonhwa turned, Hyeju, thinking she had gained attention, proudly pushed Ji Wonhyeong aside and presented a man standing next to her brother.
“Look, look! This is him. Not only is he talented, but he’s also excellent in character. Every Reaper Squad member’s ultimate goal is to join the Suhodan. This person is a strong candidate to join one day.”
Before Hyeju could finish, the man placed one hand on his chest and spoke.
“I am Oh Mingi of the White Tiger Battalion, first of the Yangryuk Trade Guild. I have long admired you, and I look forward to your favor.”
He greeted with confidence and poise, but his gaze was cunning, his lips thin, leaving a poor impression.
Yeonhwa just stared, saying nothing, causing Oh Mingi to clear his throat nervously.
“…….”
When Yeonhwa still showed no reaction, his expression darkened.
Unable to bear it, Namgung Hyeju shouted:
“Yeonhwa! Oh Gongja greeted you; you should respond! Even if Yangryuk Trade Guild isn’t among the three great guilds, it’s one of the top in Shandong, and has close ties to our Namgung family in Anhui!”
Yeonhwa tilted her head, giving Oh Mingi a sidelong glance.
“Is he someone dear to my sister?”
“What?”
“We’re not close, so there’s no reason for my sister to bring him to me and praise him, right?”
Though stating the obvious, it made the guilty side jump in indignation.
“Trying to match me with a mere merchant! Unthinkable…!”
“Hyeju!”
Namgung Hyechan shouted, cutting her off.
Only after her brother glared did Hyeju realize her mistake and shut her mouth. But Oh Mingi’s face had already hardened.
Yet, being cunning himself, he did not show it for long and changed his expression.
“You’re not wrong, haha! My background isn’t humble, but it doesn’t compare to the Namgung family vying for the Five Great Families’ leadership. However…”
After a brief pause, Oh Mingi tried to look as impressive as possible and smiled.
“I wanted to get close to Namgung Yeonhwa, not Namgung Hyeju, so I asked for the introduction myself.”
By saying this, he covered Hyeju’s mistake, preserved her face, and openly revealed his own intentions.
Yeonhwa nodded at his clever words.
“…….”
Yes, she nodded, and that was it.
With the situation going nowhere, Oh Mingi, Hyeju, and Hyechan grew increasingly frustrated.
“Yeonhwa, getting to know Oh Mingi could help you in many ways, especially when facing difficulties in unfamiliar surroundings!”
Namgung Hyechan, carried away by his own words, raised his voice even more passionately.
“That’s why I arranged this gathering, Yeonhwa, for your benefit. When talented young people work together to overcome challenges, forming a bond would also be a good thing, right?”
It was a thinly veiled attempt at marriage.
Yeonhwa didn’t mince words.
“From the Namgung family comes a descendant more interested in matchmaking than martial arts. The Elder said to discard the old and remake everything, and it seems this generation finally shines in that regard.”
“What did you say?”
“But what can you do? Matchmaking doesn’t seem any better than martial arts.”
If it were mere sarcasm, it would have been better.
But her sincerity made Hyechan’s anger boil even more.
