Mistaken for a Fairy
ch2

"You are to keep silent about what happened today. I will personally report to the Lord."

As Namgung Sang's command fell, the members of the Azure Sky Sword Squad clenched their fists and shouted in unison.

"Yes!"

However, even their voices were cautious, as if afraid of being heard.

Namgung Sang firmly restrained the members and left the mountain range without hesitation.

"Azure Sky Commander? What brings you here in such a hurry? Do you already miss your three-year-old youngest daughter? No matter how I think about it, this place isn't a size you can survey in just a day or two—"

As always, the Chief Steward greeted him with a joke.

However, the moment he saw Namgung Sang's face, the Chief Steward's expression hardened.

Namgung Sang's eyes were colder than a blade, and even his gait was stiff with an inexplicable tension.

"I have something to report to the Lord. It's urgent."

Short and decisive words.

The Chief Steward couldn't even catch his breath before turning and running.

It didn't take long to be summoned to the Lord's Hall. Namgung Sang immediately stepped onto the carpet and crossed the threshold.

And he knelt before a man with a sky-piercing dignity.

The one sitting there was Namgung Se-in, the Sword Venerable, one of the Five Supreme Masters of the World.

Namgung Se-in's Spiritual Energy filled the space. Just making eye contact was an oppressive force that seemed to crush the heart.

However, Namgung Sang's expression did not ease in the slightest.

He used to think that the Lord's Spiritual Energy was so fierce that there was no one in the world to compare, but now his thoughts had changed.

Namgung Se-in's voice echoed.

"I heard you have an urgent matter. Report."

The single word was colder than the wind, and it echoed through the air like a sword's flash.

Namgung Sang bowed deeply and reported everything that had happened without adding or subtracting.

In the midst of the Spiritual Energy that filled the mountain range, a being like a reincarnated fairy.

He conveyed everything in detail. There were no additions or exaggerations.

How many hidden masters and extraordinary people are there in the martial world? Didn't Bodhidharma and Zhang Sanfeng also ascend to immortality, breaking free from the shackles of the world?

"I didn't know you were interested in Taoism."

It sounded like a light joke, but it also contained a sharp suspicion.

Just as Namgung Sang was about to open his mouth to elaborate, Namgung Se-in lightly raised a hand to stop him.

"Enough. I trust the Azure Sky Commander. That's why I'm even more troubled."

The corner of Namgung Se-in's mouth twisted slightly.

A fairy, a fairy. It was a preposterous story. A story he couldn't believe without seeing it for himself.

But it was Namgung Sang who had brought it up. Namgung Sang was not just a master of swordsmanship. The reason he was placed in the position of Azure Sky Commander was because of his unique and insightful eye.

Namgung Sang had deciphered the Blood Cult's bizarre formations, saving hundreds of innocent people, and had fostered dozens of masters.

That Namgung Sang had made a mistake? That he had been deceived by a formation?

It was hard to believe.

Then there was only one possibility left.

A being whose realm even Namgung Sang's eyes could not fathom. A female master beyond imagination had truly appeared out of thin air.

And that too, near Anhui Province, where one of the Eight Great Families of the world, the Namgung Clan, resided.

Namgung Se-in's gaze slowly, but clearly, sharpened like a blade.

'She asked for three days.'

Seo-yeon's words, as told by Namgung Sang, flashed through his mind.

Did she really mean she was leaving? That couldn't be.

It meant that she was giving him three days to come and find her himself.

To none other than the man who had spread the Namgung Clan's prestige throughout the martial world and was called the Overlord.

Arrogant. But a master who had reached that level had the right to act that way.

Namgung Se-in slowly inhaled. His energy surged like a storm, but he suppressed even his breath.

"Tell me more details."

Seo-yeon packed her bags with a gloomy face. She had never intended to live her whole life hiding in the mountains, but she also never expected to leave her home so suddenly.

Of course, to be clear, she wasn't being kicked out. If they had been a group from an evil sect instead of the Namgung Clan, she wouldn't have been able to complain and would have had her head cut off first.

But it was a place where she had taken root and lived for more than a dozen years. She couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.

How many places in the world are there with little traffic from people, less danger, and where you can get what you need appropriately?

"You guys have to stay here, right?"

Seo-yeon murmured, stroking the white tiger's soft fur. She was scared when she first met him, but after living together for a few years, she had become deeply attached. She now understood why people in her previous life raised cats and became attached to them.

Grrr-.

His actions were closer to a dog than a cat, but anyway.

Seo-yeon smiled as she thought.

If a tiger of this size followed her around, she would be the center of attention in the martial world. It was already considered an auspicious creature, so there was no need to say more.

"It would have been nice if you could have carried my luggage."

She had to give up most of the sculptures she had painstakingly carved. It was difficult to even pack simple clothes and cooking utensils.

It was a shame, but she could always make new sculptures.

She had thought about asking the Namgung Clan people for help, but she couldn't commit the rudeness of treating a swordsman from a prestigious family like a porter.

'I might get my head cut off for being rude.'

The white tiger, unaware of Seo-yeon's complicated feelings, was simply purring, satisfied with the touch.

'How can a tiger be so gentle?'

How could a beast that instinctively seeks slaughter be so innocent? Is that why it's called a Spiritual Creature?

'Did I spare it because it wasn't even a mouthful?'

She had a playful thought, but when she saw the white tiger growling and exposing its belly, she couldn't help but laugh.

It was a smart creature, so she must have spared it as a back scratcher.

Seo-yeon packed her bags appropriately and then lay down on the wooden bed. She was excellent at making things, so the fabric surrounding the bed was so soft that it could be compared to modern furniture.

Although she used a lot of the white tiger's fur.

'Where should I move to?'

Sichuan is scary. When she thinks of Sichuan, she thinks of the Sichuan Tang Clan, which uses poison. The journey will already be difficult, so she can't go there because she's scared. Of course, the Qingcheng Sect, the Diancang Sect, and the Emei Sect were also in Sichuan, but she couldn't help but be scared.

Yunnan and Guangxi are too far away. If she met a band of robbers, it would be a big problem.

There were no significant forces in Zhejiang or Jiangxi. It seemed better to have a righteous sect that could at least nominally take charge of public order.

Seo-yeon eventually narrowed it down to two places.

Shandong or Henan.

In Shandong, there are the Hwangbo Clan and the Jegal Clan. Hebei is right above it, and Hebei is home to many major sects such as the Hebei Peng Clan and the Beggars' Sect.

There may be a lot of infighting because there are so many righteous sects, but evil sects will not be able to run rampant.

Above all, the government is close. They cannot take the lives of innocent people lightly.

In Henan, there is the headquarters of the Shaolin Temple. It is a prestigious righteous sect, and even if it is corrupt in martial arts novels, it rarely falls into depravity.

Above all, the mountains are high and difficult for ordinary people to live in, so it is perfect for hiding.

It's perfect for living alone in secret.

Of course, it wasn't that she didn't want to enjoy the pleasures of the world like others. However, Seo-yeon was the type of person who thought it was better to live a long and thin life than to risk dying on the road.

She felt more comfortable living apart from the world and carving sculptures.

She wasn't worried about making a living.

Seo-yeon knew for sure that her sculpting skills were outstanding.

Otherwise, why would those calculating merchants come all the way to this deep mountain every month?

'After all, a professional job is the best.'

Seo-yeon smiled inwardly with satisfaction. With this skill, she would never have to beg for food anywhere.

At dawn the next day, as a silver mist embraced the mountainside, Seo-yeon was sweeping the front yard as usual.

Because it was deep in the mountains, no one would come to visit, and if the wind blew, fallen leaves and soil would pile up again.

But Seo-yeon did not let go of this routine.

Every time she swept away the dirt and fallen leaves with the broom, a strange peace permeated her heart.

Seo-yeon's body had already had the Ren and Du meridians naturally opened since birth,

The Eight Extraordinary Meridians were constantly circulating, refining her body.

But Seo-yeon didn't know that.

She only felt as if she was sharing her breath with the earth every time she held the broom and swept the ground.

'Am I really a druid?'

The natural energy is carried on the broom, creating a gentle breeze and pushing the fallen leaves and thoughts into one place.

It was then.

Suddenly, she met someone's gaze.

Not far away, a middle-aged man with a gentle age was staring at her intently.

The family traditions of prestigious martial arts families are inherently strict. The Namgung Clan was no exception. But Namgung Se-in was a man with a different grain than the previous Lords.

There was kindness in his strictness, and he did not lose his fairness in his authority.

He was a man who knew how to clearly distinguish between himself as the Lord and himself as a father.

And now, Namgung Se-in was not the Lord, but a father, setting out on the road with his children.

"Father, may I ask where you are going?"

A young man who had not yet shed his boyishness asked cautiously.

"If he was going to tell you, he would have told you before we left. You foolish brother. Try to think a little."

A woman who was following beside him clicked her tongue.

"Brother, my ass. If we were born on the same day, we're friends."

"That's what young ones always say. But this sister is generous, so I'll cover up that flaw."

"You're small-chested, so don't talk about being a sister."

"Hey!"

Sparks flew in an instant.

"I feel sorry for Hyun, who fell for you. He's a member of the Jegal Clan, but how could he be blinded by a freak like you?"

"Say that one more time. I'll really kill you. No, I should just confess all your sinister deeds to the Little Sword Marquis. If he knew that you were a sinister person who only talked about chests all day long, he would be very happy. Right?"

At the same time, a snort echoed.

Even though they were running at a fast speed using light footwork, their speech was as natural as usual.

Although the quality of the conversation was low, it was indeed worthy of the direct line of the prestigious Namgung Clan.

"The energy is unusual. Put aside your personal stories for a moment."

"Yes, Father."

The twins answered at the same time.

Namgung Seolhwa, Namgung Cheonghae's twin sister and the second princess of the Namgung Clan, swept the ground with her fierce eyes.

'It's a Sacred Land? Why did you ask us to come here? Did you find a mysterious Spiritual Medicine?'

Among Spiritual Medicines, there were many that lost their effectiveness from the moment they were harvested. If you were going to use it the moment you harvested it, I could understand.

There was no way that her father, who had reached the level of a supreme master, would use it, so there was a high probability that they were the target.

'Certainly, it's not ordinary energy.'

Even when she visited the Shaolin Temple or the Wudang Sect, she had never felt such pure energy. How mysterious is the Spiritual Medicine that it emits so much energy?

Then.

Namgung Seolhwa's gaze reached one place.

There was a tiger with a frosty energy around it. It was guarding the area like a gatekeeper, staring at them with a noble posture.

"……A white tiger?"

Namgung Seolhwa muttered unconsciously. She was overwhelmed without realizing it, and the end of her words was trembling slightly.

Then, Namgung Se-in quietly opened his mouth.

"Indeed, it is a Spiritual Creature as I heard. The Azure Sky Commander's words were not an exaggeration."

He had seen many Spiritual Creatures over the years, but this was the first time he had seen such a Spiritual Creature.

The profound energy contained in its eyes far surpassed that of a beast, and the energy it possessed was extremely pure.

No matter which village it went to, it would be worshiped as a mountain god or guardian god.

Namgung Se-in smiled softly. And he gestured lightly to his children and said.

"Let's walk from here."

There was a strange composure and an uncontainable expectation mixed in his smile.

He was glad he came in person.

Surely the story about the unknown female master was also true.

One of the Five Supreme Masters of the World.

Sword Venerable.

Lord of the Namgung Clan.

These were the names that Namgung Se-in carried on his back. They had placed him in the ranks of supreme masters, but at the same time, they had also placed a heavy burden on him.

As the Lord of a family and the pillar of the righteous faction, he could not compete privately. Even if he crossed swords, it would only be a guided sparring, and it had been more than five years since he had experienced a proper fight.

But now, Namgung Se-in felt his heart beating for the first time in a long time.